Chapter Text
“Hawks? Did you find it?”
“I don’t see it,” Hawks answers, phone awkwardly wedged between his shoulder and ear as he digs through various cabinets and folders. “You sure about this?”
“That intel should be good,” growls the voice on the other end.
“If it’s here, I’ll find it,” Hawks assures. If it’s really true, he has to find it. Countless lives depended on it. No pressure or anything. A yellow folder catches his eye. Briefly thumbing through the contents confirms his worst fears - so the rumors are true. The villains would be gathering, setting up bombs around the cities and setting loose several nomu. All to create a massive distraction while they attempted to rescue All For One and any other captured villains they could get their hands on. And Tartarus housed many highly dangerous villains. Not to mention the thousands of lives at stake.
“Yo, Birdie!” a deep voice calls from down the hall. The hero jumps. Shit. Was it just Dabi? No, not now. Hawks needed to get this info to the hero commission. Failure isn’t an option. “Got a job for you.”
“Nevermind that now!” another voice cracks. Dammit. Shiggy too. This is bad. Very, very bad. “I already sent out Compress and Kurogiri. Now explain what happened to my progress!”
“I didn’t touch your stupid game, Shiggy.”
By the time Dabi enters the room, Hawks is leaning nonchalantly against the desk. “You shouldn’t be here. This area is off limits,” he comments as though he’s bored, but Hawks doesn’t miss the suspicious edge in those blue demon eyes.
Shiggy stands next to him, clearly annoyed, before rounding on Hawks. “Quite aways from your post, hero. You’d better have a pretty good reason.”
Heart thumping, Hawks takes a deep breath before making his play. Think of the mission . “Mm, not really actually.” Gold orbs peer up through dense lashes. “Hey, you’re not busy now right? You wanna fuck?” he smiles. It’s both innocent and shameless. “You’re pretty hot.”
“Dabi, I think he’s referring to you,” Shiggy waves him off. Hawks grins. One down, one to go.
The hero eyes them up and down. “I could take both of you,” he brags as obscenely as possible. “But, suit yourself Shiggy. What about you, handsome?” Hawks licks his lips.
Shocked, both villains freeze and stare at him. Heh, perfect . Hawks pushes further, sealing the deal. “ Yeah ?” He entices, waggling his brow, grin plastered in place in the awkward silence. Dabi’s expression is unreadable; Hawks is pretty sure he’s about to get yeeted out the window, possibly on fire. C’mon. Just a little more. Feigning as though perhaps Dabi hadn’t understood, Hawks uses crude gestures to clearly illustrate his suggestion.
A sinister smirk splits across Dabi’s face as he grabs a fistful of the hero’s black and yellow shirt. Sweat drips down the nervous hero’s cheek as he considers his position. The clenched hand is hot as expected, Dabi’s quirk active. Bright blue eyes pierce the hero, yanking him in close, preparing to toss him through the window. At least he can fly. Hawks braces himself, expectantly. But the shove never comes.
It’s much worse. A warm arm tugs on his shoulder, bringing them chest-to-chest, before a low voice growls the unthinkable; “Alright. Careful what you wish for, pretty bird.”
The way he just said that… could he know? And thus began a dangerous game of chicken. A knowing glint in those wild blue eyes wordlessly states the prize; stand down and finally admit it, blowing your cover. Hawks has no choice. For the mission. For the people, the cities he has to protect. Because he’s a hero!
Steeling himself, Hawks tilts his head up, doning his best fuckboi attitude. It’s flawless of course. “Oh~ why’s that?” Leans in close so that their lips just brush. Nevermind the yellow folder pressed flat against the underside of the desk with four red feathers.
Dabi smirks, apparently done talking. He closes the small space between them and devours the hero’s lips without warning. And Hawks melts into the kiss. Is this really happening? I thought I’d be… what exactly? Scared? Nervous? Disgusted? The hero couldn’t say. But certainly not this. Following Dabi’s lead, encouraging them closer together, pressing deeper into the villain.
Because suddenly the hero’s gloved talons are curled in black hair, clinging to the warmth of Dabi, eagerly permitting a wandering tongue to twist into his. It’s hot and addictive, like a fine wine pouring into his mouth. More. Even if he’s panting, unable to catch his breath. More.
Meanwhile, the leader of LOV stands, wide-eyed and beet red, watching the steamy scene unfold before him. Covering his nose as a steady stream of blood drops down to his chin, he turns to take his leave.
