Hawks

(Mentions of violence, blood and injuries)

After passing the Kurogiri portal, we were in a kind of warehouse, illuminated by the little night light outside.

– Come closer, he won't bite. Not you, at least ... – A few meters from him, there was an amorphous figure, of considerable proportion. It made a sordid sound, like a muffled roar. And as fast as his eyes, or what I assumed were those two flashes on the top oval of the entire anthropomorphic mass now much closer to the light source, my reflections made several of my feathers point in his direction. – Isn't it cute? Although I'm afraid it's not finished. – Smiling at the thing at his feet.

– Is it a relative? – the air felt thick

– How lucky you are in such a good mood. – Turning to me, his gaze was much more sinister than those before. All my senses were screaming at me to get away, and yet I knew it was impossible. – Appreciate our beautiful creation. – Standing behind me, molding his arm around my neck. – Months of research and experiments, as well as the successful results of our last encounter, resulted in the Ultimate Nomu. – The thing began to approach our direction, and my first impulse was to try to get away from Dabi, only for him to bring my hand to the height of the birth of my wings. Damn! That was one of my weak points. – Come closer, High End – And like a dog named by its owner, the figure now of considerable stature and muscle was standing, in front of us; it understood and could take orders. I looked around, for some form of escape, only for him to hold my face forward, straight into those of that monster, which moved closer until it was a few inches from my face. My stomach was churning from the revulsion that was invading me at that moment.

And with one swift movement, he released me from his grip, regulating my airflow again.

– Isn't it lovely? – he kept showing that sinister smile

– Unless this is to show off your brotherly bond with this thing, what am I doing here?

– You will help this faithful henchman to fulfill his mission: assassinate Endeavor – when pronouncing the name of the hero, the thing standing next to the villain, showed a prominent row of teeth, simulating a smile. – Look how excited he is.

– Good luck trying to defeat one of the best heroes – buffet, although unlike the previous ones, this Nomu did have a more threatening appearance, and the laugh that came from the throat of the villain did nothing more than confirm my assumptions.

– I think it will be much better if you find out for yourself – He walked towards me, keeping his distance. – I know that the damn conference they do every six months to elect the first ten jerks will be shortly, and I want the burning hero to face him as proof of his worth – referring to the thing behind him. – Let's see if it has enough to become a symbol of peace or if it dies trying, and with your help, I intend it to be the second. – He took me by the neck again. – You will lure that idiot to an area where it is much easier to kill him, and once there, I will send this little creature to finish the job – referring to the hero as if he had a kind of sick fixation; as if, of all of them, he was the one who hated the most. – And as you already know, – getting as close to my ear as possible – as long as you don't try to sabotage them, no one other than its target will be hurt, otherwise, I will kill as many civilians as possible without you can avoid it. – Releasing me abruptly. – This is your second chance to prove that you are a faithful ally to the league of villains, professional hero. – That damn tone of voice again.

I didn't understand what was stolen from the guy in the tux that time, but the fact that the thing seemed to understand human language was proof that it wasn't just a fluorescent substance. Thinking that thanks to that they would be able to replicate them at their convenience, sent a severe chill down my spine.

While I had previously pretended to help them bypass Nomus reports in various areas, this time the lives of citizens were involved. One error in execution and hundreds of people would be in grave danger.

I did not know the extent of that thing, but I didn't intend to discover it at the cost of innocent lives.

– Okay – I agreed bitterly, as my mind began to devise a plan to help Endeavor without harming any populated area. In the darkness of the shadow that covered their faces, both figures outlined a broad smile.

...

Because the priority was civilians, little or nothing could be done. More Nomus began to appear, and despite the fact that there were more heroes, we were not giving enough. But like a phoenix, it steadily rose toward the creature in midair.

It was once more reinforcements arrived that I was able to get close to the impact zone. The area of the buildings surrounding the attack was in ruins and that damned monster was still standing.

The chaos of the population echoed loudly in my ears, and I know his too, so you can't give up, Endeavor.

