Y/N's POV:
Hawks stepped back into the car just a second before you'd been prepared to take over the driver's side and drive back to the city yourself. The hero folded his wings behind his back and lowered himself onto the seat. "Alright, I won't waste any more time. We'll head straight back."
"What did you need to talk to him about?" You asked as the car began moving forward. Looking back once more, you tried to catch a glimpse of Touya, but you were too far to see him through the trees.
Rain pattered on the windshield as Hawks increased the car's speed. "I had a few questions for him."
Normally, you would have pried further into the matter. You couldn't think of anything Hawks would have needed to ask Touya about, but you were too distracted by thoughts of Aya that you couldn't spare the effort. Hawks stared straight ahead, not taking his eyes off of the road. "So, how'd you find out the truth about him?"
It took you a second to pinpoint what he meant. "Oh, it's... a long story." In other words, you didn't want to talk about it. You didn't even fully understand the situation yourself. Trying to explain it would be a hassle.
"Ah," he nodded in understanding. "Did you at least manage to get something out of the lead you two were following?"
You shook your head. "It was a dead end." Maybe it was uncool of you to lie, especially since dishonesty had gotten you into this mess in the first place, but your relationship with Hawks was much different from what you had with Touya. There'd never been a complete sense of trust between the two of you, what with his complex ties to both the League and the Commission. And even if that wasn't the case, how were you supposed to tell him what you'd learned without sounding crazy? Shifting the focus off of you, you asked, "Did you and Aya manage to find anything before..."
"Not really," he answered solemnly. "I mean, we only had a few hours together before the attack happened."
A few hours. Aya had been hurt the same day that you and Touya had left, then. Meaning that she'd been in this state for over two days now. Alone. Anger clawed its way up your spine. The League had kept you from being there for her. Whatever pity you'd felt for them dissipated.
"We need to figure out who the hell is leading those people," you said tightly. "It was stupid to ignore them like this." That would be your only goal for now. Once you saw Aya and made sure she would be ok, you would take down the group that had caused so much pain. They'd taken Ami from you, and killed others who were completely innocent. It was time for them to be dealt with.
"We'll find them," Hawks assured you.
You rode in silence for the next few minutes, trying to keep your anxiety from making you impatient. Glancing over, you studied the man beside you. Hawks hadn't looked at you once throughout this entire drive. Now, that could easily be because it was pouring rain and he wanted to focus on the road, but would rain be enough to cause such tension in his upper body? "Why did you leave her alone?" You asked quietly. "I told you not to leave her side, you promised that you would keep her safe. So why did you let her out of your sight?"
It was guilt, you realized. Overwhelming culpability was keeping him so rigid. "I was right outside," he said. "It was two minutes. I didn't think that anything could happen. It was stupid of me, I know."
You blinked. "I'm surprised they had the balls to show up while the Number-Two hero was right outside." They'd never attempted to make a move while Hawks had been watching over her before. Why had they chosen such a high-risk night to do it when they would have had many easier opportunities in the weeks prior? "Have you been able to get in touch with her parents?"
"They should be here by tomorrow," he said.
You kept your gaze steady, even as suspicion began to take root. Aya's parents were extremely involved in her life, according to her. And they only lived a couple of hours away. There was no reason for it to have taken them three days to come and see their injured daughter. "That's good," you looked through the window. "I bet they're worried sick."
When you turned back, you were startled by the sight of Hawks' eyes on you. There was no warmth in the look, in fact, there was something agonizing in the way he watched you. But you weren't given the time to look deeper before he went back to focusing on the road ahead. His shoulders relaxed a bit and he turned the wipers to a lower setting as the rain began to lighten. "I'm sure they are. Any parent would be. You would know, right? I mean, judging from the way that your mom sounded on the phone when we called her the night you were attacked, she'd be frantic if something like that happened to you again."
The realization settled in like a weighted blanket draping itself over you. You would have to give it to him, Hawks was slick. Pieces began to fall into place. You swallowed, still keeping a neutral expression. "I don't think that's the case. I mean, we go weeks without talking to each other. I could go missing and she wouldn't realize it until the police were at her front door. She only ever worries if someone tells her that she should."
"Really? What about your dad, wouldn't he be concerned?"
Well, that went to show that Hawks didn't know your father's identity at all. "He's a piece of shit. Wouldn't care whether I lived or died." This one you didn't have to lie about. "Which hospital is Aya in?" you asked, changing the subject. The car was approaching the center of the city now.
"It's only a few minutes from here, the one a few blocks from Endeavor's agency."
