Archive of Our Own

“Oh my god, this tuna sandwich is sooo good!" Miruko exclaimed. ”You wanna try?" She held it out to Hawks, who was perched up on the railing next to her.

“Thanks, I’ll pass,” he said with a concerned side glance.

They were currently on patrol. Standing on a high roof, which gave them a good look over the streets.
It was a cooler day, so Miruko was wearing a jacket over her hero suit.

“Okay, but you’re really missing out,” she said before taking another heardy bite.

They weren’t technically supposed to eat on patrol. Something about always having both hands for use and also about public image, but it wasn’t uncommon for most heroes to miss out on breakfast at least once a week.

And if they weren’t coincidentally named Hawks, most of them would still have breakfast on patrol. Out of sight of the public, of course.

Hawks shook his head, looking back down onto the streets when he saw a small orange dot in the distance.

“Ooop, better brace yourself. Here comes the big guy.”

The orange spot grew, and soon Endeavour landed on the rooftop next to them. His demeanor and face displayed that he was once again in a bad mood.

“Miruko, as a pro, you should be aware that while on patrol, you must at all times maintain a state of preparedness for any sort of confrontation. Physical included.” He crossed his arms over his chest, giving her a stern look.

Hawks turned back to the street hiding his smile.

He could hear Miruko laughing behind him, “Don’t worry, Number One, this sandwich ain’t gonna keep me from kicking the bad guys’ butts.”

The banter behind Hawks kept on for a couple of minutes while people crossed the street getting on with their daily lives.

Hawks was just focusing on a woman walking her dog when there was a scream from the other side of the road.

Three people burst through a shop’s window, balaclavas over their faces and a black, seemingly heavy bag in hand.

They spilled out onto the pavement and after getting themselves sorted out, took off.

“Well, Miruko, looks like you’re gonna be able to kick butt sooner rather than later.”

Hawks said, spreading his wings and already sending a few feathers out.

Miruko just groaned, shoving the rest of her sandwich into her mouth and the paper bag it came in into her pocket.

The three pros took off, chasing them down the street. After a while they split up.

Two guys to the right and the one with the bag the other way.

“Hawks, left. Miruko, you’re with me!” Endeavor yelled, turning right while Hawks turned left.

He chased the guy around another corner through a narrow alley before he ran onto an emptier, wider street.

Hawks decided it was the perfect time to strike. Going into a nosedive.

The guy was just crossing over a bridge when Hawks' looming shadow fell over him.

Horrified, he turned around, and in a last action hauled the bag over the railing before feathers pinned him to the ground.

The next second Hawks slammed into him, pushing him even further into the pavement, simultaneously sending a few feathers to retrieve the stolen goods.

He quickly secured the guy with one hand before holding the other out to receive the bag.

Now that he had it in his hand possession, he could confirm that it was quite heavy. Maybe filled with jewelry? Definitely not cash.

The guy wiggled underneath Hawks and managed to slip one hand out of the hero’s grip.

Hawks quickly put down the bag and turned down to secure it again, but instead he was met with an explosion of white that burned in his eyes and throat.

He coughed and squinted his eyes but didn’t let go of the robber’s arms again.

Instead, he quickly secured him with a handcuff to the railing of the bridge before staggering away to cough violently.

The hero dragged his hand over his eyes and as he managed to open them, he saw that it was coated in some kind of white powder.

Oh shit.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

This was bad. This was really bad.

Hawks tried to remember what he had learned about such situations in his hero training.

This situation was all kinds of dangerous.

Not only could this powder be some sort of poison or anesthetic—which was the best option, really—but it could also contain some sort of bacteria or virus, which would make him a literal walking biohazard.

This was a complete catastrophe, yet Hawks didn’t have time to decide the best course of action because a moment later Miruko landed with a powerful jump in front of him, with one of the other robbers slung over her shoulder, whom(?) she shortly dropped next to the one Hawks had secured.

The guy gave a painful moan at that before collapsing back in on himself.

Guess Miruko didn’t joke when she said she was ready to kick some butt.

Shortly after that, Endeavour also landed on the pavement.

Hawks couldn’t explain it, but for some reason an immense weight dropped from his shoulders at seeing someone outranking him and taking things into their own hands.

