When Hawks felt his phone ring in his back pocket, the bird didn't really think much of it at the time, considering nine times out of ten it was always either his agency or the president demanding an update on the case.
Just the very sound caused the man to cringe, wondering what kind of unwilling demands or requests will be asked of him next. It had become the norm after all, being forced to comply with anything and everything the president asked him to do.
Although, whether it was out of his own consciousness or fear, the bird had yet to tell her about his sister, about how she was still alive, and about how the body the commission found all those years ago wasn't actually Takami Hikari.
Now, don't get him wrong, he was desperate to find out the truth, to figure out why the mix up occurred in the first place but Hawks wasn't stupid. He knew exactly where that conversation could lead if it ever came up.
You see, It wouldn't just stop there, no he knew that woman wouldn't take such information lightly in the slightest. In fact, if the president found out that Hikari was alive, then it was only a matter of time before she discovered her villain persona as well.
Hero society didn't take the idea of villains well after all, and he wasn't sure if the president would try to take his sister prisoner or not. That wasn't something he could risk, given that they were just getting somewhere with their relationship.
Because once the president decided something, it was almost impossible to disagree.
He had learned that first hand, the man recalling him getting shut down everytime he asked to visit his sister, everytime that woman ordered him to do something unpleasant and ignore blatant crimes for the mission at hand.
The sad fact was, he just wasn't strong enough to go against her, not even his entire life, his entire livelihood was dancing in the palm of her hands. Without the commission, he was nobody after all, just a scared little child and that couldn't do anything for his sister.
And that was the last thing he ever wanted to be.
As the phone began to ring a couple more times, the bird felt himself groan before taking the object out with a grumble. He had just gotten back home from patrolling after all, what could anyone want now?
Although, when he saw his sister's name appear across the screen, the bird froze.
Wait, Hikari was calling him?
Well that was certainly strange, he hadn't expected that. Sure, he told her that she could but the bird hadn't expected his sister to actually take his offer in the slightest. She even seemed bothered by it when he first brought it up in his agency.
So her calling now, it was out of character, the very idea causing Hawks' chest to swirl with a million uncertain thoughts. What was the reason, he needed to know.
Turning his head in concern, Hawks then pressed accept before lifting the object to his ear in question. He didn't know why but he had a bad feeling about this. ""Hikari? What's wrong, are you okay?"
A small bit of silence appeared as the bird heard his own anxious breath echo through the line. Why wasn't she saying anything, did she call him by mistake? What was happening?
Yet that's when Hawks heard a small scared whimper echo back as Hikari just barely gasped between her sobs. "K-Keigo, I don't know what to do..."
Widening his eyes at the sound of her voice, the bird felt all of his feathers twitch in fear and surprise. Did he just hear that right?
She called him Keigo.
Not Hawks, not bird brain, not any other name.
No, she called him Keigo.
He wouldn't have believed it if he didn't hear it himself, the tone causing his own heart to stop in his chest. What was going on? Why did she sound so scared and afraid, what had happened without him again?
Pushing the phone closer to his ear, Hawks tried to utter any semblance of words, still in shock to understand the context to anything yet. "H-Hika-chan?"
Yet the girl seemed too distracted by something in front of her, her voice speaking at a million miles per minute before her breathing started to pick up rapidly. "S-Shit shit shit, it's my fault, it's my fault again. I can't do this, I can't do this again. I can't loose him...f-fuck please please not again..."
This caused Hawks to immediately sit up before trying to make sense of her words. Whatever was going on, she seemed pretty shaken up. In fact, she kind of sounded like the way he used to know her as kids. Helpless, scared and confused.
His mind began to circle in a frenzy before focusing all of those feelings down in order to remember his commission hero training. No, he couldn't freak out now. For whatever reason, something happened and Hikari was counting on him.
She was calling out to him for the first time so he knew couldn't let her down.
Not like before, no this time he'd do it right and save her.
Ignoring the sound of his own erratic heartbeat, Hawks began to speak evenly, trying to get through to his obviously scared sister. "Shh shh it's okay Hika-chan, it's okay, just take a deep breath, I'm right here. Your big brother is right here. I need you to breathe baby sis, can you do that for me?"
