Originally posted on September 29th, 2018
This was written for Huyumiweek2018, as stated on Tumblr, "In celebration of the wonderful pairing of the number 2 pro Hero Hawks and Fuyumi Todoroki".
With 16 prompts to choose from among the days of September 22nd to September 29th of 2018, I kind of cheated and used multiple prompts throughout the 8 days, trying to use at least one from each.
Here's a list of the prompts I used:
Day 1: Free and Fall
Day 2: Brittle
Day 3: Eve
Day 4: Snow Day
Day 5: Rebirth
Day 6: Growth
Day 7: School
Day 8: Heat and Chill
"A brittle mood or state of mind is one that appears to be happy or strong but is actually nervous and easily damaged."
An excerpt from the Oxford Dictionary.
It was simple, they weren't villains, just two different people with two different quirks that got into an argument which led to havoc down a street. The damage reached from one end of the block to the other with only the asphalt dug up and a few shattered windows and a high fence bent inward. Thankfully no one was injured. The two perpetrators furiously apologized once confronted by the police and honestly, it was one of the first times a situation had resolved itself before Hawks, the hero too fast for his own good, got involved.
He was a little taken back when he reached the scene at first. It wasn't everyday he got a good 25 maybe 30 minute head-start from his cleanup crew without something to do.
Hawks was happy to say the least. He recalled his feathers and perched himself atop the traffic light, watching the mass of onlookers swarm around the upturned street. They're voices buzzing in confusion as the constables ushered the perpetrators away amongst the flashing lights of the police cruisers. There wasn't panic, per se, just a lot of exaggeration to be later said over dinner -which was always a plus.
The last thing they needed was a crowd name-dropping a nomu attack and the whole city would turn to pandemonium. And with the appearance of the number two hero- that wouldn't help either- it'd just make matters worst, Hawks was hardly a symbol of peace material after all.
It had already been a month and things were gradually calming down. Hawks' wings were fully back and Endeavour had returned to the field with a growing entourage and if there was one thing the winged hero couldn't resist, it was joining them; the moment the new merch released, Hawks bounced into the stores and returned to Musutafu.
Endeavour showed mixed feels, half relieved at the young man's health and half annoyed at having to autograph all the things presented before him. Hawks offered to treat him out for food in exchange for the signing with the flame hero's request of anything but soba. Despite how well he managed to hide behind the farce of high-spirits, Hawks was anything but. Snow had just started to fall and he long since ventured out on thin ice. He was alone and left amongst hushed secrets.
As much as he hated it, Hawks actually hoped for a call. He readily glanced at his phone for an alert- he'd take anything at that point. He preferred to keep moving despite longing for a life of relaxation.
Irony, some would call it but with the current state of affairs, having nothing to do meant bad things were being prepared and if sending out a massive monstrosity as a simply test, Hawks didn't want to know what the real deal could do. Things would be a lot easier if the League would just turn themselves in, then Hawks wouldn't mind a few breaks of idling around. However, they were a band composed of criminals evading law enforcement their whole lives - they knew how to hide even with their identities and backgrounds known. Most of them anyway.
He was still a bit on edge with being in contact with the one member with a background file as useful as a blank sheet of paper. They didn't even have his real name. His anger was well placed though. With the lying and lack of information, it kept his mind off the cold air. Winter crept up on everyone but it just started snowing a few days earlier. Hawks had to puff up his feathers to keep warm but just enough to avoid becoming a giant red furby doll.
A gust of brisk air caught up to him on the streetlight and he was forced to stuff his hands into his pockets and bare through it. Come on wind, he thought, I love you but don't fight me.
As soon as the breeze passed, he nearly took flight, but halted when the sound of laughter caught his ears. It was strange amongst the confusion. Just below and a little ways from the intersect, Hawks found a bundle of kindergartners.
Adored in their typical yellow hats and winter attire, the children leaned against the now warped gate around their school, all curiously looking at the blue lights of the police vehicles and the crowd of bystanders already snapping pictures and videos for their social medias later.
Unfortunately, a few of five-year olds managed to wiggle through the damaged fence and into the open streets. With smiles of glee and eyes full of wonder, they dispersed like a swarm of ants.
With nothing else of interest to do, the red faced little escapees stood no chance against Hawks and his feathers as he flung the kids back over the gate where they belonged. He decided to drop down and make a spectacle of himself amongst the children in the hopes that it would keep them occupied until the police were finished taping off the area or their teacher was able to collect them back inside.
