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“I know you’re hiding something, Hawks, so spill.”
Hawks winces at Mirko’s thundering voice, glaring from where she’d cornered him against a wall. Glancing around, he notes that they are alone.
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Mirko sneers, stepping back to cross her arms. “Don’t lie to me. I know you, and you’re acting different.”
Hawks sighs loudly, pushing himself off the wall. Mirko lets him pass. “You’re imagining things.”
“Bullshit. You’ve been too happy lately.” And isn’t that pathetic, that Hawks’ life has been so miserable up until this point that his sudden happiness was a cause for concern. However, Hawks wasn’t complaining about the recent change. “Something’s happened.” She holds up a hand to cut Hawks off, “And don’t say it’s nothing because I will kick the shit out of you.”
“Please, Rumi, just leave it alone.”
“So you admit something’s going on?”
“I never said-“
Rumi snarls, stomping her foot hard on the floor. “Stop lying, I’ve seen you- smiling at your phone, leaving meetings early for no apparent reason, turning up late for patrols, all with a goofy smile. I’m not the only one who’s noticed, so what gives?”
Hawks grinds his teeth, he’d thought he’d been more careful.
“It’s nothing to worry about.” He averts his eyes from Mirko’s piercing glare, anxiously checking the time on his phone. “Look, I have to go-“
“You’re seeing someone, aren’t you?” Rumi’s words halt him in his tracks, Hawks’ eyes widening.
His silence is damning and Rumi gapes, “Oh my gods, you are .”
“Rumi, please, you can’t tell anyone about this.”
“Who is she? Do I know her? How long? Why didn’t you tell me?” Rumi grins from ear to ear as Hawks sputters at her questions, before her gaze turns frigid. “Why?”
Hawks sighs, rubbing at his face with his hand. “Look, Rumi, It’s supposed to be a secret. Nobody is supposed to know. For her comfort and safety.” Rumi gives him a questioning look, so he continues.
“You know how my fans are- if they found out I was seeing someone, they would go ballistic.” Hawks has seen too much on the internet not to know how rabid his fans could be. “Plus, I’m a hero, the number two. If villains found out, they would come after her . I can’t let that happen. Please, you can’t tell anyone. ”
Rumi pressed her lips together, her mouth thinning into a line. “Fine. I guess I understand.” Her seriousness lasted all of two seconds before her mouth once again split into a grin. “About time you got laid.” She claps him on the back, Hawks squawking at her comment.
“Fuck off.”
“Gladly. You have somewhere to be right?” She winks, starting to walk away. “Have fun~”
“I’m going on patrol!” Hawks calls after her, his face beet red.
He takes a moment to collect himself, muffling a scream with his hands.
It’s ok; Rumi won’t tell.
— —
Rumi did tell
Hawks groans, banging his head against the desk, looking at his phone full of unread text messages from various heroes asking about his love life. The most common: Who is she?
How is Hawks supposed to tell them that it’s a he? More importantly, how is he supposed to tell them that he happens to be one of Japan’s most dangerous villains.
Hawks groans again, the sound muffled by wood.
Dabi is going to kill him.
Luckily, he won’t see the man again for a few more days, so he has time to prepare what he is going to say, or make an escape plan-
He looks up when he hears another chime from his phone, and it begins to ring.
He glances at the screen. Rumi
He hesitates before accepting the call.
“Hawks, I am so sorry.” Rumi sounds genuinely distressed, and Hawks’ expression softens. “I didn’t mean to tell anyone, it just slipped out. I only said it to one person, I swear! I didn’t know they would tell half of the heroes in Japan!” She whines.
Hawks sighs.
He’s not mad.
Sure, he had been, but the anger had soon melted away, replaced with acceptance. “It’s fine, Rumi. I know you wouldn’t do this on purpose.”
“I fucked up though. I’m such a bad friend.”
“No, don’t say that. I’m not mad, I promise.”
Rumi sighs in what sounds like relief, “I still feel shitty.”
It’s silent for a few seconds, with Hawks unsure what to say.
“Tell you what, you and I are going to go out one of these days. Let me treat you to a meal so I can repay you. We hardly hang out anymore anyways.”
Hawks frowns; he doesn’t want to deny her, but doesn’t know if he has the time for that. Rumi continues before he can say anything, though. “I have to go, I just wanted to call quickly to apologize.”
“That’s fine, Rumi. See you around.”
“See ya, Hawks.”