He heard the sound of a few choked breaths before Hikari's voice began to raise in volume at whatever she was looking at, her mind too distracted to listen to her brother's advice. "I-I have to do something, I have to do something before he's...he's..."
A sob seemed to lodged its way into her throat at that, stopping her voice as Hawks felt himself bite the inside of his cheek with anxiety.
He couldn't wait anymore, he had to figure out what was happening so he could fix it.
"Okay okay okay, I understand. First you have to tell me what's goin on. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on.."
Although it seemed like speaking was pretty much impossible for the girl, her mind going into a full panic attack as he heard the sound of her wheezing, almost like she was out of breath from something.
Why did it kind of sound like she was running?
Eventually, a couple words formed before they spilled from her lips, just as rushed and panicked as the ones before. "A-Attacked....h-hurt..."
And even though they were only just two words, those two words caused the bird to immediately jump from his seat, already dead set on finding his goggles and jackets as his own wings widened in fear.
Losing his own sense of calm, Hawks then heard his own voice rise, the implications and thoughts of so many horrible things drowning him almost immediately.
"Attacked?! What do you mean attacked? Where are you, I'm gonna go to ya right now. Who's hurt, are you hurt, are you okay?! Hold on sis, I'm coming right now!"
Racing towards the door, the bird then threw open the surface with the intent to fly down only to freeze at the sight before him.
And that was because standing in front of his door was Hikari, drenched and soaked head to toe in water while she supported someone else on her left side.
At first, Hawks didn't notice who the stranger was, his head covered by the jacket that Hikari had worn just earlier today. She must have placed it on them to hide them from the storm.
Widening his eyes at the two, the bird felt his heart stop before racing forward to his sister, worry and fear evident in his entire stance. "H-Hikari?! Oh thank god, you're okay. I was just about to go look for ya...."
Although before he could even finish this sentence, Hikari moved past him, bumping his shoulder as she stumbled into his apartment with a determined and clouded stare. "Move."
Not understanding, Hawks quickly turned around at her strange attitude before watching her move to the sofa with fixed determination.
What the hell was that? First she called him scared out of her mind and now she was ignoring him? It's like she was all over the place, not knowing how to react.
He opened his mouth to reply only for the girl to push the stranger she was supporting onto the sofa as he groaned under the pressure and the jacket covering his face fell to the ground.
And all at once, Hawks' warning bells started to go off in his own mind, now seeing Hikari just invite one of the most notorious serial murderers to his apartment.
An apartment that was paid for by the hero's public safety commission mind you.
Widening his eyes at the sight, all of Hawks' panic seemed to escape his lips, already running towards the sofa with his arms lifted out. Oh no oh no no no no, the president was going to kill him if she saw this!
"Whoa whoa whoa, why is Dabi here? What's going on? Please don't tell me you just brought a literal villain into my hero based apartment complex!! Do you not see how much of a problem that is?!"
Yet Hikari only glared in his direction, giving him a look that caused Hawks to immediately shut his mouth with a shiver. She must have been pissed because he was shouting at her.
And sure, he probably shouldn't have been so loud but the bird couldn't help it. She had almost ruined his entire mission firsthand and it looked like she didn't even care.
But because of her scary aura, her brother complied, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper as Hikari wordlessy scanned the injured villain with an unreadable expression.
"Listen Hikari, I think I'm pretty cool about a lot of things, but this? This I'm not cool with. Who knows how much trouble I could be in if anyone saw him around here! Everything would be ruined.."
Although once again, the girl didn't pay any attention, instead choosing to grit her teeth before running through his apartment with some kind of goal in mind. "S-Shit, where is it, it's gotta be here somewhere..
Hawks was still trying to follow the conversation though, the bird needlessly chasing after his crazed sister immediately. "Where is what, what's going on?!"
Before could ask again, the bird noticed a stack of books being hurled in his direction only to duck just in time, the objects falling to the ground as his sister searched the closest bookshelf with a mutter. "Not there, not there, not there..."
