The police station is rather ruined that morning. The Sergeant, Kino, and Bolin walk through the remains of it. The walls and doors are full of holes, everything was blasted, it's like a hurricane of fire passed through. They walk beside agents panicking and trying to salvage everything they can, they pass near the desk where Nanette is sitting, grabbing her head and staring at the table wih despair, defeated. Kino watches everything with detachment, Bolin expresses more sympathy but doesn't stop, and the Sergeant doesn't even spare a glance.
Instructions are given once they get to the basement, and both executioners are taken into the execution room. Once the Sergeant tells them to wait for a moment, he goes to get Dabi and Hawks. He returns just a few minutes later, both prisoners walking in front of him. Dabi has that typical deadpan expression, while Hawks is a bit more pensive, sneaking glances at the Sergeant every few steps, waiting for a chance to act.
"Go in. I'll bring your executioners" the Sergeant says, opening the door and letting them into the empty execution room. Dabi and Hawks enter without protest, and the Sergeant closes the door behind them, watching them from the outside through the sturdy glass walls, and walks out of sight.
The peace doesn't last long. Like it's something they agreed beforehand, Hawks dashes forward, his wings curving, a dagger-sized feather detaching, Hawks catching it in his hand without even looking at it. He lunges forward, embracing Dabi tightly, holding him close and taking a deep breath. Dabi understood immediately -- they both had to do it at the same time, quickly before the Sergeant had time to retrieve Bolin and Kino. Dabi smirked, ready to set himself in the most intense fire he could muster, blue embers flickering, covering him as a hint of what would come very soon, and got ready to feel the plunge of Hawks' feather stabbing into his back.
It was supposed to take only a few seconds, they moved so quickly the Sergeant was supposed to not even have ascended to the ground floor by the time it was all over. Hawks did it without hesitation, stabbing with the feather down.
The feather hit nothing. Dabi wasn't there anymore. Hawks was there, standing with an arm crading empty air and the other clutching the feather, and in front of him it wasn't Dabi on fire. Instead it was Kino, just a few feet away, already aiming the gun at him. Hawks blinked, processing what had just happened, cconfusion, realization, and then sadness played across his face when he realizes he and Dabi had been baited and set up to have their souls and hearts crushed one last time, just in time to hear the noise of the gunshot.
-----
Dabi hadn't agreed with Hawks to do it like this, but if he had to be executed, he preferred it to be by Hawks' hand, and he wanted to take Hawks' life by his own hand, too. The moment he felt Hawks' arms around him, he focused, letting his quirk do the job. The blue fire enveloped him, a blast of heat emanating with such strength if Hawks had been there he'd have felt it to the core of his being. The blue fire crackled, inside was Dabi, satisfied and sure this would seal the deal and their deaths would be swift.
It didn't come. The pain of being enveloped in his own fire was the only thing he felt. Hawks was gone. In his place, in front of him and surrounded by rocks emerging from the concrete floor, was Bolin.
Smirking and not showing any discomfort, Dabi moved, the fire trailing with him. To Bolin it's like facing something very familiar -- Dabi's like no firebender, his fire and strength are different, but he decides to fight the best he can nonetheless. With fluid movements, like it's a normal fight instead of an execution, Bolin slammed a foot against the floor, one of the rocks bounced up. Without missing a beat, Bolin spun on his foot, the other leg extending and not even hititng the rock itself, launching it forward, speeding through the air!
He wasn't going to let it happen without defying it. Dabi threw a fireball, hitting the rock in the air, shattering it in pieces. The dust of the rock hadn't even cleared when Bolin had already launched another, and a third one. Bolin moved his arms in an arch, more rocks sprouting from the ground, the concrete flying in pieces, the electric chair falling apart when a spire of rock speared through it! Judging that'd be enough, Dabi threw another fireball and stepped back, the fire passing through the rocks. One of them crashed right in front of Dabi, the other sailed through the air.
It was a rather large rock, almost as big as Bolin. It wasn't surprising when it hit Dabi, it pushed him against the wall, the wall cracking behind him. Rock and villain slumped onto the floor, the blue fire extinguishing underneath the rock. For a moment Bolin wasn't sure that had been enough, around him the other rocks spun and floated, ready to be thrown as well as necessary.
And just like that, it was over.
Kino wasn't sure what happened. She had just shot Hawks, she hadn't even lowered the gun when suddenly it wasn't Hawks in front of her, it was Bolin, surrounded by floating rocks. Bolin had his arms raised in the air, ready to launch the rocks, when suddenly it wasn't Dabi crushed against the wall, it was Kino. The both of them stared at each other, unsure of what happened. Once it was clear there wasn't any immediate danger, Bolin relaxed, the rocks crashing down, he was breathing heavily out of stress. Kino raised her eyebrows, impassive. Neither Hawks nor Dabi were anywhere to be seen.
