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"So, your goal is to upheave hero society? That's... something."
"You don't think we can do it." Dabi's level stare may've fooled some into thinking he was calm, but Hawks raised his hands for peace with cautious haste.
"I didn't say that...! I just think... there may be other options that y'all haven't addressed yet." Dabi's expression didn't change, but the subtly rising temperature in the room convinced Hawks that he should keep talking. "Do you know what I do?"
A slim eyebrow raised above Dabi's deadpan eyes. "Kill people?"
"Yes!" Hawks snapped his fingers, earning disapproval from Dabi, but then the blond kept going. "And do you know which people I kill?"
"The ones that p*** you off?"
"No, and there's the distinction! See, hot stuff, if it just took someone p***ing me off, you and your group would've been dead a long time ago." Flames flickered with alarming speed along Dabi's hands, and Hawks waved his hands in front of him, scooting back hastily. "Woah, woah, hold on! I like you guys! I think you're on the right track, but you're all over the place with your intentions! The wasted time has been infuriating to watch, but I'm willing to lend y'all a wing to speed up the process!"
"And why should I believe you?" The flames were extinguished, but smoke still rose from Dabi's hands. It made Hawks wonder if it hurt, but Dabi's neutral expression didn't give anything away.
"I like to think actions speak louder than words; that's why I do what I do. Our goals overlap, so when it comes to disposing of hypocrites and corruption, I can help. Then y'all can keep doing whatever else it is you think you should be doing." The dismissive wave of his hand made Dabi's eye twitch, but the smoke from his hands had dissipated.
"So, you're saying you have goals of your own, but you still want to join the League?" Dabi's hands slipped into his pockets as he leaned back in his chair again.
Hawks snapped and shot finger guns at him, making Dabi roll his eyes. "Exactly!"
"In that case, you have more in common with our group than you realized.” Gold eyes scrutinized the man before understanding lit them in the next heartbeat.
“You all joined for different reasons. What’re your reasons?” Dabi’s eyes hardened causing Hawks to roll his eyes. “Oh, come on, Dabi; trust is a two-way street. I’m willing to enter your group, but I want to see where I fit in. I don’t want to step on any toes by taking someone else’s kill.”
There was a moment where Dabi watched him, eyes analyzing some internal conflict, and Hawks suddenly realized he’d hit upon Dabi’s reason for joining the League. “Wait, you-- who do you want to-?”
“Endeavor. Leave him to me, but you can have anyone else.” Hawks shook his head with a sad sort of chuckle, and Dabi raised an eyebrow again. “What? Too good to let an old colleague die?”
That earned a heartier laugh from Hawks. “Oh, no, no; you got it all wrong! I’m not sure what sort of beef you have with our new number 1, but there’s no love lost between him and I. We’ve got more history than you may think.”
A look of disgust twisted Dabi’s features. “Don’t tell me the rumors about you and him were-?”
“NO!” Hawks actually snorted, his laugh catching him off guard. It unknotted something in Dabi’s gut that he didn’t want to examine right now. “No, I never even worked with the guy!”
It took a few moments for Hawks to calm down, giving Dabi’s relief time to turn into embarrassment. Sure, it was a funny misunderstanding, but it wasn’t that funny. Hawks wiped his eyes with an ”Oh man” but soon got himself back under control.
“No, he has to do with my dad. Do you know who I am, Dabi?” When the fire starter just shook his head with mild interest, Hawks continued. “Ever hear of the Thief Takami?” There was a millisecond of hesitation before Dabi shook his head. He was lying, but Hawks wasn’t sure why. Instead of worrying about it, he pressed on. “My name’s Takami Keigo. The thief Endeavor caught was my dad.”
“Do you hate him for it? For catching your dad?” Hawks gave another soft bitter laugh, shaking his head.
“You’ve got the wrong idea. Endeavor actually saved me from my dad by catching him, but… Well, everything that happened after that was because my dad was gone, too. … D***, we might need to get a drink or something before I let out my tragic backstory. It’s a bit of a doozy. But suffice it to say, if Endeavor hadn’t caught my dad, I wouldn’t have become a hero. I wouldn’t have seen as much as I’ve seen.”
Silence fell between the two, but the air was tense with unspoken words that Dabi debated letting out. The indecision made his staples itch. Instead of spilling his own truth, he decided to stick to the subject at hand.
“If I try to kill Endeavor, will you stop me?” Gold eyes locked with crystal blue.
“Stop you? Nah, hot stuff; I figure you’ve got your own reasons. Besides, I’ve seen how Endeavor treats villains. Even though he saved me as a kid, I can’t say he’s an upstanding guy. I certainly wouldn’t want to fight him, but you do you, man!” Hawks shot more finger guns at Dabi.
Despite the casual tone his voice had taken, there was still tension in the room, but it seemed like Hawks was done being serious for now. After another few breaths of quiet, Hawks stood up.
“Anyway, I should get going. I’ve got plenty more work to do. Whenever the League’s ready to meet with me, just let me know. I’d like to talk to them sometime to make sure we’re all on the same page.” He flexed his wings a couple times before glancing back at Dabi who was still sitting down.
“Fine. We’ll be in touch.” Hawks grinned with barely concealed delight.
“And you don’t have to wait for League business to contact me, you know. Turns out I just like your company.” The glint of apparent sincerity in Hawks’ eyes made Dabi huff out of breath that could be interpreted as a laugh.
“Sure; whatever you say, feather head.” Hawks’ shrugged.
“I’ll get you to believe me someday, but in the meantime, ciao for now!” Hawks moved back to the window he’d entered from, and with a beat of his wings, he was gone.