'Thinking about it, I could have done this differently', thought Hawks as he launched himself in the air.

He couldn't fly at full speed since he was missing so many feathers... maybe if he hadn't wasted them on fighting beforehand things would have turned out better. Even though he knew he had to intervene, he should have thought of a better way to stop the fight, but as usual, he went too fast.

The hot air in the alley was almost unbearable as he flew towards Dabi. The black haired fire user had engaged in a fight with Endeavor in the midst of this full blown out war between the Liberation Army and the Heroes. This was the exact thing Hawks had tried so hard to prevent from happening: An encounter between Endeavor and Dabi. He hadn't finished his investigation and he hadn't assembled enough evidence yet. Why did they have to face off now? Couldn't these hot heads wait?

He had shouted at Dabi and Endeavor not to fight when he saw them face off in the distance but of course both of them ignored him. They immediately started blasting flames at each other without any hesitation. He tried to reach them to stop it but Re-Destro interrupted him. The bastard had his suspicions on the winged hero since the start and seems to have decided to use the comotion to bring them to light. Seriously? Hawks didn't have time to deal with a sadistic maniac with daddy issues… Not this one at least.

The fire spear Endeavor threw rushed towards Dabi and, as always, Keigo didn't really stop to think. His legs moved on their own as he dashed towards his friend and wrapped his arms around him in the attempt to push him out of the deathly weapon's path. That was his improvised plan, but as he thought he didn't have enough speed. Just as he reached his friend, he felt a burst of hot air breaking behind him and then a searing pain in his back, right between his shoulder blades. Hawks had gone through some hard training and major injuries in his life but he had to admit, this was probably the worst pain he's felt yet. At first he felt nothing but a tension in his muscles and the air leaving his chest in a silent gasp, but then, it hit him.

A sudden burning sensation spread all throughout his back. Hiis wings shuddered at the feeling and feathers instinctively flew through the air in a feeble attempt to protect him but they fell lazily to the ground. Keigo's arms, that wanted to protect Dabi at first, now clenched at him in a desperate attempt at some sort of comfort. He didn't know if his whole back was burnt to a crisp, if he still had wings, if the spear had pierced him completely but what Hawks did know was that he felt tremendous pain and fear creep on him. So, he grasped for help to the person that was closest to him, which so happened to be the one he had aimed to protect in the first place.

"Hawks?" Dabi muttered.

He had this quiver to his voice that Keigo had never heard before. It was almost as surprising as the throbbing pain in his back. Hawks tried to answer, to reassure his friend that he'd be fine but all that came out was a pained moaned as he felt two arms wrap around him. The arms, even though they were meant to be comforting, felt like sandpaper on his sensitive back, even with his clothes between them. Eh… If it hurt, it was a good sign, right?

Anyway, concentrate. Hawks tried to keep himself steady against Dabi, but he felt his knees buckle beneath him. His friend was barely able to hold him as they plummeted to the ground. The wounded hero would have crumbled to the ground if it wasn't for the other holding him. Keigo tried to tighten his grip around Dabi's shoulder but his strength was failing vision was getting blurry and he could also feel something rolling on his cheeks… tears? Probably, this shit hurt like hell, but this wasn't a priority at the moment. Yes, he had rushed in to help Dabi but not just that. If his suspicions were correct, Hawks knew that he had to prevent this fight not only for Dabi's sake but for Endeavor's too.

The winged hero had uncovered a lot of information during his time with the League and Army. Nothing was concrete yet but if the information was true he knew that his idol, Endeavor, needed to be stopped. As much for his reputation as number one as his own personal life and health. If the information he discovered ever went public, it could be the end for Endeavor. In a sense, Hawks had not only taken a blow for Dabi, but for his hero too. Two birds with one stone. Or more like one bird with one spear… Eh.

Hawks looked at Dabi. He felt stupid for thinking about such dumb jokes while his friend was looking at him with such a pained expression on his face. He had to tell him what he found out. Keigo opened his mouth to try and plead to Dabi to stop fighting but again, all that came out was a pained sound. He felt like the words were caught in his throat, blocked by all the sobs that wanted to escape because of the pain he was in.

Come on! Hawks took another breath to sum up all the remaining energy he had, just to say the few words that might prevent a tragedy, but before he could utter a single word everything went dark. His golden eyes rolled back as Hawks went limp in Dabi's arms.

"Hawks?"

Dabi wrapped his arms around the winged blond as he collapsed on him. A second ago, his vision was blurry from the pain his body was going through. He saw Endeavor create something in his hand, a stumble, the ground, and then... he was holding Hawks. He had been fighting Enji Todoroki for a while now and he knew that his body wouldn't be able to last any longer in this situation. Maybe he should've practiced more to last longer in drawn-out battles but it just didn't feel right to him to do so. Anyway, add to that the heat from the fire hero and his time in combat was cut in half.

