Work Text:
Being tired was unfortunately normal for Dabi, with his less than ideal quirk and damaged body, he really couldn’t expect much. Using his fire drained him of the little energy that he had - whether it was in a fight or on the rare occasion to keep himself warm. It was rare due to his more than fucked constitution, his body deciding to make itself resistant to the cold rather than the fire he’d been cursed with.
It was even more rare for him to be using his quirk for the good of others.
All time low temperatures had ravaged japan, bringing frigid winds and a seemingly never ending snow storm. The league had been out and away from their usual hideout when it hit and without Kurogiri to teleport them away, they had to take refuge in the nearest abandoned building that they could find. It was supposed to be somewhere that they could stay for a couple hours - not fucking days.
“Dabi..I’m cold.” Toga whined against Dabi’s side, close enough that she could latch onto his neck and suck his blood at any moment. He was sure that he tasted more than disgusting, but it must have been bad if she wasn’t even thinking about the opportunity.
She’d only mentioned the gravity girl about three times in the last few days too - which was even more concerning.
“You’re already getting most of the warmth that I’m giving out.” Despite his words, he tucked the young girl closer to his side and attempted to increase the warmth that he was outputting - all while trying not to set the whole league on fire.
His control over his quirk was definitely better than when he was younger, but it could still get the better of him if he was emotional or had been using it for a long length of time. He may have even managed to break the record time of using his quirk..the other times being from when he was a kid on the street, freezing and starving, his skinny body barely making it through the cold nights.
Toga cuddled up against him, still trembling but without any more complaints.
Dabi didn’t know how much more he could take, but Spinner was leaning against his other side, basically using him as a heat lamp. The lizard was almost going into hibernation, his body still and eyes almost closed. He was only keeping them open for the sole purpose of watching Shigaraki play a game on his phone, not doing as well as usual due to his freezing fingers.
He could feel his skin starting to sizzle, causing a more than uncomfortable feeling around where his scars and healthy skin met. It wasn’t like he could just stop - he didn’t want to look weak around the league or let them freeze to death - even though they were annoying bastards sometimes.
All they really needed were some blankets and a heater or two, but there was no way that they could go outside. Plus, Dabi didn’t even have the money to be buying that shit..and even if he did make it to the store, it wouldn’t exactly be an easy thing to steal.
Maybe..somebody else could get it for him.
That certain somebody had been desperate to prove themself, so he’d easily get Dabi what he needed.
Chicken wings🐥
Need you to do something for me.
(14:32)
not even a hi:( what do you need?
(14:33)
Need a couple heaters, as well as anything
else warm and some ready made food.
(14:35)
Sure thing, though it may take me
a while in this storm (14:36)
Just send ur location 😙 (14:36)
After sighing deeply and sending his location over to Hawks, he prepared himself for a while longer of suffering. Maybe..if he didn’t think about it too hard, it wouldn’t be so bad. But if he didn’t think about his current problem, he’d think about his multitude of other issues.
Namely his issue with the number two hero that he’d just sent out on an errand.
As much as he loathed to admit it, he’d found himself becoming too interested in the bird. When he was lying in bed at night, he couldn’t stop thinking about how Hawks’ feather felt pressed against his throat - threatening to draw blood yet gentle at the same time. The way that Hawks said his name down the phone drove him mad - making him feel pathetically desperate for their next meetup.
How embarrassing.
A full body shiver ran through him and Compress looked towards him, though he didn’t say anything. He’d been quieter since Kurogiri was captured.
“Thanks for doing this for us Dabi..you’re much nicer than you let on. You’re the worst! Shut up, that’s not true.” Twice spoke up from beside Toga, arguing with himself. But Dabi had been with the league long enough to know which parts were really what he meant.
“I’m not nice, I’m doing what’s necessary.”
He absentmindedly noticed that Spinner was tucked even closer to Shigaraki, who wasn’t pushing him away, but was actually holding him closer. Dabi had guessed that something was going on between them, or there were at least some feelings there..but it was weird to see them being so open.
Not like he was going to judge, not with the tension between him and the number two hero.
A quiet sigh escaped his scarred lips as he tried to higher his quirk output just slightly more. It only made him feel more lightheaded and exhausted - but the league seemed to relax more.
