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Dabi had chosen this bar to make the hero uncomfortable.
He could only assume that was a big fat failure, given how Hawks was currently flirting with the bartender. Said bartender was absolutely playing into it too, if the small collection of glasses in front of the winged man meant anything.
He was barely touching them too, and Dabi could swear he was only going for the red drinks. The one that had his most recent attention was nearly the same color of his feathers.
Ridiculous.
It had seemed like a good plan at the time, to take Hawks to some shady bar in a bad district to either make his discomfort of low living apparent or get him drunk enough to slip up.
Hawks’ next wink at a pair of giggling young women made Dabi roll his eyes so hard it hurt a little. He needed a smoke. He pushes back from the bar.
“Stay here.” He mutters, hardly looking at the blonde next to him as he passes him to the door outside. It was cold tonight, and the villain exhales smoke generated from his own body to warm himself up. He pickpockets a man exiting the seemingly designated smoke area and successfully comes up with the pack of Seven Stars.
The villain goes through two cigarettes before feeling centered enough to head back in. He had no idea why he was reacting like this. A half-baked plan like this had no chance of being successful against the #2 hero. Dabi knew that, even before meeting up with the hero.
The bartender rushes past him as he heads back inside and Dabi frowns as the man ducks his head as soon as they make eye contact. Dabi twists to stare at the back of the man as he picks up his pace. The villain slowly turns and heads back inside.
Hawks did not, in fact, stay put. His frown deepens into a scowl as he scans the bar, looking for a mop of white-blonde hair. Instead, he catches the eyes of one of the girls from earlier. She looks entirely too nervous as she slowly looks to a door past the empty stage before returning her gaze to him.
Dabi could swear he sees beads of sweat rolling down her temples. Her companion has both of her hands curled around her arm in a tight grip, eyes trained on the door.
People here don’t call the cops, an unspoken rule so taboo it could get you banned from every feasible service in the area.
Dabi drops his hands out of his jacket pockets and strides for the door, throwing it open the second the handle is within reach. The hallway is dark and unswept, full of unmarked doors and what looks like an exit to the outside. He follows the low sound of voices and stops dead when they become decipherable.
“Dude, dude, get his face. People won’t believe it unless you can see his face. Shit, Christ, kneel on his wing or something.” The man sounds out of breath.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Just hurry up already. God how is he even still moving, this is ridiculous.”
“Whatever, it’s enough to handle him. Imagine the cash we’ll make. Holy shit he’s hot.”
Dabi swings the door open the second he pinpoints the source of the noise. Time seems to freeze as he takes in the scene. A man is crouched by Hawks’ torso, one knee crushing his left wing into the bed, a phone pointed down at the hero. A second man is straddling Hawk’s hips, hands squeezing his sides.
Hawks himself is sprawled on his back on the crusty mattress. His shirt is hiked up to his armpits. The stylized cargo pants he wore out tonight pushed down to his knees, effectively trapping his legs. Dabi notes his boxers are still in place underneath the man perched on him. His left-wing weakly beats against the wall, uncoordinated as his feathers continuously shake, clearly trying to accomplish something. One of his hands is tangled in his own shirt, likely having lost his attention while trying to pull his shirt down. The other limply trying to push the man by his torso away.
The look on Hawks’ face is absolutely miserable.
Dabi is only mentally there enough to wish the man’s phone is recording audio when he screams as blue flame consumes him. He falls to the floor, withering as it rages over him. The flame wasn’t as hot as it could have been. Dabi didn’t want to cremate him instantly.
The second man, finally comprehending the danger he was in, frantically tries to scramble off of Hawks. He doesn’t get very far before Dabi’s hand closes around the back of his neck and forces him to the floor. The scumbag screams as the hand heats up. “What’s he on?” The man doesn’t answer, only continues to thrash underneath him as the skin below his hand stats to bubble. “Answer me.” Dabi’s voice holds no inflection as he stares impassively at the man below him.
“Just some shit my dealer gives me! Please! Stop, stop-“
“Stop? What, you don't want this? Imagine that.” Dabi lights him up and breathes deeply as the cries turn to screams once again.
The villain pushes himself to his feet after a moment, dragging his boot through the ashes as he turns back towards the mattress.
Hawks has retracted his wings slightly, but they remain limp, hanging off the edges of the bed. Feathers no longer desperately fluttering. Those golden eyes are locked onto Dabi, eyebrows furrowed as his eyes shine brightly with tears threatening to fall. Both of his hands are on his shirt now, attempting to pull it down but the fabric is far too tangled for his current capabilities.
Dabi approaches slowly, watching carefully for any reaction from the hero. Honestly, it’s a hopeless gesture, the man is in no state of mind to fully understand the situation and recognize what he needs.
Hawks lets out a low whine, but his gaze doesn’t waver. When Dabi reaches the blonde, the first thing he does is press his two fingers to the inside of the man’s wrist. His heartbeat is noticeably slowed, but Dabi is fairly sure he’ll be fine. He gently moves Hawks’ hands and pulls down his shirt for him before fixing his pants as well.
