Actions

Work Header

Something I Love

Chapter 3: Chapter Three

Notes:

I’m baaack! Here’s that comfort that I promised *checks watch* seven months ago! *hides face in shame*

No fanfiction is worth a seven-month wait, but I hope you all enjoy the conclusion to the misery that I’ve made these two loverboys endure.

Formatting notes: horizontal lines indicate a couple hours time skip. Dabi's contact is saved under different names in different chats. And yes, Hawks and Dabi are watching Mahito's introductory scene in Jujustu Kaisen.

And of course, since this is fanon, the characters and the logistics of their all getting along deviate strongly from canon. I promised comfort, which means I am delivering a world where Big Magne is alive and well. Enjoy :)

Chapter Text

Dabi rolled over in bed, tangling himself in the small mountain of blankets that Hawks had placed on top of him. He blearily took in his surroundings, blinking away the last remnants of his unusually nightmare-free sleep. More often than not, Sekoto Peak or Endeavor made guest appearances in his dreams, but whatever nap/sleep/coma he had just awoken from was some strange exception.

He vaguely remembers Hawks all but forcing him to take some painkillers, the super strong ones that he had smuggled from a medical warehouse a few months ago, and used only in emergencies. Another memory comes back to him, of Hawks wildly gesticulating at the burrowing burn wound on his leg and shouting, “This is an emergency!” The birdie and his stubborn hero reflexes must be the reason behind his unusually peaceful slumber.

Where was Tweety Bird anyway? Dabi swiveled around to survey the room, groaning as his vision swam. No red wings or stupidly perfect blond hair in sight.

Maybe he was in the bathroom? Or cleaning up the living room from the morning’s emotionally charged events? Dabi cringed as he remembered how much of a hysterical cry-baby he had been. He swiped under his eyes, where he expected to find dried blood from all of the dry sobbing he had done while crumpled in a worthless heap in Hawks’ arms. Instead, his fingers brushed against soft, clean skin.

Hawks must have made him/helped him wash his face before he passed out. Despite himself, he smiled.

“Birdie?” he called out, his voice raspy and raw with sleep. When no footsteps or feathers came his way, he cleared his throat and tried again.

Suddenly, the pillow behind him twitched. Dabi jolted upward into a seated position, blue flames erupting instinctively from his hands.

A small red feather slipped out from underneath the pillowcase. It was one of Hawks’ down feathers; small and soft but still incredibly sensitive. 

Relieved, Dabi sighed and extinguished his flames. Gently, he picked up the tiny feather and stroked the baby-fine tufts. Birdbrain hadn’t left him all alone after all.

The feather squirmed in his grip, like it was trying to tell him something. Alarmed, Dabi dropped it and watched as it slowly drifted toward the bedside table.

The fuck? Was Hawks trying to send him a message? He was way too groggy to be playing the DaVinci Code with Hawks’ feathers right now.

Dabi warily followed the feather’s path to the bedside table, until his eyes landed upon a neon yellow sticky note marked with what could only be Hawks’ scribbling. The color of Hawks’ stationary was as obnoxious as the man himself; Dabi wasn’t sure how he had missed the note before, even in his half-asleep stupor. 

He peeled the note off the nightstand to examine it more closely. Hawks’ sprawling, nearly italicized handwriting read:

 

“Will be back by 7:00. Picking up dinner and some supplies for you. PLEASE CALL ME IF YOU NEED ME. HERE IS YOUR PHONE!!!

Love,

K”

 

A huge block arrow pointed towards Dabi’s cellphone, which Hawks had kindly left charging within arms reach.  Next to his phone were some other trinkets that Hawks had left for him: a glass of water, a clean hoodie, and the book that Dabi was currently reading.

Fucking cute .

Dabi snagged his phone from the charger. The screen blinded him with a wall of missed texts from Hawks.

 

Chicken 🍗 : If you’re awake and see this, do you want yakitori or udon for dinner?

Chicken 🍗: I’m just gonna get both, leftovers keep.

Chicken 🍗 : I miss you :(

Chicken 🍗 : I’m gonna get you soup too

Chicken 🍗 : If you wake up, can you lmk?

