"Looks like sentiment tripped you up after all, Hero!"
Despite the flaming lick to the air of the room, my blood seemed to run cold. The sight of my husband's head beneath Dabi's boot was too much, and I was frozen on the spot. There wasn't enough light to use the solar component of my quirk, and if I used the vocalisation that came with the dark, I could hurt Hawks too.
How...did he know..?
Dread filled me to the core when the villain let loose another burst of flames, directly over the incapacitated man I loved, but I knew he wouldn't be taken down by that. He was Hawks, after all. Even whilst shielding my eyes, I could see him soaring through the fire, arm outstretched with a single feather in hand. With him, he carried Twice.
"B..but how..?!" Dabi looked shocked, but only for a moment. Did he even know I was there? If he didn't, then I could end it. A sneak attack. Stabbing him in the back, either metaphorically or literally.
"Come on..." I whispered to myself, my voice shaking as I tried to force my body to move.
Hawks landed, rolling with the captive villain a few times before gaining his balance, the left side of his face badly burned.
"You almost killed your friend..." He stated, almost too calmly. His wings were barely there anymore, so I knew we had to do this quick. Flame and feathers were a poor match up in a fight.
"Nah, cuz I know that heroes must always be ready to save a life." Dabi replied with a low chuckle, slightly raising his chin to look down upon the pair. Coughing into the back of his hand, Hawks took that split second to dart his gaze to me, his eyes screaming for me to get out. Instead, I stayed put.
"Such cutting sarcasm. With the force of that attack of yours...It was almost like you knew about me the whole time, Dabi. What gave me away?" When Dabi took a step forward, I did the same, slowly reaching for the small pocket knife I kept in the hip of my costume. It was all I had to work with.
"Gave you away? Nothing, really..." The ravonet shrugged, leaning his cheek into the risen collar of his coat. "I never believed a word you said from the start." Side-stepping and holding my breath, I inched closer and closer, waiting for the perfect moment. What I was trying to do would likely fail, but I couldn't stand by. If I was a hero, I had to act like one.
"Right..." Even though Hawks wasn't looking at me directly, I could see the fear in his eyes. I knew that look. He was going to do something reckless to try and keep me safe.
"Burn 'im good!" Twice, however, had other plans, and broke away from my husband, scrambling away on all fours as a clone burst from his back to attack.
"I said don't move!" I barely heard the ending of Hawks' sentence as Dabi blanketed him with flames, the blue glow almost blinding.
"Just you alone's enough to make quick work of those heroes down there!" The ravonet said to his companion as he scrambled towards us, panic in his wide eyes. Did he see me? Was I about to get caught? "So go nuts! They're waiting for you!"
"Y..Yeah! Okay!" Flinching as they slapped their hands together as the injured blond passed, flames still bursting forth and over my husband, I braced for battle. Except, Twice didn't even give me a second glance. Did he not see me as a threat? Had he even seen me there at all?
It didn't matter. What I had to do was stop Dabi in his tracks. Knife in hand, I swung my arm back, ready to stab and attempt immobilization, when he turned around. At first I thought I had alerted him somehow, but no, that wasn't it. Hawks had used the force of the flames to his advantage, letting them push him out once side of the building so he could fly up and over to cut Twice off.
Still, it resulted in me swinging too early.
Even though I had been trained with the fastest hero in Japan, I still wasn't quick enough to best Dabi. He first seized my wrist, the tight squeeze forcing me to drop the knife as reflex, then his other hand curled around me throat, spinning me so my back was flush to his chest.
"You didn't really think you flew under my radar, did you, sweetheart?" He chuckled under his breath, kicking me in the back of the calf to get me moving, out towards the open hallway where the other two had fled. "Even consider breaking free and the only work you'll ever be able to find'll be night shift on Elm Street." I wanted to disobey him. Ever fibre of my being wanted to fight back, but my fear had the upper hand.
I have to wait for the right moment...otherwise...
"TAKAMI KEIGO!" For a split second, everything seemed to freeze. Even as we entered the crumbling corridor, I could see the shock on my husband's face, and I felt it just the same. How did Dabi know his name? There was no way.
"OUTTA MY WAY!" Twice's aggressive scream rattled down my spine, but not just because of the sheer volume. No, it was because I could see what was coming. Hawks, poised to strike. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. Something told me I wasn't allowed to.
Heroes...don't always do good things...