A few ran back towards the kindergarten in terror and Hawks wasn't sure if it was a good thing that they ran off screaming "Stranger Danger", or bad that there were still kids out there who didn't recognize the number two hero -even though Hawks didn't particular like the title, it was still a pretty big achievement he liked to be credited for. But he was hardly given the time to think on it for he instantly found himself surrounded by the remaining five year-olds. They clung to him and began yelling all at once.
Now Hawks was no stranger to people touching his wings. It happened just about every time he set foot on soil and was something he simply had to get use to whether he liked it or not. Over the years he came to accept it as one of the many requirements that came with being the winged hero. However, the twenty-two year old drastically failed to realize the difference between small children's behavior around their parents and a group without adult supervision.
Some poked and petted gingerly -a typically response- while others yanked full force at his wings and Hawks was quite sure he had all kinds of dirt and snot and even pieces of gum amongst his feathers because of.
He gave a sigh and let the assault continue, giving the group a large beaming smile. Yet he did over hear some things that evoked certain emotions like the kid currently pulling at the fur of his coat of instance. He was exclaiming, "Hawks, Hawks, I uh, I saw you once! Yeah, yeah. You were there and-and flying like vrooom~ and whoosh~ and-and, and then you went BAM into the windows!"
Not the windows, he thought. He didn't want to be reminded of the invisible barriers separating him from the sky. Oh how he hated them with a passion. The mere concept of them made no sense. Why did people only want to see outside and not be able to experience it.
So what if it rained? Put rain guards up instead, was the argument he held at the construction of his office building, but things didn't go in his favor and he long since lost count of how many times he ran into the glass doors. How many views did that one video get of him flying into one, like a lot. The last thing he needed was to relive the embarrassment but he put up with it for the circle of child around him; the life of a high ranking hero was rough after all especially when having to keep up appearances.
And amongst the many voices of the kindergartners, he failed to hear why one brave soul took it upon himself to scale the hero's entire backside, determined to make Hawks' his personal jungle-gym. The boy was able to climb all the way up and began grabbing fistfuls of his messy ash colored hair. It was probably just the boy's attempt to get him to pay attention but Hawks was partially to blame for his disrupted headset that followed because he hardly made an attempt to remove the said child in question.
Then came a shriek, "Oh, good heavens!"
Todoroki Fuyumi came rushing forward from the double doors with a swarm of children at her heels. She helped pull the five-year old from over his head, and cradled him in her arms.
Hawks managed to salvage his visor but lost his headphones to the young villain-in-the-making.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
The hero didn't want to complain but he was quite sure she was asking the boy and not him.
Almost instantly the band of children hiding behind their teacher and peering at the winged stranger, began tugging at her clothes and throwing millions of questions in the adults' direction.
"I'm very, very sorry for all this," Fuyumi said, setting down the troublemaker an addressing the hero while somehow calming the chorus of kindergartners behind her.
"Nah, it's all good -nothing I'm not use to." He waved her off, fluttering his wings and giving them a stretch from all the abuse. It earned all sorts of Oohs and Ahhs from the kids admiring his wingspan.
"They're not usually like this," she explained, ushering the children back towards the building, "but with all the excitement in the street, it got them all hyped up."
Most of the kids were very reluctant to go back inside but Hawks figured the curiosity of the police sirens and the bent fence outweighed the near-negative temperatures -though him personally, he would prefer to be indoors. His tan jacket with fur-lining only countered the cold to a certain extent, and it was made for flying and not simply standing around after all.
He gave the woman a silent praise. Handling villains was one thing, but a group of children, was another. Hawks couldn't fathom how this woman even managed to put up all the little terrors. He, himself barely had the patience to deal with one of them let alone a large group of them.
And to be fair, she looked absolutely exhausted. Several strains of her duo colored hair had already escaped her short ponytail and was currently framing her face but she continued handling the five year olds like nothing was amiss. Her face was flushed from more than just the cold weather, though she seemed to not mind it as much as everyone else did-probably because of an ice related quirk, he suspected.
Hawks wouldn't say he recognized her right away even with her peekaboo red and white hair. Honestly, it was the children calling out to her that did it.
"Todoroki...Todoroki Fuyumi," he said, trying the name out on his tongue.
"Ah, yes!" She straightened up and looked back at him, ushering the last of her students through the doors.
He didn't expect her to hear causing the two to stare awkwardly at one another. Realizing he messed up, Hawks cringed with his mouth gaped, unsure how to respond.
"You...know my name?" She was taken back.
"Umm, your uh...Endeavour's daughter, right?" He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing around to avoid eye-contact with her and sucking in air through his teeth, sharply.
"Oh! Yes, yes I am," she stated, pushing her glasses back into place while trying to break the ice between them.