And Hawks is one again left in silence.
No word from Dabi yet, but he’s sure that soon enough, Dabi will catch wind of their secret being revealed, and then Hawks will never hear the end of it.
Hawks drops his head into his hands.
Fuck
— —
“I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors of Hawks’ new girlfriend.” A dark-haired man sneers, addressing a gathering of nine people.
The warehouse they inhabit is cast in shadow, the decrepit building eerie as the villains plot.
“What of it?” One of the guys in the back scoffs, brow set.
The leader grins, madness glinting in his eyes. “Nows our chance, finally we have something we can dangle over that damn hero’s head. We can have revenge.”
The man sighs, “I don’t know…”
“Need I remind you that he is why we are in this situation?! Our comrades are in jail because of him. And now we must hide in this stupid warehouse when we used to have it all. This is our chance for revenge.”
“So what? We kill her?” Another guy pipes up, intrigued.
The leader flashes him a sharp grin, “Better. We use her as a hostage and demand Hawks let our men go if he wants her back in one piece.”
“That’s never going to work.” Another scoffs.
“Then we can always kill her, that’s bound to destroy him.”
“Say he does comply?”
“We kill her anyways.” The leader’s grin is wicked.
The men eye him in unease before one of them speaks up. “There’s nothing to lose, I guess.”
Despite their reservations, they all seem to agree, and the leader brings out a recording device.
“Good, because I’ve already got a plan.”
He allows the audio to play.
It’s obvious by the voice that this is Hawks; he seems to be conversing with someone over the phone, and from the sound of it, he’s happy. The conversation is normal, nothing too exciting until the end.
“Friday? Oh, I’m working a double that day, so I won’t be home till about 2 am. Still, you’re welcome to stay over! Don’t wait up, though, with how late I’ll be. I know, I know, they’re working me too hard, don’t you start. I’ll see you Saturday morning. Ok, bye.”
The recording ends, and everybody glances up at the leader for their instructions.
“His girlfriend will be at his apartment on Friday, and he won’t be home until 2 am. We break in before then and snatch her, leave a note, and when he returns from patrol, she’ll be gone.”
They all nod, finding the plan reasonable.
“It’s settled then.”
— —
At 9 pm on Friday, four figures cloaked in shadow slip into an apartment building under the cover of darkness.
They move silently, phantoms in the night, as they approach the home of the number two pro hero, Hawks.
The latch on his door snaps off easily, the men grinning as the door swings open quietly. Without a second thought, they entered, shutting the door tightly behind them.
The apartment is silent, cast in eerie darkness, and the men shiver in anticipation.
“It’s quiet.”
“No shit genius, shut up.”
“Too quiet if you ask me.”
“Nobody asked you.”
“Let’s just get this done.”
The group shuffle through the apartment, eyes surveying the scene.
“This place looks like a showroom. Does anyone even live here?”
“Yeah, listen.”
They stop, ears perked as the faint sounds of a TV float through the apartment.
“OK, let’s get this over with. Remember, be silent; we don’t want to alert any neighbors.”
“This is the penthouse, you idiot, there are no neighbors.”
“Downstairs??”
“Everyone shut up! Focus.”
Marching into the living room, they look around to find… nothing.
“Shit.”
“Where is she?”
A noise comes from the kitchen, a light flicks on, and the four men turn to look, only to be met with the unamused face of… the villain Dabi!?
The two parties just stare at each other for a second, the group’s mouths agape in shock.
“You’ve got the wrong house,” Dabi says finally, crossing his arms as he leans against the entrance to the kitchen.
“No… this is the right place.” One brave man said, swallowing thickly. “What business does the League have here?”
This question amuses Dabi, a small smirk and a quirked eyebrow betraying his emotion.
“I’m not out on League business, but what business do you have here?” He punctuates his question with a scowl.
“We’re here for Hawks’ girlfriend. Hand her over.”
Dabi throws back his head and laughs, a mean cackle that echoes throughout the apartment, sending shivers down the group’s spine, unease washing over them.
“A girlfriend, huh? I can assure you there’s no one here but me.”
“No, no, she was supposed to be here. Don’t even try to lie.” The brave one grits his teeth, scowling, while his teammates take a step back.
“Do you see anyone else here?” Dabi’s amusement returns, a twinkle in his eye and an expression promising mischief.
