Chapter Text
Hawks knew that he would have to do horrible things as a spy. To lie to people who trusted him. Infiltrating the League of Villains, now the Paranormal Liberation Front, was no easy task. But so far he’s managed. They still don’t trust him, but that was never the goal. They were never going to trust a hero like him, no matter if he brought them Best Jeanist’s corpse or not. Still, he did his job. He played nice with Bubaigawara. He thought he could get an in with Toga Himiko but she was too insane to engage with on any level.
He strode through the halls after his gorilla like minders, when his wings caught a vibration. Someone was ranting and raving, just beyond the doors ahead.
“Oh Hawks! It’s nice to see you, I’m not happy to see you at all, “ the familiar masked form of Twice came into view. Hawks grinned back.
“Looks like there’s some sort of commotion going on, “ he indicated the meeting room where the top generals of the League gathered.
They could both hear Skeptic’s voice coming out of the room now. The Feel Good Inc board member was arguing it sounded like, and Hawks concentrated, picking up on the voices.
“She’s just one little hero brat among hundreds, no one will know she was murdered, “ Tomoyasu Chikazoku was not the most stable individual.
“Well, sure wish you could join us, I’d be happy if I never saw you in there, I’m already late, “ Bubaigawara entered the room cheerfully and Hawks prepared to move on.
“Is that Hawks?” Shigaraki Tomura sounded mildly interested.
The Supreme Commander of the Paranormal Liberation Front rarely expressed interest in the number two hero’s comings and goings, at least not where Hawks could hear him. Rikiya Yotsubashi was usually the one who gave him orders. Not that Hawks was trusted with any sensitive information or let in on any of their activities.
This unusual situation, combined with the mention of a hero student, put Hawks on edge.
“Bring him in.“
Hawks wasn’t sure what would greet him on the other side of the door. He’d never even been let inside of the inner sanctum before.
All of the members of the League were gathered, Shigaraki on his throne-like chair, the rest scattered around more casually. Tomoyasu Chikazoku was gesturing at a small figure sitting bound at his feet. Hawks carefully schooled his features into mild curiosity, but he’d recognised the girl, beaten and bloodied as she was.
She was one of Fumikage’s classmates, he didn’t remember her name but he did remember her fight against that explosion kid, Bakugou Katsuki. He’d been amused at the girl’s tenacity and a little disappointed at her loss. What was she doing here?
The League members didn’t seem to have any idea either. Compress was leaning against a wall casually, with an air of mild interest. Spinner looked somewhat troubled. The lizard-like villain seemed to have relatively better morals than the rest of them. Dabi gazed at Hawks with sharp amusement. And Toga…Hawks had never liked the girl, she wasn’t a pleasant conversationist, not that any of them were, but it was still unnerving to talk to someone so clearly mentally unstable.
Now she was on her hands and knees, looking like she wanted to crawl over to the bound and barely conscious girl, but Shigaraki’s authority kept her in place. Toga looked excited, ecstatic even, and he wondered if she knew the U.A. student personally.
None of the other lieutenants of the former Meta Liberation Army were present, which he wasn’t surprised by in the least.
The League of Villains had formed some sort of attachment to each other during their time together, and the MLA’s members were fanatically devoted to their head, Re-Destro, but the two villain groups didn’t mesh. It was only natural, considering the two groups had fought each other at Deika City. Hawks hadn’t been able to glean much information, but there had to have been heavy casualties on both sides, considering the almost complete destruction.
Perhaps the bad blood between them from that fight was why Tomoyasu Chikazoku was so agitated. He seemed to be the one responsible for the hero student’s kidnap.
The kingpin, the most important piece of the puzzle, was leaning forward benevolently, paying giving a front of the concerned and reasonable leader. Hawks wasn’t fooled. The villain was the most unstable of them all, he’d been manipulated since he was a child, and his previous behaviour showed a pattern of relative stability followed by sudden outburst of violence.
