Staring blankly forward as rays of sun peeked through his window, Hawks' glazed over expression barley recognized the sight before dipping his head towards the floor once more. His mind was a mix of chaos and haunting calm, so much so that the man wasn't sure how he had even gotten to this position from in the first place.
No, everything seemed like a horrible blur, his hand moving an inch to the left only to feel a large empty glass container next to him, a bottle that he just barely recognized once held alcohol.
Wait, had he been drinking? When did that even happen?
He then forced himself to tilt his head ever so slightly, only to just barely make out five more bottles of the same brand of alcohol, all empty and discarded.
The sight should've concerned him greatly, considering Hawks didn't even recall drinking one glass, never-mind five whole bottles.
Yeah, it should have concerned him, but the hero instead forced himself not to dwell on it, choosing to keep his mind numb as he also forced every single thought out of his head with the fear that it would break him entirely.
The truth, the reality of the situation, he didn't want to know any of it.
But as much as Hawks tried to erase everything, it seemed that one single solitary thought kept popping up in his mind, tormenting him and torturing him ever so slightly, until he had to force himself to believe it.
His sister, his baby sister was gone.
And not only that, she was a villain. She was the very thing that he had sworn to protect her from, the very thing that he had never wanted them to turn into, the very thing their father had always wanted them to be.
He would never believe if he hadn't seen it for himself firsthand. The distant look of hatred in her eyes when he came close, the cynical and ear chilling laugher at his own misery, the way she had set everything up just to watch his downfall.
She really hated him, didn't she?
Closing his eyes at the onslaught of memories, Hawks lifted his hands to his head in order to block out her sweet little voice, the one that he had replayed time and time again as a hero, the one he thought would never change.
The shaking little hands of a seven year old kid, the small hiccups and cries when he would hold her as she slept, the hopeful look in her eyes, it all seemed like torture to him now, a torture that kept reminding him of who was now gone.
"Kei-chan, I wanna be just like you when I'm big!"
"You're the bestest big brother ever."
Gritting his teeth so tightly that it drew blood, Hawks felt himself let out a whimper before shoving his hands over his ears to stop her little voice, the one that was no longer real, the one that was destroyed by his foolish dreams.
"S-Stop it, just stop it already!! I don't want to hear it, I don't want to hear it anymore..!!"
Yet the voice didn't stop as more memories seemed to slam into him, picturing the Hikari he once knew, every word tearing into his heart over and over again.
"We'll always be together, right?"
"You can be a hero like this, right? Then you should do it."
Shaking his head once more, Hawks than threw the bottle he was drinking out of his hands as it shattered on the floor before lowering his head pathetically into his knees like a little kid.
He was lost, he was so lost on what to do.
"H-Hikari, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I left you, didn't I? All these years, I only thought about myself. I'm sorry, you should have never told me to be a hero. I ruined you..."
And the sad part was, Hawks never knew, he never knew how he destroyed his sister until this very moment. The fake reality that she had put on for him for weeks, he always just accepted it as the truth, mostly because he wanted it to be the truth.
As kids he always promised her that he would be there for her, that he would protect her like a big brother should...like their father should have and never did.
...she deserved better, he wanted her to have better.
But on that day when the president came in front of him, saying that she could make his dreams come true, it seemed he completely neglected that wish in favor of his own dreams. He gladly turned his back on his sister for the chance to take the opportunity in front of him.
And sure, he did recall asking the president for permission to visit Hikari a handful of times but when the woman shot him down, he never once fought her on it. He never tried to reason with her or try to work out a solution to see her.
No, when the president said he couldn't, he listened, just like a dog.
The term was something Hikari used in her villain speech and the hero could plainly see just how much she truly meant it...
Because she knew, she knew he could've tried harder to see her, he could've done so much more for her...and just simply didn't.
And maybe it was wishful thinking, thinking that Hikari would have been better off without him, that she could finally have a chance at the better life, the one she always deserved.
Maybe that's why he never made an effort.
Although, it seemed like his delusions were only a cover up for the utter shame he felt inside, shame about himself, shame about the people he had to step on to be a hero, shame for not being the picture perfect brother that his sister expected.
Thinking back on it, maybe that's why he accepted Hikari coming back into his life so easily. Sure, for any other person it would seem suspicious and strange, but for Hawks it was as if he finally had a second chance, a second chance to fix his mistakes.
