Archive of Our Own ^beta

Here he was at the tender age of nunya-business, looking like the more unfortunate side of the quirk spectrum. With his worse for wear clothes and stapled together skin, he didn’t usually draw anyone’s eye – in any positive capacity. Most people either looked in pity or scorn, or they simply skipped over him with their eyes. It’s not like he was anybody famous.

‘Yet.’ He had plans. He wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to get there, but someday, the world would know exactly who he was. The exposer of lies and false heroes: Dabi.

Step one to his plan: live another day. He should probably find some kind of income so that he could get food, maybe a place to live. Thievery was always an option, but it carried high risks of getting caught and getting increased jail time for each offense (which he could attest to with firsthand experience. It was part of what led him here to begin with).

After getting stopped for loitering in Musutafu, and later caught for breaking and entering, and then a final scrape where he’d almost been caught stealing, Dabi had jumped on the first train he could find, and it had brought him here. Apparently, he was in Fukuoka now. He’d spent a few days wandering and squatting until he could get his bearings, figure out his next step.

Fukuoka seemed nice enough. There was a lot of hubbub around right now because of a new building that was under construction. It was massive, and the windows glistened extra shiny since it was so new. He hadn’t heard what sort of business it would be, but the people around town seemed excited for it. Dabi only knew it was one of the first buildings he’d seen when he’d first stepped off the train – which he was looking for now.

Wandering aimlessly in a new city was not an effective way to plan your future. But now that he’d taken those few days off, he had re-evaluated his goal and determined that yes, he was going to need a job of some kind. Any kind would do, really, as long as it paid him enough. He always heard that hero agencies paid the most, but he couldn’t stand how fake heroes could be. Every hero he could think of put a bad taste in his mouth. They caused too many memories from his past. So, no, he wouldn’t dream of applying at any of those hero agencies. Full of politics and sucking up; people in it for the glory instead of for what mattered: helping people. A bunch of fakes. And a bunch of work.

‘Anyway,’ he was getting sidetracked. Time to focus on his plan: find the train station, go somewhere, and get a job. Now, he just had to figure out where he was.

He glanced along the skyline, looking for the telltale sign of the extra sparkly new building he’d become so acquainted with over the past few days. Even when he was far away, he could always spot it because of the way it glistened in the sun. The noise of construction was also usually helpful for finding it, but that was absent right now.

After walking another two blocks, he finally spotted it. All of the construction equipment outside was gone, and there was now a large sign that labelled the building, so it must have been completed. He wasn’t in a hurry, so Dabi stopped to squint at the tall, glistening building in front of him. Between the immaculate windows and his own poor eyesight, the far away kana took a lot of time to decipher.

“Hey, were you here for the job?” He turned to the chipper voice, spotting a ray of almost literal sunshine as a golden haired man with red wings descended from the heavens. The man quickly sucked in a breath at the sight of Dabi who simply tilted his head when he realized the man (well, maybe teen now that he could see him) didn’t look disgusted. Golden eyes followed his every move with rapt attention. Huh; that was interesting…

Wait.

“Did you say job?”

--

What happened next was a blur of excited chatter, smiling faces, and a lot of sparkling confetti. Dabi was ushered inside, promptly flown to a higher story (because the golden boy didn’t know where the elevator was) where he almost lost his lunch from motion sickness. A pair of women came out to chastise the winged guy and to offer Dabi a place to sit. Once he was sitting, he was given a cup of water, a gentle pat on the shoulder, and when he nodded to some question, a glitter pen was set in his hand and a stack of papers were slid in front of him. Next thing he knew, he was answering some questions while signing where they pointed him to sign. A few initials here, a yes or no there, list the date here, and “Welcome to the Hawks Hero Agency! We’re delighted to have you joining our team.”

--

So. Things didn’t exactly go according to plan.

Apparently, the shiny new building was a hero agency for a hero who had just debuted at the ripe young age of 18. Also known as his boss, Hawks, who had been sponsored by the HPSC. The agency would officially open tomorrow, but today, they were finishing their hiring process and completing the final touches of moving into the office which included a celebration with a lot of streamers, confetti, and glitter. That was never going to come out of the carpet, but no one seemed upset about it.

And Dabi was apparently the newest hire, having inadvertently been scouted when Hawks was waiting for some other guy to show up (RIP that guy, I guess).

So, now, Dabi was sitting at his own desk at his new job in a hero agency.

Things really didn’t go according to plan.

It wasn’t so bad, though. The PR head, Takeuchi Asami, pulled him aside after the party and explained in more detail about his duties, pay, and employment benefits. Apparently, their health insurance covered piercings, most prescriptions, and medical expenses for all of the major hospitals that tended to heroes. So, even though he would mostly file paperwork and do tasks in the office, he would get the same treatment, benefits, and rates that a sidekick or even a pro hero would get.

And the pay itself was nothing to sneeze at. Asami showed him apartments and housing located throughout Fukuoka that he could comfortably afford with his starting salary. Some of them were near the office and a few others were easily accessible by the train station. Nothing extravagant, but it was better than the bridges and alleyways he’d been squatting in.

“If you ever have any questions or if someone tries to give you any trouble, then just give me a call. We take care of our own in this agency.” She handed him a business card with her desk phone and personal numbers, and he immediately added them into his contacts. After the meeting, the agency’s secretary also approached him.

“I’m sure Asami already explained everything to you. If you ever have any questions about something here in the office or if you can’t get a hold of Asami, then you can call me at the numbers listed here. We’re really happy to have you here, Dabi.” She handed him a business card that showed her name as Takeuchi Hiroki and listed her desk and personal numbers. Dabi noticed the wedding band that matched Asami’s and nodded.

“Got it. Thanks.”

So, that left Dabi sitting at his desk, staring over the policies and procedures handbook of the agency. He would be given tasks as things showed up, but for the first few days, Hiroki and Asami assured him that things should be quiet. Everyone was settling in, and the work wouldn’t be too difficult; it would be like most of the office work that he’d done before.

Oh, right; he had said he had done office work before. You know, like a liar. But it was fine! How hard could it be? He could absolutely do this job!

--

He had no idea how to do this job.

Dabi stared at the bulky box that someone had told him was a fax machine. In his hands was a single piece of paper. It had been brought to him after he’d finished setting things up at his desk this morning.

“Just read over this when you have some time, sign here, and fax it over to the number listed here.”

Easy instruction. Easy document to understand. This just finalized that he was a new hire at Hawks’ agency. Everything else had already been sent off. “This is more of a formality for filing purposes, so there’s no rush.”

So, now he just had to figure out how this grey box worked. He experimentally pressed a few buttons, and a screen lit up (okay, so he was making progress), but then it started making noise like it was grinding something to dust. Could this thing shred paper, too? He flinched back and eyed it warily before a voice popped up behind him.

“Hey, do you need some help?”

He glanced over his shoulder and spotted the boy from yesterday – his boss, his brain supplied. Hawks; his name was Hawks. ‘He’s shorter than I remember…’

His younger-than-him boss tilted his head to the side, but it didn’t stop his gold eyes from tracking the movement of Dabi shifting his weight in consideration. This guy really had no problem staring at his face? That was unusual, but most everyone in the office had been surprisingly non-judgmental about all his scars and medical staples. It was disorienting but kind of nice.

“Aren’t you a hero? Shouldn’t you leave office tasks to your employees?”

A ripple passed through those red wings, but Hawks’ expression didn’t change. He kept staring with a companionable smile while he raised his hands to wave off Dabi’s questions. “Well, I figure there’s no harm with offering help within my own office, you know? Besides, Hiroki asked me to stay around the office today in case I’m needed for a meeting. So, uh, what are you doing?” Hawks peered around Dabi at the seemingly ancient machine that finally quieted down.

Dabi glanced back at the box as well while he considered the situation. So, it seemed that Hawks was just bored and perhaps too helpful for his own good. He didn’t seem to have any sort of judgment or prejudice regarding office hierarchy or politics which boded well for Dabi. It gave him hope that maybe this wouldn’t turn into the sort of toxic work environment that TV sitcoms had promised him when he was a kid.

Softly, Dabi cleared his throat, and Hawks’ head immediately swiveled towards him with open interest. “Well, I’m supposed to send this fax to…” He squinted down at the paper in his hands and realized there was no name listed next to the number on the page. “… this number.”

Hawks nodded along and looked back at the machine. “Okay; that doesn’t sound too hard.” He tapped a few buttons, and a loud dial tone made them both jump. The young hero cleared his throat, hands hovering over the machine. “Uh, so, fair warning, I’ve never actually used one of these before.” He peeked up at Dabi sheepishly, and the dark haired employee chuckled under his breath.

“I can tell.” He didn’t mention that he’d never used a fax machine before either, but he did grin more openly when Hawks finally lost his helpful smile in order to scowl. For some reason, his honest reaction put Dabi more at ease than his willingness to help.

After a bit more staring and a bit more poking around, they realized that their current methods weren’t working. So, they took turns pressing buttons instead.

Dabi got the screen to flash a couple of times but typing the fax number provided on his paper didn’t make anything happen. Hawks found the Settings button, but it didn’t tell them the proper procedure for sending a fax. Getting impatient for results, Hawks decided to press every button on the screen. Thankfully, Dabi found the Cancel button before anything permanent was initiated.

They looked around the machine at the different wires securing it to the wall. After a few tugs at each end of the wires, it seemed like everything was in place. All the same, they swiveled the machine, getting a good look at it from every angle. They found and opened every compartment on the machine, but that didn’t help them figure out how to send a fax. The Ready To Use scrolling across the screen mocked them.

“Maybe this machine is busted?” Hawks suggested, but then he immediately shook his head before Dabi could chime in. This was a brand new agency; there was no way the HPSC would allow their newest hero that they sponsored to have broken equipment. “Hold on, maybe there’s a manual in my office; follow me.”

Hawks jumped into action and moved to his office before Dabi had a chance to blink. Wait, was he allowed in Hawks’ office? This hero didn’t even know him; wouldn’t that be a breach of security or something?

Before he could get lost in his own doubts, Hawks stuck his head back out. “Come on! Help me look!”

After another moment of hesitation, Dabi made his decision and followed after his boss, making the young hero grin victoriously.

Hawks rifled through the different drawers and compartments around his office while Dabi glanced through the papers that sat out in the open. For a new agency, there was a surprising amount of paperwork for Hawks to sign off on already, piles of reports and payroll expenses, budget charts and memos to be approved. Dabi certainly didn’t envy Hawks’ workload.

A feather slammed a pile of papers onto the desk, and Dabi whirled around at the sound.

“Okay, this is every manual I have. Surely one of them is to that fax machine.” Hawks walked to Dabi’s side of the desk, taking in the miniature mountain with a determined smile. Dabi scowled, glad his boss wasn’t paying attention to his unenthusiastic expression.

“You want us to read all of those?” He cringed at the reluctance in his own tone, but Hawks didn’t react to it with more than a shrug.

“I mean, only until we find the answer. Come on; it shouldn’t take too long between both of us!”

Thankfully, the visitors’ chairs in Hawks’ office were comfortable. They each settled down in one (and Dabi was surprised that Hawks didn’t take the seat of command behind his desk) with the pile of manuals spread out on a small table between them. Silence fell as they began reading, flipping pages, and glancing over titles before setting different manuals aside.

It seemed that Hawks was a fast reader, but the only thing slowing Dabi down was his bad eyesight. With his new work-granted insurance plan, he may look into getting glasses sometime. They’d be easier to deal with than contacts would, given the scarring under his eyes. It was something to consider as he set aside yet another manual.

After a surprising amount of quiet, they came to the conclusion that the fax machine manual wasn’t in here.

“Is that the only fax machine here? You don’t have one?” Dabi asked while glancing around the office, his eyes taking note of how shiny every drawer and cabinet handle was. Polished chrome; very sleek. Other than paperwork and some official certificates, there wasn’t anything of note in the office. Books on history and heroics, statistics and the like lined the bookshelves, but there was nothing personal in here. The lack of originality made Dabi frown, but he told himself that it wasn’t any of his business.

“What? And listen to it go off all day? No way.” Hawks mouthed off, then flinched when he realized he’d spoken his true feelings. In less than a heartbeat, he was turning away, that fake smile back on his face. “I mean, I’m going to be out in the field a lot. It wouldn’t make sense to keep a fax machine in here where no one could monitor it. Um. Let’s try checking the machine again. Maybe we overlooked something.”

The young hero quickly left his office, clearly on edge, and silently, Dabi followed. Very peculiar behavior. He figured his boss was just trying to be professional, but honestly, he was too uptight. There was no reason to be so on guard in his own office. This was his agency, after all.

They went back to the fax machine and continued staring and poking at it, but the atmosphere between them was tense.

“You know…” Dabi kept his voice quiet and disinterested, but Hawks still looked over with his full attention. “Maybe I can find something online about this. Can you get me the model number?” Hawks visibly relaxed now that he had an easy task to focus on.

“Sure!”

Dabi settled in at his desk and started researching the machine (and subtly searching “how to sedn a fax???”) while Hawks looked up the brand name and model type. Once Dabi had the information, it was just a matter of watching some videos.

Apparently, there was a specific sequence of buttons they had to press, and the buttons were marked with symbols from the 1980s. Why no one had updated the symbols to stay relevant with the times was beyond him.

Hawks hovered with open wonder as Dabi followed the steps provided on his phone. Halfway through typing in the fax number, the machine gave a shudder and a series of short beeps. Recalibrating – Recalibrating – Please Wait scrolled across the screen.

“How long does this take…?” Hawks cocked a fluffy eyebrow, and Dabi shrugged while he willed his face not to flush at his failure. No, not his failure; this was a technology problem, not a user error. He reviewed the notes on his phone, resolutely not looking at Hawks’ inquiring eyes.

“It says it may take a few minutes. Apparently this happens pretty regularly; helps keep the machine functional or something…” Dabi leaned his head back with a long sigh, tension leaching out of him as he centered himself. This was just a minor setback. It was fine. He didn’t cause this. They could send the fax when it was done. It was fine.

Next to him, Hawks shifted from foot to foot before glancing at something out of the corner of his eye.

“Hey,” he called and waited until Dabi looked over. Once cerulean eyes locked on him, he smiled brightly. “Let’s wait at your desk. I’ll be able to sense when it stops shaking through my feathers.”

Now, it was Dabi’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Why do you want to go to my desk?”

Hawks shrugged casually, but the pure excitement in his eyes made Dabi’s stomach flutter with something warm. “Maybe I just want to get to know my employees better.” His smile edged towards teasing, and Dabi felt the flush from before creeping back up his neck. Thank goodness his scars covered the growing heat. “Besides, you have to have something more fun there than waiting around here.”

“Prepare to be disappointed then.” Dabi scoffed, but it just made Hawks laugh. With that, he motioned with his head for Hawks to follow him, and they made their way back to Dabi’s desk.

There… really wasn’t much. He’d judged Hawks’ office for its lack of personality, but at least it had useful and intellectual things scattered around to make it look professional. Dabi’s desk was just… blank. He’d only started yesterday, and he was technically still homeless (he had started apartment hunting after his meeting with Asami, though, so that was just temporary). Suffice it to say, he didn’t have a lot of stuff.

“Make yourself at home. I don’t have a guest chair.” Dabi sat down in his own chair and propped his chin in his hand, eyes watching how Hawks looked over everything with detailed efficiency.

“We can get you a chair – if you want.” Hawks carefully settled on the corner of Dabi’s desk, catching the new employee by surprise. He swiveled his head about, eyes pinning on the shiny handles of the desk drawers and the gleaming edge of a pen, but other than a moment of observation at each glint, the winged hero didn’t have a reaction that Dabi could see. In fact, if Dabi hadn’t been watching so closely, he would’ve missed it entirely. Silently, Dabi opened a drawer and pulled out a small, plain box. The contents shifted inside, and Hawks titled his head in obvious curiosity. “What’s that?”

“Just some office supplies.” Without taking his eyes off his boss, he opened the tab on the side of the box and dumped out a cascade of metallic paper clips. They clattered across his desk, sparkling from the florescent lights. Dabi secretly delighted in how big Hawks’ eyes got while Dabi jiggled the box until it was emptied. One hundred paper clips glimmered up at them, and Hawks was struck speechless at the display. “Want to help me organize my desk?” Hawks nodded enthusiastically, and Dabi laughed with a lightness he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Dabi pushed the pile of paper clips closer to Hawks who quickly scooped them into his hands. Once there was more free space on the desk, Dabi pulled out additional boxes of different supplies – various sizes of paper clips, binder clips, staples, push pins, etc – and began emptying those onto his desk as well. With each new box, Hawks’ wings shifted in growing delight, and Dabi had to fight to keep a smile off his face.

They worked in silence, creating various piles of the different supplies. There was no rhyme or reason for how things were organized, but every now and then, Dabi would push something different into Hawks’ pile, and the hero would seemingly trade it for something else, pushing an offering back to Dabi which he accepted in silence. After several minutes, Hawks spoke up with a quiet “The fax machine’s ready”, and Dabi got up from his desk to check on it.

Ready To Use scrolled lazily across the screen. Still not convinced, Dabi double checked the settings, then moved the machine so that it was properly aligned with the wall. Ready To Use stayed in place, so Dabi shrugged and went back to his desk to get the piece of paper that started all of this.

“Hey, Hawks; I think it’s ready now.” Hawks looked over, pupils still pinpricks from investigating his horde of glittering objects. With a quiet “Right, right”, the hero came back to himself and got off his perch to follow Dabi over to the fax machine where the dark haired employee carefully typed in the fax number, double checking it before he hit Send.

The dial tone returned with a vengeance, but after several seconds, it turned into a softer beep, and the words Initializing scrolled across the screen. Dabi and Hawks visibly tensed in their shared anticipation, but then Cancelled flashed across the screen, and the machine spit the piece of paper back out.

Dabi cursed loudly and kicked just past the edge of the machine (he wasn’t about to get fired for property damage on his first day) while Hawks fussed with the buttons. “What happened?! We didn’t touch anything!”

“Let’s try it again!” Dabi whirled back around, expression fierce as he glanced at the machine. He was not about to lose to a machine when they’d been so close. Hawks stepped out of his way, but his eyes raked across Dabi’s entire form.

“You have a fire quirk?” There wasn’t a hint of judgment or fear, but the question still shocked Dabi out of his rage. He paused and looked over his boss, taking in Hawks’ ready though relaxed stance, his focused eyes, and his carefully masked expression. That’s right – Hawks was a professional hero; of course he’d know how to evaluate a situation and proceed without escalating it.

Dabi looked down at his own hands (which hadn’t burst into flames) before meeting Hawks’ eyes again. “How did you know?” His tone was wary, shoulders tense from one too many bad reactions to his fire. Hawks tried to play it off with a shrug, but he also flexed his wings in a silent message. Oh, right; his wings were sensitive enough to feel when the fax machine had finished calibrating. He’d probably been able to sense the heat spiking around Dabi. There was a moment where Dabi looked sheepish. “… Am I going to get in trouble for that?”

“No, but let’s make sure we keep quirk use to work mandated standards, yeah?” He flashed a smile, but Dabi knew it was his hero’s smile instead of his real one.

So, even without property damage, he still managed to get his first reprimand. This job thing might be harder than he expected. “Right…” He muttered, still feeling on edge.

Hawks clapped him on the shoulder, smile expanding until it reached his eyes. “Don’t sweat it, hot stuff! So, how do we send this fax?”