“Like I said, no one will miss her. I can have her parents killed as well, “ at that the girl he’d feared was unconscious reared up as if in anger. Don’t kid, he wanted to say, he kept calm. One wrong move and she would be killed.
Hawks knew that even if he wanted to blow his cover and save her, he might not be able to. He was fast, but if they surrounded them and he was hindered by trying to protect her as well, they might just both end up dead. He had to play along for now, even though it was hard, when Skeptic lashed out, kicking the girl viciously, so that her face almost crashed into the ground.
“Skeptic, I hear you, and I understand your feelings, “ Shigaraki didn’t seem bothered at the violent display.
“However, killing an entire hero’s family would draw too much attention to us, and at this important stage in the Paranormal Liberation Front’s plans, we can’t afford to attract the ire of the public, “ Shigaraki was convincing, charismatic even. He played the reasonable leader role well. Not enough to appease Skeptic.
“I can make sure that it won’t be traced back to us in any way. I’ve already made sure that no one would be suspicious at her disappearance. The school thinks she’s visiting her family, but if I kill them and make it look like an accident no one will ever know the truth,” Hawks let his alarm and confusion show on his face. They knew he was a hero and it would be unnatural for him not to be disturbed at the casual mention of killing an entire innocent family.
“What’s all this? I thought we were all about freedom, and here we are, putting a little girl in chains? That doesn’t seem very logical to me, “ Hawks finally spoke up and everyone’s attention turned to him.
Including the girl. She looked the same as she had during the Sports Festival, but Hawks took his first good look at her.
Brown hair, bright pink cheeks, one swollen and bruised, a cheerful, round sort of face. He remembered her quirk was some sort of gravity based ability, her last attack raining debris like a meteor shower.
Hawks didn’t react in any way as the girl’s eyes, brown like her hair, widened in shock at the sight of the number two hero in the midst of all these villains. She still hadn’t said anything, and he wondered if that was because she was too beat up, or if she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. He hoped it was the latter.
Skeptic seemed hell-bent on killing her for some reason. Hawks couldn’t think of any reason he might have to want a teenage girl dead, not that there was ever a good reason.
“Hawks, this is Uraraka Ochako, born December 27th, only child born to Uraraka Kohei and Ayane Sakura at 11:33 p.m. at Mie General Hospital, quirk Zero Gravity, blood type B positive, 156 cm, student No. 5 in Class 1-A, “ Shigaraki’s voice was completely emotionless.
Ochako shuddered in horror from her slumped position. Hawks was certain that she had at least a few broken bones, and her hands were bound back to back, so tightly that her circulation must have cut off who knew how long ago.
At least she was alive, and not bleeding aside from one cut on her lip which had scabbed over and another cut on her cheek that was still dripping slowly. Toga eyed the blood hungrily, the insane glee in her eyes turning his stomach.
“And?” Hawks prompted, raising his eyebrows.
If Shigaraki thought that the League’s ability to gain so much information about someone would unnerve him, he was mistaken. Not even the League could image what depths the Hero Public Commission was willing to sink to in order to protect public peace and order.
Best Jeanist’s friendly smile flashed through his head, but he ignored it. He had to focus if he was going to save Ochako.
“Skeptic wants to kill her because Toga here, “ Shigaraki gestured to the mad high-schooler, who was fawning over Ochako like they were best friends.
Ochako kept her eyes on Hawks. He could just imagine her sense of betrayal, how shocked and devastated she was to see him here, speaking casually to these villains that had abducted, beaten and threatened to kill her and her family.
“Toga killed Kizuki Chitose, also known as Curious, using Uraraka Ochako’s quirk, “ Skeptic twitched at the mention of the deceased. So it was revenge, then. That would make things harder for him.
From what he’d managed to glean from scattered conversations, the lanky man was impatient, narcissistic and prone to ranting about how he never failed at anything. From the looks of it, he had no problem with cold-blooded murder, Skeptic didn’t look angry so much as impatient, like they were all wasting his time and he just wanted to move on to better things.