He hoped that Hawks would hurry his feathered ass up.
Lucky for Dabi, it was around half an hour later when he heard a sound outside - though he wasn’t the most reliable in his current haze. At least the buzzing of his phone in his pocket confirmed it.
“I got someone to bring us shit..get off for a minute.” He tried to pull away from the league members cuddling around him, finding it difficult with his lack of strength. It took him a few embarrassing moments, but he managed to get up with a grunt.
The whole room completely spun on his axis as he stepped forward. Fuck.
“Are you alright, Dabi? You look unsteady.” Compress spoke up, because of course he fucking did. He was always trying to look after them, as if he was their dad.
“I’m fine.” He didn’t need them looking down on him.
After wobbling over to the door and outside into the freezing cold, he was met with Hawks completely covered in snow and shivering - but with the things he’d asked for.
“H-Hey hotstuff, this all enough?” There were a couple of heaters that he’d asked for, along with a stack of blankets and food. The bird had definitely passed the test, bringing even more than he’d expected.
“Yeah, thanks.” He attempted to pick up one of the heaters, but as he leant down his vision swam sickeningly. He felt terrible.
“Dabi? You good man? You’re looking a little pale.”
“I’m fine.” He gritted out once again, arms aching as he picked it up. It wasn’t a surprise, not with the sizzling of his arms and the decent possibility of a few missing staples.
“Hey, let me help you-” Hawks took the heater from him with little effort, using his feathers to carry everything else too. It pissed him off, but he decided begrudgingly not to comment - reluctantly admitting that he might need Hawks’ help.
Dabi tried to follow him, but putting one foot in front of the other seemed much more difficult than usual. He felt similar to when he was fresh out of that awful hospital.
A few short words were exchanged between the hero and the villains before Hawks was setting up the heaters, proving himself to be useful. The benefit could be felt almost immediately, but Dabi still felt more than unwell.
He couldn’t figure out if the added heat in the room was making it worse.
“Do you want some food, Dabi?” Compress asked.
“Ugh..fuck no.” He was stuck awkwardly in the middle of the room, feeling like he’d pass out if he tried to take another step.
The spinning in the room only got worse and the black dots around the corners of vision were spreading and taking over. He couldn’t keep himself up.
. . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆
Hawks saw Dabi’s eyes rolling back into his head before he’d even began to fall.
He was next to him in the next second, wings flapping as he caught the fire user in his arms - trying to keep his touch gentle so as to not rip any of his staples out. Hawks hadn’t seen anybody with staples like Dabi’s, and he frankly didn’t know how he dealt with them with so little fuss, having to redo them every so often and replace them when he moved just a bit too much. It seemed painful and dangerous.
Dabi wasn’t fragile by any means, anything but, though Hawks didn’t want to bring him any extra pain, anymore on top of what he was already dealing with.
“Dabi- Hey-” Hawks couldn’t understand why his heart was beating madly in his chest as he looked down at the villain.
Luckily, he was only out for a few seconds, his eyes cracking open to reveal striking blue.
“Wha..? Ugh..”
“You’re not lookin’ so good.” Hawks had to help lower him to the ground - knowing that it was bad if Dabi was actually accepting his help. It was the second time that he had that day.
“Dabi! What’s wrong-?” Toga crowded into his space, a big, worried frown on her young face.
“Toga dear, try to give him some space.” Mr Compress ushered the girl back slightly, his own body quite stiff with concern. “Has he caught something? I imagine there’s plenty of illness going around with this cold..”
Hawks hadn’t noticed anything amiss at first, busy with the mission that Dabi had given him, but on closer inspection he could see small puffs of smoke escaping from the seams between Dabi’s healthy and burnt skin. The skin looked painfully red and inflamed, and there were staples that seemed crooked or out of place. Shit.
“I don’t think so. Has he been using his quirk while you’ve been stuck here?”
“Yeah! He’s been using it to keep us warm.” Twice spoke up. “We woulda freezed to death without it.”
“Looks like it’s been taking a toll on him..he’s gonna need some proper medical care”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here..” Dabi slurred slightly, trying to glare at Hawks but looking more like a small and injured kitten.
That was when Shigaraki looked up at Hawks with slimmed eyes. “How can we trust that you aren’t trying to get him alone so you can kill him?”
