Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.
-Arthur Miller
...
"Does this make more sense now?" Hawks asked, motioning to a dry-erase board that mapped out the Metahuman Liberation Army ideology and its humble beginnings, created ultimately by Destro. Y/N L/N, also known as the villain Ghost, was sitting on one of the conference room couches, leaning against Jin Bubaigawara, his villain name being Twice. She wasn't quite paying attention. Her mind was on the pain coursing through her body. Frankly, even if she did struggle to understand the ideology, which she didn't, none of this stuff really mattered to her. She was just in there because Bubaigawara was confused and asked Hawks to explain it to him.
"Wow, yeah! Uh. Not really." Bubaigawara's dueling personalities responded, making both L/N and Hawks chuckle.
"Well, I'm here and willing to go over it again if needed."
.
.
.
I found myself thinking back on how kind Hawks had been to Jin. he had repeatedly explained everything to him until all of his personalities understood. I didn't really expect him to know too much about Liberation ideology, but he knew a lot. He said that ultimately, he sympathized with the cause, so he learned a lot. He sang our praises. Hawks consistently spoke of how our plan was absolutely genius and that the Hero Public Safety Commission had no clue any of this was coming.
Our plan, of course, being the complete destruction of the status quo, and the fall of heroes as a societal pillar. We had planned to attack every major city, as our cause and ideology had spread much further than just the villa, and when society was helpless and without heroes, we wanted to put Re-Destro and Trumpet at the top of the political scene. The world would collapse into chaos, which was precisely our goal. Tenko would be at the top of the world, and we would finally get our message across. Ultimately, it would be the second coming of Master.
Of course, I didn't disagree with any of these things. This, at the end of the day, was my goal too, but I will admit that it is mainly my goal only because of who Tenko is to me. I don't care if that makes me sound one dimensional, but my only focus was getting Tenko and myself to the top of the metaphorical mountain and destroying society's dependance on the heroes that fail so many of us.
All the political stuff wasn't my concern. I didn't really care either way.
Jin and I had kept a close eye on Hawks, as I have been for as long as he was interested in joining forces with the League, way before any of this Meta Liberation stuff. He won my trust, and I considered him a friend, despite the flirty facade. Jin also considered him a friend, and even Skeptic was won over.
.
.
.
"I wish they'd stop spying on you already." Twice blurted, then immediately glanced over at Ghost, apologetic. To his surprise, she nodded.
"Yeah. I wish they had let you meet him before he went off and disappeared." She rolled her E/C eyes, and Hawks watched her carefully, a little confused. "Oh. They didn't tell you? Wow, they're really keeping you out of the loop despite Twice, myself and Skeptic vouching for you. He's powering up. Four months, on a mountain near Kyoto."
"Really?" Hawks grinned. Y/N nodded, motioning to herself.
"That's why I'm feeling this way."
"Ah." He glanced away. It was awful to watch her when the pain overtook her, he could barely stand it. He knew it wasn't an option, but he wanted to take her away from all of the villain stuff and bring her to a hospital. He wanted to save her, and he also wanted to save Jin. Unfortunately, he couldn't. She would never let him, and neither would Jin. It wouldn't be long until he would have to face them.
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Tears rolled down my cheeks, stinging the cuts and scratches all over my face from the initial explosions of the villa. The man who was staring into my eyes wasn't the man who took care of me for the past couple months. His eyes were cold, and his expression was unforgiving. A bright red feather, identical to the one in the inside pocket of my coat, was stuck in midair, pressed against my throat, sharp as a knife. My body shook in anger and grief, and guilt lodged itself in my throat like a piece of food I couldn't quite swallow.
"Hawks." I managed to say, my voice weak. "What are you doing?"
I couldn't ignore the desperation and defeat that I felt. It cut into me, so deep I could've sworn I could feel it in my bones.
Not again. Please. Not again.
I saw Kai's face in my mind. My former friend, who turned against me. Who manipulated me into even thinking the idea of getting involved with the Hassaikai was a good idea. Who killed one of the members of our weird little family.
"Heroes are coming." Hawks replied, and his voice was just as empty as his expression. "They're storming the villa. They're going to arrest you all. A separate team is headed to the mountain near Kyoto. They're going to get your boyfriend away from that doctor before he is fully ready. It hasn't been four months yet, Y/N."
No.