“Well, that doesn’t seem very fair. It’s not like little Uraraka here killed her, “ he addressed Skeptic in order to gauge his response. He just sneered.
“I promised myself I would kill Toga Himiko for what she did, and I never fail, only once in my life have I failed. Now that I can’t kill Toga, I told myself I’d settle for killing the quirk that was used to kill Curious, “ Skeptic didn’t realize at all how insane he sounded. His sole concern was keeping up his image of perfectionism. What an ego.
“I sympathise with your loss, “ Shigaraki sounded genuine, “we’ve also lost one of our members, “ Bubaigawara started shifting and tearing up.
“But this girl is a U.A. student. No matter how well you cover it up, someone will get suspicious. Uraraka Ochako is very popular with her classmates, and young heroes can be very unpredictable and reckless, “ Shigaraki knew even more than he was letting on.
Hawks felt sickened at this whole situation. The only positive was that Shigaraki seemed to want her alive, but that was no guarantee of her safety.
Skeptic made no attempt to hide the fact that his true loyalty was to Re-Destro and his ideology. If his desire to ‘avenge’ his fallen comrade outweighed his fear of Shigaraki’s retaliation, if there would even be any, then Ochako would die.
Unless Hawks did something.
“So what, you just want me to put her back?” Skeptic lived up to his name, snapping at the scarred villain like he was an annoying child.
Shigaraki seemed unbothered by the lack of subordination. He just shook his head and Hawks felt even more uneasy.
There was no way they would let Ochako go back to her life, she would immediately report what had happened to her, the location of the League, the involvement with the Meta Liberation Front. She had seen all of their faces, and more importantly, she had seen Hawks. His cover would be blown, and months of work and preparation and sacrifice would be lost in an instant.
Hawks knew it was cold of him to think like this, but he couldn’t afford to act emotionally. There were too many lives at stake here.
“Of course not. Now that she’s here, we can’t let her go and report this to the heroes. Speaking of heroes, Hawks, what do you think?”
So Shigaraki was testing him. He should’ve expected something like this.
“What do I think? I think you’re all being very mean to an innocent little girl, “ said girl was still silent, looking from him to Shigaraki to Toga to Skeptic in turn.
Hawks was glad she wasn’t drawing unnecessary attention to herself. She was scared, and in pain, but the look in her eyes told Hawks that she was planning to escape by any means necessary and bring down the villains.
Despite the terrible situation, Hawks felt a hint of satisfaction. Fumikage’s class was just full of exceptional kids it seemed.
“Hardly an innocent, “ Shigaraki mused, and before Hawks could ask him what he meant by that Shigaraki stood up and walked over to Ochako. The girl tensed at his approach and she wasn’t the only one. Even Toga seemed surprised. Skeptic looked like he wanted to protest, to say that the girl was his to kill, but didn’t say anything.
Smart move.
“Uraraka Ochako, why don’t you join our group? We will bring down the unjust society that discriminates against people based on their quirks and build a place where people can live in freedom, “ Don’t Ochako, Hawks wanted to warn her not to say anything stupid. Shigaraki was not a man to be provoked.
Ochako didn’t hesitate.
Her eyes snapped with fire as she said heatedly, “I’d rather die than join you. The heroes will bring you all to justice, “ her voice was weak with pain and exhaustion, but it didn’t waver. Hawks felt like tearing out his hair.
Dabi laughed and started clapping sarcastically.
“Now there’s a hero for you, “ the scarred man spoke with contempt. Hawks had a feeling that even if Shigaraki could save Ochako from Skeptic, Dabi would kill her anyways, solely because she was a hero to be. And that’s if Toga didn’t get to her first.
“Ochako-chan! You’re so wonderful, especially all beaten up and bloody like that! I love your blood so much, did you know? You’re so sweet Ochako-chan, “ Hawks felt actual revulsion at the adoration in the villain’s eyes.
So not only did Skeptic and Dabi want to murder her, Toga had some sort of strange fixation on Ochako. The chances of her escaping this situation intact seemed to plummet with each passing moment.