– There are humans there ... – the monstrosity pronounced to jump from building to building towards them. My blood pressure was high, and I was groggy from the adrenaline rush.

– It wasn't supposed to affect civilians! – hurrying in the same direction, but again Endeavor got up to hold him back.

– Can you also regenerate? – Hero number one was moving with difficulty, he must have been reaching his limit and yet he didn't stop advancing, propelling himself with his flames, creating constant waves of heat.

Suddenly, both bodies appeared to be just trails of light, moving at high speed across the sky. With the situation a little more under control thanks to the reinforcements and that they were both far enough off the ground now, I knew this was my chance. I was quick to get behind that thing, to at least distract it and give Endeavor some time.

I know my feathers aren't strong enough, but I can match the speed of that thing. It would have gotten his attention to push him far enough away, but I don't know for how long I could.

I always watched him, so I know. I know him won't stop until he gets it; because I never met anyone as stubborn as him.

In a moment of distraction, I was hit by one of his limbs, cutting my brow, breaking my visor in the process. To its misfortune, or so I hoped, I had thrown some of my feathers beforehand, to direct them to Endeavor. I'll add my speed to his firepower! Let me support you a little, to atone for my sins!

My feathers pushed him as fast as possible, generating waves of heat and incandescent light. My feathers could barely keep me afloat, but I was satisfied with that. Seeing how strong he is, I understand that I alone cannot protect anyone, so I want to help him in whatever way I can.

It was much tougher than I thought. HE had to land on one of the buildings from a distance. Far from being destroyed, it did not stop regenerating. More power was needed, and I have no more feathers left, and the ones I sent are about to carbonize.

– Hawks! – Just by naming me, I knew I had no choice. I redirected the rest of the feathers that I had left to give it even greater proportion.

A fiery blizzard engulfed me and within seconds, Endeavor was at a considerable height.

– My feathers are almost ashes! I can't help you anymore! – and understanding his intentions I made one last effort to bring him up. – At that height you can release all your power without fear. – Now, the rest hung on him. Our hopes were now in his hands.

An impressive column of light and fire lit up the sky that was beginning to darken. The exponential heat was so intense that it seemed to be the sun approaching the earth. I could barely keep my eyes up, but his voice was perfectly audible.

– PLUS ULTRA! Prominence Burn! – the fungus created by the attack resembled the momentum of a nuclear bomb. There is no doubt that this is why he is number one. The world seemed to stop spinning.

But as if it were a meteorite, it was hurtling towards the ground at full speed. I rushed to the possible impact zone, but I wouldn't get there in time. The crash generated a blizzard capable of lifting the cars in the area, and from that height the scene was not promising. His body lay, engulfed in flames, motionless, and my palpitations crashed into my chest, as a stabbing pain shot through my back.

– Endea…! – He was standing. I let out the air that I hadn't realized I was holding when the smoke around him cleared; what burned were the inert remains of the Nomu behind him. – I knew you wouldn't let me down, – I expressed relieved, dropping myself to the edge of the roof.

...

– I'm glad you're awake – I showed him the widest smile I could make, and he just grunted, a clear indication that he was feeling better. He had spent the last two days in recovery, and I wanted to know how he was doing. Guilt kept me from falling asleep; I almost led my greatest admiration to his possible death.

– What are you doing here? Are you done with the reports?

– That monotonous paperwork can wait, you are much more important – and immediately afterwards, he took me by the neck of my sweater and then shoved me sharply

– Get out of here and do your job! – flames came out of his head

– Part of it is done, I asked Burnin to help me – rather to type the voice notes I provided. Although I had come to visit, I also needed at least two appointments to ensure that the wings I lost in combat could regenerate. – Also, I wanted to tell you that you were great in battle. – He growled, but his mood calmed down.

Now his left side was covered by a bandage, a product of the injury during combat. At the rate he was going, he would suffer from stomach ulcers. Guilt made me feel guilty, while my knuckles whitened as I showed him a smile that did nothing more than hide the complicity that led him to his current state.

