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“What the fuck is this?” Shigaraki demanded.
Two tiny pairs of eyes blinked up at him. If it wasn’t for the bright red wings on the golden-haired kid Shigaraki wouldn’t have even known who he was looking at.
“Well,” Compress sighed, “when I got there they were already like this. Whoever they were meeting was long gone.”
Shigaraki scratched at his neck. “Find out who did this and bring them to me.”
“I am already working on it,” Kurogiri assured. “In the meantime, what shall we do about… their situation.”
Shigaraki groaned. This was going to be such a pain in the ass. “Why should we have to do anything? They’re small, not stupid. Let them sort out their own mess.”
Narrow blue eyes glared at him. The effect was ruined by the lack of scars. The downy soft white hair didn’t help, though it was an interesting little fact Shigaraki planned to hold on to.
Golden eyes blinked, focused but blank.
Compress knelt down. “Normally that wouldn’t be an issue but I’m afraid the quirk messed with their memories a bit as well. They seem to recognize us, to some extent, but other than that their minds match their bodies.”
“Fucking great,” Shigaraiki muttered. “Just… keep them here then. You two little shits, stay out of trouble.”
He pointed at them. Dabi tried to bite his fucking finger.
Shigaraki stepped towards him. “Did you just-”
Hawks flapped his wings, grabbing Dabi around the waist and pulling him away.
“He’s sorry,” Hawks said, soft and quick. “He won’t do it again.”
The look on Dabi’s face said that he would very much do it again the second he got the chance.
If they had been full-sized Shigaraki would have dusted them by now (he would have).
Instead Dabi, who was one of the tallest in the League, barely came up to his waist and Hawks was even smaller. Dabi was in that stupid white shirt he always wore, jacket sleeves rolled up with the trailing ends tied in haphazard knots to keep it from dragging on the floor. Hawks didn’t seem to care that his jacket was touching the floor, keeping it buttoned up to his nose with the collar extending past his head to make a weird looking nest around his face. Neither of the brats seemed scared of him so their memories must have kept some of their stupidity intact but Dabi’s aggression and Hawks’ weird, quiet stare made it clear they were not themselves.
“Keep them out of the way,” Shigaraki scoffed, walking over to the couch and throwing himself down on it. He reached out for his switch, clicking it on and resuming his latest questline. This was one of those stupid side stories that never actually affected the plot, he wasn’t going to waste his time on it.
“Let’s get you both some clothes that fit,” Compress said, soft and endeared already.
Shigaraki glanced over as they made their way to the stairs. Compress was leading the way, Dabi a few paces behind. He was holding Hawks’ hand, glaring at the tall magician's back. Hawks twitched, looking back at him.
Shigaraki scowled.
Golden eyes darted away, his hand tightening in Dabi’s.
Shigaraki rolled his eyes. This better not last long.
--00--
It had been a week.
The quirk hadn’t worn off. Not physically at least. Some of Dabi and Hawks’ memories seemed to trickle back at the most random of moments but other than that they were exactly the same as they had been the day they’d been shrunk.
At least Dabi had stopped trying to set Twice on fire every time the man tried to hug them. They couldn’t afford to move hideouts right now and this was one of the nicer ones they'd had. If he had to move Shigaraki would kill someone.
They were all in the main room. Spinner, Shigaraki, and Twice were playing Mario Kart on the couch (getting progressively louder as the match went on) while Toga fiddled with her phone on the floor in front of them. She would occasionally cheer them on, or bump into their legs hard enough to mess them up. Kurogiri was cleaning the last of the dishes from lunch, drying off the glasses at the counter while Compress practiced one of his magic tricks on the far end of the bar.
Dabi and Hawks were sitting at the middle of the bar, stools pushed close enough they could glue their shoulders together like they’d done the entire week. They both had glasses of juice, crumbs around them from their meals. Hawks was draining his happily, wings fluttering behind him. Dabi didn’t seem interested in his, only taking a sip when Hawks would stare at him too long. Both boys were staring at Compress, watching his hands make a roll of coins disappear and reappear. Compress pretended not to notice the attention, adding more and more flair with each attempt.
“Toga!” Shigaraki barked when he went flying off the road.
Toga giggled, scooting away quickly before he could make a grab for her.
