Chapter Text
Touya was as ready as ever, he’d been ready for quite some time now, this was the next step in his training- his father had promised he’d be something amazing if he stuck to the rigorous training schedule that had been made for him. Since he was old enough to walk he’d been trained on a daily basis and while sometimes it was brutal, that was okay, Touya knew that it came from a place of love. This had been a sort of failsafe option, sending Touya to an expensive training facility in the HPSC. He wasn’t entirely on board with it, after all the only person who had the right to train him was his father, but if it meant he might be able to do something impressive then he was fine with it. He was bouncing in place as the site director led a couple of other kids away into groups, slowly making his way down the line. Being a ‘Todoroki’ meant he was nearer towards the end of the line, they were alphabetized and sorted away like objects rather than children.
Touya groaned audibly as he finally relented his bouncing, he was eager to get started and all the crying children holding up the process was really starting to grate his nerves. He cast his eyes to either side of him. On the left stood a girl who was probably a foot or so taller than him with sharp teeth that poked out of her mouth like tusks, she had similarly sharp protrusions from spots in her arms and legs- she didn’t look like much of an adversary but she gave him a warning glare, so Touya didn’t even think of starting up a conversation with her. To the right was a blonde boy who looked more around his age with fierce red wings pulled in tight around him, he looked empty and lifeless and Touya wondered if that was part of his quirk. He was going to leave him alone when he noted a familiar looking doll clasped in the boys hands. “That’s my dad!” Touya exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the Endeavor doll the kid was clutching onto. The kid spared him a glance, hollow golden eyes looking back at him like he hadn’t quite caught onto what he was saying, so Touya reaffirmed his words. “Endeavor, he’s my dad!!”
The boy looked a little uncomfortable for a second, but his wings eased away from around him and he nodded. “That’s really cool.” He stated, but he didn’t sound as enthused as Touya would’ve liked him to be. Endeavor was the conversation to be had, everything about his father was amazing and bright- he wanted to be just like him, he had to make him proud. This kid simply didn’t understand that he should be just as excited. Touya huffed a little. “You don’t sound like you mean that.”
The kid shrunk a little more into himself and Touya had the grace to feel a little bad about his words, this was probably new for all of them and this kid was probably a crier like the other kids were being every time they were led away. He should at the very least go easy on him when he was clearly in a strange state of mind. “Whatever, you just don’t understand how cool my dad is, otherwise you’d be just as excited as I am.” Touya turned away again, arms crossed as he began bouncing in place again, eager to get this started as soon as possible.
The boy to his right shuffled a little awkwardly before he spoke up again. “He saved me, I guess, so I really look up to him. I’m just, this is all very new.” Touya glanced back again to find the boy looking down at the doll with an adoration he could very well share in. That was more like it, the respect his father deserved for being so amazing. Touya couldn’t stop the way he beamed. “I’m gonna be as great a hero as he is one day, then people can carry around dolls of me!”
Touya placed his hands on his hips as he smiled a little too widely, overly eager to get trained and molded into something worthy of his fathers pride. This kid had no idea that he was standing in the presence of the future number one hero, yes that’s right, he was going to be someone noteworthy and as awe-inspiring as his father was, he just needed the right materials to get him started. The kid looked at him for a long quiet moment before his eyes brightened considerably, like he believed every word Touya was saying. “Good luck.” Was all he said to him before the site director motioned to have him guided away. Touya watched as the kid was taken out of the room, not once did he ever look back.
- Years Later-
Dabi slammed back against a wall, feeling a shift in his ribs that didn’t feel natural- yea something was out of place, he could feel it. He took in a shuddering breath as he let his body slide down against the brick, trying for a second to just calm himself down, he couldn’t breathe and his body was overheating a lot faster than it should’ve been. It wasn’t uncommon for his suit to malfunction, unfortunately the people who worked on the design of his coat weren’t the greatest- part of some elaborate scheme to get the school full of students more recognized or whatever. And Dabi was all for promoting things for a good cause if they worked, he didn’t want some kids' careers ruined because his support items were a little more intricate and tricky than they should’ve been. He panted heavily as he tried to dispel the steam rising inside of him, he felt like he was being cooked alive, he just needed a second away from the battle to collect his bearings- maybe find a nice lake or something to cool off in. Oh yes, that sounds pretty great right about now. He’s certain the League can handle everything else from here on anyway, there were plenty of them and the villain was significantly weakened after Dabi’s flashfire grand move, he’d done his part now it was up to them to finish it.
