Work Text:
A simple drug bust. That's what Hawks had been told when he got sent to investigate. Find the drugs, catch the criminals, and go home. It was supposed to be easy, right? Wrong. Turns out people don't like it when they get told they're going to jail. There had been a girl with a scorpion quirk who had been faster then him, stabbing him in the stomach with her tail before all five drug dealers fled the scene. Hawks laughed weakly at the irony. Someone had been faster than the fastest hero on earth. Logically, he knew he should go to the doctors, or call someone who could potentially heal him. But along with being fast, Hawks also had common sense. He knew when something was a lost cause. So, instead of trying to save his life, he pulled out his phone and clicked call on his boyfriends name. Dabi's voice came through the speaker almost instantly.
"Hey Birdie, what's up?" He sounded gentler than he would if someone else was calling, but Dabi always sounded gentler with Hawks now. Hawks took a deep breath, trying to sound normal.
"Just finished a drug bust and wanted to call and see how things were at the League. I won't be coming in tonight." Hawks says, excluding the part that he wouldn't be coming in ever again. He wouldn't get to watch Spinner and Shigaraki fight for first place on some stupid video game. Toga would never get to paint his talons again. He would never get another cooking lesson from Dabi, who was actually a great cook.
"You're not coming? Are you sick?" Dabi asks, yelling at someone in the background to 'shut the fuck up before he lights the place on fire'. Hawks hum softly, taking another deep breath.
"Yeah, you could say that." He mutters, looking at the blood seeping through his fingers and staining his clothes. He swears he can hears flames flickering in the background as Dabi processes this information.
"Hawks, answer me honestly. Are you ok? Do I need to come get you?" Dabi asks, making Hawks pause. He would love to see Dabi before he died, but Dabi would only try to find a way to fix him. Hawks knew this. Dabi didn't get attached to thigns very easily but once he found something, or someone, he refused to let them go.
"I'm ok Hot Stuff. Just a little tired. Spent all day running around and even pros get tired." He offers a weak chuckle, pulling the phone away when he coughs. Blood stains his sleeve when he pulls away. He didn't have much time left now. He hears Dabi sigh, can practically see the exasperation of Dabi's face. He smiles at the thought.
"Ok birdie. Just.... let me know if you need anything." Hawks nods, despite knowing the other man can't see him doing the action.
"I will." He says. "One more thing." He adds as an after thought.
"What is it Hawks?" Dabi asks.
"I just wanted to let you know that... I love you Touya. So much." Hawks whispers into the phone. He knows Dabi is surprised. They rarely use each other's true names. But after a beat, he replies.
"I love you too, Keigo." The line falls dead and Hawks leans back, closing his eyes and letting a soft smile cross his lips as Dabi's words echo in his ears. Finally, Hawks stops breathing. The Winged Hero had finally died.
It was on the news that night. Dabi had been calling nonstop, trying to get ahold of Hawks and make sure he was settled at home. Even though Dabi didn't want to admit it sometimes, he cared deeply for those who wormed their way into his burnt heart. And Hawks had managed to make himself one of the main people in Dabi's life. That's when the TV crackled to life when Spinner was trying to fix the connection.
"Hello. My name is Meryl Hope. We are here at the crime scene were a supposed drug bust gone bad went down." Dabi feels his throat close up. Didn't Hawks mention something about a drug bust on the call earlier?
"The Winged Hero Hawks was sent to the job, but the five suspects dealing with many illegal substances got away. Unfortunately, Hawks was severely injured with a puncture to the stomach and passed away. The time of death is uncertain...." The rest of whatever the reporter was saying faded into the background. Dabi's phone clatters to the floor as Dabi himself stumbles back.
"Dabi? Is Hawks.... dead?" Toga asks, her voice cutting through the fog in Dabi's mind. The poor girl looked up to Hawks, saw him as a big brother. Hawks had been one of Toga's best friends, and now Hawks was gone. Dabi felt something wet slide down his cheeks and wipes at them, smearing the blood that came from his eyes instead of tears.
"Yeah Toga. Hawks is... Hawks is dead." Dabi chokes out. Toga makes an awful choking sound before running into Dabi's arms. Usually, Dabi would shove her away but this time? This time he held the girl tightly and rocked the two of them back and forth. Hawks was dead. The person who came in, destroyed every veiw Dabi had about heroes, made Dabi's life easier to live in and the world of the League a little brighter, was dead. Dabi could hear the commotion of the League, all of them figuring out what to do and having their own reaction at the news, but Dabi just held on to Toga tightly, trying to ignore the pain in his chest that felt like it might kill him. Dabi wouldn't break completely. Hawks -No, Keigo, wouldn't want that. So, right there, Dabi made a decision that would change his life completely.
-6 Years Later-
The Keigo Takami Foundation had been founded to help kids like Keigo get out of abusive homes and follow thier dreams. The Commission had been shut down when multitudes of anonymous evidence got submitted to the police. And Touya Todoroki was now a citizen who helped those with quirks they couldn't control, or defective quirks that hurt them. He was also the adoptive father of a beautiful young girl. Touya had been taking his daughter on a walk when they found the statue of HAwks in the middle of one of the nature parks of Japan.
"Daddy, that's the man you're always talking about." His daughter says. Touya chuckles, nodding.
"That's right." Touya says. The young girl studies the statue before looking at Touya.
"Was he a nice man Daddy?" She asks him. Touya smiles fondly at his daughter, picking her up and propping her on his hip.
"Yeah, Keia. He was the nicest man I ever met."