Surely Endeavor would know what to do.

Hawks needed to explain the situation to someone, but suddenly the site was filled with police officers blocking off the bridge and paramedics immediately rushing to the robber Miruko had dropped off.

Hawks just stood in one place, not really sure what to do. Should he talk to someone?

Go to the paramedics? Or to Endeavour?

And if he did, would he risk a mass panic?

And if he didn’t, could he possibly start a pandemic? Was he currently infecting people?

Maybe it was only flour. Or… cocaine?

Was he high?

How the hell was he supposed to known? He wasn’t even allowed to drink alcohol—

“Hawks, are you alright?”

Hawks nearly jumped out of his skin as he was ripped from his silent panic.

He shot around to face Endeavour, who was looking at him with a stern look.

One eyebrow raised and piercing blue eyes pinning Hawks in place like an insect.

“I- I… uh..” Hawks helpfully supplied.

“You look a little pale. You’re not gonna faint, are you?” At that he actually had to laugh, because honestly, he felt like it.

His stomach felt as if a million bugs were crawling around in it and his palms had gotten sweaty.

To be honest, Endeavor sounded more concerned with having another thing to deal with than about Hawks‘ actual well-being, but Hawks couldn’t blame the guy.

There was always so much to do after an arrest.

“Don’t worry, I think I’ll be fine, big guy.”

Just as Hawks was about to turn, a sudden and very intense dizzy spell came over him, kicking the air out of his lungs and forcing him to hold onto the railing beside him.

One hand pressed to his chest.

Endeavour jerked forward, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"Well, I don’t think so." He turned around and yelled, “We need a paramedic here!”

“God, no.” Hawks turned to face away from Endeavor. Grabbing the railing with two hands as he doubled over with discomfort.

The breakfast he had this morning was churning uncomfortably in his stomach.

“Excuse me, Sir.” A woman’s voice suddenly sounded from beside him. Way too close and way too concerned for his liking.

He pulled his wings tighter around himself, shielding her and Endeavour out.

His forehead met the cool railing, which felt way more relieving than it should.

He just needed to keep himself together, then this hellish nightmare would end.

The woman’s voice called out again, “Could you please pull your wings away? I need to check your vitals.”

Hawks forced his body to straighten, turning himself to Endeavour; the woman blocked behind his wings.

“I’m not going to a hospital,” he said with a determined voice. “I’m fine, I can handle it.”

But his argument did not hold up as he was struggling to stand without holding onto the railing. His breathing sounded hard and labored as he was suppressing the pain coursing through his guts.

Endeavor stepped closer to him and planted both of his hands on Hawks' shoulders.

“Hawks, I really think you should. Sickness doesn’t come on this fast unless it’s something really serious.”

“I can only agree.” The paramedic had walked around Hawks' wings to plant herself next to Endeavour. Looking at him with a demanding expression and holding some sort of device in her hand.

“I-“ Hawks was about to protest when pain exploded across his stomach. He gave a low groan and doubled over, collapsing against the railing.

The paramedic got really hectic now.

Her black head of curls whirling from one side to the other as she started rummaging through her bag before calling out to some of her colleagues.

Not even more people. Hawks thought, dazed. They were already drawing too much attention to themselves.

He hectically scanned their surroundings, taking note of a few things.

Most importantly (and inconveniently), there were civilians gathering behind the barriers the police had put up, all looking over to where the number two hero had collapsed.

Two police officers standing nearby, holding a camera and a notebook, had also stopped what they were doing to gawk over at them.

He could already imagine the videos uploaded to the internet after this and the headlines following.

Hawks wanted to scream.

He would have forced himself to stand up if he didn’t feel like somebody was actively trying to knot his insides into a bow.

He feared that if he were to get vertical he’d immediately regret it by throwing up, now cursing that he did actually have time to eat breakfast this morning.

Then, Miruko entered his field of view.

She hurled some harsh-sounding instructions toward the two officers before they hurried over to the civilians with their tails tucked between their legs.

Seemingly trying to disperse the crowd.

Hawks had never been more relieved to see Miruko, who was now walking over to them.

“What’s going on here?” She demanded to know.