Dabi heaved himself up off the pavement as he stumbled away for cover in a nearby alleyway, just a quick couple of seconds to breathe and he’d be right back out there to help finish off what they’d started. His mind was spinning though, and it was gradually getting harder to breathe, everything he touched melted under his palms. The bricks on the building he was leaning against turned to putty between his fingers. He dropped his head as he tried to breathe again. God god god, it’d been so long since he’d overheated like this, he wasn’t even sure what he should do- he was a hero, he couldn't look for help. Not now. He wiped a hand across his face, feeling sweat and blood intermingle with gritty dirt, he was a mess and needed a shower for more than one reason. He probably needed a doctor as well, but he was a little iffy on them after a couple of bad run-ins in the past. He would stick to getting patched up by his League mates. But maybe now he wouldn’t have the chance, his skin was starting to burn even him, his lackluster tolerance growing more and more evident every second. If he tried to, he didn't think he’d make it far, so he didn’t bother looking for Kurogiri or someone to give him a hand- maybe he should remove the jacket but it seemed like the opposite of a good idea, but what if the cooling system kicked back in and he didn’t know?
“Are you okay there?” Dabi’s striking blue eyes pierced through the darkness when he lifted his head, sights narrowing on a man standing deeper down the alleyway looking every bit suspicious. Dabi should probably do his job as a hero and interrogate this man, who the hell crept around an alleyway at nearly 3am anyway? The man was mostly hidden by the shadows, but his silhouette was really something . A small form with a large width that seemed to stretch and grow randomly, Dabi was in no shape to be fighting a weird villain with a fluctuating body. He sneered a little as sharp golden eyes studied him a little too intensely. “Oh.” The man suddenly spoke up again. “You’re the cremation hero Dabi, you’re the one with flames stronger than Endeavor.”
Dabi shuddered at the mention of that thing , he had no interest in being reminded of his old man here and now, especially if he were about to die. His last thoughts should be something or someone worthwhile, it was a shame he was drawing up blanks when he tried to think of an example. The creature shifted a little closer to him, Dabi could feel his temperature rising with the movement. “Your flames are actually so hot your own body isn’t compatible with it, that’s a shame.” He didn’t sound sincere. “Are you overheating?”
“I’ll kick your ass if you-” He broke off as a water bottle zipped over in front of him, ice cold and exactly the kind of thing he needed now. So maybe he’d jumped to conclusions because this guy was shaped weirdly, forgive him for being cautious at 3am in an abandoned alleyway after having the shit kicked out of him by some low level nobody villain. He huffed as he snatched the bottle out of the air, feeling the way his overheating body was already boiling the temperature of the drink, it was a kind gesture and might’ve stalled his dying for a few more minutes but his body was steadily declining and he wasn't sure how much longer he’d be conscious for. “Shouldn’t you have gear to protect against this?”
Dabi took in a heavy breath after washing away a bit of his heat with the liquified heaven, never before had water tasted so fucking good . “Yea.” He bit out gruffly as the man shifted a little closer again. “But I guess it got knocked around in battle, I just need a second.” The man’s golden eyes watched him with an intensity that made Dabi feel a little on edge, almost like he were some prey caught in the path of a dangerous predator, it didn’t soothe him one bit to be in such a state of dishevelment right now. He was sure he could get one good blast of fire out before his death, he just needed to time himself right.
“Can I look at it? The system must be installed along your jacket right? In the cuffs and along the neck, it’s why the collar is so high right?” Dabi looked back at the man who was still watching him with a plaintive stare. The silence dragged on for a couple moments because Dabi wasn’t about to admit that the high collar was a fashion choice of his because he might’ve been going through an emo grunge phase when he first started out that quickly morphed into his style. The man’s eyes narrowed as if he already understood that it didn’t serve any purpose outside of style. He sighed something that sounded incredibly exasperated. “Okay, style choices aside, I work on stuff like this. Let me see it, maybe I can fix it.”
A hand extended from the shadows, fingertips curved into sharp talon-like claws. Dabi had never been one to shy away from people with mutation based quirks, Spinner pretty much shoved acceptance down the League’s throat the instant he was brought in. Not like anyone had previously had any issues with them, but Shigaraki had taken a liking to Spinner so every little tidbit of information and explanation of how hard it was to be a mutant in today’s society and how they were looked down upon or whatnot was something Dabi had to listen to at least once a week. He hadn’t really put too much thought or care into mutants before seeing as he had his own quirk related issues to deal with before he’d worry about everyone else’s- but the League was all for inclusivity, especially when it came to strange and generally outlawed quirks. They were paving the way for society to learn to get off their high horses or whatever, so Dabi wasn’t too offput to see this man’s claws- though he was still a little hesitant to offer up his incredibly expensive jacket to someone who looked like they were homeless.
