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“Don’t you think you’re going a little overboard here?” Fuyumi demands, her hands on her hips.
“No,” Dabi says mulishly, examining the skeletal dragon wrapped around the house before texting Shigaraki to demand a bigger one.
“It’s just Halloween decorations!” Fuyumi says, her hands flapping around. “Can’t you just slap some spiderwebs on the gate and call it a day?”
“No, because it’s our first Halloween since Mother finally got the divorce and we moved here, and also, tell that to him ,” Dabi says, jabbing a finger at the gaudily decorated house next door.
(Okay, even Dabi has to admit that the giant glowing gargoyle bat crouched at the top of the roof is pretty cool, and it’s even cooler when its eyes flash and the wings move.
And yes, the spiderwebs coating the bushes look extremely realistic, and the bats hanging around the porch gives the whole thing a delightfully spooky look.
The towering Jack Skellington on the lawn is a little mall-goth for his tastes, though.
And like hell he’s going to lose a Halloween decorating contest to a jock, especially a jock without an ounce of magic like Hawks.
Right, yes, wizards and witches shouldn’t discriminate against those with no magic, but Dabi isn’t discriminating against mundanes here, he’s just infuriated at Hawks who appears to exist solely to blast Trapnest music at all hours, continuously nearly burn down his house through cooking accidents, and jog past the house shirtless in the ungodly early morning hours when no one at all should be awake.)
Fuyumi glances over and then narrows her eyes. “…oh no. Is this really about getting the attention of your weird crush who you’ve been getting up early just to ogle him jogging?”
“I don’t have a crush on him!” Dabi instantly retorts, walking away to adjust the purple lights he has set up on the lawn (non-magical because a higher electricity bill is so worth the extra power he has to put towards the flickering runes covering the house for full horrific effect). “I’ve just been getting up earlier because—because it’s easier to mix potions when all of you aren’t up and careening around the house.”
“Right, and how many potions have you actually finished brewing in the mornings?” Natsuo calls out, coming out of the house and looking up at the skeletal dragon and whistling. “Damn, Tenko does good work.”
“Potions are complicated,” Dabi says stiffly. “And as the primary source of this house’s income right now, they have to be perfect. Also, I still can’t believe you’re dating a necromancer.”
Natsuo just snorts, crossing his arms. “And I can’t believe you’ve fallen for a Trapnest fan—can you please stop calling me a traitor for liking Reira now?”
“Never—at least Hawks is faithful to his terrible band,” Dabi declares with a sneer.
“Ohhh, so you finally figured out his name?” Fuyumi asks, raising an eyebrow while light glints off of her glasses.
“I—well, yeah, the last time I went over there to tell him to turn the music down,” Dabi defends himself.
(And Hawks had just arched an eyebrow at him, leaning against the doorsill, the slightest hint of his red wings tattoo peeking out from his tank top.
“Not a fan of Trapnest?” he had asked.
Dabi had glared at him, pointedly crossing his arms over his Black Stones T-shirt. “No.”
“Ah, a die-hard Blast fan, pity.” Hawks had sighed, then held out his hand. “Takami Keigo, but most people call me Hawks.”
Dabi had slowly reached out a hand and begrudgingly shook Hawks’ callused hand to be polite. “Hikawa Touya, but you can call me Dabi.”
Hawks continued to hold his hand and leaned in, his golden eyes gleaming. “Because we’re going to be friends?”
“Because I don’t know you, and you need to turn that music down,” Dabi had replied, pulling his hand back quickly.
Hawks sighed, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. “Would you be telling me that if I was blasting Blast music instead?”
“That would show that you actually have taste, so no,” Dabi said, dragging his gaze away from how jacked Hawks’ arms are and to the jack-o-lantern sitting cheerfully on the windowsill. “I see you started your Halloween decorating early.”
“Got to get a move on the neighborhood competition,” Hawks said easily, leaning back, the light perfectly hitting him. “They say the prize this year could be positively magical.”
“Is that right?” Dabi says, raising his chin. “Then I’ll have to get on that as well.”
Hawks grins at him, his golden eyes dancing. “Looking forward to it, hot stuff.”)
Fuyumi and Natsuo exchange a look, and Natsuo arches an eyebrow as well. “Suuure, that’s all there is to it. So are you obsessed with this Halloween decorating thing because you actually want to win that dinky trophy that we keep hearing about, or is it because of this Hawks guy—”
“Hey, I heard my name, you guys talking about how I’m going to win the neighborhood Halloween decorating contest?”
Dabi looks up in horror as Hawks just swans in off the street, grinning at them all.