Hawks and the paramedic attempted to talk at the same time, but Hawks was cut off by a violent stab through his stomach that had him turning white as a sheet.

The pain forced him to bend over even more, and immediately his mouth flooded with saliva. He desperately tried to swallow against it, but that only had his stomach revolting and he clasped a hand over his mouth.

Then, even though he couldn’t follow what the paramedic was saying to Rumi, he could tell that she suddenly stopped talking.

And while all of their eyes turned to Hawks, Rumi started hectically searching for something in her pocket before pulling out the paper bag her sandwich had previously been in.

Not a moment too late, she shoved it into Hawks' face because in the next moment he was pathetically retching into it.

His body revolting against his will and his breakfast. The world around turned into a mess of noise and color, pain and nausea swirling through Hawks' body so violently that it took up all of his senses.

And if Hawks wasn‘t feeling miserable enough, he was suddenly very aware of just how hot it seemed to be.

He could feel sweat beads running down his neck and temples, an icky feeling all over his skin.

It took a few minutes before Hawks had finally composed himself again and the blurry world around him got back into focus.

Immediately the paper bag was taken from his hands.

Perplexed, he looked up and saw the paramedic handing it to a second younger-looking paramedic, who looked it up and down, clear disgust showing on his face.

Hawks' throat tightened, and heat rose to his cheeks. God, he really needed the ground to just swallow him whole.

Because if he wasn‘t taken out by whatever was coursing through his veins at the moment, now he needed to do it himself.

Then the paramedic woman was kneeling beside him again.

“Alright, I need a general description of what you ate in the last 24 hours and if you maybe have an idea of what‘s causing this.“

While talking, she grabbed Hawks' wrist and pressed two fingers to his pulse point.

“It‘s not what I ate.“ Hawks tried to sit up to at least show a little composure but again a large and heavy hand landed on his left shoulder and pushed him back down.

As Endeavour settled next to him Hawks grew even more panicked.

“It‘s the- I mean, it was the robber. He hit me with some sort of…powder? I don’t know, I thought it was just dirt or something, I didn’t really think about it.“ A lie. And a bad one at that.
They were on a concrete bridge, no matter where one would look, there was only pavement to be found.

But Hawks had completely missed the time frame in which he should have communicated this.

And he felt it now as the paramedic and Endeavor went still and shared a quick worried look.

The next second Endeavor‘s hand vanished from Hawks‘ shoulder and the paramedic turned to her team as she was putting on a masks, already giving instructions.

“Alright, we’re taking him to the hospital now.”

“No wait, you can’t!“ Hawks— despite feeling like shit— forced himself to kind of stand up.

Endeavor immediately protested.

“Hawks, do you not realize how dangerous this situation is?“

“I do- just-!“ He panicked. Why was he feeling so powerless?! Hawks fished his phone from his pocket. “Just give my agency a call!”

Endeavour rubbed his temple. “What? That really doesn’t have priority right now.”

But it did. Because Hawks was not allowed to be treated by anyone except the hero safety commission’s doctor.

And he was certainly not going to a hospital without them knowing.

The paramedic tried to guide Hawks to a stretcher but he shook her off, still holding the phone out to Endeavor and Miruko.

“Alright. I will.” Miruko stepped forward and took the phone from him.

The next second Hawks was pulled away.

He was placed on the stretcher. And out of all positions, they had him lying on his back!

Which was not only a really uncomfortable position to be in while incredibly nauseous but it was also crushing his wings against the cushion.

As they took his vitals and prepared him to be transported to the hospital, he counted down the seconds until finally, finally, he heard the brakes of a car followed by the shouting of police officers.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the paramedics around him were shoved to the side and his handler appeared in his field of view.

The next second he was unfastened and pulled up to sitting by a strong arm belonging to a giant of a man with two horns perched on his head, who Hawks didn’t recognize.

He did, however, recognize the strict face of his handler, which he now came face-to-face with.

It was easy to recognize that she was displeased but before she could utter a single word, a voice pierced the air.

“Excuse me, whatever is the meaning of this?” Behind his handler Hawks spotted the full head of curls belonging to the head paramedic (which was the name Hawks had given to the black woman treating him).

His handler turned around to look her up and down with an unimpressed glance and shoved a paper against her chest.

