Feathers and Flame // Dabi x Reader x Hawks

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Toga's knife glinted with the same dangerous gleam that was in her eyes as she lunged for you. She had gotten better in the past weeks. Stronger. More refined and careful in her every move. You spun away from her attack, jabbing your fist into her ribs. She cried out at the connection but steeled herself before another moment passed.

It had been two days since your... altercation with Dabi. And two days since you'd gotten incredibly wasted and decided to spend your self-destructive spiral with Hawks. You hadn't seen either of them since, but it seemed especially true that the former was so obviously avoiding you. Whatever sadness had gripped you over it had festered into a pure, unrelenting rage and you desperately needed an outlet.

And that was when you'd sought out Toga.

It had been too long since you'd spent any time with her, given it was now monopolised by her position within the organisation. But you'd also neglected her in favour of your own dramas, and you were more than apologetic as you begged her to spar with you. She'd happily agreed, but not before pestering you about Dabi and the obvious fight you'd had. You gave nothing away.

The training gym was a large open room with lacquered wooden flooring covered in mats. You weren't the only people there. In fact, many of the villains in the compound seemed to use it to keep themselves in shape. Nevertheless, they seemed to stop and watch the deadly dance you performed as Toga lunged for you again and again.

You had become another monster entirely when you stepped onto that mat. Every poisonous ounce of hurt and rage in you was channelled into perfect, fluid motions. You struck cleanly and ferociously and left no room for counter. Toga hadn't even landed a hit on you. Sweat beaded at her forehead while you hadn't shown a single ounce of exertion.

This dance was yours, deadly and beautiful, but it was only a shadow of what you could truly do. Toga could not match your ferocity with brutal grace, she did not have the capabilities yet. And how you burned to unleash every part of yourself and bask in the calamity that would surely follow. This was the creature that lurked within you. The creature that needed release.

And then your heart stopped beating entirely when Dabi entered the room.

Geten was at his side, pointing around the room at the various groups that were sparring. Dabi saw you, it was painfully obvious. But he didn't look at you. Those bright eyes of his glossed right over you as if you were nothing, as if you meant nothing. That poisonous anger bubbled up inside of you, filling your chest with its bitterness.

How dare he? How dare he ignore me?

Toga had tracked your eyes, had seen the flush of anger pinking your skin and dragged your attention to her instead. "How about we take a break? Sit."

You followed her instruction, taking the bottle of water she handed to you. Oh, you were furious. You wanted to flay him until he begged for your forgiveness. How dare he reject you? How dare he make you feel for the first goddamn time and spit on it as if it was nothing? You wanted to take it all back. You wanted to tell the foolish girl who thought infiltrating the League would be a simple job that she needed to be stronger, or she would lose something vital and precious. And god, you fucking hated losing.

"Whatever happened, it will be okay," Toga said, her brows drawn together in worry at the rage you so clearly wore. "You know what he's like. What you're both like."

You flicked your gaze to her. "What do you mean?"

Toga shifted away, almost as if she was speaking to an unpredictable, wild animal and not a person. "You are both so stubborn and volatile. And that's totally fine, look at me." She flashed her teeth in a feral smile. The sentiment didn't make you feel any better. "But what I'm saying is you'll figure it out. You always do."