"That's it" the Sergeant said from the open door of the execution room. "Well done"
Nothing to be done but leave the execution room. Without crossing words, Bolin and Kino exited, ascending the stairs up the ground floor and leaving the police station without nary a comment.
EXECUTION
Instructions are given once they get to the basement, and both executioners are taken into the execution room. Once the Sergeant tells them to wait for a moment, he goes to get Dabi and Hawks. He returns just a few minutes later, both prisoners walking in front of him. Dabi has that typical deadpan expression, while Hawks is a bit more pensive, sneaking glances at the Sergeant every few steps, waiting for a chance to act.
"Go in. I'll bring your executioners" the Sergeant says, opening the door and letting them into the empty execution room. Dabi and Hawks enter without protest, and the Sergeant closes the door behind them, watching them from the outside through the sturdy glass walls, and walks out of sight.
The peace doesn't last long. Like it's something they agreed beforehand, Hawks dashes forward, his wings curving, a dagger-sized feather detaching, Hawks catching it in his hand without even looking at it. He lunges forward, embracing Dabi tightly, holding him close and taking a deep breath. Dabi understood immediately -- they both had to do it at the same time, quickly before the Sergeant had time to retrieve Bolin and Kino. Dabi smirked, ready to set himself in the most intense fire he could muster, blue embers flickering, covering him as a hint of what would come very soon, and got ready to feel the plunge of Hawks' feather stabbing into his back.
It was supposed to take only a few seconds, they moved so quickly the Sergeant was supposed to not even have ascended to the ground floor by the time it was all over. Hawks did it without hesitation, stabbing with the feather down.
The feather hit nothing. Dabi wasn't there anymore. Hawks was there, standing with an arm crading empty air and the other clutching the feather, and in front of him it wasn't Dabi on fire. Instead it was Kino, just a few feet away, already aiming the gun at him. Hawks blinked, processing what had just happened, cconfusion, realization, and then sadness played across his face when he realizes he and Dabi had been baited and set up to have their souls and hearts crushed one last time, just in time to hear the noise of the gunshot.
-----
Dabi hadn't agreed with Hawks to do it like this, but if he had to be executed, he preferred it to be by Hawks' hand, and he wanted to take Hawks' life by his own hand, too. The moment he felt Hawks' arms around him, he focused, letting his quirk do the job. The blue fire enveloped him, a blast of heat emanating with such strength if Hawks had been there he'd have felt it to the core of his being. The blue fire crackled, inside was Dabi, satisfied and sure this would seal the deal and their deaths would be swift.
It didn't come. The pain of being enveloped in his own fire was the only thing he felt. Hawks was gone. In his place, in front of him and surrounded by rocks emerging from the concrete floor, was Bolin.
Smirking and not showing any discomfort, Dabi moved, the fire trailing with him. To Bolin it's like facing something very familiar -- Dabi's like no firebender, his fire and strength are different, but he decides to fight the best he can nonetheless. With fluid movements, like it's a normal fight instead of an execution, Bolin slammed a foot against the floor, one of the rocks bounced up. Without missing a beat, Bolin spun on his foot, the other leg extending and not even hititng the rock itself, launching it forward, speeding through the air!
He wasn't going to let it happen without defying it. Dabi threw a fireball, hitting the rock in the air, shattering it in pieces. The dust of the rock hadn't even cleared when Bolin had already launched another, and a third one. Bolin moved his arms in an arch, more rocks sprouting from the ground, the concrete flying in pieces, the electric chair falling apart when a spire of rock speared through it! Judging that'd be enough, Dabi threw another fireball and stepped back, the fire passing through the rocks. One of them crashed right in front of Dabi, the other sailed through the air.
It was a rather large rock, almost as big as Bolin. It wasn't surprising when it hit Dabi, it pushed him against the wall, the wall cracking behind him. Rock and villain slumped onto the floor, the blue fire extinguishing underneath the rock. For a moment Bolin wasn't sure that had been enough, around him the other rocks spun and floated, ready to be thrown as well as necessary.
And just like that, it was over.
Kino wasn't sure what happened. She had just shot Hawks, she hadn't even lowered the gun when suddenly it wasn't Hawks in front of her, it was Bolin, surrounded by floating rocks. Bolin had his arms raised in the air, ready to launch the rocks, when suddenly it wasn't Dabi crushed against the wall, it was Kino. The both of them stared at each other, unsure of what happened. Once it was clear there wasn't any immediate danger, Bolin relaxed, the rocks crashing down, he was breathing heavily out of stress. Kino raised her eyebrows, impassive. Neither Hawks nor Dabi were anywhere to be seen.
"That's it" the Sergeant said from the open door of the execution room. "Well done"
Nothing to be done but leave the execution room. Without crossing words, Bolin and Kino exited, ascending the stairs up the ground floor and leaving the police station without nary a comment.