(Shit, fuck, how much had that guy heard?
Bad enough with his siblings insinuating a crush, but had he heard about the potions?
Sneaking in a memory wiping potion shouldn’t be too difficult, but it’ll be time-consuming to brew, and he doesn’t have time with the judging for the Halloween decorating contest only being two weeks away.
And yes, he knows that the prize really is a dinky trophy and bragging rights, but also, he’s seen the cheesy glittery trophy, and he thinks there is some kind of charm or enchantment on it, and—
And well, he can’t let some Trapnest-loving jock win at Halloween, okay?
He has a reputation to uphold here!
Shigaraki will never let him hear the end of it.
Also, it’d be a nice thing for his Mother’s first real Halloween without Enji.)
“…You wish,” Dabi says, rallying himself to stand at full height and sneer at Hawks. “That trophy practically has my name on it.”
Hawks leans back to take in the skeletal dragon around the house and whistles. “I’ll give you that the dragon is impressive, but I’m not done yet either.”
“Touya shouldn’t get total credit for the dragon, a lot of that was my boyfriend’s work,” Natsuo cuts in, sticking his hand out. “Hi, I’m Natsu, Touya’s younger brother and fellow Trapnest fan.”
“Oh, a man of taste, I see.” Hawks grins, shaking Natsuo’s hand.
“Traitor,” Dabi hisses at Natsuo, half-heartedly glaring at him.
“One day, you’re going to have to admit that both Blast and Trapnest can be good,” Natsuo tells him before turning over to Hawks again. “So, you’re our neighbor who Touya keeps talking about.”
“I do not,” Dabi protests quickly.
“He does,” Fuyumi chimes in with an all-too sweet smile. “I’m Touya’s sister, Fuyumi. So, tell us, how are you about to out-edgelord our elder brother here? We should warn you that he started dyeing his hair and putting in piercings since he was thirteen.”
“Did he now?” Hawks says, smirking at Dabi and giving him a once-over. “Can’t say I don’t like the effect… But even with that, I’m going to win, because I have a secret weapon.”
“Yeah? And what’s that?” Dabi demands.
Hawks winks at him. “Wouldn’t be much of a secret weapon if I told you, would it? Let’s just say that it involves feathers.”
(He could think of a lot of situations with feathers that he’d like to see Hawks in—
No, wait, bad.
Besides the fact that it’s never good for a witch to get involved with a mundane, how can he get involved with his main rival for the Halloween decorating contest?
He needs to focus on making this the best Halloween possible for his mother, and also making sure there’s no fodder for talk among the League.)
“Well, maybe I’m thinking about adding some fire around here,” Dabi comes up with.
Fuyumi immediately glances over to Dabi, her mouth pursing. “Touya, you can’t—”
“Relax, I’ll get Shouto to help me out,” Dabi interrupts, waving a hand languidly despite the furl of bitterness inside.
(Yes, right, he can’t actually use his own innate fire magic without harming himself, and he had promised his mother and siblings that the days of him doing so were done with Enji’s council position stripped and their mother now finally free of him.
And yeah, Shouto, golden child, had always been able to use Enji’s fire magic and their mother’s ice magic without any damage to himself, as Enji had wanted from Touya.
He has spent a long time trying to reconcile himself to that—and it’s not even as if Shouto got much joy from being the golden child—and some days he manages to be over it, and some days he doesn’t.)
“What am I helping with?” Shouto asks, blinking as he comes out of the house and takes in both the new decorations and Hawks standing there. “Oh. You’re the jogger who Touya is always staring at.”
(…why did he move in with his siblings, he should have just split an apartment with Shigaraki.
Yeah, yeah, his mother had wanted them all together again, the way they hadn’t been in years, but still.
Maybe he should just brew some memory wiping potions no matter how annoying they are to make.)
Hawks’ grin just widens as his golden eyes sweep over Dabi. “Good to know!”
“…I don’t know why anyone would also be up at such an ungodly hour,” Dabi says haughtily, glaring at Shouto. “I also don’t know why you were up at such an ungodly hour.”
“Izuku and Bakugou wanted me to camp out to try and grab limited All Might merch,” Shouto replies, not even blinking. “There were a lot of drops.”
“Did you use the old man’s credit card?” Natsuo asks eagerly.
The corners of Shouto’s mouth barely quirk up. “Of course.”
Natsuo high-fives Shouto, who looks somewhat bewildered by the gesture but gamely plays along, and Fuyumi just sighs and shakes her head. “Guys, really?”
