Chapter Fourteen: Jeanist Delinquist
Hawks's eyes slid open. Well, his right one did. His left one only opened a crack. He squinted at the unfamiliar ceiling over his head and took a calm breath. His ribs ached as his lungs expanded, but a quick flex of his wrists showed they were unbound.
Step one was done. On to step two: figure out where he was.
He cautiously sat up, careful not to make the bed springs squeak. The nightstand next to him had no pictures, only a simple clock and lamp, and there were no photos on the walls. The bedroom looked empty and lonely, as if it were only used for basic functions and not really lived in. The closet door was closed, revealing a mirror that showed his reflection. Hawks took in his bruises and averted his gaze.
They really left a mark, huh?
"Gold, can you hear me?"
Hawks jumped at Green's solemn voice. Hey. You're awake. Are you okay?
"Why are you always the one asking that?" Red sighed.
"What the hell happened?" Orange demanded. "You look like you got the shit beat out of you."
I did.
"We should have been there." Silver said lowly. Hawks could feel his failure as if it were his own. Uh oh. Were the walls cracking again? "We should have helped."
I asked you not to. And hey, the Commission doesn't know about you guys. So I see that as a win.
"You see torture as a victory?" White demanded.
I'm alive, out of their facility, and not arrested or dead, Hawks thought bluntly. So yes.
He headed towards a side door and opened it to find a bathroom. Nothing inside it was recognizable except for the a small bottle of shampoo displayed on an upper shelf. It was a joke product labeled 'catnip scented'. Hawks knew that because he was the one who gave it to its owner. He remembered now. They were at Mockingjay's place. He had been there before, but never had a reason to go into her bedroom, though now he wondered if she kept him out because of how empty it felt.
He relaxed and picked up the tiny bottle of 'shampoo', chuckling. You should have seen Katniss's face when I gave her this. Never before has such annoyance been on display. I can't believe she kept it. She did find it funny. That liar!
"How can you joke right now?" Purple demanded. "How can you just go back to your life like nothing happened?"
Because this is nothing new. I've been trained to deal with questioning.
Hawks sensed odd 'pressure' from Pink. It persisted for a couple minutes as he went to the sink and washed his face.
…What are you doing? He finally dared to ask.
"Hush. I'm trying to figure out how to hug you."
"Same." Yellow added.
"I am joining in with the attempts at psychic hugging!" Silver declared.
Maybe if you figure out how to let me in to that house of yours we can try to hug it out, Hawks joked.
He returned to studying his reflection and grimaced. His lip was split and he had a black eye, along with some bruises on his cheeks and throat. He had no doubt there were also plenty of contusions— plus the wounds from Pathfinder's tendrils— under his clothes but he did not need to worry about those. Hawks had to cover the visible injuries with make up. He rummaged Mockingjay's bathroom to begin his search for the proper cosmetics. Hearing footsteps, he called out to her.
"Hey, Katniss? I know makeup isn't normally your thing but can I use the secret stash I know you have for missions?"
"Oh, is that Mockingjay's name?"
Hawks whirled in place, summoning a feather to his hand. He immediately lowered it.
A blond-haired man stood in the doorway, yet Hawks did not feel like his only escape path was blocked. Through his posture was hunched, the man was still tall, standing at around seven feet and two inches. He was bony and angular yet Hawks could not help but compare him to a teddy bear. He felt… safe?
Guys? Is there something you want to tell me?
"It's nice to see him like this again." Green sobbed.
Hawks struggled not to tear up himself. Thankfully, the voices remembered they had an effect on him and retreated into their room before he could start crying like Green. He already had Aizawa thinking he was an overly-emotional wreck. He didn't need anyone else to think he cried for no reason too.
"Oh. I apologize for startling you." The man smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Toshinori Yagi."
"I guessed." Hawks happily took the offered hand and shook it. "It's great to finally meet you face to face."
"I wish the circumstances were better." Toshinori said solemnly.
Hawks's smile remained in place. "Hey, they could be worse."
"That is true." Toshinori acknowledged.
Believing in his ability to multitask while holding a conversation, Hawks returned to rummaging around for cosmetics.
Toshinori watched him, expression curious. "Why do you need makeup?"
