Archive of Our Own ^beta

It's Thursday, which means game night at the League of Villains' hideout.

It had eventually become a routine. Like clockwork, one of the members (usually Toga or Twice) will come running to the cramped living room with a board game secured in their arms and scream bloody murder if anyone refuses to join. 
They all join, every time.

Even the stupid bird had made his way into the ordeal three months ago.
He had been invited by Dabi to the hideout once for a meeting with the boss, and of course, it had been on a Thursday. The meeting had run late, and when they walked past the living room, Toga lunged and dragged all three men to the couch, literally holding them at knife point until everyone agreed to play.

Hawks said yes immediately. He had never played a board game before. 
The HPSC hadn’t been that keen on hobbies or friends outside the workplace. And besides, even if he had been allowed, free time for the hero had been rare. The only reason he could join the villains was that it was technically part of his mission. He might have learned some helpful information in the meantime. (He wouldn’t, and even if he did, he’d never tell.)

“ Dabiiiii~ ” Toga’s cheerful voice is heard from the hallway as she skips towards the rest of the members scattered around the living room. 

The frame that should be holding a door, separating the hallway from the living room, is empty, leaving no privacy. 

Dabi and Shigaraki had been arguing about something irrelevant, taking turns insulting each other and threatening to use their respective quirks to kill one another. A blue flame danced on Dabi’s palm while Shigaraki had taken off his glove and lunged toward Dabi, who was standing by the door, glaring with his usual calculated, bored expression.
The decay user’s hand shot toward Dabi’s face. He probably wouldn’t have actually dusted him—but Dabi didn’t want to take the risk. He moved to the side too fast for Shigaraki to react in time.
The door crumbled, leaving nothing but a pile of dust on the threshold.

Dabi groans as he leans back on the too-small couch. Hawks has, like always, plopped down next to him and his stupid big wings are settled on the back frame of the sofa; a few primary feathers drape over Dabis right shoulder. He shuffles slightly to his left to escape the feathers. It backfires.
He is now even closer to the hero, thigh touching thigh, and of course, the smug bird has the biggest grin on his perfect face.
Dabi groans once again, rolls his eyes and accepts his fate.

“Dabi look!!” Toga holds up a magazine in his face, too close for him to actually see the content.

“What?” he snaps with no real bite, yanking the magazine from the excited teenager to see what has her so unbearably giddy.

The page shows several pictures of some sort of cafe with sickly cute decor and pink wallpaper. The girls are wearing maid costumes, some holding trays of food and others making hearts with their fingers.
Dabi is confused. He looks up at the now bouncing Toga.
He sometimes wonders where all the energy is stored in the tiny girl. She never seems to run out.

“Why are you showing me this?” He gruffs, throwing the magazine back to its owner. 

“Aren't they so cuutee !! ~ ” she continues, “It's a maid cafe! It just opened close by and I know we all can't go but I reeeeeeally want to,” she whines, all gloomy with big sad puppy eyes.

Dabi glares, waiting to hear the great solution she has to the ‘problem’.

“ Soooooo , me and Twice decided we’ll do it here instead!!” Her tone switches to giddy in an instant, a beaming smile with fangs on full display. “Whoever loses today's game gets to be the maid with me and Twice! The rest will be customers!!” Everyone's attention suddenly is on Toga, clicking noises, scoffs, and feathers ruffling fill the room.

No one says anything for a while.

“Sounds fun!” Hawks is the first to speak, sounding a little too excited about the bet.
Toga squeals and pounces on the bird, ending up in his lap, arms wrapped around his neck in a tight hug.
He tries to keep still, but the wings twitch anyway. They shoot up from behind the couch with feathers puffed, all soft and inviting— traitors .
All it takes is a comforting hand on his shoulder, soft gestures with no ill intent, to set something off. His bird-brain thinks the kindness means safety.
It’s hard to unlearn instinct without practice, after all.