“Money doesn’t make up for the complete lack of care or decency over the years, but it sure as hell feels good now,” Dabi says icily, then claps Shouto on the shoulder. “Nice, drain the old man dry, kid.”
Shouto nods solemnly. “Alright, Touya-nii.”
“Don’t think you can cutesy your way back into my good graces though,” Dabi warns, sneaking a look back at Hawks who just looks pleasantly amused. “You’re still dead to me.”
“You say that like every day, especially if Shouto manages to go into the kitchen,” Natsuo rolls his eyes.
Dabi pales and points at Shouto. “You stayed away from the oven today, right? I’ve got a fluffy cheesecake in there!”
Shouto solemnly holds up a thumb’s up. “I have stayed far, far away. Is it basque cheesecake or matcha?”
“Matcha of course, basque doesn’t work with fluffy cheesecake,” Dabi replies.
“Oooh, fluffy cheesecake,” Hawks says in a wistful tone. “That sounds nice… I also can not be let into the kitchen and must subsist on takeout.”
Dabi eyes him and then Hawks’ garbage (he had noted a frankly alarming number of takeout containers in them, and of course, how could he miss the many fires Hawks has accidentally set in the kitchen), and then grudgingly asks slowly, “…Would you like to try some?”
Hawks lights up, leaning forward eagerly. “Really?”
“I don’t want you to die of malnutrition before you can properly enjoy the sight of me and the trophy together,” Dabi says, ignoring the way all his siblings are now whispering and giggling at each other. “You’re eating some fruit too.”
“Sure!” Hawks says happily, following him inside before glancing at him cheekily. “No rules against feeding Trapnest fans, huh?”
“Your music taste is still shit, but again, the prize is only worth it if the competition needs to be curb stomped,” Dabi declares, shoving some clementines into Hawks’ hands.
Hawks starts to peel the clementines in a bemused fashion while glancing around the kitchen, his eyes catching on the many glass bottles that Dabi has scattered around. “…you a mad scientist or something besides being a great cook?”
“I make and sell skincare serums,” Dabi grunts, taking his fluffy cheesecake out of the oven and examining it.
(Hm, not bad.
There’s room for improvement, but it jiggles properly, so there’s that.
First slice goes to him for taste testing purposes, and he supposes that today, the second slice has to go to Hawks.)
“Really?” Hawks blinks before quickly adding, “I mean—well, looking at how nice your skin is, I guess it’s no surprise!”
(Courtesy of some illusion spells cast on a few talismans he carries around from Toga since his real skin has been burned and scarred by his own magic.
Still, a lot of his skincare serums do work—he doesn’t half-ass potions, even ones that are there just as a money grab. They definitely have charms to brighten appearances, and maybe they have a somewhat temporary effect, but they’re sure as hell a lot better and more dependable than other quack products on the market.
He’s even built up a bit of a cult following, to Fuyumi and Natsu’s amusement. It’s not at the point where skincare is more lucrative than his real potion making business, but it’s starting to get up there, and Toga keeps bothering him for free samples.
Which is all there to say that he shouldn’t be flushing at all hearing Hawks’ awkward compliment, but empty night, he is.)
“…sure, and what are you, a fitness influencer?” Dabi manages, leaning down to open a drawer to cover up his flush.
Hawks just laughs, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah, ouch. No, although I’m not sure whether to take that as a compliment or insult—I’m a model. Seriously, I did a watch ad recently, see?”
Hawks holds up a photo on his phone which looks like an ad spread from a magazine, with him lounging around, shirt half undone, a hand to his face showing off some kind of fancy watch with wings.
(…of course he is.
He certainly has the cheekbones, if not the height, and Dabi should try and figure out which magazine this is in and buy some so he can—
No, no, he’s going insane.
He needs to actually check out the witch dating scene instead of fixating on this one hot mundane neighbor.)
Dabi drags his eyes away from the photo, shoves down his desire to immediately try and google what that magazine could be, and starts to cut the cake carefully. “…better than an influencer, at least.”
“Thanks, I think so too,” Hawks smirks at him and then breathes in the scent of the slice of the cake that Dabi places in front of him. “Oh my god, this smells amazing—and god, how does it taste even better than it smells? If you ever get tired of skincare, I think you could make bank as a baker!”
“Baking is more of a hobby—I don’t like making food for just random people,” Dabi says, taking a bite of the cake himself and chewing slowly.
(…seems a little too sweet, but probably most people would like it.
Well, he can always try again later, and it’s not like Natsuo and Shouto won’t demolish anything he sets in front of them.)