"Tomura..?" I sputtered. "No. Hawks. He's not-"
"I'm not dumb, Y/N!" He looked at me again, but this time I could see some sort of emotion in his eyes, I just couldn't read it. "I know the whole romance angle from you was never the real deal. And not to be harsh, but it wasn't ever real from me, either." Hawks frowned, hands in his pockets. A draft blew a piece of dirty blonde hair off his face, and I could see myself in the reflection of his glass goggles, a crying, defeated mess of betrayal.
"You beat me at my own game." My voice cracked. "Even if the love was fake, I did trust you. I saw you as my friend. How can you do this to me?"
"I can still be your friend, Y/N. I can get you out of here. You'd have to pay for your crimes, but I could help you start over." He tapped his temple meaningfully, and I instinctively searched his mind for thoughts.
"I can save you."
I gasped. I could read his thoughts now. This entire time, he was just hiding his motives from me. How could I have been so stupid?
"I didn't enjoy deceiving you. Or Jin. I need you to know that. I trained with the Hero Commission for months before engaging and learned how to completely block anyone with a telepathy quirk from my mind. I couldn't have you reading my mind and keeping me from doing what was best for the country and for the world." He motioned to me. "You needed to be stopped. Jin needs to be stopped, and so does the rest of the League. But most importantly, we need to stop Tomura Shigaraki. What he's capable of is too dangerous to allow to continue."
"You'll kill him, won't you?" I spat. The number two hero broke our eye contact. I wanted to use my telekinesis to attack him, but I knew that he was faster than me. If I even shifted slightly, he would move his feather and slit my throat. I was backed into a corner."If he fights back and doesn't let you guys and your crooked society take him away, you'll murder him. Just like how if I move right now, you'll slit my throat."
"Y/N." Hawks looked at me in disbelief. "You can't really expect us to let you guys continue to murder innocents, can you?. You can't really see that monster as a redeemable human being. He isn't like you or Bubaigawara, or even Toga. Tomura Shigaraki does nothing except destroy. He doesn't love you. I can hear through those feathers. From that one in your pocket, I heard the whole exchange between you and Shigaraki. Don't tell me you actually believe him."
The feather. The beautiful feather he gave me was his main "in". He listened to everything when it was in the jacket. Everything.
"Shut up!" I sobbed, angry. "You don't know shit about fuck. Don't try to tell me how he feels. I'm going to kill you, Hawks. I trusted you. And now you're going to take away the only thing I've ever loved! How dare you!"
"Y/N? What's this...?" A voice came from the doorway of the room, a nice break room that was now a pile of rubble. Magne popped into my head. Her curiosity of Kai followed by her devoted defense of our well being led to her being killed. I know someone else with that same defensive love of the League. Hawks glanced at the door, and I grabbed the feather, pushing it away from my throat the second his attention was diverted. It sliced into my hand, but I barely felt it.
"Jin! Run!" I screamed. My scream was cut off as a swarm of feathers attacked me, slicing into my arms and legs and eventually pinning me to the wall. I ignored the pain, because even if I acknowledged it, it wasn't nearly as strong as the emotional agony. If I moved again, I had no doubts that he would kill me. A separate barrage of feathers pinned Jin to the floor, not too far from me.
"Don't do that again, Y/N." Hawks actually sounded desperate. "I don't want to fight either of you."
I dipped into his mind again. Multiple patterns of attacks were already memorized, and each individual scenario ended with both of us dead. I guess he's the number two hero for a reason. He clearly didn't want to kill us, but if he thought I wouldn't fight him to the death to make sure Tenko wasn't blindsided, he didn't know me as well as he thought.
"Not again!" Jin wailed. "I trusted you, because I felt bad for you! How sad is it if nobody trusts you!"
"Jin, no!" I cried, getting his attention. "It wasn't just you! Both times, I trusted them too! You didn't-" A clump of feathers pressed firmly over my lips, muzzling me. I don't think I had ever been as angry as I was at that moment.
"Quiet, Y/N. This happened before?" Hawks shook his head. "I really am sorry. Bubaigawara, I can help you start over. I said the same thing to Y/N. You just have to pay for your crimes."
"Bullshit!" Twice snapped. "I trusted you! You call yourself a hero?"
"I-" The hero started, but Jin cut him off.
"Shut up! Just shut up!"
