Chapter Text
Hawks’ apartment lights were on as he approached. He saw they were on as soon as he passed the office building south of the train station. His building was one of the tallest around, and his apartment was on the uppermost floors.
Of course, he saw the lights.
Part of him had an inkling of who it was, but the rest of him was convinced that a burglar had finally decided to take a chance on his apartment. It wasn’t like it was a bad target. He had fairly limited security measures, and if anyone tried to stake it out, they would very quickly learn that there was almost no one there. Ever.
He slid his balcony door open quietly, creeping in. Nothing looked amiss in the living room. A quick look at the genkan showed two pairs of shoes; one belonging to someone feminine, as they were covered in bright colors and had tiny keychains decorating the laces, and the other were dingy and well worn with holes starting at the edge where sole met the fabric sides of the shoes. Both pairs were neatly lined up, and two pairs of his rarely-used slippers were gone.
The kitchen yielded more clues- dirty pots and bowls in the sink; a still steaming kettle. Burglars hadn’t done this. It seemed like Dabi had made good on his threat about knowing where the hero lived…
… and apparently brought a one-night stand.
Gross.
Hawks rolled his eyes. “I really thought we had something.” He snarked to the empty kitchen. He shed his uniform, coat, and shoes, leaving the items haphazardly as he headed back towards the bedrooms.
His room was as messy as he left it that morning, but the guest room was mostly closed. He heard the tinny sound of a movie being played.
Not… a one-night stand?
He eased the door open, freezing as Dabi’s head shot up. The glare sent his way was almost incendiary, and Dabi brought a hand up to indicate silence should be kept. Hawks opened the door further, reaching onto his tiptoes to see around Dabi. Once he saw who was there, a smile teased at his face. Dabi glared even harder at him.
There was Toga, fast asleep. Tissues lay around her like a gross imitation of fallen cherry blossoms. The trashcan from the kitchen had also been dragged in, set next to the bed where Toga could reach it. It also seemed that the entirety of his medicine cabinet had been placed on the side table as well.
He shot Dabi a wink and some finger guns and eased the door closed, whistling softly as he went to shower.
“Not a word.” Dabi said as Hawks exited the shower. Hawks squawked and made sure the towel around his hips was secured.
“Couldn’t you have waited out in the living room?”
Dabi shrugged. “Why? Got something to hide? Didn’t take you for a prude.”
It was Hawks’ turn to glare. He wasn’t a prude, but he also didn’t exactly walk around near-naked for just anyone. It wasn’t like he did topless modeling jobs like some of the heroes.
“Excuse me if I like privacy in my own home.” Hawks replied, tossing the towel he had been using for his hair at Dabi’s head. Dabi swore and fumbled the towel, and Hawks brushed past, intent on digging out some sleepwear. As he opened his drawers, it seemed that someone had already gone through them.
“Really?” He whined.
“Toga threw up on hers. Besides, you’re roughly the same height. And have similar tastes.”
“We do not!”
“You do too! You both have terrible taste.”
“Says the discount goth!” Hawks said, although he was sure it came out muffled as he pulled a shirt over his head. “Aside from that- where are her gross clothes now? Please tell me you didn’t just dump them-”
“They’re in the wash, along with some of the dirty towels I found in the bathroom. How often do you do laundry? Or is it a maid-”
“When the hamper is full!” Hawks interrupted. He didn’t use a maid service…. Often. Usually when he was at the office for weeks on end, but that was neither here nor there. “Anything else you need to know or are you just going to snoop some more?”
“Why do you sound so offended?” Dabi asked with a grin, kicking his feet up on the bed. Hawks’ attention zoomed in on the action, wings bristling as he realized Toga wasn’t the only one wearing his clothes. “Did you have to pick those?”
Dabi grinned, and crossed his ankles, leaning back against the headboard. “I wasn’t going to wear the duck print. Besides, these are very soft.”
They were soft because they were his favorite sleep pants. Hawks glared, willing his feathers to slick back down, no matter how reduced they were. He grumbled and grabbed for a pair of boxers and his second- no, third favorite pair of sleep pants. Apparently, Toga had taken the ones with seals on them. Fantastic. He pulled them on as fast as he could, ignoring the fact that he could see Dabi in the mirror pointedly looking at his ass.
“Do you mind?” He finally asked.