Dabi took another moment to make sure Hawks’ forgiveness was genuine before he nodded and went back to the machine, calmer than before. Internally, he was still ruminating on the ‘hot stuff’ nickname that had slipped from Hawks’ mouth, but he decided to shelve that for now.

‘Think about it later.’ He chastised himself before squaring up with the fax machine. He typed the fax number in again, slid the piece of paper into place, and clicked Send.

The dial tone started up again, searching for a phone signal from the ancient technology. For some reason, Dabi held his breath while it searched. Next to him, Hawks seemed to be doing the same. A grating tone of single note beeps filled the air.

A busy signal. Somehow enough people in the world still used fax machines that this one could be busy. Dabi hit his head against the nearest wall with the force of a man who’d given up while Hawks grit his teeth around an almost silent scream of frustration. This was ridiculous…

“Hawks, I need to take a break…”

“Yeah… Yeah, a break sounds good…”

--

They ended up taking a lunch break. When Hawks found out that Dabi was new to town, he insisted on showing the newcomer around.

“Don’t worry; we won’t go far, and I can pay for lunch!”

And true to his word, Hawks kept them within five blocks of the building. It might’ve been less if Hawks hadn’t stopped to help every little old lady with her groceries or every lost child find the police box. Even after they each had a serving of karaage, Hawks caught a purse thief and saved a jaywalker with his feathers while he was eating his chicken. At Dabi’s slack-jawed stare, the hero had the audacity to ask if Dabi was going to eat his portion, too, which Dabi promptly snatched out of Hawks’ reach.

“It’s not a big deal; I’m just doing my job.” Hawks laughed easily. “I’m the hero for this district after all.” He explained with a smile – which, while true, didn’t lessen the impressiveness of his actions.

Dabi didn’t comment on how many times he’d seen heroes turn blind eyes to “little problems”. A lost child could quickly turn into a missing person’s case or a kidnapping, and a struggling elder could lead to an even worse fate, but Hawks prevented those catastrophes by helping out while the problem was still small. It was the little things like this that higher ranked pros tended to overlook.

‘Maybe it’s because he’s just debuted,’ the cynical part of Dabi’s mind supplied. Sure, Hawks was working hard now, but most young heroes were flashier in order to promote themselves. This could just be temporary. There was really no way of knowing the future, though, so for now, Dabi would just have to wait and see. ‘At least he has good taste in food.’

It turned out that Hawks also had a good eye for detail and an extensive memory. During their five block walk, he pointed out every type of food stall and restaurant, recounted what their price range was, and explained what their specialties were. He also knew where all the local parks and convenience stores were and the quickest routes to the train station.

“If this hero gig doesn’t work out for you,” Dabi mused, “have you considered being a tour guide instead?” At Hawks’ affronted expression, Dabi laughed, and he didn’t comment on how Hawks’ indignant gasp almost sounded like a squawk.

Teasing Hawks aside, Dabi was having a surprisingly good time. Maybe it was because they were only a year apart in age, but conversation flowed easily between them. It was mostly Hawks talking about things relevant to the area, but Dabi chimed in every once in a while with a question or a snarky comeback. Hawks didn’t always join in with the banter, but his grin told Dabi all he needed to know about his boss’s humor, and it made Dabi grin in return.

Despite all the distractions and quips, they made it back to the agency right at the end of their lunch break, stomachs full with different types of street food.

“I have to go fill out some incident reports, but I’ll check in later, okay?” Hawks shifted from foot to foot as he inched his way reluctantly towards the open stairwell.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later.” With a final wave, Hawks took off, and Dabi thanked the receptionist on the ground floor for pointing him towards the elevator. He wouldn’t have made it through another flight with Hawks on such a full stomach. But after a surprisingly enjoyable lunch, he felt like he could finally tackle this fax machine issue with no problem!

--

True to his word, he didn’t have another problem with the fax machine, but it certainly seemed to have a problem with him. It kept getting a busy signal whenever he tried to send the fax, so he’d walk away, rearrange the pile of office supplies on his desk, go back to the machine, try again, fail again, return to his desk, and rinse and repeat.

During one of the many back and forth trips, he stopped by the supply closet and picked up a desk organizer to keep all his shiny treasures in. In between fax machine failures, he took some extra time to organize and put away his scattered supplies.

Since he clearly had the time, he counted out how many of each supply he had. Not that he needed to (it was listed on the box how many would be in the package), but he did it anyway. And that’s how he realized – ‘Wait a minute’ – that he was missing some paper clips. Out of his box of one hundred, he only had ninety-six.

Now, maybe the box’s label had been wrong. Maybe it had been measured wrong at the factory. Maybe it was estimated at one hundred but was measured through timing rather than by weight or a counting mechanism. Maybe there was a box out there that had four extra paper clips from his box that was missing four paper clips.

Or maybe his boss had pocketed a few paper clips when he’d swept them up earlier.

Which would be fine. This was Hawks’ agency; these were Hawks’ supplies. He could have as many as he wanted. It wasn’t stealing. But the need to keep his love for shiny things secret was interesting because it was so unnecessary.

Dabi checked around his desk to make sure they hadn’t simply fallen to the floor, but no, the floor was clean, and Dabi was still missing four paper clips. So, maybe he was overthinking things, but it gave him something to consider anyway.

“What’s going on with you, magpie…?” Dabi leaned back in his chair, ruminating on the memory of sliding the paper clips towards Hawks. A lift that clean (if Hawks had swiped them) required muscle memory, practice. Dabi had been on the streets for a while; he’d seen plenty of pickpockets – some good and some not. The good ones had been doing it for years so that made Dabi wonder exactly what sort of life Hawks had led.

Debuting as a professional hero as a minor, being sponsored by the HPSC itself, having his own agency right out of the gate, and being able to swipe items like he’d been born doing it…

It painted a complex but interesting story, one that conflicted with itself. Clearly, Dabi was missing information, but that just made him want to know more. He steepled his fingers, palms clasped together, and rested his chin on his thumbs while he thought everything over. He’d have to keep a close eye on his boss, but something told him that he could manage that just fine.

--

“Hey, did it finally go through?” Hawks appeared at the corner of his desk sometime later. A quick sweep of the much emptier desk made Hawks frown by the smallest degree before his eyes locked on Dabi’s. The piece of paper was distractedly present without the office supplies to cover it. “It’s still on your desk…”

Dabi nodded and stood, expression grave yet resigned. “Check this out.”

He led Hawks back to the fax machine – paper in hand – and typed in the number he had memorized by this point. His movements were sure and concise, but after a dial tone, the busy signal quickly interrupted, and the machine returned the paper.

“You’re kidding me…” The morbid disbelief in Hawks’ tone was gratifying, but it didn’t crack Dabi’s severe resolve.

“I’m not. It’s been like this since after lunch. I’ve been checking it every few minutes.”

“Who even uses fax machines anymore…?” Hawks whispered as he ran a hand through his hair, marveling at the absurdity of it all. Honestly, it was rather cathartic to share this with someone.

“Apparently whoever owns this fax number.” There was a weight on Dabi’s shoulders as he took his paper from the machine and headed back towards his desk. The sound of rushed footsteps behind him let him know that Hawks was following dutifully. Once Dabi was seated back at his desk, Hawks perched on the corner again, still shell shocked at the situation.

“So… what have you been doing this whole time? When you’re not at the fax machine I mean.” Golden eyes swept over his desk again. It was interesting to see them without the additional shine of the metallic supplies. It was too bad; they had looked nice with the extra sparkle. Dabi made a mental note to find some sort of pen holder or open-top container to keep knickknacks in for when Hawks came by.

Casually, Dabi shrugged, but his eyes stayed concentrated on Hawks’ reactions. “Well, Hiroki said she’d show me the filing system after this was faxed off, so I’ve been organizing my desk in the meantime.” He gestured to the supply organizer on his desk which Hawks had surely seen by now. “It’s interesting,” he continued, “I decided to count how many of each supply I had, and it looks like I’m short on paper clips. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” Cerulean blue eyes locked with gold.

Dabi could have set his non-existent watch by the practiced and even breaths that Hawks took. It was amazing how he’d stilled in such a controlled manner. His face was completely blank of any tells, but it was how blank it was that gave him away – when Hawks was being true to himself, he was very expressive Dabi had found out. After a couple more heartbeats where Hawks refused to drop his resolve, Dabi continued, his own posture softening so that he could rest his arm comfortably on his desk.

“It’s okay, you know. They’re your supplies. You can have as many as you want.” Avian eyes locked on his movements, so Dabi let his expression relax while he leaned his head on his hand. They waited each other out, Hawks meticulously scrutinizing his employee’s expression, searching for something. Dabi made sure he only saw acceptance. “It’s okay. They’re yours. If you want, you can have more of them.”

“I, uh, I’m good.” Hawks scooted back, forcing his hero’s smile on his face while he waved both hands in front of himself like a mime erecting an invisible wall. “The Commission doesn’t want me to distract myself, so they made sure I have a secretary to handle all my paperwork, so uh, I probably won’t need anymore.”

“Are you sure? You only took four of them, and you had at least six incident reports to fill out after lunch. I have more if you need them.” Dabi made to reach towards his desk organizer, but Hawks moved a wing to block his view.

“I’m good – really. Uh, thanks for thinking of me, Dabi – I appreciate it – but I’ll be in the field a lot soon. I won’t need them. You’re, um, really meticulous, huh?” Hawks tried for a laugh, but Dabi simply raised an eyebrow in return.

“I tend to notice when something’s wrong. That’s pretty helpful for a hero agency, huh?” There was an edge to Dabi’s smile, and Hawks’ eyes tracked how his staples shifted along his cheek. It made the hero swallow, but he didn’t step up to the bait for banter, something he would have done if he wasn’t so tense.

“Right. Sorry, I think I forgot to do something in my office, so I should probably—”

“You’ll be back later, right? To help me with the fax machine?” At Hawks’ hesitation, Dabi shifted closer, taking notice of how Hawks clenched his gloved hand into a fist. “I’d want you there. You’ve really helped me out today.” Silence fell after his request while Hawks’ hands kept clenching on air.

“Are— … Okay. I won’t be around as much once I start patrol, and you were going to talk to Hiroki after, right? It’d be good if I stuck around in case she needs me.” He tilted his head with a hesitant smile, and Dabi nodded.

“Great; I’ll see you later then.”

--

It was almost the end of the day before they were able to get the fax to go through. Dabi could’ve danced with joy when the confirmation page printed. He was tempted to frame it, but he decided to simply make a file for it instead. Afterwards, he and Hawks stopped by Hiroki’s desk.

She was still in the meeting with Asami, but she came out briefly to let them both know that she would be in this meeting for the rest of the day. “Hawks, make sure you go straight home after your shift – this PR meeting will have to start from scratch if you don’t. And Dabi, I’m sorry for the delay, but I’ll get with you before the end of your shift, okay?” She nodded to them both and made sure they understood her before she headed back inside.

The door clicked shut with a reverberation of finality, leaving Hawks and Dabi standing in silence next to each other.

“… When does your shift end?” Dabi glanced towards his boss, curious about the emphasis that the hero go home without delay. It probably had something to do with his image since the PR department was involved.

Hawks scuffed a boot before peeking over at Dabi. “In a few minutes. I have a double shift tomorrow, so the Commission wanted me to have a short day today so I can be rested. … Your shift doesn’t end until 5:00, right?” Dabi wasn’t sure how Hawks working an eight hour shift could be considered ‘a short day’, but he didn’t press the issue. He simply nodded to Hawks’ question before they decided in unison to head back to Dabi’s desk.

As they walked, Hawks stayed by his side, eyes resolutely forward. The hero’s voice piped up in quick but quiet tones, “About earlier— I didn’t swipe your paper clips when you gave them to me. I mean, I did, but it wasn’t until you went to the fax machine that I decided to keep them. I figured it might be good to have them in case of emergency, but I didn’t think I’d need them any time soon – but then I had to use them for those incident reports after lunch since Hiroki was in that meeting today, and I didn’t want to leave something undone. I just wanted to help, but I didn’t think you’d notice they were gone, but uh, I wanted to say sorry anyway. I shouldn’t have taken them, or I should’ve told you first. I’m sorry you had to indulge my, uh… my…” When Dabi rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, it seemed to break Hawks’ rambling and his train of thought. The florescent lights glinting off Dabi’s staples probably helped, but it was his apathetic regard that carried the most weight.

“You really don’t know when to stop, do you? You don’t have to do everyone’s jobs, and you don’t have to apologize for something that doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s okay for you to enjoy things. Besides, I didn’t need all those paper clips anyway. You did fine today, Hawks. You’re fine just the way you are, paper clip snatching and all.” The softest curve of his two-toned lips had Hawks beaming, shoulders relaxing until it looked like his wings had fluffed in delight. “Be careful during your patrols tomorrow, and don’t forget to head straight home – your shift is over.”

“Right! Have a good night, Dabi! I’ll see you later,” Hawks waved, walking backwards on his way back to his office. Dabi watched him go with that same soft smile until Hawks was out of sight.

Once he was alone, Dabi turned to the supply closet and decided to check for something. He didn’t find what he was looking for, but he made a mental note to stop by a supply store after work. He spent the rest of his shift straightening things up at his desk and generally wasting time. About fifteen minutes before 5:00, Hiroki stopped by.

“Dabi, sorry for the wait. Why don’t you follow me to my office, and we’ll go over the filing system really quick. It shouldn’t take long.”

As she explained the agency’s system to Dabi, he noticed a hauntingly familiar grey box of a machine in the corner. It had several stacks of paper to the side but sitting on the received tray was a single sheet of paper. Even from this distance and even with his bad vision, he could recognize that formatting anywhere. After all, he’d been picking it up every few minutes for most of the day.

The paper he’d been trying to fax all day had gone to Hiroki, not some mystery person elsewhere on the planet. She had said it was needed for filing purposes to finalize that he’d been hired, so he had assumed that maybe the HPSC had needed it for some sort of hero agency database, but no, apparently he’d been wrong.

Once she finished explaining how to get into the records room for the agency, she glanced up and noticed that his eyes hadn’t been on the map she’d pulled out.

“Ah, you have a good eye,” her expression was soft if a bit sheepish. He didn’t bother correcting her about his eyesight. “Sorry for the deception this morning. We wanted to make sure you were familiar with the office equipment here.”

“Why did you cancel my fax before lunch then?”

She blinked then chuckled quietly. “We got a call from the Commission that they were sending us some important information. I didn’t want to cancel your fax, but we had to make them our first priority.” She gestured behind herself at the numerous stacks of papers. “As I’m sure you noticed, they had a lot to send to us.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” He eyed the papers for a moment longer before sighing softly. Getting led around like that all day had been a pain, but he could confidently say that he knew how to work a fax machine now. Besides, with how the chain of command worked, he’d most likely have to do as Hiroki and Asami instructed in the future, regardless of if he saw the point or not.

So, yeah, today had been frustrating, but it was only partially their fault. Which brought him to his next annoyance.

Blue eyes locked on her before he spoke again. “Can you tell me about the Commission, and what they have to do with Hawks?” Her eyes sharpened on him, so he took the opportunity to continue. “Apparently they don’t like that he likes shiny things, and I’d like to know why.”

She regarded him for another moment before her guard relaxed. She must’ve decided that he could be trusted. “Alright.”

He didn’t hear the full story from her. A lot of it was confidential, and even the parts that weren’t were still very personal to Hawks. She said he would need to tell those parts himself if he was comfortable with it.

Dabi didn’t expect for Hawks to tell him. He was, however, relieved that he, Hiroki, and Asami agreed that there was nothing wrong with Hawks’ bird traits. The fact that the HPSC had apparently spent most of Hawks’ life trying to suppress them was garbage. Now that Hawks had his own agency and was a pro, he shouldn’t have to listen to them if he didn’t want to.

As employees of Hawks’ agency, Hiroki and Asami had already taken it upon themselves to guarantee Hawks’ comfort. They wanted to help him become the best hero he could be, and that didn’t come from limiting himself unnecessarily for something as useless as ratings. It was their mission to make him feel safe to be himself, and now, they trusted Dabi to help them.

“Let’s get to work, then.”

--

Coming into the office bright and early was a new experience, but Dabi knew it would have to become his normal. Working an eight to five after being a runaway for the last three years wasn’t exactly how he’d expected his life to go, but he supposed there were worse things. On his way to his desk, he made a quick stop at Hawks’ office.

It was empty, and the overhead lights were off, but the door was left open anyway. The lamp on the cabinet was lit, so this was probably intentional. There were no signs hung up about “No Trespassing” or “Wait to be invited in” – he had checked yesterday – so he walked in with purpose. No alarms sounded, and no one rushed in to question him. It was just an empty office, but he did notice that the window in the corner was partially open.

Is that how Hawks had left yesterday? Just dove out the window like some maniac? Dabi supposed that the wings and ability to fly justified it, but the thought still had his stomach twisting anxiously. He shook his head, lips twitching into a reluctant smile. His boss was the weirdest hero he’d ever heard of.

A thoughtless one, too. With the window open like this, a breeze had slipped in, disturbing the leftover papers in his box. Whatever had been sitting close to the window had already been blown to the floor.

So, the bird jumped out the window and didn’t even think of what he’d left behind, huh? Could be a rookie mistake (the agency was new, after all – he probably wasn’t used to the responsibilities of running an office) or maybe there’d been an emergency that had required his immediate attention? With a hum, Dabi decided to look into it later. Maybe there’d be office rumors flitting about? Surely TV got something right in all those office dramas he’d glimpsed as a kid.

He rolled his eyes as he bent and carefully picked up all the papers from the floor. What a bird brain… This did give him the perfect excuse to leave a present behind, though.

After work yesterday, he’d remembered to stop by the store and pick something up for his boss. Not that he expected Hawks would appreciate it or use it, but just in case. And it’s not like Hawks would ever do anything for himself, anyway, and Dabi didn’t have to say that these were from him. It was—

Okay, he was done overthinking this. Really, it wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t need to psyche himself up for it. This was nothing.

Borrowing a pen and a sticky note from the desk, Dabi set a small box on the freshly gathered papers, weighing them down securely from any more stray breezes. The note simply said, For emergencies. No signature.

The display image of iridescent paper clips glinted back at him from the glossed surface of the box. Maybe they were silly, maybe a little bit too extra, but the fact that they were shaped like birds had caught Dabi’s attention from the discount bin. How they hadn’t already been scooped up by someone had been a mystery, but Dabi had no problem profiting from someone else’s oversight.

Maybe they’d get a laugh from Hawks or maybe they’d be forgotten in a drawer – either way was fine, so with his mind made up, Dabi headed to his desk. It was about time he got to work.

As his day passed, Dabi was shown the filing system in person. He was instructed on how to organize documents at his desk and how to fill out paperwork. He was given a small booklet with different names, numbers, e-mails, and contact information for heroes and people of interest. He was asked to print various things and was given menial tasks that sent him about the agency so that he would learn his way around.

During one of his many walks, he was able to overhear news of Hawks. Apparently, he was making waves in the area, seemingly everywhere. The public was enamored with him, and every statement and report had been filled with praise. No one had any negative comments to say – not yet, anyway.

Those within the agency were beside themselves at the success. Dabi tried not to let it go to his head too much – it was still early. There was another patrol later, after all – something could go wrong.

Still, he caught himself glancing out the windows when he passed them, a soft smile on his lips. “Not bad, magpie.”