Chicken 🍗 : Promise I’ll be back soon, almost done

Chicken 🍗 : All set! Omw back now see you soon ❤❤❤

 

The stupid grin that had crept onto Dabi’s face dissipated as soon as he saw messages from his group chat with Toga and Magne.

 

Big Sis 👑 : hi honey. i hope everythings okay

Big Sis 👑 : hawks probably didnt tell you, and i know you dont like surprises, so: 

Big Sis 👑 : hawks called me and asked for my advice on how to heal your burns. he’s really worried about you. i am giving him your box of things that’s here at the hideout

Big Sis 👑: you really should have those things with you at all times

Lil Sis 👹 : the blanket i made you is in there! I can’t believe you’ve been living without it all this time

Big Sis 👑 : ujiko is portalling the box to a neutral location, and hawks will pick it up in person. dont worry, we still have no fucking clue where you live

Lil Sis 👹 : :(

Big Sis 👑 : i know you will be mad, so be mad at me. dont be mad at hawks. he loves you so much, honey

Big Sis 👑 : and we do too <3 TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF for gods sake

Lil Sis 👹 : hawks is SO sweet! Does he have any cute hero friends?

Lil Sis 👹 : ooo is izuku single???

Big Sis 👑 : at the very least, give your sisters a text back so we know youre still alive

 

Dabi groaned and let his head fall back against the headboard in exasperation. This was so fucking embarrassing. He’s not sure which was worse: that he had acted so pitifully that Hawks felt the need to consult the League, or that Hawks was about to see all of the sweet and soft things that his partners in crime had gifted/stolen/crafted for him after seeing him having one too many bad pain days.

He stared at the text messages, seething, before accepting his discomfort as more embarrassment than genuine anger.

 

Hothead 🔥: Why the fuck would i know if UA’s resident green bean is single or not

Lil Sis 👹 : YOURE ALIVE

Hothead 🔥 : Cant get rid of me just yet

 

Dabi sighed, swallowed his pride, and typed:

 

Hothead 🔥 : Thank you guys. Forewarned is forearmed

Big Sis 👑 : go easy on him, love. he really just wants to help you

 

Dabi swiped back to his conversation with Hawks. This would be easier if Hawks weren’t so anxious, and Hawks wouldn’t be so anxious if he knew that Dabi was awake and coherent.

 

Firefly 🥵: Just woke up. Found your love letter <3

 

Immediately, three dots popped up on the screen. Dabi frowned. Shouldn’t there be rules against texting and flying?

 

Chicken 🍗 : Sleeping booty has a wake in!

 

Dabi cocked an eyebrow. The three dots reappeared.

 

Chicken 🍗 : Sleeping beauty

Chicken 🍗 : Sleeping beauty has awakened

Chicken 🍗 : Goddamn talk to text. I’m almost home. See you soon love you

 

Almost home? They didn’t call him the fastest hero for nothing.

Dabi swung his legs over the side of the bed and made a Herculean effort to stand up. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as his head reacclimated to which way was up and which way was down.

He shuffled in the direction of the bathroom, suddenly feeling an urge to make sure he didn’t look like complete garbage for his boyfriend that had just flown across the city for his own sake. Knowing the size of the box from the hideout, and knowing Hawks’ appetite for takeout, he was certain that the weight of the combined cargo was at least half Hawks’ bodyweight.

Dabi flicked on the bathroom light and shuddered at the reflection staring back at him. He looked ghastly, to put it nicely. His blood loss and earlier nervous breakdown had made his skin a few shades paler, with dark shadows extending below the burns under his eyes. His hair was defying gravity in all kinds of unstylish ways, mussed up from an apparently fitful painkiller-induced sleep. A staple in the corner of his mouth was starting to free itself from his skin. Dabi pushed it back into place and winced. He checked his reflection again, as if readjusting the tiny piece of metal would detract from the years of burn scars and very recent hours of turmoil he put himself through. It didn’t.

Unsure with how to busy himself until Hawks got home, Dabi apprehensively shifted the waistband of his sweatpants so he could check the burn on his leg. Maybe it was time to staple it?