Hawks finally found Mockingjay's stash of cosmetics and pulled them out, starting the application process. "Oh, I'm just covering up the bruises, as usual. I can't let the public see a less-than pretty face." He paused to grin in the mirror at him.
Toshinori did not smile back. "This has happened before." It was not a question so Hawks did not respond. "Hawks, this isn't normal."
Oh, great. One face-to-face meeting in and they were having this conversation. Thanks to Miruko and Mockingjay, Hawks knew the song and dance by now and tried not to let his annoyance show.
"Yeah, yeah. I know." he said, tone clipped. As he spoke, he put on a sarcastic drawl without meaning to. "'They shouldn't hurt you.' 'You should tell someone.' 'They have no right to do this.' 'It's not normal.' Hate to tell you this, bud, but this is normal."
"Well it shouldn't be!" Toshinori snarled.
Well, that was quick. A shiver went up Hawks's spine but he held his ground. "It is. That's how it's always been." He tried to force his feathers to relax but did not manage it. Stupid bird qualities. No wonder the Commission disliked them. "Look, sorry for being snippy the first we meet but I've had this argument before and I'm not in the mood. Long argument short: This is my normal, and what happened is over. Nothing can be done about it. I just have to move on and be grateful I'm out."
"You don't have to live like this." Toshinori pressed. "We can help you."
Miruko and Mockingjay said that too. They just didn't get it.
Hawks shook his head. "I don't need help. You should help—" He remembered the Commission's threat and his throat closed up before he could mention Shoto. He cleared it. "You shouldn't waste your time or resources."
Toshinori deflated. "Is that how you see it?" He asked faintly.
Hawks shifted his weight. Yes, he was used to this kind of conversation, but hearing the other party's sorrow— as misplaced as it was— didn't make him feel any less guilty. "I'm a Hero. I don't need to be rescued."
"Is that what you've been told?"
Hawks's lips pressed thin. "Do you always respond with questions?"
Toshinori raised his hands peacefully. "I apologize."
"Mm." Hawks grunted. He glanced at the clock. "Shouldn't you be at work?"
"Yes." Toshinori scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I'll come up with an excuse."
"Don't tell All Might about the Commission." Hawks had meant to ease into that request. Instead he blurted it with no way to take it back. He hoped it sounded less like a plea than it did in his own ears.
Toshinori went silent.
"Don't tell him." Hawks repeated steadily.
Toshinori did not reply.
"Please." Hawks whispered.
Blue eyes locked into gold. "He already knows."
Hawks could not describe the rush of emotions that churned in his stomach and made him want to throw up. The only one he could even hope to identify was panic. He swallowed it.
"This is ridiculous. You can't do anything. You're all so— so—You know what?" He threw his hands up in the air. "Whatever. Sure, go ahead and waste his time over nothing! I don't care."
He thought he made it clear this discussion was over but Toshinori did not listen.
"If Eri begged you not to try to bring her abusers to justice, would you listen?" he snapped.
Hawks's wings fluffed up in anger and he stormed out of the bathroom. To his frustration, Toshinori followed him, forcing him to respond.
"That's different. The Commission is a necessary pillar of Hero Society, not a crime organization. And they're not abusing me. I'm an adult."
"You—" Toshinori's gaunt face twisted but he released his breath in a huff. "I apologize for raising my voice. We don't need to discuss this now."
"Yeah..." Hawks took a calming breath of his own and his smile became more wane. "It'd suck if our first face-to-face talk was all arguing." He looked at the clock again. "Though I guess that's unavoidable. You are now super late."
"I'll make it up to you later." Toshinori promised.
"You're going to send me baby animal videos again, aren't you?" Hawks predicted.
"...They're cute." Toshinori mumbled.
It was almost hilarious that the seven foot tall man squealed about kittens. Hawks only knew that little habit because Toshinori sent him a video of a father cat desperately trying to keep a litter of tiny kittens in one place instead of sending it to his coworker. No wonder the voices looked at him and saw a huge walking teddy bear.
"Yeah, they're adorable." Hawks agreed. "Promise you'll send me a bunch with baby birds. And don't tell Miruko. She'll ruin them all with drawn-in circles and texts saying 'Look, it's you.'"
