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Dabi was a force to be reckoned with for multiple reasons.
His attitude—further livened by a genuine deadpan, deep frown, or threatening snarl—made even the most fearsome of villains quake in their boots. His piercing gaze spoke volumes even when he didn't; potential enemies getting the hint to back off simply because of a penetrating stare. His Quirk was just as captivating to witness as it was deadly, barbaric, and gruesome.
On top of those traits, his most admirable yet frustrating one was impeccable attention paid to the most minor of details.
Years of living on the streets made Dabi keenly aware of what he should and shouldn't perceive as a threat.
That's why he caught on rather quickly to something being off about The League's newest, red-winged companion.
Hawks was open to a lot of things: he was more than fine with sitting alongside Toga while she painted his talons, combed through his hair, and talked his ear off about the latest gossip; he didn't mind helping out Kurogiri when it came to unpacking groceries or getting snacks together for important group hangouts meetings; he was always available to bring comfort whenever a member of The League was feeling sad, frustrated, or overwhelmed. More often than not, Hawks was a willing, understanding, open ear to listen.
That's why Dabi felt rather offended when Hawks continuously refused to eat at their base and never explained his reasoning for doing so.
***
"Hey, dipshits."
"Who are you calling a dipshit?! Hey, fuck you too, man!"
"Kurogiri and Compress brought pizza. If you don't grab your share within the next twenty seconds, I'm taking the rest of it."
Multiple people shot out of their chairs without further inquiry.
The delectable, somewhat sweet scent of freshly made pizza wafted into the common area from the kitchen. Excited voices filtered out of the room, a feature which came about from The League's apparent inability to grab takeout on the regular. Hearty bouts of laughter could be heard over minor threats about taking too much pizza and not leaving enough for everyone else.
Hawks kept to his spot on the couch, hands folded in his lap and a small grin on his face.
Dabi walked over with furrowed eyebrows. A hand settled in a nest of blond hair. He took an indulgent moment to thread his fingers through soft strands, massaging his companion's scalp. He allowed for an airy chuckle to escape in regard to quiet coos of delight. "You coming to eat, pretty bird?"
"Not the biggest fan of pizza, Hot Stuff. Sorry. You can have my portion though. Need to get a little extra meat on your bones."
Since they were alone, Dabi didn't hold back in placing a firm kiss against Hawks' neck. "Hey now, dove, I'm well-endowed where it counts."
"Don't I know it."
The couple moved to glance at each other before meeting for a series of playful kisses.
Dabi clenched his jaw when hearing faint rumbles coming from Hawks' stomach.
*
"Scoot over before I fall off the couch!"
"Maybe if you moved all these fucking blankets, we wouldn't be having this issue."
"Well not all of us are a human heater, Dabi! Sometimes we need extra layers of warmth for when it gets chilly!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Dabi side eyed Toga for all of a second before pulling his attention forward.
Hawks, just like everyone else, was clad in a pair of long pajamas. Since he was more sensitive to the drastic dip in temperature, he had no qualms in donning a fuzzy onesie meant to resemble a chicken—beady little eyes, yellow beak, red comb on the hoodie and everything. His wings were reduced to their smallest size, healthy feathers having been left in Dabi's room. Hawks was also adorning a pair of bunny slippers and cozy fingerless gloves.
While kneeling in front of the television to scour through The League's movie collection, he was the physical manifestation of pure comfort.
"We come bearing snacks!" Compress cheered with a blinding grin. He and Kurogiri came waltzing into the room with multiple bowls, spoons, napkins, and several types of ice cream.
The sight of the frozen dessert made Toga leap up in joy.
Dabi raised a single eyebrow. "What happened to needing extra layers of warmth because it was too cold?"
"Ice cream is meant to be enjoyed no matter how frigid the weather gets!"
Hawks partially covered his mouth to dampen his laugh.
Shaking his head, he continued to sift through different titles while everyone else got up for ice cream.