– By the way, – looking at me – it's too much of a coincidence that HighEnd's attack was right on your company – I had to formulate whatever it was in a matter of seconds, or just in that period of time it would all have been in vain

– I also think it is an unreal irony that it was right after your announcement as the current number one; as if it were a twisted kind of congratulation. – My jaw felt stiff, it was not entirely false ... – It was nothing more than a failed attempt at intimidation, which you managed to destroy, demonstrating the responsibility to safeguard the lives of those who trust and believe in you – More than a vague excuse, I firmly believed in those words.

– I guess ... – Exhaling heavily. By the time my cell phone started vibrating, and considering my days off, it would only be for one reason.

– As you feel better, I'll leave you to rest. – I announced, getting up from the chair before I returned the bile on his bed and ended up in ashes

– Hawks… – I stopped at the foot of the door. – Be careful if you plan to continue investigating more about these aberrations. – At no time did we make eye contact, but hearing those words made me smile automatically

– Since when are you so considerate? Are these signs of your uncontrollable love for me? – just to get a pillow thrown at me when I left the room.

Somehow, I managed to escape a very controversial interrogation, only to be summoned back to the source that would have sparked it in the first place.

– The fight was supposed to happen the next day, and elsewhere! – I knew that showing me upset would only satisfy his desire to annoy me, but he had broken his promise, although, how could I be so naive to trust the words of a villain when he betrayed in front of my nose whoever provided the formula for create that thing? Why would it be different with me?

I was pointing my feathers in his direction knowing they would go through him before he managed to create the slightest flame; he was willing to give him a lesson for putting so many civilians at risk.

– First of all. Congratulations! – approaching me, making a pair of my feathers add more cuts to his face. – Due to your invaluable effort, you ended up being number two. You must be satisfied. Although I admit that your speech motivated me. Nothing better than to pronounce the name of the killer of heroes, in a conference where the most important of the country were present. Could it be that you are also a covert insurer of their ideals? – A bitter laugh cradled in my throat. Immediately afterwards, my feathers made several cuts in the villain's clothing who was clumsily trying to avoid them.

– You endangered the lives of hundreds of civilians on a fucking whim! – From the sharp arrow I held to his chest, a stream of blood dripped as the deranged blue–eyed seemed to enjoy it.

– If you betrayed us once, I had to make sure you didn't do it again. – He took the feather, dragging it down, slowly expanding the cut and bloodstain on his white shirt. – Being concerned about the safety of the citizens, you wouldn't have a chance to help that idiot and yet I failed because I underestimated your abilities. – Sticking the feather in his stomach, while laughing like a maniac – You have well deserved your second place, Hawks. – By the time he pronounced this phrase, the feather he had in his hands burned with an intense blue that was not finished being consumed by the crimson liquid that dripped from it, generating a heavy metal smell in the air. His willingness to hurt himself only confirmed my suspicion that the information he had seized regarding me would be publicly available if I annihilated him.

However, more than visibly uncomfortable by the wound that formed a line of footsteps as he advanced towards me, he seemed ecstatic; though judging by the scars around his skin, that cut was probably no more uncomfortable than a scratch from a piece of paper.

– Since we caught up, – I never imagined I'd end up in such a bizarre situation. His hands felt irritably slippery around my neck and when I tried to pry them away, I was only spreading the blood that now covered us both; his blood – how about I give you the details of your next mission? – He inquired only to make it impossible for me to free myself from his mouth.

I wasn't even remotely close to knowing what it felt like to be in the jaws of a wolf, but the smell of iron as our saliva mingled, made me feel like the most defenseless of prey being devoured by its predator, irreparably.

I'd pretend I'd play along, but as soon as I had the slightest gap to finish them off, I would. I just needed to be sure that there would be no ill effects once executed; I had to be as cautious as possible.

And if corrupting myself was enough to make everyone else comfortable, then I would gladly take this job.


I L-O-V-E this chapter. I love Dabi, he's so good at being bad.

Fact # 51

I like the analogy to madness and the dark circus (for being unhinged and eccentric), which is why the chapters related to LOV always have that nuance.

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