Despite how many times it happened, he never exactly got use to being confronted. Hawks constantly blurted out information he shouldn't know and often found himself unable to tell how he exactly knew. This time, it was just his sheer admiration of the Flame Hero that led him researching about him and his family. Their names were about all he had on them. Endeavour wasn't one for interviews and his personal life was tightly kept under wraps so the family biography was as good as a blank piece of paper.
From what he actually did gather, Endeavour's wife, Todoroki Rei suffered a breakdown and injured their youngest in the process. She must have been under a lot of stress especially with her husband being the number two at the time -the poor woman was probably left alone at home with her children, unsure if her husband would return day in and day out. A Hero's wife was nothing short of an active Military's wife after all.
Hawks looked at the woman before him, realizing she too probably had to grow up quickly, maybe even as fast as he did when he was taken from his family at a young age. They were both twenty-two but were forced to be adults before reaching their double digits. It wasn't everyday he found someone to sympathize with. He felt a little foolish, feeling that he able to connect to someone he just met, but he couldn't help but smile knowingly at her.
She fidgeted in place, as if to work up the nerve to say something. Yet again fixing her glasses.
Fuyumi absentmindedly patted down her dirty apron that was drenched in paint and possibly body fluids. It was a futile attempt to make herself look presentable but by doing so, she felt his headphones in the front folds of the pockets and pulled them out. She had snatched it back from her rowdy student and put them away while packing up the kids.
"Sorry about that, he recently transferred from Masegaki-municipal elementary and has been nothing but precocious."
"Masegaki elementary, eh? I heard a class of them were used in the provisional license training," said Hawks, trying to make small talk.
Fuyumi blinked before her face lit up. "Ah, so that's what Shouto was talking about -moving their hearts and stuff and how I can stand doing it each day."
Hawks had to agree. "I don't even know how you could possibly do it -sounds like far too much work to have to do everyday!" He gave an expression of disgust with his tongue sticking out.
She laughed. "I don't really know how to answer that," she admitted, setting a hand coyly over her mouth. "I mean, I like kids. And I guess it just comes naturally because I practically raised my little brother and he's now off in college so I'd imagine I'm doing something right."
As she handed back his headphones, she kept ahold of his hand between hers, giving a reassuring squeeze.
"I uh, I wanted to thank you!" she remarked, raising her voice unintentionally and cringing at herself. But she pressed on, wanting to get it out before he took flight, "I'm sure my dad must have been quite the hassle to deal with in that fight...and outside of it as well. But, I wanted to thank you so very, very much for fighting along side him and keeping him alive at least."
"Ah, don't mention it. It was an honor to be able to team up with him."
For Hawks, standing there, speaking with and practically holding hands with the Flame hero's daughter, he could only imagine how angry Endeavour would be if he found out. Probably have steam coming out of his ears if he hadn't already combusted.
The thought made him chuckle a little but, he'd blame it on the cold air for making it sound uneasy when it passed his lips.
The exchange might have been heartfelt but it still came off as awkward, especially for Fuyumi. She quickly released his black glove. Cowering back in embarrassment, brushed a loose strain of hair behind her ear.
"I...I'm sorry, it was just that that fight meant a lot to our family and all. W-well, I mean, it was a big deal for the whole nation with having a new symbol but we were worried with all the things that went on and how he was trying to change for the better an adjusting to being the new number one at the same time and showing those bad guys there was still heroes out there that would give them a run for the money and...and," She paused before nervously chuckled out, "oh goodness I'm babbling. I'm so sorry."
Taking in everything she said at once and realizing, she at least was able to find the nerves to tell him how she felt, Hawks didn't know how to response. And in that moment, he, himself had so much he wanted to say back to her but couldn't find the words.
He never meet someone he felt he could actually talk to before. Someone who could understand what he went through and the childish behavior he donned to make up for his rushed childhood.
Trying to reassure her at least, he took a small step back, waving his hands and shaking his head. "It's no problem! I'm just glad things turned out okay," he chuckled.
It didn't seem to help much. With downcast eyes, Fuyumi glanced at the frost beneath her feet, and moved them to reveal her muddy footprints left in the snow. She looked as if she just spill some major secret and was regretting it.
"I...I know I've already said so much already but I... I wasn't sure I'd get a chance to thank you in person," she began, lifting her head and becoming transfixed in his ambers.
Hawks won't say he believed in love at first sight, but if anything, when he took in the color of her eyes, he loved what they represented. They reminded him of the cloudy skies above and the freedom from the sun's intense heat upon his wings.