He so desperately wanted that "perfect family" image that he remained blind for so long, remained stupid for so long. Because if he didn't look too close, then he would never truly see the damage that he had caused because of it.
Although, now that it was all out in the open, Hawks could see every last devastating and heartbreaking detail. His sister, the one how he always imagined would never change, was so incredibly broken, so erased that he could hardly stand it.
And he wasn't an idiot, he knew why that was....
It was just like Hikari had said, it was all his fault.
He moved too fast, too damn fast. He didn't see the signs and her hatred, he didn't see what she was always waiting for, he didn't even notice that he was destroying his little sister behind blind eyes.
The very thought utterly destroyed him.
And even now, even though he hated himself more than anything, the only thing in Hawks' mind was finding the contents of the file before the commission found out.
How disgusting, right?
His own family had been destroyed and yet the very thing plaguing his mind wasn't her, but the mission at hand. Of course he wanted to see her again but it couldn't be denied that he needed to get that file back, the one saying that he was a spy for the commission.
Now that his sister was a villain, he had no idea what her plans were, and that terrified him. His entire career was in the palm of her hands right now, and he needed to change that.
Of course he wanted to fix their relationship, but how was that even possible? She was a villain, if anything he should've called up the president and have her locked away for the rest of her life.
That's what any other hero would have done, it's what everyone was expecting him to do..
Right now, she was a villain, that was the undeniable proof. So, his only options were to either lock her away or get that file back and then try to talk everything out, after everything was said and done, after he recovered what he was looking for.
But how?
His thoughts were slowly interrupted when his phone began to ding to life, causing the hero to force his eyes onto the object before realizing the number. Ugh, out of everyone why did it have to be him?
He didn't have the time nor energy to deal with this bastard right now.
Picking up the phone regrettably. Hawks then pushed the object to his ear before the villain's smooth cocky voice seemed to cause his brain to restart. "Hawks, how's my least favorite bird today?"
The hero couldn't help but grumble before rubbing his tired hand over his face. He sounded extra cocky this morning for some reason and that was never a good sign. "What do you want Dabi?"
Whistling through the phone, he could practically hear Dabi's smirk. "Ah, someone got up on the wrong side of the nest today. No matter, I'm in a good mood so I'll forgive you. Anyways, I have a certain deal going down tonight and you're coming with me."
Hawks quickly realized that he was forcibly inviting him somewhere, causing the bird to roll his eyes. What kind of disgusting things was he going to have to watch this time, what kinds of things was he going to have to ignore because of this mission?
Although when he answered, it was lazy and calm. "Oh, are you asking me out? I'm flattered Dabi, I really am. Just for that, I'll be there. What kind of deal are we talking about here?"
Dabi then paused for a moment before chucking under his breath and some sort of hidden motive, his lips pushed together in interest. "You'll see. I can assure you it's gonna be something you won't forget.."
Well, that sounded strangely ominous.
Hawks felt his heart speed up at the villain's words, wondering just what in the hell he was talking about. Whatever it was though, he knew it couldn't be good, especially if he was that excited.
But even so, the hero knew he had to agree, regardless of if he actually wanted to go himself or not. That was just the job after all, agreeing to things he didn't want to agree on. Lucky for him, right?
"Ah, really? Then I'm double looking forward to it man. See ya then."
Then before the villain could respond, Hawks hung up the phone, already over his overdramatic demeanor for the time being. They guy was as exhausting as it was without having to deal with this other bullshit on top of it.
He was sure that tonight was going to be a train wreck as well.
That's always how it went and Hawks could already feel a headache forming across his temple just from the very idea of it. The last thing he wanted to do right now was pretend to be a villain in a sleazy bar when that file and his sister were still out there somewhere.
But unfortunately a commission soldier wasn't ever allowed that shrivel of kindness.
So instead, Hawks rubbed a tired across his face before letting out a heavy sigh, already preparing himself for what kind of evil sins he would have to witness tonight.
-------------------
Groaning to herself, Hikari lulled her head to the side before forcing her own eyes open to take in the familiar landscape of Dabi's room with no actual villain in sight.
Although the girl wasn't really that bothered, knowing that it wasn't "really his thing" to stay and cuddle after hooking up. The guy just usually left to go somewhere after everything was done in order to avoid any awkward conversations and possible mushy feelings.