Absolutely not.

Dabi’s stomach turned at the sight of the bandages covering his wound, the soft white material stained with a sickly mix of blood and pus and sweat. He readjusted his pants and decided to ignore the burn for now. Because that seemed to work really well last time.

A clattering sound rang out from behind the apartment’s front door, saving Dabi from his own thoughts. Bracing the wall, Dabi slowly meandered into the living room, snickering as he heard Hawks muttering and cursing to himself for dropping his precious cargo. 

The door swung open, revealing a frazzled Hawks repositioning the takeout bags on his arm. “Babe I’m home — Dabi, why are you standing up?!” Hawks’ face quickly morphed into a frown as he locked eyes with Dabi swaying in the doorway.

“Sounded like you needed some help,” Dabi raised an eyebrow at Hawks. He couldn’t help his gaze from drifting towards his crate of things from the hideout, currently pinned under Hawks’s arm that wasn’t weighed down with takeout bags. He cringed inwardly when he saw that the most incriminating item was sitting right on top — a quilt that Toga had made for him. It was actually an incredibly sophisticated device; it was infused with a Quirk that acted as a coolant upon contact with skin. Much to Dabi’s dismay, Toga’s amateurish craftsmanship didn’t match. Dabi had offered to just staple the quilt squares together, but Toga had insisted she sew it “the right way”.

Hawks froze. A nervous blush spread across his cheeks.

“Dabs, I —”

Dabi smiled gently and shook his head, raising a hand to cut Hawks off. “Magne told me. It’s okay.”

Hawks’ eyes widened in shock. “Really?”

“Really Magne told me, or really it’s okay?”

Hawks sputtered.

Dabi laughed, enjoying making Hawks sweat. “It’s yes to both. Really, it’s fine. There’s no way you could’ve given me a heads up while I was asleep.”

Slowly, Hawks stepped closer to Dabi, bushy eyebrows still slanted upwards in a nervous expression. He palmed Dabi’s forehead, mockingly checking for a fever.

“Ha ha.” Dabi swiped Hawks’ hand away. He interlaced his fingers with Hawks’ before the other could pull away. “I feel just fine.”

Golden eyes stared back at him, incredulous. “The ‘just fine’ Dabi I knew 24 hours ago never would have been okay with this.”

Dabi rolled his eyes. “Today has stomped on any remnants of my pride. I’m over it.” 

Hawks gave him a sad look. Dabi sighed and quickly rephrased, “You looking out for me when I didn’t want to advocate for myself . . . it was the right thing to do.”

Hawks sighed and leaned his forehead against Dabi’s shoulder, too shocked by Dabi’s benevolence to stand upright any longer. “God, that’s good to hear you say,” he murmured into Dabi’s shirt. He picked his head back up, gold locking into cerulean. “You know I always want to do whatever’s right by you .”

Dabi ran a thumb over Hawks’ jaw and pulled him in for a deep kiss, knowing that words would fail him if he tried to speak. “Thank you,” he finally managed when Hawks pulled away, breathless.

“I love you, Dabs.” Hawks blinked away a tear that threatened to escape his tear ducts.

“I know. Not sure why else you would lug fifty pounds of villain miscellanea here just for me.”

“Seriously, what is in there?! ” Hawks laughed and waved his hands in surrender as Dabi sighed. “We’ll do show-and-tell later. Are you hungry? How did you sleep?”

“Yeah, I could eat.” Dabi slipped the series of takeout bags off of Hawks’ forearm and placed them on the kitchen island. “And really well. So well I don’t remember going to bed.”

“Wow. Those pills really knocked you out that hard?”

Dabi fidgeted. “I told you, I really don’t like taking meds unless I have to.”

Hawks scoffed. “You’re talking to the guy who had to beg you to swallow them.”

“You know I love it when you beg.”

Hawks threw a pair of disposable chopsticks at Dabi’s forehead. “Don’t make me give you a second dose to shut you up.”

“Second dose of what? Birdie, you know I’m always up for round two.”

Dabi!