“You’re not as famous as you think, I’m not gonna try and steal or sell your jacket.” The man finally stepped into a sliver of light and the sight Dabi saw was nothing he expected. This man stood shorter than him by a head or so, he was pretty in ways that Dabi hadn’t actually thought was possible. Most models took work to look as good as this crazy person standing before him. What really caught his eye were the scarlet wings towering behind him, fluttering every so often as if he were uncomfortable in the situation, more so than even Dabi himself. “I just want to look and see if it’s a quick fix or not.”
“Sure, yea, hang on.” Dabi wasn’t a smart man, nor was he necessarily the best kind of man, he was as weak to pretty things as most objects were to his fire. He’s sure if a villain were pretty enough he’d probably let them take his life, well if this guy were a villain he’d definitely have no complaints about losing to him. So if he made a show of sliding his jacket over his shoulders and down the swell of his biceps nobody could really blame him. The man looked unimpressed as he accepted the jacket, looking over it and quickly settling into silent work. He didn’t look up at Dabi even once, eyes focused solely on the panel he’d found in one of the cuffs. Dabi didn’t mind, his silence meant that Dabi could watch him while he worked. Watch the way his golden hair fell into his just as striking gaze, the way fanged teeth gnawed on his undoubtedly soft lower lip, the way his wings twitched and flexed shimmering like rubies in the dim lampshade. He was a work of art and Dabi was desperate to preserve it, but he was unfortunately a fast worker, he was offering Dabi’s jacket back over faster than he’d expected him to. “Do you let interns design your stuff?”
Dabi blinked as he accepted the jacket back. “Yea, to help them promote their brands and all.” The man scrunched his face up a bit and by god was it cute. “That’s a nice gesture, but you’re in need of some serious upgrades. I did what I could with the material I was given, but all the wiring was off and the design is kinda sloppy, that’s not a result of the battle.” The man crouched down to pick his bag of groceries back up- Dabi hadn’t even noticed them before. “You should look into someone with a little more experience since your shit not working can get you killed.”
“I, uh, yea. . . Who are you?” The man laughed a little as he waved and started heading off. “Too expensive for you, have a great night.” Dabi didn’t chase after him as he disappeared out of the exit to the alley, he just stood and watched, feeling a little dazed. Yea he was gonna figure out who that guy was and he was going to manage to make enough solely for the purpose of affording him- he was the number two hero, he could afford nice things. He glanced down at the jacket still clasped in his hands, noting the little scribbled feather like an insignia against one of the cuffs, that would be more than enough to locate the man again.
Sighing, he finally shrugged his jacket back on only to be instantly assaulted with a wave of cold like no other- his system was working and was doing so better than it had done before. Dabi’s body instinctively relaxed as the cool air worked over his skin, refreshing now that he knew he wasn’t about to die. The sound of sneakers scuffing against the pavement startled him from his relaxation, Shigaraki bursting into the alleyway looking a little crazed. Ruby eyes narrowed in on Dabi’s languid form with a mixture of anger and worry. “Are you dying??”
“Not anymore.” Dabi pushed himself off the wall, that ache in his side blossoming to life again with a severe sort of aggression. He wanted to curl up in a ball and never move again, it hurt so bad and he knew that it was broken when every move he took was agony like no other. Shigaraki’s eyes softened a little, clearly catching onto Dabi’s struggle. “Whatever, come on, Kurogiri got so worried he swallowed the villain whole in a portal to prison. I sent the others to go make sure the officers weren’t being attacked since that was kinda reckless.”
Dabi huffed, trying to keep his affections from showing in his eyes. Kurogiri was always overprotective when it came down to any of them. He’d throw himself off a cliff for any reason if it meant he’d be even the slightest bit helpful to those he favored- which was pretty much anyone in the League. Specifically Shigaraki, he was something of a father to him, but it wasn’t ever really talked about. Dabi leaned his weight against Shigaraki as he cast one last glance over his shoulder into the depths of the alleyway. This wouldn’t be his last time running into that person, he’d be sure of it.