You shifted in your seat, ensuring that the knife you'd taken from the villain in the woods was still secure. When the hospital came into view, you made yourself sit still even though the temptation to jump out of the door was strong. But you couldn't run, not now, not until you knew what Aya's condition was.
Hawks parked the car on the side of the road and you didn't spare a second getting out and striding to the entrance of the building. As you did, you scanned the area surrounding you. There were vehicles parked all around the area, but you noticed four in particular. Large, black vans, all stopped at least a few hundred feet from each other.
You were walking into a trap. You knew it, yet you still pushed forward because your friend was at their mercy, and trying to run could put her in danger.
Inside, the lobby looked no different than any other hospital you'd been in. The fluorescent lights illuminated a crisp, white floor. Chairs surrounded the perimeter of the walls for those who needed to wait. And adjacent to the hallway directly in front of you was a welcome desk. It would be a perfectly normal scene if it weren't for the lack of people. Not a single soul took up the space. A normal hospital would have people sitting anxiously in the chairs. Sounds of frantic doctors and injured patients would be bouncing off of the walls. But this clearly wasn't a normal hospital.
You shut your eyes, allowing yourself a moment of reprieve before turning back to face the Number-Two hero, who stood alone in the doorway. "She's not here, is she?" Fuck, you really needed to get better about not trusting men. It was embarrassing enough that you'd been betrayed once, but twice? In the span of two days?
"Your friend is currently sitting in one of the Commission's holding cells after being arrested for treason."
There were so many things that were about to go to shit, but you found a small bit of relief in knowing that she was alive at the very least. And now that you knew that, you could focus on getting yourself out of this situation. "Is that why you lured me back here, you gonna arrest me too?"
A different voice sounded from further away. "Actually, we're looking to get something a little different from you, my dear." Your breath caught and you looked behind you to see the Commission's president, flanked on either side by people dressed entirely in black. There were about four of them. You were entirely too familiar with their outfits and the realization pierced a hole in your chest.
Hawks had been nearby whenever most of the attacks had occurred, but he'd always seemed to arrive too late after the victim had already been taken. The man who'd tried to attack Aya had said that he didn't know who'd hired him, but now, standing in front of the woman in charge, you got the answer for him.
The masked group had never been a separate enemy, it was never some shadowed villain sending others to do his work. These people had been under the hero's control. The Commission had ordered them to attack Akio, made them bomb the festival, and it had been on their orders that Ami had been killed.
When you met Hawks' gaze once more, he had the decency to look a little remorseful. "You wouldn't have come back here willingly if I didn't lie to you. The only other option would've been for them to hurt you and I didn't want that to happen."
"Oh," you said in a high-pitched tone, feeling the heat of your rage funneling through your veins. "How nice of you."
"We know what you are," the president spoke loudly, her voice echoing through the empty room. "Now, make this easy on yourself and come with us willingly. Nobody needs to get hurt."
Why the hell was everyone so convinced that they knew what you were whenever you didn't even know it yourself? You looked around, taking a step back. Hawks was guarding the exit to your left while the others were blocking the hallway to your right. Behind you was the reception desk.
"Alright," you put your hands behind your back. "Go ahead and cuff me. I'm smart enough to know when I'm outnumbered."
Hawks furrowed his brows as the President nodded toward one of the masked ones behind her. She obviously didn't know you very well. You expected them to walk over to you cautiously, give you time to analyze their movements, but, to your surprise, the person vanished. You had less than a second to pull the knife from where it had been tucked away and stab it into their abdomen just as they reappeared behind where you were standing.
Teleportation. Kind of a cliche power, but probably pretty useful. You dug the blade deeper, waiting to pull it free until you could feel the last of their strength leave their body. Addressing the president, you wiped the blood from the knife onto your pants as the person crumpled to the ground. "Oops. I changed my mind. It looks like people are gonna end up getting hurt."
There wasn't a hint of emotion on her face, showing you just how much she cared for the people who worked under her. "It looks like that's the case. However, I would rather not spare any more of my men." Nodding to Hawks, she ordered. "Have them bring him in."
You held your knife steady in your hand, debating on whether or not you should rush the President and her other two lackeys. You would have a chance at beating them, but it would leave you searching the building for another exit while others likely would come after you.
The doors opened and you looked over, preparing for another fight. But you couldn't have prepared for what actually happened. Your pulse seemed to go quiet as ten more masked fighters came into the room, two holding Touya's limp body in their hands.
"This is the villain you've become close with recently, isn't it?" The president asked. "We've been looking to arrest him for quite some time now. With the number of crimes he's committed, well, execution seems to be in the cards for him."
Hawks must have ambushed Touya in the woods earlier. But how? You should've seen flames, signs of a struggle. He wouldn't have gone down without a fight. "Why isn't he moving," you stared at Hawks, hoping he could see your intentions for him through the look n your eyes.