Hawks ghosted his fingers along Dabi’s inner thigh, watching as the other slowly picked at his udon. Hawks had demolished his dinner some time ago, ravenous from playing double agent, although this time he was two-timing as boyfriend and medic rather than his usual stint as hero and villain-confidant. 

The two sat side by side on the couch. Even though the giant piece of furniture offered enough space for both of them to stretch out comfortably, hero and villain sat flush together on the center cushion. Dabi was snuggled up against Hawks’ right side, metal-adorned limbs somehow fitting comfortably in the space between Hawks’ broad torso and wide wings. Hawks had draped his right wing loosely over Dabi, gently guiding him closer towards him. Hawks’ right forearm was firmly laid over Dabi’s left thigh, fingers dancing over the sinewy muscles in Dabi’s quad and the staples that kept said muscles from bursting out. Hawks was really looking forward to when Dabi was feeling more like himself again; all of this cuddling was ramping up his already high sex drive.

Dabi’s eyes were trained on the TV on the wall opposite the couch, seemingly oblivious to Hawks’ ministrations. Hawks smiled privately to himself at the focused look on Dabi’s face. While Dabi’s bookworm habits had yet to rub off on Hawks, Hawks had successfully goaded Dabi into watching anime with him. Hawks had even been so kind as to start this particular series over with him, so that Dabi could be brought up to speed. Besides, it was even more fun to watch Dabi watch his show than to rewatch it alone.

Dabi’s eyes widened as the ongoing scene introduced a new character. It was a villain, covered head to toe in stitches and lounging across a beachchair. Dabi pointed his chopsticks accusingly at the on-screen imposter. “This guy’s stealing my look.” He turned to Hawks and cocked an eyebrow. “Is that why you like this show?”

Hawks laughed and moved his arm from Dabi’s thigh to wrap around his waist, pulling him in to kiss his cheek. “You rock it way better.”

Hawks pulled back a bit to get a better look at Dabi. He was relieved to see that some of the color had returned to his face, or at least it wasn’t the ashen grey tone he had earlier. Blue eyes glimmered with their characteristic teasing sparkle. That probably meant that the pain meds were wearing off; Hawks decided that he would wait a bit before he pushed Dabi to take another dose.

“Feeling a little better?” Hawks asked, carding a hand through Dabi’s hair.

“Mhm,” Dabi hummed and leaned into Hawks’ touch. “Thank you for dinner.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. I worked really hard to make it.”

Dabi laughed. “Yeah, you worked really hard to buy it. And to bring it all the way back here.”

Hawks grinned at the quip. “Speaking of,” he said as he straightened up. “I was promised dinner and a show.”

“Hawks, if I try to give you a strip tease right now I’ll probably pass out.”

Hawks snorted. “You know what I mean.” He nodded in the direction of Dabi’s crate from the hideout, looming ominously in the corner of the living room. 

Dabi glowered at the box. The inevitable moment had finally arrived. “Okay,” he sighed, shifting to begin to stand up. “Let’s clean up first.”

Hawks clicked his tongue and gently pressed on Dabi’s shoulder, drawing him back down to the couch. “I got clean up.” He sent a few feathers to whisk away empty takeout containers, and another few to drag the crate towards them. Dabi watched in silence. 

“Alright, hot stuff.” Hawks squeezed Dabi’s hand. The villain was already beginning to tense up. “You wanna go through it, or have me do it?”

“Yeah,” Dabi exhaled, finally meeting Hawks’ gaze. He leaned in to let his head rest on Hawks’ shoulder. “You can do the honors. I think I’ve forgotten half the shit that’s in there anyways.”

“That’s not good. Magne said there was meds in here,” Hawks stopped his light scolding when Dabi hid his face in the crook of his neck. There was something endearing about shy Dabi. He planted a soft kiss on Dabi’s forehead. “But it’s here now, which is all that matters.”

Hawks pulled the quilt from the top of the pile. The quality was surprisingly good; the material was thick and sturdy, and the colors were vibrant despite collecting dust in the LoV hideout for who knows how long. He smiled as he ran his finger over a glittery heart-shaped decal. “This looks like Miss Toga’s handiwork.” He gasped as the fabric began to cool in his hands. He turned to Dabi. “Is this infused with a cooling Quirk?”