Hawks grins at him. “I guess I don’t count as just a random person anymore?”
Dabi snorts, eyeing him. “You’re my neighbor, a pain in the ass, and my main rival for the Halloween decorating contest, of course you’re not just anyone.”
Hawks’ grin just grows wider at that. “Good to know—does that mean that I can drop by anytime to get more of this?”
“What, are you some kind of stray pretty bird? I just have to feed you once, and now I can’t get rid of you?” Dabi asks, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ve never eaten anything better, and you’re the one worrying about me dying of malnutrition before Halloween,” Hawks points out, looking longingly at the rest of the cheesecake, having already finished off his slice. “Although, it’s my duty to inform you that you’re in for a disappointment because you’re going to lose.”
Dabi mentally calculates how much cake his siblings will want, and still cuts another slice for Hawks (he just looks so sad, and it’s not like any of his siblings are here—probably they’re eavesdropping in the hallway) and pushes it towards him. “Ha, keep telling yourself that.”
Hawks eagerly digs in. “Suuuure—why do you want to win so badly anyway?”
“Besides making sure a Trapnest fan doesn’t win?” Dabi quips before cutting the rest of the cake properly. “…it’s the first Halloween for our mother after her much needed divorce. I thought it would be—nice.”
(It doesn’t make up for any of her horrifying years wasted on their father, or even for all the shit he himself pulled while trying to expose his father’s crimes and get his revenge on being left for dead, but—
It’s something.)
“Oh,” Hawks’ eyes flicker with some kind of emotion. “I—yeah, that would be nice for her.”
“You better not be thinking about bowing out or going easy on me,” Dabi threatens, pointing at him. “That stinks of pity, and I hate it.”
“No chance of that,” Hawks says, his smile suddenly a little strange. “I—I’m glad your mom got her divorce, but that trophy is mine, and I intend to get my hands on it.”
“If I like your costume on the day of, after I win, I may permit you to put one finger on it,” Dabi says graciously.
“Will you?” Hawks just laughs. “Generous of you—and when I win, maybe I’ll let you just stare at it longingly.”
“I have no idea what the two of you are talking about, and I don’t want to know,” Fuyumi says adamantly, walking into the kitchen.
Dabi snorts. “As if all of you weren’t hanging around just eavesdropping.”
“It’s not eavesdropping if we were just trying to give the two of you some space to get to know one another,” Natsuo says, immediately clocking the missing slices of cake. “Hey, wait a minute—you gave him two slices?”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Hawks says in a somewhat apologetic voice as he chases the crumbs on his plate.
“I can’t believe I have to compete with you as well now for Touya’s cooking,” Natsuo complains, immediately grabbing a plate and placing a slice of cake on it. “I thought you were a bro!”
“I am! But your brother’s cooking is just too good!” Hawks says dramatically, placing a hand on his chest.
“It is pretty good,” Shouto says steadily, walking in and also taking a plate. “Are you guys friends now?”
Dabi and Hawks eye each other, and Hawks offers, “I’m game to be friends with you after Halloween if you are?”
Dabi purses his mouth. “…I suppose someone has to change your Trapnest and Hot Topic loving ways.”
“Uh, pot calling the kettle black much?” Hawks asks, gesturing at Dabi’s ripped up black clothing with staples.
“I’ll have you know that I did this all myself,” Dabi says, gesturing at his clothing.
“He really does,” Natsuo mentions, stealing another slice of cake. “He’s been doing it since we were teens, along with all the piercings.”
“Like I mentioned before, he doesn’t have naturally black hair,” Fuyumi adds, also getting herself some cake. “He has white hair.”
“You guys are the worst, and see if I make any more cake for you guys,” Dabi hisses, glaring at all of them.
“But you love us~~~” Natuso sings out obnoxiously, slinging an arm around Dabi’s shoulders.
“No, I don’t, you guys all suck,” Dabi says, half-heartedly trying to shrug off Natsuo’s arms but not really putting any effort into it.
“I didn’t even say anything,” Shouto says, frowning slightly.
Dabi just gives Shouto a look and takes the cake away from everyone. “No more until dinner, you’ll all ruin your appetites.”
“But since I’m not getting dinner with you guys, could I please take some home?” Hawks wheedles, somehow making his eyes look sad and soft.
(…Shit, should he invite Hawks to dinner?
But no—he likes animating the kitchenware for dinner, if he has to do it all manually, it’s going to suck and take too long.
Also, Mother will be back for dinner, and if Hawks is here, she will get entirely the wrong idea.
He’s his rival!
…for now at least.
