Nightingale

Hello! Mimmy here! I was meant to post this on the actual date of the prompt but I got really sick and couldn't do it justice, so I'm posting it now... I also got a little carried away with it but... well, you'll see.

This might have a part 2 to expand on the whole point of the story, but I needed me some good old DabiHawks, sue me

This is following the prompt for Day 11: Sacrifice

#MyVillaintober2024

Word count:

1402

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“I need you to trust me.”

Hawks almost laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement. He watched the villain—or former villain, maybe—pace around the warehouse unable to contain his thoughts any longer. If there were any words in Hawks' mind, they faded into nothingness at the look Dabi gave him.

Trust. That was a funny word coming from him, especially while talking to Hawks of all people... Hawks, who had betrayed him and destroyed the one thing he'd almost learnt to care about.

For a moment, neither said a word. Dabi looked at Hawks almost daring him to say otherwise, and Hawks was just trying to figure out what Dabi was trying to say. Trust didn't seem like something someone like Dabi deserved.

“Trust?” Hawks echoed after a couple of seconds of silence. He couldn't understand why Dabi had suddenly shown up and why he was asking for his trust after everything they'd been through.

But, then, Dabi spoke once again.

“I have a plan to take down Shigaraki,” he said, looking at Hawks without a hint of doubt in his eyes, which only made Hawks more weary about the whole thing. “No one outside of this room can know about the plan.” His expression darkened, his glare turning into an icy threat.

*****

The plan was the craziest thing Hawks had ever heard—and he had been planning the raid to take down the League from within. He had no idea how they were going to pull it off, and he doubted it would actually work in the end.

But there was no turning back now.

He'd brought Dabi into his place, the only place no one would ever think of looking if things went south. He and Dabi had been coexisting in the same house for nearly a week, and he was starting to appreciate how big his house was. They barely saw each other, and they both were grateful for that. They couldn't afford a fight now.

As crazy as it was, the plan was a good one, Hawks had to give him that. It was risky... very risky, but neither really knew another way.

They would stage a battle, get the public's attention and, at the right moment, Hawks would strike and 'kill' Dabi in front of the entire country. That was the easy bit. After that, they would lure Shigaraki out to a spot close to Endeavor's Agency, where all the available heroes would be waiting to take Shigaraki down.

Hawks was worried about it all... but he could see it in Dabi's eyes—he was terrified. He could see how he'd changed in the week they'd been spending together.

For starters, Dabi hadn't continued with his little... saga. Since they'd met, unless the situation was precarious, he would call Hawks any bird name except for his actual name. And it drove Hawks up the walls... now he missed it. Dabi had only referred to him as Hawks since they'd met at the warehouse.

Hawks walked out of the kitchen and spotted Dabi sitting on the couch, his gaze stuck on the fireplace in front of him, blue flames crackling softly in the still of night.

The day was almost here.

“Want a drink?” Hawks' voice starteled Dabi, but he quickly pulled himself together. “I can get you something,” he offered, seeing the fire reflect in Dabi's eyes.

Dabi barely managed to look at him for longer than a couple of seconds before having to physically force himself to look away, turning his focus back to the fire. He could see, out of the corner of his eye, Hawks approaching, and he tensed up, standing from his spot on the couch.

But Hawks merely stopped walking, not tearing his gaze from him. He couldn't let him feel that way, whatever it was, and do nothing about it. He just watched, seeing Dabi hesitate for a moment, wondering where he should head to in order to get as far away from Hawks as physically possible.

Why? Neither of them knew, but they would soon enough.

Against what his mind shouted for him to do, Dabi approached Hawks, trying to get past him to head outside the house, which Hawks had forbidden to avoid any trouble if anyone were to see him.

But Hawks knew exactly what Dabi wanted to do. So, as soon as Dabi reached him, he grabbed his wrist in a tight grip to prevent him from leaving.

At the , Dabi froze, his eyes immediately shooting down to Hawks' hand. And he prayed—actually prayed—that Hawks wouldn't feel the racing of his heart as it pounded against his chest. He could feel the flames simmering just beneath his skin, threatening to come out any moment if Hawks didn't let go of him that precise instant.

Hawks, despite Dabi's prayers, did feel his heart racing almost as did his own. He could feel the heat on Dabi's skin, and he sighed.

“We don't have to go through with this, you know?” Hawks' voice was quiet and almost eerily calm, more than Dabi had ever heard anyone after he'd lost his way as a child. “We can figure something else out, you don't need to put your own life on the line for this...”

Dabi's gaze took a moment before drifting up to Hawks', stopping halfway for a split second. “We do...” he trailed off, his tone similar to that of a scared child who refuses to show his fear. “I do.” He could see something glinting in Hawks' eyes, but he couldn't recognise what it was.

“You are willing to put yourself on the edge just to bring down some villain?” Hawks' words dripped with disbelief as he considered the situation, his mind racing as he looked up into Dabi's eyes, wondering what would happen if he just... stopped thinking.

Dabi let out a humourless scoff. “That's what you do,” he said, almost tauntingly, as if challenging Hawks to argue with that.

“I'm a hero. It's my job.” Dabi rolled his eyes and Hawks frowned, pulling him closer and hissing, “you don't get to lecture me on what risks are worth it, got it?”

Dabi didn't flinch, but he did react as Hawks pulled him close. He swallowed thickly, a flame lighting up on his palm. He couldn't think of a single word to say in response as he was drawn to Hawks' eyes, being completely powerless to look away.

“Hawks...”

The word was almost inaudible, no more than a breath—but Hawks heard, and Hawks could feel how Dabi's racing heart was pounding harder and faster than a couple of seconds ago.

A small smirk tugged at the hero's lips as he dropped his gaze from Dabi's eyes to his lips.

And Dabi knew.

“Yeah?” he asked, fully aware of how every thought in Dabi's mind had gone silent at that smirk, he could see it in his eyes. Not that he needed to.

In a moment of raw helplessness and desperation, without a single coherent thought in his mind, Dabi inched closer, not enough to fully close the gap between them but leaving just enough for their lips not to touch.

Hawks' smirk widened slightly at the movement and, feeling the heat from the flame on Dabi's hand, he took the lead. He moved closer and kissed Dabi. It wasn't a kiss driven by love, or any kind of real emotion, just the awareness that either of them could die in the morning when their plan was finally set into motion.

Dabi tensed up and the flame on his palm stilled completely, a layer of ice shooting up and freezing the fire. Dabi didn't notice, he wasn't even aware ice was a part of him. And he wasn't startled when the frozen flame fell from his hand and shattered onto the floor as he moved both hands to grip Hawks' hair and shoved him against the nearest wall, never breaking the kiss.

They both knew there could be consequences, but for them to have a chance to happen, they would both have to survive what was coming, and they had more pressing matters to take care of tonight before the world fell apart.

And maybe, just maybe, tonight they could have their little world where no feelings were needed, the only thing they could possibly need was right there.