Chapter Text
The city always looked uglier from above.
At least, that’s how Dabi saw it. Lights flickering like dying fireflies, cars honking below like a nest of pissed-off hornets, the neon signs blurred by smog. He liked rooftops though. They were the kind of place where you could hear yourself think.
Unfortunately, tonight, he wasn’t alone.
He heard him before he saw him: big red wings flapping furiously and a loud thump when he landed beside him.
”If it isn’t my favorite pro hero,” said Dabi sarcastically, taking a drag from his cigarette.
Hawks laughed. “Hah! You’re funny, Dabi. Thought your favorite would be Endeavour or something.”
Dabi’s grip on his cigarette tightened. Nobody but Tenko knew he was Touya Todoroki. Hawks saying that must have been the universe’s doing—laughing and making fun of him while Hawks sat there smiling like an idiot.
Hawks eyed the cancer stick between Dabi’s pointer & middle finger and grimaced. “How do you even enjoy those things?” he asked. “It’s like asking for an early death. Which you seem to be inviting with open arms.”
Dabi didn’t respond for a moment. Just breathed in the smoke and blew it out on Hawks’ face. “Didn’t know you cared.”
The blond coughed manically, waving his arms around to clear the second-hand smoke. “Ugh. I don’t,” he replied bitterly before smiling. “Or maybe I do.”
Dabi was tempted to blow more smoke in his face. But the tone in Keigo’s voice. . .
”Did I leave the famous Dabi speechless? Guess you could say I’m quite the charmer.”
”Fuck off,” Dabi spat out. The last thing he wanted was for Keigo to think he was into him and his dumbass antics.
”You don’t have to hide it, hot stuff,” Hawks teased. “It’s okay to admit you have feelings.” He paused. “For me.”
Slowly turning his head, Dabi blinked. Twice.
On the inside, Dabi wanted to die. He’d rather take a swan dive off of the rooftop than to continue this conversation with Hawks. It irked him to his core: the fact that Keigo might seriously be interested in him?
On the outside, Dabi only responded, “You done yet?”
Hawks shrugged. “For tonight.” He got up and flashed his wings, preparing to take flight. “See ya later, handsome.” Then he flew off.
Dabi’s face was flushed. He absolutely hated what Hawks was doing to him. He hated the way his cheeks probably looked tomato red. He hated the way Hawks’ pretty face made his brain short-circuit. He hated how their banter was slowly turning into something else.
Something he didn’t want.
Villains don’t fall in love. Their motives kept them from doing so. You hear stories about heroes with their perfect wife and kids back home, but do you ever hear about villains with spouses? With families “back home”? That’s simply what they’re meant to be. The moment you chose villainy, love stopped choosing you back.
With a final drag to his cigarette, Dabi put it out on the floor before walking away, back to the hideout. He had to get his Hawks problem under control. And fast.
•••
Back at the bar, the silence that cloaked it was unusual. No Himiko and her annoying singing. No Iguchi on one of his rants. No Sako and his weird monologues. Kurogiri’s presence was nowhere to be found either. Dabi assumed they were all out getting food or something, so he strolled on in.
Plopping himself on their couch, Dabi flipped through TV channels mindlessly. He needed Hawks’ voice out of his head, and what better way to do that than to watch some weird American movie about a robot guy who kills everybody? Pure cinema according to Dabi.
As Dabi’s eyes were glued to the screen, he was unaware of Tomura who had walked in, hungry and irritated.
“The fuck are you watching?” the blue-haired man asked, his familiar raspy voice slightly quieter for a change.
Dabi’s head snapped to the direction he heard Tomura’s voice at. He stared for a second, causing the latter to jitter and scratch uncomfortably, before he whispered, “Yes.”
”Hello? Earth to patchwork?” Tomura sassed. “The fuck are you watching?”
”Bossman. I need one favor of you,” the dark-haired man sat up and turned his body over at Tomura’s direction, who was currently raiding their cabinets for snacks.
Shigaraki paid no mind to the piece of burnt flesh sitting on their couch. He mindlessly pushed past open beer bottles and cans of tuna to make it to his holy grail: his salt and vinegar extra party sized bag of chips.
”No,” he replied instantly.
Dabi blinked. “You have no idea what I’m asking though.”
Tomura pushed himself on the counter, munching on his chips. “Doesn’t matter. If it’s coming from you, it’s either stupid, dangerous, or annoying. Probably all three.”
Dabi flipped him off before rolling back into his previous couch position. So much for getting Birdbrain off of his back. His plan was foiled. Guess he’s doomed for all eternity. He’s gonna have to take him out on dates, kiss him, touch him, make the public know that the murderous, horrible Dabi was in love with a pro hero. There goes both of their careers.
”Are you gonna tell me or are you gonna sit there and sulk like a baby?”
Dabi shot straight up and inhaled. Here goes nothing.
”I need you to fake date me.”
“You are seriously fucked up.” Tomura drops a chip into his mouth, slightly chuckling to himself.
”I’m being serious,” Dabi sighs loudly. “Look, Keigo won’t stop flirting with me-“
The blue-haired man interrupts him. “And so your genius plan. . . was to involve me in your weird romantic problems.”
Dabi shot him a dirty look. “It’s not romantic. It’s fucking Hawks.
Tomura rolled his eyes so hard the rest of him almost followed. “Wow. Incredible. Tragic. Have you tried. . . I don’t know. . . telling him to fuck off?”
“Yes,” Dabi deadpanned. “Multiple times. It only makes him flirt more.”
Tomura actually gagged. “Ew.”
“Yeah, exactly. So I need a solution. And that’s you.”
Tomura leveled him with the deadest stare imaginable. “You seriously want me to pretend to date you so that Hawks stops hitting on you.”
“Yup.”
“. . .and what’s in it for me?”
Dabi shrugged, leaning back like this was normal conversation. “I dunno. You’re the only one I trust to pull this off. Not like it’s permanent or something.”
That made Tomura go still. Violently still.
“Don’t say weird sentimental shit to me,” he muttered, ears turning the faintest shade of pink. “I hate it.”
Dabi smirked, sensing a way to piss Tomura off. “What? I can’t compliment my future boyfriend?”
Tomura choked on air. “We’re not— you’re not— shut up!”
He threw a chip at Dabi’s head. It bounced off harmlessly.
Dabi caught the next one between two fingers. “Cute.”
”Shut the fuck up,” Tomura hissed. He already hated the fact that he had internally agreed to this plan, but he would rather shit in his hands and clap than admit that to Touya Todoroki’s face.
With a loud groan, Tomura uttered out a singular “Fine.”
”Fine?” Dabi replied, skeptical.
“YES fine! For fuck’s sake, do you need me to spell it out?” Tomura snapped. “This is only because I don’t want that feathery piece of shit interfering with our future plans, alright? Strictly business.”
Dabi’s grin widened. “Thanks Bossman. Knew I could count on you.”
Tomura shooed him off before hopping off of the counter and walking away. The thumping in his heart was borderline traitorous: the way Dabi’s smile grew, how he said “Bossman” with a little extra breath, how he just knew what buttons he had to press in order to get his way. It exhausted him. But also excited him.
Fuck, he thought to himself. There’s no turning back now then.