Hikari was never offended though, already knowing what Dabi was like, and it wasn't like the girl was going to get any strange ideas either like some of the other crazy chicks he's probably brought back.
She knew that last night wasn't about love, it never was.
It would be foolish to think so anyways. Dabi just gave her a kindness, something that she had internally always hungered for. Human touch, a fleeting moment of warmth and acceptance. That's all it was, that all it ever was.
Remembering how his body felt against hers, his lips on her skin and his growls in her ear, Hikari hummed to herself before lowering her eyes in knowing thought.
All of Keigo's horrible words were gone, now clouded by the very events of last night instead. Just like she had pleaded with him to do, just like she had asked for, now all she could think about was Dabi.
They were the only two people that knew absolutely everything about each other after all, the only two people that didn't have to hide anything or be afraid of the other's imperfections.
And that's why they always seemed to find themselves in this situation.
They were a comfort to one another, a wordless constant that seemingly kept the world moving when everything fell apart, whenever everyone turned on them.
Because for two people that were so incredibly lonely and broken, the simple idea of fake love was enough for them, because it was all they knew they could ever have.
Sure, it was just a physical bandaid for the past but it certainly meant so much more to Hikari, and she was sure that it was the same for Dabi also, even though he'd never admit it.
Although, maybe that was just wishful thinking. Perhaps he only pitied her still.
Lifting her arm towards the crystal pendant on the table next to her, Hikari then brought the object close to her chest before letting out a heavy sigh. Yeah, last night was all they would ever be, and that was fine, it had to be fine..
She wasn't going to fool herself with any delusions or school girl fantasy's anymore. Nah, Hikari learned a long time ago that Dabi would only ever see her as a means of a night of fun, and that was fine as well.
Hikari was sure that the man didn't even know what the term "love" was because of his past, and she certainly wasn't going ever use that term again given what happened last time.
No, she learned from experience.
Besides, who would even love someone like her anyways?
Closing her eyes for a moment, Hikari then willed the idea away before seeing a small piece of paper just out of her eyesight from the villain himself, the contents reading in thick black ink.
Come with me to the exchange tonight.
Let's make bird boy squirm.
Realizing what his words meant, the girl quickly threw the card onto the table before staring up at the ceiling. She was going to see her brother again, wasn't she? Great, just great.
Just then, her own thoughts become clouded, glancing towards her left and absentmindedly rubbing her hand across the empty sheets, recalling Dabi's sleeping body being laid out on the surface last night.
Pushing her lips together at a mix of unpleasant memories, flashes of previous conversations suddenly entered her mind, recalling the utter bitter devastation and reality she felt a long time ago, when she last saw him in that position.
Back then she was foolish, his words still spilling into her like a heavy poison, reminding her what happened the last time she got carried away with her feelings.
"Princess, what are you doing here? Oh, don't tell me you actually thought that last night meant something, that I had feelings for you?"
That's right, he never saw her as nothing more than a piece of ass, as a pathetic excuse for a hookup every once and the while, just like every other girl that threw themselves at him.
Just like she used to throw herself at him.
Hikari knew their standing, now more than ever before and now those devastating tears were clouded with a placid knowing sigh. Back then she was a foolish idiot, but now everything was different, now she knew what she was to him.
And that was nothing.
Willing the ideas from her mind before they consumed her, Hikari then reached into the pocket next to the bed and pulled the flash drive that Hawks had chosen over her before staring at the contents with disgust.
Then, she closed her hand around the object before fixing her gaze with a hard glare before making a decision in her mind and letting her voice speak it a moment later.
"Let the games begin."
-----------
As Hawks awkwardly sat down in the overflowing club, the smell of corruption immediately swung around him, causing the bird to give a light ruffle to his feathers. He never was good in these kinds of places, having to blend in and just observe the crimes that were taking place everywhere.
Dabi seemed to be content though, giving a heavy drag to his cigarette before lazily giving the female waiter next to him his drink order before immediately shooing her away a moment later.
It was clear that the waitress wanted to speak some more but the villain only hummed before turning back to Hawks in order to rudely interrupt her. "What's wrong hero? Not your kind of place?"
And to be completely honest, no it wasn't his kind of place in the slightest. In fact, all of the bright lights and loud music was making it hard to hear himself think. At least Dabi had chosen a small table away from the noise in the more private section of the club. That was good at least.