Spinner laughed, only to get a socked foot in the face. He squawked, flying off the end of the couch and slamming into the ground.
Hawks jumped at the sound, his wings flaring out. The tip of his primary brushed against the glass Kurogiri had just set down, knocking it to the floor with a loud shattering of glass.
They all froze.
Hawks was like a statue, his eyes impossibly wide. He slowly looked to Kurogiri, holding his breath.
Dabi looked between them, hands clenching to the point his knuckles turned white around his own glass.
Kurogiri raised his hands in a pacifying gesture, stepping forwards to get around the broken shards.
Dabi jumped off his stool so fast it tipped over. He grabbed Hawks by the hand, shoving him behind him before looking Kurogiri straight in the eye and throwing his drink at the wall.
It shattered.
“Oops,” he snarled, baring his teeth. He was pushing at Hawks, subtly trying to get him to move towards the door.
Hawks latched onto his back instead, curling his wings up around Dabi’s shoulders and sharpening them. Both boys glared at Kurogiri warningly.
“Be careful,” Kurogiri knelt down, hands still held up. “If you move around too much you might step on the glass.”
Spinner slowly pushed himself up. “I’ll, uh, get the broom.”
“Thank you Spinner,” Kurogiri said as calmly as ever. “Dabi, Hawks, would you mind moving towards the couch until I finish cleaning this up?”
Dabi’s face twisted into a mix of anger and suspicion. Hawks wings dropped. He hooked his chin over Dabi’s shoulder, eyes wide and teary now.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to break it.”
The yellow flares of Kurogiri’s eyes turned up. “There is no need to apologize, it was an accident.”
Both boys jumped when Shigraki kicked his foot out towards the coffee table, knocking over everyone else’s drinks that had been resting there. None of them broke from the short fall but all the liquid inside spilled out over the wooden floor.
“Clean that up,” he told Toga, starting a new round and kicking Spinner out of the match so it was just him and Twice. “And don’t pull that shit again!”
“Aww,” Toga whined. She dragged herself up, huffing and puffing all the way. “I was bored!”
“Well now you have something to do,” Shigaraki mocked. He leaned back to motion at Hawks and Dabi. “Brats, get over here and tag in. Twice sucks when he plays by himself.”
“I do not!” Twice shouted, flailing his arms int he air. “Yes I do, I die all the time!”
Hawks and Dabi looked at the mess he’d made. They watch Kurogiri sigh but other than a simple shake of the head the man seemed to not care. Spinner came back with the broom, stepping past them quickly to help sweep up the glass.
“Brats,” Shigaraki said again.
Hawks brought his wings back all the way. He slid his hand into Dabi’s, hesitantly pulling him towards the couch. Dabi watched them all with narrow eyes, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Here,” Shigaraki tossed them the controllers. He didn’t look at them, their expressions made his neck itch. He just started the game so he could pick his character. “Hurry up.”
Hawks picked Toadette because they had the same weird fucking soulless smile. Dabi took longer, only choosing when Shigaraki threatened to start the game without him.
He picked Yoshi. Like a nerd.
--00--
Hawks paused. He tilted his head, blinking slowly. “...Did you stab me?”
“Yup!” Toga chirped, twirling her knife between her fingers. Dabi’s head whipped around from where he was messing with Spinner’s phone. “Did you remember? It’s one of my favorite memories! Your blood is such a pretty color, even prettier than your wings.”
Hawks looked at his hand, turning it over to look for a scar that wasn’t there. “I… I know I should be mad at you. You stabbed me, and it hurt? But I don’t feel mad. And we’re friends now?”
“The best of friends!” Toga beamed, tucking her knife away and holding out her arms. She scooped Hawks up into a hug, careful of his wings, before the boy could decide if he should run away or not. “We have matching knives now! It’s like a friendship bracelet but even better . You let me play with your wings sometimes too! And you do my hair when Twice messes it up. We have nail parties too! You always do the best ones cause one of your hero friends teaches you cool patterns. Even Shiggy liked the last one you did, it was so cool!”
Hawks didn’t fight the hug. He rested his chin on her shoulder, brow furrowing as he thought. “Do you still try to stab me?”
“Only sometimes,” Toga giggles, squealing as she swung him around in the hug. “But Dabs gets mad at me when I try, even though I’m only teasing! Sometimes. I can’t help it! Your blood is just so pretty!”