I felt my tears beginning to soak the feathers against my mouth. I was screaming against them, but it just sounded like annoying muffles. I was bleeding heavily- the cuts from the feathers that were pinning me had avoided any major arteries, but he had sliced up my skin and muscles. My senses were going haywire. I could hear my blood dripping onto the floor, and I could hear all of our heartbeats, fast in our chests. I could see every individual feather in the room, and I could see the tears in Jin's suit from the feathers. He sat up suddenly, and one of the feathers shredded one half of his mask. I ripped away from the ones holding me back, ignoring how they cut into my skin, and collapsed onto the ground by Jin.
"I don't want to fight you. Either of you!" Hawks yelled, repeating himself.
"I don't care!" I screamed back, lunging toward him, and when I heard his wings flap, I was already on the ground and he was a couple feet back. Something made me glance down at my leg, the pain quickly worsening. A deep, gushing cut split the skin on the back of my knee. He really was the fastest hero. I hadn't even felt it when it happened. I stumbled to my feet, and his boot slammed into my chest, knocking me onto my back. I coughed, the air knocked straight out of my lungs. Behind me, Twice attempted to create his Sad Man's Parade, but every single double was beheaded in the blink of an eye. I chucked one of my daggers towards his face while I gasped for air, and he dodged by just tilting his head. Everything we threw at him, he defeated in less than a second. It was overwhelming to see how overpowered we were.
"After coming this far..." Hawks sighed. "I could never allow mere sentiment to trip me up. If you two come quietly, there's still a way forward. If not..."
"If not what?!" I cried, rushing towards him again, lifting him in the air with my telekinesis, attempting to slam him into the wall with my mind. "You took care of me! You befriended Jin! If we don't come quietly, you'll what? Kill us?"
"Precisely." He replied, stone cold, and overpowered my telekinesis with his raw power, flying towards me and grabbing me by the face. I went to grab at his hand, to bite his palm, to do anything, but he was too quick. He drove my skull into the wall, and I heard the crack of my head against the concrete before I felt it. My vision blurred as my body collapsed. Fuck. I don't stand a chance against him.
I could hear Jin screaming at him, and Hawks was responding in that same cold tone. I looked up, and I saw fuzzy doubles of Twice, myself and the rest of the League attack a fuzzy Hawks, but they were immediately struck down as well. Jin was getting weaker, and I couldn't seem to think or move at all. Even if I wasn't woozy from the blow to the head, Hawks would still probably be too fast to keep an eye on. Hands shaking, I pressed my palm to my head and it came away red. Shit. More blood.
I was finally able to focus on how Hawks was pinning Jin down, a feather aimed directly at his forehead. I couldn't hear what he was saying to Jin. I felt helpless.
"No!" I screamed, still trying to get to my feet. I had managed to get to my hands and knees. Hawks glanced up at me, then immediately away as if I was a bug that was annoying him. "No! Jin! No!"
Warm hands gently pushed me back down onto my stomach. I rolled onto my side, my eyes trying to land on anything. I saw combat boots near my head, and scars attached to skin by staples. Then I saw turquoise eyes.
"Stay down, Y/N."
"Dabi! He tricked me, I-" I cried, and he nodded, kneeling next to me and pushing hair off my face. His thumb then brushed some of my tears and a little bit of the blood on my face away. He looked pissed. I glanced back at Hawks, barely able to make out his form. He hadn't noticed Dabi yet.
"I know. Just stay here."
I'm sure he knew I wasn't going to listen, but the thought was sweet.
He stood up, walking towards Hawks and Jin, holding his hand out, and I watched as blue flames engulfed the room, my vision starting to return. My entire head felt like it was splitting, and I knew I had yet another nasty concussion, mixed with whatever amount of blood loss I was dealing with.
All I could think of besides the crushing feeling of betrayal and anxiety was fear for Tenko. Were they going to kill him while he was in the tank? Would he ever know what happened? What if Jin and I end up being the reason why he dies? I got to my hands and knees again, crawling over to where Hawks had grabbed Jin and dodged the flames. Dabi slammed his boot into Hawks' face, shattering his goggles. The hero's jacket was burning in the corner.
I pulled Jin into my arms and away from Hawks. He was also bleeding heavily, but was overall in better shape than I was.
"Looks like sentiment tripped you up after all, didn't it, hero?" Touya hissed, stepping in front of us. Jin stumbled to his feet again, tugging me up with him.
