Friends break up, friends get married. Strangers get born, strangers get buried. Trends change, rumors fly through new skies, but…

The scars, physical, mental, and emotional, were all still there. They were well-concealed, though, behind bandages and a mask of cool indifference. Hawks tried to tell himself that this was nothing new. For his entire life, especially his time spent as a hero, fight and flight were all he knew. He'd seen friends, enemies, heroes, and villains come and go. Some were strangers, some weren't. Some he saved, some he killed. But no matter how the trends changed, or what new rumors flew through the skies that he no longer could, some things felt like they stayed the same.

Maybe he was frozen in time, or maybe it was just a coping mechanism; denial was always Hawks' strong suit. In any case, it didn't matter how many secrets Dabi unearthed, whether about himself, his father, Hawks, or his father, it all felt…distant to Hawks, now. He tried again to tell himself that this was nothing new. His greatest wish was that heroes had more free time to do nothing, so it stood to reason that the reality was the exact opposite. This level of betrayal and heartache was just part and parcel of being a hero, right?

Now here he was again, at one of his and Dabi's old haunts. It didn't matter what Dabi had done to him, or that Dabi had known his bluff since day one, there was still a tiny part of Hawks frozen in time, stuck in the past. Blue fires burned in his memory, one after the other. The story blurred in Hawks' mind until the pages stuck together. Scars were earned and lessons surely learned after Dabi's attack and betrayal, but all Hawks could think of was the Dabi he'd come to know and care for, not the one who hurt him so viciously.

Their time together hadn't been all business, there was some pleasure in it, too. In moments like those, Hawks could see shades of the man Dabi used to be, and the person he could've become. Those were the memories Hawks just couldn't move past. They were both on the cold and snide side, even though Hawks was always savvy in the art of charming and social interaction.

Perhaps that was why they felt all the more compelled to only go out in public with each other. They were the only ones they could really tolerate. For all their differences, Hawks had seen a kindred spirit in Dabi. Was it wishful thinking, or an astute observation from a bird brain, that Dabi might've felt the same way at some point, even though he claimed otherwise?

Today, though, Hawks was out and about alone. Unsure of what to do, since he was still healing up, he could only wander the city aimlessly, letting his subconscious drive him forward. That was when he found himself at one of his and Dabi's old haunts. On almost instinct alone, Hawks went inside and took a seat in the back corner, as if waiting for Dabi.

He felt unusually self-conscious today. It wasn't normal for him, but even his strongest attempt at denial was weak. He felt as though every eye in the restaurant was turned on him, pitying and curious. Who is that sad little man sitting all by himself in the corner?

I swear you could hear a feather drop! Hawks tried to joke with himself and lessen the tension in the air, but it was of little use. Instead, it only reminded him of the last time the air felt so thick, tense, quiet and heavy. That, of course, was the day Dabi outed both of them before viciously attacking Hawks and leaving him stranded.

That was when the moment stopped, a piece of Hawks' life shattered on the cold, hard ground. It wasn't just his body that broke after Dabi's madness and fire consumed him, but some of his heart as well. Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised that Dabi, of all people, would've been suspicious of him since the very beginning, but somehow, some part of Hawks' guard slipped around the other man.

To hear that everything Dabi had ever said to, or felt for, Hawks was nothing but a ruse of his own had hurt Hawks even worse than he thought it would. In a way, it almost hurt worse than Dabi's flames. Those were so hot that they quickly destroyed the nerves underneath his skin. The emotional wound, though, was one Hawks could still feel, cutting him deep to the bone.

To add insult to injury, it felt like everyone else had moved on, except Hawks. Maybe they expected him to find, somewhere, some perspective, but all he could do was sit there and stare and think. Was this how Dabi felt in the LoV? Hawks, himself, never felt very attached to either group, hero or villain. Obviously, his time with the villains was only an act, but even with fellow heroes, Hawks felt disconnected. Did Dabi feel the same way? From Hawks' observations of him, he wasn't as close to the LoV as some of the other villains in it were.