“Well, that doesn’t mean-“ The man frowns, eyes darting around as if the girlfriend would appear out of thin air. “Unless…” The man’s eyes widened in realization, the people around him exchanging confused glances.
“You-“
“Ding, ding, ding!” Dabi laughs, dropping his arms and taking a step towards them. “Congrats, you cracked the case!” He eyes them, gaze filled with mirth as a malicious smirk slowly crosses his face, the group feeling a chill down their spines.
Dabi continues, advancing toward them as the group hastily attempts to keep their distance. “Here’s your reward-“
The four men don’t even have time to scream.
At 9 pm on a Friday, the windows of the number two hero’s apartment briefly light up in a haunting, blue light before being extinguished into darkness once more.
— —
Hawks fumbles with the key to his apartment, frowning when he notices the latch has been snapped.
Dammit Dabi, you have a key. He sighs, stumbling into the entryway in exhaustion.
Nothing stirs in the apartment, so Hawks assumes Dabi is asleep, that is, until he reaches the living room, after having slung off his coat and toed off his boots at the entryway, to find a man tied up on his carpet, gagged with one of his kitchen towels. The man shakes with terror when he sees Hawks standing in the living room’s entrance.
“What-“
“Darling~ you’re finally home.” Dabi appears behind Hawks, embracing him from behind. The words are sweet, but Dabi’s false smile promises suffering, his words deceptively cloying.
“Uh." Hawks manages intelligently.
Dabi scoffs, letting him go, circling to face him properly.
“Care to explain why villains came here in search of your girlfriend?”
Oh
“Dabs, I didn’t mean for it to get out, I promise-“
“I don’t want to hear your excuses.” The man scowls, pacing towards the tied-up man. “You’re lucky I can handle myself. What would’ve happened if you did have a girlfriend for them to capture?” Dabi appraises him, giving the ‘I’m not mad, just disappointed’ look. Hawks’ wings droop.
“I’m sorry, I fucked up.”
“At least you can admit that.”
“It was just him?”
“Him and his buddies over there.” Dabi gestures, Hawks following his hand to three piles of ash.
“Dabi!”
“What? You can’t expect me to just to let them go, can you?” The man tied by his feet begins to whimper and shake, muffled cries leaving him. Dabi glances down, reaching to remove his gag.
“If you scream, I will kill you, got it?” The man nods frantically.
Dabi removes the gag, satisfied, and Hawks steps closer, unsure.
“Who put you up to this?” Dabi questions, hand tight on the man’s chin.
The man keeps his mouth firmly shut, though.
“Tell me, and I’ll let you live.”
“The red scorpions.” He utters finally, eyes cast to the ground. Dabi nods, a smirk stretching across his face.
Goofy ahh name
Wait
Hawks recognizes that name. It’s an organization that he busted several months ago. Was this supposed to be their revenge?
“Tell me exactly where to find them.”
The man does, shaking the whole time from fear and desperation. Hawks watches on in pity.
Dabi finishes writing down the location of the remaining group members, handing the note to Hawks who immediately sends out an alert for them, taking care of that problem.
“I think we’re done here,” Dabi said, sending the shuddering villain a malicious grin, reserved for particularly satisfying victims. The man’s eyes widen, and Hawks’ do too, realizing too late Dabi’s intentions.
Hawks’ apartment is once again bathed in cold, blue light, searing heat enveloping the room.
When it dies down, another pile of ash sits on the carpet.
“Dabi!”
“What? No loose ends.” The man turns, striding back towards Hawks. “A thank you would be nice.”
“Why would I thank you for killing someone??”
“Because if I hadn’t, our secret would be out! Get this through that thick skull of yours, no one can know about this, and you fucked up by letting it slip that you’re in a relationship. You’re lucky they think it’s just some girl.” Dabi snarls, circling Hawks like a shark.
Hawks has nothing to say to that. He knew he should’ve kept his mouth shut, but it wasn’t as if he had much of a choice with Rumi coming to her own conclusions so quickly.
…
Dabi turns on his heel, heading towards the balcony door, indicating his imminent departure.
Hawks grits his teeth.
“Thank you.”
Dabi pauses, turning to assess the hero, quirking an eyebrow at him.
Hawks takes this as an invitation to continue, “Thank you for cleaning up my mess…I’m sorry I ruined things.”
Dabi’s eyes soften, and he turns from the door, crossing the room to stop in front of Hawks.