It was almost Dabi’s afternoon break before he heard anything concrete about their new resident hero.

“I didn’t know you had such nice handwriting.” Hawks stood at his desk with a s*** eating grin, holding up a sticky note like it was some kind of evidence.

“What makes you think I wrote it?” Dabi replied lazily, ignoring how his heart stuttered. How had he been caught?

For some reason, Hawks grinned more. “I have my ways.” He flexed his wings in a silent message, and Dabi narrowed his eyes.

He belatedly remembered that Hawks’ feathers could sense vibrations, but… “How?”

Hawks had been on patrol this morning when Dabi had left the box of paper clips behind. The news showed that Hawks had been on the other end of their district dealing with a car chase – it’s not like he’d been just down the hall like yesterday.

“Oh, come on; it’s no fun if I spoil the surprise!” Something tapped Dabi on the shoulder, and he turned his head just in time to be poked in the cheek by a red feather. A red feather that then flew into Hawks’ wings. Dabi’s incredulous face had Hawks laughing until he was clutching his stomach. “N-Nevermind; it’s so funny to spoil the surprise! Hahahaha!!”

“You are just the worst…” Dabi groaned, putting his face in his hands to hide his embarrassment. Since when could wing quirks let someone fly, sense vibrations, and detach and control their feathers? That wasn’t even fair – how did that make sense? No wonder Hawks was a hero – his quirk was insane.

Slowly, Hawks laughter finally died down, and the hero wiped at his eyes. “Oh man; I needed that laugh. Thanks.” He still snickered, but it didn’t bother Dabi as much anymore.

He still rolled his eyes, though. “Yeah, yeah; laugh it up, bird boy. Did you get it all out of your system? Are you good now?”

“Hey, I’m a hero; I’m always good.” His own words made him snort, and Dabi made a face, refusing to find it cute, not after he’d been laughed at so much. “Okay, okay; seriously, though; thank you. I mean it. They... It means a lot to me. I promise not to use them up too fast – just for emergencies.”

“Hawks, I got them for you to use; use as many as you want. They’re yours.” Silence fell between them as Hawks did that thing where he was searching for something in Dabi’s expression, trying to decide something. Whatever conditioning the HPSC had given him ran deeper than Dabi had thought if he was still being so stubborn about some paper clips. “If you run out, I can get you more; it’s not a big deal.”

That had Hawks’ wings twitching, but he tried to cover it with a hasty retreat. “A-Anyway, I have to get to my next patrol. I was just stopping by to say thanks, so uh, thanks!”

He waved with a sheepish smile, so much more rushed and genuine than his hero’s smile. It made Dabi chuckle, but as red wings rushed off, he still called out a “Be careful out there!”

--

In time, Hawks did get Dabi a guest chair for his cubicle, but the blond never used it. Whenever he stopped by Dabi’s desk, he always sat on the corner while they chatted, smile wide and hands gesturing with the latest story from his patrol.

Neither of them commented on it, but it always made Dabi’s shoulders relax when Hawks perched nearby, and that in turn would have Hawks’ smile stretching wider.

No one else in the office mentioned their closeness.

--

Dabi had never had a job before this one. Between simply surviving and the couple failed crimes he’d tried to run on his own, he’d never worked anywhere with other people. Most people (before he’d come to this agency) shied away from his face or would cast worried or disgruntled glances towards him.

This office was… different in a way that wasn’t so bad. No one here regarded his face, his scars, his staples as a problem; they didn’t avoid him for his blank expressions or his obviously aged clothes. He was treated like every other employee of his station, and they were all regarded with respect and gratitude – like their jobs mattered, like they mattered.

It sort of fit what TV dramas had promised him – minus the drama part, obviously. In fact, he never would have thought anything about how he got this job (minus being awed that this was actually his life and not just some ideal on a TV screen) except for his actual hiring process. That part still stuck in his head.

Because he’d been ushered in by the agency’s boss and had nearly gotten sick from being flown around. He’d been sat in a chair so he could catch his breath. They’d asked if he’d heard about the job, and when he’d nodded because the winged guy had just mentioned it, then they’d hired him?

Was that how it normally went?

Hadn’t he heard things about job applications, about visiting websites or calling a contact number? Wasn’t there supposed to be stress about waiting to hear back, about attachments not being on the e-mail? Wasn’t there an entire interview process with answering questions across a desk from a man dressed in a suit?

Or had those TV dramas just made those up, too?

Dabi had never had a job before this one, and with all the calls from the public, from the police, from the HPSC, he couldn’t say that this chaotic place was anything like other places. But he also couldn’t say that he’d want it to be any different. Chaotic and unconventional as this place was, from their hiring process to the PR staff to their boss, he couldn’t say he hated it. Maybe this whole job thing wouldn’t be too bad.

--

Whenever Hawks stopped by his desk, Dabi took up the habit of doing something with his hands. He may grab a pen, shift a few things around – anything to give Hawks an out from staring so much.

Not that Dabi minded having Hawks’ eyes on him, but he’d noticed that Hawks was conscious of the action and seemed to beat himself up about it. Silly birdbrain trying to stop his attraction to shiny things. There was nothing wrong with looking at Dabi’s staples, but at least Dabi had plenty to spare all over his body. So, he’d use his hands so that his ridiculous boss could fake social norms to his heart’s content while still getting to enjoy the flash of metal along the backs of Dabi’s hands.

For today’s distraction, Dabi started linking paper clips together so that they made a chain. Hawks watched in that way where he stopped blinking so that he wouldn’t miss a thing. There was a certain thrill to having the hero’s undivided attention, but it also added tension to Dabi’s nerves, filling his stomach with butterflies that flooded his brain with the fear of messing up, of being boring, or not doing a good job. It made him worry that the silence would become awkward, so he cleared his throat softly before talking – anything to fill the silence.

“It’s like a daisy chain but with paper clips.” He explained unnecessarily. At Hawks’ slight head tilt of confusion, Dabi stopped adding paper clips in order to give him a deadpan stare. Maybe it was necessary after all. “… Have you never made a daisy chain?”

Hawks shook his head, eyes shifting to Dabi’s face instead of his hands. “No. Have you?” Filling the silence may have been a bad idea.

“… My sister used to make them, so I’ve seen it done before.”

“You have a sister?”

Definitely a bad idea. Dabi nodded anyway. “Yeah and two brothers.” It’s not like that would hurt to know; it wouldn’t give anything incriminating away. Dabi liked his privacy, but he could let a couple things slip. “What about you? Do you have any siblings?”

Hawks shook his head. “No, I was an only child.”

For a moment, Dabi wondered what it must be like to have all your parents’ attention, but there was something in the detached way that Hawks had said it that discolored the statement—

Oh. It was the way he’d said it – past tense. Meaning his parents were no longer applicable in his life.

There was a story there, but how Hawks was looking just to the side of Dabi’s eyes (at the piercings in his ear) now clearly wasn’t the time to ask. Dabi nodded instead and gave a soft hum, hands continuing to link paper clips together. They needed a distraction.

“Should I hook these to my staples?” He held up the short chain to his cheek and watched Hawks’ pupils shrink as shifting metals glinted in the light. His fluffy eyebrows were crooked with concern, though.

“You should disinfect them first, just in case. Do you have any disinfectant?” Dabi shook his head, lowering the paper clips. He had some, but not enough to be as thorough as he’d need to be. There were a lot of paper clips here, and infections were no joke. Hawks nodded. “We’ll get some ordered for you. It’d be a good idea to have more on hand anyway in case of injury.” Despite the relative calm of the workplace, there was actually a lot of danger for the hero and sidekicks of the agency as they went out on patrol.

“Be careful out there,” Dabi said offhandedly.

Hawks scoffed, eyes glinting with smug confidence. It was a look the paparazzi didn’t get to see, but it always made Dabi smirk.

“Oh, trust me; it won’t be for me.”

--

Despite his ingrained wariness, Dabi decided to be bold and trust his new supervisors.

When Asami had given him those pamphlets about affordable apartments in the area, he’d started to look into them, and he’d finally found a place to stay. It was within his price range for his starting salary, but he hadn’t been paid yet. If he was going to put down a deposit for the rent, then he’d need to act fast before someone else got it instead. So, Dabi sucked up the courage in his first week and asked Asami for an advance on his pay.

Surprisingly enough, she agreed when he’d told her what the advance would be used for. She even went the extra mile by helping him contact the apartment. She took the time to help him print off and fill out the rental application, and she pre-emptively wrote him a recommendation letter as his employer in case they tried to question his unconventional name.

It was more than he could have hoped for. What had his life become? Things were going so well that he was almost humming as he walked through the local dollar store after being given his apartment key. He had a little extra money left over from his security deposit and initial rental deposit fees. It wasn’t much, but it was enough that he could afford a few groceries for his new place.

He had an actual place for himself, someplace with his name on it, and a job with his own desk where his coworkers and supervisor helped him and made him feel valued. He was finally starting to live a life instead of the fragmented shade of memories and pain his existence had been before. He was creating and establishing himself as his own person, not a shadow, not a memory, not a façade. It was surprisingly nice.

As he walked towards the register with his basket of rice, cheap ramen, and bottled water, a glint of colors caught the corner of his eye. Glancing over, he saw a bag of multi-colored mancala beads wrapped together in white mesh. The colors ranged from a glitter filled yellow to vibrant red and some accent beads in varying shades of bright blue, and he remembered how Hawks’ eyes involuntarily swept his desk without having anything shiny to land on. He’d found an open top container in the form of an oversized coffee cup in the supply closet, but he hadn’t found anything suitable to place into it yet.

‘These will do.’ He slipped the pack of rounded glass into his basket and continued on his way.

--

The next time Hawks stopped by his desk, the hero’s eyes grew, and his lips parted around a noise that almost sounded like a click. The oversized coffee cup was only a third filled by the beads, but apparently, it was enough to be noticed. Dabi hoped in time to fill it more, but he needed to wait a couple more pay periods before he had enough cash to spare for that. Maybe he could get something other than mancala beads from the dollar store to add?

He’s not sure when it started, but sometime during the first week of having the shiny cup, more things were added to it.

At first, Dabi thought someone had simply dropped their trash into the cup, but the first item was a rough piece of fool’s gold (not the crumpled straw wrapper he’d thought it was), so Dabi left it in place. After that was a mostly green marble with intertwining waves of white and blue. Then there was a plain looking rock that actually had a peak of amethyst on the bottom side.

Someone other than him was adding to the collection, and he intended to find out who it was.

He caught the culprit unaware as the building emptied out after a long day. Dabi had been called back to Hiroki’s office and had stayed a few minutes after 5:00, but he was returning to his desk when he spotted large, folded red wings stopped at the edge of his desk. The sound of sifting materials clinked lightly in the quiet air before a gloved hand reached into a tan jacket to pull out something.

“Hey—”

Hawks almost shrieked before he pulled his jacket collar tight to his face, eyes large and wings startled as his head whipped around to identify the voice. Dabi just grinned until Hawks relaxed with a heaving sigh and placed his free hand over his heart.

“Dabi, you’re not supposed to sneak up on people…! I thought I was going to have a heart attack!” Hawks screeched dramatically.

“I didn’t think I could sneak up on you. What happened with your feathers? I thought you could sense things from a mile away.”

“It’s from about 400 meters actually, but—” Dabi’s eyebrows almost reached his hairline, but Hawks didn’t seem to notice, eyes moving to his clenched hand, “— There was a villain earlier whose quirk let them release a cloud of electromagnetic sand. It sticks to itself, so I can’t get it off my feathers, and it’s messing with my senses; I can’t feel things the way I’m supposed to, so I can’t even detach my feathers or call them back. I was supposed to work another shift tonight, but Asami contacted the Commission, and they apparently want me to take the night off.” He laughed softly, fingers slowly uncurling as the last of his tension fell away. “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but if they want me to take a break, I won’t say no!”

“You’re supposed to take a break if you’re incapacitated in the field, Hawks. Not doing so can lead to serious injury.” Dabi scowled in concern, eyebrows lowered in frustration. What hero didn’t know how to pace themselves?

Hawks rolled his eyes. “I can still fly; it’s not like I’m grounded,” he threw his hands into the air, but Dabi just shook his head, expression firm.

“Magpie, you can’t use your quirk effectively. Sending you into the field would be a death sentence.”

Hawks’ head tilted at the ‘magpie’ nickname, but his expression melded into more of a pout as he listened to Dabi’s point. It was a compelling argument (one he’d already heard from Asami) but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

“Yeah, I know,” he sighed theatrically before glancing over his shoulder to ruffle his messy wings. A few grains of the sand fell onto the carpet, but not enough to dismiss the effect of the quirk. “I’ll head home, and then I’ll roost until I’m cleared for duty – don’t worry.”

“Oh, I’ll worry, but not about that. Before that, though,” Dabi waited for Hawks to finish chuckling before his eyes landed on his closed fist. “What do you have there?”

“Ah,” Hawks stuttered, smile turning almost sheepish as he seemed to reluctantly open his closed fist. In his palm was a small glass feather – the light that passed through it made it shine a gentle pink. It had probably broken off of a figurine. It was amazing it hadn’t broken, as well, but even more incredible was the fact Hawks had spotted it. It was barely three centimeters long. “Well, uh, I just saw it on the ground, and I thought – since you already had these other treasures, it might… fit in, I guess?” He cast a nervous glance at Dabi who watched him patiently.

“Sure, it can be added with the rest, but why give your treasures to me?”

The question had color moving to Hawks’ face, and he tried to glance away to hide it. “I thought, uh, you might…” He covered his mouth with his jacket collar, muttering the rest.

“You’ll have to speak up; what was that?” Dabi leaned closer, blue eyes dancing in amusement. The pull of his staples made him realize he was grinning, and the shift in light had Hawks’ eyes zeroed back in on his face.

The hero worked to swallow, but he didn’t try to hide behind his jacket collar again. “I… thought you… might be able to protect them?” The admission had Dabi losing his smile, his expression shifting to stunned shock. Hawks’ wings ruffled behind him as he glanced away in embarrassment. “Kind of like a dragon; you’ve been watching over the others, and I thought you’d – appreciate a larger pile? It’s just, the cup is so empty, and I spot a lot of things from the sky, and – if you’re okay with it, maybe I could keep bringing more? To you? To, uh… protect and display. For me, so uh, people can see them.” He spoke quickly, face heating until it started to resemble his wings.

“I—” How was he supposed to follow that up? Hawks was trusting him with his shiny treasures, something he was only now admitting that he had, and he was sharing them with Dabi? This was… This was another one of those bird traits, wasn’t it? It went further than just liking shiny objects – there was a status symbol with having treasure and displaying it with the confidence that no one else could steal it, right?

And Hawks was trusting Dabi to keep his horde safe.

Now Dabi had to look away, his own face beginning to color. His scars managed to cover the rising heat in his ears and neck, but some of the blush peeked along the healthy skin of his cheeks.

“Sure,” his voice sounded small and far away to his own burning ears, but it held steady as Dabi stretched his hand out, palm open and expecting, towards Hawks. “I’ll protect it. You can bring as much as you want.”

Shy golden eyes peeked at him, but when they locked with his blue, both boys glanced away again. “Right. Thanks.”

“Sure. No problem.”

Down the hall, Asami and Hiroki crowded together to peek around the corner in mutual silence. They’d had high hopes for Dabi when he showed up with Hawks, but this was going better than they’d expected. Silently, they made a vow to help in any way they could, and then, they hurried away before they could be noticed.

--

It was no surprise when Hawks quickly became a favorite to the Fukuoka populace. Originally, he was only supposed to watch the district around the agency, but with his versatile quirk, expansive sensory range, and incredible speed, he was quickly being called in by the older heroes in the area to back them up. With all of this exposure in the community, fan mail quickly flooded in.

“This is for me?” Hawks held up the letter with almost reverence. It was the first letter to arrive, and by lunch, there were five more.

Hawks took the time to read the “thank you for saving me” letters and was practically hopping through the office for the rest of the day. Even his meeting with the HPSC couldn’t bring him down, though he did cover his good mood behind his practiced serious face, being sure to listen attentively.

It was after Hawks was hidden away in his own office that Dabi noticed the hero was having a problem. He had his letters set on his desk, ready to write replies, but golden eyes scowled into his nest of pens, gloved hands sifting through them as a frown tugged at his lips.

“What’re you doing?” Dabi couldn’t help but ask from the doorway.

Hawks gave him a quick glance, but he didn’t seem surprised by his presence. “I wanted to reply to the people I helped, but…” He huffed, sitting back in his chair and picking up the letters to shuffle them before returning them to some kind of order. “I don’t know – it’s probably stupid. I just… I wanted to make my reply special somehow, y’know? But nothing… Nothing feels right. These are important to me, but…”

Dabi hummed as Hawks trailed off. He got the gist of what the hero meant even if he didn’t share the sentiment. He knew that Hawks would soon have more than he could handle, but as a debut hero, every new fan and every “good job” meant more fame and a more secure rank – not to mention the sentimental value of being acknowledged for a job well done.

“… Hold on; I think I have an idea. Wait right here.” And with that, Dabi ducked out of sight and moved back to the supply closet. He’d gotten a good look at everything in there during the fax machine fiasco, and he remembered seeing a— Yes, there it was.

Inside a drawer was a pack of glitter gel pens. It was a basic set with only four colors, but one glimmered red, and another was gold – it would have to do until Dabi could put in an order for more.

Proud of himself, Dabi hurried back to Hawks’ office, knocking once on the doorframe to announce himself unnecessarily. Hawks was already looking up, wings ruffling subtly behind him when Dabi stuck his head into view.

“Think these will do?” He tossed the pack towards the desk and tried not to feel too embarrassed when a red feather had to carry them the rest of the way to Hawks’ outstretched hand. His fluffy eyebrows curved in confusion before raising in excitement. His eyes glittered to match the pens in his hands, and his stunned expression met Dabi’s before a large grin overtook his face.

“Do you think I can really use these?” He asked with so much hope that Dabi couldn’t turn him down even if it cost him his job (which it wouldn’t), but Dabi wanted to encourage Hawks’ love for shiny things in any way that he could.

“Of course. They’re in your agency after all.” A soft trill came from Hawks’ throat as he admired the pens in his hands, his wings fluffing in excitement. It had almost sounded like a coo, but Dabi was pretty sure that hawks couldn’t coo like a pigeon. Maybe he should do more bird research – he was pretty limited right now.

“Thank you,” Hawks whispered almost reverently, his eyes shyly flicking up to meet Dabi’s before quickly returning to the pens like he worried they would vanish if he didn’t keep an eye on them.

In that brief moment of connection, though, Dabi smiled gently. Hawks’ eyes had that glow he liked to see in them, the one that lit up his entire face and showed his happiness. Dabi hoped to see it much more in the future.

--

As Dabi predicted, the letters kept increasing until Hawks didn’t have the time to go through them all himself. The realization had the hero’s wings drooping, but his hero’s heart wouldn’t let him be too discouraged. Either he could answer letters or he could save lives, and he knew which one he would always prioritize.

There were days that were bad, though, where Hawks was overstressed and wrung out. It was obvious from how smaller feathers would molt and lay about the agency, ruffled and disheveled and dormant. On those days when he needed a break but couldn’t ask for one, Hiroki would hand him a stack of envelops and beg him to please give them attention because, she said, they were important. She would set him in a quiet conference room and hand him a glitter gel pen, and for an hour, Hawks would answer letter after letter of gratitude and encouragement which he would sign a reply to.