“This is our guardianship concerning the number two hero Hawks, who we will now bring into the care of our own personal medical staff. We will also be confiscating any of the records you have already taken from him and— given that there are any— samples of his blood.”

While Hawks’ handler talked, the woman was scanning over the paper in her hand, her expression turning sour as she seemingly recognized that this was a battle already lost.

“This can’t-“ Hawk’s handler took the paper from her again and rushed right past her, giving the giant a signal to help Hawks walk.

But before he could do that, the paramedic shoved herself between them.

“Just a moment.” She flashed a horrendous fake smile.

Then, she turned around, placed a hand on Hawks’ shoulder and leaned in close.

“You know that even if they have a guardianship over you, if you choose to stay with us they can’t deny you that.”

In that moment Hawks felt the honest care in her big brown eyes but it was not enough to erase any doubt left in his conscious.

If the Commission wanted something, they got it, no matter what. And if they wanted something from Hawks that he denied them, they’d find a way to have him pay it back by thousands.

Behind the paramedics head of curls he saw the stern figure of his handler waiting for him by the car. Her posture and face an epiphany of cold impatience.

“I… That’s very kind but I’m fine.” He gave her a weak smile.

The next second Hawks was grabbed by the collar and basically dragged to the car— not that he could’ve actually walked.

In the span of the next hour, Hawks was brought to the Commission, where a million tests were run that luckily concluded that Hawks had only inhaled and partially ingested a strong toxin.

Since they couldn’t exactly determine the toxin he had ingested, he was given an emetic to prevent further processing inside his body.

Lastly, he was offered to either stay in the commission’s medical tract or to return home, to which he gratefully accepted the last option.

——————————————————————

Hawks was regretting… everything.

He was regretting not staying in the medical tract of the commission, if only so he could ask them to put him in a coma until this was over.

He was regretting not immediately marching to Endeavor the moment he’d been hit with the powder.

He was regretting being so curious in the first place that he had been too distracted to properly secure the robber.

He was regretting eating something in the morning.

And that he got up at all.

And mostly he was regretting not getting his phone back from Miruko, because now he couldn’t even call someone.

Not that he knew who or what for he would have called someone anyways.
He just felt like not being alone in this shitty bathroom while continuously hurling his guts out for the last hours would make it just the tiniest bit better.

He was slumped in front of his toilet, arms crossed and head buried in them, in such a way that his mouth wasn’t covered and he could just let his insides spill without having to move.

He had resumed this the only position he was able to exist in for the last…two and a half hours?

Hawks had wished that after a few rounds of throwing up the pain or at least the nausea would ease up, but the world was still a spinning headache-fueling mess every time he opened his eyelids.

Cramps rocked through his insides like he’d never experienced and the entire way from his stomach over his throat to his lips felt sore and inflamed.

He was equally exhausted as tense and every single breath felt like an invitation to his body to start acting up again.

At this point he didn’t think he could move even if he wanted to. His abdominal muscles, and really every other muscle in his body, hurt to much.

He believed he was also running a fever now? Could just be his body trying to flush out the toxin but he could also be dying.

And he probably also wouldn’t have noticed it, if it weren’t for the fact that his shivering was straining his muscles even more and sending stings of pain through his back.

Hawks just sat there, long having lost track of time but it must’ve been hours.

Whenever he felt a pain rip through his middle he’d just open his mouth and let his body run on autopilot.

He could slowly feel his body shutting down, unconsciousness chasing him and he wasn’t afraid to accept it.

But then there was a noise.

The sound of footsteps and a door swinging open.

Then, silence.

To be honest, Hawks couldn’t have care less about who or what had entered his apartment, if they were here to take his life it could only be the universe way of granting him mercy but after a few seconds of silence he reluctantly turned his head just enough to open one eye and glance at the door way.

He was met with imminent dread as he recognized the heavy combat boots and the long, black coat already ripping at the seams.

He moved his gaze up and met Dabi’s eyes for a second before burying his face in his arms again, already feeling the nausea and the headache returning.

“Tsk. What, no ‘hello’? What’s gotten your feathers all ruffled?” Dabi stepped into the bathroom dropping his coat onto the bathtub railing.