“We’ve..spent quite a lot of time together already and I’ve never done anything to him - you know that I’m devoted to the cause.” Maybe he was a little devoted to something else, too.
“That chicken can’t kill me..” Dabi muttered again before his head lolled against Hawks’ shoulder, a quiet groan slipping out.
“Hey- stop with the chicken nickname.” Dabi seemed to have a thing for calling him nicknames, but Hawks wouldn’t complain about most of them. Pretty bird was his favourite.
He looked down towards Dabi and let out a quiet sigh. It wasn’t one of irritation, but of genuine worry.
“Do you know how to change his staples?” Shigaraki asked, still looking slightly unconvinced.
“I have a lot of medical training, so I’m sure that I can figure it out.”
“..Fine, take care of him.”
“You got it.” Hawks slipped his arms under Dabi and lifted him up, finding it to be much easier than he expected. He didn’t think that he’d be overly heavy or anything, but he didn’t weigh much at all.
He’d have to remember to get a few good meals into him and bring more takeouts to their meetings.
It was more than relieving that Dabi was out of it as Hawks got them back to his apartment - knowing that he'd more than likely be covered in vomit otherwise. He was also glad that Dabi didn’t witness the few times that he nearly flew into buildings or signs, or started to hurtle towards the ground when there was a strong gust of wind. It was a miracle that they’d made it back alive.
Once inside, he placed Dabi down carefully onto his plush sofa with a pillow underneath his head, then made sure that the temperature in the apartment was a comfortable level, warm, but not too hot.
The villain shifted slightly on the sofa, but didn’t seem to wake up. It was good, he needed the rest.
Hawks decided to turn on the few Christmas lights that he’d strung up around his dull apartment to try and liven things up. It didn’t add much - and usually he didn’t even bother with it, but it made things feel slightly more homely.
So did the presence of another person, even if he was asleep and ill.
He sighed and wandered into his bathroom to start running a bath, hoping that it would help Dabi’s illness. He made sure not to add anything else into the bath as it rose, not wanting to irritate his scars and staples any further.
He couldn’t help but think deeply as he sat on the edge of the bath and watched the water. The commission had told him to get closer to Dabi and the league by any means necessary - but was flying out in the raging snow and bringing one of the villains back to his apartment all for the mission? It certainly didn’t feel like it.
One of the top rules for undercover missions was to not get attached, but he already felt like he was breaking it. Maybe it was a little sad, finally getting close to someone and hanging onto them with all his might, but he really couldn’t help it. There was just something about Dabi.
There was no point in overthinking it, not when it was guaranteed to end one way.
Hawks shook his head and left the bath to continue running, heading back into the main room and gently shaking Dabi awake.
“Hey dove.” The pet name seemed to slip out before he could even process it. Surely Dabi was too out of it to remember.
But he really had to stop letting his stupid feelings take over.
“Mmn..what?” Dabi’s eyes slowly opened, looking a little glazed over.
“I’ve run you a warm bath, it might make you feel better.”
“...Why?” Dabi looked up at him with a suspicious expression.
“Because you’re not well and I wanna get you better. C’mon, I’ll help you up.” Hawks carefully hooked his arm around the villain and helped him off the sofa, only stopping when he paled even further.
“Just- fuck- give me a second.”
“Do I need to grab a bucket-?”
“No..It’ll pass.” Hawks struggled to believe him, but he stayed by his side and kept an arm around him regardless.
Dabi kept taking deep and laboured breaths until he eventually took a step towards the bathroom. It was a very short journey turned into a long one, but they got there in the end.
“..You just gonna stand there and watch me, creep..?”
“Course not- just making sure that you don’t fall and die.” He turned around with a quiet huff, wings folding in to give Dabi enough space.
Sounds of shuffling around followed, before one of irritation came from the other man in the room. “Hawks-”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“I can’t- my belt’s stuck.”
When Hawks turned around, he noticed the obvious shake of Dabi’s hands, as well as the mix of frustration and embarrassment on his fever flushed face.
“Hey it’s fine- let me help.” Only when Hawks crouched down and began helping with the stiff buckle did he realise the promiscuous position they were in. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about being like that with Dabi, but definitely in a different circumstance.
He’d thought about their positions being switched even more, but nobody needed to know that, especially not the man in front of him.