“Nope,” Dabi replied, still grinning. “Never took you as one for cute animals.”
“I like soft things. Big deal.”
“But pandas, seals and rabbits?”
“Okay, one, have you seen a real seal? Their teeth are terrifying.”
“Okay, but rabbits and pandas?”
Hawks shrugged. If he was honest, it was originally a gag gift from Rumi. She’d handed him a pack of sleepwear from one of her few branded lines and well. They were ridiculously comfy, and he was never going to turn down comfort when he could get it. Even if his favorite pants had little pandas in teacups all over them.
“Budge over.” Hawks grumbled, pulling back the covers of his bed. “Actually, better yet, go sleep on the couch. You’re not welcome here.”
“I’m not sleeping on the couch.”
“Then sleep next to Toga. You didn’t look too put out cuddling her.” Hawks pointed out. Dabi makes an affronted noise while one of Hawks’ feathers flicks the lights off. He doesn’t move. Instead, he just shuffles down, resting his head on the pillows next to Hawks. The bedding pulls uncomfortably from where Dabi is laying on top of it.
“I honestly didn’t expect you to come home at all. I was going to sleep here. You sleep on the couch if you’re so scandalized by sharing a bed.” Hawks wondered how and when Dabi had gotten his schedule. He had been scheduled to be on shift. HIs office manager had forced him to leave early, since it was a slow night and several of his sidekicks needed more street hours. The alternative was to pay for continuing education, and while he didn’t mind the classes, his sidekicks were less inclined towards sitting in a classroom.
“Fuck you.”
“You first.” Dabi bit back. Hawks felt him roll over and he mirrored that action, staring at the curtained window and wondering what had led to this point of his life.
Hawks blearily looked at the clock, wondering what woke him up. The bed shook again as his bedpartner swung their legs out of bed and their feet hit the ground. In the other room, he heard coughing and soft sobbing. Alarm shot through him, halted only by a hand pressing on his ankle.
“M’got it.”
Hawks blinked and nodded, despite the fact that his partner probably couldn’t see it in the dark.
Why was he sharing a bed again? He sent some feathers to follow, letting them attach to the hem of the sleep shirt. It didn’t feel like any of his friends. He certainly didn’t remember drinking and- The guest room.
That was it.
Dabi and Toga were spending the night.
Toga was sick.
Hawks flopped back down into bed, eyes closing as he focused on the feather on Dabi’s shirt. He felt the man shushing Toga, moving to check her temperature and rub her back. Hawks’ nose wrinkled as he realized she was throwing up again.
He sent more feathers to get a glass of water for her, carrying it to Dabi. He felt the surprise from the fire user as a glass appeared just as he was getting to his feet, and then felt a hand skim against the feather tucked under the shirt hem. Dabi’s hand returned a moment later. He gently pried one of the feathers up, running a finger over the vanes of the feather. While it wasn’t meant to be sensual, it still sent a shiver through Hawks. The feather was tucked into a pocket of the sleep pants.
Hawks listened through his feathers as Dabi continued to calm Toga, coaxing her to drink water and take some meds. At some point, he started talking, something low and soothing and soft enough that Hawks couldn’t quite make it out. Whatever it was Dabi was saying, it lulled Toga back to sleep and was doing a damn good job of doing the same for Hawks. He didn’t even notice when it stopped, or when Dabi left Toga to sleep.
The door creaked open and Hawks grumbled, holding up the edge of the blanket for Dabi. When he didn’t get back into bed, Hawks gave him a solid shove with the feather and muttered something about letting in the cold. It didn’t take long for Dabi to get back into bed, although this time he was under the covers instead of being annoyingly on top of them. Hawks threw an arm over Dabi’s chest, too tired to think too hard about it. It was more comfortable this way and Dabi had let the cold in.
“Di’you take off your shirt?” Hawks asked, cracking an eye to look at Dabi.
“Toga threw up again. Got some on me. Didn’t think you’d want it in the bed.”
“Nope.” Hawks agreed. “Thanks for that.”
“I didn’t want it in the fucking bed. I’m not an animal.” Dabi groused, lifting Hawks’ arm up. Hawks had a flash of alarm that he’d overstepped and pulled it back. Dabi grumbled something incoherent, rolling onto his side. Instead of facing towards the doorway as he had been when they went to sleep, he was facing Hawks. A frown pulled at his face and Dabi reached out, snagging Hawks’ wrist and tugging it back over him. He tucked himself against Hawks’ chest and heaved out a contented sigh as Hawks let his arm finally fall.