“Shut it, Dabi.” Hawks couldn’t suppress a flinch. Talking hurt.

“What?” Dabi dropped next to Hawks onto the bathroom floor, “Can’t I take an interest in your life, birdy?”

“Can you just-“ Hawks was cut off by a strong cramp. He bit his lip, his muscles tensing. He was not throwing up while Dabi was next to him. “Just-nggh… leave.”

Now that he was refusing his stomach its will it was starting to revolt again.

“I’m going when you tell me why you blew our meeting tonight and— looking at you— why you look like you’re on deaths doorstep when the last time I saw you, you were fine.”

Hawks was out of ideas and time, if he didn’t let his body have its way, he was just gonna faint and then he’d throw up anyway without being able to do damage control.

“What, want me to believe you actually care for me?” Suggesting anything vulnerable was the only idea Hawks had left to get Dabi off his back.

It had proven successful in past situations but apparently not today.

Instead, Dabi leaned in even closer, clasping a hand over Hawks’ neck and heating it to an uncomfortable temperature, almost hot enough to burn, while hissing, “You better stop with the jokes before I-“

He was cut off by a harsh gurgling sound from Hawks’ stomach, signalizing that the hero had been fighting a loosing battle.

Hawks gave a defeated groan before a thick wave of almost pure stomach acid spilled from his lips.

His knuckles turning white as he desperately clutched to the toilet bowl.

Dabi froze and Hawks almost believed that this could have been the end but then another round of sick rolled through him, this time he didn’t even find it in him to protest.

“Shit, you’re really sick.” Dabi said.

“I’m not sick-“ but Dabi cut him off.

“Yeah no, birdy, no use in denying that.”

“I’m not,” Hawks pressed and composed himself at lest a bit. “I was hit with something on patrol.”

A confused look plastered itself on Dabi’s face, followed by a moment of realization before resulting in an, “Oh.”

“Yeah, well you can leave now.” Hawks said, trying to flush the toilet and missing, because this whole conversation had just accomplished to make him more dizzy.

Annoyance flared through his body until he suddenly felt a warm hand moving his own to the right spot. Hawks huffed irritated and pushed the button, flushing away all his misery.

He noticed then, that Dabi still hadn’t moved his hand away from his neck and it frustrated him to admit that his muscles there weren’t nearly as tense or sore as in the rest of his body.

He returned to his original position deciding, that if Dabi wanted to stay and annoy him Hawks wasn’t going to kick him out.

After all, didn’t he just wish not to be alone a few moments ago?

Now, was Dabi the ideal candidate to see him at his lowest when he couldn’t even defend himself? No.

But to be fair, it was still better than the medical dungeon of the HPSC.

For a while it was just silent in the bathroom.

Hawks wallowing in his misery and Dabi just sitting there. Hand still on Hawks neck.

Then, after a while Dabi started rubbing up and down Hawks back.

“You’re shivering.”

Hawks nodded.

“You’re running a fever.”

“Thanks for stating the obvious,” Hawks grumbled.

“Is that also part of the Quirk that hit you?”

Hawks signed. “I never said it was a Quirk.” He really didn’t feel like reciting the whole story to Dabi but reluctantly he summed it up for him in a few sentences.

“You idiot.” Dabi hit him in the back of his head. “Why didn’t you stay in the hospital?”

“Ugh, hey!,” Hawks protested. “Have you ever been to the Comission’s medical tract? It’s like a prison in there. I’d much rather spent my time falling apart in private than being inspected like an insect under a microscope.”

Another hit to the head.

“Oh my god, you want me to throw up on you!” Hawks protested.

“Then don’t act more stupid than you already are. I meant the real hospital!” Hawks could basically hear Dabi rolling his eyes.

A sour taste rose in the back of Hawks throat but he blamed it on the nausea.

“I… I’m not allowed to be treated by any other medical team other than that of the Commission. Unless it’s like… an emergency.” He added. As if that would make it sound any more normal to Dabi.

Dabi was always going on and on about how controlling the HPSC was, which was ironic because Dabi hadn’t worked with them. Hawks had.

He had no complaints.

“Right…” the villain snarled. “And how long have you been sitting here like this?”

Well, if this wasn’t the on-million-dollar-question.