It took a few tugs but the buckle eventually came free, allowing Hawks to undo the thick belt for him.
Dabi had to hold onto his stapled trousers to stop them from falling straight off his hips, his healthy skin flushed red. Hawks was sure it looked worse than just ten minutes ago, but maybe it was more than the fever.
“Thanks- now turn around again. I’m not giving you a show..”
“Yeah yeah.” Hawks trained his eyes on the door once again, hoping that his face didn’t look as red as it felt.
Just a few moments passed before Hawks heard Dabi getting into the water, letting out a small hiss followed by a deep sigh as the water enveloped his body.
“Is the temperature okay?”
“It’s fine..” Dabi murmured, his voice still addled with exhaustion and sickness. “Gonna leave me to it, hero.?”
“I think it’d be better if I stay. You sound about a minute away from passing out and I’d rather you didn’t drown.” Without looking at the arsonist, Hawks sat down on the floor while leaning against the bath. He didn’t need his connection to the league dying in his bathtub.
“Mm..you shouldn’t care.”
“Well tough luck hot stuff, ‘cuz I do.” Much more than he should.
A silence washed over them for a minute or so, the only sound being the rippling of the water as Dabi moved slightly.
“I didn’t know that your quirk hurt you when you used it in small amounts too.”
Dabi scoffed, seemingly lucid enough to still get pissed off, “Of course you wouldn’t. Your quirk is perfect..”
“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just..I was thinking that it was really selfless of you to use it for the league, even when it hurts you.” Sometimes he felt as though Dabi would make a good hero, if he let go of some of his rage and had the proper support gear. Hawks would have liked meeting him years earlier and being friends.
“Yeah well..I need them to complete my goal.”
Hawks knew that there was much more to it than that, but for once he didn’t push, instead letting the quiet settle over them until Dabi made a weird noise, followed by a sneeze.
“Ugh..”
“You really aren’t well, huh?” Hawks watched as Dabi wiped his nose with disdain, before shivering in the warm water. “How about I help wash your hair?”
“Why?”
“Well..why not? Might as well when you’re in the water.”
Dabi looked conflicted, but eventually seemed too tired to argue about it. “Whatever, if you want..”
Perhaps it was a little unfair that he wasn’t offering fully for Dabi’s sake - but maybe a little for himself too. He sometimes found himself itching to touch and play with Dabi’s large amount of hair, staring at it while they were meeting up. He couldn’t help that it looked so fluffy - and maybe a little heat damaged too.
As he poured water over his hair while shielding his eyes, it was definitely frizzy as he’d expected, but it was still soft and thick. It would be even nicer if taken care of properly.
Hawks then grabbed his nicest bottle of shampoo and poured some into his hands, before starting to lather it into Dabi’s hair, taking his time with the hefty amount of knots.
It seemed to send the villain closer to sleep, his head falling forward every few moments before he woke himself back up. “You can sleep soon, hot stuff.”
“Yeah..” He muttered as Hawks continued working the shampoo into his hair, almost making him melt.
While rinsing his hair out thoroughly, Hawks couldn't help but notice something unexpected. With Dabi’s hair flattened down, a small number of white strands were visible at the top of his head - something that definitely couldn’t be blamed on greying hair.
It made his hands still, but he stayed quiet on the matter. Realistically, it was a vital piece of information, something that the commission would kill to find out, but it felt wrong to give it away, especially when Dabi was being so vulnerable with him.
He did all that he could to push it to the back of his mind, applying some conditioner once the shampoo had been rinsed out. It immediately helped to make his hair smoother, allowing Hawks to easily run his fingers through it.
They let it sit for a few minutes before that was rinsed out too, making him look like a wet cat. “There you go.”
Dabi didn’t reply, his eyes closed but somehow still sitting up. Hawks knew that he’d have to wake him up - because pulling him out of the bath would be more than awkward.
“Dabi.”
The villain didn’t stir - and for a second Hawks worried about his well being. Turned out that he was just hard to wake, making it even more impossible when he was ill and exhausted.
“Dabi.” He gave him a harder nudge, watching as he opened his eyes and tried to glare at him.
“Go away.”
“No can do, I’ve gotta help you up.” He put his hand to his wet forehead, feeling that his temperature had lowered at least a little. It was a good sign.
