"And Always, Sweet Dreams."

City of Gold

"Don't compare me to that monster, even though I might look like one."

Instantly after saying that, Dabi stood abruptly and left the room, leaving behind an unsettling and concerning aura. Hawks immediately stood and chased after him, a frown on his face before he glanced back and glared at Mirko, who seemed to have realised that what she said wasn't an appropriate thing to say.

As he disappeared out the door, everyone could hear Hawks speak gently. "Touya, it's okay. She didn't mean it like that –."

And after that, his words became incoherent as he walked after Dabi further down the hallway, and the door closed behind them. I lifted my hand and pinched the bridge of my nose, letting out a sigh as I decided what to say.

I cleared my throat. "Dabi may look tough and patchy, but he still has some things that he doesn't want to remember or revisit, like his father," I started, and everyone looked at me. "Touya Todoroki, along with his younger brother Shouto Todoroki, grew up in a violent and hostile household where they were abused under the excuse that it was 'training'. This has hurt and deeply scarred the both of them, and the revealment of this is what lead to Endeavour being rightfully imprisoned, as he is now."

I looked around the room again, my eyes stopping on Mirko, who looked regretful.

I took a deep breath. "And so, moving forward I would ask you to please be careful with what you say to and around them, especially Dabi. Shouto Todoroki has had the counselling to help him with the trauma his father gave him, while Dabi has not. I am still unsure of his mental state when it comes to his family, and it's best if we do not speak of Endeavour around him. Do you all understand?"

There were numerous nods around the room, and I sat back in my chair, tired but satisfied.

"Eraserhead." Gang Orca spoke up, his voice filled with authority that every top hero has. "Are you confident that this plan will succeed?"

I swallowed the growing lump in my throat. "It has to."

After that, we all settled down and drew out the plan Dabi had shared, pointing out a few things that can be added for extra security and calling multiple hero agencies to gain as much backup support as possible. It took hours, but we managed to get everything planned, aside from one thing that Dabi specified in the plan, but didn't outright tell us.

Where the hell was The League of Villains' base?

~

Hawks' POV

Concern made my lungs heavy the moment Mirko opened her mouth, and I didn't fail to notice the way Dabi froze up, a hard expression on his face, and clenched his hands. I felt the room get slightly hotter with tension, and shifted closer to Touya, hoping to soothe some of his emotions when I placed my hand gently on his trembling ones.

It's been a long time since I've seen Touya tremble like that.

"Don't compare me to that monster, even though I might look like one."

And that, the way Touya said that with so much emotion and hurt in his voice, made my heart break. My lungs closed slightly as he then stood to leave, obviously upset and sad, and I quickly followed after him, not bothering to push in my chair, and hoping that Aizawa had the situation under control.

I reached out to him. "Touya, it's okay. She didn't mean it like that. She doesn't understand." I called after him, quickly catching up with his fast pace.

He scowled, and turned quickly, his leather jacket fluttering as his hand alit with a burning blue flame right before he drove his fist through the nearest wall. His eyes were bright and wild, and it was almost scary to see him this angry.

"Of course she doesn't understand! Nobody ever understands!" he yelled, and punched the wall again. I made a mental note to repair the damages later.

I swallowed. "Touya, please calm down. We can talk calmly, okay?"

His gaze whipped in my direction again. "Don't talk to me like I'm some untamed child! Stop it!" he reached out with his blazing hand the same time I tried to grab his shoulder, and I hissed when I felt his quirk burn through my jacket and felt the sheering pain of the flames licking my skin.

I quickly pulled away with a grunt, grinding my back teeth together and stepping back, pulling my arm to my chest. I breathed harshly through my nose and barred my teeth, hissing back the pain and trying to focus on getting Touya to calm down.

Turns out I didn't really need to.

"Keigo, I'm so sorry. I didn't – I really didn't mean to hurt you," Touya said, his voice thin and wobbly, the frustration from seconds ago gone. "Is it bad? I'm sorry, I'll . . . I'll . . ."

I glanced up at him, worried why his voice was fading out so much, and caught sight of his eyes closing right before he collapsed to the floor. My eyes widened and I reached out, unsure if he was okay, and heard a soft titter from down the hall. I looked away from Touya and relaxed slightly when I saw Midnight standing behind where Touya fell, the last pink whirls of her quirk disappearing. I blinked, and quickly remembered that she said she was going to be late for the meeting.

I sighed and ran a hand down my face. I really wasn't in the mood to explain everything to Midnight right now, but it needed to be done so she wouldn't see Touya as a villain anymore.

"Midnight," I breathed, and she gave me a half-smirk with questioning eyes. "You're late, and need to be caught up to speed on the situation. Pleased don't do anything irrational before you know the full situation. Continue to the meeting room, and Eraserhead will explain everything."

She didn't move, her eyes trailing down to where Touya was motionless on the floor. "There better be a good explanation for this, Hawks, or I might just have to deal with this hottie myself." She teased, making a pun out of Touya's quirk and appearance before walking past him and stopping in front of me. "He should wake up in half an hour. I trust that you'll have him handled."

I gave her a firm nod, and she gave me a flirtatious wink as she walked past, hips swinging and heels clicking as she walked down the hallway and out of sight. And, well, thank god for that, because if she started questioning, I probably would've started growing white feathers.

I stepped forward towards Touya and cringed, remembering the ache in my ankle, and that the building was empty right now aside from a few heroes. I wanted to slap myself, because why the hell did I say that everyone had to leave the building, including my medical professionals? Sometimes, I realise just how stupid I can be.

Quickly, I decided the best plan of action, and other than going back to UA to get treated, I could either go to a nearby agency, or I can head back to my city-view apartment. I glanced back down at Touya's sleeping figure, and decided that the last option was best.

Getting Touya into the car wasn't actually as hard as it could have been, thanks to my quirk. I had a few feathers lift him as gently as possible and flew him beside me until we reached the end of the hallway, where a window was open and without even batting an eye, I stood up on the windowsill, glad that all the windows were human-sized, and took a deep breath, making sure that Touya was secure in the feathers, and that they will follow after me before listening to the familiar and soothing sounds of the city.

I closed and opened my eyes, marvelling at the colourful bursts of light the city gave, and letting a soft smile grace my lips as the first trails of sunlight lit the city in gold – promising a new day. I stretched my arms out, and with one final exhale, I fell forward.

The thrill and drop in your stomach with the rush of wind and your pulse pounding in your ears never gets old, but man, does it make you feel alive. The rush of the ground closing in gave me an adventurous feeling, and when I finally extended my wings, the wind pushed up against my feathers, and I was pushed high into the air – free.

Breathing was a lot easier, this way.

Double update? 

(This definitely wasn't an apology for the last crappy chapter. Nope. Not at all.)

(Okay, maybe it was.)

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