When the stack got too big, he only had time to sign his name under the standard, pre-written reply, but he still read every letter that was handed to him, and even though he could’ve used his feathers to sign several letters at once, he took the time to sign each one by hand instead.

After the hour of quiet and positivity, he’d come out with a stack of replies and a great weight off his shoulders. He’d smile and thank Hiroki with a knowing but grateful look in his eyes as he handed over the letters and glitter gel pen. Then he’d ask for an update from his sidekicks about how patrols were looking before jumping out a window to return to the field.

With his dedication and earnest intentions, even Dabi had to admit that Hawks genuinely was a great hero.

--

As Hawks’ popularity grew, more and more applications were sent into the agency for sidekicks, administrative staff, interns, team ups, and interviews. It had been less than four months, and Hawks had gone from a newly debuted nobody to cresting above the 100th rank, nearing the Top Ten. It was unheard of in the world of heroics how many records he’d broken already, but Dabi wasn’t surprised. He knew how much work Hawks put in, in the field and in the agency.

What had surprised Dabi was the efficient way that Hiroki and Asami had managed to use the popularity boost to gain control of Hawks’ agency away from the HPSC. Each new hire they made (never interns, and Dabi felt like he should ask about that at some point) was unique in that way that he knew society usually snubbed. It was usually a heteromorphic quirk or a mutation type or someone with distinctive features like bright hair, tattoos, piercings, or it was all the above. There were a few people who had been hired on that Dabi was certain he’d seen on the streets.

Each new hire seemed to have a complicated background or lacked a name like Dabi did, but each was also fiercely loyal to their new job, their new boss, the agency as a whole. They didn’t let anyone push them around because they knew that they were helping a growing hero. It was impressive what a positive impact simply saying “I work for Hawks’ agency” had. A griping civilian or reporter instantly brightened and became cooperative even in the most mundane settings.

--

There was one thing about this job that was starting to get on Dabi’s nerves.

He handled a lot of paperwork in the agency. Not a significant percentage within the agency since everything seemed to generate paperwork (he remembered the mountain on Hawks’ desk on the first day that the agency had been open, and no one had even started patrols then), but his main job involved handling paperwork in some form.

Sometimes, that meant passing memos on to his supervisor. Sometimes, it was stamping something before passing it down the chain. Sometimes, it was as simple as filing the document. Sometimes, it meant inputting the data into the computer. And when he did have to type it into the computer, he also had to scan it and make copies before sending it on to whoever needed it next.

The problem was that people kept sending him documents to process that were stapled together.

It wasn’t a big problem, more of a minor inconvenience than anything, but when he received stapled documents that needed to be processed, he had to pull out the staples and then attach everything together with a paper clip instead. The ruined staples were thrown away, and as Dabi watched the crumbled metal glint as it fell into the trash, he couldn’t help but feel it was a waste.

It took time out of his day, and it wasted supplies, but more than that, it was one less bit of shine that Hawks would never get to appreciate. Once a staple was used, it could only be thrown away afterwards.

It seemed… a bit pointless, maybe a little sad, and it was definitely a waste of supplies. He knew they had paper clips in the supply closet, and he knew that they received the paperwork with a paper clip – yet, they always removed the paper clip and replaced it with a staple instead, which he then had to rip out and throw away. Completely asinine and a waste! How did they expect paperwork to get scanned and copied with a staple in it?

…

He may be more invested in this than he realized – or he was just that bored at work. Not that his work was boring, but it certainly wasn’t as mentally stimulating (see mentally taxing) as when he’d lived on the streets or had to dodge heroes and police.

With a face like his, he often garnered unwanted attention, and considering the few small crimes he’d almost been caught for, he was used to thinking ahead, planning escape routes, finding quiet areas, and being generally aware of everything and everyone around him.

Sitting in an office space – even if it was a hero’s agency – was much calmer. And subsequently, he had more time to focus on menial things like efficiency. And having to pull out unnecessary staples so that he could scan and copy documents was the opposite of efficient. The amount of gleaming silver that got thrown away every day, every week, wasn’t efficient either.

He knew that Hawks would appreciate their shine, how light bent around their curves and reflected along their straight edges – and yet, the hero would never see them. He had no real need for used staples, anyway. He may like shiny things, but there had to be a limit somewhere, right?

Dabi sighed as he threw another ruined staple into the waste bin. There had to be something else he could do with those. As he thought it over, he looked over the jar of treasures that was steadily being filled.

Plain staples didn’t belong in there, but he had to admit that the collection was growing nicely. Maybe he could find some other way to contribute to the collection that utilized these bits of metal?

Dabi hummed as he mulled it over, and as he returned to his desk, he decided to check through the laws about quirk use along with the agency’s rules and regulations.

--

The cup of Hawks’ treasures filled quickly despite Hawks only bringing “the best he could find”. When it got too full, Dabi set the filled container on his filing cabinet behind him where anyone could see, but it was still out of the way. Then he found a new cup or bowl or some sort of container and set it on the front of his desk with a couple treasures of his own – turns out that even shiny buttons could count as a treasure in Hawks’ eyes. Regardless of what Dabi brought in, Hawks smiled while his wings ruffled, earning a soft smile from Dabi.

It didn’t take long for that container to fill as well, and Dabi had to find another container.

There were a few coworkers in the office who asked Dabi about the treasures, curious why he kept changing containers, about the containers that were being set along the filing cabinet. He mentioned that the trinkets were just to help add some shine to the office – which they seemed to like, but when one of them tried to add something of their own, Dabi stuck his hand in the way.

“I’m adding to this one. Why don’t you start your own collection at your desk?” He gave a tight smile but refused to move his hand until they finally backed down and walked away. They seemed dejected, but that wasn’t Dabi’s problem. This treasure was Hawks’, and Dabi was going to protect it to the best of his abilities.

Seemingly by coincidence, Hiroki sent out an e-mail that reminded everyone of the office policies and how everyone’s workspaces were their own and were thus able to be decorated as they saw fit – as long as it stayed within company guidelines. As long as they didn’t have illegal paraphernalia or have anything hateful towards others, then it would be fine.

Dabi wondered about the timing of the e-mail, but he didn’t see the need in asking about it because seemingly everyone in the office was on board with making things shinier.

Some used stickers or posters; some brought glitter charms; some filled containers like Dabi was doing. Little bits and bobs of personality and sparkle were added to each workstation, cubicle, and office – and even though it wasn’t Dabi’s aesthetic, it made Hawks’ wing flare in delight every time he walked in.

Unfortunately, the HPSC wasn’t as thrilled.

An agent had a closed-door meeting with Hiroki and Asami that lasted most of an afternoon. At some point, even Hawks was called in to join rather than returning to his patrol.

The e-mail from Hiroki that followed put a mild damper on the office.

Apparently, all of these shining treasures were “unprofessional”, and they “lessened the public’s trust in heroes” – which seemed a bit extreme to Dabi. It also seemed like a lie given how many phone calls and how much fan mail that Hawks received. How could society distrust him while also congratulating and thanking him?

The solution that the new e-mail proposed was that their sparkling treasures couldn’t be displayed in the lobby downstairs where the public had access. Behind the public eye, though, they could decorate as they pleased.

In celebration, every floor of the agency (except the lobby) threw a party which involved glitter being thrown through the air, lights being aimed at a disco ball someone brought, and a general explosion of eye-catching sparkles. If Dabi thought the opening party for the agency had been bright, he wasn’t at all prepared for this one.

When the party was winding down, and he still couldn’t wipe all of the glitter out of his hair or off of his coat, Hawks lightly bumped him with a wing, gold eyes shining with delight. Despite his workload, he always found time to spend at the agency gatherings like this. He was also covered head to toe in glitter like Dabi was.

“So, have a good party?” Hawks grinned, hands firmly stuffed into his pockets.

“I still can’t believe we got away with all of this.” Dabi shook his head, earning a laugh from the hero beside him.

“Nothing in the handbook says we can’t have office meetings during the day,” Hawks quipped with a far too innocent smile.

Dabi snorted. “‘Office meetings’ – right.” He snickered, and Hawks’ wings fluffed at the sound before shifting to smooth themselves back out.

“Anyway,” the blond glanced away as if to compose himself. Dabi wasn’t sure why he was being shifty, but it definitely had his attention, “This was all because of you, and—”

“I don’t want credit for this,” Dabi cut in. “It’s your agency, Hawks. I’m just following your directive.” His tone was gentle but firm. He wanted Hawks to get this through his head. Everyone had his back, and this party and everyone’s actions proved that.

“Anyway,” the hero continued, making Dabi roll his eyes, “I wanted to get you something as a thank you for what you did with, uh, protecting my treasures. So.” He pulled a hand out of his pocket, something gripped in his fist. When Dabi held up an open palm in confusion, Hawks dropped the object into his hand. It was a silver mood ring. “So, I’ll always know your mood when I come by,” Hawks tacked on with a cheeky grin, but his wings were stiff behind him.

Dabi accessed him quietly, eyes drifting from his wings to the ring in his hands. It was sparkly and quickly warming to a deep blue-purple color. With enough time, it would probably transition all the way back to red.

“Thanks, magpie. I’ll treasure it.” He slipped it on his thumb, and Hawks flushed, beating a quick retreat by excusing himself to a different group.

Dabi wore it every day after that. There was a day that the ring shifted to red, and when Hawks saw it, he squawked with a bright blush before babbling excuses and running off. Dabi mused that the color of the ring matched Hawks’ wings pretty well – and then he too had to hide his face to cover his blush.

He still wore the ring every day.

--

It seemed Hawks was being punished for the new freedoms in the agency.

“Yes, ma’am, but—” He was cut off by a female voice on the line, and he hummed in forced agreement as her sharp tone continued to explain whatever point she was trying to make. Silently, the young hero was hitting his head against his desk – or rather, he had his gloved hands spread under his head to muffle the sound so that the person on the phone wouldn’t realize he was beating his head against his desk.

This phone call had been going on for at least half an hour from what Dabi could tell, and it didn’t sound like it was ending any time soon. Hawks had been held back from patrol for this. He hadn’t even been allowed to have Asami take the call instead. The HPSC had insisted that they speak to Hawks.

And seemingly, it had just been for a lecture.

Bureaucracy was s***, Dabi concluded from his place in the doorway. He probably wasn’t supposed to be here, but so far, Hawks hadn’t sent him away. Then again, he also hadn’t picked his head up from beating it (silently) against his desk.

When he did finally pick his head up, miserable gold eyes frowned at Dabi before a fuzzy eyebrow was raised, curious if the dark haired man needed anything.

Instead of answering, Dabi pointed at the phone, tilted his head to the side, and then mimed someone talking before pointing back to Hawks.

Hawks shook his head, pointing at his phone. He mimed zipping his mouth shut before shaking his head again. He wasn’t allowed to mute himself, apparently. To demonstrate this point, the person on the phone asked (more like demanded) if he understood.

“Yes, ma’am, absolutely, tho—” He was cut off again with another tirade. Hawks rolled his eyes to the ceiling, wings drooping behind him. His compliance certainly didn’t seem to help anything, but Dabi could only imagine how much worse it would be if Hawks didn’t reply at all.

So, he wouldn’t be able to talk to Hawks right now. Before Dabi could turn to leave, Hawks pointed at him and shrugged, his head tilted in confusion and his eyebrow raised again. He wanted to know why Dabi had stopped by.

Dabi hesitated, eyes drifting to the phone in consideration, and Hawks waved him on even as he replied with an “Of course” to the woman talking at him.

How should he ask this without words? Dabi moved slowly, clearly unsure how to gesture, and Hawks’ eyes pinned with his movements, the light coming in the windows making his staples glint.

First, he started to form an open circle with his index fingers before giving up partway through. Then, he pointed towards Hawks’ stapler and paper clips and then the trash. Hawks sat up in alarm that had his wings shuffling briskly. His distracted “Uh huh” to the woman on the phone had her raising her voice until the hero shook himself and apologized, quickly.

“Absolutely,” he rushed, “I understand that—” She took over the conversation again, and Hawks buried his head in his hands, elbows propped against the desk to keep him upright. Dabi was pretty sure Hawks was now silently screaming into his hands. Dealing with the HPSC seemed exhausting.

Dabi tried miming a simple ‘Are you okay?’ when Hawks finally picked his head back up, and the blond nodded distractedly, circling his hand to go back to what Dabi had tried to ask earlier.

Out of ideas, Dabi cupped his hands and wiggled his fingers upwards. Hawks blinked before bracing himself against his desk, one hand pulling his jacket collar tight against his mouth to silence his laughter as he doubled over. His wings beat behind him, rustling his blinds, and the HPSC woman on the phone paused.

“Hawks, is everything alright? We are having an important discussion right now about your agency’s future.” Her voice was stern, and Dabi could practically see the scowl she must be wearing. He mimicked a dramatic frown, furrowed brows included, and made continual talking gestures with his hand. Hawks had to stand up and pace at his desk to keep from beating his wings in silent laughter again.

“No, no; of course, I understand. I’m taking this very seriously.” His tone was grave and professional, but his smile was wide as his eyes twinkled at Dabi. He was finally looking like the teenager he was, and it had Dabi smiling in return.

The woman kept talking for another five minutes before Dabi shook his head and frowned at Hawks. He gestured at the phone and shrugged with a ‘Why’s she still talking?’ expression. Hawks sighed dramatically though quietly and shook his head. He returned to his seat and began to silently explain his plight.

He moved his hands through the air, fingers spreading wide at their peaks like fireworks before the hands returned to his sides and he flashed Dabi with jazz hands. Actual jazz hands. Dabi blinked, clearly surprised, but Hawks kept going. The hero took on a comically stern expression and shook a finger in disapproval before raising an open palm and (quietly) slamming a closed fist down like it was a judge’s gavel. He finished his display by dragging his thumb across his throat and falling back dramatically, tongue sticking out as he was apparently killed?? Dabi’s surprised expression transformed into one of bewildered shock. This – whatever this was – seemed intense.

“Okay, ma’am; thank you— Yes, thank you for calling,” Hawks revived to finish wrapping up the phone call that Dabi had tuned out from during Hawks’ silent explanation. “I understand, and— Yes, yes, of course. Your attention is – Is appreciated, and— Okay then, goodbye.” When the call finally ended, Hawks fell back in his seat with a heavy groan. “Oh my god, that took forever!”

“I think that was the most you spoke during the whole conversation.” Dabi seated himself in one of the comfortable visitor chairs, eyes assessing Hawks now that the hero was allowed to do as he pleased. He seemed ruffled but not panicked, more drained than concerned.

“Tell me about it. Hiroki warned me not to take that call, but they wouldn’t take no for an answer! I couldn’t keep dodging the Commission forever.” Ah, so it had been the HPSC. Dabi had assumed, but he hadn’t known for sure. No wonder Hawks hadn’t been able to hang up on them.

“What did they want? If you can say,” Dabi tacked on quickly. “I wasn’t quite sure what—” he did jazz hands back at Hawks, making the hero erupt into laughter. “—meant.” He concluded with an amused grin. It was worth it to hear Hawks’ laugh.

The hero had to wipe at his eyes, laughter dissolving into breathless chuckles, before he could answer. “Is that what it looked like? Oh man, I didn’t think that through – hold on.” He snickered some more before bringing his hands back up to mime again while he verbally explained. “See, the Commission doesn’t like all the sparkles and laid-back attitudes we’ve been having.” He recreated his hand fireworks for sparkles and then the jazz hands which made Dabi snort despite knowing it was coming. Hawks smiled big before continuing.

“So, they were getting onto me—” he wagged his finger in ‘disapproval’, “—and saying I needed to shape up, or else, they’d really have to step in—” the hand gavel came down in his open palm, “—and make changes to the agency.” He finished with his dramatic death sequence of running a thumb across his throat.

Dabi blinked in stunned silence. That was definitely intense – what the h***?!

“Shouldn’t you tell Hiroki? Or Asami? This seems really serious.” He sat forward in his seat, eyes intent on his boss. This was his future, too. He liked his job here, and he didn’t want the HPSC to ruin it!

“Oh yeah; they already know.” Hawks waved his hand dismissively as he straightened himself in his chair. “Asami is already working on a strategy to lock them out, and Hiroki said she’s ready to deploy it whenever it’s ready. Full disclosure? I have no idea what that means, but they said ‘the less I know, the better’.” He concluded with finger quotes. He really seemed to like talking with his hands.

“So, anyway,” Hawks continued. “It’s fully taken care of! I just wanted to take the Commission off their backs so they can set up… whatever they need to set up. Sorry, I know all of that was a lot.” He chuckled which helped to ease the tension in Dabi. “Did you need something, by the way? Since you stopped by? I couldn’t quite figure out what—” he cupped his hands before wiggling his fingers upwards, an eyebrow raised over an amused expression, “—meant.”

Now that Dabi saw how stupid that looked, he felt like an idiot. The best he could do was move on quickly, though, and hope Hawks forgot about it.

“Ah, uh. I was coming in here to ask about my quirk, actually.” Dabi rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling nervous. Still, the question had Hawks’ attention, and the hero motioned for him to continue, leaning forward in interest. “You told me not to use it outside of work parameters, but I was hoping to get permission to collect the bits of metal trash we produce as an agency—” he glanced to the stapler as an example “— and to melt them together. With my quirk, it should be easy enough.”

Hawks nodded, sitting back as he seemed to think it over seriously. “Ah, so you mean like…” He cupped his hands again and wiggled his fingers with a teasing smile that caught Dabi off guard enough to startle a laugh out of him. Seeing his employee relax had Hawks smiling bigger in turn. “I actually think that’s a great idea, but let me double check with Hiroki to make sure it’s allowed in our policy. I’ll let you know what she says, if that’s okay with you?”

Dabi chuckled as he stood, grateful smile curving across his lips. “Thanks; I appreciate it.”

He wanted to make use of his quirk that he’d spent so much time training in his childhood, but he also didn’t want to cause trouble for the agency. There may be more ex-criminals working here now, but as far as he could tell, none of them were committing crimes anymore. He didn’t want to be the exception with illegal quirk use.

Later that day, when Hiroki called him into her office, she was able to give him good news.

“I reviewed our policies and talked it over with Asami, and we love the idea of you collecting the metal trash. Did you have something you planned to do with it? It’ll be nice to show that we as an agency aren’t producing as much trash, but it’ll need to be disposed of eventually.”

“Actually, I was thinking of using the excess metal materials to sculpt things. Nothing elaborate, just small trinkets or… maybe surprises I could leave in Hawks’ office for him to find?”

Hiroki’s eyes widened in delight that had Dabi grinning. “I think that’ll be perfect.” She enthused. “I’ll get something written up and sent out so that you’ll have your approval letter and so that everyone will know where to bring their excess metals.”

Every few weeks after that, Dabi would slip into Hawks’ office to hide each new treasure. They were usually spherical and small like a marble, but the combination of metals led them to be a mixture of colors that were always unique – even more so once the other workers in the office started using supplies in less traditional colors. When Hawks would find the new additions, his squawk of joy always carried through the office, making Dabi smile.

Even though they never talked about who was making and hiding the treasures, it was obvious that Hawks had figured it out. He would always flash a smile at Dabi and hop over to show off his newest treasure, wings lightly flapping in excitement. These ones he kept stashed somewhere with his special paper clips so that they would always be close at hand.