As for later—
Well, he’ll worry about that then.)
“…fine,” Dabi relents, getting out some of his specially enchanted Tupperware that keeps food fresher longer (look—his main magic is way too destructive for his body, but with Mr. Compress’ help, he’s found that he’s strangely good at these small charms, which makes potion making easier as well). “But you’re not getting any more until after Halloween.”
“And then you’ll bake me a cake as my reward?” Hawks grins at him, eagerly taking the Tupperware containers over.
Dabi snorts. “More like as a consolation prize.”
“Well, then—I’d better go put the fine tuning on my secret weapon,” Hawks says, standing up and starting to saunter out the door, before turning around and saying earnestly, “Thanks for this—it was great getting to know you, Dabi. I hope after Halloween, we can get to know each other even better.”
And with a wink, Hawks leaves, and all his siblings turn to stare at him as one.
“What?” Dabi demands, leveling a glare at all of them.
“You two are way too much,” Fuyumi declares, shaking her head.
“Yeah, it’s super intense, and the two of you definitely need to kiss before you explode,” Natsuo agrees, taking his phone out. “I better tell Mother to start expecting dinner guests...”
“I’m not inviting him to dinner until at least the contest is over,” Dabi snaps at them, then winces when he realizes what just came out of his mouth.
(…damnit.)
Natsuo just laughs at him while Fuyumi adjusts her glasses and sighs. “…I suppose you could do worse. But really, Touya, a mundane? How are you going to explain things to him?”
“There’s nothing to explain yet, and I’ll worry about that if we ever get to that point,” Dabi grumbles.
“I’m telling Tenko,” Natsuo announces, happily typing away.
Dabi tries his best to swipe Natsuo’s phone from him, but Natsuo stole all the height in the family (and Shouto probably stole all the rest), so it’s a fruitless effort, and Dabi’s own phone starts pinging soon with the entire League noisily texting him.
“Now you’ve done it.” Dabi sighs, sitting down and texting Toga, Spinner, Twice, and Mr. Compress back to tell them to back off, while sending a few middle finger emojis over to Shigaraki.
“Friends have to be informed of important events,” Shouto says solemnly before holding up his own phone. “Although, Mother is excited and wants to meet him.”
Dabi just groans and buries his head in his arms. “I hate you guys and never should have come back,” he complains.
“We love you too, Touya,” Fuyumi says, reaching out to hug him.
“Yep, yep, which is why we love embarrassing you so much,” Natsuo cheers, also coming in to envelope them in a group hug.
Shouto awkwardly also wedges his way in to give him a hug, and Dabi permits it for a little while before pushing them all away. “Alright, alright, alright, you’re all suffocating me, and I need to go work on the decorations some more before dinner.”
“This edgelord mating ritual is so intricate,” Natsuo muses, typing on his phone again. “I’m so glad Tenko didn’t do this with me, I don’t think I have the goth instincts to pull it off.”
Dabi rolls his eyes and goes outside to further adjust the reanimated dragon skeleton a bit.
(Even if Shigaraki is a bitch and also a corrupter of little brothers, he is an expert necromancer, and the control talismans he gave Dabi were rock solid, so he could position the dragon as he saw fit.
He still wants a bigger one before Halloween though.
He’s going to win that trophy, make this the best Halloween ever for his mother, and then maybe see what Hawks would like to do afterwards.
Maybe he’ll force him to listen to Blast.
But anyway, victory comes first, and he needs to add a little of his own magic to the mix as well…)
--
“My, my,” Rei says, looking around wide-eyed and smiling, her hands pressed together. “This is really something!”
“I really hope all those fire-proofing spells hold,” Fuyumi says, eyeing the blue flames Dabi has conjured around the house. “You triple-checked?”
“Yeah, and I had Shouto’s friend Izuku check too, so don’t worry about it,” Dabi says, waving a hand while adjusting his coat and checking the mirror.
(Well, then.
The coat looks great since he’s had a lot of practice with that, and Mr. Compress was always helpful in that regard with his thread magic.
And as for leaving off the illusion magic and having all his burn scars and stitches show—
It’s Halloween, so everyone will just think it’s really good makeup.
…it’s stupid that he keeps wondering what Hawks will think.
It doesn’t matter, and what he needs to focus on is what Hawks is going to pull out with the decorations tonight because as far as Dabi can tell, nothing has really changed so far besides some additional spider-webbing.)
“I do like this very much—and I’m looking forward to passing out candy to the children,” Rei comments, her eyes crinkling happily as she steadies the witch hat on her head and then glances over at Hawks’ house. “Ah—and I believe that is the neighbor who you’re such good friends with, Touya?”