🛠️🛠️🛠️
It had been a couple days since that battle, and it was safe to say that things weren’t exactly going the way Dabi had originally planned. Dabi was livid, furious, beyond angry- he’d never heard such bullshit in his life. No matter which support agencies he spoke to he hears the same damn thing . ‘Hawks’, as it turns out pretty boy went by, was a ghost of the support world. Someone only the elites ever got to meet and someone who only existed through his little inscribed feather signature on every piece of work he tampered with. There was nowhere left to turn at this point, he knew well enough that nobody knew where Hawks was or how to contact him- he wasn’t ‘too expensive’ his services were simply not for sale. There was a big difference there and Dabi was eager to find him again and explain that to him. He huffed as he traced the same path back to his kitchen sink from his couch, he’d been pacing in frustration all morning. Call after call led him nowhere, he’d never had so much trouble locating anything- and someone who worked on support gear shouldn’t be so impossible to find. He did general work that anybody else could do, just at a skill level that was apparently unrivaled. He had to be employed under the commission, like they all were, so it made no sense that a name as big as his wouldn’t have an agency linked to it- he deserved to be noticed by the public for his skill. Dabi turned on his heels and made his way back over to the couch again, still contemplating the easiest way to find Hawks. He could always ask his old man, which was slowly starting to become a more and more reasonable thing, if it meant talking to Hawks again then he’d risk a migraine sure. He paused halfway back to the couch, blinking. He could always go straight to the top, ask Madame President if she knew anything about him- nothing escaped her eye, so if he were as good as everyone seemed to imply then she would’ve heard of him.
The Commission office wasn’t too far from where his penthouse was stationed, he liked it that way because whenever anything inconvenienced him he’d go march right down to her office and demand it be changed. Be it some petty little nothing hero or a patrol route that was unfairly given to him or his lesser League-mates. He had the highest ranking out of them all and it was his job to make sure they weren’t being taken advantage of by the system. Sometimes Dabi wondered if the only reason his ranking was so high was because of his father, it was ridiculous to think that the public believed Endeavor was greater than the blue-flamed supernova hero Dabi, he could run circles around that thing without ever breaking a sweat. Dabi shook the thought out of his head, it didn’t matter right now. He needed to get to the office and see if anyone had any idea on where Hawks was or how he was able to produce all this gear without an agency of his own.
It was only a brisk walk to get to the office, and it wasn’t nearly as packed as it usually was with it being only Tuesday. Dabi didn’t even bother greeting anyone back as he made his way down the halls and up the stairs to get to Madame Presidents office, meetings be dammed because he wasn’t knocking before entering either. He pushed the door open with a flourish, catching Madame President’s attention and the five other guests in the office with her efficiently. They all stared like he were a wild animal that had somehow managed to break into a heavily guarded building, utilize the elevator to get to the top floor, and slam open their office door. Dabi could only smile at the sentiment. “Who is Hawks?” He demanded before any of them ever got the chance to speak, Madame President looked beyond exhausted as she dismissed her party with a graceful flick of her wrist.
The five people hurriedly brushed past Dabi, heads ducked as they made their way down the hall, he’d just saved people from having their asses chewed out he could tell just by looking at them. Spinner and Compress tended to get the same way, Twice would start bawling when Madame President got too rough with his performance review. Dabi let the door shut behind him as he carried himself further into the office. “Why do you want to know, Todoroki?”
It irked him when she called him by that, and he knew she did it because it was the only little bit of power she held over him. He gritted his teeth, now wasn’t the time to fight, he wanted something so for the time being he had to play nice. He breathed out steam on his exhale. “He fixed my gear the other day after I’d been attacked, I know you know who he is and I want to employ him at my agency.”