“Heroes? You mean like our friend Hawks over here?” Shigaraki was the real problem. Hawks didn’t know exactly why, but Shigaraki seemed to want Ochako alive, and it wasn’t because he was afraid her death would attract attention.
That was what worried him more than anything, even Toga’s insane bloodlust. If Shigaraki was planning to use Ochako somehow, Hawks would be extremely limited in his options and there weren’t many to begin with.
Ochako looked devastated. She didn’t even look over at Hawks, just glared at Shigaraki’s shoes.
“Hawks might be on your side, but there’s plenty of heroes who will fight to stop you, “ Ochako was quieter, but no less convicted. Hawks admired her guts as much as he wanted to scold her. This situation wasn’t his worst nightmare, no, that would be total failure and mass death, but it was up there. Ochako didn’t deserve this. Hawks didn’t want her death on his conscience.
Fumikage’s innocent joy came to his mind. He wondered if he was friends with Ochako.
“You know my quirk, don’t you Uraraka Ochako?” It was a rhetorical question and Ochako didn’t answer.
Shigaraki crouched down and Hawks didn’t bother to hide his reaction, tensing up and wings flaring slightly. No one else cared and it would be more suspicious if he didn’t want to save an innocent person from dying.
“My Decay spreads slowly. If I concentrate I can make your death last five minutes. You’d be dying, slowly and painfully, for five minutes. Or I could decay parts of your body and cut them off before they kill you. I’d start with your hands, so you can experience the loss of your quirk. That always gets to them, “ Shigaraki smiled like he was remembering a fond memory. Ochako was trembling now, but the fire in her eyes didn’t die down.
Hawks hated it, the sight of a kid accepting their own death.
Not for the first time, he wished he could kill all of the villains and just leave. It wasn’t a very heroic desire, but that was why he was here in the first place.
To do what had to be done, to dirty himself so that others could sleep easy.
“You hurt people. You’re a villain. I might just be a student, but I look up to heroes who don’t back down from fighting people like you. I’ll never join you, “ bravo Ochako. Hawks knew he should distance himself, maybe even leave the room, but he stayed. He owed it to her to witness her final moments, to tell her grieving friends and family that she’d been a true hero even to the end.
“What about your parents? Weren’t you gonna earn lots of money and give them an easy life?” Ochako showed the first sign of fear, cringing back and shaking her head.
“H-how did you know that?” she stammered, looking ill. Hawks wasn’t feeling too great himself, tensing so much that Dabi shot him a warning glare.
Hawks had a feeling Dabi wanted him to start something though, so that he could have the pleasure of burning him alive.
“If you don’t join us, we’ll kill them too. Not right away either, I’ll let them mourn their heroic daughter, killed at such a tragically young age, and then kill them, “ Shigaraki’s voice was mocking, his eyes cataloguing the flickering emotions in her eyes clinically.
Hawks had met a lot of nasty villains throughout his careers, some of them real monsters, but Shigaraki was something else. He was driven and determined in a way that a lot of heroes were, only his goals were twisted and sadistic.
“If I join you that won’t keep them safe, “ Ochako didn’t sound quite so certain, but Hawks was impressed she was keeping her head enough to speak, to think these chilling threats through.
Ochako didn’t seem brash like a lot of young heroes, she was really willing to die for what she believed in.
Hawks almost wished she would give in to their demands, or at least pretend to. That would buy him more time to save her life.
Ideals were great, but they didn’t mean much if you were dead.
It was a cold, ugly thought, but Hawks would rather she live pitifully than die a meaningless death. She had her whole life ahead of her, a bright future. If it was snuffed out now, her death would be noble, but it wouldn’t accomplish anything other than devastate her friends and family, not to mention Hawks himself.
He already knew he was going to be having nightmares about this.
The instinct to grab her and run, and the effort it took not to do so, felt like he was carving off pieces of his soul and using them as fuel.