They argue back and forth for an hour before finally agreeing to Monopoly, chosen by Twice. They also agree, with some whines from Toga, that only the seven of them will take part in the inevitable pretend café, anyone else is banished.
Some of the league members are out on different missions, leaving a total of seven players for the night. 

Spinner, Shigaraki, and Compress make their way to the coffee table. 

Dabi slouches low in his seat, mumbling incoherently about how stupid this is. While his fingers drum impatiently on Hawks’ thigh as Twice cheerfully sets up the board.
Shigaraki scratches at his neck, annoyed before the game begins.

Hawks chirps quietly, eyes follow the movement of Dabi's fingers tapping away on his thigh.
It's too easy to distract the bird nowadays; some jingling of keys, talk about fried chicken and, Dabi’s personal favorite, a quick glimpse of the flame user’s tongue piercing, and you have the heroes full attention.
Maybe it’s because the villains have made it known that they don’t mind his more bird-like traits. The opposite really; they enjoy it.
Or maybe it‘s all calculated to make the members trust him quicker.
Dabi isn’t sure yet. 

Hawks’ attention suddenly goes to the fully set-up board, snatching up the rubber duck before anyone else.
The rest of the gang follow suit, swiping their favorite tokens to put on the board. 

Shigaraki makes his way to one of the armchairs on the opposite side of the sofa, moving closer to the table before sitting down like he owns the place.
Which he—in fact, does.
Spinner slinks past Twice and settles on the floor next to Shigaraki, shoulder touching the decay user’s leg. A low chirp is heard from the mutant, not too different from the noise Hawks makes. Shigaraki places an unclothed hand on his head, pinky hovering in the air to keep the lizard safe.
Toga with her trademark smile, bounces towards Dabi, stopping by his legs. The flame user growls and mutters curse words and complaints, but spreads them. Letting Toga flop down between them, which has become a regular thing with the game nights. Dabi, for good measure, pinches the teenager's neck, resulting in a high-pitched whiny yelp.
Compress sits down in the empty armchair next to the decay user.
Twice finishes setting everything up, makes his way to the couch, and sits down next to Hawks. It makes all three men have to squeeze closer, feathers ruffling behind them and Twice apologizes only to laugh the second after.
An arm rests on the top cushion behind Dabi, taloned fingers tracing the nape of his neck, resulting in a full body shiver and a nasty glare towards the bird who isn't even looking at the flame user. Dabi snarls, with no intent to stop the touch. 

The game begins civilly enough when the loser has to dress up as a maid and serve the others. 

Dabi buys properties with too much confidence, investing in reds like he’s planning to burn the whole board down. (which has happened before.)
Spinner plays methodically, determined to beat everyone by the book.
Mr. Compress, theatrical as always, narrates his moves in grandiose gestures.
“And with a daring move, I claim the final railroad!” he says while tipping his hat towards the board.

Half an hour in, alliances form and crack. 

Toga trades her Baltic Avenue for a pink property, just because it's pink.
Twice makes deals with himself and immediately regrets them, cursing and throwing his head in his hands in despair.
Hawks smooth-talks, with charming words and his infamous smile as his weapon, Spinner into selling him a utility.

Midway through, Dabi lands in jail for the second time. He refuses to pay the fee, crossing his arms and Hawks swears he sees the man pouting.
“I’ll burn everything before I give the system a damn cent,” Dabi mutters. Shigaraki nods approvingly at the statement while building up his empire of orange—complete with hotels and a quiet, proud glee.

Spinner plays the most legit, by-the-book game out of everyone. No shady trades and no threats. By the late game, he's got all four railroads and both utilities. 

“You're surprisingly competent for being a lizard, ya know,” Hawks snickers and winks towards Spinner. 