"I'm sorry Y/N." He pressed his forehead against mine for a split second before pulling away, bringing my arm over his shoulder so he could help me walk. My heart felt like it broke.
"I'm sorry too, Jin."
"Take Y/N and get out of here." Touya laughed as he released another raging inferno against Hawks with one hand, holding out his other hand. Twice slapped him a high five, and one of his doubles split off from us, running out the door. "Go wild. The others are waiting for you too."
When we looked towards the door again, Hawks had already beaten us to it. He flew outside with Dabi's flames and circled back around. Fear struck me as he dive bombed us, his fierce expression terrifying.
"Keigo Takami!" My raven-haired companion yelled, and Hawks' attention redirected to him, catching him off guard. More flames swallowed the hero whole, and Twice and I ducked, still stumbling our way towards the door.
Keigo Takami. That must be his name.
Hawks had disappeared. Smoke was burning my eyes and filling my lungs, but when I glanced around, watching our backs as Jin tugged me closer and closer to the door, I couldn't see anything besides flames. Dabi must have burned him to a crisp. We made it past the threshold, and relief flooded me.
That relief was immediately replaced with horror as, like a phoenix, Hawks came soaring out of the fire, one large remaining feather in his hand. Jin shoved me out of the way and everything felt like it happened in slow motion.
I hit the ground, protecting my head as I dropped from the shove. I looked up at Twice, opening my mouth to scream, but the smoke made me cough instead. I watched as the feather drove directly into Twice's head, right through the scar on his forehead and all the way through.
No. No. No.
Blood and gray matter spurted all around the feather as Hawks yanked it out.
Jin Bubaigawara hit the ground by my feet, dead.
I moved without thinking.
I tackled Keigo Takami back into the fire, ignoring how I was getting burned as well. My tears dripped onto his face as I pinned him down, that last feather getting knocked out of his hand and burning up like the rest of them. I wound up my arm and slammed my fist into his fast, feeling my knuckles break just like his nose and facial bones. I didn't care. I wound up again, punching him again. Fire engulfed us both repeatedly, and the burns were marking both of us.
"How could YOU?!" I shrieked. Another punch. He bucked his hips, tossing me off of him, and I fumbled for my .22. I yanked it out, aiming at him and firing multiple times. He dodged most of them, but a bullet caught him directly in the shoulder, and he stumbled forward, onto his hands and knees now. Blood covered his face, along with the burns. He was barely recognizable. Then again, I didn't recognize him the second he turned against us.
Touya grabbed me, pushing me out of the flames. I dropped my gun, but I didn't even care anymore. He stomped on Hawks' back, his boot directly in between his wings, once again releasing a rush of power that burned his wings up to tiny little nubs.
"How could you?! How could you kill Twice like that?!" Dabi screamed, despite the smile on his face.
"Is that really the face of someone whose friend just died?" Hawks coughed, grimacing as he looked up at him.
"Don't be rude. My tear ducts are burnt. I can't cry!" He slammed his boot into his back again. More fire. More burns. I was crying so hard I could barely breathe. "Of course I'm sad he is gone, he was another step in my plan to make Stain's will a reality! I'm so, so sad!"
"I looked into all of your backgrounds! I couldn't come up with anything on you or Shigaraki!" Takami yelled. "Who are you?!"
"I'm Touya Todoroki." He grinned down at the fallen hero. With his bent, burned wings, all I could picture was Icarus. Fly too close to the sun, and you'll get burned.
Hawks froze, piecing two and two together. Enji Todoroki. Endeavor.
"Just two kids of heroes, here." Dabi laughed, motioning to me and crushing him under his boot again. "Y/N here trusted you completely. So did Jin, and so did Skeptic. But more than any of them, you should've been keeping both eyes on me. I never believed you from the start. Not in the slightest. But I guess you managed to manipulate some of us, huh?"
Two pairs of eyes rested on me before looking at each other again. I clutched my karambit, still shaking with anger and sobs.
"Fuck you." I managed to say to Hawks. Dabi chuckled, more fire engulfing the two men and pushing me out. I could barely hear Dabi over the roaring flames, but I heard his last sentence.
"Your life is just another thing I don't care about. See ya, Hawks."
Before the blue flames swallowed the three of us whole, I saw a flash of darkness out of the corner of my eye.
"Dabi. We aren't alone."