"I swear on my honor she'll never know about our dealings." Toshinori said solemnly. His sunken eyes glinted with mirth.
"Ahem."
They both looked at Mockingjay, who stared back with a raised eyebrow.
Hawks grinned and waved. "Hi, Katniss! How long have you been there?"
"Long enough." she said dryly.
"Do you want me to send you those videos?" Hawks asked.
"Hmm."
Hawks translated the Mockingjay-speak. "I will if you promise not to tell Miruko. She'll tort— tease me with horrible puns."
Mockingjay rolled her eyes but held out a hand. He reached out to shake on it and winced as one of his injuries pulled. Mockingjay's lips thinned and Toshinori's fist clenched but neither brought up the Commission again. That was a good thing because Hawks might lose his temper and scream at them if they did. Or he might cry— No, he would not cry. Crying helped no one and solved nothing.
"You are not dealing with this." Purple mentioned.
Trust me, I am. You'll notice when I'm really 'not dealing' and you will not like the results. I've been trained. I've been through this before. I'll be fine.
"I'm not sure about that..." Yellow whispered.
Hawks ignored him. He and Mockingjay bade goodbye to Toshinori. He wished the secretary could stay longer but Hero duty came first. Except for Mockingjay, who he turned to as soon as Toshinori left.
"So since I'm technically your boss, would you like to tell me why you aren't at work yet?"
"I wasn't leaving you alone with him." she stated.
Hawks may feel offended on Toshinori's behalf but he knew Mockingjay would be this overly cautious with everyone, even Miruko.
Speak of the devil…
The sound of creaking hinges was the only warning he got before Miruko latched onto him the moment the door was open enough for her to step through. The feeling of muscled arms closing around him sent a brief bolt of panic through his veins before he took in the scent of Miruko's shampoo and instinctively relaxed.
Hawks's arms flailed vaguely before he instinctively hugged her back. Her embrace was too gentle— oh dear— she was shaking— oh boy— and he heard her teeth audibly clench in rage—Annnd this was bad. Hawks smiled uncertainly as he tried to figure out how to approach this delicately and without causing a national incident.
"…Hi."
Wow. He was truly the best at emotions and speaking and things. The depths of his charisma and ability to verbally defuse a situation astounded even himself. Good job, Hawks. Well done. Congrats.
Miruko did not explode even though Hawks knew she wanted to. Instead she kept hugging him.
"Jeanist talked to me." she said briefly and Hawks flinched. She let him go and cupped his bruised cheeks with her hands, making him look her in the eye. "You don't need to worry about me, understand?"
"Just like you won't worry about me, right?" Hawks asked, voice tainted with tired sarcasm. "They didn't just do this to teach me my place, did they? What did you do?"
Her already harsh expression closed off.
"You don't have to tell me." Hawks assured her. "But if you think what you're doing is right, keep doing it."
"I will if you do." Miruko challenged.
Hawks bit his lip. He ducked his head to hide the lower part of his face in his collar. "You'd probably have an easier time investigating things than I would. I'm pretty sure they're watching me at my Agency."
"So you expect me to put you at risk when you don't want me to be at risk?" Miruko asked coolly.
"Yes, because I'm a h-hypocrite." Hawks said scathingly. Why did his voice have to shake then? He needed to sound snappish, not on the verge of bursting into tears like a child. "They could ruin you, Rumi. You could lose everything you've ever worked for."
"And you could lose your life." Miruko snapped.
"They won't kill me." Hawks stated. He saw Mockingjay's fingers twitch as her expression grew stony. "And they won't throw me at something to be killed. Not as long as I'm useful."
Miruko's expression twisted into a snarl. It abruptly smoothed out. "Fine. We'll both be good little Heroes for a while."
Hawks eyed her suspiciously. "That does not sound like the Miruko I know."
She ignored him. "But not today. Today you are taking the day off. So am I because I'm making sure you stay put."
"I need to work." Hawks protested, stomach twisting as he thought about all the work dealing with the Shie Hassaikai he would not be doing and the people he would not be helping because he was being lazy and—
Her expression darkened. "No."