Dabi could only frown at the sight.
*
"Stuffed ricotta ravioli? The hell did you do to get your hands on a recipe for something so foreign?"
"I spend my time reading and watching many different selections on the television whenever things are slow around here. I actually quite like cooking shows that specialize in making dishes from other countries."
Dabi hummed in minor surprise at Kurogiri's answer.
Both men were careful in preparing the table for a group meal. Place settings were composed of styrofoam plates, styrofoam cups, and plastic cutlery. A jug full of cold tea was placed in the center of the table beside a basket of cut up bread. A bottle of store-brand parmesan cheese was left closer to the head of the table where Shigaraki normally sat.
"Everything is all set here. Dabi, if you could gather the others for dinner."
Instead of giving a verbal answer, Dabi left the kitchen with one hand in his pocket. The other toyed absentmindedly with a red feather dangling from a short chain around his neck.
As soon as he crossed into the common room, Hawks waltzed in from outside.
He looked beyond tired: his eyes had heavy bags beneath them; feathers were ruffled, sticking up in different directions, and some were even broken; a signature smile was nothing more than an exhausted frown.
Hawks looked like he was moments from passing out, suggesting that either his patrol or the Commission put him through the worst before returning to base.
"Hey, birdie." Dabi gave a gentle kiss to the crown of his lover's head when pulling him close. "You doing okay?"
"Kind of tired."
"I'm sure. Kurogiri just finished making food. Said it was some kind of cheesy pasta from Italy."
Hawks let out a deep sigh. He snuggled further into a warm embrace. "I don't know, Dabs. I might just go and get some sleep. M'not really feeling the best right now."
"...You sure you don't want us to save you any?"
"I'm sure. You guys go ahead and enjoy it."
They gave each other a quick peck on the lips, pointedly ignoring Toga's dramatic squealing. Hawks pulled back with a forced smile. His wings drooped behind him as he left the room with a simple wave and a raspy, "goodnight".
Dabi pursed his lips, both in worry and unease.
Those feelings only heightened when he later caught a news story about Hawks apprehending villains from the crack of dawn all the way to sunset.
Newscasters commended him for taking no breaks in between.
***
Dabi was concerned that Hawks' decision to not eat with The League wasn't because he didn't trust them, but more so of the possibility that the Commission was forcing their proper little hero into submission by not letting him eat. They'd done worse things in the past, as Hawks had routinely pointed out, so it wasn't outlandish to imagine them doing something so abhorrent.
It was that mentality which led the fire-user to an impromptu "meeting" at Hawks' apartment. Normally, those nights ended with clothes scattered across the floor; but tonight, Dabi just wanted to check in and make sure things were okay.
With strong knots forming in the pit of his stomach, Dabi entered the apartment using his copy of the key. He was greeted by the sight of the television playing some random commercial, barely eaten remains of takeout sitting on the coffee table, a spilled can of green tea, and no Hawks. The only other sign of him having been in the room was a plethora of feathers sitting on soft cushions.
Dabi took off his boots before further entering the apartment. A quick glance was made at what Hawks had been eating, the meal appearing to be a personal pizza from a local shop.
But didn't he not like pizza?
Dabi gnawed on the inside of his cheek, uncertainty continuing to climb.
He froze, however, eyes darting to the hallway, when the familiar sound of vomiting could be heard.
"Dove..."
Dabi wasted no time in running down the hall. He turned into Hawks' room, making a beeline for the connected bathroom.
His heart sped up at the sight of Hawks kneeling in front of the toilet, hands buried in his hair, a slick sheen covering his bare arms, trembling wings, and an arched spine that curved further when another gag tore through him.
"Hawks- hey- what's going on, birdie?" Dabi ran over to his partner, acting fast to try and bring some relief.
"Dabs..? I-" A wavering voice was interrupted by the need to retch again. "I'm sorry. This- this doesn't happen often..."
"What happened, pretty bird?"