“...Thank you?” Hawks seemed uncertain of how to respond.
“Don’t thank people for hurting you, idiot,” Dabi snapped, storming over. He glared up at Toga.
“Just like that!” she cooed. “He doesn’t like it when you get hurt, so I have to play nice.”
Hawks looked down at Dabi from where he was being swung around. He smiled, small and soft.
Dabi, without all the scaring to cover it up, turned bright red. “J-just, get down from there! You shouldn’t hang out with people that stab you. Let’s go see Compress, he said he has a new trick.”
“Okay,” Hawks smiled wider. “Can I get down?”
“Aww,” Toga whined. She set him on his feet. “I wanted to play more, but love always comes first! Have fun!”
Shigaraki watched all of this unfold from his seat, lips twisted harshly enough to make his entire face wrinkle like he’d eaten a lemon.
Dabi grabbed Hawks’ hand, dragging him back to the kitchen where Compress and Spinner were.
Disgusting
--00--
Shigaraki could feel eyes on him. He didn’t move, lounging across the couch with the screen of his switch held a few inches from his face. There were light, barely-there steps near the top of the couch where his head was. He sighed, deep in his chest.
He tipped the screen up a bit.
Hawks made sure not to touch him, folding his arms on the armrest and putting his chin on them so he could watch. He couldn’t sleep, his dreams had all been too loud and colorful, full of things he didn’t remember but he knew he should. Dabi had been snoring when he’d gotten up but he didn’t want to disturb him. Shigaraki seemed to be the only one awake, the soft sounds of the surprisingly happy music filling the main room.
“What do you want?” Shigaraki finally grunted, voice scratchy.
Hawks jumped, wings rising. “Um… nothing. Sorry.”
Hawks waited to be told to go away. Shigaraki didn’t say anything and after a long moment Hawks lifted himself up onto the armrest.
“What are you playing?”
Shigaraki debated on answering. He didn’t like talking to people when he was gaming, or ever really, but this was the first time Hawks had spoken directly to him since the first night he’d been shrunk. It was the first time he’d heard the brat ask a question too. Maybe, if he got him talking more, he’d manage to pry some information about the Hawks of the future from his tinier self.
“Goose game.”
Hawks leaned in closer, now hovering above him. His small wings were moving up and down slowly to help him keep balance. “Goose? Oh. You play as a bird?”
“An evil bird.”
Hawks frowned. “But… they’re wearing a ribbon. They look cute.”
Shigaraki snorted. “Toga looks cute and she stabs people.”
“Oh.” Hawks realized. “Why are you destroying things?”
“Because I want to. And I can.”
Hawks pursed his lips. He looked confused.
Shigaraki rolled his eyes so hard he felt like they’d fall out. He sat up, using his thumb and index finger to tug the kid down on the actual cushions. “Here,” he said shortly, shoving the device into his tiny taloned hands. “Just do what it tells you to do.”
“Um,” Hawks looked at it, bewildered. “Okay?”
He fiddled with the controls. Shigaraki wasn’t surprised when he caught onto them quick, he was an annoyingly adaptable bird.
“Birdie?” a tired, croaky voice called. Hawks perked up, waving over at the stairwell.
“T-um, Dabi, come look,” he whispered excitedly, patting at the small space left between him and the end of the couch. He scooted over a bit, glancing up at Shigaraki when his shoulder pushed into his side to make sure it was okay.
Shigaraki yawned.
Dabi squinted at the ashen man but stumbled over. He crawled into the open space, flopping over Hawks’ shoulder and resting his head on the smaller boy’s. “What’re you doing?”
“I’m an evil goose.”
Dabi snickered. It was the most Dabi thing Shigaraki had seen from the kid in days. “Evil? You?”
“Hm-hm,” Hawks leaned into him, letting out a small chirp. “See? I stole that guy's shoes.”
“Wow, so evil,” Dabi drawled, blinking slowly. He looked over at Shigaraki who was watching them blankly. “You don’t let people touch this thing.”
Shigaraki let one eyebrow raise. Another memory back, huh?
“He does, sometimes,” Hawks muttered, twisting so one wing could wrap around Dabi’s shoulders and the other could stretch in front of Shigaraki without touching him. He held it there, keeping it from getting bunched up but not letting it rest. “I… I’ve played games with him before. It was fun.”