She grimaced a moment before her expression fell back into something neutral. “Hawks is a special case, he’s not really. . . public ready, he’s not someone you can employ personally at your agency, though you can request upgrades through me and I’ll have him get to it when he has spare time-”
“What the hell do you mean ‘ not really public ready’?? He’s perfectly capable of doing his job, he showed that to me the other night.” He watched the way her eye twitched as she forced her gaze down on reassembling the paperwork scattered across her desk. This was clearly a subject she didn’t want to brush too hard against, which easily meant she was doing something that might not be considered legal or humane, something Dabi could hold above her if he ever needed to. He filed that information away for later. “He’s already employed through the commission, he works for us and does what-”
“With all due respect, I’m the number two hero. I’m one of the highest ranking heroes you have that still follows along with your rules, I’m the easiest to market and one of the most profitable heroes you have in your collection.” He braced both of his hands against the desk, cerulean eyes glimmering with a promise as he held her tired gaze. “But I don’t have to be, I can be the best or the worst card in your hand, how you handle this right now decides that.” Dabi was easily the most spitfire of all of the heroes, he could cause a scene at the drop of a pin- his flames were almost too powerful and sometimes in battle could cause major and devastating property damage if he didn’t contain it well enough. There was also the issue with his quickfire temper and silver tongue, he could make a news anchor cry in less than two minutes- he’d been on a streak of good behavior lately because he didn’t really have any reason to act out in the way that the commission would frown upon. He didn’t mind doing his job or any of the other menial tasks given to him if it meant it’d keep him busy, he liked feeling suffocated in work- the League did the most for the commission and therefore deserved to employ Hawks. This was a League decision, not just Dabi’s.
Madame President sighed something fierce as she lowered her papers back to the desk, eyes beyond tired at this point as she met Dabi’s gaze. “He’s unpleasant to work with.” She tried again and Dabi only smiled, all teeth. “So am I.”
“He’s not really good with people in general, and hasn’t had much experience with interactions, he’s usually left to his own devices.”
“I’ve got a real nice quiet place set up in the agency already for a new support staff, I’m sure he’ll find it to his liking.” She looked away for a long and quiet moment, clearly contemplating her choices now that they were laid out in front of her. Dabi couldn’t imagine that dealing with his attitude would be easier than letting Hawks work for the League. A change of pace and a new working environment- as well as probably a smaller workload, would probably be nice for the guy. He was working hard enough as is, Dabi didn’t know that for a fact he just knew that Hawks was pretty and didn’t really deserve to have to work at all- everything should just be given to him and Dabi was more than prepared both emotionally and financially to give him anything he could ask for. Madame President turned her attention back to Dabi, nose tilted up as if she had the high ground here. “If Hawks agrees to work with you then I suppose I see no faults in it.”
Dabi felt his heart pick up speed a little too quickly. “Yea sure-”
“ But , if he gets injured or wants to come back at any point you must let him. Am I understood?” Dabi rolled his eyes as he pushed himself away from the desk. “Crystal clear, boss.” He turned and started heading out of the office, he already knew where the support wing was and was sure he could probably find out where Hawks did his work without having to look too hard. Madame President didn’t speak again as he exited the room.
🛠️🛠️🛠️
Despite the fact that this wing had a bunch of support staff in and out of it there was an alarmingly high number of busted and flickering light bulbs, it made Dabi’s walk down the corridor eerie. It had taken him a while to find the hidden support wing where Hawks resided, the one below ground where you had to have certain clearance to get in or out of. It was a lot of hype for someone who basically designed outfits all day but what did Dabi know anyway? Hawks had proven himself enough the other night by being useful without really any tools, he couldn’t imagine how much better he got when given the right material. Dabi had to walk up and down the hallway a couple of times before he found Hawks’ workspace at the very end of the hall, as out of sight as possible. It looked almost as if the commission didn’t want the world to even know that Hawks existed. He tucked that thought away as he let himself into the room. Hawks was bent over a workbench, goggles fastened tightly to his pretty eyes as he worked a torch over a random bit of metal- Dabi was convinced that the support staff just did random stuff at times to seem busy, this was one of those times. The metal bent and wiggled under the flames, all of Hawks’ attention was fastened to it, the only recognition Dabi got was a slight flick of one of the man’s wings which could’ve just been coincidental.
He breathed out a heavy sigh before he approached the man. “What? No hello?” Hawks set down his torch, eyes bored from behind the goggles as he finally turned towards the hero. It wasn’t fair how handsome he was, even covered in soot and oil he still looked as attractive as before when he’d been bunched up in a ratty hoodie and jeans in that alleyway. “I don’t have any interest in wasting my time, greetings are irrelevant and a waste of breath.”
Dabi laughed softly. “Think of how much more breath you could’ve saved by just saying ‘hi’ rather than explaining that all to me.” Hawks looked briefly caught off guard, like it made perfect sense what Dabi was saying- partially because it did. Dabi had the feeling that Hawks was rarely called out for things or rarely proven wrong, he wanted to do it more often now. “Maybe I only came to say hi, what then?” Dabi asked, smiling slow and calculated. Hawks looked disgruntled, wings twitching behind him like he were contemplating trying to run or fly somewhere. There weren’t any windows in this room seeing as it was buried underground, so the only exit would be past Dabi. He wasn’t trying to corner Hawks but he liked the idea of Hawks not being able to run away this time, he’d be able to ask all his questions now.