Hawks sniffled. "I ordered some takeout because I was having cravings. I made certain changes to my food, but I think the restaurant accidentally got it wrong."
Dabi gulped at the way his lover's body quaked.
Purple bags beneath his eyes looked darker. Pink lips were chapped. Despite being in an unknown amount of pain, tears didn't prick those beautiful golden eyes like expected.
It was possible Hawks had been throwing up long enough for him to become dehydrated.
"Okay, dove, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to grab you some water real quick. If you don't think you're done, I'll sit here with you. Or I can bring you the trash bin from the kitchen so you can lie down. If you think you are done, we can go get comfy in bed or on the couch and listen to some music or something. Is that okay with you."
Hawks nodded, doing his best to stifle a shiver.
Dabi jogged back down the hall to the kitchen. He grabbed a glass from the dishrack and began filling the cup with purified water. Minor attention was paid to his own trembling hands. The rest was on faint vibrating which came from his pocket.
"Hello, Dabi. Are you coming back tonight? I just wanted to know so I can prepare enough food."
"I'm at Hawks' for the night. I'm kind of freaking out over here, if I'm being honest."
"What seems to be the issue?"
"It's Hawks. He was eating and now he's puking all over the fucking place. I don't know what to do."
"Hm..."Kurogiri's voice was patient on the other line. "Did he say why he started vomiting?"
"Something about his order changes being messed up or some shit. I don't really know-"
"He ordered food with specific changes made to his meal? How much did he eat?"
Dabi looked over at the pizza still sitting on the coffee table. "It looks like he only took a few bites."
"I see what's happening here- it appears that Hawks may have a food allergy, Dabi. Which would make a lot of sense now that I think about it. It's possible that he's been avoiding eating with us because we keep making meals with the food he is allergic to."
That...did make a lot of sense. And with Hawks' habit of wanting to appear perfect, it wasn't farfetched to imagine him trying to hide something like a food allergy—a feature about him the Commission most likely saw as weak.
"What should I do to help him?"
"At this point, the best you can do is make sure he's comfortable. His body needs to sort out what it needs to on its own. Do not worry, he should be fine in a little while. Whenever he is ready, give him something light to eat to help his stomach settle. Crackers or plain rice would be good."
"...How do you know so much about how to take care of an issue like this?"
"Tomura has similar difficulties when it comes to red meat. So I have seen this type of issue before."
Dabi sighed. He made a mental note to scavenge through the kitchen cabinets later just to make sure there was something available for Hawks to eat when he was ready. "I owe you one, Kurogiri."
"Nonsense. I am simply doing what I can to help. You know better than anyone that we take care of our own here."
The call ended with a single click.
Dabi's grip on the glass tightened as he made his way back down the hall. A tiny bit of relief pushed its way into his tense shoulders upon seeing Hawks on the bed, lying down on his side on top of a mountain of pillows.
He patted the spot beside him in a nonverbal gesture of beckoning his partner over.
Dabi crawled into bed after setting the glass down. "Hey, pretty bird."
"Hey, Hot Stuff."
It was difficult to not wince at the wrecked tone of Hawks' voice. "Do you know what's got you so fucked up?"
"Mmm. Milk allergy. Pizza place probably didn't substitute the dough or the cheese like I asked."
"How long were you..."
"An hour and a half. Two hours. I don't know- I kind of lost track after thirty minutes. S'just vomiting though. Nothing else is wrong."
Dabi worked his fingers into Hawks' hair. They pulled each other in for a loose hug, and a warm cheek settled near Dabi's sternum. Delicate coos cut through the silence, helping to ease the harshness of the situation.
"You gonna be okay, pretty bird?"
"Yeah. Besides, I have a handsome nurse here to take care of me."
"I should stick you with a needle just for saying that."
"Maybe when I'm feeling better, you can stick me with something else."
Hawks' laugh was muffled when a pillow was lightly smushed into his face.
The sound worked wonders to pull a gentle smile out of Dabi too.