Hawks stared at the door over a mop of dark hair, trying to understand what just happened. Eventually, his exhaustion won out over his curiosity. Dabi was also just trying to get comfortable. Or something. He wasn't going to think too hard about it.
“You’re thinking too loud,” Dabi said, echoing the sluggish decision Hawks had come to. “Go the fuck t’ sleep. We’ll be up again in two hours.” Dabi’s voice thrummed pleasantly against Hawks’ chest.
Hawks meant to ask how Dabi knew they’d be up in another two hours, but between one blink and the next, he was asleep.
Hawks woke first. The sunlight was barely filtering through the blinds. It wasn’t often he cursed his inability to sleep in, but today was definitely one of them. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to curse his quirk or his training, but he was awake and he would rather be asleep.
Every two or so hours they were woken up, either by the sound of Toga being ill or by Dabi’s own internal clock. The first time Hawks had sent feathers to go with Dabi, listening half-asleep as Dabi soothed Toga back into sleep. The second time, he followed after, sleepily tripping after Dabi. Something prickled at him as the night went on. He needed to know Toga was okay, that she wasn’t getting worse.
His experiences with being sick were entirely unpleasant, often left to his own devices until he healed. He never really had someone check on him like Dabi was checking on Toga… and while a small part of him simmered with muted jealousy, a larger part of him was just… pleased. Delighted to know that getting taken care of was a norm, not an exception; That it wasn’t just something only seen on television or read in romance novels.
It felt like learning that heroes were real all over again.
That, and Toga snuffling into his shirt was damn adorable and made him wish he’d actually had siblings, rather than the loneliness he had.
Granted, the shirt had to be chucked in the hamper, but that wasn’t really a hardship. Especially not with Dabi smushed against his chest, warm breath tickling his neck as he stared at the curtained window. Yes, Dabi was drooling a little but that was adorably gross in its own way.
He heaved a sigh.
He was up and there was no getting back to sleep for him. He had an idea though, and very carefully, extricated himself from the bed.
“You made food?” Dabi asked, voice still raspy from sleep. Dabi wasn’t in the kitchen, standing just outside of it and peering into the bright light. Hawks nodded and continued humming along to a pop song that was tweeting out of the phone propped up against the coffee pot.
Dabi watched as he labeled Miso soup into a bowl. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Dabi’s expression slowly morphed into surprise at seeing what was on the rest of the tray. There was toast and two small dishes of butter and jam, a bowl of okayu in case Toga craved something a little more homey, and one of the largest mugs he owned, filled with tea.
“That’s for Toga.” Hawks said, gesturing with the ladle to the food on the tray. “Can you get her to eat some of it? I’ll finish up our breakfast in the meantime.”
Dabi nodded, taking the tray and batting away one of the feathers Hawks sent to assist. Hawks grinned, letting it latch onto Dabi’s hand, since there was no longer a shirt he could stick them to.
By the time Dabi returned with a mostly empty tray, he had mostly finished their breakfast. It was a little of what Toga had, although there was some grilled fish, eggs and pickled vegetables instead of okayu.
Dabi tried to subtly eye the pot of coffee steaming on the counter.
Hawks grinned and sent a feather to get the pot of coffee as another fetched a mug. He poured a cup of coffee for Dabi and fetched the small bowl of sugar and the creamer from the fridge. Depending on the day, he either drank his coffee sweet as candy or, like today, unaltered because needed all the buzz of caffeine that he could get. Judging by the way Dabi’s nose wrinkled at the mug of black coffee, he wasn't one to take it straight either.
“Sit down, hot stuff. There’s sugar and creamer here.” Hawks said as the feathers put both on the table. He drank his own coffee, food untouched as Dabi took a seat.
“Waiting for me?” Dabi asked, tone sleepy, but teasing. Hawks grinned behind his mug, watching as Dabi added several spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of cream to his coffee.
“I can’t eat all of this by myself.” He replied.
“Well, you’re eating all of the fish by yourself,” Dabi said, taking a double helping of tamagoyaki. Hawks nodded, filing that away.
Apparently, Dabi didn’t like fish.