Sure, they were still in the middle of chaos but at least it was earlier to hear over here. "Hmm? Nah, not at all man. I guess I'm just not used to it. You know hero work and all, it doesn't allow me to slip away that much anymore for these kinds of things."
Smirking into his cigarette, Dabi responded by blowing a thick ring of smoke in the bird's direction, taking humor in watching him try not to cough. "Ah, I'm not surprised with the stick you have up your ass all the time. Don't worry Hawks, I'm sure you're going to love what I have planned tonight."
There it was again, that ominous tone that made the hero laugh nervously. "Yeah? Well, you keep saying that but how long do you intend to keep me in the dark over there?"
Once again, the villain only gave him a knowing look before Dabi recognized a group of men entering the VIP area before locking eyes with the villain in question. Ah, there they were, right on schedule.
Kicking his feet onto the glass table in front of them as a clear sign of disrespect, the men finally reached the table before looking down at the stitched man in question. "You Dabi?"
Dabi only turned his head slightly though, gesturing to the spot across from him. "Maybe, you have what we talked about..?"
And that was que for one of the men to take out a large briefcase before placing it lightly on the table, the lock clicking with ease as they lifted the top up so that Hawks and Dabi could see the contents. "As requested. I assume everything is to your liking?"
Looking at the contents Hawks felt his eyes widen immediately, knowing exactly what they were as his stomach dropped at just the very idea.
Inside were seven rows of bullets, the very same bullets that Hawks had seen in the reports from the Yazuka Overhaul raid where they saved a small child from abuse.
These bullets, they could erase a quirk permanently.
But why were they still on the market? Hawks always thought that the commission had taken care of the batch after Overhauls capture. Were there still some out there, did someone steal them before the raid?
Hawks had so many questions but before he could voice them, the dealer did so for him, shutting the case a moment later. "These are extremely hard to come by, you know. You're lucky I was able to get my hands on them."
Dabi seemed pretty pleased though, his eyes staring at the case with hunger before a small light giggle seemed to pop his bubble as one of the dealer's girls seemed to take interest in the man. "My, you're a scary one aren't you?"
Her hair was a light pastel pink, purple colored eyes and a dress that was cut far too low in the front, causing Hawks to immediately look away with a red tint in order to be respectful.
Although the girl was still only focused on the villain, her lips puckering at every word in an attempt to make him notice her. "The name's Cherri, with an I. I heard your name is Dabi. How interesting.. "
Dabi didn't really seem to notice though, his eyes casted only to the dealer as Cherri took that as her chance, scooting closer to the villain and placing a hand on his inner thigh with lustful intention. "I'm feeling very lonely tonight, how about you keep me company?"
She was quickly interpreted when the dealer spoke over her, his tone still rather lighthearted. "Well, now that I've shown my offer, how about we begin..?"
Yet that's when the villain lifted his hand up before relying. "Actually there is one more person that will be joining us. But don't worry, I just know you're gonna love her."
The dealer couldn't help but raise an eye at that. "Ah, one of your girls then?"
Dabi couldn't help but find that humor in his question though, purposely glancing towards Hawks as he answered, knowing that it would piss him off later. "Something like that. I certainly made her scream last night."
Hawks scrunched his nose up in disgust at the phrase, feeling slightly bad for whatever girl was stuck with him last night. He was always so disgusting, treating women like pieces of meat.
The one who answered though was Cherri, her eyes turning even more hungry as she ran a light hand across his shirt in order to feel the muscles underneath. "Oh, how naughty. How about you make me scream next?"
And Hawks didn't know why, but his words brought a newfound annoyance, so much so that he wanted to get off the subject as fast as possible. He didn't even want to be here, and having to hear about the villain sex life wasn't really something she wanted to stomach right now.
"With all due respect Dabi, this isn't about the low level prostitute you fucked last night or your sex life. This is about the deal, so let's talk about the deal."
Yet the stitched man only chuckled into his drink, a knowing look on his face. "What you just said is going to be really funny in about ten minutes."
The bird turned his head in confusion though, just as Dabi made out a familiar head of blonde hair by the entrance. Ah, yes. This is what he was waiting for.
"Scratch that, looks like it's going to be funny right now. Our other guest is here."
