Feathers and Flame // Dabi x Reader x Hawks

42: Vigilante

One For All.

Deku's explanation barely did it any justice—now that you got the chance to witness the devastating power of his multiple quirks in action. The fate of the entire world was placed in his battered hands and he accepted that burden as if it was a gift. Maybe to someone born quirkless, it was.

Below, the young hero was fighting in a canal of water against a villain known as Muscular. His thick, sinewy body lived up to the name he gave himself, and you couldn't help but cringe every time they lunged at one another. Strength-based quirks weren't a good match for you; one hit from someone like that and you would be sent straight into next week. However, watching a battle between powerful quirks was very enjoyable viewing.

You sat in a rather comfortable chair, feet kicked up on a wooden table in the balcony area of some apartment overlooking the scene below, picking at the dirt beneath your nails with a small dagger.

Deku slammed Muscular into the canal using Blackwhip, the force of the impact sending streams of water high enough up that you felt a few drops land on your cheeks.

One For All wasn't just a burden, it was a target. Deku's goal was to hunt down villains, and the more time you spent with him, the more you realised it was because he was the one being hunted by them. It made it much easier to find opponents, but days of conflict had left the student looking more villain than hero himself. You understood why he had abandoned UA—he wanted to keep his friends safe.

If you were in his shoes, you wanted to say you would do the same thing, but you weren't sure. There was someone you were supposed to be keeping away from. One cocky, flirtatious someone with pretty golden eyes and a rather infuriating ability to reduce your legs to jelly with a mere indecent twist of his perfect lips. For Hawks' sake, you needed to avoid him. You were a catastrophe waiting to happen, and if you weren't so singularly focused on finding Dabi, you probably would have fallen to pieces already.

Alas, you weren't always so good at following your own advice. In the days that passed since you'd last seen him, you found yourself seeking out his apartment rooftop in the shadow of night. Not to speak to him. Not to even see him—though another glimpse wouldn't hurt. You would only stay for a moment, wonder, and then move on.

But why did you keep returning?

Part of it was guilt, yes. Another part of it was that you cared for him. But above all, it was because Hawks was the only tether you had left to the person you became when you took that mission. Despite how much trouble her feelings had gotten you into, you weren't ready to lose her just yet.

A broken heart is better than no heart at all.

It was a reminder that you did exist, if only for a moment.

Down below, a flash of green drew you back to the present as Deku smashed his fist into Muscular's stomach, the force of it parting the water on either side of the hero. One punch, maximum power, and the villain was defeated.

You leaped from the chair, clapping as you called down to Deku, "Nice finishing move, lots of dramatic flair!"

The hero wrapped Muscular in Blackwhip and immediately set off towards the police station.

"Wait for me!" you shouted as you jumped between balconies and climbed onto rooftops. "I don't have the ability to float!"

Daina Police Station was not far away, and Deku left a bound Muscular in the hands of a pair of shocked-looking officers before jumping off again to join you on a nearby rooftop.

"You're getting better at using your quirks," you commented as he landed. "And the full strength of your physical abilities."

Deku shook his head. "It's not enough."