With his feathers, Hawks found out his softest towel ready for the villain, then stood up and awkwardly hovered over the bath, thinking about the best way to get him up - especially with the staples littered all over his body. Though it couldn’t be too difficult, not with earlier realisation of how light he was.
He lifted him up under his arms while keeping his eyes trained on his head, before using a feather to wrap the towel around him. It was a terribly ungraceful thing, but it was working.
“That’s it - steady.” With a couple of near slips, (from the both of them) Hawks managed to get Dabi fully out of the bath and safely onto the closed toilet seat, taking a self indulgent moment to see him bundled up in the towel. He looked..cute, he reluctantly had to admit to himself.
After grabbing a smaller towel, Hawks began rubbing Dabi’s hair carefully, feeling as though he could knock him over if he was any rougher. The fact that he didn’t grumble or threaten to set him on fire said enough about his current state.
Once Hawks deemed his hair dry enough, he lightly encouraged the arsonist to dry the rest of himself while he grabbed some clothes for him to wear. His best options were a baggy shirt and some soft shorts that would hopefully not irritate his scars and staples, along with not making him any warmer. The temperature in the apartment was perfectly warm for the frigid cold outside, but Hawks didn’t want to push it.
When he had returned, Dabi had dried himself enough for clothes - much to Hawks’ relief. The tension whenever they’d meet up was unbelievably thick, but neither of them had taken that final step, as much as they both wanted to. He really hadn’t imagined this being the situation where he saw Dabi without his clothes.
“I’ve found you some clothes to wear.” They were passed to Dabi just a moment later, who slowly started to change into them. Hawks kept a small eye on him as he did - just in case he was struggling or couldn’t keep himself up.
He actually had to take a moment and swallow down the hard lump in his throat at the sight of Dabi wearing his clothes - because fuck, it was setting something off in Hawks, some primal part of his brain.
He looked unfairly good, and Hawks wanted to always keep him in his clothes.
“Alright dove, let’s get you back to the sofa. Then I can make you something to eat.” Hawks wrapped an arm around Dabi and helped him up, then walked with him to the sofa, making sure that there were enough pillows behind him. He was looking after the villain far better than he looked after himself.
“But we need to change a couple of your staples before anything else.” A few of Hawks’ feathers grabbed his medkit from the bathroom, handing it to him as he sat down on the sofa in front of the villain.
“They’re fine..”
“They’re not fine. I’ve gotta lift up your shirt, okay?”
Dabi looked like he’d rather kill him, but didn’t move as Hawks lifted it up, looking at the area with a couple staples missing. “I’ve never done this before- but I’m gonna try my best, ‘kay?”
“Whatever..”
Hawks made sure to wipe the area before anything else, checking on Dabi’s miniscule reactions every so often. He knew that the whole experience couldn’t be pleasant, but he didn’t want to hurt him anymore than necessary. “Gonna get out the crooked ones..it’ll probably sting a little.”
“I know that..” Dabi whispered as Hawks used tweezers to get the crooked staples out, giving a few quiet hisses and winces. They were out in no time, including a particularly nasty one on his wrist, but Hawks had to figure out putting them back in next.
“Why do you have this shit anyway..”
“Um- well..you never know when you might need ‘em!” The only reason he had staples and the other necessary equipment was for Dabi, but like hell would he tell him. That was not a casual thing that you did for your villain contact.
“Deep breath, okay?” Putting the stapler to Dabi’s skin was admittedly a little terrifying - and not how Hawks was expecting to spend his afternoon, but his life was full of surprises. He didn’t waste time in pressing it down, his mouth drawn into a thin line of concentration and slight concern at Dabi’s pained groan that slipped through his clenched teeth.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine, hurts less than when I do it myself..” When he pulled the stapler away, he saw that it was successfully holding his scarred and healthy skin together. Not bad for his first try.
“Just a couple more.” Hawks tried to do the rest both as quickly and carefully as he could, wanting to get it done for both his and Dabi’s sake, his breathing becoming more laboured and shaky. The one on his wrist seemed the most painful, but once it was in, they were done. “You’re okay, well done.”
He helped him to lie down once again, brushing his hair away from his sweat covered forehead and receiving an unimpressed sounding gumble.