"But Ru—"
"No." It took visible effort for her to stop glowering. Her smile was more fake than any he had seen before. "But we don't have to talk about that now. We have to get ready for tonight."
Hawks blinked. "Tonight? Oh right. The movie."
"Yeah. We're seeing that robot whatever sequel." Miruko said brightly. "I hope it's awful so I can roast it without Ingenium giving me the evil eye."
He could tell part of her cheer was forced.
He could tell she wanted to talk about the Commission and curse them all while declaring they could burn in hell.
She didn't only because she knew it would upset him.
He did not have the heart to call her out on it.
XXXXXXX
Taking a day off was stressful.
If Miruko was not there, Hawks was sure he'd work himself into a panic and begin yanking out feathers by hour three. He could not help it. Time off was exactly that— lazy lazy selfish lazy you're so selfish ungrateful how can you not work when people need help and are dying you selfish brat?— and it gave Hawks plenty of time to think about things.
Things like what happened with the Commission and All Might possibly knowing about the Commission and Mockingjay definitely knowing about the Commission and the threat to Miruko from the Commission and Miruko's anger at the Commission and how the Commission would react if they found out he was being a lazy and ungrateful brat by not doing Hero work as he was trained to because he wasn't on death's door or anything so why the hell was he taking time off—
Hawks grabbed a pillow and locked himself in the bathroom for twenty minutes. He spent those twenty minutes laying on the floor, hugging the pillow, and trying to remember how to breathe. He heard Miruko outside but knew she would only come in if he started hyperventilating. It was an old and standard procedure from when he first started out as an over-worked, exhausted, stressed rookie Pro Hero, but he had not been this bad in years.
His latest visit to the Commission may have something to do with it.
A new feature to his old routine was the voices' presence. Hawks could not say it was a bad addition. They spent the time telling him funny stories about their time at UA, keeping it vague enough that he likely would be unable to use them to identify any of the voices he still did not know. Many involved Aizawa and his eternal headache due to his problem children.
Listening to them, eventually Hawks's anxiety gave up and allowed him to relax.
He emerged from the bathroom like nothing had occurred and he and Miruko spent the rest of the day picking out outfits. It was fun to dress up to go incognito when it wasn't for a mission.
They spent hours putting together both mundane and ridiculous outfits and laughing at each other. Hawks almost passed out from laughter when Miruko emerged in a cliché magician's outfit… and clashing polka-dotted clown shoes. He watched her prance around and laid on the couch so he would not fall over, unable to muffle his giggles. Miruko threw a shoe at him so he got up and got some implausible outfits for himself. The styles he and Miruko chose would make Jeanist faint from pure horror.
As evening drew closer, the two became more serious in their choices. Miruko decided on a simple lilac sweater and jeans along with a slouchy beanie. She tucked her ears inside the hat and the remaining lumps from them made it seem like she had small horns on top of her head.
Hawks considered his own outfit a bit longer since he had to worry about his wings. He could feel Red and Pink's attention lingering longingly on a few of Miruko's prettier clothes but gave them a wide berth. He planned to cover his lower face, and even without that covering, he knew unsavory types may think he was female if they saw his pretty features, especially since he wasn't growing facial hair anymore. That was an experience he did not want to deal with again today.
Hawks chose a plain blue outfit consisting of a hoodie and ratty jeans. His long sleeve shirt had All Might's smiling face on it with an obligatory "I am here!" written in a speech bubble. Green mumbled that he had that shirt. Orange refused to admit the same but they all knew he did. Hawks simply hid his feathers in his clothes by covering his unexposed skin with them under the fabric. He also put some in his hair with a blue bandanna over it to make it seem like he had a more expansive feather mutation. He also put on a blue mask that covered the lower part of his face.
That done, he struck a pose. "How do I look?"
"You look like the world's most friendly ninja, Ninja Might." Miruko said, straight-faced. "What, are you starring in the next knockoff martial arts blockbuster?"
"Don't let Edgeshot hear you say that about ninjas." Hawks teased. He summoned a feather to his hand and held it up over his eyebrow. "What do you think? Should I feather my eyebrows?"
"That was painful. And that's coming from me."