Looking down at the books on the floor, Hawks twisted his eye in concern before Hikari practically ripped everything from the shelf, throwing it behind her only for the hero to have to dodge even more projectiles. "Whoa whoa Hikari, calm down, just take a sec..."
The idea caused the girl to growl though, almost like she hated the suggestion before reaching her hand up and ripping the crystal pendant from her collarbone as her wings sprung outwards in a hurry.
Then she detached every single one of her feathers before each of them went to a new corner of the room, searching underneath the furniture, other various shelves and around the entire apartment with a frenzy.
And as the feathers picked up various items, Hawks felt himself ducking and dodging even more as everything came from all sides, his own feathers trying to fix whatever she was destroying with a gasp. "Hikari, Hikari, hold on, hold on kid, s-stop stop it kid..."
Yet the girl didn't stop, her own mind spiraling too fast before she could even process it.
Just the very thought of Dabi dying, the very thought of having to go through the same grief and devastation as all those years ago, was enough to make her sanity start to snap once more.
It was just as painful and suffocating, so much so that she couldn't help but feel like she was back, back to that day, to the day when she thought she lost everything.
The day when Takami Hikari disappeared and Valkyrie was born for the first time.
Hawks simply couldn't understand though, his mind racing as he watched his little sister hold her head with uneven and short gasping breaths, like she was falling apart at the seams.
But even still, she was still looking, still searching for something unknown as the bird noticed Dabi shift in the sofa a couple feet away, his body turning ever so slightly before forcing itself upwards.
Then he watched as the villain stumbled to his feet, causing Hawks to widen his eyes and call out to him. "I don't think you should..."
Although Hikari was too distracted to notice, her back completely turned as tears started to prick the corners of her eyes. Even her vision was starting to blur and spin as she forced out breath after breath.
Where is that damn first aid kid?! Where could it be?! Stop being useless, stop doing nothing and save him. You didn't save him before, you let him die by himself, don't let him die again. You can't let him die. You won't be able to take it, it will destroy you. He pushed you out of the way and if you don't save him it's your fault. Come on Hikari, stop being such a crybaby and do something, do something to help him.
"Hikari."
Widening her eyes, she felt everything stop when she heard his voice. Not her brother's voice, no rather someone else's, someone that made her turn around through her blurred vision only to find a very familiar pair of haunting ceralun eyes.
Wait, did Dabi just call her by her real name? He never did that, not anymore.
All at once, a stitched hand then reached down before forcibly grabbing onto her arm and pulling her to him in order to snap her out of whatever delusions were plaquing her mind.
Then she felt him rub his thumb across her skin silently, unknown to her brother as the placement of his hand was hidden under her arm, causing her heart to skip a beat unexpectedly and focus on that instead.
And it seemed like he realized it also, his voice low and raspy, almost like he was taking everything within him to speak. "Calm down, relax, you're spiraling again.."
Blinking once to gain hold on reality, Hikari felt her breathing start to slowly return to normal before shaking her head once. She couldn't just stand here, Dabi was still hurt. "L-Let me go, I have to help you, or you're gonna die."
Yet the villain only sighed before moving his stitched hand up to her face before squeezing her cheeks together in a dorky, unattractive way in order to get her to fully stop her spiral.
"Idiot, I'm not gonna die. Unfortunately it takes a lot more than that ice bitch to do that. But if you keep it up, I might die from your pointless panicking."
Hikari wasn't all that convinced though, looking down at his bleeding dark red stains across his white shirt before frowning and speaking through her mushed cheeks. "But what if.."
Dabi already seemed to know what she was going to say though squeezing his stitched fingers even tighter together before narrowing his gaze. "There's no what if's, I'm not going anywhere, but how about you stop worrying about me and take a look at yourself. You look just as fucked up."
At his words Hikari then looked down at herself only to see various cuts, bruises and a small stab wound from the ice daggers that had melted on the way here. He was right, she wasn't really doing that great herself.
Although that was something the girl didn't even focus on, immediately shaking her head before replying plainly. "You know I've had worse."