Despite himself, Dabi smiled. “It is.” He straightened up, happy to see that Hawks was impressed by the little monster’s innovation. “The fabric cools upon contact with skin. It normalizes to perceived body temperature, so it’ll probably cool more on my skin than on yours.”

“So it’s like a cold compress without the water?” Hawks now had the quilt stretched out wide, mind boggled at the contrast between the sophisticated functionality and the childish aesthetic. 

“Exactly.” 

Hawks remembered that the quilt was for Dabi, not for him to gush over. “Do you want to use it now?”

Dabi shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. The truth was that the pain meds were beginning to wear off and his burns were starting to feel raw and achy again. “Want a demo so that you can bring the League’s trade secrets back to your agency?”

“Maybe,” Hawks grinned. “You want this on your shoulders or on the burn on your hip?”

“Shoulders.” Dabi shimmied out of his sweatshirt. “Burn on my hip needs a dressing change.”

“Oh, right.” Hawks had removed the bandages on Dabi’s back before he had fallen into his pain med-induced sleep. He was surprised by how quickly the blisters had healed after airing out for a few hours. He had left the wound on Dabi’s hip alone, not wanting to cause him more pain by unnecessarily fussing with it.

Hawks draped the quilt over Dabi’s shoulders, letting the rest fall down his back and pool around him. Immediately, Dabi’s eyes fluttered shut and a contented sigh escaped his lips.

“That good, huh?” Hawks smiled at the look of pure bliss on Dabi’s face.

Dabi hummed and cracked open his eyes. “That good.” He looped one of his arms around Hawks’ waist, pulling him closer. Hawks shuddered as the small of his back made contact with the Quirk-infused blanket, now at what Hawks could only imagine were sub-zero temperatures. 

Dabi chuckled and released his grip, taking the stray end of the blanket with him. “Hurry up so I can drop this and cuddle you.”

Hawks grinned and reached back into the crate. He unearthed a hardshell plastic box that jangled as he plopped it onto his lap. Eagerly, he loosened the clasps that held the box shut and lifted the lid to reveal a seemingly bottomless stash of medical supplies. He gasped as he submerged a hand into the treasure and at random, grabbed a package of hydrogel bandages, a bottle of fever-reducers, and a thermometer. He triumphantly lifted the cheap medical supplies into the air. “Dabi, this is so helpful !” 

He whipped around to gauge Dabi’s reaction. Dabi was smiling at him behind his phone; it looked like he was recording him. 

“What are you doing! ” Hawks swatted at Dabi’s hand.

Dabi kept the phone firmly in his grasp and looked up at Hawks, unbothered. “Sending Magne a little thank you message.” 

Oh. Well that was uncharacteristically thoughtful of Dabi. Hawks blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly unsure of what to do with himself now that he was aware he was on camera. 

Dabi stopped recording and set the phone aside. “I put you both through a lot of trouble, having you go all that way today for stuff I should have taken with me when I moved in with you.”

“Did you think I was gonna kick you out?” Hawks teased.

“Honestly, yeah.” Dabi dramatically gestured towards his bandaged and burn-ridden body. “I’m kind of high maintenance.”

Hawks laughed and pressed a kiss to Dabi’s cheek. Dabi scrunched up his nose at the gesture, but Hawks didn’t miss how his eyes lit up. “Wouldn’t have you any other way.”

The evening continued on like this, Hawks digging through the crate and marveling at the various tools and trinkets like it was Christmas morning, and Dabi laughing at him from underneath the cool, comforting pressure of Toga’s Quirk-infused blanket. Dabi’s laughter quickly turned to embarrassment as Hawks pulled the last item out of the box.

“What is this?!” Hawks stared at the black T-shirt in his hands. He could barely speak, he was laughing so hard. “#2 Hero’s #1 Fan?!”

Goddamit . Ages ago, Toga and Twice bought Dabi one of Hawks’ merch shirts as a gag gift. Dabi thought that he was slick during his meet-ups with Hawks, back when Hawks had just begun to weasel his way into “infiltrating” the League. He thought that the combination of his monotonous, cold demeanor and intimidating aesthetic would hide any hints of him having a crush. But according to Toga and Twice, his meetings with Hawks were a little too long, and his pupils got a little too big when Hawks entered a room, and his cheeks would be a little too flushed any time the bird came up in conversation.