The villain then gestured his hand outwards only for Hawks to look in the direction he was pointing. He didn't really get what the villain was talking about as first, only seeing the same prostitutes and scantily clad woman as before.
But that's when he saw her.
As her blonde hair walked through the unsavory gazes of the people that passed her, her amber eyes caught on the two of them before making her away over to the bird and the villain, lips playing in the cynical smirk.
Hawks felt his throat turn dry at the sight, not realizing that he would be seeing her again so soon after everything.
But here she was, Takami Hikari making her way over to him once more.
She looked far different then he had ever seen her before as well.
Her usual pink, pastel and innocent good girl attire was now completely gone, replaced by a tight strapless black corset top that hugged her curves along with short black shorts and matching thick black straps that seemingly wrapped around her upper thigh and buckled to the fabric above.
Her hair was even different, the woman wearing her hair into a high ponytail in order to show off her matching black earrings with cuffs at the top and a small red feather design by the upper ear.
It was like her attire aura had changed all at once, Hawks' eyes glued to the sight before Hikari finally entered the VIP area, her eyes scanning the area immediately. "Don't tell me you started without me? Now that's not very nice.."
Although all her brother could feel was absolute terror, glancing between Dabi and Hikari with a slight twitch to his wings. Hikari, what are you doing here? Don't you realize how dangerous this is...
The last thing he wanted was for her to ever see this villain again, to have him even look at her again. After the incident in Kyushu he was sure he'd have some time to formulate a plan on how to protect her before the villain tried to lay his dirty hands on her again.
And don't think he didn't notice the way that Dabi was staring at her as she approached, his half lidded stare practically boring into her as his lips unintentionally curved upwards at the sight, most likely without permission.
He looked overly interested in her very presence, so much so that the hero feared for what immoral and impure thoughts lied between that disgusting gaze of his. If only he wasn't forced to blend in, if only he could do more than watch.
You better get your disgusting eyes off of her before I do something I regret Dabi. She is not someone you can fool around with, and I will make sure you don't get anywhere near her.
The dealer seemed interested in her appearance as well, his eyes scanning her up and down before letting out a small chuckle as he determined she wasn't a threat. "Not at all. Dabi mentioned you but he never told me that you were so easy on the eyes."
That only made her lips curve into a teasing smirk, clearly unbothered by the comment. "Watch yourself Sir. That could get yourself into some trouble. Now, where was I.."
Although the minute Hikari met her gaze with the villain, Cherri felt her cheeks puff out in clear annoyance before practically taking up the entire space next to him with fake pity. "Sorry honey, looks like there's no room for you over here.."
The blonde haired girl only stood in silence though, staring at the scene before her before letting out a low and unbothered chuckle and stepping closer. "Oh, that's alright. I'll just have to make myself comfortable here then..."
Cherri then watched as Hikari strolled up to Dabi before leaning into the villain and placing herself across his lap without a care in the world, sitting down as her legs draped over the side and her hands found its way to his face.
Feeling all of the color drain from his cheeks immediately, Hawks let out a sharp gasp at the action before pushing himself forward, wondering what the hell was wrong with her.
Didn't she know that this was the same villain that had threatened her before all of this? Why was she just crawling into his lap like nothing?! He thought she'd be more afraid of him, given what he knew.
Hawks then covered up his anxiety with a forced chuckle, patting the spot next to him once as all of his feathers twitched against his will. "Whoaaa hey hey there, there's no need for that little birdie, there's a spot right here next to me. So why don't you.."
Yet the girl only completely ignored her brother, pulling her body closer to the villain before leaning closer to his ear and coaxing him gently. "You don't mind, do you?"
The stitched man only hummed though, purposely looking at Hikari's brother before working his way around the exposed skin on her thigh and giving it a squeeze as he pulled her closer to his body. "How could I say no after that?"
And that very motion brought a heavy sickly shade of green to appear across Cherri's face, just as Hikari locked eyes with her and gave a cynical giggle, causing the pink haired girl to scoot aside with fuming jealousy.
Widening his eyes at that motion, Hawks then leaned forward, fully intending to get his hand off of her. "Right, but I do mind actually. Besides, I think we are getting off topic here. I thought this was about a deal, not a lap dance..."
Hikari only seemed to find his phrasing comical though. "Oh please, have you seen him? He already knows he couldn't afford a lap dance from me."