"He's been injected with a paralytic." The president answered even though you hadn't been addressing her. "It'll wear off completely by the end of the day," she shrugged. "But who knows if he'll be alive by that time."
And just like that, you were stuck again. Was this karma? The universe seemed to revel in using any and all of your relationships as a way to hurt you. Whether it was through blackmail, deceit, or threats to their lives, you were constantly reminded that allowing yourself to become close with people only made it easier for them to use your heart against you.
It would've been a wound to your pride, but your first instinct was to beg. If there had been any chance of it working, you would've fallen to your knees and bartered everything that you had for his freedom. Because you couldn't bear to see him like this, couldn't bear the thought of him being hurt all because of your stupidity. Touya didn't deserve it, he'd been through enough in his life. And even though there was that part of you that still resented him for the things he'd done and the lies he'd spoon-fed to you throughout your time together, it was overshadowed by your foolish heart and its inability to let go of the comfort he'd provided whenever you were at your lowest, the smiles he'd caused even whenever you thought that happiness was something lost to you.
In that moment you knew. It had taken mere seconds for the tides to turn. There would be no fight. You wouldn't be able to struggle because they'd done the one thing that weakened you completely. With Touya's life on the line, you were helpless.
"What do I need to do?" You asked quietly. "For you to keep him alive. What do I need to do?"
The triumphant air surrounding the president almost made you hurl your knife directly into her smug face. "It's quite simple, dear. I only need you to come with us without a fight. Leave your weapon and any other tricks that you have up your sleeve behind."
Hawks, when you glanced at him, almost looked surprised. As if he hadn't expected you to give in so easily. Maybe it was because he figured that the betrayal that had come from Touya would've severed your emotional ties to him. Made you disregard his life in the blink of an eye and focus on your own escape.
If only it were that easy, you thought to yourself. Even if that were the case, they still had Aya in their custody. And you wouldn't put it past them to use her as a tool to work against you as well, even if she hadn't committed the crimes that would warrant the punishment they would likely inflict.
The clang of your knife as it hit the bloodied floor was similar to the sound of a cell door being slammed shut. Maybe it was one more prophetic 'fuck you' from the world. You raised your hands over your head, making it clear that you didn't have any plans other than surrender this time. "Does your shriveled soul have enough decency to let me say goodbye?" You asked the president.
The corner of her lips quirked, and she waved and motioned for you to go to Touya's side. You didn't miss the guards who ran up behind you, but their presence wasn't a bother. You'd been backed to the edge of a cliff. There would be no running, no fighting your way out of it this time.
When you bent down next to Touya, you purposefully avoided his gaze. Pulling him in, you made it appear to the others that you were merely hugging him, a simple gesture before parting ways. Burying your head into the crook of his neck, you began to whisper, hoping that the injection hadn't impaired his hearing. "Find a way to escape, get Aya out of there too, if you can."
There was a faint suspicion you'd had about Aya that was now giving you hope. If you were right about her, and Touya could get her to trust him, they'd have a chance at escaping. The selfish part of you wanted to tell him to come for you next. You had a plan that could work if executed correctly. But it wasn't fair to ask them to risk their lives for you, not after everything that had happened already. You would find a way to get out of this on your own like you should've been doing the entire time. You never should've accepted anyone else's help, anyone's love or friendship.
Blinking back tears, you shifted your tone to something sharper. "I don't ever want to see you again. Don't try and come after me because I will reject your help. And I would sooner die than trust you again."
The attempt may have been futile, but it was all you could do at the moment. Pulling away, you risked a glance at Touya's face, regretting it instantly once you saw the pure desperation in his eyes. He didn't speak, couldn't, most likely, but you could hear his pleas through the intensity of his gaze. Pleas that would never be answered.
Inhaling sharply, you turned away, fearing that holding his stare for much longer would allow him to see through you completely. The masked followers from behind you roughly tugged your arms behind your back. One of them bound your wrists while the other patted you down in search of any other hidden weapons. You glared, "Don't get too handsy there, dude."
They didn't respond to you. "She's unarmed," they told the president.
Now would've been a great time for that mythical power you supposedly carried to kick in. You tried to focus on it, tried to bring it to the surface, but it was hard to focus on something that didn't feel like it was fucking there. Their claim that you were the weapon was becoming less and less plausible by the minute. That is if you disregarded all of the hard-to-ignore evidence that Touya had presented you with.
"Good," the woman clapped her hands together. "Then we can begin. Hawks, lead our prisoner back to the van and escort him to his cell."