Dabi, smoothly , leaned against the table. Not aware that the table was scalding , and while he was a fire user he didn’t particularly like touching or picking up hot things that weren’t related to his fire. He snatched his hand back quickly with a hiss, shaking his hand out. How dare Hawks not even warn him. Hawks looked amused, not even the slightest glimmer of concern behind his eyes. “I figured you couldn’t get burned.” Dabi shot him a look, flexing his fingers every now and then just to keep the blood pumping. “You’re an idiot if you actually thought that.”
Hawks hummed, head tilting from side to side as he pushed his stool back away from his workbench. “Endeavor’s never burned himself on anything.” Dabi’s scowl only deepened, he wasn’t really in the mood to hear about his father and how much greater he was than Dabi- but really he was never in the mood for that. He’d much rather chew off his own arm thank you very much. Hawks seemed to catch on, wings stretching gracefully behind him like they were capturing and storing away all this information. “Forget it Dabi, what can I do for you? Did you come for another upgrade?” Hawks peered curiously at Dabi’s jacket, clearly still not over the mechanics to the cooling system. “Maybe you could let me-”
“If you want me to strip for you birdie, all you had to do was ask .” Dabi purred, this time it was Hawks’ turn to scowl. Pretty lips drawn down in distaste and golden eyes flashing with something that oddly enough didn’t resemble hate- more like frustration? Embarrassment? Dabi would be sure to explore that later. “Get away from me stupid hero, you’re just here to waste my time for no-”
“Okay okay! Easy there birdie, I just came to offer you employment.” Hawks paused his tirade, eyes losing their fire for a second. “I’m already employed. To the commission.” Dabi rolled his eyes, everyone was employed to the commission. And weirdly the longer he looked around this tiny shambled room of his, the less he thought of this as ‘employment’. It looked an awful lot like ownership. Dabi seethed a little, he understood what it meant to be somebody’s prized possession, for a little while in his own life he’d been his fathers. He tried to shrug the feeling away, he didn’t know Hawks’ predicament, maybe he designed this room himself. “Yea but Madame President said that I could hire you personally, you could come and-”
“Work for your League of degenerates? No thank you, I’ve seen all of your newspaper articles, I don’t have any interest in tarnishing the Takami name any further.” Hawks’ eyes narrowed and something dangerous flitted over his expression, threatening almost. Like he wasn’t the one being cornered but instead Dabi was the one trapped in the room with him. Dabi liked the feeling of excitement racing down his spine, he fought back against the urge to lean in closer. “Come on Hawks, you’ve been practically invisible all your life, don’t you wanna do something fun for once?” Hawks looked, for a long moment, caught off guard. His eyes flicked over to the far wall where a makeshift window had been placed, one of the projection screen types that displayed a pretty picture of somewhere beautiful and quiet. Dabi felt a pang of pity claw through his chest, he knew all too well what being trapped felt like. Hawks turned back to him, eyes narrowed a little now. “For a job? Just a job? Complete professionalism?”
Dabi couldn’t catch the laughter before it spilled past his lips, breathy and surprised. “I’m not going to attack you, Hawks. Also I think you’ll find you like the League.” Hawks huffed a little before he turned to whatever object he’d been working on only a moment ago. He brushed his fingers over the torch on the table, eyes focused hard on it. “I’ve never. . . I mean, I’ve been here my whole life.” He admitted quietly. Dabi felt his heart burn a little. “All the more reason to leave.” Hawks looked back at him, eyes cautious as they regarded him. He looked fearful, hesitant and small, unsure. Which was understandable, Dabi had been aggressive when he’d finally left behind his old horrible lifestyle. Hawks sighed, shoulders dropping tension as he nodded. “Okay, come on, show me where your base is.”
🛠️🛠️🛠️
Twice was the loudest when Dabi brought Hawks through the door, squealing something fierce that sent Hawks into an absolute frenzy. Even after being reassured over and over that Twice wasn’t a danger to anyone he was still upset, Dabi had shown Hawks where his work station would be and that had been that- he’d locked himself in the room and hadn’t been seen for hours now. Dabi understood being upset, sure he was always upset when Twice was loud, but refusing to speak to any of them just because he was minorly inconvenienced by a loud noise seemed. . . excessive. Dabi was pacing the kitchen when Shigaraki made his way in. He sneered a moment before making a beeline for the fridge, rummaging through it for whatever unhealthy nonsense he was in the mood for this time. “I can’t believe you brought a stray home and it won’t even talk to us.”