Seeing his eyes soften ever so slightly at the implications of her words, Dabi then sighed to himself before freeing his hands and moving them back down to her arm with a squeeze of annoyance.
She always explained away these kinds of things, like her getting hurt was normal and something no one should be worried about.
But that was easier said than done, especially for the people that have to see it over and over again, had to see her destroy herself all over again.
People like Dabi.
Not believing her broken logic, the villain couldn't help but feel his voice come off rather bothered by her statement. "Yeah, well me too. That's a shit excuse, try again."
Realizing he was right, Hikari then lowered her eyes before a wave of emotion crashed into her l, causing the girl to bite her lip in order not to fall apart again.
Hikari then pushed the sadness in her heart down before speaking with a slight stutter, one that she hoped Dabi wouldn't notice. "I know, I-I just didn't want to lose you again. Once was enough."
Feeling his own eyes widen ever so slightly, Dabi did nothing but stand in silence, Hikari watching him with slight confusion as he gave her an expression that she had seen a hundred times before as kids.
She could never describe it, but it was always obvious that the villain had something going on in his head, something that he never let Hikari see. After years of knowing each other, of knowing everything about each other, that expression was something Hikari never understood.
And the man never seemed to explain himself either, Hikari searching his face and finding a various amount of emotions, flickering in and out the more he thought about her words.
Sadness? Guilt? Loathing? Warmth? Hatred?
She could never pinpoint a single one, no matter how hard she tried, even though that same expression seemed to repeat over and over again.
When he offered her his jacket, when she tried to support him at the club, when he gave her his secret hideaway on that building rooftop, when she told him she loved him..
And just like all the times before, Dabi didn't speak, only lowering his expression ever so slightly as his own shoulders caved before he felt his entire body practically give up from standing and push forward.
Widening her eyes at the moment, HIkari just barely had time to brace herself before Dabi's seemingly half conscious body leaned onto her, his head falling onto her left shoulder as she gasped. "D-Dabi? What are you.."
Although that's when she heard it, his voice so painfully small that her feathers barely registered it, his breath tickling her neck as a sharp shiver appeared with every word. "Oh Princess, why did you say that? Don't you realize you'd be so much better without me."
Feeling her heart twist unnaturally, Hikari then looked over to the stitched man before lowering her eyes in sadness. Maybe he was right, maybe she would've been better without him, without the betrayal and the hurt and the games.
But whether he liked it or not, he was her childhood, her companion through life, and the only person that ever truly understood her. He was more than a friend, he was someone she couldn't live without.
Even after all the insults, the villain change and times he screwed her over, Hikari already knew the two of them were stuck together forever. It was just that simple.
She was here for him and he was there for her, whenever it mattered.
Lifting her arms upwards, Hikari then rested her palms on his back before tapping him once to check if he was still conscious or not. "Come on, you have to lay down. You're bleeding all over the place."
Dabi only grumbled into her shoulder at the request, causing Hikari to roll her eyes and use some of her feathers to help him over to the sofa, laying him down as gently as possible.
She then gave a tired sigh before turning to her brother and acknowledging him for the first time. "Keigo..please..."
And in those two words, he already knew what she was trying to say.
She wanted him to forgive the fact that Dabi was here, she wanted him to go along with it and not be mad for such a crazy thing. That's why she was pleading to him.
He felt "Hawks" and "Keigo" start to disagree inside his head, knowing that the hero part of him should never let a villain stay in his house. Sure, Hikari was a villain also but he was her sister, not a literal murderer.
Although that's when the "Keigo" part of him couldn't help but creep in, taking in his little sister's pleading expression before his chest twisted with conflict. He called him by his real name, she was really serious about this, wasn't she?
She could've called anyone else, she couldn't handle this on her own but instead Hikari had chosen to come here, to trust him with Dabi even though he was a hero. It was the first time she had ever done something like that.
Feeling his shoulder cave in, Keigo then walked over to his sister before laying a single hand on her head in defeat. "I understand. He can stay. I'll go get the first aid kit, both of you just relax."
Then her brother moved past her only for Hikari to turn in his direction with disbelief. He was letting Dabi stay? He wasn't going to kick him out? That didn't sound like him.