“It was not fun ,” Shigaraki counted, lifting his elbow so he could pull the wing back. It rested against his chest, barely even twitching when he let his arm fall along the back of the couch. “You sucked. You died every five minutes.”
Hawks face scrunched. “...Yeah. I still had fun though.”
This was not the kind of info he’d been planning on getting. There wasn’t much he could do about it without making the brats suspicious now that Dabi was here though. Even as a kid he was overly paranoid. Now that he was so strongly protective of Hawks Shigaraki wasn’t going to get far before the boy decided it was time for them to leave.
“Go left,” Shigaraki said, pointing at the side of the screen. “There’s a hidden exit over there.”
“Okay.”
At least Hawks wasn’t bad at this game. It would be a lot more irritating if it was. Every once in awhile the winged hero would giggle which would make Dabi laugh too.
Disgusting.
Later, when Kurogiri walked down to start breakfast, he took a good few minutes to pull out his phone and take pictures he would have to copy and hide away if he wanted to stop Shigaraki from destroying them.
Shigaraki was passed out on the couch, Hawks flopped over on his chest and his wings spread out on either side of him. Dabi was between Shigaraki and the back of the couch, radiating enough heat to keep them all warm even without a blanket. He had one hand clutching at Shigaraki’s shirt, the other resting over Hawks’.
--00--
“Mother fucker -” Dabi’s voice went deep, fast. He dropped down the last two steps, his body rocketing up in height so fast it sent him careening to the floor.
“Dabs!” Toga cheered, throwing herself on top of him.
“You’re back!” Twice joined in. “That sucks!”
Dabi grunted under the combined weight, struggle against both them and the extreme uncomfortableness of clothes that were several sizes too small.
Spinner cracked up laughing. “Your clothes man!”
Shigaraki snickered, pulling out his phone to get a picture.
Dabi’s arms flared blue. Toga and Twice scrambled up, screaming in delight as they ran away.
“Fucking, what the hell?” he looked around. “Why am I here? Where the fuck is Hawks?”
As one they all turned to the small boy that was sitting on top of the bar counter.
Hawks stared at Dabi with his mouth dropped open. “Touya, how’d you do that?”
Dabi went pale so fast Shigaraki thought he would pass out if he wasn’t already sitting on the ground.
A second later Hawks screeched, the slits in the back of his shirt becoming far too small for his adult-sized wings to fit.
“Agh, what the- why am I here?” he flailed, falling off the counter to join Dabi on the floor. “What am I wearing ? Oh my god, Dabi, what are you wearing?”
Shigaraki howled, arms wrapped around his stomach. He’d interrogate Dabi later about that little name drop, but for now he was going to revel in the suffering looks on the two idiot’s faces. They’d caused him enough trouble over the week, he wasn’t going to let this chance slip by.
Hawks flexed his wings. His shirt ripped, falling around him in tattered shreds. He flushed red, leaping up. Dabi’s shoulders lit up in blue flames, his shirt turning to ash in a matter of seconds.
“Fuck!” he grunted, pulling himself up. “Where are my clothes you assholes?! What the fuck is going on?!”
Kurogiri walked in, a plate of cookies in hand. He paused.
“Ah, you are back to normal. That’s a shame.”
“ What?!”
Hawks was really hoping this was some weird drug hallucination. He didn’t remember getting drugged but that was the only explanation for what was happening. It would also explain why, when everyone started to calm down, he automatically grabbed Dabi’s hand to go upstairs to get some better fitting clothes.
Dabi didn’t even seem to notice at first. It was only when they were at the top of the stairs, standing in front of his room, that he looked down.
He stared at their joined hands.
“...What the fuck happened?”
“I don’t know,” Hawks whispered, mortified. “I don’t think I want to know.”
“You-,” Dabi’s face twisted. “What’s my name?”
“What?” Hawks frowned, now concerned. “It’s Dabi. Are you having trouble remembering things?”
“No,” he jerked his hand away. “Forget it. Let’s just get changed and go get some answers.”
“Right,” Hawks said slowly, watching him kick open the door. He was missing something important. Something that was dangling right in front of him, just barely out of reach.
What happened to them?