On the Record (Hawks x Reader x Dabi)

Like Father, Like Son

Your eyes wander to your figure in the bathroom. You needed to look powerful, determined, and so sure of yourself. You adorned black slacks, a white blouse with a black blazer on top of it. You smoothed the non-existing wrinkles of the slacks. Today was the day you were interviewing Endeavor, Enji Todoroki. As the Number One Hero, he was known to not be a fan of the press. Your company had managed to get a 30-minute interview with the fire user. Bubbles danced across your stomach.

The last time you had seen Endeavor was when you dropped his drunken son off at home. Would he even remember you afterward? Would he remember you were a reporter? A firm knock erupted from the door, your head turned towards the noise.

"I get it that girls take long in the bathroom, but this is ridiculous," Keigo joked on the other side. You had an urge to roll his eyes, claiming he took longer to get ready that you did, but you didn't. You opened the door to look over towards him. His cocky smirk waivered seeing your serious form. Your eyes harden into his amber orbs.

"What's up with you," he asked. You sighed and shifted your body. You placed your hands on your hips. Keigo decided to cross his arms as well.

"I get to interview Endeavor today. To be honest...I'm really nervous," you admitted. Keigo's eyes softened as he placed a hand on your shoulder. You never realize how large his palm was previously.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine. Just stay strong, okay?" he replied. You give him a deadpan look. He awkwardly laughed and rubbed the back of his head. The advice he just gave was redundant. You knew what you needed to do, it's just the matter of seeing if you can actually do it.

"Gee, thanks..." you muttered. Keigo shrugged before smiling. Keigo must've had the day off since he was in his casual attire again—some black skinny jeans and a red shirt adorned with some jewelry scattered throughout his body.

"You going out today? Who's the lucky girl," you joked. He forced a laugh, clearly unamused at your joke. A smirk appeared on his face, mischief was in his eyes.

"You wish it was you. No, I...I'm meeting some people today," he replied. You were about to respond, but you paused and closed your mouth. Usually, whenever Keigo was vague about meeting with someone, you knew it was about his odd affiliations with the League of Villains. He couldn't tell you, but you knew what he was up to.

You knew he was meeting Dabi.

"Well at least I have the house to myself then," you replied. Whenever he had these suspicious meetings, he wouldn't come back home until the morning. A part of you was fearful, Dabi or his colleagues would decide to visit you alone, but its not like you had a choice. Keigo began to frown again, and looked away. His face was filled with frustration and worry.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be back in the morning like I always am," he stated. You hummed and began to gather your things. You grabbed the keys to Hawks' penthouse and headed towards the door. With your hand on the handle, you looked over to Keigo's troubled face.

"I'll see you then, I guess," you exclaimed, before walking out. Hopefully, this meeting would go quickly.

You sat in the conference room alone with your laptops and notes. Your foot tapped every so often in anxiety. The room was silent, beyond the glass doors you saw your co-workers interacting and working in their cubicle. Suddenly the door behind you opened revealing Enji Todoroki. He was wearing his hero uniform. A part of you grimaced. Couldn't he have appeared in a suit, maybe more casual?

You slightly bow before taking your hand out. He returned it with a firm grip. A fake smile fell onto your lips. This was it. This was him. In any story about someone, you had to get their side of the story—in aspects, a chance to defend himself. Enji clearly didn't know that yet. He seemed much more relaxed then he should've.

"Nice to formally meet you Endeavor. Please take a seat and we can get started," you said. The two of you sat adjacent to each other. The questions were outlined in your laptop. You put the voice recorder on.

"Firstly, this story is going to focus on your family and some rumors pertaining to them. These will be difficult questions so please answer them as honestly as you can," you said. Endeavor slightly narrowed his eyes. A deep hum erupted from his throat as he cleared it. Was he trying to intimidate you? You weren't sure at this point. Your eyes wander to the first question...inspired by Natsuo Todoroki, the second youngest.

"So, I had a chance to talk to one of your sons. He informed me that you pushed the sons in your family to train and would physical harm them in the process. Is this true," you asked. Endeavor truly began to glare at you. Parts of his costume that were on fire flared up.

"...I thought this interview would discuss my legacy. That's what your boss informed me of," he responded. You cursed to yourself inwardly. Yui was an interesting boss. As much as she claimed she was a pursuer of the truth, she loved to just talk about the good heroes would do, nothing more. This was going to be trickier than you though.

"Technically, this is your legacy. Do you want me to repeat the question," you asked. He puffed his chest out and crossed his arms. His cold turquoise eyes were peering into your soul. You could feel your confidence depleting by the second.

"Next question..." he muttered. You forced another smile and looked downwards. The next would probably set him off worst. It was about Touya after all.

"The next question is derived from information I got from your wife, Rei. Is it true that you quote on quote, pushed Touya too far, which resulted in his sudden and unexpected death," you asked. Endeavor rose from his seat. You grimaced feeling the heat of the fire. Sweat dripped from your brow as the heat of the flames hit the room.

"How dare you ask me things you know little about!" he shouted out. Your eyes looked over to see your coworkers now looking in. You could feel their judgment through the other side of the glass. You wanted to disappear.

"That woman...she...she...," Endeavor trailed off. His eyes softened for a moment looking at a random part of the room, before snapping back and glaring at you with intensity. Just from that reaction, you knew he blamed himself. He was going to blame Rei, but stopped before he shouted those words at you.

"I will not let you write a defamatory story about my family," he yelled. You begin to narrow your eyes at the fire hero. What you were writing wasn't defamatory. It was the truth.

"This isn't defamatory. This comes straight from your family—"

"I'VE HEARD ENOUGH"

You froze at the sound of his booming voice. He walked over to you, his height towering over yours. He looked so threatening, so terrifying.

Was this the face the Todoroki family experienced right before they were hurt?

"You have no idea what game you're messing with, I am the Number One Hero. Keep on this fake story, and you will not have a job anywhere in Japan. I also have colleagues in the United States as well. If you want a job in media, you learn to keep your mouth shut," he sneered. He began to stomp away before he let out one cool look to you.

"I think having a nice chat with your boss will motivate you to see things my way," he declared, before leaving the room. You stood there in silence, body shaking. Tears of sadness and frustration were in your eyes. He, the so-called hero, was going to ruin your career if you did the story. But if you didn't, you'd lose your life to his son. You dug your nails into your forearms, holding yourself tight. Heavy breaths erupted from your chest.

You rushed and closed the blinds, shielding your co-workers' eyes from your unhinged form. The room darkened. You held you back to the further corner of the room and slid down it, where you sat on the cold floor. You put your hands to your face and cried. Why was he doing this to you? Did he want to shield his past so much he would threaten everything for you? Does he not realize he is also threatening your life.

Your career or your life.

You had been screwed by the Todoroki family and had to decide what evil would change you for the rest of your life.

"Monster, you're a monster just like him," you cried out to yourself. You guessed the saying was true, like father, like son.