“Think you can stomach some soup? Or maybe some soba?”
Hawks could’ve sworn that he saw the smallest sparkle in Dabi’s eyes at the mention of soba.
“Soba.”
“As you wish.” He rested a light blanket over him before going to make the soba. Well - make was pushing it a little, seeing as it was already made for him.
When he returned with the warm bowl of soba and some water, Dabi had rolled onto his side, still wrapped up in the blanket. He did feel a little bad about continuously waking him, but he needed to make sure to complete all of the necessary steps of looking after a sick person so that he wouldn’t suddenly die on him. How would he explain that to the commission, or even worse - the league.
“Dabi.” He had to pat his shoulder again - wondering how many times he could afford doing it before getting torched. “Firefly.”
Dabi eventually rolled onto his back, begrudgingly accepting Hawks’ help to sit up.
“Here’s your soba, sorry if it isn’t too great.”
Something that Hawks couldn’t quite figure out flashed in Dabi’s eyes, before he wordlessly took the bowl into shaky hands.
“Just..lemme know if you need any help.”
“Stop fussing..” Dabi muttered before starting to eat the soba, taking small and slow bites, along with plenty of breaks. He only ended up eating about half, but it was good enough for Hawks.
“Have some water too.” He handed him the unscrewed bottle, realising that he was only fussing more. Dabi glared at him, but did take a few sips before passing it back. He was much more well behaved than usual.
“Well uh..guess I’ll leave you to it now, just try to get some sleep.” Hawks went to turn away, but suddenly felt slender fingers wrapping around his wrist.
“...Where are you goin’?”
“Just to my room to give you some alone time to sleep-”
It was difficult to figure out what was going on in Dabi’s fevered brain as he looked at him, seemingly against the idea. “What if..I start dying? You’ll be blamed.”
“I don’t think you’re gonna die, hot stuff, you just need some rest to feel better.” There was still a weak grasp on his wrist as the villain refused to let go. Hawks couldn’t figure out why.
“Feel like shit..”
After turning back towards him while being careful of his large wings, he pressed a hand to his forehead once again, feeling the slight rise in temperature since the bath. So much for it going down.
“Want me to lie with you?” The shivers wracking through his frame couldn’t be pleasant, Hawks could just about remember how miserable it was from the very few times he’d gotten sick under the commission’s watch.
“I might sneeze or be sick on you.”
“I’ve dealt with much worse.”
Hawks sat down on the edge of the sofa before slowly lying down on his side, his wings draping across the floor as he came face to face with Dabi - much closer than they’d ever been before. It allowed himself to see the small details that he’d never noticed before, like just how shiny his nose piercings were, keeping most of his attention.
Once the bird bart of his brain had gotten over the sparkly piercings, he focused on Dabi’s eyes, his big and beautiful blue eyes. He could stare into them for eternity.
Oh how the commission would kill him if they knew what he was thinking.
“Has anybody ever told you that you’re pretty?”
“No.”
“Well they all must be blind.” Dabi’s face was gorgeous and soft, yet still defined and masculine.
“You’re the blind one..bird brain.”
“I actually have amazing vision.” Hawks shifted a little to get comfortable, their bodies touching in the confined space. “Way better than normal humans.”
“Then you’re fucked in the head instead..” Another violent shiver passed through the villain, a quiet whine slipping out at the same time.
“Shh shh it’s okay-” He stroked his hair as it passed, surprised by the way Dabi leaned into it, closing his eyes despite the clear discomfort still on his face. “You’re alright.”
“Don’t feel well.” He whispered, quiet and vulnerable.
“It’s alright..we’re gonna get you better.” In a moment of weakness, he pressed his lips to Dabi’s forehead, giving him the gentlest kiss that he could muster - much too tender for two people that should hate each other.
He once again couldn’t help but wonder if he was about to be set on fire, but it never came.
“Hawks…”
“Yeah, Dabi?” He continued playing with his dark hair that felt even fluffier since being washed,
“...Thanks for looking after me..no one’s ever done that before..” Hawks’ heart shattered at Dabi’s words, splitting it into pieces from his sudden honesty.
He didn’t know how one day he’d have to betray him after hearing those words.
“It’s okay, firefly..I’ll always look after you.”
. . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