Dabi shot a glare over to Shigaraki, fuming. He was upset too but he wasn’t upset enough to take that aggression out on Hawks in such a disrespectful way. Shigaraki seemed to catch on quick. “You know what I mean, I think it’s one thing to be mad but a completely other thing to do this when everyone just wants to get to know him. He’s been talked about for awhile since you decided you had to hire him.” Dabi seethed as he turned to make another path over from the sink to the counter. This was ridiculous, he shouldn’t even care this much, but he did. He wanted Hawks to feel comfortable and happy, this was his home now too . “I know, I know , but Twice started screaming and that’s where it ended I guess.”
“It was quite loud.” Compress chimed in from where he sat sipping his tea, looking like he figured he was better than everyone in this room and in a way maybe he was. “It was aggressively loud, and I’m not even affected by sound but my ears are still ringing.” Spinner argued, fingers massaging into his temple. Shigaraki looked momentarily worried as he went to be at his boyfriends side, fingers lovingly brushing through his pink dyed hair, Dabi could barf. Twice was sat at the edge of the dining table, sniffling something fierce like he’d personally been insulted by Hawks not enjoying being screeched at. “‘I just wanted to express my excitement. It was my sneak attack! ” Twice cried, hands wiping uselessly at the mask he was wearing. Dabi looked at Twice for a long quiet moment, trying to judge the sincerity of his greatly exaggerated tears. Kurogiri would probably be mad if Dabi tore him a new one even if he sincerely deserved it. Instead Dabi turned again, prepared to leave when he caught sight of Hawks at the entrance of the kitchen, looking a little unsure of himself and out of place. Hawks drew his wings closer around himself when their eyes met. “Please don’t scream again!” He interrupted quickly. “I just, er, I came because I felt bad.”
Twice was up out of his seat first, but Spinner’s fast hand kept him from rushing over to where Hawks stood. Compress spoke up quickly. “You have nothing to feel bad for dear, we can all be a little overwhelming, you don’t have to apologize for needing a moment.”
Shigaraki scoffed. “A moment, not two whole hours. ” He muttered wryly, Hawks seemed to have heard him despite how quietly he was speaking, if the look that crossed his face was anything to go by at least. “Forgive me, I was just a little bothered. People don’t usually screech when they meet me, I don’t do fanfare.” Twice, despite himself, was still sniffling. Eyes huge as they fell on Dabi. “Does he hate us now? Man I hope so. ”
A question Dabi surely wouldn’t have the answer to, he hoped that Hawks didn’t hate them already but he seemed like a tough customer to win over. Dabi scratched idly at the back of his neck. “Uh-”
“ No .” Hawks reaffirmed sharply, wings fluttering with agitation behind him as he inched a little closer into the kitchen. Dabi watched him quietly. Even now when he was obviously uncomfortable he moved with a sort of grace, like he’d never stumbled not once in his life. Or maybe Dabi was just giving the slight movement too much credit, it never seemed like enough credit when he thought about Hawks. From all the things he’d heard about him and all the items he’d seen Hawks had crafted, he seemed like someone who should be honored a lot higher than the commission did for him. Like he should be the face of new age support technology, he knew things that Dabi didn’t even know he needed. “It was just really loud.” Hawks finished, looking towards Dabi as well for a short moment, almost helplessly. Right, Hawks didn’t know these people. He didn’t really know Dabi either but they were more familiar with each other than anyone else. “Guys this is Hawks. Hawks, that’s Shigaraki, Twice, Compress, Spinner and Kurogiri. We have an intern too, Toga, but she’s at school right now so you’ll meet her some other day.”
Hawks nodded, eyes still careful as he regarded each member of the League. “Okay, it’s nice to meet you guys I guess. I’m, uh, you know. The support guy.” He ended lamely, wings closing in tighter around himself. “I’ll be making you guys some new gear and stuff, let me know if you have any specifications I need to meet, I’m sure I can accommodate whatever.” Hawks turned around then, clearly ready to leave again when Dabi quickly cleared his throat. “Yea! Hawks is really smart, I’m sure you guys have heard of him before.”