It was just another thing that bound Dabi and Hawks together. They didn't really have anywhere else they felt connected to, except each other. In that aloneness, they were together. And there Hawks went again, thinking idly about the man he should've been trying to forget. He couldn't find a fresh perspective because his mind always took him back to Dabi. It was like Hawks was picking at a scab trying to heal over an open wound. Dust collected in his shaggy hair the longer he sat and stared, lost in thought, right where…

…you left me. You left me bleeding out on the battlefield, surrounded on all sides by your hottest, bluest flames…The scars that lined Hawks' body, inside and out, were his only "souvenirs" from that fight. That, and…You left me no choice but to stay here forever…

Hawks' thoughts turned dry again, self-deprecation in desperation to find some levity. Did you ever hear or know about the hero who got frozen after being roasted? Time went on for everybody else, he won't know it. He's still 23, inside a fantasy, how it was supposed to be…Even if it was just in his wildest dreams, maybe he envisioned a life where he could've helped Dabi move on from his past and move out from the LoV. After all, Hawks was no stranger to abusive fathers. And in his wildest dreams, the story with Dabi would not have ended like the story with Twice.

But that was delusional, wasn't it? This wasn't a movie. If it was, Dabi would be here by now, ready for a cliché reconciliation and about to enter the next act of his life story: the Redemption Arc. But that was not how reality worked, and Hawks was surely a fool and a traitor to heroes for empathizing so much with such a murderous, unhinged sociopath. How could he ever hope to reach Dabi ever again when they were so different?

Breakups happen every day, you don't have to lose it! Hawks tried to tell himself, but he still spent almost an hour imagining how everything could've been different today. He was still 23, stuck inside his fantasy where Dabi was right there with him once more.

At the restaurant, Dabi was sitting in front of Hawks. Hawks' legs were crossed to keep them from bouncing. He was sure that he was the one Dabi wanted. Even if Dabi still had his own delusions of grandeur, overthrowing Endeavor and the entire hero system as a whole, with Hawks in his life, Dabi had something else to dream about aside from violence and vengeance. That trademark smirk stretched across his stitched-up face, but there was no sadism in it this time, only mischief. It was a shade of the man he used to be, and only Hawks got to see.

Dabi raised a finger, gesturing to the candle sitting between them. The dull, dark orange flame suddenly became a bright, brilliant blue. They sat in the back corner of the restaurant. Wouldn't exactly want someone with Dabi's face in the front and center, now would they? But that was just as well, it gave Dabi more leeway to pull little stunts like this, to dazzle and wow Hawks a little. If Hawks was truly so unbothered by Dabi's fearsome visage, then Dabi wanted to give him a little show. It was the closest he'd come to feeling like someone was proud of him for something…

Everything that night was just right…But I could feel my heart start to break. You told me all of it was fake. Then, everything went wrong, but everybody moved on…

Hawks was still at the restaurant, still hidden in the corner as if waiting for Dabi to come back. He could see Dabi in his mind's eye, that piercing gaze looking right at, and right through, him. If only Hawks had realized just how well Dabi was able to see right through him. The candle flickering dimly in front of Hawks wasn't blue anymore.

Hawks thought he heard someone murmur their sympathy as they passed by his table. They didn't know him, but they didn't need to. The look on his face said it all. He cursed himself again. He was losing his edge! Was that something else Dabi had taken from him? He tried to make his expression neutral again, but it felt fake and forced! Just like…No, he wasn't going to finish that thought. But he wasn't able to move past it either. He just stayed there, dust collecting in the frozen air.

I'm sure that you got a life out there. Do you miss this? I am unaware cause I'm right where I'll cause no more harm, I'll mind my business, done with heroics, 'cause if our love died young I just can't bear witness! And it feels like it's been so long, but if you ever think you got it wrong…

Hawks was still right where Dabi left him, not just in body, but mind. He was thinking the same thoughts over and over again. Even if they were just delusions and fantasies, he kept imagining Dabi coming back and changing his mind. Hawks was just as powerless to change his train of thought as he was to suddenly regrow his wings and start flying again. He was still stuck on the ground, frozen in time, waiting…waiting…waiting.

You left me no choice but to stay here forever…

AN: Written for Elphiegranger2508, the My Hero Addict, LOL