Her heart twisted inside her chest watching him go, her own feather twitching as she called back to him without really thinking. "Hey.."
Keigo paused all at once, turning to find his little sister shifting around on her feet, almost like she was uncomfortable or anxious about her next words.
And then she finally spoke them, they were quiet, just loud enough for his feathers to barely hear from across the room. "For freaking out before....sorry...."
Hearing a real apology from her was something her brother never would have expected, his eyes widening before taking in her embarrassed flushed cheeks with a smile. It took a lot out of her to say that, didn't it?
So much so that he knew he couldn't be angry at her, his voice light and gentle, almost like the brother Hikari knew before. "Don't be, I'm glad you called."
Then just like that, he disappeared around the corner in order to get the first aid kit as Hikari turned back to Dabi, her lips fixed in a frown before flicking his nose. "I know you're not sleeping yet. Stop trying to hide your pain. He's gone."
All at once, Dabi's placid face began to morph into one of pain, the villain letting out a low groan as his fingers touched one of his stab wounds on the side. "Nothing gets past you, now does it Princess?"
Scoffing at the scene, Hikari then rolled her eyes before lightly grabbing onto one of his stitched hands before pulling it off of his wound. "I think we've known each other too long for that."
He was always like this, never admitting how badly he was hurt. She supposed it was still a trait that Touya had carried onto the villain, knowing that he would never tell her how bad things were at home or how deep his injuries were.
Touya always wanted to seem strong, and she guessed Dabi did too in a way.
Groaning in pain at the movement, the stitched man couldn't help but scoff, turning his eyes away from the staring blonde bird. "I don't want pigeon shit seeing me like this. It will hurt my reputation."
He then began to move, causing Hikari to widen her eyes in anxiety before reaching forward and pressing him back onto the sofa. "Careful, wait till Kei comes back with the first aid kit before you move. Something could be infected."
Although Dabi couldn't help but chuckle at her word usage and flashing back to the last time he was hurt in that alleyway. Back then she was only thirteen, scared and afraid of everything and everyone.
And although Hikari liked to think she wasn't the same as back then, it was moments like these that Dabi could see that same scared thirteen year old girl, his voice filling with heavy nostalgia.
"What, you don't want to go out of your way and spend your whole life savings on medicine again?"
Feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment, the girl then chuckled to herself before shaking her head at the crazy idea. She really did do that back then, didn't she? "I guess I was pretty stupid back then, huh?"
This caused Dabi to raise an eye, looking back at her reddened expression before his own eyes softened ever so slightly. Same old Princess.
"Back then? What do you mean, you're still stupid."
Hikari didn't seem to notice his change in attitude though, only processing the insult rather than the meaning of his words at the time. "Ha ha very funny."
And although she would've loved to argue with him about this topic even more, something else seemed to be plaquing her mind, Hikari's thoughts clouded on one thing and one thing only. "Hey, why did you do that? Why did you push me out of the way? It's not like you."
Even though he was turned away, Hikari could very well see Dabi's brain turn at her statement, his lips fixed into a frown as he pretended not to care. "Stop it.."
Yet his response only made the girl even more frustrated, knowing he was trying to shut her down. No, not this time. She needed to know, she needed to find out the reason for his uncharacteristic act.
Feeling her voice raise ever so slightly, the girl huffed. "No no, you don't get to do that. You've told me that you don't care, but if that's the case then why didn't you just let me get hit, why didn't you let that thing kill me?"
Yet that's when Dabi sharply turned to her, his eyes far more cold than before, almost like he had forced them to be that way. "You're right, I don't care"
Hikari still didn't want to back down though, recalling how their fight went down very clearly. He could say that all he wanted but it was obvious that Dabi had pushed her out of the way for whatever reason.
"If that's true then why did you save m-....."
The villain cut her off before she could finish though, his voice laced with so much malice and distaste that it caused her to freeze. "Oh please, I don't know what kind of delusional hero fantasy you have in your head but none of it is right. I don't save people, I don't save anyone. You just happened to be in the way, that's all."
