Dabi couldn’t really put a finger on what intrigued him so much in the Number 2 Hero.
At first, he thought it was only because everything in him screamed fake. His smile, his attitude, his cockiness. Maybe he was able to fool everyone, but Dabi was an expert in the whole faux-semblant thing. Lying was second nature to him, printed in his bone marrow, running in his blood. So, it was so obvious that Hawks was the epitome of fakeness.
At first, he just didn’t really care. So what ? The man’s a liar. But, which hero was not?
Then, one day, the bastard approached him. And, for an unknown reason, it struck Dabi’s nerves. Did the hero really think he was this dumb? That he couldn’t see through all his shit?
Then they started texting. Location to meet, insults, fake information -some weren’t lies, he didn’t know why he let slip real information. But it never backfired. So he continued.-, The hero would in return, give him more reasons to hate the hero commission. Nothing too valuable, never. They would exchange fake pick up lines too. Just for the fun of it.
There again, the same freaking word -fake-.
Sometimes, Dabi felt a glimpse of truth between two texts, between two stupid jokes. Sometimes, when they stayed a little longer than what was necessary, in a warehouse Dabi chose -Hawks always let him pick the place-, his facade would break a little. His smile would tear a little. He would let the arsonist see the exhaustion on his face.
Why would, the number 2 hero, lie this much ? Why was he faking arrogance, false-confidence ? Why, WHY, all of those weren’t real?
He was wealthy (at least he guessed), pretty (handsome, hot. Dabi never liked that line of thought. He could never stop anyway.), smart (he would NEVER say it to his face.)
Then, he understood that it was not the whole fake-thing that intrigued him anymore. It became more than that.
It was all the things he would let slipped.
When he finally let the bird meet the rest of the League, he thought « that’s it, he’s going to tell everything to the commission. We’re fucked. I fucked everything, again. »
Months go by. Nothing happen. They were still all safe, wanted, sure, but safe.
Turns out, Hawks had a lot of bird habits he hid very well. Those, he would never have guessed. His wings, when he was not trying to keep them still, would show everything he was feeling. Pride? They would extend. Tired ? They would cover him. Sadness? They’d lowered a little. Sometimes, when he was discovering something new -Games mostly, TV shows, food (and wtf ? Did the man even had a childhood?)- they’d puffed a little bit. His golden eyes would finally have some kind of lights that was missing, (disappearing the moments he would receive a text or a call. ) When he was leaving the hideout, it was always with his mask on. With the « I’m perfect and I know it », that Dabi realized, was also very fake. The hero didn’t know that he really was perfect and Dabi did not understand how could he not.
Nobody ever mentioned it. The whole bird thing. The late patrol. The absence of day off. They were, he thought, all amazed by seeing a hero spend time with them. (Wasting time on them). It felt like discovering that the hero could, had a true personality after all.
He’d let Toga bite him, stab him, drink his blood. She could do so many things with it. He did it anyway. Spinner and him would share heteromorph discrimination. Who knew Hawks couldn’t handle cold very well? Now the league knew. The media definitely did not.
Kurogiri was always keeping an eye on him. Like some sort of mother. As if he was not already taking care of them all.
The last straw, was when Hawks came back at the front door, hesitating to come inside.
If Dabi hadn’t gone out for a smoke break, he wondered if the hero would have entered at all.
The man was trembling, bleeding. Wings nearly visible. Pretty eyes covered with dark circles. And he fell.
Just like that. He fell on Dabi’s arms.
He never said anything about it. Let the black hair man leading him to his bed. No cocky remark. No fake smile. Just pure emptiness. It was, for the first time, the real Hawks. An empty man. He said things that didn’t make sense. At least, for the villain. Talked about drugs. Being starved. Exhausted (and maybe this one was kinda obvious). Something about not knowing why he was not dead yet. Didn’t know where else to go. (Where were his heroes’ friend ?).
That was when Dabi realized. THAT was what intrigued him the most about the man. Why was he and the hero so much alike? Why did he feel like looking into a mirror?
He knew that, in another universe, they would have been on the same side.
Oh boy, Dabi was intrigued, and was ready to discover everything to know about Hawks.
Should I start writing a hotwings FanFiction?
English isn’t my first language (ah) so I’m scared. They inspire me so much tho.
Anyway, I’m supposed to be studying for my finals. But, I really wanted to write this. Try something new.
(Update, I posted it!! Find me on ao3 : Didouic, here the link to the fic!!!)