To which Dabi responded immediately, his hands squeezing her thighs once more in silent challenge. "I beg to differ Princess, you certainly seemed eager to offer even more last night, for free might I add."
Scoffing at the very idea, the girl only hummed before working her finger around the scars and staples on his face before giving him a playful tap on the cheek. "That's only because I was looking for someone to play around with. Don't be so cocky Dabi."
Cherri only fumed at this though, whispering hardy under her breath so that Hikari could hear, malice laced in her tone. "Slut."
Although her words only made the villain even more amused, pulling her body even closer as Hawks truly sunk in their words that they were saying. Hikari didn't seem scared at all with the villain, in fact she seemed almost comfortable on his lap like that.
It was almost as if....but that couldn't be...that was impossible...
"Wait, do you two know each other?"
Hikari and Dabi only stole a glance at each other before the villain replied for her, his tone clearly cynical. "But of course, who do you think brought her into this little game of ours? We go way back.."
And seeing the look of pure horror and anger that crossed the hero's face was something that the villain had dreamed about for years.
The realization that Hikari and Dabi were connected, far more than her own brother, the painful truth that they had been intimate, it was all shown across his face and Dabi enjoyed every minute of it.
However, at the confession Hawks was in chaos once again. Wait, did that mean that their meeting in Kyushu was staged as well? Was anything real, was anything that happened in the last couple weeks unplanned?
Did he know that Hikari was Valkyrie, were they just screwing him over this entire time, treating him like a blind little idiot? Did he coax him into using Hikari as bait?
There were so many questions, many he didn't know if he wanted the answers to.
Another horrible thought rang in his mind then. Dabi said that he slept with someone last night, and given the conversation his sister had just shared, it seemed like the very person that he was feeling pity for, the very person that this villain had ruined, defiled and soiled with his own body...was his sister...
The realization was so strong that Hawks immediately felt all of his feathers turn lethally sharp. In one instance, his eyes turned murderous as he felt his hands turn white around his own glass before resisting the urge to rip Hikari away from the villain.
All that talk about going near his sister and that bastard really was just playing with him the entire time, wasn't he? He was treating him like a goddamn idiot, both of them were.
And the truth was, as much as he praised himself as a hero, Hawks really wanted to kill Dabi right then and there. "What did you just say...?
Although, before he could do anything about it, Hikari interrupted his murderous thoughts, waving her hand around to get the attention of a waiter. "Hey, you there. Give me the strongest drink you have, and none of that pussy shit, ya hear me? I want the good stuff."
The waiter paused for the moment, only for Dabi's hands to spark with blue flames, his voice echoing a sense of warning to it. "What are you waiting for? You heard the girl. Do it."
Gasping at the glow, the waiter then bowed before hurrying away as Hawks couldn't help but survey the situation, anxiety overwhelming him immediately. She was going to drink right now, during a dangerous deal, right in front of Dabi of all people?
He didn't even know she drank in the first place, never mind in such a dangerous environment where people could easily take advantage of her. It didn't matter if Dabi and Hikari knew each other. It still didn't seem smart, on any account.
So because of that, Hawks felt himself leaning forward with extreme concern, his teeth gritted from trying to hold himself together. "Do you really think you should be drinking at a time like this?? What about the business deal?"
His sister only eyed him for a moment though, taking in his concern before purposely grabbing her drink and showing her brother silently.
Then he watched as Hikari downed the drink like a shot with ease, her eye contact never breaking her brother as she felt the alcohol pour down her throat before practically slamming the glass onto the table a moment later.
The action caused Dabi to eye the interaction with interest, purposely bringing his hand close to Hikari's inner thigh, a move that made all of Hawks' feathers twitch with anger. "Relax bird shit, you obviously don't know how to have a good time. Right Princess?"
Gritting his teeth even harder, Hawks couldn't help but let his own feelings spill as he muttered into his own glass. "I'll relax when you stop fucking touching her like that, you creep."
It seemed Dabi heard his distaste though, chuckling under his breath before turning back to the dealer and his gang as they watched the whole situation.
As much as he wanted to play around with Hawks even more, he knew there would be time for that later. The boss wanted these bullets after all, that's originally why he was here.
"Now, let's talk about the deal. Your offer is very impressive, I have to say. We'll take them."
Realizing he was finally speaking to him, the dealer smirked before laying a single hand on the top of the case. "I thought so. Now, let's talk about payment. I showed my hand, now it's time for you to match it.."