“I don’t know… what time is it?” He signed as Dabi pulled his hand away to check his watch. He hadn’t realized how distracting the sensation was until it vanished and the churning of his gut was omnipresent again.

“It’s almost 8pm.”

“Well, then a little over three hours.” Hawks was shocked. Sure it had felt like an eternity just sitting here but surely after three hours the effect of the emetic should lessen?

“Jesus,” Dabi resumed his rubbing and Hawks imminently went lax again. “Did you drink anything at all?”

The thought of anything in his stomach alone made Hawks nauseous and he shook his head.

“Alright, be right back.” The warm hand vanished from Hawks’ back and he swallowed a displeased whine as Dabi left.

True to his word Dabi came back in through the door a moment later. Hawks weakly lifted his head to glance over and saw that Dabi had brought a glass of water and a folded t-shirt, which he put down on the floor.

He held out the water glass to Hawks, who almost turned green at the site of it.

Dabi laughed. “Oh come on, what are you? A child?” He nudged the side of Hawks head with the glass.

“Dabi, I swear to God, I’m gonna puke on you! Stop that, I’m too nauseous for this shit.” That finally wiped the grin away from the villains face.

“Well, you still gotta drink something. Not only because of the throwing up stuff but also, you’ve been sweating a lot.”

Hawks cheeks flushed. Shit, that’s right.

He’d completely sweat through his compression shirt, he’d just stopped being bothered by it after a while.

But Dabi had rubbed his back and touched his shirt and… god, he was disgusting.

Hawks gently shook his head. “I just… I don’t think I can stomach water.”

“Try some.” Dabi pressed.

Hawks carefully took the glass from his hands. As he was thinking about it he concluded that it was probably best if he drank it as fast as possible and then just waited out the aftermath, as there was no way he was getting through the whole glass of water by sipping it slowly.

He started by taking a big gulp. The water feeling heavenly on his throat and absolutely violent on his stomach.

He forced himself to take the second sip emptying the glass halfway.

He could hear Dabi making a sound of protest but was too focused on taking his next sip.

It started okay, he did get the water in his mouth but the second he tried to swallow it, it turned into a gag instead.

He clasped a hand over his mouth and sat the glass down in front of him with a loud clank.

Desperately squeezing his eyes shut and breathing through his nose as wave after wave of nausea rolled through him. Pressure  was building in his chest and an ache pounded in his stomach.

“What the hell was that?” Dabi exclaimed.

But Hawks only shook his head signalizing him to be quiet.

If he could just breathe through this. His stomach had to settle at some point, right?

A pathetic whimpering emitted from Hawks’ chest before he turned to the toilet again, not trusting his strategy anymore.

The next cramp punched the air out of his lungs and he quickly had to move away his hand as the water came rushing out of him again.

“Ah, there it is.” Dabi said while dutifully picking up his rubbing again.

All Hawks could reply was a low groan as another gag seized his throat.

Dabi kept on rubbing his back providing a strong enough sensation to distract Hawks a little until his retching died down.

Hawks groaned. “Told you I couldn’t stomach anything…”

Dabi’s hand on his back suddenly heated up making Hawks flinch away.

“You moron! I told you to try some. Not ‘Chug down half the cup in 20 seconds’, I could have told you how that would end!”

Hawks let his head drop.

“I know, I gotta drink somethin’ but, please… just give me a minute.”

Dabi patted his back compassionately.

“Well, that’s why you stay in the hospital. So they can give you water over an infusion and you don’t need to drink it.”

Great, as if Hawks wasn’t already regretting every decision he’d made today.

“Alright, we’ll try again in a bit but first, let’s get you out of this wet shirt.“

At that Dabi’s hands moved from his back down to the hem of his shirt.

Hawks stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

„No- don‘t- I‘m disgusting.“

Behind him Dabi stilled. Then, with a voice way too gentle for a villain he said, “I can‘t help you change if you won‘t let me touch you.“

Hawks cheeks flushed.

“Why bother. I‘m just gonna sweat through the next shirt.“

„Probably, yeah. But I bet you‘ll also feel way more comfortable without your compression shirt pressing on your stomach.“

At that Hawks had to admit that Dabi was probably right. Still the thought of Dabi undressing him without any sexual context made a different kind of feeling flutter in his stomach.