To be honest, Dabi would have preferred to prevent this fight. Out of all the heroes he could face off with, Endeavor was the last one he should've picked a fight with. Considering their quirks, it was inevitable that things get heated knew his body wouldn't be able to last long. The doctor kept on pestering him about getting his body stronger, that it wouldn't be so much work. However, something wasn't right with the mad man, so he kept his distance from him as much as possible. Something about the scientist made Dabi' skin crawl, he didn't know why, but he didn't look into it much. He prefered to hang out with those that he could actually endure. Like the League… and Hawks.

But here he was, fighting Endeavor. He had seen the number one hero rush towards Re-Destro and Hawks. He didn't know why those two were fighting but having Endeavor in the mix wouldn't be good no matter what was going on. The Liberation Army's leader probably blamed Hawks of treason or something. Which was probably legit but still.

Anyhow, Dabi stopped Endeavor from intervening just in case and here he was. All of this was so much trouble. Couldn't the idiot hero just die already? These stupid, altruist, hypocritical bastards just made it so easy to hate them. It filled him up with hatred and a burning earn for destruction. Something he was boringly used to feeling. Dabi felt like there was no room for anything else in his mind and he didn't feel like working on changing that either. He just went with it, but what he felt in his chest as he held a pained Hawks that just took a hit for him was… new.

Dabi tighten his grip around the trembling body that desperately clung to him. He should concentrate on the fight. He was against Endeavor after all, the Number one hero. Survival was his first priority but he wasn't heartless either. Hawks had proven to be quite the… colleague. He put in a lot of effort for the League of Villains and The Liberation Army.

He wasn't boring either... Hawks always wanted to hang out with him too, for some reason. At first, it was tiresome but Dabi grew to enjoy the winged hero's carefree attitude. Even when he said stupid jokes or pulled some idiot trick with Twice, Dabi couldn't find it in himself to hate him. He always thought it was strange that Hawks would keep on smiling so much even when he saw some sort of sadness in his golden eyes. It was something Dabi could relate to in a way. They all had it. Twice, Toga, Spinner. He felt like Hawks was one of those rare heroes that could actually relate to any of them… Trapped by a society that they should be a part of like everybody else. But Hawks wasn't a part of it in a weird way, like them.

Seeing his colleague in so much pain because he took a hit for him really stirred something in his chest. He could easily imagine how much agony Hawks was experiencing right now. Dabi knew better than anyone how dangerous fire could be against allies and foes. It can heat you up on a cold night or eat you away in an instance, leaving behind a trail of pain and destruction that made you wish for death. He did his best to hold Hawks while trying not to touch the freshly burned skin and muscles, but the spear had damaged a large area of Keigo's back.

Dabi saw that Hawks was trying to speak so he bent over and brought his ear to his lips, ignoring any immediate danger he was in. But all he felt was a gasp on his cheek and the body becoming heavy in his arms. Dabi pulled back to take in the wounded's state only to see Hawk's eyes closed. He felt his heart sink in his chest.

Bright, blue eyes stared at the limp body in his arms for a few seconds. That feeling from before just kept on growing in his chest. It felt cold and empty and it spread all throughout his body. Or maybe that was the blue fire that burst behind him. No. This feeling was truly something new. Dabi gently placed Hawks on the ground, making sure not to lay him on his back because of his wound. His hand stayed stranded on the unconscious one's shoulder for a few seconds, as if making sure he was still there, before he slowly stood up.

"You heroes are all so troublesome… " He whispered in a shaky breath. The fire swirled around him, creating a burst of searing hot air in the alley. "I hate you... I hate you all. I HATE YOU!" In a powerful burst of flames, Dabi rushed at Endeavor in a blazing rage.

Their original plan was to keep the fighting to a minimum but Endeavor knew that would be impossible. Even with all of these experienced heroes gathered for this op, a battle was bound to happen. Which was why they had the civilians evacuated before they started the mission. The hospital op had gone better than they expected thanks to the same strategy. This time it didn't work out so well, but at least innocent lives will be spared thanks to the evacuation.

With that in mind, Endeavor went in full force to bring down the Liberation Army. He had just pinned down Re-Destro's location in the chaos. The leader was attacking Hawks so he must have discovered the winged hero's double agent scheme. He still felt disgusted by the Commission for sending Hawks alone on this mission but the young hero was able to handle himself well. His covered op proved to be a valuable asset in their efforts to bring down the League of Villains and The Liberation Army. The information Hawks gathered was the stepping stone towards an assured victory. Now, they just needed to use it to the fullest.

Endeavor was charging ahead to help his colleague when a sudden wall of blue fire bursted in front of him. The number one hero turned his eyes towards the source to see a familiar face. Dabi. He was one of the members from the League of Villains. Endeavor remembered his profile from the mission briefing. They didn't have much on him except that he was a powerful fire-type user who was not to be underestimated. The young Villain also had a large body count, mostly criminals, to his would have prefered to have helped Hawks but the winged hero could manage without him. He couldn't let such a dangerous asset get away. He answered the blue, fire user's call and dashed towards him.