The two of them have, to everyone's surprise, formed a friendship.
It was bad in the beginning; Spinner was practically running away every time the hero came around. Which isn't surprising since a bird of prey's diet includes lizards. It made Spinner’s whole body shiver; all his instincts told him to run away.
But at some point, they started talking, a lot. Mostly about heteromorph topics and everything it entails. It made Hawks open up about some of the abuse and discrimination he's endured. Enough for Spinner to understand why the hero has been so defensive and ashamed when he did anything bird-like.
The support and understanding set something in motion, a hope that maybe Hawks can belong here after all. Free to act how he wants.  

“That's high praise coming from a bird who gets distracted by anything shiny,” Spinner throws back, both of them grinning.

In the middle of the banter Dabi growls and throws his head back in frustration.
He landed on Tennessee Avenue, one of Shigaraki’s hotel-laden traps.
“That much? For that street?” He stares at the property card in disbelief, his temperature rising uncomfortably high.

“Pay up or be a good little maid for a day.” Shigaraki grins mockingly as he uses Spinners head for support while leaning closer to the furious flame user on the opposite side of the table.

The fingers that were idly raking through the soft feathers of the wing that at some point made its way to his lap heat up. The sudden temperature change made Hawks squawk loudly while retracting the wing to wrap it around himself.
Dabi growls and gives a dirty look to the decay user and then the bird. He pushes himself up from the couch, almost tripping over the giggling teenager at his feet, and storms out of the room while muttering ssomething about the game being rigged.

One by one, the players fall. The final two, to no one's surprise, are Spinner and Shigaraki.
Spinner gives it his all until the end, but he can’t dodge the abundance of hotels forever. He lands on New York Avenue and sighs while looking up at the way to smug decay user. His head is resting lazily on Shigaraki knee.

“Well,” he says with a mix of affection and disappointment, “guess you won, boss.”

Shigaraki leans back with the biggest grin on his face. “Of course I did,” he says, looking down at the lizard under him. “Capitalism dies under my hand.” He snickers and pats the top of Spinners head.

Hawks wouldn't care if he lost; he’d gladly wear a costume if it meant his flock friends were happy.
Most of all, he was just grateful to be included. To be able to do such a mundane thing as playing games with people he likes.
The hopeful feeling that soaks his cold hollow bones in warmth is painfully good. He shouldn't be allowed to feel this content after everything he's done, everything he will do.
A happy thrill escapes his throat, rewarding him with a squeal from Toga who had moved between his legs when Dabi stormed out.
“Soo cuuute!! ~ ” The bird and teenager make eye contact, yellow meeting gold, as she continues, “Do it again Hawksie.” 

And who is Hawks to deny the girl with the cutest smile? Some find it creepy, but Hawks can't think of a cuter thing. It's a smile too genuine for this cruel world.
He thrills again, left wing drops on top of her as she giggles happily, trying to escape the all-encompassing crimson blanket.

-

Dabi stands in the corner of the room behind the bar, arms crossed over a frilly black-and-white apron that does absolutely nothing to hide his disgust—or the scars and dead skin along his arms. The lace headband sits crooked on his head like it’s been through a war, and his thigh-high cat-shaped stockings refuse to stay up and keep drifting down his knees. 

He lost the bet, and when he attempted to wiggle his way out of it, Shigaraki placed a bare hand on his shoulder, pinky raised but slowly going down.
He threatens, a real threat , to dust him if he leaves his room in anything that isn't the costume Toga had so kindly picked out. 

So here he is. In the stupid maid outfit with Toga and Twice running around the bar having the time of their life, waiting for the even stupider pretend cafe to open. 

Toga skips past him, practically glowing in her pink-trimmed maid dress, balancing a tray of mismatched teacups and a half-eaten croissant.
“Daaabiii~ you’re not even trying!! ” she whines, twirling a few times to get the villain's full attention. “You have to say 'Welcome home, Master!' with a smile!”

“Im not saying that.” Dabi's glare is deadly, voice so serious it makes Toga nervous for a split second, before going back to her happy-go-lucky self.