A peace filled Dabi’s chest as he realized that some ruined staples weren’t just trash after all. They could still be useful, and they could even bring a smile to a certain birdlike hero. Not that he was reading anything else into that or projecting or anything. It was just… nice.

One time, it seemed like Hawks wanted to talk about the shiny gifts. After that first find, Hawks had tracked Dabi down, but the dark haired man had been talking with Hiroki about office work. Hawks (too excited to back down but also respecting that they were busy) simply cupped his hands with a grin before wiggling his fingers. The confused look on Hiroki’s face had Dabi laughing so hard that he almost popped a staple, but he simply waved off their boss who skipped away, still grinning.

Dabi got his revenge later that week when Hawks was meeting with a local hero in the lobby. As Dabi walked through to get to the elevator, he gave a deadpan stare to his boss before flashing jazz hands at his sides. Hawks had laughed so loudly that the local hero jumped, and Hawks had to quickly apologize to the more experienced man.

Whenever Dabi and Hawks passed after that, and one of them seemed busy or in a meeting, they’d flash their respective hand signs to earn a quick snort or a grin. No one in the office seemed to understand it, per se, but they also didn’t question it. Seeing their boss happy more than made up for their confusion.

--

While working for Hawks’ agency, Dabi had come to appreciate his anonymity. His personnel file was listed simply as Dabi, his apartment lease was under Dabi, and even his hanko and the personal ID that Asami had helped him get were just Dabi. The name he introduced himself with had never been questioned, and his old identity had never been attested.

He wasn’t the only one in the agency who had this privilege, either. His young employer, Hawks, obviously used his hero name, but even his paperwork and hero license didn’t show his birth name. His sidekicks similarly used their hero names and left their birth names anonymous if they wanted to. It went further than that, though, and that’s what really set Hawks’ agency apart in Dabi’s eyes.

This consideration of only using someone’s chosen name (whether hero name or pseudonym) was extended to every employee of the agency, even down to the janitorial staff if they so chose. They were all recognized only by how they wanted to be known, and if they ever saw the need to change their name, then there was a simple form available to them. Within two days, their new work ID with their chosen name was available to them. It was as easy as that.

Maybe that’s why it came as such a shock when one day, Hawks walked through the office asking if there was a Todoroki Touya who had been hired.

There was a glint in his gold eyes that betrayed the excitement he’d been trained to mask, but Dabi could see it. After all, he’d brought it out several times with little gifts and gestures, though those usually involved something that sparkled.

This time, though, there was nothing sparkly to be found. The letter in question was a simple white envelope with plain black ink scrawling his old name. How it even reached this building was a mystery he wasn’t able to think about right now – not with the way his stomach was churning.

“Why’re you asking me?” He pulled his eyes from the envelope to stare at Hawks’ face. Normally seeing his boss so excited would make him feel lighter, but he could barely concentrate with how his system was wanting to go numb. At least looking at Hawks helped to relieve a little of his tension.

“It’s just—” Hawks started, expression shy yet eager as he scratched the back of his head “— my favorite hero is named Todoroki, and I was wondering if this might be one of his kids? I know he has several, but he keeps them out of the public’s eye, so I wasn’t sure.”

A cold sweat crept down Dabi’s spine. Normally, he found the cold to be comforting, but the pieces clicking into place in front of him were only helping to solidify the numbness that was threatening to take over.

“… Endeavor’s your favorite hero?” He heard himself asking, and Hawks’ wings did that ruffle where he was trying to contain his excitement. At his nod, Dabi couldn’t help but softly scoff, though it sounded too breathless to be harsh. “You need better heroes,” he muttered, and Hawks cocked his head in consideration.

“Maybe, but don’t you like him, too? You know his name,” he countered, and Dabi silently had to concede that point.

He could understand how this looked, but that wasn’t the reason he knew Endeavor’s name. “Maybe before, but… He lost that right a long time ago with me.”

Hawks’ shoulders shifted as he finally came out of his fanboy daze and noticed that there was something wrong. His eyes swept over Dabi, taking in his hunched shoulders, how he slouched into his chair like he was trying to hide in it, how he broke eye contact to keep from being seen.

“No one’s been hired lately with that name, so…” Dabi continued, wishing Hawks would stop staring in his birdlike, non-blinking way. “Maybe ask Hiroki or—”

“Do you want to get lunch?” Hawks interrupted him, expression politely blank.

Dabi knew what he was doing. He knew exactly what his boss with his heroic heart and quick mind and generous wallet was trying to do. Even if Hawks didn’t know the truth, he knew enough.

Still, the answer that came out of Dabi’s mouth was, “Okay.”

They walked in silence down the back alley that took them through the quieter streets of Fukuoka. Hawks made sure to lead Dabi down the side streets instead of the main road, and the dark haired man noticed. It was Hawks trying to be considerate, and while Dabi did appreciate it, he was still too tense from the letter that he knew Hawks had slipped back into his jacket pocket. He kept it out of sight, but Dabi knew it was in the hero’s possession. It left him anxious, and his nerves made him want to drag out the silence.

Usually, Hawks would be chattering to fill the quiet, but for now, he was silent. His quick eyes did look around, though, head turning to investigate every new sight and sound that was around. The constant movements helped to ease Dabi’s tension. At least Hawks wasn’t trying to pretend with him – he was just being polite.

“So,” the young hero finally broke the quiet, casting a quick side glance at Dabi before returning his eyes to the scenery around them. “Did you have anything you wanted to eat for lunch?”

“I don’t really have much of an appetite,” Dabi admitted quietly. There was no point in lying to Hawks about that. Despite not being hungry, being in the fresh air and walking around was helping to quiet Dabi’s mind.

Hawks nodded companionably. “That’s okay! We can just window shop until something catches your eye?” He gestured with a wing flick towards a food stall that they passed, but the grilling fish had Dabi huffing a quiet laugh. They both knew he hated fish, but the almost smile had Hawks beaming. Past the food stall was a window display for a clothes store that had extravagant decorations and bold colors. It drew Dabi’s eyes which slowly pulled him from his head and into the surroundings around him.

This sector of Fukuoka was a bit quieter but still well maintained. It felt comfortable instead of busy – secluded instead of abandoned. It was… nice. He slowly looked about as they walked leisurely, and when a home interior store had a lightning bolt shaped mirror on display, Dabi tilted his head at the unexpected shape.

Now that he was seeing what was around him, Hawks lightly bumped his elbow before pointing out a hat in another window display. “Think I could rock that?” It was a dark blue beanie with thin, diagonal stripes of bold orange. It would clash with everything Hawks wore. Dabi’s disbelieving laugh had Hawks grinning.

“Don’t think that’s really your style, magpie. Maybe something a bit more like that,” he pointed to the maternity store next door with a display of pale yellow chick plushes in varying sizes. Hawks tried to look indignant at the suggestion (gasping loudly as he puffed up in exaggerated shock) but the way his eyes lingered on the soft looking plushes gave him away. Dabi grinned for real at his interest. “Is it the bird motif or how soft they look?” They did look especially huggable with their round shapes.

“There’s nothing wrong with liking high quality!” Hawks defended loudly, but Dabi just laughed, fully coming into their conversation.

“High quality? I’m pretty sure they’re made with that microfiber s***.” The comment had Hawks grimacing. For something that always looked so soft and inviting, microfiber had a habit of catching on every bit of dry skin. It was actually terrible, and they both knew it.

“Ugh, no; please no.” The blond shuddered, and Dabi laughed more, the sound full and bright after his previous quiet. Hawks grinned again, letting his wings fan a little wider behind them, seemingly comfortable so close by Dabi’s side. “What would you suggest for me, then? Come on, I want your honest take.”

Dabi hummed and looked about the street, examining each store front and food stall that they passed.

The sun was bright but not blinding as gentle clouds kept it at bay. The cool breeze drove away the heat that concrete and glass usually encouraged, and Dabi found himself… comfortable. Really and truly comfortable with their matching footsteps sounding in his ears above the nearby cars and chatter of other citizens and with the feathers softly touching down his back from Hawks’ wing.

At the next intersection, Dabi spotted a food stall near the park entrance. There was a tree and bench next to it that had little birds hopping around and singing. There was a small bike rack by the bench with an orb at the top of each thin column. The round toppers had been cast in something iridescent, so they sparkled colorfully in the sun. As they neared the area, Dabi could smell the chicken skewers being sold at the stall.

“That. All of that is you,” the scarred man pointed out with a self-satisfied grin.

When Hawks followed his gesture to the scene before them, he blushed, ducking his head into his jacket collar as his wings shifted meekly behind him. “I— Okay. Okay, yeah, that’s fair… Do you, um… want to get something to eat from there?” The blond asked nervously, daring a quick glance over. His stomach growled loudly, and Dabi couldn’t help but laugh.

He decided to take mercy on his hero. “Sure, let’s grab something from there.”

After they each had a serving of yakitori (with Hawks getting the largest portion size), they made their way into the park to find somewhere to sit. It didn’t take long to find a picnic table off the main path and covered in shade. As they settled in and began eating in silence, Dabi was drawn back into his thoughts, recalling the letter that Hawks still had in his jacket.

He didn’t like that Endeavor was Hawks’ favorite hero. He didn’t like the idea that Hawks might condone Endeavor’s actions as a father – ignoring his children, striving to be Number One at all costs, casting aside anyone who didn’t meet his standards.

Could that be why Hawks worked so hard to be a hero? So that he could also rise in the ranks and get to the top? Had it actually just been for the publicity and fame and prestige for him after all? Was Hawks just as fake as every other hero? If so, Dabi wasn’t sure he could keep working at the agency—

“Are you going to eat that?” Hawks interrupted his thoughts, making Dabi jump.

As he’d fallen into his thoughts, he’d slowly stopped eating, and apparently, the blond had already finished his own food. Always so fast…

“Have at it,” Dabi said dismissively, pushing his container towards the center of the table.

Hawks tilted his head as he looked at the box. “You didn’t eat much,” he observed softly, turning the box so that they could both have access to it.

Dabi refused to look at him. “I lost my appetite,” came the mumbled reply.

It felt dark in the shade, cold in the shadows, quiet away from the people. What was Dabi still doing here? Maybe coming to Fukuoka had been a mistake; he never really fit in here, anyway. Maybe he could still lie his way out of this? Todoroki was a pretty common family name, all things considered. If he hadn’t said the connection to Endeavor, then Hawks probably never would have either, and he could’ve avoided all of this. Why did he always sabotage himself? Why couldn’t he keep anything nice for himself?

“Hey, Dabi?” Hawks spoke softly, eating a piece of chicken slowly. He tilted his head to try and lock eyes with the dark haired man, but Dabi turned away, refusing to look. He didn’t want to have this conversation, whatever it might be. It would confirm what he wanted to ignore, and then he’d be forced to follow through on leaving. “Can I… say something?”

“Just get it over with, magpie,” Dabi growled, his shoulders hunched almost to his ears as he glared at the table’s edge. He wasn’t going to get what he wanted – he never did. It was time to stop living in this glittering fairy tale.

“Okay, well…” Rustling filled the air as Hawks dug into his coat and pulled out the letter. He set it on the table but kept his hand on it. “I don’t know what this is or who this is, but I know it upset you. And I’m not sure what Endeavor did to lose his place as your hero, but I know that’s part of your past and part of what makes you who you are, and… I only know you in the present. I only know you as you are now, and… Dabi, you’re really amazing. You’re hard working and dedicated, and you’re unbelievably patient with me.”

Blue eyes met gold, and Hawks smiled as he continued. “You’ve handled all my bird stuff better than almost anyone before the agency. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate that. And not to mention what a great employee you are. I’m so glad I’ve gotten to know you.” He chuckled, eyes brightening with his smile. “You’re smart, and you’re controlled, and you’re real in ways most people aren’t. You’ve been through – I don’t even know what all, but you’ve survived, and you’re still going. You’re building a future for yourself, and that’s really impressive. I don’t know where you came from that brought you to Fukuoka, but I’m glad you’re here. So… Thanks. Thanks for being at my agency and for being my friend and for letting me get to know you as you are.”

He picked up the letter and pulled out his phone. “I need to make sure this doesn’t belong to someone at the agency, but—”

“It doesn’t.”

It was the first Dabi had spoken, and he almost couldn’t believe he’d managed that. He also wasn’t sure what had compelled him to do something so crazy. He could feel the blood welling below the seam of his eye, and any moment now, it would probably fall, and he didn’t want Hawks to see him falling apart. No one – No one – had spoken to him so kindly before. And the craziest thing of all was… that he believed him.

He believed Hawks.

Maybe that’s why he held his hand out for the letter, and maybe Hawks felt the same because he set the letter into Dabi’s hand without another word. Dabi read the ink on the front that showed his old name. It brought fuzzy memories to his mind, but… That’s not who he was anymore.

In a flash, the letter burned, and silence fell between them again.

“… You’re not going to turn me in for illegal quirk use, are you?” Dabi asked around a shaky smirk, trying to force bravado he didn’t feel into his voice.

Hawks perked up like he’d been distracted, but from the focused look in his eyes, Dabi knew it was an act. “What? Sorry, I didn’t see anything. Did you do something?” A smirk crossed Hawks’ face that had Dabi chuckling in weak relief.

“Nothing, never mind.” Birds chirped overhead, and Dabi sighed, turning his face to the bits of sunlight that made it through the tree’s shade. “Do you mind sitting here while I finish my food? I’m a bit hungry.”

“Sure, no problem, Dabi.” They shared a grin, and slowly, chatter started between them again as Dabi ate his yakitori and wiped the blood from under his eye.

Fukuoka was beautiful at this time of year, and his apartment lease was already contracted for the rest of the year. Really, Dabi didn’t even need to convince himself of it. He wanted to stay here, and maybe, continuing to work at Hawks’ hero agency wasn’t so bad. He still needed to know what kind of hero Hawks was going to become, after all.

He looked forward to seeing the hero grow and to having a hand in his future.

--

Hawks had no chill. The higher he rose in the rankings, the more he threw himself into hero work. He never seemed to tire out, and he was always more than willing to lend a feather to any hero or citizen who asked for him.

Dabi didn’t know where he was finding all of his excess energy, but he wished the hero would slow down. Or at least take a break for something other than coffee.

It seemed Dabi wasn’t the only one having these thoughts.

“Dabi,” Hiroki called him into her office one day. Her expression was clouded, eyebrows pinched in deep concern. “There’s something I need to ask of you, and – I’m sorry, but I think you’d be the best person for this job.”

With a feeling of foreboding, Dabi nodded so she could continue. This was probably important, otherwise she wouldn’t have called him all the way to her office. It was probably also about Hawks, otherwise she wouldn’t have called him all the way to her office.

“What do you need?” He didn’t add that he may not be able to help – she already knew. This agency was very considerate of everyone’s abilities and made sure not to push past their limits and boundaries. Not that Hawks seemed to recognize his limits, but even his sidekicks knew what they could and couldn’t handle. Hawks was kind enough not to push them for more, but that meant that he was taking it on himself. Such a self-sacrificing hero…

“I want you to distract Hawks. Take him out for a while so that he’ll take a break, but don’t let him know that that’s what you’re doing.” Trick the highly trained, overly observant, quick minded hero that was his boss. That could only go well… “Just for a little while, if you can. Hopefully this won’t have to be a normal occurrence, but right now… Asami and I have tried talking to him, but…”

“I understand. I’ll see what I can do.”

And that’s how Dabi found himself walking around with a shuffling hero who was twitchy and constantly looking at their surroundings. Usually, Hawks being so observant was a good thing, but he seemed extra jumpy today, itching to be back in the sky and on patrol and stopping disasters and arresting villains.

“Hawks—”

“Dabi, was there something you needed? Because I like seeing you and hanging out, but I really think I’d do more good if I was patrolling or something. Or maybe there was some paperwork I needed to do back at the office? I should probably get back—”

Dabi cut him off by touching his shoulder, pulling Hawks’ eyes to him. The sun glinted off his staples in a bright display that would blind most people, but it just made Hawks stare more, thoughts seemingly cut off by the shine.

“Hiroki can handle your paperwork, you know that. And yes, I did need you for this, otherwise I wouldn’t have dragged you out here. Sorry to take you away from something more important like heroics,” he tried to keep his tone from turning bitter, but from how Hawks’ shoulders jumped, he could tell he failed.

“No, no!” Hawks rushed, “I don’t mind! If you need me, you know I’ll always be there for you, Dabi! Don’t worry about it – sorry; I’ve just been running my mouth – What can I help with?”

Dabi managed to hide his smile by looking to the store they were passing. “Well…”

Dabi led them into an office supply store. The bright florescent lights above made the linoleum floors shine, and Hawks looked at everything he could see with wide, watchful eyes. As Dabi walked past him, the hero followed.

“So, we’re in here because…?”

“Because the office needs more supplies, obviously,” Dabi snarked. He had to hide his grin when he heard Hawks’ wings flap in irritation.

The little hero hurried to walk beside him to read his expression. “Okay, but why am I here?”

“Hawks, it’s your agency, and I think you deserve to have an input. Come on, it shouldn’t take long. I just…” Dabi glanced off as if he were reluctant to say more. “I wanted to know what you’d like if you could choose for yourself…”

It wasn’t manipulation, per se. He legitimately did want to know about Hawks’ tastes and interests. It just so happened that he’d also been asked to make Hawks take a break. It really was a win-win.

It just wasn’t supposed to take this long.

In hindsight, maybe he should’ve realized that Hawks had never been given an option before, so now, he would want to see all of the options. Or maybe he should have realized that this hero who was too smart and too quick could be prone to overthinking when he was given the time to do so. Or maybe he should’ve guessed that there was a reason that no one had let Hawks into a store like this before.

They’d been there for almost an hour, and they’d only put two things into their basket – a box of binder clips and a pack of yellow highlighters.

Dabi couldn’t be mad about it, though, because with each new option, Hawks’ wings would give a twitch of interest, and when he saw something he really liked, his feathers would fluff up. It made the hero look so soft and young, and when he turned to Dabi while holding up a pack of sticky notes with a big, bright smile, well… No one could blame the employee for the warmth that filled his chest or the gentle smile that pulled at his lips.

“Of course we can get it.”

In the end, they spent three hours shopping, and they had enough supplies to hold the agency over for a month. So, it looked like they’d have to do another trip then. That should cover giving Hawks a break.

--

Except that it didn’t.

Hawks was fine for about a week and a half, but then he caught a case that involved hunting down some notorious bank robbers. He was dedicated in the same way that he was with patrol. He put all of his focus into it, staying late for stakeouts and reading report after report of sightings and evidence and locations and maps. He coordinated with a couple older heroes, and after constant surveillance and tracking for almost a week, they were able to make the arrests.

But now it seemed that Hawks didn’t know how to turn off his brain. He was convinced that he could connect the various routes and hideouts with other, smaller time villains in the area. “Now that he knew where to look” as he put it, but there was no ongoing investigation, and he still had patrols to go on – which he attended with gusto.

Once he got focused, he couldn’t easily stop, it seemed. And so, Hiroki and Asami asked Dabi to step in again.

He had to be more subtle this time or else Hawks probably wouldn’t play along. Going to the store for supplies wasn’t going to cut it – especially since it had ended up taking three hours, not to mention that they still had plenty of their supplies in stock.

It wasn’t about how much time he could make Hawks slow down for anyway – it was about taking his mind off the grind. He needed a mental break. And what was the best way to shift his focus from his brain?

By making him focus on his sight and stomach.