And usually that was the point in the deal when Dabi would reveal some sort of valuable item like a large stack of cash in order for the transaction to go smoothly, or at least that's what everyone had expected.
But this was Dabi we were talking about.
So of course that's not what he did at all, instead choosing to give a large lazy smirk. "Funny that you think I'm going to match shit. Your payment will be me choosing not to melt your face off, take it or leave it.."
All at once, everyone around the table took in his words slowly before the dealer felt himself blink in disbelief. He didn't just say that, did he? He wasn't that stupid. "I'm sorry?"
Dabi had no problem clarifying though. "You heard me."
A small moment of silence appeared then as both Hawks and Dabi watched as the dealer's face turned from one of pure shock into one of ill intent, his voice dropping a couple octaves. "Oh, I would rethink that decision Dabi..."
The villain only leaned forward in response, clearly interested to see what kind of move the others would have. "And why's that..?"
Then before anyone could process it, the dealer snapped his fingers as one of his closest men took out a gun from his pocket and aimed it straight at Hikari's head, the cool metal touching her temple in warning."
"Because if you don't, then I'll have to blow your little girlfriends brains out. Your choice."
At the sight, Hawks immediately felt himself stand from his seat, terror ringing throughout his entire body. His sister's life was in danger, he had to stop this before it got bad. "Whoa whoa whoa here there, can we talk about this first, I'm sure my buddy here was just kidding so there's no need for that..right..?"
Letting out a scared chuckle to cover his fear, Hawks then turned to the villain, expecting him to back him up or at least say something to protect his sister, given that they already knew each other.
Although, the only thing he did was answer plainly. "What are you waiting for? Do it then."
It was almost like he was daring the other party with some kind of sick amusement, like he was teasing and coaxing them into killing the girl just to prove a point, and that terrified Hawks even more than before.
This psychopath was really going to let them kill his sister, wasn't he?!
Lifting his drink up to his lips without a care, the villain watched as the thug then pressed the metal tip of the gun further into her head before the dealer narrowed his eyes at the bluff.
"Really? How cruel Dabi, you really are heartless, aren't you? Poor girl."
Yet that's when the villain smirked into his glass, finding his words funny. "Doesn't matter to me. So go ahead and shoot her, if you can that is.."
Not understanding the last part of his sentence, the dealer paused before blinking in confusion. "What do you..?"
Although before he could finish, Hikari turned her head towards the man holding the gun before finally revealing her face and locking eyes with the attacker without hesitation..
And instead of seeing a scared and frightened expression that he originally assumed she would be wearing, he immediately felt a sense of predatory intent from her, her gaze locked hungrily on him at the scent of a challenge.
The very sight caused him to falter slightly, the action allowing her lips to curve into a small cruel smile before narrowing her brow and glancing towards the gun that was holding her captive.
In the next moment, everyone could only watch as Hikari gracefully used her forearm to swat the gun away from her head before immediately standing up from Dabi's lap, and grabbing the man by the hair.
Gasping at the feeling of fingers in his scalp, the girl then mercilessly slammed his head, face first, into the table in front of them before holding him there by the back of his neck.
Everyone remained still at the very action. It all happened so fast that no one could process it fully. The girl that they had deemed as not a treat had completely disarmed him in a single second. Who even was this girl?!
Hawks as well could only blink in surprise, staring at his sister's sick twisted grin for the instant role reverser. He knew that she was crazy but this, this was something else entirely.
Leaning closer to the shaking thug's ear, Hikari than lowered her voice so that only he could hear. Well, him and Hawks because of his quirk at least. "I'm disappointed, you hesitated. Should've taken the shot..."
The sounds of guns and quirks activating filled the space after that, Hikari just barely gazing up only to find that all of the people in the bar had strangely stopped, now ready to fight as the dealer now had a gun pointed at her face. Ah how unoriginal.
He was shouting now, words clear and lethal to everyone in the entire room.
"You think you can screw me over?! Wrong move. Didn't you realize it, everyone in this bar works for me. I knew I had to set this up after finding out about your shady little past. Looks like I was right. Now, back away or I'll make sure that you never leave this bar alive. Make your choice."
Hawks felt his hands start to shake as he looked towards every angry face in that bar, all of them looking for the sign to rip him and Hikari apart like nothing. This was bad, this was so bad. He needed to stop this before they had the entire place out for their head.
