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It was late afternoon when Dabi raced through the streets as fast as he could. His legs trembled and lungs burned. In the back of his mind, he was glad he had hastily thrown on something to cover his scars. If he hadn't he probably would have gained unwanted attention as he pushed past people on the street, receiving several dirty looks. He pushed his body to go as fast as he could but it still wasn't fast enough. He begged the universe to let him get there in time. He just had to get there in time.
A villain had recently risen up. He had begun terrorizing the city with complex attacks. Over time they got bigger, getting more and more attention. He would take down heroes with ease. It seemed that nobody could stop him. The villain demanded to meet with Hawks, wanting to face the hero in a fight to the death. Hawks responded, casually telling the villain that heroes don't kill but that they had a nice jail cell waiting for the villain. The villain then destroyed two buildings full of civilians with little effort, once again demanding to face the hero. Rage fueled the hero as he agreed to face the villain, not wanted any more innocent people to face the consequences of him rejecting the offer.
That morning Hawks had acted weirdly gentle with Dabi. He called in late to work and they spent the whole morning together. He had been gentle in a way Dabi rarely saw. He told him he loved him every few minutes and refused to separate from Dabi, leaving kisses everywhere he could.
Even though he enjoyed the attention, something bugged him about the way his boyfriend had been acting. Those feelings had been confirmed when he received a call from Hawks. The hero told him about the meeting and told him he loved him. Panic rose in Dabi's chest when he realized it was a goodbye.
Hawks had bitten off more than he could chew. He knew it and Dabi could tell that he didn't care. Those deaths had hit him harder than any had in the past and he blamed himself for them entirely. Dabi knew if he didn't get there it wouldn't be good. No heroes were near the location and even if they were they didn't know about the meeting. Dabi was the only one that knew what the hero was doing.
So that's why even when he felt like he would collapse any second, Dabi willed his body to go further. He was close to the warehouse on the outskirts of town that the meeting was taking place at.
When he arrived he heard a loud bang. Flames burst to life in Dabi's hands, almost white with how hot they were. He kicked the door in and rushed in the direction he heard fighting.
As he entered the room the villain used his quirk, pulling several screws out of the wall with his mind and shooting them towards Hawks at the same time as the hero threw three feathers with deadly accuracy. It seemed like the world slowed around them as Dabi watched Hawks and the villain fall to the ground simultaneously.
“Hawks no!” Dabi screamed as he rushed to the hero's side. He ignored the unmoving villain with three sharpened feathers lodged in his chest.
He held Hawks in his arms gently. Blood had begun to stain Hawks’ shirt and pool on the floor. There was so much blood, but even so, Hawks looked beautiful in the golden light coming in from the windows as the sun set outside. He looked like an angel, his eyes and wings almost glowing.
“Hey my beautiful blaze,” Hawks said quietly, Dabi usually hated that name but at that moment he wanted nothing more than for Hawks to call him that for the rest of their lives, “What are you doing here?”
“You idiot. I couldn't sit by and do nothing. Why would you do this?” Dabi said as tears began to roll down his face.
“I had to make sure nobody else got hurt,” Hawks gave a small smile, “I am a hero after all.”
“You can't go yet. People need you. I need you,” Dabi begged.
“It'll be okay,” Hawks continued softly, “I have to tell you something.”
“It can wait until after we get you help, come on-”
“Dabi,” Hawks said sternly through gritted teeth, “I know your life has been full of pain but living the life you do isn't going to solve that problem.”
“What- what do you mean?” Dabi asked as he searched Hawks golden eyes for an answer.
“I want you to save people. Be the good person I know you can be. I know you don't like heroes, but you could fix what's fucked up in hero society. At least it would make your world a little more beautiful,” Hawks' eyes were unfocused as he looked up.
“What if I can't?” Dabi struggled to get the words out.
“I know you can,” Hawks looked into his eyes, the determined light shining through even as his life faded away.
“I love you,” Dabi told the dying hero.
Number two hero Hawks, the love of Dabi's life, took his last breath and spoke, “I love you too… and I believe in you, my beautiful blaze.”
Hawks’ eyes fell closed and Dabi began to scream a gut-wrenching scream. Loud, heartbroken sobs filled the empty warehouse. He rocked back and forth slowly as he cried, arms still cradling his love. The hero looked peaceful, the same way he looked when he had slept in Dabi's arms the night before. The world around Dabi faded away as he held onto Hawks’ body.
Someone must have called the heroes when they heard the fight because eventually, they appeared on the scene, shocked to find the villain Dabi holding Hawks’ body. He yelled in anger when they got close, lashing out with his flames when they got close while tears of agony continued to roll down his face. White hot rage pulse through him as he told the heroes to stay away.
Eventually, they pried him away from the body and once they did the last of the fight left in Dabi seemed to completely drain away. He stared at the ground as they put handcuffs on him and practically carried him to the car waiting to take him to the police station. He said nothing the entire time, none of his usual verbal jabs that he often used when facing heroes. He had already lost so much in his life. Hawks the last light in his life and losing him had broken Dabi.
The police tried to question him. They asked why he had been with Hawks. He stayed silent the entire time. He didn't eat for days as he sat in a cell staring at the ceiling, numb. He ran through the events of that day dozens of times. He told himself he could have saved Hawks if he had just been faster.
He didn't know how many days had passed when they let him go. Apparently when Hawks’ will came out, so did information that led to the League of Villains’ demise within days. With that information was evidence that completely cleared Dabi's name. On top of that, the hero had entrusted everything he had to Dabi.
The number two hero is still pulling strings I see, he thought bitterly to himself as he left the police station. He hadn't listened to the specifics of what Hawks notes had entailed, but he knew the hero had put his reputation on the line by lying to make sure Dabi wouldn't face consequences.
He wandered the streets for hours, not knowing what to do. Everything around him was a blur as he walked aimlessly. Eventually, he found himself at the door to Hawks’ apartment. Quietly, he let himself in.
“I'm home,” He announced out of habit and when it was met with silence he fell to his knees. All of the emotions he had blocked out while in jail rushed back and once again the feared villain Dabi found himself crying more than he had in his entire life.
Hawks really was gone.
He had no idea how long he stayed in that spot, whether it was minutes or hours, but eventually, he ran out of tears. He slept on the couch that night, wearing the hero's jacket. He couldn't stand to sleep in the bed without Hawks in his arms. He stared at the ceiling through the darkness for hours, unable to sleep.
When he finally drifted off, he dreamed of an angel with golden eyes and beautiful red wings.
Months passed and Dabi slowly came to terms with not having the hero around. He adjusted to his new life of not being a villain. He donated what he didn't use for himself to others, knowing that's what Hawks would have wanted. He thought about what the hero had told him to do and after dozens of sleepless nights, he eventually applied for a hero license. He knew it would be a struggle to become what he had hated, but if Hawks believed he could save people then he had to try. And maybe in the back of his mind, Dabi knew he was tired of the pain and bloodshed that surrounded him as a villain. Somewhere deep down he knew it hadn't been right for him. Hawks believed there was good in him and eventually, for the first time in a very long time, Dabi began to believe too.
Somewhere far away, an angel with golden eyes and red wings watched Dabi save lives as an unstoppable underground hero named Blaze. The hero wore a tan coat that looked suspiciously like former pro hero Hawks’ coat. The angel's eyes were filled with love as he spoke,
“I knew you could do it.”