“We’re not friends, we’re rivals locked in a Halloween competition,” Dabi corrects, narrowing his eyes and looking over the house.
Rei just laughs. “Yes, yes—I appreciate the sheer amount of Halloween spirit going on here. Still, I hope that after the competition, you’ll invite him over for dinner?”
Dabi shifts in place, running a finger across some of the stitches across his cheek. “…sure. If he wants to. After I win, and after seeing my—costume.”
“You look very handsome, Touya,” Rei says gently, adjusting his coat to wrap around him a bit more. “I think it will go well—oh, wow.”
Dabi turns around to see red feathers rain down and swoop around Hawks’ house, causing all the early children on the street to exclaim, point, and chase after them, and even Dabi is astounded at the sight.
(He can’t tell at all how Hawks is doing that without using magic.
…wait, could he have been mistaken all along?
Is Hawks actually not a mundane?
No, he hasn’t sensed any magic around him—even now, with all these feathers flying around, he’s still not sensing anything.
Maybe Hawks is just amazing at engineering things?
It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, and it’s already kind of dark so he can’t see the red feathers all that clearly, but there’s no strings, and they really are dancing nearly independently of each other.
The only options right now are that Hawks is a master inventor moonlighting as a model or that he’s actually some kind of magic user also moonlighting as a model.
…the magic user part would definitely make some things easier, but it would also complicate things.
He’s not exactly in the Council’s good graces these days.
Not that all magic users are involved with the Council—artificers for example tend to have their own guilds that deal with them—but it’s hard to escape the Council’s grasp.
Hells, the only reason he and his family and the League are now beyond them is because of deals Dabi made, the fact that Shigaraki is absolutely terrifying as a necromancer, and everything his mother knows about secrets the Council would rather keep buried.
Most magic users wouldn’t want to get involved with that either.)
“Gods, that’s awesome, ” Natsuo breathes, walking up in the laziest costume known to mankind, a basketball jersey, and Shigaraki holding his hand next to him in a mob boss costume complete with a fur coat.
Shigaraki eyes Hawks’ house, then turns around and mumbles a few incantations under his breath, and the skeletal dragon wrapped around Dabi’s house starts to flap its wings and move around some. Dabi quickly moves some of his flames closer to the dragon’s mouth so it looks like it’s breathing fire, and the house is quickly also surrounded by clamoring children.
“…I could have adjusted that,” Dabi grumbles, looking at Shigaraki.
Shigaraki adjusts his sleeves and says disdainfully, “Apparently not, because you didn’t. You’re really going to let some mall goth show you up here? With Jack Skellington? ”
“Hey, I resent that, everyone should hail the Pumpkin King,” Hawks calls out, loping forward in some kind of aviator-type jacket and a tight undershirt.
(…he has no right looking as hot as he does in that get up, it’s patently unfair.
On anyone else, it would be a frumpy mess that was obviously tossed together last minute, but on Hawks it looks like he just came off the runway.
Ugh.)
Shigaraki just sneers, looking Hawks up and down. “…so this is the bird that you’ve been obsessed with.”
“I haven’t been obsessed —he’s my rival,” Dabi explains before changing the subject, “Besides, why are you here and not helping Twice set up his party?”
“Kurogiri, Spinner, and Toga have that covered,” Shigaraki says, waving his hand. “And Mr. Compress is busy lounging around critiquing everyone’s costumes. Besides, I have to make sure you don’t let all my efforts go to waste.”
“And this is our first Halloween together as boyfriends!” Natsuo adds, holding their intertwined hands up.
Shigaraki actually flushes while Dabi mimes gagging before turning back to face Hawks. “Don’t tell me—pilot for some reason? Or some superhero.”
Hawks laughs. “Something like that—you’re the one with a completely awesome costume,” he says, wiggling his fingers in front of Dabi’s face. “Frankenstein but even gothier somehow and hot—truly a miracle of science and makeup.”
“Thanks,” Dabi says drily, swatting Hawks’ gloved hands away.
(…that’s a good sign, right?
That he thinks the scars are hot?
…but he may not think so outside of Halloween—
He’s worrying way too much about this when he barely even knows Hawks.)
Shigaraki is also making retching noises now, while Rei is looking hopefully over, so Dabi rolls his eyes to make some quick introductions, “This nightmare here is Shigaraki, you’ve met my siblings unfortunately, and this is my mother.”
