4. Run like Hell

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Dabi didn't have any sort of destination in mind other than "away."

So he ran.

And ran.

And ran.

Until he couldn't feel his legs. 

Adrenaline was the only thing keeping him going and it wasn't until he bumped into a trashcan in an alley that knocked him over that he finally started thinking again.

The first thing he realized was that he was still in these stupid childish pajamas. 

The second thing was the fact that he'd just scraped his knee.

And it hurt.

A-and it was bleeding. 

Which is fine, he's dealt with worse.

Obviously

But it still hurt

He needs to focus on something else, like, what's his game plan here?

Does he go back to the league? 

He knows they don't give a shit about littles considering most of them are all on suppressants and scent patches. But he's still wearing these quirk-suppressing cuffs that probably have some sort of tracking feature. Then they'd all be stuck in this stupid rehab program or prison nurseries. 

So maybe the next step is getting these cuffs off. 

So that he can get back to the hideout. And get back to his stuffy. 

He glanced around the alley and spotted a dumpster. Who knows, maybe someone threw out a hammer or something. Or really anything big that he could use to smash these things. 

He stood, legs nearly giving out on him from exhaustion and shaking all the while he shuffled to the dumpster. 

Standing on his tip toes, he reached the top half of his body in to rummage around. Empty beer bottle. No. Broken Vase. No. A few pieces of wood? Maybe. Some old books and papers. No. Oh! A mallet! Yes--

"Whatcha lookin' for, lil guy?" Came a voice behind Dabi.

A familiar voice that immediately made the villain annoyed. 

"Fuck off." He grumbled, pulling himself out from the dumpster and throwing the beer bottle at the hero's head.

Said hero startled, nonetheless leaning to the left to dodge the bottle, "Dabi?!" Hawks squawked.

Dabi went to run but was walled in by several dozen feathers.

"A call went out for an escaped little villain, I would've never guessed it was you." Hawks continued, walking closer. 

"And I would've never guessed it'd be your ugly mug to catch me." Dabi responded, glancing around to find an escape route. While he had a pretty good rapport with the hero and trusted him a decent amount, he knew that Hawks would have to keep the "I don't know you but I'm here to help" hero act in public. It just made him all the more annoyed that there was no getting out of this situation. 

They stood quiet for a moment, "I didn't know you were a little." Hawks said softly. Dabi's skin crawled at the change in tone.

"I was trying to keep it that way, bird-brain." The villain stated.

Hawks seemed to ignore the comment, glancing down at the ripped pants that revealed Dabi's bloody knee, "That looks like it hurts." He said, genuine concern in his voice.

Dabi narrowed his eyes. Hawks was acting fucking weird. 

"Don't baby me." Dabi snarled, making another run for it only to be stopped by more feathers.

Hawks raised his hands, "I wasn't! Promise! Just looked like a nasty scrape, that's all." He defended. 

They stood in awkward silence once more. 

"I, uh, need to get you back to your caregiver." Hawks finally mumbled, pressing a finger to his ear, "Hey, Hawks here, the little has been found. Sending my coordinates." He relayed. 

Dabi just crossed his arms and slid down to the ground. 

"Listen, I'm sorry about this, man." Hawks told him and Dabi really couldn't tell if he was being genuine or if this was part of the act, "I get it's hard--"

"No you fucking don't, Hawks." Dabi snapped, glaring up, "So can it." Hawks had told him before that he's a Neutral. Which makes sense considering the lack of scent or instincts leaning either way. 

"I-" Before Hawks could say anything, someone else entered the alley.

"Dabi! There you are!" Present Mic said, catching his breath, "Thanks for finding him, Hawks." He added, patting the hero on the shoulder. 

"Happy to help." Hawks said with a smile.

A fake smile Dabi was all too familiar with. It's the expression Hawks put on whenever he did interviews or saw fans on the street. 

The performative hero smile.

The one that almost looked like it hurt to make. 

"If you wouldn't mind, could you walk with us back to my apartment? I want to make sure he doesn't run off again." Mic asked Hawks.

"Of course!" The hero answered.

"And you, we're going to have a long conversation when we get back." Mic told the villain, holding out his hand.

Dabi kept quiet and ignored Mic's hand, standing up on his own. 

The walk back to the apartment was long and awkward, even though Mic and Hawks attempted to make small talk several times. 

Honestly it was pretty unbearable.

So, yeah, of course Dabi attempted to dart when he thought they weren't paying attention.

Only to be stopped by his shirt getting yanked back by one of Hawks stupid feathers. 

They finally got back and Mic unlocked the door, "Thanks again, Hawks! I may reach out in the future if I need help with this." He said before heading in.

"No problem." Hawks replied. He turned to leave but suddenly his jacket got grabbed, "Uh, Dabi?" He asked.

Dabi gripped tighter and leaned in, "A-at the hideout...I-I need you to grab something for me." He whispered, voice strained. His face burned. He can't believe he's asking this, "Under my bed there's a shoebox. I-I need that box." He finally said before rushing into the apartment. 

Hawks stood for a moment, confused. 

"Okay..." He mumbled before taking off. 

Dabi had attempted to run back to the spare bedroom to lock himself away in embarrassment but his route got blocked by Eraserhead. 

"Go sit on the couch." The hero said sternly, though the intimidation was undercut by the fact that he was still in kitty cat pajamas. 

"And if I don't?" Dabi grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Then that'll be strike two." Mic stated, voice coming from right behind Dabi. It carried that scary authoritative aura that mixed with the heavy overwhelming scent of an angry caregiver.

Dabi shuddered under the immense pressure.

This is the absolute worst.

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A/N: Kinda short chapter and really quick update but this just felt like a good place to leave off

See you hopefully soon!

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⏰ Last updated: 16 hours ago ⏰

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