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Patrols had always been quite a bit of a nuisance, especially when it was just one of those days where you just wanted to lay in bed with a questionable amount of unhealthy food and watch reruns of old 90s shows. But, Hawks had a job to do, and he would rather get it done sooner so he could go home and do just that. While quickly soaring over a seedy alleyway, the scent of burnt flesh flooded his senses and Hawks coughed, landing on the rooftop to peer over and into the darkness. Blue flames ran across the ground, and in the center of it all was a pile of burnt corpses, slowly turning to ash. “Shit,” Hawks muttered, running across the roof to find the one and only person responsible for it.
Hawks finally found the culprit further down the alley, leaning against the grimy brick walls with his head hung low. It was too narrow for him to effectively make a dramatic entrance with his wings - and he didn’t want to break his legs by jumping down, so Hawks took the long route and climbed down one of the fire escapes. He wasn’t trying to be discreet by any means, but the other man made no move to run away. “You here to arrest me, little bird?” He asked, voice echoing and resonating off the walls of the alley. Hawks hit the ground and slowly walked over to him.
“Is there a reason why I shouldn’t, Dabi?” Hawks retorted.
Dabi scoffed and looked up at the night sky, fiddling with his fingers. “Because it’s a nice night, and I know you don’t want to be here in a dark alley with a shady looking man,” he smirked. A small flame formed on his shoulder, illuminating the side of his face in a blue glow. His expression held no hostility.
Hawks’ shoulders relaxed and he sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “True. Just don’t burn any more bodies and I’ll let you be on your way.”
Dabi pushed himself off the wall and turned to face the hero. “May I have a feather to keep me company on the way home?” Dabi asked, holding out his hand. Hawks frowned, but did so nonetheless, willing a single covert feather into the palm of Dabi’s outstretched hand. It would benefit Hawks more than it would Dabi.
Their second meeting was at a bar at one in the morning. Dabi was sitting by himself at one of the booths in the far corner of the bar with three empty bottles of beer on the table in front of him. Hawks watched as the other mindlessly tapped out a meaningless rhythm against the wooden table before walking over and took a seat in front of Dabi. The other man’s fingers stopped and he looked up at the hero, expressionless. “You here to arrest me?” He asked, folding his arms on the top of the table.
“Nah, just chilling,” Hawks yawned, leaning back against the seat.
Dabi hummed and took a sip from the fourth bottle. “I’m starting to think you’re following me,” he muttered.
“There are such things as coincidences,” Hawks replied matter-of-factly.
“Indeed there are.”
They sat in silence for a couple more minutes before Hawks’ phone rang. He groaned as he unlocked it, staring at the screen blankly. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut our reunion short, duty calls.” Hawks gave a mock salute and gave Dabi another feather. An alular, for safekeeping.
On their third meeting, they ran into each other in a park. Dabi was silent but still greeted the Winged Hero regardless. Hawks’ phone started buzzing and he smiled sadly, hand picking out one of his tertiary feathers before handing it to Dabi. For good luck.
On their fourth meeting, things were different. It was in the alley where Hawks’ feather exchange first started, and Dabi was noticeably irritated and paranoid as if he couldn’t wait for something to happen but yet he feared the outcome. But like all the other times, Hawks plucked out another feather and handed it to the fire user with a grin. This time, a secondary. To keep him safe. His heart hurt to leave.
Their fifth meeting was just after Endeavor had barely managed to defeat the Nomu. Dabi sauntered onto the battlefield with a sinister grin. “It’s nice to meet you, I guess… Endeavor,” Dabi muttered, eyes, lifeless yet eager. Neither of the two heroes knew what to do. Endeavor could hardly stand on his own, how was he supposed to fight one of the most dangerous villains at full power? Hawks, on the other hand, had used up all his feathers. It would take a while before they regenerate.
They were at a loss, but Hawks was feeling much more. Fear, confusion, betrayal, loss, all the various emotions and thoughts that swirled around his mind. Racking his brain for a solution, he found that one of his primary feathers still remained, partially burned but controllable and there nonetheless. He willed it over to Dabi discreetly, letting it land on top of his leather boot, clenching his fist as it started to burn once more against the raging blue fires behind Dabi. A burned primary feather, because I love you.