Characters: League of Villains (Shigaraki, Dabi, Twice, Hawks)
Shipping: Technically DabiHawks but they're not together yet
Lee: Dabi
Ler: Hawks
Word Count: 2,683
Summary: During a meeting at the LoV hideout, Hawks notices Dabi looking more down and apathetic than usual. He tries to make him feel better, but when words don't work, he realizes he may need to take another approach.
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It had been quite a slow day. The League of Villains had rather frequent meetings as of late, especially due to the pesky heroes getting on their case now more than ever. They usually consisted of what their goals were to be after they succeeded, an entire alphabet of alternative plans, and what to do in the worst case scenario - that being the heroes finding their hideout, a traitor in the League, or one of the League members dying.
The current meeting was regarding their newest recruitment, and how he was going to be of service to them. Shigaraki had a way of talking that made the meetings simultaneously entertaining, yet hard to bear. He was very passionate when he spoke, but his voice was shallow and raspy. Hearing it in large quantities didn’t help Dabi’s headache, especially when he had a tendency to ramble and go off topic.
The hot-headed villain rested his head against the big table they were all seated at, the cold surface stinging his skin in a refreshing way. Slowly, everything started to sound as if he were underwater, and he tuned out his cohorts’ voices. With a gentle sigh, Dabi closed his eyes and listened to nothing while he waited for his headache to subside.
Bzzzt-!
He jolted at the sudden vibration against his leg. With a low grumble, he fished his phone out of his pocket and glowered at the notification.
Bird Brain: hey, u look down. u ok?
Dabi furrowed his brow, then looked up at Hawks. He was sitting directly across from him.
Hot Stuff: Why are you texting me? You’re right in front of me.
Bird Brain: we’re in a meeting. i cant just talk over ppl
Oh, he supposed that made sense. Dabi rolled his eyes and responded.
Hot Stuff: Well I’m fine. Now leave me alone.
Dabi huffed as he placed his phone on the table, screen side down. He tuned back into the meeting - what was going on? … Ah, Shigaraki moved onto a different topic.
Twice raised his hand, “I know we’ve talked about the heroes finding our hideout, but what’s gonna happen if they do? I’m not worried, they’ll never find us!”
“Even if they did find us, Twice, they would stand no chance against us.”
Shigaraki put two fingers to his chin for a moment, then smiled weakly at his friend,
“Think of it all like a video game. We’re an army defending an entire tower, and another army is coming after us with their own arsenal of weapons. We have to defend as much as we can and, in the meantime, we’re only getting stronger.”
He smirked and raised his arms out on either side of him, taking a confident, triumphant stance,
“We learn the opposing army’s strengths and weaknesses, as well, and that only further solidifies our victory!”
“We shouldn’t be too lax about it, though,” Hawks chimed in calmly.
He grinned at Shigaraki and leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head,
“The heroes may not know about the hideout now, but we shouldn’t rule it out as a possibility.”
“Of course, which is why this is our course of action.”
Dabi huffed and rested his chin in his hand, absentmindedly watching the meeting go on without really listening to anything being said anymore. None of it really concerned him. He knew what he was going to do if the heroes infiltrated. He was going to kill them, every last one. He watched as Shigaraki took the floor once again, rambling on about yet another plan.
Bzzzt-!
What did Hawks want now?
Bird Brain: u sure ur good? u look tired
Dabi glared at his phone as he irritably typed back a response.
Hot Stuff: I’m tired of you texting me, leave me alone.
Bird Brain: why’d u give me ur number then?
The hot-headed villain growled and placed his phone back down, a little harder than he meant to. He rested his head in his hands and breathed in slowly, trying to calm himself down. Admittedly, he wasn’t sure why he was so angry. He just felt very tired and wanted to be left alone.
Suddenly, his body involuntarily twitched and jerked as he felt something soft rub up against his side. He furrowed his brow and swatted at it, thinking it was just a bug or something. When the soft flicking persisted, however, his chest tightened and he clenched his fists in an attempt to keep the overwhelming desire to react at bay.
What was going on?!
Dabi’s breath hitched as he felt a second offender flick against his lower tummy, and it was getting increasingly more difficult to keep himself calm.
Bzzzt-!
Not now, Hawks!
He opened his phone and his stomach lurched at the text.
Bird Brain: somethin the matter~?
Dabi looked up at Hawks, who had the biggest shit eating grin on his face. No one else seemed to notice how he was acting, so this had to be his doing. Then, it all clicked. He shakily grabbed at the soft objects that kept sending tingles up his spine and, when he grabbed one, pulled it out of his shirt.
A red feather.
If looks could kill, Hawks would have been turned to ash. The number two hero bit back a howl of laughter. He gleefully savored Dabi’s reaction, so much so that he sent even more of his feathers to attack the annoyed man.