“Hey, magpie.” Hawks’ head whipped up from where he’d been hovering over a map. Those large gold eyes were pinned and tired looking, but there was a single-minded focus in them that Dabi intended to derail. He shook a container in his hand, the contents shifting like sand. With the movement, Hawks couldn’t read the label. “I need a second pair of eyes while I try this out. Care to help me?”

Edible glitter.

It could be mixed with liquids, with solids, and with gelatins. It didn’t have much of a flavor – unless you added far too much of it, as Dabi and Hawks would learn. It worked best in translucent substances, and it looked down right gross when added to solids – sorry, chicken dinner, but you apparently weren’t made for this stuff. Hawks had still eaten it though.

Their experiments only took a couple of hours, but that was mostly from cook time for the chicken and wait time for the jello that Dabi had made. Something shifted in his gut when Hawks had eaten his food and fawned over the flavor, but Dabi didn’t let himself focus on it (he did make a mental note to try and cook more snacks for Hawks from now on).

Watching his boss smile, pout, grin in excitement, and concentrate on what else they could add glitter to reminded Dabi why he didn’t mind helping to distract his boss. Hawks needed the break and seeing him unwind was honestly a treat that Dabi treasured.

--

The next time Dabi had to make Hawks take a break was honestly unintentional. Right as Dabi was leaving for lunch, Hiroki waved him down and pointed him towards Hawks’ office where Asami was fighting to keep a straight face while Hawks shouted at someone on the phone.

“I understand that, but I need this report!” Hawks was saying. “Yes, it’s important, and I don’t— I don’t care what clearance level you think I need – I have it. My staff won’t see this— my staff won’t see this! I want to talk to the President again— Well, pull her out of her meeting! If you don’t get her out of that meeting, then I will. A threat? It won’t sound like a threat when I fly over and—”

Asami’s phone ringing pulled her and Dabi away from listening in to Hawks’ increasingly angry demands. Whatever this report was that Hawks wanted, it certainly had him riled up. Enough so that the Commission President was now calling Asami and commanding her to get Hawks to back down.

“Get him out of that office and away from his phone, but keep a guard on him. I won’t have him showing up at this building until I give the go ahead. He has called thirty times in the last hour, and we can’t get any work done until he stops harassing us. Consider your job on the line for this.”

Dabi was ready to open the window for Hawks himself if the HPSC was going to openly threaten them like this, but Asami just laughed and wiped at her eyes. “If they’re this upset, then I’m willing to take whatever punishment they want to give me, but for now, could you get Hawks out of here for an hour? I need him fully distracted, Dabi, and I’m sorry to keep asking this of you, but I need to find out what’s going on with this request. Can you handle him?”

“If you can get him off the phone without getting me fired, then I can take care of the rest.”

“Consider it done,” she assured him before walking into Hawks’ office.

There was a distracted noise from Hawks before a loud squawk and the sound of the phone being slammed onto its receiver. Asami pushed Hawks out of his office (maybe Dabi’s theory about Hawks having hollow bones was more true than he’d expected) before locking eyes with Dabi.

“Can you take him from here?” She asked him. “I need to make some calls.”

“Got it.” Dabi wrapped his hand around Hawks’ wrist and started walking off while Hawks looked between them, flustered and agitated and unsure who to direct him emotions at.

“I— But— Asami!”

“Go with him, Hawks – that’s an order from the President.”

Hawks went disturbingly quiet, but Dabi didn’t focus on it. He had to get Hawks out of the agency first, and he made sure to keep his grip firm once they were outside. He couldn’t have the hero flying off without him.

As they continued down the street, Dabi glanced back at Hawks and saw his eyes locked on his feet, face set in a firm scowl. Whatever this was about was probably above Dabi’s pay grade, but he didn’t like how he could tell that Hawks was only following him out of obligation. He worried that Hawks thought Dabi was only doing this because of his orders.

Honestly, he just didn’t like the bird being upset, and if he was asked to take his mind off things, well, Dabi could absolutely find the motivation to do that. Being asked by his workplace to do something he already wanted to do? Well, they certainly wouldn’t have to twist his arm.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Dabi asked, slowing down so that they walked more side by side than with Dabi dragging Hawks behind him.

The hero gave a curt shake of his head, but his expression didn’t soften. “No, I can’t.”

Ah, so yeah, this was definitely above Dabi’s pay grade. He wondered what all of this was about, but he figured he wouldn’t get an answer. He needed to get Hawks out of his own head.

Lightly, Dabi tugged on Hawks’ wrist until he knew he had the hero’s attention. He offered a semblance of a smile which Hawks didn’t return (he hadn’t seen Hawks this shut down in a while – he had all of his guards up, and his training was in full effect) before glancing at the city around them. “Do you mind if we walk around a bit?”

“I’m in your care until I’m allowed back in my own building, so—” Hawks cut himself off, flinching at his harsh tone. This wasn’t Dabi’s fault, but Hawks was still upset. He went quiet, it seemed, to protect Dabi from his ire.

Admirable but not what Dabi wanted. “You know,” Dabi started gently, letting his eyes track the various sights around them. “I’m glad I can walk with you for a bit. I don’t get to see you on the ground that much. I can tell how much you love this city, and getting to see you actually enjoy it? It’s nice. I like seeing you interact with this place that you love, instead of being distanced from it. You deserve to be a part of it. You’re a citizen, too, you know.”

Somewhere during his speech, his grip slid down from Hawks’ wrist so that he was instead holding Hawks’ hand. When the hero flinched at the movement, Dabi twined their fingers together, and Hawks was left blushing, his wide gold eyes moving from their linked hands to Dabi’s face, then back to their hands before he had to look away at the city around them.

“So— Where— uh, d-did you have somewhere you wanted to see?”

“I’ve got someplace in mind.” Dabi hummed before gently tugging Hawks to follow him. The hero moved a bit stiffly at first, but he was quick to follow the taller man.

They entered a hardware store, and the effect as they stepped into the light fixture aisle was instantaneous. The tension in Hawks’ body fell away as his eyes widened to take in all of the sparkling bits of glass and metal, the bright light bulbs, the crystals on chandeliers, and the chains that decoratively kept them suspended. It was only by Dabi continuing to hold his hand that Hawks was able to keep his grip.

The slack jawed wonder on Hawks’ face made Dabi smile fondly, and he gently guided the hero through the entire aisle so that he wouldn’t miss a single light. It was so bright in here – even Dabi was a little stunned.

When Hawks had finally seen it all, he lowered his gaze to say something, but then his eyes pinned on the light bouncing off of Dabi’s staples.

The intense focus in his gaze had some color coming to the healthy parts of Dabi’s cheeks. He cleared his throat shakily which just led to Hawks’ pupils dilating large before pinning again. “So, uh, did you want to keep looking around?”

A soft click came from Hawks’ mouth which Dabi decided to interpret as a ‘yes’. He wasn’t going to be able to talk to his boss, it seemed, until they found a less shiny area.

So, Dabi slowly walked them to the handle aisle for doors and drawers. There was still a great deal of metal and cut glass that resembled gems, but at least there weren’t a hundred lightbulbs illuminating them from the inside out. It took a moment, but Hawks did finally start to come back to himself, evident by the way he gripped Dabi’s hand in a comforting squeeze.

After several moments, Hawks shook himself and could finally speak. “Thanks for getting me out of there.” He ran his free hand through his hair. “I didn’t know there could be so many lights in one place! Normally a few shiny things doesn’t get to me that badly – I mean, I fly around Fukuoka all day! There’s sun reflecting off of buildings and cars all the time, and it—! It’s normally not that bad…” He mumbled the ending, his wings fluffing in embarrassment.

He didn’t usually talk so openly about his weaknesses or his bird traits, but here he was being honest with Dabi. It was more than a little flattering, and it made Dabi’s heart clench that Hawks trusted him so much now.

“You also usually have on your goggles when you fly. It has a glare reducer, right?” Hawks sulked a little, but he did nod. “And you took them off back at the office. I’m guessing during your tirade with the Commission…?” Yes, Dabi was fishing, but he liked knowing information – especially information that had upset Hawks so much.

The hero in question sighed heavily, his shoulders lowering as he tilted his head back dramatically. “I can’t tell you about it, Dabi. Really. There’s a clearance issue, and I don’t want to get you caught up in it anyway. I need to handle it because I’m probably the only one who can make a difference about it.”

“… Are you trying to save someone?” Dabi asked, voice soft as he rubbed his thumb against the back of Hawks’ hand.

The hero’s wings trembled, but Hawks kept his expression blank. “They don’t need to be saved. I think… I think they saved themselves a long time ago, but… I can still do something to help others in the future so that it never happens to anyone else.”

That sounded like a big goal (an admirable one for sure), but Dabi was sure it was going to take a lot out of Hawks. But the hero who was too fast was unlikely to just stop if this, whatever it was, could help someone.

“Alright. Are you calm enough to head back to the office without attacking the Commission now?”

Hawks groaned loudly, expression morphing into a put-upon pout. “I mean, I guess.” He sighed, slumping forward, and his performance pulled a laugh from Dabi. The sound had Hawks picking his head back up with a grin, his goal apparently met. “Oh hey!” He continued quickly. “Since we’re already out, can we pick up some presents for everyone in the office?”

Dabi shrugged, surprised by the subject change but not against it. “Sure, but you’ll have to carry most of the bags if we’re buying for the whole office.” Hawks’ answering grin and mischief filled eyes made Dabi so proud.

They bought dozens of suncatchers, stain glass window inlays, and inflatable chairs that were filled with shiny confetti, a huge booklet of holographic stickers for every floor of the agency, what felt like a gallon of glitter, and enough bottles of sparkling water to fill several large fish tanks – though they’d likely just hand them out to the other employees.

With Hawks’ feathers and a delivery service scheduled for later in the day, Dabi and Hawks took their time walking back to the agency, still holding hands.

--

It seemed that Dabi had become the official “Hawks distractor”. It was unfair to say that it was his main job, but he felt like he was doing it more and more. Whatever Hiroki and Asami were working on, it must be close. He was pretty sure they were also helping Hawks with his side project, whatever that was.

On top of all that, Hawks had breached the Top Ten last week. He’d only been a hero for five months, and he’d already rocketed through the top one hundred with flying colors. Hawks would appreciate the bird pun if he ever took a break. Which he wouldn’t, so now, Dabi was having to make him. Again.

“Like this?” The hero asked uncertainly, stamping device in hand while his eyes pinned on the project in his hands.

Bedazzling. Dabi was having Hawks help him with bedazzling. It was time consuming, it focused on personalization and creativity, and it was too shiny for Hawks to resist easily.

Hundreds of small, gem like pieces per project that Hawks got to touch and maneuver and arrange however he liked. They were able to bedazzle notebooks, jackets, pants, shirts, and even smaller decorative projects like coasters, cloth backdrops for pictures and pin boards. Really, anything as long as the bedazzling gems had something to stick or bind to.

For now, they were starting with the tutorial projects that came with the kits, but once Hawks felt comfortable with the process, then Dabi was going to show him all the different fabrics and colored gems that he’d bought in addition to the kits.

“It’d be nice to show appreciation for all of your employees for their birthdays during this first year of the agency being open. I’m not saying we have to keep doing this every year, but for the first one? Why not?”

Hawks hadn’t had much of an argument to that once he’d seen the light reflecting off the bag of tiny gems. “Yeah, okay,” he said in a very distracted tone.

So, Dabi led him to a conference room, and together, they sat with a list of employee names and birthdays to start slowly crafting. It was a great way to keep Hawks still so that he would take a break, and with how many projects they had to make, then Hawks would have to keep taking breaks to get it all done.

--

Six months after Hawks’ debut, he was the Number Three hero. Only one person had achieved this rank faster, and that had been Endeavor – something that made Dabi frown. He was surprised, though, by Hawks not making the comparison. In fact, when someone else commented on it, Hawks frowned in that subtle way that most people wouldn’t notice – but Dabi did.

He wanted to ask about it, but Hawks was busy with Hiroki and Asami as they handled something – the same something that they wouldn’t tell anyone else about, that they had been preparing and working on for weeks. Apparently, they had finally let Hawks in on the secret, so they were probably about to take action.

And, oh, how they took action.

At Hawks’ press conference as the new Number Three hero, the winged hero made a speech and an announcement that exposed the HPSC for their shady dealings and blackmail attempts throughout the years. They had been infringing on the rights of heroes, civilians, and villains alike, using their influence to gain more power and control past what they were originally intended for.

An organization that had been created to write fair laws to help govern the country and protect its people had instead developed into an organization that denied citizens of their quirks and made those desperate to use them into villains, pitting them against heroes, and creating crime. They restricted quirk licenses, allowing only those in the heroic and medical fields to use their quirks instead of focusing on a productive society that could integrate quirks to the benefit of all. They hid unsavory crimes of their favorite heroes to keep the peace while threatening to expose heroes who didn’t follow their demands. They even created heroes (like Hawks) while also destroying heroes – like his predecessor, Lady Nagant.

Hawks stated in his announcement that he didn’t want the HPSC to stop existing, but he demanded that the corrupted individuals be removed and tried for their crimes, that the organization as a whole should be more closely monitored by the governmental powers of Japan, and that the current laws in place should be reviewed and reworked to be more fair. He wanted heroes to be held accountable, as well, and for the popularity polls within the ranking system to be removed.

It was a high demand, but the public was with Hawks 100%.

Changes after that started small.

It started with those within the HPSC who were corrupt being arrested and removed from power. The current president was the first to be taken – Hawks saw to that himself. Mera Yokumiru became the intermural president while the Japanese government began investigating the rest of the HPSC, down to its lowest level.

With Mera in charge, he cut out unnecessary actions like the HPSC’s apparent hold over various hero agencies including Hawks’.

Once the HPSC was cleaned up, the heroes themselves went under investigation to make sure they hadn’t committed crimes that may revoke their licenses. Hawks seemed surprised by how many were caught with skeletons in their closets, but he didn’t bat an eye when Endeavor was exposed. Apparently, an entire case file had already been compiled and turned in anonymously which made investigating the abuse of his family quick and easy.

Following that, a new system was put into place for how heroes should be appraised.

In the old system, Hawks would’ve been promoted to the Number Two hero with Endeavor’s arrest, but the new system didn’t make big ceremonies out of doing one’s job. Instead, each region of Japan had its own hero ranking system to keep their jurisdictions safe. A call system was set up for any potential events in the future that may affect the whole of Japan, but it seemed silly to have someone from Kyushu fly to Hokkaido when there were thousands of capable heroes already in Hokkaido.

Quarterly teleconferences were set up among the top heroes from around the country to discuss any large developments or issues, any big threats to each area, a general catch up of how the country was doing, but most smaller issues were handled by secretaries and administration members who reviewed the heroes’ reports and shared the data between them.

Team ups within each region became more prevalent, so there was less competition for fame and instead, more cooperation to get patrols done quickly, safely, and efficiently. Subtle, safe quirks became more desirable than flashy, destructive ones. After all, they were all working to help people, not become famous, and property damage never helped anyone.

And after all of the reforms and investigations, Hawks was left in charge of his own agency and able to fly freely as the hero he wanted to be instead of how the Commission trained him to be.

The agency itself had a huge party to celebrate with Asami and Hiroki personally seeing to it that everyone be given the rest of the day off. They also went around and asked everyone for suggestions about improving the agency. They were told little things like colors for the lobby, new floors in the bathrooms, and opening a Support Department within the agency itself. Dabi’s smelting tools were placed there, and he was given support equipment to help him control and regulate his flames. He was also able to finally get the eyeglasses he’d been considering since his first week. Of course, he asked Hawks to help him pick the right frames.

The biggest change of all was in Hawks himself. He was able to redesign his hero costume (with the help of his Support Department) so that he 1) no longer looked like a beige bee and 2) had a costume that better accounted for his bird features.

With the HPSC no longer regulating him, he was able to grow his wings to their full size (instead of a third of his feathers being used for “cautionary surveillance”), and he could finally have boots that gave his feet and ankles the support they needed to promote healthy growth of his talons. His oversized gloves were replaced with open end variants for his claws which were finally maintained rather than removed.

The best change of all (at least in Dabi’s opinion) was that Hawks was no longer working crazy shifts and being forced to wear his hero costume 24/7. This led Dabi to the amazing discovery that his boss’s fashion sense was disastrous.

Hawks had a penchant for busy patterns and as many accessories as he could fit on his person. Some were flashy, some were shiny, some glittered, and some even gleamed. Sunglasses, earrings, necklaces and chokers, bracelets, rings, belts, and even anklets and shoe accessories. If Hawks could wear it, then he would, and the jingling of his various accessories had his wings fluffing in joy.

It was a fashion disaster, but it made Dabi smile.

--

Of course, despite everything, they were still a hero agency, and that meant there was still work to do.

The agency was louder, bolder, and rowdier than ever. The more tattoos, piercings, and colorful hair, the better it seemed, and Dabi couldn’t say that he minded. It made every day very interesting. The range of employees was vast and diverse with thugs and ex-mafia being hired on as office workers and sidekicks alike – still no interns, but from Hawks’ background of being trained so young, Dabi supposed that made sense. He may not have heard the full extent of what the HPSC had put Hawks through, but the brief history that Hawks had explained during the exposure of the HPSC portrayed a childhood of abuse with intense training all in the name of heroics. No wonder Hawks never took on interns – he didn’t want to continue the cycle.

At the agency, no one required Dabi to dress shiny, though he did take full advantage of being able to get new piercings and high-grade medical burn cream. He indulged more with painting his nails and wearing brighter accessories. Even the frames on his glasses sparkled which always made Hawks’ eyes pin with attention. Most of Dabi’s clothes, though, were still black. It was hard to beat a classic, and Dabi didn’t see the need to try. Until –

“Please,” Hiroki asked, holding the black coat in her hands. It matched his preferred cut with its long length and dramatic collar, and the dark color suited his tastes – except that the internal lining was holographic. It reflected back at him from under the florescent lights with a subtle rainbow.

“Why?” He asked with a put-upon sigh, but he knew why – of course, he knew why.

There was only ever one reason for him to incorporate extra shine – Hawks. Hawks had a better support system now within his agency to keep him from stretching himself too thin, but he still had a tendency to overwork himself, and he was always “forgetting” to take breaks.

The silence as Hiroki and Dabi stared each other down felt like a battle of wills, and it really was no surprise when Dabi caved first. He huffed and reached out a hand for the coat.

“So, what would you like for me to do?”

--

Hiroki didn’t ask much of him. Her only request was that Dabi reverse his new coat to the shiny side when “the time was right” – whatever that meant. This may’ve been the least subtle plan that they’d ever tried on Hawks, but sometimes, subtlety was overrated. Sometimes, you needed to be bold – and the agency workers had gotten very comfortable with being bold.

Anything for their boss, and Dabi couldn’t really disagree with their mindset.

Of course, Dabi mused, this plan only worked if Hawks actually noticed that Dabi was wearing the reversed coat. If Hawks was in a meeting or out of the office, then it wouldn’t work.

Though, if Hawks was in the office, then he always made sure to stop by Dabi’s desk. He always found some excuse to stick his head around the corner and squawk some sort of chatter. Dabi certainly didn’t mind, but he’d still give Hawks a hard time – just to banter, just to have something else to say, just to hear the blond’s voice.

Honestly, speaking to Hawks whenever they had the time was the highlight of Dabi’s day – and he suspected it was the highlight of Hawks’ day, too, given how frequently it happened.