Taking a shaky step forward to his sister, the hero then lowered his voice just slightly with a pleading tone. "H-Hika-chan, stop it. Look around you. We are outnumbered here. If you don't cut it out you are going to have this entire place after you. You don't want that, right? So, just step away and then we can talk about this..."
And Hikari did indeed pause, looking from the man that was pressed against the glass table to the people all around the bar that wanted her dead. It seemed like the easy choice since they were so outnumbered at this moment.
Although that's when the girl locked eyes with Dabi before sharing some kind of hidden conversation, something that Hawks watched with utter confusion. What are they doing..?
That's when the two of them shared a collective knowing smile...
Before all hell broke loose.
It all happened in the blink of an eye, Hikari using three extra feathers from her pocket to lift up the table, turning it sideways before Dabi stood up at the same time as he used the object as a makeshift shield and releasing the glowing fire from his palms.
The girl then quickly grabbed the briefcase from the table before using the hard outside case to swing it around into the dealer's face with extreme force, causing the man to take a step backward with a groan.
Turning around, Hikari then narrowed her eyes at the man behind before ducking from one of his hits and picking up a glass of alcohol from another table and throwing the remaining contents into the attacker's face without question.
The man began to groan at the burning liquid before the girl then used the empty glass to slam it onto the top of his head a moment later, rendering the man unconscious.
Seeing her work brought a smirk of pride to her face, like the sense of violence was letting out some kind of unkempt feeling in her chest.. "Bring it on, I'm really pissed right now. Who's next?!"
One man seemed to answer the call, causing Hikari to chuckle with pleasure for her next victim before she heard a loud voice enter to her left, his excitement almost matching hers. "Five."
Knowing exactly what that meant, the girl automatically ducked her head only for blue flames to zoom across the top of her scalp and cremate the man that had tried to attack her, his burnt and screaming body falling to the floor in the process.
Not really bothered by the sight, Hikari immediately popped up only to feel the familiar fabric of black leather touch her back, the man's voice slightly strained from the fight. "I'm surprised you still remember that, given how small that little pea brain of yours is.."
Scoffing at the very idea, the girl only rolled her eyes before surviving the situation ahead of them. "Don't patronize me Dabi. So, how you wanna do this, it's been awhile. You sure you can handle this old man?"
They were quickly interrupted though when a skinny boy raced up to them, quirk at the ready only for Hikari to frown at the rude pause. "Hold that thought.."
Then she quickly put her heels up, leaning her back into Dabi's without hesitation before using his support to kick the attackers into the chest with intense force.
Unhooking herself a moment later, Hikari narrowed her eyes at his stumbling form before using one of her hidden feathers to completely cut through the bone in his leg, his screams echoing out as he fell flat onto the floor.
The feather then returned to her pocket before the girl clapped her hands, excited to return to the casual conversation in the middle of the war that was certainly going on."Right, where were we?"
Dabi didn't seem to mind though, sharing the same level of playful intrigue as his fingers turned blue once more. "Just shut up and take your half. Don't make me save your sorry ass either cause I'll just let you burn."
Although the girl wasn't offended in the slightest, shaking her head at his lazy threat before giving him a knowing look. "Same to you. I don't want to have to lug your crusty dead corpse around either."
Rolling his eyes at the statement, Hikari barely saw the glimpse of a genuine smile for a moment before turning his back once again, moving away in order to finish his half of the fight. "Well then, let's have some fun.."
She then watched him go before shaking her head in exasperation, already feeling the sense of challenge and the need for blood in the back of her head. How convenient, having the opportunity to vent like this.
It brought a sense of joy to her face, knowing that everyone in this bar would soon regret messing with her.
How unfortunate for them.
"Already on it.."
-------------------
I have to break this up because the other half isn't finished yet, but it's been so long since I've updated that I wanted to give you something. I've been having computer issues for the last couple days but I will try to get part 2 soon!
Next chapter will be the end of S1 of Sister Mine, get hyped! Things are gonna go crazy!
But Hikari is a badass and I stan. She believes that Dabi doesn't have feelings for her but I don't know. We all see the way he treats her compared to that other Cherri girl. I see you Dabi, somethings different.
Next Chapter: Hikari is more of a badass and we reached the end of S1.