Ashes and Feathers

Chapter 7: Cinders and Ash

The world around them was ablaze, the sky a swirling storm of black smoke and glowing embers. The once-vibrant city was reduced to a smoldering graveyard of crumbled buildings and scorched earth, a fitting backdrop to the destruction unfolding between them.

Hawks' body trembled with exhaustion, his wings barely able to keep him aloft as he faced Dabi. Every movement sent waves of pain radiating through him, the burns on his body searing with each beat of his wings. He could see the sadistic gleam in Dabi's eyes, the flames flickering more intensely with every passing second.

This wasn't just a fight. This was something darker, something far more personal. Every attack from Dabi felt like a punishment—a retribution for all the lies, all the betrayals that had piled up between them. The weight of it all pressed down on Hawks, suffocating him.

"You're slowing down, bird," Dabi sneered, his voice dripping with malice. His flames danced around him, growing hotter, more dangerous. "What's the matter? Can't keep up?"

Hawks gritted his teeth, pushing through the pain, the exhaustion. He couldn't let Dabi win. Not like this.

But deep down, he knew the truth. He was losing.

With a sudden surge, Dabi's flames erupted forward in a massive wave of heat, and Hawks barely had time to react. He flung himself to the side, his wings beating furiously to escape the flames, but he wasn't fast enough. The fire caught the edges of his feathers, burning through them with terrifying speed.

Hawks let out a cry of agony as his wings caught fire, the searing heat consuming them in seconds. He spiraled downward, his body crashing hard against the ground, and for a moment, everything went black.

When he opened his eyes, the world was a blur of ash and smoke. The scent of burnt feathers filled his nostrils, and a sharp, excruciating pain shot through his back. His wings—they were gone.

Panic gripped Hawks as he struggled to move, his body weak and broken. He tried to rise, but without his wings, it felt as though the very core of his being had been torn away. He was helpless. Grounded.

Dabi stood over him, his face twisted in something that might have been satisfaction—or perhaps something darker. His flames flickered, casting eerie shadows on his scarred face as he looked down at Hawks, his eyes filled with a mixture of triumph and bitterness.

"This is how it ends, Hawks," Dabi said, his voice cold. "Grounded. Helpless. Just like all the others who thought they could control me."

Hawks' breath came in ragged gasps, the pain in his back almost unbearable. He tried to reach for his feathers, for anything that could save him, but his arms felt like lead. His strength was fading fast.

Dabi watched him struggle, his expression unreadable. For a moment, Hawks thought he saw a flicker of hesitation in Dabi's eyes, a brief moment of doubt. But then it was gone, replaced by the cold, unrelenting rage that had fueled Dabi for so long.

Hawks' voice was weak when he spoke. "You're really going to kill me?"

Dabi's flames flared up again, hotter and more dangerous than before. He took a step closer, his eyes burning with hatred. But something held him back. The flames crackled, licking at the air around them, but they never touched Hawks.

Dabi's hand twitched, and for a moment, it looked as though he was going to end it. The tension between them was unbearable, the weight of everything that had passed between them hanging in the air like a noose.

But then, Dabi's flames dimmed.

He turned his back to Hawks, his fists clenched at his sides. "You're not worth it."

Hawks' heart pounded in his chest, confusion and anger swirling inside him. Dabi could have killed him—should have killed him. But he didn't. He couldn't.

"What are you doing?" Hawks rasped, forcing himself to sit up, even though every movement sent waves of pain through him. "Why didn't you—"

"I don't need to kill you," Dabi said, his voice barely a whisper, filled with venom. "You've already lost everything that mattered."

Hawks' eyes widened as the realization hit him. Dabi wasn't sparing him out of mercy. He was leaving him broken, shattered, a hollow version of the hero he once was. Without his wings, without his purpose, Hawks was nothing.

But Dabi had made one mistake.

Hawks might have been broken, but he wasn't done.

With a sudden, desperate burst of energy, Hawks lunged forward, his hand grasping for the knife he kept hidden in his belt. The blade glinted in the flickering light of Dabi's flames, and before Dabi could react, Hawks drove the knife deep into his side.

Dabi let out a strangled gasp, his eyes wide with shock as the blade sank into him. His flames flickered, sputtering out as his body went rigid, his hands clutching at the wound.

For a moment, everything was still.

Hawks' chest heaved with the effort, his hands shaking as he pulled the knife free. Blood poured from the wound, soaking the ground beneath them as Dabi staggered back, his legs trembling.

Hawks watched as Dabi fell to his knees, his eyes locking onto Hawks' with a look of disbelief. "You..."

But Hawks didn't let him finish. He raised the knife again, his face twisted with anger, betrayal, and something darker—something he couldn't quite name. "You should have killed me when you had the chance."

And with that, Hawks plunged the knife into Dabi's chest, his breath coming in harsh gasps as the life drained from his former lover's eyes.

Dabi collapsed, his body hitting the ground with a dull thud. The flames that had once burned so brightly flickered one last time before going out completely, leaving nothing but darkness and silence in their wake.

Hawks stared down at the body, his heart pounding in his chest. It was over. Dabi was dead.

But even as he stood there, something gnawed at the back of Hawks' mind. The way Dabi had looked at him, the final moments—it didn't feel right. There had been no hatred in his eyes, no final curse.

Just silence.

Hawks staggered back, his body trembling with exhaustion and pain. He had won. He had survived.

But deep down, he knew something was wrong.

Dabi had faked his death once before.

As Hawks collapsed to the ground, his vision fading to black, he couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

Somewhere, in the darkness, Dabi was still watching. 

And this time, the hatred was real.