watch me burn || BNHA DabiHawks

4. the power of nepotism

"Is this really necessary?" Dabi asks with annoyance as a pair of metal cuffs clicks shut around his wrists. They aren't painfully tight or anything, although they are startingly cold, and really, isn't the reaction a little exaggerated for some teeny tiny bit of burning?

The two policemen tasked with restraining him exchange the kind of look that Dabi very much does not appreciate. Their expressions are stiff and professional, but the underlying distaste would be obvious to anyone with half a brain.

Lips pursed in disapproval, the taller of the two says, very slowly, "You were caught trying to burn someone alive." He makes sure to accentuate each word, like he thinks Dabi is stupid. "So, yes, it is necessary."

"I was protecting my brothers," he mutters in protest, probably for a hundredth time, not even expecting them to listen at this point. He's not sure why he even bothers. It's obvious nobody cares what he has to say – they already decided what must have happened from what little they saw when they arrived and no words are about to change their minds. That's how cops always are. Self-righteous bastards.

Frankly, it's ridiculous. Yes, he did break the law by using his quirk and, sure, maybe he didn't necessarily have to burn the villain that much, but they were going to kill that little girl. And once they were done with her, they would move to everyone else around them – including Dabi's family. Why is he being treated like a criminal here?

Well, he knows why. It's because the authorities are fucking prejudiced. If Endeavor cooked that fucker, everyone would be cheering. He would probably be praised left and right for his incredible bravery or whatever. But since Dabi is a 'kid' and apparently looks like a 'delinquent' – Enji's words, not his – and since his loose tank top does nothing to cover the impressive number of old bruises (and also his tattoo), all he gets is a trip to the police station.

At least they had enough decency to stop by an ambulance to have his cuts cleaned and bandaged before they handcuffed him.

All the while, there's a funny thought echoing through his head, threatening to make him laugh out loud – although it wouldn't be a nice laugh. A bitter realization that, somehow, he has spent years murdering people, setting shit on fire and generally being a menace, and yet the reason he's finally getting arrested is because he actually tried to save someone.

Hawks would never let him live it down. Nor would Shigaraki, for that matter.

"Whether that's true or not," the other officer says with little to no emotion, grabbing Dabi's arm and forcing him to stand straighter, "unlicensed quirk usage is illegal. You should have waited for the heroes."

And, like, seriously, what's with law people and their screwed perception of how the world works? Can they really not see how stupid this 'advice' is? Or are they only saying this because they have no other excuse?

"Oh, yeah, obviously," he drawls sarcastically, hoping to convey very clearly how unimpressed he is. "Next time we get attacked by some psycho, I will stand by and watch my brothers get murdered even if I'm perfectly capable of protecting them. Wouldn't want to do anything illegal, after all. Thanks, officer. You've just made me a better citizen."

They respond something to that, Dabi thinks, but he's already stopped listening. Knowing pigs, it probably wasn't anything intelligent – from his observations, most of them got donuts where their brains should be. The shorter guy's grip on him tightens uncomfortably as they realize he's ignoring them, but he barely pays it any mind. What's a few more bruises gonna do when he's already covered in them? Instead, he tries to take a peek at the pair of heroes – some low-ranked duo he doesn't recognize – struggling to restrain the unconscious villain. The lost expressions on their faces, partly covered by tacky masks, are pretty entertaining, definitely more than another pointless conversation with his captors. The pair is hovering uncertainly over the villain, quirk-supressing cuffs dangling from the woman's hands, likely wondering if putting them on the person is even necessary, considering all of those third degree burns covering about half of their body.