Dabi's hand squeezed tight around my throat as Twice's bloody body hit the ground, my airways blocked and my chest already beginning to ache. He was trembling, and I counted the moments before he blew up. He would likely take me along with him.
"D..Dabi, do-" Tighter again, but this time his other arm flew out and released a wilding stream of scorching azure, straight into Hawks' back. Through the blinding flare, I watched those wings, the same ones that had shielded me and embraced me time and time again, burn away into ashes.
"You killed him..!" Dabi hissed, taking a step closer and dragging me along with him. "How could you kill Twice like that?!" My hands flew to my throat, clawing and yanking at his wrist. My eyes watered and stung, but I could still see his face when I managed to turn my head. He was grinning like a lunatic.
Hawks collapsed, his entire body steaming as he tried to turn to face us, ready to fight for me now, despite having no way of doing so.
"Is that...the face...of a man who just watched...his friend die..?" He spluttered out, barely able to keep his upper half from the concrete.
Thick smoke trailed from the corners of Dabi's mouth directly into my face, and I was beginning to see spots. If I didn't breathe soon, I wasn't going to make it. Kicking and clawing was all I could manage. If I used my quirk, he'd kill me instantly.
"Hey now, that was rude! I haven't cried since my fear ducts got all burnt up! Ain't my fault!" Dabi shouted, pushing me out to his side and raising his arm, causing my feet to leave the ground. How strong was this guy? Gasping for what little air I could get, I met my husband's eyes, and knew. I just knew.
Don't...do anything...stupid...
"Let her go, Dabi..." Hawks rasped, managing to sit himself up. "Y..your fight is with me..." It wasn't. It never had been. Dabi's fight was with both of us. It had been the moment that child had seen the colour red all over me.
"Oh? Sorry, what was I thinking?!" My feet met the ground again, and his came loose, but instead it was replaced by his arm, trapping me against his shoulder. "Why should I want to kill the sexy heroine who tried to fuck all my secrets out of me?!"
Of course he had known. He was a cunning man, after all. Still, why had he gotten so emotional in my company? Surely he hadn't realised from the start?
"Wh..what are you t..ta-"
"Cut the shit, you stupid bitch. Did you really think I hadn't caught on?"
Keeping one hand pointed towards Hawks, in case he tried to intervene, Dabi threw me hard against the wall, hand reconnecting with me throat, harder than it had been before when he had had me in the air. His face pressed close to mine, so close that I could see every fleck of blue in his irises.
I...can't kill him...Why did I ever think I had what it takes to be able to kill someone..? Even if they...
"DID YOU REALLY THINK I'D BELIEVE SOMEBODY WOULD WILLINGLY BE WITH SOMEONE WHO LOOKS LIKE ME?! LIKE THIS?!" Dabi's spit rained against my face, into my eyes and open mouth, but that wasn't my problem. I couldn't breathe. Not at all. Much longer, and even if I did survive, it wouldn't be without permanent damage.
"Who do you think told her to do it, Dabi?!" Hawks was struggling to stand, dragging himself closer in a desperate attempt. "Songbird is under my orders! Mine! If you're gonna try and kill anyone, then it better be me!" His lying scared me. He was in the same boat. Much more damage, and h was a dead man. The world needed him more than it did me, but I couldn't speak up.
Suddenly, I could breathe again, though the rush of oxygen to my starved lungs nearly knocked me from the plain of existence, and my legs gave way the moment that scorching hand pulled away.
Coughing and gasping on the ground, I watched the villain approach my husband. I watched the fire engulf his back. I watched that boot slam down against his back and pin him to the ground.
"Let me guess...You couldn't find any information on little ol' me, and decided that the best course of action would be to whore out your personal piece of meat? Classy..."
Hawks, please...
"Wh..who are you..?!" Hawks struggled against Dabi's weight, but it was useless. His body was out of commission. He had no use of his quirk. He was basically, for lack of a better term, a sitting duck. All because of me.
Dabi stared down at him for the longest time, the screams and explosions around us only confirming our mistakes. Fire crackled along the railings, slowly creeping towards us, setting the scene for our 'heroic' demise.
"I'm Todoroki Touya..."
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**Yeah Yeah, I think we all know I'm a strong believer of this theory. No surprises here, folks.
But ouch, rip Dabi. Poor fucker got his feelings hurt.
Also, I realised I had Dabi say his real name earlier on. I'm cutting that out because that was prior to the 'black bubble incident of chapter 267'.
Next Time: What I Can***