Twice, wearing the same outfit as Dabi but with an extra apron, opens the main door to the hideout where the missing four members stand waiting to be let in.
“Welcome home! GET OUT OF MY CAFE!” Twice shouts, giving an awkward bow and no shame in the situation. 

Hawks, who had been grinning before the door even opened, let out a loud, choked laugh that nearly doubles him over. “Oh my god, this is better than I imagined. Please tell me photography is allowed.”

Dabi swears time stands still because nothing happens for what feels like forever. They just stand there in the doorframe snickering and grinning, taking turns ogling the three villains and their outfits.
Hawks is the only one who dares to look at Dabi for more than a second. 

Mr. Compress places a hand over his heart and bows slightly. “What a grand opening. I must say, your... presentation is certainly memorable,” his voice faltering slightly, letting everyone know he too, is losing it under the mask.

Spinner blinks, one eye at a time, just like a lizard. “So… what now?” He speaks, forcing down the hysterical laugh that so badly wants to come out. 

“You sit down and read the menu silly!~” Toga beams, skipping towards the group and urging them to the booth in the corner of the room.

The four of them sit down, Spinner and Shigaraki on one side, Compress and Hawks on the other.
Toga sets down the tray with cracked and chipped teacups, placing one in front of each person.
She hovers over Shigaraki for a second, chin resting on his shoulder, before half whispering, “Dabi isn't playing along... It makes me sad Shiggy,” and it sounds so real. She sounds so broken and hurt that all four men are ready to kill the flame user.

“You lost the bet Dabi.” Shigaraki turns his head slowly to get a good look at the heated villain hiding in the corner. “Just do what she wants and we’ll all get out of this faster.” He glares, seemingly enjoying this as much as Dabi. (not at all.)
“We??” Hawks starts, wiping tears from his face, “Oh no, I'm staying here forever. This is priceless.” 

Dabi swears under his breath while giving the finger to the bird from across the room. Hawks, in return, sticks out his tongue triumphantly. All while Twice hands a kettle to the villain, urging him to heat it up and serve it.

“I swear to god,” the decay user mutters, “if someone tries to hand me a menu shaped like a cat, I’m dusting this whole place.”
Toga hides the suspiciously cat-shaped menu behind her back, giving a nervous giggle before running away with the empty tray.

With dead eyes and a voice full of threat, Dabi finally walks up to the “customers”. The kettle that is filled with tea in one hand, pinky raised, handle almost melting in the process.
Once at the booth, he lets go of it, fully intending to give all four men third-degree burns.
But the hero has to swoop in and save the day. A feather curls around the handle mid-air, guiding it down on the table without anything spilling.

“Here,” Dabi grumbles. 

“Such hospitality,” Compress muses. “Truly, the spirit of customer service lives within you.”

Hawks grins at Dabi when they finally make eye contact, biting down a cackle. “You know,” he starts, flirty as always, “you’re kind of pulling it off, you look cute.”

Dabi’s eye twitches, the temperature around them rising, making Spinner click uncomfortably.
“Say that again and I’ll burn those feathers one by FUCKING one ,” Dabi spits out, biting the air in front of him while grabbing the collar of the heroes shirt.

Hawks doesn’t fight it. He flaps his wings a few times until they’re eye level with each other. His smug grin widens at the sight of the triggered villain.
Getting such a visceral reaction from the man is rare, and Hawks is soaking it all up.
“Kinky... I like it, ” he purrs, leaning closer to the villain. The shirt he's wearing goes up in flames, burning Hawk's chest in the process. The bird shrieks and launches into the air while smothering the fire before it can do more damage. Dabi is now laughing manically, folded over himself from the reaction.
Shigaraki snorts and Spinner groans at the scene. 

Behind the bar counter next to Twice, Toga claps her hands and squeals. “Best. Café. Ever!!!”
Her hands clasp with Twices, and they both jump around in a circle, giggling like schoolgirls.

Dabi will be reminded of this day for years to come.