Dabi wonders if the birdie hears himself at all. All the little moans and groans he’s steadily emitting as they continue their heavy make out session. Barely resting his hands on the hero’s hips while the blonde situates himself firmly against him. Chuckling, Dabi nips at the greedy lips before catching the hero’s hand and turning toward the door.
Before he remembers himself, a chirp escapes his lips. Much to his complete dismay. Dabi freezes. The room goes completely still. Hawks could die. “Did you just…?”
"...Chirp?" Shiggy finishes, standing with his hand on the knob.
“Hm? Must’a been a sparrow or something!” Hawks laughs it off. It’s convincing. But then, it has to be doesn’t it?
Blue eyes narrow slightly before turning back toward the door Shiggy holds for them, dragging Birdbrain behind him. As soon as Hawks is tugged through the door, two more red feathers deftly dart from crismon wings, popping open the window long enough for the hidden report to escape into the night air before closing the window again and returning to their cluster. He would complete this mission. Sending the feathers high in the air, using the lingering clouds for cover until it reached its destination several minutes later, crashing into a window. They really needed to finish installing the drop box. Hawks abandons his feathers, deciding he’d rather not risk Dabi noticing.
Soon they stop in front of a plain door, Shiggy having ditched one door down. Opening it reveals a small room; two rugs carelessly cover the floor in front of what appears to be a bed - it looks more like a prison cot with its exposed metal frame and plain sheets - and a dresser are the only furnishings in the bare room. There’s not even a closet as far as Hawks can tell. Hawks doesn’t bother trying to hide his scoff.
“It’ll work better than the office,” Dabi shrugs off his jacket and walks to the back of the room to hang it on a single hook Hawks didn’t notice before. “Which you still never answered about being in by the way.” Hawks doesn’t miss the sharp glance.
With a dramatic inhale as though he’s about to unveil a dark secret; “I um, wasn’t sure where the rooms were,” insert embarrassed blush. “I probably lost for a good 20 minutes before you found me ya know! I was even considering giving up!” He giggles adorably, defaulting back his notorious mischievous antics. “Anyway~ this is pretty unexpected! I totally thought I'd get rejected! Ah well, one out of two isn't too bad.”
“That so?” Dabi considers the words, settling on the bed before pouncing. “Didn’t really think it through then did you? If you were expecting to get rejected.” The bright smile fixes in place, gold eyes darting nervously to the much too perceptive villain before him. “But no. Couldn’t be; why would you go to the trouble of looking for our personal rooms if you weren’t sure?”
“R-right, that wouldn’t make much sense!” Hawks agrees. Now that the most critical part of the mission was taken care of, all he needed to do was maintain his cover. The hard part was out of the way so… why did he suddenly feel in over his head?
“C’mere.” Hawks obeys the voice, waddling forward, unsure of what else to do in such a situation. Dabi eyes the hero. There’s no way he imagined it - that pigeon had definitely chirped earlier. And what could he say? He was… curious.
“Yes?” Hawks huffs standing in front of the lounging villain. Casually, Dabi grabs a wrist and tugs it closer. “Well if you just wanted to hold hands,” snickers the hero. The easy smile falters as the glove is abruptly yanked off, revealing his hand. Which just so happens to end in sharp black talons.
“Interesting,” Dabi mutters, inspecting them. What’s that supposed to mean? Hawks wonders. His smile is gone, face dark. He hates his talons, doing everything to hide them. As far as the general public knows, his quirk manifests exclusively as his fierce crimson wings. Being so exposed like this is stressful…. Too stressful. Instinctively, he starts gripping; hand flexing between balling into a fist and relaxing as though he wants to hold something. Sharp talons draw blood from the palm of his hand when they clench.
Of course Dabi notices. Interrupting the curl of the birdie’s fist, Dabi slips two fingers into the flexing hand, preventing deeper cuts. Startled and disturbed by the attention on his darkest secret, Hawks tries to step away but can’t bring himself to release Dabi’s fingers. Gold eyes go round, rapidly dilating, drawing more unwanted scrutiny.
No. No. Nonononono. This can’t be happening, and it especially cannot be happening right now. Can’t mess this up, can’t mess this up, need to -
“Hey,” a gravelly voice grounds him. “Shhh, it’s okay little bird.” The tall figure moves closer, too close in the suddenly too cramped room. Hawks hisses, wings puffed like a pissed off bird, shoulders hunched forward in an aggressive position. Dabi pushes his luck, trying to slowly approach the distraught hero. Hawks grits his teeth and screeches a piercing hawk-like warning.
