Ashes and Feathers

Chapter 4: Flames and Shadows

The oppressive darkness was suffocating. Hawks could barely move, the cold claws of shadowy creatures tightening around him as they dragged him deeper into the void. Every beat of his wings was slower, more labored, as if the air itself had turned to ash.

But then, a familiar heat cut through the cold.

Dabi.

Hawks' head snapped up, his eyes narrowing against the oppressive darkness to focus on the figure before him. Dabi stood just beyond the grasp of the creatures, his dark flames casting eerie, flickering shadows that danced along the ground. But there was something different in his expression—something darker, more intense.

For a moment, Hawks thought he saw a flicker of the man he once knew, the man he once loved. But that flicker was quickly swallowed by the cold fire burning in Dabi's eyes. Whatever remained of the person Hawks had fallen for was buried deep beneath layers of hatred and malice.

Still, Hawks felt that familiar pull—an undeniable connection that defied logic and reason. Even now, even after everything Dabi had done, there was a part of Hawks that couldn't let go. A part of him that ached for the man standing before him, even as the shadows clawed at his flesh.

"Why?" Hawks choked out, his voice strained as he struggled against the creatures holding him. "Why are you doing this?"

Dabi's lips twisted into a cruel smile, his eyes glowing with that unnatural light. "I thought it was obvious," he said, his voice low and laced with dark amusement. "This is who I am now. You were the one who tried to change me—tried to make me into something I'm not."

Hawks' heart clenched painfully. "I never wanted to change you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I just... I wanted to save you."

"Save me?" Dabi repeated, his laughter cold and bitter. "You were just trying to save yourself. You couldn't handle what I am, what I've become."

The shadows tightened around Hawks, their grip icy and suffocating. His feathers bristled in response, the pain of their cold touch sending shocks of agony through his body. But still, he couldn't tear his eyes away from Dabi.

"I loved you," Hawks said, the words falling from his lips before he could stop them.

For a moment, the world seemed to stop.

Dabi's smile faltered, just for a second, and Hawks thought he saw a flicker of something in his eyes—something softer, more vulnerable. But then the darkness swallowed it again, and Dabi's expression hardened.

"Love?" Dabi scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. "Is that what you think this was?"

Hawks felt a sharp pang of hurt at Dabi's words, but he refused to look away. "You know it was more than that," he said, his voice stronger now. "You felt it, too."

Dabi was silent for a long moment, his gaze locked on Hawks. The shadows around them seemed to shift, as if responding to the tension in the air. And then, slowly, Dabi stepped forward, his black flames flickering with every movement.

Hawks' breath caught in his throat as Dabi drew closer, the heat of his flames scorching the air around them. The creatures holding Hawks recoiled at the heat, retreating into the shadows, but Hawks barely noticed. His entire focus was on Dabi, on the twisted, dangerous man standing before him.

"I did feel it," Dabi said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes were locked on Hawks, burning with an intensity that made Hawks' heart race. "But that was before. Before you betrayed me. Before you chose them over me."

Hawks' chest tightened at Dabi's words, a surge of guilt washing over him. He had chosen the hero's path, had chosen to walk away from Dabi for the sake of duty, for the sake of the mission. But standing here now, trapped in this dark, twisted world, Hawks wondered if he had made a mistake. If, in trying to do what was right, he had lost something far more important.

"I didn't choose them over you," Hawks said, his voice strained. "I wanted to protect you. I wanted to keep you from burning yourself alive."

Dabi's eyes flashed with anger, his flames flaring brighter. "Don't lie to me, Hawks," he spat. "You left me. You abandoned me."

The words cut deep, like a knife to the heart. Hawks opened his mouth to protest, to explain, but Dabi was already moving, his flames flickering dangerously as he closed the distance between them.

Before Hawks could react, Dabi's hand was on his throat, the heat of his touch searing Hawks' skin. Hawks gasped, his wings flaring in panic, but he didn't fight back. He couldn't.

Dabi's grip tightened, and for a moment, Hawks thought this was it. This was how it would end. But then, just as quickly, Dabi's grip loosened, and he leaned in close, his breath hot against Hawks' ear.

"You broke my heart, Hawks," Dabi whispered, his voice laced with both anger and something far more dangerous—something that sent a shiver down Hawks' spine. "And now, I'm going to break you."

Hawks' breath hitched, his heart pounding in his chest as Dabi's words sank in. There was a dangerous intimacy in the way Dabi held him, a twisted version of the connection they once shared. It was dark, corrupted by anger and betrayal, but it was still there. The bond that tied them together, that had always tied them together, even in the midst of destruction.

"Dabi..." Hawks' voice was barely audible, his throat constricting under the weight of everything left unsaid between them. His eyes searched Dabi's face, hoping—praying—to find some trace of the man he once loved beneath the anger and hatred.

But Dabi's expression was unreadable, his eyes cold and distant. The flames around them flickered, casting long shadows across the alley walls, and for a moment, Hawks thought he saw something in the darkness—something lurking just beyond the edge of his vision.

And then, without warning, Dabi's lips were on his.

The kiss was harsh, brutal, filled with anger and desperation. Hawks froze, his mind reeling as Dabi's flames licked at his skin, searing him with their heat. There was nothing gentle about it, nothing tender. It was a kiss born of pain and fury, a twisted reflection of the love they had once shared.

Hawks' wings twitched involuntarily, his body responding to the familiar touch even as his mind screamed at him to pull away. But he couldn't. He was trapped—caught between the darkness of Dabi's rage and the ghost of the love they once had.

When Dabi finally pulled away, his eyes burned with a dangerous intensity. "You belong to me," he said, his voice low and possessive. "No one else gets to have you. Not the heroes, not the League. Only me."

Hawks' heart raced, his mind spinning as he struggled to process what had just happened. His body ached, both from the burns Dabi had inflicted and from the weight of the emotions crashing over him like a tidal wave.

"I don't want anyone else," Hawks admitted, his voice hoarse. "But this isn't you, Dabi. You're letting this darkness consume you."

Dabi's eyes flashed with anger, but there was something else there too—something vulnerable, something raw. For a brief moment, the walls Dabi had built around himself seemed to crack, and Hawks caught a glimpse of the man he had fallen in love with. The man who had been lost to the flames.

But then the moment passed, and Dabi's expression hardened once more. "This is who I am now," he said coldly. "And if you can't accept that, then maybe you don't belong in my world."

Hawks' heart sank. He had always known that this moment would come—that Dabi would make him choose between his duty as a hero and the love he felt for the man standing before him. But now, faced with the reality of that choice, Hawks wasn't sure he could make it.

"I don't want to lose you," Hawks said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Dabi's smile was cruel, his eyes glinting with something dangerous. "You already have."

And with that, Dabi turned, his black flames flaring up around him as he disappeared into the darkness, leaving Hawks alone in the alley, the cold shadows closing in around him once more.