And to top it off, Dabi then lowered his eyes before letting his own come out slightly bitter, like he was mocking her very question. "Did you forget, I'm not a hero, I'm not your bird brother, I'm a fucking villain. Get that through your thick skull already, Hikari."
A heavy aura of silence appeared then, allowing Hikari to soak in the rejection before lowering her own eyes to the ground. She wasn't an idiot, of course she knew Dabi wasn't wasn't a hero, she wasn't expecting him to be one.
And at the sound of her real name, a wave of shame washed into her before Hikari felt herself take a shaky breath. It felt like she was back in that humiliating and awful position on the night where she confessed to him, when she got everything wrong and assumed that he cared.
Maybe she really was just fooling herself and seeing something that wasn't really there. Maybe she was just being delusional again, maybe she was letting her feelings and desperation seep in a little too much again.
Just then, a new sense of calm washed over her, Hikari snapping herself back to reality. If he really didn't care then he needed to stop being so kind to her, he needed to stay on one side of the line before she got carried away again.
"If that's really how you feel then stop getting hurt because of me. I can handle myself."
Seeing the obvious dejection on her face, Dabi felt himself grow silent for a moment, almost like he was regretting his decision before finally turning away and closing his eyes to end the conversation. "Gladly."
And just like that, the silence returned until Hikari watched the steady rise and fall from his chest, knowing he had fallen asleep finally before resting her head on the side of the sofa with a sigh.
Then she lowered her eyes before muttering to herself bitterly. "I'm not an idiot, I know where we stand. You're the one that's making things confusing, jerk."
Just then, a small bit of sadness swirled around in her chest before a bit of emotion worked its way into her lips, Hikari speaking with dejection.
"I know you still know...how I still feel about you..."
-----------------
Yet to Hikari's surprise, Dabi was halfway asleep when he heard her words, causing a mix of overwhelming emotions to fill his chest before his own heart filled with conflict.
And the very last things he thought about before falling asleep fully, were all about her.
Oh, I know Princess, I know exactly how you feel about me. You've always made it so painfully obvious. But you see, that's not the problem.
The problem is, you shouldn't feel that way, you shouldn't have ever felt that way.
Don't you get it? I'm not what you think. I keep trying to tell you, I'm not a hero. Stop looking for one, stop looking at me. Stop trying to fix me. Stop trying to understand me.
Stop loving me before it destroys you.
----------------------
Feeling his head lull to the side, Dabi let himself let out a pained moan before blinking to look around the space he was in. That's right, he was still in that bird bastard's apartment, wasn't he?
He then went to move his hands to stretch only to find them somehow stuck to his side for whatever reason. What the hell?
Although that's when Dabi looked down in his half asleep daze to find Hikari sleeping soundly next to him, her head resting on top of one of his stitched hands as a small puddle of drool poured down the side of her lips.
Staring at the girl, the villain couldn't help but lower his eyes before wondering why she was still here. Didn't she have a bedroom to go back to? Why did she choose to stay in this uncomfortable position all night?
He knew the answer right away, not wanting to speak it before reaching out a hand to touch the top of Hikari's blonde hair, allowing his stitched fingers to run through the strands in silence. She really had to stop doing so much for him, he didn't deserve it.
Running his hand downwards, Dabi then watched the girl before stopping at a strand and gently pushing it behind her ear as she smiled goofily underneath him.
The very action caused the villain to curve his own lips up, the solitude and his sleep deprived self giving him the chance to not be so locked up with everything for once.
Now, while no one was watching it seemed that Dabi could truly express his overwhelming and conflicting emotions, far from anyone to ever really see.
Pressing his lips together in a frown, the villain then sighed to himself as his own thoughts swirled around him. He didn't even know why he was still doing this, why he was still here with her.
He really was cruel, wasn't he? The villain very clearly knew where everything was going to end and yet Dabi still didn't want to let go for some reason. He couldn't tell you why though.
Actually yes he could, but that was something he agreed to never speak on.
Mostly because that was the most locked up secret of them all, something even Hikari wouldn't even find out. It was better that way, better for everyone.