A ping signaled a new e-mail, and Dabi checked it quickly. The time is right was listed in the subject line, and the body of the e-mail simply said Now. He should talk to Hiroki – this wasn’t even in the realm of being subtle. If Hawks caught onto their plan, he’d be livid.

Despite his inner judgments, Dabi immediately slipped his dark coat off before reversing it and pulling it back on. Within ten seconds, his shininess had increased at least 500%, and he continued typing at his computer.

“Hey, Dabi; I—” Hawks rushed to say as he popped his head around the corner. Whatever words he’d intended to say next died off as his pupils pinned and expanded, his talons digging into the corner he’d peeked around.

“Problem, boss?” Dabi asked casually, his fingers pausing as he locked eyes with Hawks. A shudder raced through the hero’s wings, and he made a soft click kind of noise in his throat. Dabi made sure to keep his posture relaxed, his tone as if there was nothing amiss. “We’re supposed to meet later, but I still have some work to do. Did you want to join me?”

Soundlessly, Hawks perched on Dabi’s desk in his usual spot. His golden eyes raked across Dabi’s coat, and Dabi found himself rolling his shoulders in a soft stretch. The shimmers that jumped around the room speckled across Hawks’ arching wings. It made Dabi shudder in turn, and Hawks’ pupils pinned again as the hero tilted his head, fast and birdlike. Seeing the hero embrace his own instincts made Dabi’s heart warm, and he couldn’t help a small smile.

Dabi sent a quick reply to Hiroki’s e-mail that simply said Package received. That done, he closed the software and continued some busy work. He straightened the papers on his desk before re-organizing some of his files. He stood and dusted around Hawks’ treasures, and the young hero clicked happily.

“I’ve got to file some papers in the back. Want to come with me?” Dabi offered over his shoulder, and Hawks was quick to nod. Silently and with a grace so fluid it was surreal, Hawks moved off Dabi’s desk and approached. For a moment, the dark haired man couldn’t move, his eyes wide as he watched (but couldn’t hear, and wasn’t that odd?) Hawks approach.

With a gentleness he didn’t expect, Hawks reverently touched his coat. The fabric bunched under his grip and cast extra shimmers and shadows from the wrinkles. Hawks clicked again while his feathers fluffed.

Dabi finally found his voice, clearing his throat and gesturing with his head towards the back. “Let’s go.”

Normally, only a select few employees could go through the records room – it took a certain level of clearance that only a few of the office workers had. Dabi wasn’t sure if Hawks technically had that level of clearance, but since this was his agency, it didn’t seem like it’d be a problem. These records were about him anyway – the various cases he’d closed, the villains he’d caught, the team ups he’d done, the people he’d saved. Everything in here was either about Hawks or about something his agency had accomplished.

As far as Dabi was concerned, Hawks was the most authorized person to be in here.

From the way the hero’s eyes hadn’t left Dabi’s coat, though, he was pretty sure Hawks hadn’t seen anything anyway. He wasn’t even sure that the hero knew where he was. His infinite trust in Dabi made something warm coil in Dabi’s heart, making it pulse pleasantly.

“I’m just about done in here,” Dabi offered conversationally over his shoulder. He watched Hawks’ wings tick even as his unblinking eyes stayed locked on Dabi’s shiny coat. “For our break, do you want to—”

Whatever suggestion he was about to make died out as the power flipped off. The room they were in went pitch black, and Dabi felt Hawks’ grip on his coat tighten, but the hero didn’t make a sound. Since there were no windows in the room, there wasn’t a light source anywhere.

“Dabi?” Hawks piped up behind him, and Dabi felt his shoulders relax even though he couldn’t see anything.

“Right here.”

Hawks chuckled even though his grip didn’t slacken. “I figured that out – I like your coat by the way. I’d like to talk about that later, but for right now, do you know what happened?”

“No idea. There wasn’t some drill that no one notified us of, right?”

Hawks chuckled again. “Come on, you know Hiroki would never forget to send out a memo, but no, no drill that I know of.”

Dabi sighed. “Yeah, I figured… I left my phone at my desk, so I’m not sure if there’s anything on the news networks. Do you have your phone?” He looked over his shoulder, expecting to see a phone screen light up, but there was just darkness.

“Uh, so about that… You know my bird stuff? There’s something that raptors – y’know, like hawks – uh, do. Sometimes when they get startled or after they latch onto something, they stress grip, and they can’t let go.”

Dabi listened to Hawks shift his wings nervously, so Dabi hummed calmly instead. “Alright, that’s good to know. Is there a way to reverse it?”

“Not really?” Hawks forced a chuckle. “Normally, they just need time to relax, and then, they’ll let go on their own.”

There was something that Hawks wasn’t telling him – Dabi could feel it from his silence, but he didn’t know enough about raptors to know what it was. He wracked his brain for any bird trivia he may’ve picked up over the years.

“Okay… So, we wait then? It’s not like that’s a problem, but— Hey, wait, doesn’t darkness normally calm down birds?” He vaguely remembered some cartoon from his childhood that had a canary that went to sleep when a tarp was put over their birdcage. “Something about it imitating night, so they go to sleep?” Hawks weren’t nocturnal as far as Dabi knew, so this should be the perfect situation, right?

“Uhh, yeah. So, for some birds, yeah, but… I know I have a lot of bird traits, but I am still human—”

“Obviously,” Dabi chuckled, and Hawks laughed, laying his head against Dabi’s back.

“Thanks.” He chuckled while Dabi’s heart raced. “Really, thanks. Uh, so, since I’m not an actual bird, um… When I was being trained by the Commission to be a hero, they got me used to being active in the dark.” Dabi tilted his head to look back, and Hawks started talking faster. “Because disasters can happen at any time, y’know? And y’know, sometimes there’s no light, and I have to be able to do something, and quirks can do crazy things, and uh – anyway, they, um. They trained me to use my feathers and such while wearing a blindfold. So, I don’t really relax in the dark like a bird would. I kind of… get more tense because I associate total darkness with training.”

Hawks shifted anxiously on his feet, and when the heartbeat of silence he allowed dragged on for too long, he continued talking since Dabi didn’t chime in. “It’s probably not what they were intending, y’know, but it’s a weird byproduct all the same.” He laughed, but it was too forced to be real.

“How old were you?” Dabi interrupted, and Hawks picked his head up from Dabi’s back. “If you don’t mind me asking. You don’t have to answer, but—”

“No, no; it’s okay! Uh, I don’t remember for sure, but I know I was a kid – not a teenager yet. I was with them for most of my life up until I debuted.”

“And even then, they had a hand in your agency.”

Dabi’s tone was dark, but Hawks chuckled anyway, even though the sound was a little softer, a little melancholic. “Yeah, well, it’s not like I could’ve started an agency of this size at the age of 18 on my own. I didn’t have the income, the savings, or the rank needed to pull all of this off. The training and everything was hard, and I’m glad I could help dismantle them once I hit the Top Three, but they really did help me a lot. They overstepped with the laws, and they caused a lot of pain, but they weren’t all bad.”

“Which is why the Commission still exists.” Dabi spoke softly, and he could feel Hawks nodding behind him.

“Yeah, exactly! Historically, I think they started with the right intentions, but over time, they just started grabbing too much power, and then they started doing even more in order to keep grabbing power.”

“Like creating, training, and commanding heroes instead of just establishing the laws that everyone should follow,” Dabi reminded him.

“Yeah… Yeah, I guess.” They stood in silence for a moment to absorb all that they’d talked about.

There was a lot that Dabi didn’t know about Hawks, but the extent of his past with the HPSC definitely felt important. It explained how he was such a good hero despite being unknown before his debut, and it helped explain the depth of his understanding for the laws of hero society while still being a bit naïve to the ways of the world. Hawks was sheltered, but he’d trained hard. He saw the bad parts of society while still fighting for the good.

Hawks wasn’t even 19 yet, and he still got anxious in the dark.

Dabi never expected he’d work for such a person, someone with so much dichotomy, and he certainly never thought he’d consider them a friend, but here he was, trapped in a dark room – and he found that there was no one else he’d rather be with.

“… So, all of that is to say that you don’t have your phone on you?”

Hawks hit his head against Dabi’s back again, making the taller man laugh. “Ugh, I got so ranty; I’m sorry! Jeez, you could’ve cut me off sooner! I didn’t mean to unload on you like that. You’ve been here – you saw everything that went down!”

“It’s fine, magpie – it sounded like you needed to get all of that off of your chest.” Hawks muttered a soft, “I guess I did” into the fabric on Dabi’s back, making the taller man smile fondly. “How’re you feeling, by the way? Are you scared of the dark because I can make a fire if you need some light?”

Hawks chuckled and lifted his head, much to Dabi’s disappointment. “I’m okay. I’m not scared or anything; I just got startled. Honestly, I haven’t stress gripped in years – I appreciate how calm you’re being about it.”

Dabi shrugged easily. “It’s not like it’s your fault, and it’s not causing any harm, so there’s no reason to get upset. You’re doing great.”

“Thanks; I appreciate it.” There was a smile in Hawks’ voice that Dabi wished he could see.

“So, since we’re trapped—”

“Are we trapped, though?” Hawks interrupted, making Dabi look over his shoulder despite the darkness. “Hey, we never actually checked – don’t give me that look!”

Dabi snorted. “Hiroki told me that this was one of the secure rooms in the agency, so if anything happened, then this room would go on lockdown. We can try to open the door if you really want to stumble back over there in the dark?”

Hawks hummed, tapping his foot as he thought it over, his grip on Dabi’s coat still secure. “Y’know what? We’ll try that last. And if it turns out that a lightbulb just went out in here, then we can count this as our break and laugh about it later.”

“We should really consider adding emergency lights in all areas of the agency – can you bring that up at the next budget meeting?”

Hawks snickered. “Sure, hot stuff, I’ll bring it up next time. So, what were you going to suggest before?”

For a moment, Dabi couldn’t remember because his brain had screeched to a halt at the nickname. Hawks had used it once before, but Dabi had thought he’d misheard. Now, all these months later, and Hawks still applied it to Dabi, and it was a little overwhelming in the best way. Dabi was incredibly grateful that the darkness was covering his blush right now.

“Uh—” He cleared his throat to re-start his brain. “I was going to say we could sit down for a bit while we wait, see if that helps you relax?”

“Oh, yeah, we can do that!” Hawks laughed to himself. “I forgot that you’re usually on desk duty – all of this standing around must be murder for you~”

The teasing lilt to his voice didn’t help Dabi’s blush go away. “Hey, I’m not that out of shape!” His feet were starting to hurt, but he wouldn’t give Hawks the satisfaction of knowing that. Hearing Hawks laugh louder did make Dabi lose his edge, though. He huffed softly. “I can’t believe my boss makes fun of his employees. Imagine what PR will say.”

“Ugh, please don’t report me to Asami! She’d have my head!” Hawks groaned dramatically, and it made Dabi snicker.

“I don’t know – this doesn’t feel like a safe workplace environment anymore. I might have to report you to Mera at the Commission, too.”

“Dabi, nooo! He’s gonna’ stare at me with his exhausted eyes, and I’m gonna’ feel bad for taking up his time!”

“That’s what you get for being too much of a hero, hero—”

“Come on, how can I make it up to you?”

“Bribery now, too? My, my, how the mighty have fallen…” Dabi shook his head, and Hawks tugged on his coat.

“Okay, okay, we’ll sit and forget the rest of this ever happened!” Hawks whined while continuing to tug on Dabi’s coat, and it had the dark haired man laughing.

“I can’t promise I’ll forget this, but okay, we’ll sit; calm down.”

Coordinating together so that they could both sit was a little bit of a challenge, but with the length of the coat, it wasn’t too bad of a struggle. Soon, they were both sitting on the cool floor, and Hawks took a deep breath, leaning back against the filing cabinet behind him.

“Okay,” Hawks admitted quietly into the darkness. “This is nice…”

“Is it helping you calm down any?” Dabi glanced his way despite still being unable to see. He felt more than saw how Hawks shrugged, since the hero still had a hold of his coat.

“I think it’s still too early to tell, but it’s nice to get off my feet – one less thing to worry about, y’know? – and also, the floor’s cool, so I feel less worked up.” He indulged in a deep breath that had Dabi chuckling. “I think this’ll help. Thanks for being so calm about this.”

“Hawks, it’s really not a problem. You don’t have to keep thanking me for little things.” Dabi could hear Hawks’ wings shift to that, but he wasn’t really sure why.

“This might seem little to you, but—” Hawks sighed, and Dabi realized that the sound he’d heard must’ve been Hawks curling his wings around himself. “But to me, it’s not. I’ve had people telling me my whole life to stop being a pain or to stop the bird stuff, and – I get that it’s part of me, and it’s ‘natural’ or however Asami says it, but it’s something that I’ve spent my whole life hearing is wrong and bad and— … It can just be hard to accept myself, y’know? After all that negativity. There was… There was a lot of yelling over the years and a lot of punishments I went through while I was in training to be a hero, and just having someone accept my bird stuff without getting upset? It’s…” Hawks chuckled, but the sound was melancholic. “It’s more than I ever hoped for, honestly. It’s really mind-blowing to me, so… So, I wanted to say thanks because it’s a really big deal to me, and – and I really can’t explain how thankful I am to know you, Dabi.”

Dabi let the silence hang between them. There’d been hints of this since the day that Dabi had started working at Hawks’ agency, but hearing it all laid out like this by the hero himself made it hit harder. He could understand now why Hiroki hadn’t wanted to say it herself – it would’ve lost its impact, would’ve been too impersonal, even though it was a moving story. The realization that Hawks was trusting Dabi with this information slammed into him again, and Dabi was grateful that they were sitting down now. He felt lightheaded.

“The Commission told you that your bird traits were bad?” Dabi somehow found his voice enough to ask, but the sound was a gentle rumble in the otherwise silent room.

“There wasn’t, like, a memo that went out or any kind of policy that said so, but I had various handlers over the years, and – yeah, none of them were very pleased about my less ‘heroic’ traits.” He couldn’t do air quotes right now with his hands still clamped into Dabi’s coat, but Dabi heard them all the same.

“They were wrong,” Dabi found himself saying, and Hawks laughed that sad laugh again.

“That’s what I keep hearing, but it’s hard to believe that after all this time, y’know?”

“They wanted you for your quirk, but trying to force aspects out and pick and choose only their approved parts is discrimination.”

“Yeah, I get that. Believe me, Asami has sat me down plenty of times and explained the code of ethics that were revised by the Diet after I exposed the Commission. I get it, but that’s still not how I was raised.” Softly, almost tentative and shy, Hawks laid his head on Dabi’s shoulder, and Dabi felt like the air had been punched from his lungs. “I’m working on it. It just… takes time, and I appreciate that you haven’t been upset at me.”

“I know I can get intense sometimes—”

“No, no,” Hawks cut him off with a chuckle, but he kept his head on Dabi’s shoulder. “You get upset on my behalf, and you try to help out when you can. It’s little things, but – they mean a lot to me. So, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Maybe, Dabi considered, it was okay to be thanked for little things – if Hawks was the one doing it. With his own hesitation, Dabi slowly lowered his cheek to rest against Hawks’ fluffy hair, and the hero nuzzled into the touch like a cat, or more accurately, a bird. Dabi’s heart fluttered, and even though Hawks could probably hear it with his feathers, he didn’t comment on it.

“You know,” Dabi eventually broke their silence, his voice still soft. “It’s okay to thank me. I… didn’t receive a lot of acknowledgment growing up. It feels… a little fake, honestly, now, but – I’ll try to accept it from you.” Hawks hummed softly, and Dabi felt compelled to keep talking. “And it’s okay if it takes you time to learn good habits. The fact that you’re trying is already a lot better than most people. Relearning toxic mentalities is hard and time consuming and— … And I’m proud that you’re working on it, magpie. You deserve good things, and you deserve to be accepted and loved for who you are. And I know that saving people is your job, but you’re allowed to save yourself, too.”

“I’m working on it,” Hawks mumbled, and Dabi recognized the sleepiness in his tone.

“I know. You’re doing great.” He lightly traced a hand through Hawks’ hair, and the blond pressed into the motion with a content sigh.

“I’m sure Hiroki is already working on getting the power back on or tracking us down, but until she gets here, could this be our break?”

“Of course it can be.”

Hawks hummed, the sound rich with happiness. “Could you keep talking? I – I like the sound of your voice. It’s soothing.”

Dabi chuckled, and Hawks started to bristle until Dabi brushed his hand through Hawks’ hair again, and the hero relaxed back against his shoulder. “Sure, that’s no problem. What do you want me to talk about?”

Hawks made a soft thinking sort of sound before shifting closer against Dabi’s side. “Anything. I just like to hear you…”

Knowing that he was being listened to and heard made something warm swell in Dabi’s heart, but it felt fragile, new, and infinitely precious. He tried not to think about it for now as he started talking about little things – how finding an apartment had been a mild adventure, how he enjoyed exploring Fukuoka while he stocked his apartment with furniture and decorations, the small dramas between neighbors, funny gossips within the agency about new pets and outings, the way that life had calmed down from the high stakes and chaos of Musutafu to the soothing lifestyle he now lived in Fukuoka. Dabi talked about his new plans for the future when he’d never let himself dream before, how the fears and traumas of his past were slowly being painted over in this new environment, and his growing hope for his own life now that he was in a stable and accepting work atmosphere.

“Thank you,” he muttered into Hawks’ hair as the hero slowly released his coat, deep breaths soothing in the quiet. Hawks muttered an unintelligible reply that Dabi cherished.

Twenty minutes later when the power finally flickered back on, Hawks roused from his sleep, and Dabi flipped his coat back to hide all of the shininess. To himself, he marveled that the fabric hadn’t torn even with Hawks’ stress gripping. He’d have to ask Hiroki what it was made of to be so durable.

--

It was a new day in Hawks’ agency. Almost a year after the young hero’s debut, society had changed drastically and all for the better. Crime continued to lower, and heroes across the country had manageable hours and plenty of back up thanks to their established team up systems. There weren’t highly competitive rankings, and more open policies were being picked up by agencies across Japan. The HPSC had revised many rules and even allowed civilian licenses for quirk use for health reasons, and support equipment was becoming more widely available to the general public.

In Hawks’ agency, sidekicks and the staff thrived under the freedoms presented to them, and more applications were being reviewed by the day to help support the growing efforts of the agency to better the lives in Fukuoka.

One of the newest sidekicks skipped in with their more experienced counterpart, Binks. “Hey, Binks and I found this shiny rock while we were out on patrol, and I really think that Hawks would like it. What do you think?”

Binks was staring at the opulent stone, admiring its shifting colors and asymmetrical edges, and the pair drew the eye of the Cleaning Lady Hero, Kairin.

“You two found a new rock for Hawks?” The hero stepped over to admire the stone with them. “You should probably take it to Toast— I mean, Nightingale. She can shine it up and get it extra shiny for you.” Kairin pointed the pair towards the shiny curator’s desk where the office worker was currently polishing paper clips for the rest of the office.

“I can shine it up – no problem!” Nightingale smiled and quickly hid the newly shined paper clips from Dabbin who hovered nearby, ready to fight any wayward paper clips in a cage battle. Once the stone was glittering brightly, Nightingale (Gale for short) returned it to Binks and her protégé. “This is a really good find!”

“Do you think I can give it to Hawks now?” The new sidekick asked, admiring the pretty stone.

