Feathers and Flame // Dabi x Reader x Hawks

41: Izuku

There was an odd stillness in the air as you stalked through one particular deserted street in a much larger, deserted city. It wasn't a calm kind of stillness, but a foreboding one. Perhaps a suggestion you were about to get jumped at any second, not that you seemed to care.

You didn't know how many days had passed since you left the hospital; they were all beginning to blend together. Since then, you'd followed a trail of destruction left by the escaped Tartarus villains, climbing the ranks of pitiful opponents to mildly acceptable antagonists with the goal of reaching someone who had information on the League's—Dabi's—whereabouts.

So far, you had nothing, though not for lack of trying.

The scene of the city before you looked like something out of a post-apocalyptic novel. Windows to shops were smashed. Old newspapers and rubbish blew across empty streets of abandoned cars, some of their doors flung open as if their owners had fled in haste. You were not alone, though. Curtains to apartment windows high above pulled open slightly as you passed by, drawing quickly shut if you dared to look. Some civilians did not want to abandon their homes in search of safety. You understood why, though it seemed particularly unwise now that every person with a villainous streak had seized the opportunity to bring chaos down around them.

The knives in your hands were chipped and worn with flecks of dried blood crusted over the edges. You must have looked like some kind of demon that crawled up from the bowels of hell. Unkempt. Frayed. Bloody. It didn't help that you hadn't slept properly since you left the hospital—and you were certainly avoiding any mirrors, though what glass windows remained in the streets gave you a good enough indication of how terrible you looked.

You'd already left a trail of corpses from one end of the city to the other. Part of you expected to feel some kind of remorse—but you didn't. If anything, the only thought that frequently crossed your mind was how fucking much you missed the blades you left behind in the PLF headquarters. Your replacements, though sufficient, were short and stubby and not nearly as comfortable as your previous pair. It was rather inconvenient.

An image flickered across a wall of television screens as you passed by one shop window, drawing your attention. Hawks wore a suit as he, along with Endeavor and Best Jeanist, addressed the public regarding all that had transpired and the truth of Dabi's video. The press conference had been a few days ago, it seemed, but this was your first time seeing Hawks since the hospital. It brought you some comfort to know he was capable of speaking on his own now, though the guilt of what happened to him was still a fresh, bleeding wound.

What's going on in your head, birdy?

Your current lead had brought you to an auditorium in the heart of the deserted city. The smell of old popcorn still hung in the air, though it was accompanied by a musty dampness that was far less pleasant. Deeper inside, you found your targets.

The main auditorium hall was almost in complete darkness save for the bright white lights blaring down on the stage. On it, you counted half a dozen villains along with some very petrified-looking individuals who had to be civilians. You spotted at least one dead body on that stage, a puddle of blood around one fatal wound. Whatever was happening here, it was not optional participation.

"Places everyone!" One man clapped, drawing your scrutiny. He was middle-aged with greying hair, dressed in a fine suit of purple velvet with a loose, frilly white shirt underneath. In one of his hands was a long, thin stick. "The Conductor must not wait any longer."

Conductor, you thought. Is this his quirk?

The other villains helped to direct trembling individuals to their places while the Conductor watched on from just below the stage. You drew on your quirk to vanish into darkness as you began to stalk closer, only to abruptly stop when you caught movement in the corner of your eye. Someone else was here.