Don’t be a hero, Ochako. Just live. He didn’t let any of that show on his face. Ochako already believed he was with the League, she wouldn’t understand unless he beamed the message directly into her skull.
“It seems like you’ve made your choice. I’ll tell your parents you told me you wished you’d never been born right before you died screaming, “ Ochako closed her eyes, tears streaming down, as Shigaraki slowly placed his hand on hers.
Toga was pouting like he was about to throw away one of her favorite toys, kicking her legs childishly. Spinner looked uncertain, almost scared, but he wouldn’t do anything. Dabi and Compress were just enjoying the show. Skeptic looked annoyed that he wasn’t going to be the one to do it himself. And Bubaigawara…
Hawks hated the genuine distress radiating from him. It seemed that Shigaraki hadn’t killed an innocent like this before, not where Twice would see it anyway. The masked man was muttering to himself, he actually took a step forward.
“Wait, Shigaraki, are you sure you’re gonna kill her? She’s just a kid, “ for once Bubaigawara didn’t contradict himself. Shigaraki didn’t bother to reply, setting one finger down at a time on Ochako’s. Shigaraki would just placate Bubaigawara after the deed was done.
Twice was too loyal and too mentally disturbed to actually oppose his leader.
Ochako was locked up with dread, trembling and her face would haunt him for the rest of his life. She looked even younger than she was, at the moment of her death, and she was whispering to herself. Only Shigaraki and Hawks could hear, through his wings.
“I’m sorry mom and dad, I’m sorry Deku, Iida, Tsuyu, Todoroki, everyone, “ her final words. Shigaraki had four fingers down and he relished the moment, a hero brought down to her knees, and his pointer finger came down, slowly, slowly. Even Toga had stopped whining, the room held its breath.
Only Dabi wasn’t looking at Shigaraki, instead his eerie blue eyes were trained on Hawks.
“Wait, “ every eye turned to face Hawks, except for Shigaraki and Ochako, who was still bracing herself. Dabi smirked, oozing satisfaction.
“You got something to say?” Shigaraki addressed him with no emotion. He was planning this. All the theatricality was so that Hawks would intervene. He had to tread carefully if he was going to make it out alive.
“Why don’t you let me try my hand at convincing her? I’m pretty popular with girls her age, not to brag, “ sometimes Hawks hated how much control he had over his expressions and tone. Even he sounded convincing to himself, like he’d just be slightly upset if Ochako died instead of devastated with guilt.
If Ochako died, her blood would be on his hands, Hawks had no illusions about that whatsoever. It would be his fault and his fault alone, he’d carry that burden until he finally died too.
“Just kill her already, “ Skeptic shrilled, his non existent patience at its end.
Shigaraki regarded Hawks with cool red eyes, finger still barely an inch above Ochako’s trembling hands. Hawks felt his own hands start to sweat beneath his gloves. He knew that no one in the room except for Bubaigawara trusted him at all. That was fine. He didn’t need their trust, he just needed to stop them. Saving Ochako wouldn’t make them trust him any less.
Hawks was convinced he was making the right choice.
Otherwise he would’ve kept silent, would’ve let a brave, kindhearted, innocent girl crumble into ash slowly, die alone and in agony. He’d redouble his efforts to take down the League, send word to have her parents protected, and never forget her as long as he lived. This was the better choice.
It was natural for a hero to want to save people, it would be more suspicious if he just stood by and watched. Ochako might hate him but that was fine. All that mattered was that she lived.
Shigaraki let him stew, but Hawks met his gaze head on.
The silence stretched on and on until even some of the League started to look impatient, especially Toga and Dabi. Their bloodlust tended to override their common sense.
Ochako tensed so much Hawks thought he could hear her bones creak from the stress.
“Sure, if you think you can convince her, “ Shigaraki stood up and Ochako gasped, weeping and trembling. It was a pitiable sight, and Hawks truly hated himself, the villains, heck even the world that allowed things like this to happen. But the most important thing was that she was alive.
I swear I’ll save you. He’d save everyone, or die trying.