“You should check with Dabi for approval,” a passing voice whispered, and everyone glanced around, but the office cryptid, Autumn, had already vanished from sight. Somehow, her voice still permeated the area to add, “He knows Hawks’ tastes best, and he holds onto all of Hawks’ treasures.”

Upstairs, Dabi’s desk was empty, but Binks spotted a passing secretary. “Hey, Tish!” She called to the sexy secretary who turned back with a flourish and coy smile. “Do you know where Dabi is?”

“Hm…” Tish frowned, glancing about Dabi’s desk. “Maybe check the Support Department? He may be smelting something.”

Over in the Support Department, though, Arsonist the licensed smelter was alone. He wiped his brow as he listened to the inquiry about Dabi. “Ah, you just missed him actually! I think he went to talk to Hiroki.” He continued to work the smelter, and the sidekicks quickly left to escape the heat.

At Hiroki’s office, Crimson the office manager looked up from her work. “Are you two looking for Hiroki?”

The newest sidekick shook their head. “Actually, we’re looking for Dabi so we can ask if Hawks would like this rock.”

Crimson looked closely at the rock, humming in approval. “That’s a great rock, but Dabi just left with Hiroki to ask Asami something. They should be in PR if you wanted to catch up with them.”

The PR Department was awash with activity as usual. It was a lot of work to manage and promote an agency of this size, especially with such an active hero like Hawks – not to mention the various employees that were protected within the agency. Thanks to their varied and eye-catching employees, the public sent a lot of mail and inquiries to the agency. It could be a lot to handle, but Asami and Hiroki were grateful for every opportunity to spread awareness and acceptance for the various walks of life within their employ, regardless of looks, pasts, and quirks.

Even now, Theoretica was collaborating with Persi and Tiffany about the newest awareness ad to be released by the agency while Ally bolstered them with cheers and support. Bluebelle looked over an outline while Vriddy manned the coffee machine and brought them a fresh, much needed cup. Nicco and Asher workshopped ideas while Jecook delivered the newest reports to Asami’s desk.

“Oh, did y’all need something?” Jecook asked once her hands were free.

“Have you seen Dabi anywhere? We heard he was with Hiroki or Asami, but…”

Jecook looked around before catching sight of someone walking through. “Marianna, do you know where Dabi went with Asami and Hiroki?”

“I think they all went to Legal,” came the helpful reply.

Once they reached Legal, though, they found the door to Bol’s office closed for a meeting. Inside, they could hear Dabi asking, “So, hypothetically, if I wanted to date someone in the agency who outranks me, say – as an example, Hawks – what kind of trouble could it cause? Regarding legalities, agency procedures, potential public response, etcetera…”

“Well…” Bol hummed, thinking over the question. “Regarding agency procedures, Hiroki would know the most about that, and Asami would know about potential public response, but in regards to legalities—”

Binks bumped the new sidekick and ushered them away from the department even as Bol continued discussing between Hiroki and Asami, Dabi humming with attention.

Clearly, this was a very private conversation and something that they shouldn’t interrupt.

Business continued as usual at the agency. Sidekicks, heroes, and office workers from various departments moved about getting the jobs done that Hawks didn’t need to trouble himself with. The young hero and leader of their agency already did so much out in the field and within the agency, so everyone was inspired to do all that they could to give him a break. After all, they all greatly appreciated the bedazzled gifts that Hawks had taken the time to make for each of their birthdays during their first years. And even though the agency had continued to grow since then, he had made it a tradition to have a bedazzled gift for every new hire’s first birthday after they joined the agency. These were the types of gifts that even Muse, IxayaOri, and Sleepwalkerqueen could enjoy and display in their homes or at their desks. Everyone in the agency appreciated everything that Hawks did.

Maybe that’s why it came as such a shock when an alert flared through the agency – a rarely heard tone but one that always captured everyone’s attention.

Hawks had been injured on patrol.

Thankfully, there was a hospital across the street from the agency. It was small, but it had tight security and state of the art equipment which always put Hawks and his agency as their highest priority.

The knowledge of their capabilities didn’t stop Dabi from running across the street once he’d heard the news.

“Don’t worry,” Dr. Princeliest assured him. “It’s a fairly minor injury over all – nothing life threatening. We’ve already sewn up his stitches, and once he’s woken from the anesthesia, then he can be taken home where he will need to rest for three days.”

“How long will he be out for?” Dabi frowned, his own seams irritating him in sympathy.

Amethyst, the sexy anesthesiologist, stuck his head around the corner once he heard the question. “Knowing his constitution and quirk, I made sure to adjust the dosage just for Hawks! He should be awake in about ten more minutes, though he’ll probably still be woozy for the next hour or so.”

“You can stay with him if you’d like,” Dr. Princeliest assured him, and Dabi nodded his thanks.

Once Hawks was discharged, Dabi volunteered to take him back to the agency where Hiroki would take him home. Dabi wrapped his dark coat around Hawks’ shoulders to contain his wings and help to reduce the input from the world around them. Hawks burrowed into the coat with a dopey smile, his ungloved hands grasping it tight around him as he breathed deep.

“Dabi~” He hummed, swaying on his feet until Dabi wrapped his arm around Hawks’ shoulders as well. “Warm,” he sighed dreamily, and Dabi snorted at his antics.

“I’m cold, magpie. You’re feeling warm from the coat – not me. You’re out of it because of the meds, but we’ll have you home soon.”

Hawks laid his head on Dabi’s shoulder so that he could flip the coat’s collar and admire the shiny interior. “Shiny…” He clicked his teeth in appreciation, and Dabi hugged him closer with a soft smile.

“Yeah, magpie; shiny just for you.”

The trip back to Hawks’ agency took longer than it should have because Dabi took slow, careful steps, but he didn’t mind the extra time that it gave him with the young hero – his boss. His boss that he still very much wanted to ask out.

After talking it over with Bol, Hiroki, and Asami, the conclusion was that the work ethics were dubious. Technically, Hawks was his boss, but in actuality, Hawks was everyone’s official boss, but he was supervisor only to a select few – not including Dabi. There was no law saying that they couldn’t date.

The public – or more like Hawks’ overly enthusiastic fans – may not be happy to see Hawks in a relationship, and his popularity may decrease briefly because of it, but according to Asami, that wasn’t a good reason for him to stay single. If there was a partner that could bolster and support Hawks, then he was allowed to pursue the relationship just like everyone else.

And the real bottom line was that everyone in the office wanted what was best for Hawks as a person rather than him as an icon. He deserved happiness, and they knew that Dabi made Hawks happy. They also knew that Hawks’ heart was safe in Dabi’s hands because he was serious about his feelings. He didn’t want Hawks for his publicity or his money or his title – he wanted the person under the costume, the glittering heart and sparkling smile and loud laugh that brightened every day.

Dabi had gotten everyone’s blessings to ask Hawks out – but then Hawks had gotten injured and was loopy with medication.

It wouldn’t count then, right, if Dabi just asked a general question – as long as he remembered that Hawks’ words weren’t true consent, that he couldn’t act on anything regardless of how Hawks answered—

Dabi wanted to know, and it’s not like Hawks would remember this conversation later anyway. He could just have it again once Hawks was fully coherent. He just needed to know if his feelings weren’t completely one sided.

“So…” He started hesitantly, and Hawks’ golden eyes moved away from his jacket collar to the staples on his cheek and jaw instead. Hawks hummed low in a way that made Dabi’s heart race. He held Hawks tighter, and Hawks’ wings fluttered merrily. “You got pretty messed up out there, huh? How’re you feeling?”

Hawks blew a raspberry with his lips before giggling at the sensation. “I’m fiiiine; nothing happened!”

“You got hit in the side, and you have stitches, Hawks.”

“So~ do~ you—” Hawks poked his cheek. “— Boop!” Dabi had to stop walking so that he wouldn’t drop the hero while trying to hold in his laughter. Hawks lightly stroked his cheek, not seeming to notice that they weren’t moving anymore. “So pretty,” he murmured, and Dabi couldn’t take how his heart warmed and clenched and raced with emotion.

“Come on, magpie; you’re killing me – I need you to stop,” Dabi begged weakly, and Hawks wrapped his arm around Dabi’s shoulders in a tight hug instead.

“Nope, keeping you forever!” The blond sang obnoxiously, but it didn’t stop Dabi from softly blushing.

“So, hypothetically, if I said I wanted to ask you out, how would you feel?”

“I’d be the happiest man alive – you’re so shiny,” Hawks sighed contentedly, and Dabi realized he’d never had anything to worry about. He should’ve waited to ask Hawks when he was fully awake, but he was also grateful for the peace of mind now.

He looked forward to talking to Hawks once he was fully recovered.

--

A couple weeks of proper rest, medication, and some healing quirks finally had Hawks healthy enough to work. His doctor asked him to stay in the office for another week before he returned to patrol, and Hawks seemingly had no issue with this—

Though he did also seem to be going stir crazy while he was stuck inside. His many colorful bracelets jingled as he walked through the agency, and the dangling earrings he could only wear on his down time bounced with each of his energetic steps.

“Dabi, are you ready for lunch?” He stuck his head around the corner, and Dabi had to hold in a snort. Today, Hawks was wearing a sequin jacket over a bedazzled shirt, and the pendants on his layered necklaces clicked faintly as they swayed.

“You asked me that ten minutes ago, and my answer is still no. I need to finish these e-mails.”

Hawks’ wings beat with exasperation, and the young hero trudged to his desk, dragging his feet as he went. The chain belt on his baggy cargo capris rustled noisily and sparkled in a complimentary way to the charms adorning Hawks’ shoes. “Come on; they can wait, right? E-mails can’t be that important, can they?”

“Have you been ignoring your e-mails, magpie?” Hawks pointedly did not answer, and he swiftly turned his head away when Dabi tried to catch his eye. It left the dark haired man grinning. “Hiroki is going to have your head if you keep that up~”

“Yeah, yeah – I don’t want to talk about it!”

“Is that why you’re so anxious to leave?” Dabi teased, and Hawks hid behind his jacket’s collar. The movement highlighted the rings he wore on both hands.

“Nooo, no – why would you think that?”

Dabi snickered to himself while he continued to click around on his computer, typing from time to time. Hawks gave him some peace and proceeded to walk around to survey the many jars of his treasures. His wings fluffed in approval as he looked over each shiny piece.

“… So, what about now?”

“Uuugh, fine; yes – we can go get lunch.” His chuckling probably lessened the impact of his faked exasperation but seeing Hawks smile made it worth it. He had just finished replying to his last e-mail anyway.

Once they were out on the street, Dabi couldn’t help looking over at the pleased hero. “So, what really had you so keyed up?”

Hawks’ wings twitched, but his face was an impervious mask. Dabi continued to watch him until Hawks finally crumbled, releasing a giant breath while he did. “You’re gonna’ think it’s stupid…”

Dabi rolled his eyes. “No, I won’t. Just say it, magpie.”

“Well… I— Hm… So, when I was injured a couple weeks ago, I thought— I mean, I know Hiroki took me home from the agency, but I—” He took a deep breath and said in a rush “— I have this memory of talking to you, but I – I don’t know if it’s real.”

“Oh—”

“I know it’s stupid,” Hawks tried to cut in, and Dabi snagged his jacket sleeve.

“It’s not stupid.” Dabi met his gaze even as Hawks kept searching his. Dabi sighed and stopped walking, his free hand moving anxiously through his hair. “We did talk – I came to the hospital to help you get back to the agency so that Hiroki could take you home. We talked on the way, but… I didn’t think you’d remember any of it. Sorry, I really should have just waited until you were feeling better.”

Hawks scrutinized him before turning to look at him head on. “It’s okay; I don’t really remember most of it – just bits and pieces, and even those seem pretty farfetched honestly.”

“Do you mind if we talk now? I know you were just wanting to get lunch, but—"

Hawks chuckled softly. “I was wanting to spend time with you, and lunch is just the easiest way to do it. Hiroki would really have my head if I kept our employees from working every time I felt chatty. What did you want to talk about, Dabi?”

They found a place in the park, hidden under the trees where they could sit away from people. It was the table they’d eaten at back when that letter arrived at the agency, but this time, they didn’t have food as a distraction. Dabi was a bit sad for that as he was having trouble looking at Hawks due to nerves. Hawks was kind enough to wait him out without getting frustrated, but Dabi didn’t want to hold him up for long – they still needed to eat lunch before going back to work.

“Well, the truth is…” Dabi took a deep breath before deciding it was time to go all in. “The truth is that I’ve been having a lot of fun since I started working at your agency. Honestly, this is probably the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.” Dabi let himself smile, and Hawks watched with rapt attention. “Before this, I didn’t have anything to my name, and I was just one bad encounter away from ending up as a villain. But now, I have an apartment, a bed. I can afford enough food for three meals a day, and I even have hanko and an ID for myself.” He looked to Hawks whose wings fluffed under his gaze. “I have a job that I enjoy, and a supervisor I can rely on, and my boss… I think I have the best boss in Japan.” Hawks’ breath caught, and Dabi couldn’t stop the way his smile softened, almost turning sad. This was the hard part, the scary part, the unpredictable part.

“But…” He continued, his eyes drifting to the table so that he wouldn’t have to see Hawks’ expression. “I have a bit of a problem. As much as I love my job, I’m finding that I love something— Well, someone more. And the media always says not to date your coworkers, but in this case, it’s not against our agency’s policies since it’s not with my direct supervisor – I know because I checked. But in this case, the public might really come after me since he’s—” Dabi wet his lips, clasping his hands together under the table to try and stop their shaking. It didn’t help much. “He’s the most desired hero in Kyushu, which I understand because I like him, too.” He heard Hawks’ quick gasp, but he plowed on. “And if it got too weird for him, I’d be willing to find a job somewhere else, if he ever needed space from me, but— I guess it comes down to… Do you think I’ve got a shot w-with him?” He struggled to meet Hawks’ eyes, too scared of what he might see if he met that golden gaze, but one glance showed him Hawks’ shock, and Dabi held his breath.

Hawks was left gaping for an endless number of heartbeats, and Dabi wasn’t sure either of them would be able to breathe until something broke the spell. Thankfully, it was Hawks himself, but it still took time before he was able to speak.

“…. This is what you wanted to talk to me about before? A-At the hospital?” Hawks’ voice was a little breathless and there was a tremor to his words that he couldn’t quite control.

Dabi swallowed around the dryness in his throat. “Yeah…”

“But you didn’t say all of this then, right? I don’t think I would’ve forgotten that much even with the medication,” he forced a laugh, but it was shaky like the hand that he ran through his golden hair. The air between them felt awkward yet charged. It sounded like Hawks was still processing, not shooting him down.

Dabi wet his lips and kept his own shaking hands under the table. “Yeah, you’re right – I didn’t say all of this then. I, uh, I wanted to wait until you were coherent enough to really answer.”

Hawks flushed, the color mostly hidden by the speckled shadows of the leaves above them but the shy look he turned down to the tabletop made Dabi’s heart skip a beat. “You want my answer…?”

“Only once you’ve thought about it,” Dabi rushed to say. “I know this was – a lot, and I don’t want to overwhelm you or pressure you.”

“Yes.”

Dabi blinked, unsure how the conversation just turned. “Yes…?”

“Yes.” Gold eyes locked with his own bright blue. “I— I want to go out with you, too. I’ve been wanting to, but the, uh… It can get tricky with— I’ve been so busy with all the changes, and with me being a hero, I didn’t know if—” He put his head in his hands, his wings quivering and shuffling behind him as he tried to organize himself.

When he finally peeked back up, his hands covered the lower half of his face even as his eyes gave away his expression. “A lot of things have changed for heroes, but the public can still be intense, and villains could still target you – and with us working in the same agency, it could get awkward, and I didn’t want to put any pressure on you as your boss, so… So, are you sure…?” His eyes searched Dabi’s, those golden orbs that always saw every detail, no matter the distance.

From across a picnic table, there was no way he could miss the way that Dabi’s shoulders relaxed or the soft set to his expression, the gentle turn of his scarred lips, the warmth shining in his eyes.

“I asked you first, magpie,” Dabi reassured with a slow, teasing smile.

Hawks’ wings ruffled behind him even as his cheeks grew pinker, showing over the tops of his clasped hands. “You really want to be my boyfriend?”

“I do – if you’ll have me,” Dabi quickly clarified, and it made Hawks laugh breathlessly, his hands shaking as he lowered them to the table to steady himself, his eyes glittering with hope above his bright smile.

“I’ve never wanted anything more – yes!” He hid his face in his hands again before collapsing to the table to hide in his folded arms. The blush covering his ears peeked through the shiny collar of his jacket. “Oh my god; you’re my boyfriend…! I have a boyfriend now!” His voice was a little muffled by the fabric, but his excitement bled through.

It made Dabi smile. “That’s a good thing, right?”

“It’s the best thing!” Hawks insisted, sitting up and letting Dabi see his flushed face in all its glory. He looked happier than a kid on Christmas morning. Dabi couldn’t stop his besotted smile, and Hawks’ wings fluffed behind him, eyes wide with wonder. “I want to tell everyone – wait—Did I really boop you?” At Dabi’s confused stare, Hawks waved his hand in a rolling motion. “When I was still loopy with meds – did I boop you, or did I misremember that part?”

Dabi snorted, expression fond. “Yes, you did. Who would’ve guessed that our very own Rising Star of Fukuoka, Hawks, would be so adorable.”

Hawks flushed a surprising shade of red that complimented his wings more than he probably realized. “You’re adorable,” he whispered, and it had Dabi flushing a matching shade of red. They stared at each other for another heartbeat before they both had to look away. The cool breeze did nothing to alleviate their heated faces.

Tentatively, Dabi stretched his hand across the table, letting his knuckles rest on the wood as he offered his open palm to Hawks. He watched the hero from the corner of his eye as Hawks carefully took Dabi’s hand. He didn’t miss the way that Hawks shyly ducked his head nor did he miss the gentle smile that graced Hawks’ face. They sat in silence, letting their new situation wash over them.

It was even nicer than Dabi had hoped.

“I, um,” Hawks cleared his throat, his grip tightening ever so slightly around Dabi’s hand. “There’s something I want to tell you, too – about me. It’s… not something I’m supposed to do— Or, rather, the Commission always said I shouldn’t, but—”

“F*** the Commission,” Dabi interrupted, and it made Hawks laugh.

“That was the old president – not Mera. Anyway,” he continued despite the interruption, “I was wondering, uh – I was actually wanting for you to—” He stopped himself to take a breath and gather his thoughts. Several seconds passed while he processed and slowly put them into order. “When it’s just us, I wanted you to know that it’s okay to call me by my name. It’s on record with the Commission, and Hiroki and Asami know it officially, but I asked them just to call me Hawks. Um, but with you, I want you to know it, and uh, if you want to, I’d be okay if you used it – just you, though.” He took another deep breath, seeming to summon his courage before golden eyes focused on Dabi again. “I’m Takami Keigo.”

Dabi knew this must’ve been hard to say; he could see Hawks’ wings quivering slightly. No, not Hawks’ wings – Keigo’s wings. It was just them after all. “It only seems fair then,” he said carefully, surprised that his hands weren’t shaking, “and this is just for you, but you can call me Touya if you want to.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Touya.”

“You, too, Keigo.”

“Could I take you to lunch, Touya?” Keigo asked, his smile bright and hopeful even as his wings shifted with nerves behind him.

Touya chuckled softly, his face hurting from how much he’d been smiling throughout the last half hour. “It would be my pleasure, Keigo.”