“Grrk-!”
Dabi gasped and desperately clutched his seat when he felt feathers on every healthy part of his torso. Most of his body was scarred, but the parts of his skin that weren’t were extremely sensitive. He was having trouble keeping it together, and Hawks’ odd form of entertainment had only just begun.
Bzzzt-!
Bird Brain: u havin muscle spasms or somethin?
You asshole, you know exactly what’s going on!
He couldn’t even focus enough to grab his phone and type back a retort. He was going to kill Hawks for this.
Bird Brain: im actually concerned and u ignore me? some friend u are
We are NOT friends, you dick!
The soft tickling of the feathers was only getting worse. Some of them flicked back and forth very fast, while others slowly dragged up and down the sensitive skin. The duality drove Dabi insane, and his knuckles were turning white from how tight his grip on the chair was.
“Hey, Dabi. You okay?”
Twice whispered, placing a concerned hand on his friend’s shoulder.
Dabi jumped and swatted his hand away,
“I-I’m fine, Twice, fuck off.”
“Jeez, sorry, dude,”
Twice raised his hands in apologetic panic, then warily turned his attention back to the meeting.
The hot head quietly groaned, sweat trickling down his forehead. Laughter bubbled up in his throat like acid reflux. He squeezed his eyes shut and desperately tried to focus on something else.
Bzzzt-!
Bird Brain: careful not to laugh~. dont wanna draw attention to urself
So he’s outright admitting it now? The smugness of that asshole.
Bird Brain: where else are u ticklish?
Dabi shot a glare at Hawks, though it wasn’t as intimidating as he hoped it would be with his quivering lips and flushed cheeks. Like he would tell him where he was ticklish. He wasn’t even sure himself. The last time he was tickled was when he was a kid, he thought he had grown out of it. The opposite seemed to have happened. In fact, he didn’t remember being this sensitive.
Bird Brain: thats ok. i’ll find out for myself~
Like hell you will!
“What?”
Shit, had he said that out loud?
He turned to Shigaraki, who was staring at him with a suspicious gleam in his eye. Dabi gulped nervously and shook his head.
“N-Nothing, sorr-eeEEHEHEE!”
He slapped his hands over his mouth and gaped at his cohorts in horror. One of the damn feathers had dipped directly into his belly button. He chanced a glance at Hawks, who was looking as confused as everyone else.
That damn snake!
“Are you sure you’re okay, Dabi?” Twice asked again, looking more amused than concerned at this point,
“You’re being ridiculous!”
Dabi quickly stood, nervously quivering as he stumbled out of the room without a word. The villains looked amongst each other, all wearing confused expressions, when Hawks stood and politely pushed in his chair.
“I’m gonna go see if he’s alright.”
Dabi stood just outside of the hideout, leaning against a wall and greedily gasping for air as he tried to calm down. Luckily, Hawks had shown an ounce of mercy when he exited the building, and his feathers were no longer assaulting his ticklish torso. Phantom tingling lingered on his belly and sides, and he rubbed at the areas desperately.
“What an asshole,” he muttered to himself after he finally regained some composure,
“I’m gonna kill him.”
“Why’s that?”
Dabi whipped around to see Hawks exiting the building, a playful smirk on his face. He sauntered over to the hot-headed villain, who grumbled and stepped backward.
“Get the fuck away from me, Hawks.”
“What’s wrong?” The number two hero laughed,
“I just came to check on ya.”
“Like hell you did!”
Dabi heatedly pointed at the door leading into the hideout,
“What the hell was all that?!”
“All what?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, birdie,” Dabi hissed.
He glared intensely at the winged hero as his right hand was engulfed in blue fire.
“Whoa, whoa,” Hawks chuckled nervously, hands up in an attempt to defuse the situation,
“Calm down, man. I just wanted to see you smile.”
The response was so shocking that the villain lost concentration, and his fire was extinguished. He gawked at Hawks, unsure of how to reply. He wanted to see him smile?
“What?”
“‘What’ what?”
Dabi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger,
“You’re a dumbass.”
“Well that’s not very nice~.”
By the time he recognized the teasing tone in Hawks’ voice, it was too late, and he was trapped. Hawks hugged Dabi up against his chest, hooking his arms in between his own and forcing them high above his head. The hot head yelped and thrashed to get out of his hold, but crumbled as soon as Hawks’ giant wings beat against his torso.
“FUHUHUHUHUHUHUCK!!”
Dabi tried doubling over, but the hero had him held tight. He kicked his legs and attempted to curl up, but nothing was stopping the overwhelming ticklish sensation. The incessant flapping of his wings caused the villain’s shirt to rise up, so none of his upper body was protected. Not only that, but the feathers were so fluffy and stiff. They were both insanely soft and dangerously accurate.