The shirt was more like a merciless prank that had miraculously worked out in Dabi’s favor, but Hawks fanning the forgotten shirt in front of his face awakened long-repressed embarrassment. Dabi stared at Real Hawks, then at the sloppy screen-printed version of Hawks on the shirt above the incriminating slogan, “#2 Hero’s #1 Fan”, then back at Real Hawks again, who was somehow his Real Boyfriend despite all of this?!

Dabi tried to explain all of this to Hawks in so many words. It only made Hawks laugh harder. By the time Dabi decided he would shut up and stop embarrassing himself, tears of laughter were rolling down Hawks’ cheeks.

“I fucking love those guys,” Hawks wheezed as he tried to compose himself. “I wish we still made those shirts, I’d get them for the whole League.”

“That was not what you were supposed to get out of that story.” Dabi lowered his eyebrows at him.

“Oh, you made yourself perfectly clear.” Hawks tossed the shirt back in the crate and slid back to join Dabi on his side of the couch. “Sounds like you had a little crush on me since day one.”

Despite himself, Dabi could feel a smile tugging at his lips, tearing at his staples. Dammit, this man was going to rip him apart. “And here I am on your couch. Sounds like you had a little crush too.”

Hawks laughed. “I did. But luckily for me, my friends aren’t as funny as yours.”

Dabi’s smile quickly collapsed into a grimace. He winced and pressed a hand to his cheek.

“Babe?” Hawks dropped the shirt and gently touched Dabi’s forearm. 

“Sorry.” Dabi dropped his hand away from his face to reveal a slightly bloodied incision where he had pressed a staple back into his face. He clasped Hawks’ hand in his own. “Staples aren’t meant for smiling so hard for so long.”


“You’re getting good at this.” Dabi glanced over his shoulder at Hawks, who was laser-focused on fixing gauze to Dabi’s back.  Hawks held the medical tape between his teeth, both preoccupied with keeping the gauze precisely in place. They sat on the bathroom floor, Hawks straddling Dabi between his legs to give him “better leverage” in helping dress Dabi’s wounds for the night. 

“Please don’t create any new opportunities for me to improve my craft.” Hawks tossed the medical tape back into the first aid kit.

“Unless you can give me a flame-resistant body, you know that’s impossible, birdie.” 

Hawks frowned at the way that Dabi grimaced at the final piece of gauze lightly brushing over his burns. He gave Dabi a kiss on the healthy skin of his shoulder before closing the first aid kit and placing it back in the medicine cabinet.. “Time for another dose of pain meds?” He took Dabi’s hand and rubbed it reassuringly.

Dabi gave him a tired look. “I guess so,” he sighed. “Those things knock me out though.”

“Don’t be afraid to go to bed early, babe.” Hawks glanced at his watch. It was around 9PM; way earlier than either of them typically went to bed, but Hawks was surprised that Dabi had stayed awake this long given the day he’d had.

Dabi looked unhappy with this proposition. He let out a long-suffering sigh and pouted, eyes trained on the bathroom tile. “Was hoping to stay awake so we could spend a little more time together like this.” Dabi lifted his gaze to meet Hawks’. “Pretty bird,” he added with a watery smile.

Hawks cupped Dabi’s cheek, hoping to smooth out that sad smile into one that was more genuine. “What do you mean?” he asked softly, his thumb brushing the underside of Dabi’s defined cheekbone. “I’m taking off work tomorrow.”

Dabi’s eyes brightened. “You are?” his eyebrows raised, cautiously happy.

Oh. Hawks realized that he had never explicitly told Dabi that. 

“Yup, already called out.” 

Dabi exhaled and let his body slide into Hawks’ embrace in a bodily sigh of relief. “Thank you, pretty bird.” 

“I’ll feel better in the morning.”

Hawks looked at Dabi, careful not to let his bewilderment show. A feeling was a strange thing to promise, like promising that the sun would shine. 

