Feathers and Flame // Dabi x Reader x Hawks

40: Hospital

Reality returned to you bit by bit.

First, it was the incessant beeping of some monitor and the muffled chatter of many voices you didn't recognise, but they sounded far away. Then, it was the smell of disinfectant accompanied by something floral and sweet. Once your nerves awoke, the aches of your battered body followed, and with them, the memories of all that had transpired.

The information flooded you all at once. Every cutting shard of guilt and sharp edge of regret. The wounds on your heart were still bleeding, though the ones on your body were beginning to heal. You wanted to close your eyes again—your dreams were far kinder.

But you opened them instead.

The bright light looming overhead seared your eyes like you were staring into the sun, but once you blinked, you began to focus. White walls. White ceiling. A hospital, then. It would explain the beeping. Despite everything, you were very much alive—apparently. And there was one thought occupying your head above all others, though you were terrified to know the truth of it. One beautiful, golden thought that might very well destroy you further, as if that was possible.

There were flowers by your bedside.

They weren't of just one type, but from many. All different colours and shapes, and all equally pretty. You found yourself reaching for them but stopped short when you heard movement.

"You're... awake."

It was the boy from before, seated in a chair by the window, opposite your bed. The one with the scar. The one who'd saved you. But above all, this was Dabi's youngest brother. Somewhere within the remnants of your heart, that realisation burned you, though you were beginning to fall into numbness again. It was easier, at least.

"Shoto, isn't it?" The gravelly sound of your own voice startled you. "How long—"

"Almost two days."

Panic flared within you and your gaze was drawn back to the flowers by your bedside. Among the bouquet was a single red rose. From it, a single petal had fallen. What had happened in those two days? What happened after you lost consciousness? You were afraid to think of his name. So afraid of what your failure—

"Hawks brought you those."

Your gaze snapped back to the boy. "Hawks is..."

Two eyes—one of blue and one of grey—watched you with slight curiosity. "Alive."

Something within you relaxed, though the rest of you was still wound so tight. You reached for the fallen petal, brushing it between your thumb and index finger. It was soft and silky, but nothing like his—

"Wings." You breathed the word like it cut you—and it had. "It's... the same colour as his wings."

Shoto did not reply to that but continued to watch you. He was beautiful in the way that Dabi was, but without that twist of darkness that belonged solely to his older brother. Now that you knew the truth, it was hard to mistake the resemblance.

It was you who filled the silence. "You... saved me." A pause. "Thank you."

Shoto only nodded. "You know my brother."

Know seemed like a stretch of the truth now. Even to say you knew him felt... wrong. Did you ever really know Dabi? Or had you gotten so lost in your game of play pretend that you'd convinced even yourself of something more? Was there truly anything between you?

It was real.

It had to be. Maybe you were both liars. Maybe you took liberties and withheld the truth. But it was real. It had to be real. Otherwise, you would have destroyed everything and yourself for a beautiful lie. You wouldn't be capable of surviving that.