“I WILL ROHOHOHOHOAST YOHOHOHOU, BIHIHIHIRD BRAHAHAIN!”
“You’re not in the position to be making any threats, hot stuff. Tickle tickle tickle~!”
Hawks smiled at the ticklish mess he was making of the villain. To put it simply, he looked adorable. His hair was a mess as he thrashed and writhed, a giant smile split his face in two, the healthy skin on his cheeks was flushed a bright red, and his overall demeanor was entirely different from how he usually was. To see Dabi, of all people, completely incapacitated due to a little tickling was hilarious. More than that, however, it was humanizing. It gave him a glimmer of hope that these villains could have some level of empathy in them, too.
Hawks grinned deviously as three feathers detached from his wings, and flew to Dabi’s belly. He had to admit, what he made them do was quite cruel, but his laughter was addicting.
“I remember getting quite a reaction from aroooound… here~?”
Two of the feathers slowly circled Dabi’s belly button, while the third dipped directly in and twirled inside of it unfairly fast. The scream that escaped him was inhuman. Hawks’ wings gliding effortlessly across every inch of the villain’s torso, combined with the feathers honing in on his belly button, was enough to send him over the edge. His knees buckled and he would have fallen to the ground had Hawks not been holding onto him. Shrieking laughter quickly turned into silent hysterics as Dabi threw his head back against Hawks and practically fell limp in his arms. The hero’s face flushed slightly, and he couldn’t help but laugh along with Dabi.
When he finally regained his voice, he shrieked hysterically,
Suddenly, it all stopped. Hawks released his hold on Dabi, and he came crashing into the hero. He eagerly sucked oxygen into his lungs, coughing a little as he did so. His breathing was labored and wheezy. Hawks noted the scent of smoke. He smiled at the villain as he rested against his chest, trying to regain his composure.
After a few moments, Dabi’s breathing slowed, and he felt his heart rate return to normal. He looked up at Hawks, who had a hand atop his head, petting his hair. His face contorted into one of confusion, then anger, and finally mild embarrassment. He shoved off of Hawks with a grunt and dusted off his clothes. Hawks chuckled and followed suit.
“You okay?” He had the audacity of asking after a moment of silence.
The glare that Dabi shot him sent him into his own laughing fit.
“Lohohook!”
He cackled as he wiped mirth from his eye,
“I said I just wanted to see you smile! You can’t be mad at me for that.”
“On the contrary,” Dabi growled,
“I’m furious.”
“You looked adorable~.”
Dabi’s breath hitched and his face went red all over again. He told himself it was only due to the residual tingling on his skin.
“Do that again and I’ll kill you.”
“What, ya don’t like being tickled?”
“Was me screaming for you to stop not an indication?”
“I dunno, man, some people actually do like it.”
“Yeah, well those people are psychotic.”
“Says the mass murderer.”
Dabi stared at Hawks, not really sure how to respond to that. He simply furrowed his brow and rolled his eyes,
“Why was seeing me smile such a big deal anyway, birdbrain?”
“Well, like I said, you looked down. ‘sides, I never see you smile aside from an occasional smirk here and there,”
Hawks shrugged and stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, feeling bashful all of a sudden,
“Watching you laugh like that, without a care in the world, it was cute. You looked happy.”
Happy?
Dabi’s glare returned, but only for a short moment. Finally, he sighed and moved to head back inside of the hideout.
“Whatever, hope you had fun. Cuz you’re never doing that again. Oh, and one more thing.”
Hawks moved to follow him, but stopped when he turned around to address him a final time.
“Watch your back, birdie.”
With that, he walked inside without another word. A shiver ran up Hawks’ spine. What did he mean by that? Deciding not to think much of it, the number two hero simply followed Dabi back inside and reclaimed his seat at the table.
Everyone was still there, waiting, and Shigaraki scoffed when they finally returned.
“About time. Can I continue now?”
“Sorry about that,”
Dabi replied calmly,
“Go ahead.”
As Shigaraki started his explanation from where he left off, the hot-headed villain glanced at Hawks. A feeling of triumph washed over him as he examined the hero’s face. He looked calm on the outside, but it was clear to Dabi that he was quite nervous. A low chuckle escaped Dabi’s lips, causing Hawks to shoot his gaze over to him.
When they caught each other’s eyes, neither of them emoted for a few moments. Then, Dabi made a simple motion of his thumb running across his own throat with an evil smirk on his face.
I know he’s trying to take himself out and everybody with him, but he’s just so iconic. The theatrics, the arm up in the air with a flourish, the foot, the arm behind his back, the bow like he’s been putting on a performance this whole time
His expression going from what looks like pain as the heat courses through him but then he’s smiling. He bows. Bowing after a performance is a sign of gratitude to the audience for watching and/or listening, thus concluding the end of their time on stage
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