It just didn’t feel right.

Then again a lot of what was happening didn’t feel right.

Dabi was a villain. He wasn’t supposed to change Hawks, nor to rub his back and be there for him while Hawks was throwing up in his bathroom.

Hesitantly, Hawks let go of Dabi’s wrist, which the villain took as a sign to start pulling up Hawks shirt.

Getting out of the compression shirt was a task in itself, but doing so while unable to send feathers away, because the effort would make Hawks too nauseous, was a whole different story.

But eventually, they got it off.

Hawks collapsed against the toilet again.

Utterly exhausted and once again nauseous, though relived he found that it wasn‘t as bad as he had expected it to be.

Maybe that was a sign the effect of the emetic was finally coming to an end.

Hawks hoped.

He really hoped.

Hawks had his faces buried in his arms when he suddenly felt a warm wet something touch his side.

He flinched away from it and quickly looked down to check.

The wet something turned out to be a washcloth. One with which Dabi had started dabbing at his side, considerably lessening the sticky and disgusting feeling of sweat there, in which Hawks entire body was covered.

“Uh, sorry. I thought you might wanna get a little clean before bed but figured you wouldn’t be up for a shower.”

As Dabi spoke his hand kept hovering over the same place on Hawks’ side.

Hawks considered for a second that this was weird and a bad idea.

But he could also acknowledge that they were long past the point of weird. So he just nodded and buried his face in his arms again.

Hawks could feel the warm washcloth roaming across his body, everywhere it went it left a nice warm and clean feeling.

By the time Dabi had finished cleaning him, he was almost completely lulled to sleep.

He was only startled awake yet again when the warm feeling of Dabi’s hands and the cloth left him.

Displeased he raised his head, glancing over at where Dabi was rinsing the thing and putting it on the radiator to dry.

“Wow, still awake, I thought you passed out minutes ago.” He said with a chuckle.

To which Hawks could only roll his eyes.

“Ready for bed?” He asked kneeling down to be eye-level with Hawks.

The hero felt like a little kid being gently talked into going to sleep. But Hawks didn’t need much convincing, his eyes were about to close anyways.

“Yeah, can’t wait,” he croaked. He hadn’t realized how rough his voice sounded until he tried to speak and his throat felt like sandpaper.

Dabi stood up and extend a hand to him.

“Think you can walk? Without puking over the whole bathroom, I mean.”

Hawks rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, don’t worry.” He took Dabi’s hand. “I think the effect of the emetic is wearing off.”

Dabi pulled him to his feet, but even though he wasn’t immediately hit with nausea a dizzy spell washed over him and made him stumble to the front directly into… Dabi’s chest.

“Ah! Sorry.” He pushed himself away from the other man only to almost stumble the other way. Almost, because instead a hand placed itself onto his lower back, keeping him locked in place.

Hawks was suddenly very aware that he was still shirtless. And feeling very exposed and flustered.

“I- sorry…”

Dabi didn’t say anything, just looked him up and down with hooded eyes and then shrugged before picking Hawks up and nearly throwing him over his shoulder.

Hawks was too stunned to speak, but when he was thrown onto the bed the next second, he caught himself again and screamed, “Hey! What was that? I thought you didn’t want me to throw up again? That seemed like a very good way to get a person on an emetic to puke all over you!”

“But you didn’t, right?” Dabi said not giving him a moment more of his attention before rummaging through Hawks closet.

“What…” A shirt and pants were shoved into Hawks chest.

“Here, throw these on, I’ll be right back.”

Hawks was, once again, to stunned to speak.

He looked at the black, loose t-shirt and the grey sweatpants Dabi had picked out for him and placed them next to him on the bed.

Then, he leaned back against the pillow.

This was just too much for him. He was… confused, mostly.

Why was Dabi helping him again?

A headache was still ponding in Hawks skull and now that the nausea was more and more subsiding there was nothing distracting from it.

Overall, Hawks was just now noticing how sore all of his muscles were. Apparently his body hadn’t been too keen on sitting on the bathroom floor for over three hours.

And he was dizzy.

Shit, he was probably still dehydrated.