So instead, the villain kept himself in this game, in this story that would inevitably lead to tragedy, simply because he didn't have the heart to let her go yet. How pathetic right?
Sighing heavily at the thought, Dabi then pushed himself forward, stifling a groan as he did so before leaning down and kissing the top of Hikari's head, his lips lingering for a moment before the villain seemed to snap out of what he was doing and sit back up.
God, look at how fucking wiped you've made me, Princess. If only you could really know everything, then you'd never let me live it down.
Leaning back into the sofa, Dabi then closed his eyes in shame only for a voice to shake him awake immediately, his entire body freezing in shock.
"Still wanna say ya don't care about her, or...?"
Still not opening his eyes, the villain tried to process the voice before finally turning to find Hawks sitting by the kitchen in the dark, watching Dabi with an unamused glare.
Fuck, out of everyone, why did it have to be him?
Keeping himself closed off, Dabi then replied as calmly as possible, hoping that Hawks didn't see his moment of weakness. "Didn't know you were into stalking. Guess that runs in the family too."
He couldn't help but chuckle at his own joke, recalling how Hikari liked to "stalk" him from time to time back in the day, back when he was still Touya.
Yet Hawks wasn't amused, his eyes traveling towards his sleeping sister before pointing at the two of them. "You seriously didn't think I'd leave you and my little sister alone in the same room, in my own apartment, did you?"
And sure that explanation made a ton of sense, and maybe if Dabi wasn't half asleep at the time he would've realized that before letting anything happen. Too bad that wasn't the case though.
Still choosing to ignore everything, the villain instead gave a condescending laugh. "I honestly just thought you were that stupid."
Once again, Hawks chose to ignore the insult, knowing that the villain was probably doing it on purpose to avoid the topic. Too bad he wasn't going to let that happen. "Right, so you wanna explain the little stunt you just pulled or what?"
Finally opening his eyes, Hawks watched as Dabi seemingly seemed to war with something before the villain gave another cynical chuckle, like what he was suggesting was insane. "What? Are you really that butt hurt by a meaningless kiss?"
Choosing to stand from his seat at the kitchen, the bird then sighed to himself before slowly making his way over to Dabi.
Sure, to anyone else that seemed perfectly logical, fitting in with Dabi's "I don't care" philosophy almost to perfection.
But for someone that had watched the villain and logged his every move, Hawks knew better then to take it words at face value.
He first realized it back at that club, and Hawks didn't know why but the way he acted around Hikari was never the way he acted around anyone else. And although he wanted to ignore and deny it, the bird could tell Hikari meant something to him.
And now after witnessing his gentle touches and the kiss to his little sister while she was sleeping, Hawks was sure his hunch was more than a hunch. It had to be.
Because of that, the man spoke honestly, his stare never breaking from the villain as he approached even closer. "Yeah, I don't think it was meaningless though. Not the way you just acted anyways."
That seemed to cause the villain to pause, Dabi twisting his lips together before speaking as quickly as possible, almost like he wasn't really thinking about what he was saying.
"If you really think that, then you're insane. Princess is just toy to me, something to fuck around with, something to put my dick in. She means nothing. I do what I want, when I want."
Hawks couldn't help but feel a sense of anger in the back of his throat at the way Dabi described his sister, knowing that the villain was probably doing it on purpose just to piss him off.
That's why he always said such vulgar things about her after all, to piss him off.
But this time, Hawks was determined, his feathers sharpening in anger before stopping right in front of the sofa with a murderous glare. "Mmmm a part of me really wants to punch you in the face right now for saying that.."
Seeing that he had become unhinged, the villain then leaned forward, thinking he had succeeded in getting off the topic. "Oh yeah? And what does the other part tell you?"
Yet, that's when Hawks spoke again, his voice clear and honest, causing Dabi to stop everything and freeze.
"It tells me that you're full of shit."
The bird then watched as Dabi's face filled with shock, the color draining ever so slightly before he opened his mouth to reply, obviously trying to deny Hawks' crazy statement.
Suddenly, a loud knock was overheard only for Hawks to turn around and open the surface to find one of Hikari's gang members looking back at him.