They engaged in a raging fight of red and blue flames. The villain was powerful but getting slower. He was clearly aiming for a swift victory, just like Endeavor usually aims for in his fights. However, he had trained to keep his body temperature as low as possible to last longer. Unlike Dabi it would seem. He' wager that it would be best to drag this fight out until the blue, fire user got strained from using his quirk. And it arrived faster than he thought. Dabi was clearly weak for a split second and Endeavor didn't waste any time in taking advantage of this opportunity. To keep his distance, the hero created his fire spear to throw at the enemy, with the desire pin him down. A blur passed at the corner of his eye as the spear left his grip.

Hawks!?

Everything went by fast. Hawks dashed towards the stumbling villain. Why!? Endeavor tried to reach for the spear in vain. It was already on its trajectory and it landed straight on a target, but not the one he wanted. Endeavor looked in shock as the spear pierced Hawks between his number one hero was stunned. He didn't make a move as he saw Hawks crumble to the ground into Dabi's arms.

Why did he do that? Had Hawks turned on them? No, he was clearly still on their side. All of his information had been correct. He was even fighting Re-Destro a few minutes ago. So, why did he try to help the villain?

Endeavor remembered a discussion he had with him a few days ago. The younger one kept on bugging him about redemption and if villains could be forgiven.

"Why are you hammering me with these questions?" Grunted Endeavor as he leaned on his chair.

" 'Cause. I wanna know what you think." Hawks swirled on the guest chair in front of the fire hero's desk. "Do you think that a villain, like, I don't know...Dabi, can he be forgiven if he tries to redeem himself?"

"And why would we even think about something like that?" Sighed the flame hero as he rubbed his temples.

"Because, want it or not, a lot of the times, villains turn out to be victims of hero society, yeah." Hawks shrugged. "Shouldn't it be also our job in getting them rehabilitated and walk them towards redemption?"

"A villain is a villain." stated Endeavor. "Whatever your past or motive, it is your choice to do heinous acts or not… But… If one does decide to work towards redemption, then it would be our job to help them along that path."

"... Ahaha wow! I never would have took you for the philosopher kind, Endeavor!" Laughed Hawks.

"Don't mock me Hawks!" Endeavor flamed up. "You were the one to start all this with your questions!"

"I know. I know." Hawks put his hands up in defeat. "It's good to know that the number one hero thinks like that. That's what we need right now if you ask me."

What were you getting at, Hawks? Why were you talking about Dabi? The winged hero had been with the League of Villains for a few months now. He probably got to know them personally. Was he asking about redemption for them?

"I HATE YOU!"

Endeavor snapped out of his shock in time to evade the attack from the raging villain. The hero spun around on his leg to let Dabi's attack pass, expecting him to create some distance between them after missing, but no, The criminal changed his tactic. He spun around immediately when his first attack missed to engage in hand-to-hand combat. This was not his original battle method.

The black haired villain had used long ranged attacks since the beginning. Now, he stayed close and tried to land physical attacks with his fire. Endeavor was able to deflect and parry his ferocious assaults easily. The young one was clearly in a blind rage at the moment. Was Hawks that important to him?... This… Was something he had seen before many times. Villains are able to create bonds with others after all. But… It felt like these patterns were too familiar to him…

With a firm grip, Endeavor blocked both of Dabi's fists in his larger ones. Their fire merged together in a blazing tornado. This was the closest he had ever gotten to the villain. He could see burnt skin on him in detail and blood dripping from the separation between the unaffected tissue. Dabi's fire was truly remarkable in power but his body was not able to support it.

"You will need to do better to get to me, Villain." Patronised the hero.

"SHUT UP!" Shouted Dabi. "I hate you!" He spat the words like a child and glared up at Endeavor with fiery eyes. "You destroy everything you touch! YOU DESTROY EVERYTHING!"

Those blue eyes. Endeavor froze. It couldn't be.

Dabi took advantage of that split second of hesitation to direct a powerful kick in the hero's chest. It made the larger man back away drastically in a burst of blue flames. Endeavor felt his heels glide on the ground for a few meters before he was able to kneel to a stop. Luckily, he was able to halt his trajectory as he had gone dangerously close to Hawks that was still lying on the ground. Endeavor instinctively placed a hand above the downed hero behind him as a safety measure to make sure nothing would touch him but his eyes were still on Dabi.

Those eyes. Those fiery, blue eyes filled with so much hatred. The words spat at him, the combat techniques. It couldn't be. But… That would explain Hawks's questions. It would explain why he protected the villain. He must have found out something during his cover op.

The world seemed to dim around Endeavor as he felt his heart sink in his chest. For the first time in his life, he felt cold and was unable to move.

Dabi rushed towards him with blue fire blazing around him. He looked like a demon summoned directly from a cold, burning hell, but to Endeavor, a different image appeared before his eyes. A small child with white hair and tears running down his cheeks with eyes filled with hate. He didn't move as the villain approached him. Before everything fell into darkness, Endeavor was able to utter a single word in a broken voice as the blue fire rushed to his face.

"Toya."

The End