Maybe he’d get up in a bit to get himself some water.

Just then, the door of his bedroom opened again and, against Hawks’ expectations, Dabi came walking in again. A glass of water in hand.

He looked at Hawks and then at the clothes next to the winged hero before giving him a displeased look.

“I told you to change. Do you need help with that too?”

A wave of embarrassment flooded through Hawks.

“I don’t!” He pushed himself up. “And for your information, I also didn’t need help walking here.”

Dabi just rolled his eyes.

“Right. Same way you weren’t about to die in your own bathroom from dehydration?”

He gave a tsk. “Speaking of which. Drink this.”

He took the shirt Hawks had started to unfold from his hands and switched it with the glass of water.

“Hey! I thought you wanted me to change? Make up your mind!”

“I made up my mind. Drink.”

He said and crossed his arms over his chest.

Hawks rolled his eyes before setting his lips on the glass.

A reminder of where the last glass of water had ended up washed through him and send a shiver down his spine. But Hawks had learned his lesson.

Even if he wasn’t feeling as nauseous anymore he took small sips. One after the other, until the glass was empty.

Only when he wanted to take another sip, but found the glass empty, did he notice that he was still very much dying of thirst. Apparently, now that his body was reminded of the option of water, it was more than eager to restock all that he had lost in the last three hours.

He held the glass out to Dabi and while looking at the floor asked, “Could you… get me a second one?”

A moment of silence.

“Please..?”

He could hear Dabi laugh.

“Look who’s back to being an ass kisser. Now be a good little birdy and get changed while I’ll refill that for you.”

He took the glass from Hawks and ruffled his hair with a bit more force than needed.

Hawks should have known that Dabi wouldn’t stay nice for long. And so he probably shouldn’t try to challenge the pyromaniac.

Hawks got changed as quickly as possible, firstly, because he was still feeling lightheaded and, secondly, because he didn’t want Dabi to see him half undressed and get the wrong idea.

He didn’t know what kind of payback Dabi would want from him for helping but he was sure he wanted something. He just hoped it wouldn’t be the physical type or at least not today and until he felt better.

He had just decided to lay down again when Dabi came back with the refilled glass of water and a pack of crackers.

God knows where he found them, Hawks certainly didn’t.

“Here.” He handed him the glass. “And you should try some of these too.”

Hawk looked at the crackers with distain.

“Maybe later. I don’t know how much my stomach can handle.”

Dabi seemingly wanted to protest but then just decided against it.

Instead he went to take off his boots, socks and trousers and climbed into bed with Hawks.

Why was Dabi lying down with him?  Why didn’t he leave? Wasn’t he aware that he wouldn’t get anything out of Hawks tonight?

Hawks turned onto his side, facing away from Dabi. The water was sitting in his stomach like a stone, but at least he was keeping it down.

He shifted to get into a more comfortable position. Then shifted again, and again.

Every position he found was either putting too much pressure on his stomach or too much strain on his muscles.

He was exhausted and longing for sleep but his body wouldn’t allow him to relax.

Hawks almost let out a frustrated groan but then remembered who was lying next to him.

So instead he took a deep breath and rolled onto his side again.

He was just about to shift again when suddenly two warm arms wrapped around him as a body forced itself between his wings, locking him in place.

“Stop moving.” He could feel Dabi’s hot breath down his neck. “I can’t sleep if you keep shuffling around.”

Hawks wanted to argue that Dabi could just leave but…he could feel his body relax beneath Dabi’s radiating heat.

Suddenly the drowsiness from the bathroom was back again and so he just closed his eyes and went still.

He could feel Dabi’s heartbeat in the spot between his wings where the villains chest was pressed to him.

And even thought he could always sense it through his feathers, it was a very different sensation feeling it directly.

He listend to the noise and Dabi’s controlled breathing. The way his chest moved with every inhale. And felt the warmth rolling off of Dabi and into his sore muscles.

Hawks was sure that when he awoke tomorrow Dabi would be gone, so even if he didn’t understand why Dabi had stayed nor why he had helped him, he chose to enjoy this weird gentle moment.

He had a hell of a day and even if most of it was due to his own bad decisions, if making bad decisions meant that Dabi would care for him like this again, maybe he should start making more of them.