Hawks stared at her unrepentantly as he attached the feathers so they stuck up like All Might's hair. He continued to stare at her, unblinking as he waited for her to react. She did not disappoint.
Miruko lowered her face into her hand. "You're such a dork."
Hawks laughed and removed the feathers, hiding them up his sleeve. "If we're caught, I should pretend to be my evil twin, Skwah. The internet's already convinced he exists."
"Ooo, I want an evil twin too. That sounds like so much fun!" Miruko said with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"Hey, no plagiarizing! Get your own crackpot theory." Hawks sniffed.
There was a polite knock on the door. Miruko loudly complained about her lack of an evil twin as she went to answer it. Hawks had to wonder what the neighbors were thinking.
"Won't people think it's strange you're wearing a mask?" Purple asked after she left.
Not really. I hate to break it to you but some people wear masks all the time. Mostly because someone thought their mutation looked scary.
"We knew someone like that." Yellow said sadly. "A little girl saw his face and cried so he wore a mask ever since."
Hawks grimaced. That's rough.
Miruko bolted back into the room, eyes round. "Hawks."
"Yes?"
"Hawks."
"That's the name they gave me. Don't wear it out it's all I have."
"Hawks, Jeanist is wearing black leather."
"No way."
"Yes way."
"Please tell me it's the full outfit."
"It is. He even has spikes everywhere. He looks like a cliché delinquent. And you can see his mouth."
"...I need a picture."
"I tried to sneak one but he took my phone. Jerk."
Hawks grabbed his phone with a feather and sent it zooming out. Threads snagged it before he could take a photo and retreat. He stalked out of the apartment door to sulk at Jeanist, who held his phone between two fingers.
"Hello, thief." he sniffed.
Jeanist looked skyward for patience and handed Hawks his phone back. His appearance was as hilarious as Hawks hoped. He took edgy and added another layer of edge. Most of the voices burst out laughing, while Orange cursed 'fucking fashionista hypocrites' at the top of his lungs.
If Hawks weren't paying attention, he might not have noticed Pink and Yellow had retreated.
He frowned. Is everything okay in there?
"They're fine." Green claimed. "Let's just enjoy the night, okay?"
Hawks frowned but got no response when he prodded.
They piled into Ingenium's car. Tensei was dressed up the least since he was the least distinctive— and most covered during Hero work thanks to his armor— of their group, settling for a simple t-shirt and casual pair of jeans. Hawks had to struggle not to smile as Silver's pure joy at seeing his older brother up and about crept up on him.
Miruko called shotgun so Hawks and Jeanist took the back seats. No fans swarmed them when they arrived at the movie theater so apparently their disguises were working.
They got into the theater just in time for the previews, and Miruko spent the whole time tapping her foot and grumbling about there being too many. Luckily the movie started before she could get too annoyed with the repetitive 'bwoooom' sounds the previews all used.
The movie started, and Hawks admitted it was pretty good. Some of the cornier lines were giggle-worthy, but the acting, computer-generated— or possibly Quirk-generated— effects, and even the plotlines were decent.
Orange's commentary made it even better as he took personal offense to the action scenes.
"Those explosions are so damn annoying!"
"Look at them! They're fucking green and shit."
"Who the hell came up with this 'hide behind a damn wooden desk and survive an explosion' shit?"
"That asshole would be dead. So would that asshole. Dead. Blown to bits. Oh, look. There's another dead asshole!"
"YOU CAN'T WALK AWAY FROM AN EXPLOSION LIKE THAT! AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH THIS IS SO STUPID!"
It took every ounce of control Hawks had not to laugh at inappropriate moments and get his group kicked out.
XXXXXXX
The movie ran longer than they thought it would. By the time they emerged after the after-credits sequence, most of the restaurants were closed. They debated on what to do until Tensei brought up a nightclub.
Hawks would like to deny his body seized up but he pushed past it. He wouldn't drink and no one he was with was the type to try to make him. That was even if they went. Jeanist did not seem like someone who went to nightclubs.
Hawks was immediately proven wrong when Jeanist did not reject the idea.
"We may be in 'disguises' but I trust we will all have control." he said.
"Just say you're talking to me, asshole." Miruko huffed.
Jeanist blinked benignly at her.