“I hope you do. But it’s okay if you don’t.” Hawks kept his eyes locked with Dabi’s.

Dabi was the first to waver, breaking his gaze like how he would likely break his promise; slowly, reluctantly, painfully. “But I want to be better.”

“And I’ll love you even if you aren’t.”

Dabi squeezed Hawks’ hand. He brought their interlaced fingers to his lips and pressed a kiss there as a silent thank you. Hawks felt his heart and wings flutter simultaneously. 

They stayed on the bathroom floor for some time, marinating contentedly in their warm embrace. There was nothing left for either to say, or to do, than to hold the other close.

Hawks felt Dabi’s warm exhales hit his neck with a slower cadence. He looked down to see his boyfriend’s eyelids growing heavy. 

“Let’s go to bed, firefly.” Hawks whispered and pressed a kiss to Dabi’s temple. He felt the other stir and inhale deeply.

Before Dabi could stretch out his long legs and attempt to stand, Hawks scooped him up and carried him to their bedroom. He laid Dabi down as gently as he could, watching him disappear into the heap of blankets in the center of the mattress. Two bright blue blue eyes and a trademark shiteating grin stared back at him.

“What’s so funny?”

Dabi scoffed and shifted to make room for Hawks to lay beside him. “Was thinking about how today started with you carrying me to the bathroom, and ended with you carrying me back. Could’ve avoided all of this if you had just left me here.”

Hawks rolled his eyes. He slipped underneath one of the blankets and draped a wing over both of them, pulling Dabi closer. “I don’t think that’s how that works, hot stuff. Besides,” he snaked an arm around Dabi’s back and pulled him even closer, so that their noses were almost touching. “I could never leave you behind like that.”

“You better not.” Dabi’s tone was low and dangerous, but his eyes shone with a warm light that Hawks had only seen recently from Dabi, now that they had been dating for some time.

“I literally couldn’t dream of it.” Hawks kept his eyes locked with Dabi’s as he had a feather fetch Dabi’s pain meds and a glass of water. “In fact, I have plans to keep you right here. Open up.” The feather deposited the pill bottle in Hawks’ outstretched hand.

Dabi narrowed his eyes, but his lips stretched into a smile despite himself. Normally, he’d have a few quips ready to fire back at Hawks’ obvious innuendo, but he was too tired to bother antagonizing him. Instead, he took the pill bottle from Hawks and easily popped back two pills.

“With water,” Hawks quickly replaced the bottle of meds with the glass of water. 

“Ok, ok, mother hen.” Dabi took a sip from the glass, then turned to set it down on the nightstand. Hawks’ arms wrapped around his torso and gently guided him towards his chest. A cool hand carded through his hair and soft lips pecked a smattering of kisses down his jawline.

Dabi turned so that he could return the kisses with one on Hawks’ lips, slow and deep. He opened his eyes to see golden honey irises looking back at him.

“You’re really taking off work tomorrow?”

“Yes, really.”

“And you’ll be here when I wake up?”

“I promise.” Gold gazed back at him, unwavering and sincere.

Hawks moved his hand to rub circles down the small of Dabi’s back, careful to avoid old and new burns. “Get some sleep, hot stuff. I’m not going anywhere.”

Hawks watched as Dabi’s body finally caved in to the day’s exhaustion, as if Hawks’ words gave him permission to relax. The room seemed to darken slightly as he closed his eyes. One long, soft sigh gave way to gentle almost-snores as Dabi drifted off.

The only light in the room was the moonlight filtering through the widowshade, and the glow from Hawks’ phone as he reached over to grab it from the nightstand on his side of the bed. He opened his text thread with Magne, who had sent him a laundry list of instructions to help his boyfriend who so desperately didn’t want to be helped. He bit back a chuckle at the last item on her list: “Meds and bed by 10.” If Magne’s instructions read like notes left for a babysitter, it was because she was used to treating her LoV companions like the unruly children that they were.

Hawks replied to the villain with a message that the Commission would love to receive, but never would. Not as long as he was sharing a bed and a heart and a dream with Dabi.

 

Chicken🍗: Mission accomplished.