“Charmed,” Hawks says, sweeping into an actual bow, nodding at Shigaraki and the rest of Dabi’s siblings before turning to Rei and saying earnestly, “If someone didn’t tell me, I’d think you were Dabi’s older sister!”
Rei laughs, covering her mouth with her hand. “No need for flattery, but you are very charming. I see why Dabi can’t stop talking about you.”
“About the competition,” Dabi quickly corrects while Natsuo and Fuyumi snigger at him, and Shouto comes out of the house, just wearing an All Might hoodie.
Hawks’ grin just grows wider. “Whatever you say, hot stuff. Now, what do you say to giving me the grand tour of yours, and I’ll give you a grand tour of mine?”
Dabi slowly nods, and Fuyumi sighs while turning to Shouto, “This, dear baby brother, is terrible euphemistic flirting, and you should not follow their example.”
“Yep, it’s painful to watch, and don’t make us go through this twice, Shouto,” Natsuo says with a chuckle.
“As if your weird dance around Shigaraki wasn’t painful enough,” Dabi shoots back.
“That was your fault for getting in the way,” Natsuo says with a shrug, pulling at Shigaraki’s hand. “Hey, babe, want to go wander around away from these lovebirds?”
“Yes, please,” Shigaraki says emphatically, shooting Dabi a middle finger before running off with Natsuo.
Dabi shoots a middle finger back, lays off when Rei shoots him a look, and then gestures to Hawks. “Well, are you coming or not?”
And Hawks seems appropriately appreciative of the flames and skeletal dragon and pumpkins and ghosties and cemetery he has set up everywhere, gasping and wide-eyed, and Dabi also can’t stop smiling when Hawks takes him over to his house and the feathers fly everywhere, a few just occasionally brushing past his shoulders, and one even past his cheek.
(He couldn’t see any wires anywhere.
Magnets? Magnets are pretty mysterious things to him.
But he can’t make out any there either.
Hawks could have bought something from an artificer, but Dabi should be able to sense the magic there as well, and he still can’t, no matter how much he stretches out his senses.
Strange—)
“You’re so spaced out. Does that mean you’re lost in wonder, and I win?” Hawks’ cheeky voice breaks through.
Dabi quickly shakes his head and arches an eyebrow at Hawks. “The point of Halloween is spookiness and horror, not wonder.”
“I disagree! True, a lot of Halloween is about horror and terror, but spookiness comes with wonder—at least at the start,” Hawks argues, gesturing around as his feathers dance around, and a bunch of kids clap with delight.
“…maybe,” Dabi acknowledges, his eyes always caught by the feathers. “But we’ll see what the judges have to think about this.”
The judges consist of a surprising number of witches, but it’s Usagiyama Rumi who ultimately gives the verdict, gathering them all in a group and announcing in a loud voice, “So, this was a hard decision to make this year. Everyone put in a lot of effort—especially these two hotshots standing up here who I think are engaged in either some kind of measuring contest that I can’t say in front of children, or the weirdest flirting ever. Anyway, I think all of us have been wowed by the Hikawa’s house’s skeletal fire-breathing dragon, and by the Takami house’s feathers, so we have decided that—drum roll please—it’s a tie!”
She then gestures, and the other judges happily commence showering them with pumpkin, ghost, and bat-shaped confetti.
(…okay, he’s not going to lie, that feels like a bit of a cop-out.
He likes there to be a clear winner and loser, and also, the League is going to mock him relentlessly for sharing the trophy with a man who put a giant Jack Skellington on his lawn.
On the other hand though—
Maybe Hawks is right, and wonder and spookiness are both very Halloween.)
Hawks grins, looking so delighted that he’s practically on tip-toe as Usagiyama brings the trophy out, although he still remembers to turn around and offer out a hand to Dabi. “Congratulations, fellow edgelord champion.”
“You’re not as funny as you think you think you are,” Dabi lies, grasping Hawks’ callused hand. “You’re calling yourself an edgelord wearing that ?”
“The trophy says otherwise,” Hawks says, practically skipping up to the trophy and grasping one of the handles.
Dabi hears—
( The sound of something smashing.
The rush of wings
The shriek of a bird of prey.)
And he can feel magic around him—not the kind of a witch or wizard, but something more—basic. Something closer to nature than the spells and magic that Dabi, his siblings, and Mr. Compress knew intuitively but had to refine through study, or the ragged elemental stubbornness of Shigaraki and Twice’s magic.
This felt actually much closer to Toga’s own magic.
“Well? What are you waiting for?” Hawks asks, grinning at him as the feathers around his house suddenly start dancing in even more intricate patterns.