Hawks threw him a look, a mix between irritation and exhaustion before he turned around again. “It’s not about being really smart, it’s just common sense.” Hawks corrected, very humbly. Dabi could already see the sneer on Shigaraki’s face. He was forever against expanding the League in any sense, and he’d already written Hawks off as someone Dabi was attracted to so he wouldn’t give him his due credit for being so profound in his field. It would probably take a bit of time for the two of them to get along, which was fine, Dabi wasn’t going to shove loving Hawks down everyone’s throats. From the brief interactions they’d had so far he could already tell that getting along with Hawks was a difficult process, and everyone else would need to make accommodations before Hawks would change. But he’d lived his whole life away from people, spent every day locked up in the commission headquarters while he fulfilled orders and requests- he hadn’t learned empathy clearly and needed time to adjust to life with other people around. “Okay well I’m in charge around here, so long as you don’t act out we’ll all be fine.”
Hawks’ eyes flashed with a challenge when he turned to Shigaraki who wasn’t backing down or remedying what he’d said. “Act out?” Hawks pushed, clearly digging for clarification on what he was implying. Spinner was quick to interject, saving them all from an uncomfortable moment. “Like with villainy, that’s the League’s number one rule! No villainous behavior! That’s all he means by that- say you have a mutant quirk as well. It’s cool to have someone else who understands that sort of stuff around.”
Hawks looked a little perplexed, and god no it wasn’t a cute look on him. Nor was the way his wings fluffed up cute, it was just a normal amount of- of- well whatever it was supposed to be. Which was probably nothing. Dabi wasn’t affected by any of this. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest, willing his beating heart to slow its pace. “I think there are support groups and stuff online if you’re having difficulties coming to terms with what you are.” Hawks responded clerically, nodding as if he’d said something even remotely helpful. Like Spinner wasn’t trying to bond with him and instead was searching for therapeutic assistance. Shigaraki opened his mouth, eyes hard- but Dabi beat him to speak again. “Thank you, Hawks. We’ll be sure to give those a try if he ever needs it.”
Shigaraki’s eyes were flaring, Spinner just looked a little distressed- all in all it wasn’t the warm meet and greet Dabi had hoped it would be. It was tense and uncomfortable. He was beginning to think that maybe all of this was a bad idea, maybe his crush on Hawks was something he should’ve kept away from the job place. Compress clicked his tongue. “Well, this has been a delight but I have an early shift in the morning so I’m going to clock out early. It was such a pleasure meeting you Hawks and I sincerely look forward to seeing more from you.”
Compress didn’t wait for an answer before he zipped himself out of the room, Kurogiri slowly following in tail behind him. They were undoubtedly going to gossip. For being the older members on the team they gossiped almost as much as Toga did on a regular basis. Kurogiri always had something nasty to say about someone- usually Deborah from the foods store down the road which was always funny to hear. Dabi hoped they wouldn’t talk too harshly about Hawks who seemed to hear just about everything. Shigaraki didn’t even dismiss himself before he too turned and left the room, huffing the entire way down the hall. Spinner looked apologetic before he chased after him. Dabi could at least be grateful to the fact that Spinner would try and be a voice of reason. Even if everyone didn’t end up being friends they’d still have an amazing support staff now. Hawks was genuinely amazing at his job and he didn’t need Dabi defending that when his work spoke for itself. His coat still worked like new, he couldn’t have picked a better person for the job if he tried. Communication skills would come in time, this was probably just Hawks’ display of shyness.
Twice stood up next. “Well I really like you! Not really, you suck!” Hawks looked a little caught off guard, which was reasonable because getting to know Twice was also a feat in and of itself. He glanced a little unsurely towards Dabi for a brief moment before he dipped his head respectfully towards Twice. “Thank you, or- or not?” Twice approached him, as carefully as a boulder careening down a mountain, eyes sparkling as they regarded Hawks. “You’re so small and tiny! We’re gonna be great friends I can already tell! You’re my greatest enemy now.” Hawks looked a little distressed, wings tight against his back. “Okay, that sounds like your plan, thank you for letting me know to keep my guard up for random acts of kindness.”
Twice laughed, loud and rancorous before he slapped Hawks on the arm- gently, or as gentle as an oaf like Twice could be. “See ya later Hawksie!!” He hopped away shortly after. Dabi felt a thrill run through his body again. Being alone with Hawks was always exciting. “So-”
“I should get to work.” Hawks interrupted, turning and dismissing himself too quickly for Dabi to stop him. He sighed a little to himself as he sunk down against the counter. This might be harder than he’d originally expected.