Carefully, he cups Hawks’ face with his hands. “I wanted to avoid the consequences of people knowing about our relationship, but it was bound to be found out sooner or later, and there’s not much we can do about it now. I know you wouldn’t intentionally reveal us and that people like to gossip, so, it’s ok, Dove.” He kisses Hawks’ nose lightly, the hero’s eyes fluttering shut, a small coo leaving his lips.
He reopens them when Dabi backs off, putting distance between them again.
“I should probably go help make those arrests and make sure the remaining members are behind bars.” Hawks sighs, feathers going to retrieve his flight jacket.
Dabi’s brows pinch, a frown forming on his face. “Absolutely not, you just got off.”
“But-“ Hawks starts.
“No. You did your part already, you gave them the tip.” Dabi crosses his arms, indignant.
Hawks frowns, staring at the floor. “Fine.”
The tension leaves Dabi’s body in an instant as he grins. “C’mon, let’s get to bed.”
Hawks follows when the man walks toward their bedroom.
It had been a long day, and Hawks didn’t realize how much his body was aching for rest until he lay in bed with Dabi, clinging to the other man like a plushie. Dabi grunts when Hawks accidentally wacks him with a wing in an attempt to snuggle closer but otherwise does nothing, submitting himself to the cuddles.
Hawks makes a pleased noise when careful, rough hands start combing through his feathers.
He feels at home here, lying with Dabi and sharing his company. There is no need for him to hide parts of himself or put on an act. There is no need to hold back his feelings or pretend they don’t exist. Here, he can bask in his and Dabi’s relationship without fear of judgment.
He feels at home with Dabi like he does with no other.
Truly, that is worth the risk.
— —
BONUS:
Rumi is staring at him, he can feel her glare burning holes into the back of his neck.
When he turns to her with a questioning look, she grins.
“Someone had fun last night.”
Hawks’ eyes widen, his hand quickly slapping over the obnoxious hickey coloring his neck that his shirt collar had previously hidden.
“Guess your girlfriend wasn’t too mad after all.”
Hawks grimaces, thinking about Dabi’s revenge: no fried chicken for two weeks. Truly the worst punishment.
“Yeah…”
He knows he won’t live down his slip-up for a long time.
“Hey, remember how I promised you a meal? I know a good fried chicken place five minutes from here. We should go!” Rumi suddenly perks up.
Internally, Hawks cringes, knowing his constraints.
“Ahh, I’m not hungry.”
Rumi blinks owlishly at him. “C’mon! I know you never pass up the chance for fried chicken! You’re gonna worry me if you’re serious.” She bounds over, grabbing his arm to tug him down the street.
Hawks grimaces, knowing he can’t escape her unyielding grip, and lets her drag him away.
What Dabi doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?
Hawks can’t help how his mouth waters when they enter the place, which Hawks recognizes as one of his and Dabi’s favorite spots. This makes the guilt curling in his gut only constrict more.
Still, he allows himself to be sat and they order.
While they wait for their food, Rumi chats about something or other while Hawks looks around in paranoia, receiving an odd look from Rumi.
“Dude, you look like you’re expecting to get jumped. Lighten up a little!”
Hawks does all he can not to remark that he feels he very well might be jumped. If Dabi finds out about this, he is as good as dead.
However, he doesn’t get the chance to say anything because the waitress arrives with their food, and Hawks’ mouth waters at the chicken before him.
He glances up at the waitress to thank her when he sees her cat-like, yellow eyes staring into his soul.
He knows those eyes…
“Enjoy your food!” she exclaims cheerfully, though the grin directed at him is predatory. Hawks swallows thickly, pushing the plate away.
He’s so fucked.
Himiko leaves, and Rumi turns to him, grinning. “Dude, I think that girl had the hots for you. Did you see the way she was staring?”
“Yeah, like she wanted to eat me.” He mutters.
“Exactly!”
Hawks groans into his hands.
“I wonder, is your girlfriend the jealous type?”
Hawks thinks back to all the times Dabi had a fit because a reporter got a little too close for comfort.
“No…”
Rumi gives him a disbelieving look.
Hawks is saved from any more awkward conversation by his phone ringing. He excuses himself, ensuring he is well out of Rumi’s earshot before picking up the call.
It’s Dabi
For a second, all he hears is breathing on the other end before the man speaks.
“Hope you enjoyed your chicken, birdie, because it’ll be the last thing you ever eat~”
With that, he hangs up.
Yeahhh he’s fucked.
Might as well enjoy the food.