In fact, it was the one he had met before, the one that terrorized him in that abandoned mall all those weeks ago. Yeah, he still wasn't over that. "It's you."
Bowing ever so slightly, Alpha then stepped into the room before speaking plainly. "Sorry for the interruption. Valkyrie told me to come."
Although once Dabi looked eyes with the boy, he couldn't help but scoff, already reaching down before placing his hand on Hikari's shoulders.
Then without question, he pushed the girl backwards, causing her to fall off her spot on the sofa and onto the ground with a heavy thud as it woke her up completely. "Whaaaa!"
Groaning onto the floor, Dabi then called out to her plainly. "Hey shitty bird, you're fucking rats are here."
Hikari glared into the living room rug at his statement only for Alpha to appear in her vision., leaning down to lend her a hand. "Sorry Boss, I didn't know you were sleeping. Would you like me to come back?"
The girl then shook her head before pushing herself back in order to stand, brushing herself off in the process. "No, we don't have time for that. I'm fine."
Hawks seemed all kinds of confused though, watching as the two of them made their way to the kitchen counter. "What's he doing here?"
Finally stopping at the island in the middle of the kitchen, Hikari's demainer started to turn professional, like she was snapping back into her villain persona. "Remember how I said I had never met the libertarian before? Well, last night they attacked us and stole something of ours just to make a statement."
Feeling all of his feathers sharpen at the news , Hawks widened his eyes before racing forward to meet the two of them.
Hold on, the people that attacked Dabi and Hikari, were the libertartion? But they weren't supposed to make contact yet. He thought they had a couple more weeks at least.
Wait wait wait, you were attacked by the liberation?! They already made contact?! Why didn't you tell me this before?"
Then he watched as his sister's mind grew clouded, obviously thinking about her freak out for Dabi's safety and how she put him first. "I was preoccupied."
Clearing her throat, the girl then steered the conversation back. "But by messing with the league they choose to mess with Valkyrie, and that's the stupidest decision they could've ever made."
Alpha nodded back in response as he awaited instructions for the new target. "What do you want us to do, boss?"
Then everyone began to flinch at the sound of Hikari's fist hitting the table, her wings sharpening with blood lust for a fight.
"I want you to find out everything about every single member of the liberation, where they go to work, where they go to school, what they do in their free time, what kinds of family they have. And then I want you to find out what their family does and where to find them. I want you to dig out everything from their pretty little lives we can use to our advantage."
Widening his eyes at the intensity of his sister, Hawks immediately put his hands up. He knew she was a villain but this was a little too much.
"Whoa whoa hold on there, I don't think we need to go that far..."
Yet the villain only glared, her voice filled with heavy unexplained venom and malice. "They decided to fuck with me and mess with Dabi, they already decided their own funeral. Don't be mistaken, I will burn the liberation to the ground, any way, any method needed."
The room turned quiet at that, everyone taking in the intensity before Dabi lifted a stitched hand from his spot on the sofa, the villain turning his lips into a feral excited grin.
"I'm in. I can't wait to teach those shitbags a lesson they won't forget."
And although Hawks was very uncomfortable with the idea, he couldn't deny that this was a good way to get close to the liberation for his case.
With Hikari and Dabi on board, it seemed like they would be an even stronger team. The liberation didn't stand a chance against the three of them.
So instead the bird decided to cave, his head turning in curiosity for this new plan. "But how are we even going to do that?"
That's when Valkyrie gave a dark smirk before pulling out the business card that the leader dropped for her in the alleyway.
Then she flashed the contents towards the group as they recognized a small bit of writing on the front, almost like it was some kind of invitation, an invitation for the League of Villains.
"Oh, I have a few ideas. Seems like they already gave us a little invitation to join them. I don't think we should pass that up."
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Lots of things happening here! Gotta go to work so I'll keep this short but hope you enjoyed!
Thank you for your kind words and comments on the last chapter. It made me want to write this one really fast for you all.
Next Chapter: the league is invited to the liberation mansion, Dabi and Hikari's tension gets even closer.