Even with his thoughts whirling, Dabi numbly manages to grasp the other handle of the trophy to lift it up, and then shoulder and nod his way through the congratulations to corner Hawks in a relatively secluded area of his house.
“You’re a shapeshifter,” Dabi breaths. “That’s the only way any of this makes sense.”
Hawks’s smile is wild and free, and giant red wings open gloriously out and unfurl behind him. “Yes. I was cursed to not be able to shift forms, but thankfully that trophy seems to have been charmed by some wizard or witch—I guess the rumors that the neighborhood council was having some fun were true, thank the gods—and winning it broke my curse.”
(…well, that explains the feathers at least.
And the curse explains why Dabi couldn’t sense anything this entire time.
But of course, that means it was a pretty powerful curse, which begs the question about why Hawks was cursed in the first place.
Curses only hold if there’s true intent behind them—so someone must have really hated Hawks for the curse to have held on so firmly for so long.
But also it must have been a sloppy spellcaster if a simple charm on a dinky trophy could break it.)
“Who cursed you?”
Hawks shifts in place, his wings curling around him slightly. “…I worked for the Council at one point. They—I thought I was doing good. A good soldier follows orders, right? But then they told me to kill a good man, and I—I did. But I regretted it and revived him right after, and boy, they didn’t like that…hence the curse.”
(Fuck the Council—even Dabi himself had been on their hitlist at one point, and he is always for defying the organization that shielded his father from his crimes for so long.
This is honestly the sexiest thing that Hawks could have told him.
And it takes care of so many of the worries he had about possibly getting involved with him.)
“…that’s cool, right?” Hawks says hesitantly. “I—I know you have problems with the Council—very justified problems—but I’m not working for them anymore.”
Dabi tilts his head. “So, you knew about me even before.”
“Hard not to, with your father, and everything,” Hawks runs a hand through his golden hair, his wings flapping in an agitated fashion. “I actually admired him once, can you believe that? Even after your reveal—I tried to just brush it off, but—it bothered me. And the Council order came, and I—well. I couldn’t. So, here I am.”
“You never gave any hint that you knew I was a witch,” Dabi says carefully, gesturing at his face.
“Well, seeing you here, even under an illusion, was a bit of a shocker, and the skincare gig was a bit of a surprise, but—wasn’t really sure what to say before I managed to break the curse,” Hawks says, gesturing at his wings. “Thank you, by the way—don’t know if I would have managed to impress the judges as much without trying to compete against you the entire time.”
“You’re giving yourself too little credit here—you did force me to ask Shigaraki for help, which is not something I do lightly.” Dabi admits.
Hawks grins at him, his wings spreading out a bit. “So—have to ask. How much does this hurt my chances of asking you out on a movie date next week?”
“That all depends—you mind the scars, and are you going to make it a rom-com or a slasher film, pretty bird?” Dabi mutters, leaning in and running his fingers down Hawks’ cheek.
Hawks’ eyes flutter shut as he leans into Dabi’s touch and then flicks up into Dabi’s eyes. “I wasn’t lying when I said I liked the scars. And for you hot stuff, I’ll make it a slasher film.”
“Good. I’m already putting up with you being a Trapnest fan, I can’t take a terrible rom-com on top of it.” Dabi breathes.
Hawks perks up. “What about a good one then?”
“…try that on our second date,” Dabi gives in, staring at Hawks’ lips.
(…they haven’t been on a first date yet, it’d be too soon to kiss him, right?
But god—
The magic here is heady, Hawks is undeniably hot, and he walked away from the Council?
Could he be any more tempting?)
Hawks’ wings tremble, and he leans in and says, “Well—if we’re already planning a second date—let me get a little preview then.”
He goes on tiptoe and kisses Dabi.
(Dabi’s kissed other people before, and it’s been everything from meh to great, but this?
This is incandescent.)
He loses track of time, nipping at Hawks’ lips and licking into his mouth, enjoying the shudder that goes through Hawks’ body as the rubs the barbell on his tongue at the roof of Hawks’ mouth, but eventually they have to pull up for air, and Hawks looks wrecked.
(It’s a great look for him.)
“How was that?” Dabi manages to force his dry throat to work and say.
Hawks looks practically drunk. “…I’m going to need more of that, get over here.”
And of course Dabi has to oblige his wish, but eventually he manages to pull away to return to his Halloween responsibilities with his mother, but not before dragging Hawks along with him and enduring the ribbing of all his siblings and Shigaraki.
Seeing Hawks’ brilliant smile and wings though, it’s all worth it.