"I mean, I did send a letter of gratitude to your office, but I know top tier Heroes -such as yourself- rarely get through all the fan mail sent in and all. I'm sorry. It was nice to meet you at least."
"Likewise!" he said, flashing a smile.
But he was a bit bugged that she was right, he hadn't known about her letter. He barely read through all the fan mail he received, if any at all. However he made a mental note to search for it though; a letter from the daughter of the person he admired about the said person he admired -A snowball's chance in hell was he not going to find it and frame it in his office.
Even if the memory of that battle and the aftermath left a dreadful consciousness over him... there was so much lying built up around it that he could hardly remain airborne under the pressure. But it was part of the job he accepted and -Hawks had to remind himself- there was nothing else he could do but see it through, even if his wings could no longer support him by the end of it.
He let out a shaky breath, feeling the familiar burning sensation building up in his amber eyes. If he wasn't careful with thinking about the whole situation, he'd end up crying again. Just like he did before visiting Endeavour in the hospital an after meeting up with the walking crematorium in the warehouse along the docks.
Hawks really wanted to say something back to the kindergarten teacher, as a heavy silence fell over them, but he couldn't think of anything to lighten the mood.
She held a warm smile. It wasn't necessarily directed at him but it sat naturally upon her features. Almost like she used it for many years, which led Hawks unable to shake the feeling that it wasn't just used for the good times. But he brushed it off thinking it was just his conflicted state of mind that was simply twisting all his thoughts around.
And as if sensing the end of their exchange, Hawks' phone vibrated in his pocket, snapping the two adults from their thoughts. On instinct, the wings that flanked his back prepared for flight. He read over the alert quickly before meeting her gaze with a melancholy grin.
"Well, duty calls!" he chirped, kicking off the ground and hovering for a moment, not quite wanting to leave. "Sorry."
Despite how fast he was, there wouldn't be enough time in the world to explain how grateful he was to meet her. She made him feel a little better knowing there was someone out there who could possibly understand a little of what he went through. But like all good things, there was an ending to everything and now was time for them to part.
"It was nice of you to stop by and help me with the kids. Thank you once last time, Hawks. The best of luck." She waved.
"I'll see you around then." He took higher up in the sky before flying away.
Fuyumi watched his red blur fade out amongst the blare of police sirens and the snowy air. She lingered there as a lone feather floated down before her. She clasped it almost immediately in her hands. She didn't know what she could had possibly said or done to have earned such a parting gift but she accepted it anyway. It was very beautiful.
She recalled seeing him on the television for the Hero Billboard ceremony and how arrogant and disrespectful he was but upon meeting him, Fuyumi realized, he didn't seem all that bad. She rather liked his company; she just hoped she didn't bore him. With all the things happening with her family, she had to keep her feeling bottled up despite wanting someone to talk to.
The Todoroki family didn't partially care, they were all to caught up with their own emotions and lives to actually sit down and have a family discussion-especially with her brothers.
For Shouto, since he was back at UA focusing on catching up with his class with the provision licence, he tried to remain neutral considering he had the longest time knowing about the changes and the worst of the abuse between the siblings. But he rarely spoke up and when he did, it came out as harsher than intended at least, that's what Fuyumi wanted to believe.
Recently though, Shouto's thoughts also centered on the League of Villains. He briefly told her of the training camp and the villain from the television, but he assured her it wasn't anything to worry about.
Natsuo, on the other hand, kept losing his temper so he finally decided to stay over with some college friends to avoid the household, he also had his girlfriend to pamper in the mean time to keep his mind off the anger.
Fuyumi hoped to meet her one day and to see for herself if the girl was worthy of her little brother. From all the pictures and all the things she heard of her, the girl seemed nice but it was too early to tell.
As for Touya, Fuyumi couldn't think of a better time for her to need her big brother's presence.
While she continued to admire the red feather, the cries of her students indoors drew her attention. She took one last look at the vacant sky before returning to work.
Yes, she thought. She really hoped to see him again.
The last line is open to interpretation. Whether she means Hawks or Touya, its up to you.
Here's a rundown of the prompts I used and how I perceived them:
Day 1:
Free - Flying
Fall - An Icarus analogy
Day 2:
Brittle - Hawks' state of mind
Day 3:
Eve - The possible beginning of a relationship
Day 4:
Snow Day - Set in Winter
Snow Day - Being misled by the Todoroki Family's past
Day 5:
Rebirth - A new look on things
Day 6:
Growth - Refer to 'Rebirth' prompt
Day 7:
School - Set in a kindergarten
Day 8:
Heat - Refer to 'Fall" prompt
Chill - Refer to 'Snow Day' prompt