Dark bruises were beginning to form on his hips. Dabi glances up at his red, swollen lips before stepping away. The man dropped his phone on the floor, and it seems relatively undamaged as he picks it up. It was still recording. Hah.
He stops the video before quickly typing in Kurogiri’s emergency number.
D- It’s Dabi I need a portal straight to my room.
He adds the coordinates, using a GPS app from his own phone. He silently thanks Kurogiri’s near immediate response as a portal swirls open in front of him just seconds later. He pockets both phones before turning to Hawks.
“I’m gonna pick you up, ok? Don’t freak or whatever.” As he expected, there’s no response from the hero. He lifts the man up, thrown off by how light he was. Dabi steps through the portal and blinks quickly to get the mist out of his eyes and re orientate. He lays Hawks down on his own bed before stepping away. “I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to sleep this stuff off, okay? If you wake up before I’m back, don’t fly off.” He meets Hawks’ eyes briefly, attempting to make sure he understood the situation. Hawks’ eyes are still locked on to him, piercing even now in their half-lidded and red-rimmed state.
Dabi steps out of the room, closing the door behind him. He guessed he had about four hours before the drugs wore off, along with however long the exhausted hero remained asleep.
He has a bartender to find.
Hawks is alone when he wakes up. He’s simultaneously relieved and upset by that. He pushes himself up, arms shaking slightly. The hero exhales and leans forward, crossing his arms in his lap and drops his head.
Dabi had saved him.
Without hesitation. He burned those men alive without a second thought, even mocking one as he screamed. Had taken Hawks to his own room to recover. The larger man’s phone containing the videos and pictures had been left on the nightstand next to the bed.
Dabi was a villain. Dabi was everything he fought against. Dabi was exactly why Hawks had suffered through the training he had.
Hawks wondered when he would come back, what he was doing out there.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before a soft knock had him jerking out of wherever his mind had gone. Hawks’ head snaps up to see Dabi staring at him from the doorway, he hadn’t even noticed it opening.
Hawks laughs at himself quietly. Seems he just wasn’t particularly observant today.
“How you doing?” Dabi finally asks once its clear Hawks isn’t going to be initiating any sort of conversation. Hawks shrugs once before looking away to stare intently at the wall. There was no window the small room, the only light coming from the closet door that’s propped open.
What kind of room had a closet but no window? He’s pretty sure you’re supposed to have at least two exits in case of a fire. How ironic.
“Hawks.” Dabi prompts, trying to get his attention.
The hero still refuses to look at him. “Are you going to tell anyone?”
There’s a moment of silence. “As if any news site would take that hit on their credibility. I left his phone with you.” Hawks finally looks back up at his unnaturally blue eyes.
“I don’t mean what they did.” Dabi searches his face.
The villain sighs and pushes off the doorframe. Hawks follows his movement across the room. “No, Hawks. It really doesn’t concern me and it’s completely your business. It’s whatever, anyway.” Hawks almost smiles at the way the villain is clearly trying to reassure him while also acting nonchalant about it.
“Thank you. For that, and what you did.” It’s Dabi’s turn to shrug.
“I know I’m a villain, but I like to make a habit of killing people who really deserve it.” Hawks acknowledges, distantly, that he should be disturbed by that. Acknowledge that everyone deserves due process.
But all he can think about was the way he felt when he watched Dabi burn those men alive.
He didn’t feel bad.
“Will you destroy the phone? Please?”
“Ah” Hawks furrows his eyebrows at the hesitant noise. Dabi corrects himself quickly. “No, no, I will, Little Bird. I only brought it here so you could have that assurance. But the shitbag was still recording when I killed him. Kinda wanted to record his screams and make it my ringtone.” The serious look om Dabi’s face at the statement makes Hawks laugh gently. The villain perks up slightly at the sound.
Hawks straightens up finally, out of his hunched over position. “I wouldn’t hate that actually. I’d like to even hear, I think.” Well, that’s hardly heroic of him. But yet again he can’t bring himself to care as Dabi smirks at him. Hawks returns it with a weak grin of his own.
Dabi approaches him and grabs the phone off the nightstand, settling on the bed a decent distance from him. While the villain is distracted by trying to find the right time to start the audio, Hawks can’t stop himself from asking about what’s been nagging him. “Where did you go?’
Dabi’s movements stutter before he continues what he was doing. “Went to find that bartender.”
Hawks runs each talon along the seam of his pants. “You find him?” He can see Dabi turn his head to look at him out the corner of his eyes.
“Yeah.” The villain’s voice is gruff. Hawks worries his nails for a quick moment before making up his mind and scooting next to Dabi, their thighs flush together. Hawks looks at the phone in his hand. Dabi hesitates. “I don’t know if-“
Hawks cuts him off, knowing what he was going to warn him of. “It’ll be fine. It doesn’t matter. You took care of them.” Dabi is silent for a moment, no doubt taking a moment to think about what he said.
“Yeah. I did.”
Hawks’ hand grasps onto his white shirt, twisting the fabric slightly. He doesn’t let go for a while. Dabi doesn’t ask him to.