Dabi x Female! Reader x Hawks - Searing Edges

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟻: 𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗

"Dabi." Hawks called out.

"Hawks." Dabi acknowledged. "Did you get me those names yet?"

"Sorta." Hawks said.

"Sorta?" Dabi repeated.

"Oh, I got you your names alright — but there were far too many — far too many people who fit your description. I can hand over all the names if that's what you wanted, or  you could narrow down the scope of who you're looking for and let me do the rest." Hawks proposed, worried that he had come across as too eager. "It's your call." He added.

"Ain't too often that someone offers to do more than they're asked of in the League, 'specially not a Pro-Hero."

"Consider it an extra show of loyalty then." Hawks declared.

Dabi "hmmmmed," in response. "Quirkless. Age in the mid 20s."

"You're aware that only 10-20% of the population is quirkless, right? With some regions below 5%? Not even taking age into consideration," 

"You asked for a narrowed scope." Dabi stated, condescending in his manner.

"I suppose so."

"I want all the names by tomorrow, can you do that?"

"Of course I can, provided you make sure Shigaraki knows I've been cooperative."

"Don't you worry about that, Hawks. He'll know."

"Good." Hawks left.

~

Dabi was elated.

He was confident that you were posing as someone quirkless, seeing as it was the only logical way to go about life remaining as discreet as possible. And as Hawks had astutely pointed out, there weren't many people who were quirkless in society.

That settled it. Dabi had a strong gut feeling that he would know exactly who you were by tomorrow.

Giddy at this realisation, Dabi thought it right to head to his usual bar for a preemptive, celebratory drink. He'd even go with the League, but the rational part of him wouldn't allow him to boast about his success without being sure of that very success first.

~

You couldn't bring yourself to go to work. Not after the incident with your neighbour. The sheer irony of what happened after made you sick. Ren Kiyotaka, that was your neighbour's name. 

Later that evening, after Hawks had left, and after her husband had returned home from work, Ren alone knocked on your door. When you opened the door you were immediately drawn into a great big hug. "You saved my life, (Y/n)!" She said it over, and over, and over.

"Thank you so much for doing the best you could out there, especially considering you're quirkless. . ." She handed you a basket, presumably filled with appreciative foodstuffs.

You reeled internally, but kept the performance going. "I was only doing what any good, quirkless citizen would do. It's no big deal, really."

There was no point reminiscing in the rest of the interaction.

Recalling the events that transpired an hour or so ago would not change how you felt about it now. In reality, you had almost killed someone through inaction; complacence. Had you ever made a more selfish decision in your life? What if Hawks hadn't arrived in time? How could you criticise the HPSC for being immoral when you acted immorally just the same? How could you live like this?

You were spiralling. You didn't want to think. You needed a strong distraction, and in the words of your old friends from high school, you needed to "live it up a little!" You needed to go to the bar, just. . . Not the Red Herring, and not to stay sober.