Licensed Villains

Reveal

"You're late," was the first thing Dabi said when he heard the door crack open behind him. The clock on his phone read four-thirty. It usually only took half an hour for Izuku to get home from school on the train, not an hour. It's odd that Mr-Plan-Ahead would be late for anything. Heck, he even gets up at his first alarm every morning. The back up alarms are put to waste. 

"I had a thing," Izuku says, the usually cheer in his tone lacking. 

Dabi swiveled around to look at the boy as he places his book bag on the table. He was wearing his thinking face: gnawing on his lip and eyes not quite focusing on anything. Narrowing his eyes, Dabi shifted to fully face him. The slow way he unpacked his bag didn't comfort him.

"A bad kind of thing or a good kind of thing?" he questioned. Maybe if he pried a little-- 

"Just a thing thing." He looked up at him and smiled. Not a bright, beaming smile that would give him crows feet, but a small one. Sort of like Fuyumi's smiles. Quiet and comforting even if not entirely whole. Taking in that smile, Dabi decided to let it rest. He can work with 'just a thing thing' so long as it stays that way. Not harming but not spreading joy either. Just existing. 

"Hey," Izuku said suddenly. "Do you have any news on that missing guy--Charlie?" 

"Don't know if you've noticed, but I've been a bit too preoccupied for street news," he retorted with an eye roll. Izuku's expression fell then. Quickly, he tacked on, "But, I can check with Katou." 

He pulled out his phone to do so. His messages with the informant were far and few between yet somehow he still managed to be near the top of his most recent list. Izuku would say it was due to his lack of reaching out to others. Hawks would say it's his absent social life. 

Mid typing, Izuku asked him, "Where's Hawks?" 

"Taking a piss. Go check and make sure he didn't fall in if you want."  

He glanced between the bathroom door and him. "Are you sure you're okay with him staying here?" 

He stiffened. Was he okay with it? Does it even matter if he's okay with it or not? The guy has no place to go. He's a wanted criminal. Who else is going to take him in besides other wanted criminals like themselves? 

When he look back at Izuku, the boy had his arms coiled around himself with eyes downcast to the floor. It hit him that he was truly asking. If Dabi said so, he'd arrange for him to stay somewhere else. Where? He doesn't know but he knows it would happen. People don't-- This doesn't usually happen to him. Making the calls, that is. Before Izuku, his father called the shots or Dabi went with the flow of life. Even with Izuku it was him, Revite, acting as the leader. This is. . . odd. 

And, well, Hawks isn't the worst roommate. He's loud (maybe a little less so these past few days) and he wakes up way too early, causing a commotion in the living room at six in the morning, but he's finding he doesn't mind as much as he thought he would. He hums and yes it could be annoying but mostly it was peaceful. Days alone in the flat weren't lonely when he hummed - off key and always gross European music (apparently not American, he got lecture from him for that). Even the abrupt wake ups before dawn aren't that bad. Hawks' feathers look a different colour in the start of the day. 

Speaking of feathers, they help prove Hawks can be a decent roommate. They're always flitting about doing something. Whether that's to keep Hawks' attention elsewhere or simply out of habit, Dabi's happy they're being productive. They clean, they guard the door, they cook. And maybe he's burned a few when they get in his way but to hell if he doesn't enjoy the significant change in the dust to floor ratio. 

Besides, Hawks isn't Hawks right now. Who's going to snap him out of his weird dazes if he's not living with them? 

"Don't worry about me, kid," he settled on saying.