It was a struggle to keep yourself from moving as Touya was dragged back to the outside. You could sense his struggle, his last-ditch attempt to move somehow.
"And you two," she pointed to the people holding you. "Bring her to the lower levels."
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Touya's POV:
Never in his life had he felt so helpless as he did then. As he was thrown into the back of the same van he'd been in before, he fought with everything in him to move, to murder every one of these bastards and get back to that damn building. But it was no use, and by the time he was thrown into his cell, all of Touya's effort had exhausted him.
His captors didn't bother to bind him, nor did they inject him with anything else. Looking around the cell, he couldn't see anything that could subdue his quirk. Were the heroes stupid enough to think that his fire couldn't melt through the metal bars separating him from his freedom? He would only have to wait until this damn paralysis wore off.
"Don't get any ideas, Dabi. Because they won't work, trust me."
Hawks. If he'd ever wanted to murder someone, it was this winged son of a bitch. The hero stepped into view, standing only a foot away from the bars. As if to mock the fact that Touya wasn't able to get up and reach through to strangle him.
The hero continued, "This specific cell is a special one. See, it's one of the few in this building that's been crafted specially with a new substance that blocks out people's quirks. So, even once you're back up and moving, you won't have any way to get out of here."
A tingling sensation began in Touya's legs, and he hoped that it was a sign that he'd finally be able to move again soon. Although, if Hawks was to be believed, movement wouldn't do him much good in here.
Hawks looked down at him, a hint of pity shining in his eyes. "You know, I didn't think that she'd do it. Surrender herself for you so easily."
He hadn't either. Touya had prayed to whoever would listen that you hated him still. At that moment, he'd regretted every selfish desire he'd ever had. He never should've tried to convince you to forgive him. The hatred you'd felt for him since he'd betrayed you, he should've deepened it, made you despise him so much that you wouldn't have given a second thought to letting him die.
But it seemed that the entities of the universe had gone deaf over recent centuries. Because his prayers had been for naught and you were now in the hands of the Commission. If only you knew the things that he did. Touya had tried with all his might to convey his thoughts to you. He knew the secret atrocities that the Commission committed on a near-daily basis. They were cruel and sadistic. He'd seen the remnants of those who fell prey to their torture and the sight was gruesome. The thought of you in that position, the thought of their hands on you sent a primal sort of rage through his body.
"You don't deserve her," Hawks spat. "You never have."
Touya glared up at him even though he knew that the words were true. He'd known it for a while now. Yet he'd still pursued you because you made him believe that maybe he was wrong. The way you looked at him, how you rejected society's views of his nature, had made him feel like maybe he would deserve you someday. It had been a childish hope.
With a final look, Hawks turned and strode away, a door slamming shut behind him. Touya didn't try to move again for a long while, even as the electric sensation spread over his entire body.
When he did finally move, it wasn't intentional. A sharp gasp came sounded from the room beside him, causing his arms to twitch. It had been completely silent until now. "Shit, did I fall asleep?"
Touya's eyes widened. He recognized that bubbly voice as your friend. Damn, what was her name again? Right, Aya. He opened his mouth, hoping that when he spoke it would come out coherently and not as a strangled gurgle. "You're alive." The words were a bit slurred, but at least they were understandable.
There was a brief pause, and then, "Dabi? Oh, please tell me that it isn't you."
"Sorry to disappoint."
It should probably be a good thing that your friend was alive. But the fact that Touya and she were both here meant that the Commission likely intended to continue to use both of them as motivation to get you to comply with whatever orders they gave.
And you'd known that. You'd told him to escape with the girl not only because you wanted both of them safe, but because you knew that it would be impossible for you to attempt anything as long as they were still being used as leverage. So, he would listen to you on that one. The other thing you said, however, he would have to dismiss. There was no way in hell that he wouldn't do everything in his power to get you out of there.
"If you're here..." Aya said with dismay. "Does that mean that they got her too? Is she in here?"
"No," Touya was able to bend his legs now, but couldn't quite muster the energy to stand yet. "I mean, yes, they have her, but they took her somewhere else."
"Oh, this is so not good. Why would they separate her from us? Do you think they're gonna take us one by one and interrogate us to see what we know about the weapon? They've barely talked to me since I've been here, but maybe they were waiting to have us all captured or something."
Touya grimaced. He'd forgotten that Aya didn't yet know of the events that had transpired after they'd parted ways. He would have to explain it to her, and luckily there was a nice, thick wall that separated the two of them because he knew that she would be astronomically pissed off whenever she found out what Touya had done back at the motel.
"Well, since we've got some time before I'm fully functional again, I guess I've got some explaining to do." He sighed. "Get comfortable, it's a long fucking story."
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