Acknowledging this may be the stupidest thing he’s ever done, Dabi sighs and jumps forward, using his arms to box the crazed pigeon against the wall. “Enough!” he snaps. “It’s okay now, just breathe.”
Once in his room, he sighs, scratching his neck. I guess everyone has someone now. Even Toga had that hero girl. Well, good for them he supposed. About to text Spinner for another round of his newest game, a birdlike screech comes from the other room. Shiggy is on his feet wrenching the door open without thinking where Dabi pins a distressed winged hero against the wall. His red feathers are puffed, eyes oddly flashing.
Horrified gold eyes dart to the door at the intrusion. Finding only a bewildered Shiggy in the doorway, slowly, the crimson wings deflate and the defensive stance relaxes. Hawks ignores the threatening sting in his eyes. “You heard, huh?” he says finally, expression still greatly disturbed. His wings flap, gently lifting him a few inches into the air where he bobs for a moment, looking down at the villains. “Guess we’ll have to talk then.”
A feather retrieves Dabi’s prized coat, the one he ever leaves without, and places it over his shoulders so he can tug it on. "Come here," he calls Shiggy into the room. One situated, Hawks bends slightly winding a hand around each villain's waist from behind. Surprisingly, there’s no protest. Normally he wouldn't be able to carry the full weight of two passengers but his wings are more than strong enough. "Just hang on tight, kay?" Hawks tells them.
***
It’s the first time either villain has flown. Like this anyway. The city sprawls beneath their dangling feet, waist and chest firmly clinched to the hero, Hawks. It’s quite a sight; intelligent gold eyes glint in the moonlight, blonde hair whips wild in the wind, crimson wings unfurled full and bloody in the navy sky. Completely free, a soaring creature of another world.
The city doesn’t have Dabi’s attention. Nor do the stars, the moon or the cloudy night sky. Not when Hawks exists.
Shiggy meanwhile, shamelessly holds the hero tightly, stomach in knots at the proximity of the two powerful men and the situation.
All too soon they reach their destination - a skyscraper with a small balcony. Dabi smiles wistfully.
Too soon and not soon enough they finally reach the familiar patio. Flying, being back in his own space helps to soothe the hero. The graceful dismount comes naturally, first gently releasing Dabi, then Shiggy, before nimbly landing beside them.
The villains trail behind Hawks, stepping through the glass door only to gape at how absurdly over the top it is. Seriously; the sandy wood floors, the impressive stone fireplace, the modern sectional (that could easily accommodate the entire LOV along with several Twice copies), even the frosted glass windows that lined one side of the building - it was so much . Especially for just one person. Hawks had run off somewhere, leaving the villains to mouth whispered what-the-hells. The living sunk further down from the rest of the loft, with a few sparse steps leading up. Which Shiggy of course trips over. Dabi catches and steadies him before he can go tumbling. "Thanks," Shiggy mutters awkwardly, touching the arm where Dabi had grabbed him.
It just keeps going. And the whole thing has mood lighting. The seemingly simplistic floors are probably even temperature controlled too. A flash of red leads to an impressive, slightly more compact chef’s kitchen painted bright white and furnished with black stainless steel appliances, most of which had complex electronic panels. A neon blue light glows under the cabinets.
Across from the kitchen stands an ornate staircase, spiraling up into a loft that overlooks the rest of the apartment. Okay. Well, at least that made sense.
“Dabi, Shiggy,” a tired voice calls. “I went ahead and made some drinks. We can sit and talk. Just make yourselves comfortable.”
Throw in some garnishment for good measure, annnnd done. Hawks sighs and lifts the tray, heading to the living room. “Your place is ridiculous,” Dabi retorts from the loft.
Unable to be bothered with tedious stairs, Hawks cheats and takes flight. “Why up here?”
“Everywhere else is too much. This is more comfortable,” Shiggy stubbornly responds. Red eyes flick to the tray in hand. “What’s that?”
“I needed something stronger than tea,” Hawks settles on the floor next to Dabi, resting an arm on his knee. “I wasn’t sure what you liked so I just went with bourbon. Figured that’d be a better option than wine.”
Shiggy wonders if it's some fancy hundred year old bottle.
“Good call,” Dabi snatches a glass. “So, let’s talk.”