“What in the hell are you on about?” Hawks bites back, and fights down the growing panic in his lungs. He hasn’t been scolded like this since he was a kid, what could he have possibly done to make Tanaka-san so angry? Hawks does everything they say, he’s careful. “I’m busy working my ass off making it into the top ten! What could I have possibly done?” Tanaka-san sighs, still agitated, but disappointed in a way that makes Hawks’ stomach churn. “Look your name up on your phone.” Hawks numbly pulls up the search bar on his phone and searches ‘pro hero hawks.’ And, there it is, the first bold headline on the page. Star-Crossed Hero Love Affair? Underneath the article is a picture of Hawks and Todoroki Natsuo at the cafe they’d visited this past weekend. Picture Hawks has his head thrown back, cackling, and Natsuo is leaning forward, drinking in his laughter with a pleased smile on his face. His arms are extended across the table, as though waiting to hold Hawks’ hand. Shit.

“What’s got you so jumpy, hero?” Dabi sneers, and Hawks answers him. “I got hit with a truth Quirk.” Hawks swiftly contemplates every decision that has gotten him to this moment, starting with his own birth, and regrets all of them. Dabi’s eyes light up like it’s Christmas Day and Hawks is the present he’s been waiting all year to unwrap. “Really?” He purrs, “Well, isn’t that incredible.” ~~~ Hawks gets hit with a truth quirk right before a meeting with Dabi. Dabi thinks it'll be fun. It isn't.