"Asshole." Miruko repeated. She tucked a loose piece of hair under her cap and glanced at Hawks. "What do you want to do?"
The smile he gave her was genuine. "Sure, we can go. Why not? We can celebrate your promotion to Number Five."
The nightclub they went too was not seedy, but it was not a shining beacon of peaceful and upstanding society either. Music blasted, lights pulsed, people danced and made fools of themselves, others drank and made even bigger fools of themselves, a shady guy in the corner was probably selling something, and so on. All in all, the disguised Heroes should fit right in. As he walked into the establishment, Hawks glanced left and saw Miruko was watching him carefully.
"What do you think?" she asked.
'Do you want to be here?' he knew she meant.
Hawks smiled. "Looks fun. Don't end up on the front page of the tabloids."
She stuck her tongue out at him. They got a table to themselves and Hawks was pleased to see they had a special on chicken wings. They chatted about the movie as they waited for their orders, which came surprisingly quickly considering how full the place was.
The wings were pretty good. Hawks nibbled on a few as he watched Miruko try to goad Jeanist and Tensei into a drinking contest. To Hawks and the voices' surprise, Jeanist accepted.
"Jeanist drinks?" Orange spluttered. "What screwed up reality is this?"
Hawks watched them line up shots and shifted, studying Miruko's face. She seemed happy and content, so that meant she would be a bubbly chatterbox when drunk today. He knew from experience that she only became an angry drunk when she was already furious about something.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Rumi?" he cautioned anyway. "You know how you get when you're drunk."
"Maybe I get a little chatty and dumb." she said, eyes never leaving Jeanist. "But I never go back on a challenge."
"You're the one who instigated the challenge." Hawks reminded her.
"Exactly."
Hawks looked to Tensei for someone sane in this strange world and he only shrugged. Knowing he needed to warn the man of what was coming, Hawks leaned close.
"Be prepared for a very talkative and cuddly Rumi. She will find you, and she will hug you. You'll probably want some ear plugs."
"I heard that." Miruko growled.
She and Jeanist began. Tensei kept track while Hawks watched their drinks like… well, a hawk. As Miruko grew more and more growly while Jeanist remained composed, he felt himself relax as bemusement took over. Although he'd rather not smell the alcohol on her breath, he looked forward to her inevitable statements of the obvious.
So Hawks leaned back and enjoyed his chicken wings. It was nice to be able to sit in a crowd without being recognized. He would do it more often if hiding his wings were easier. He knew his feathers were under his clothes but he still felt vulnerable without them on his back.
He finished his chicken wings as Miruko started faltering. Jeanist looked as fresh as a spring daisy but she was starting to struggle. He should probably stop her but Miruko was an adult and could make her own stupid decisions. Plus she'd growl at him if he tried to interfere.
Hawks contemplated his bone-filled bowl and wondered if he could get another one. He glanced around for a waiter and, seeing none, looked towards the bar. It was a square in the center of the establishment and he wrinkled his nose at the thought of pushing through all those people to reach it.
Rumi and Jeanist took another shot.
Tensei watched them as he sipped what he claimed was a plain soda.
Music pulsed.
Lights flickered, illuminating the crowds..
A man was sitting at the bar, hunched over a drink with his front towards Hawks.
The first thing Hawks noticed about him was the vertical scar on his forehead.
His fingertips felt cold and his vision wavered in the bright, flashing lights.
Jeanist stared at him coldly, severe and icy-eyed even in his strange clothes. "Do you understand what you have done?"
Hawks flinched.
He blinked and Jeanist was still drinking with Miruko.
He could not breathe.
The lights were too bright, the people too close, the music too loud.
He stood abruptly, barely hearing Tensei's worried inquiry if he was okay.
"Fine." he gasped. "Need air."
He stumbled outside even as the logical part of him screamed that was an extremely stupid thing to do. He did not understand. Nothing was wrong, everything was okay, why couldn't he breathe? Were the voices speaking he couldn't tell it was just like in the forest again where were the walls and the safeguards and why was everything his fault—?
Hawks yanked his mask down to try to breathe easier but it didn't help. He clutched at his head and slid down the wall, shaking violently as he struggled for breath. He was going to pass out or drift. In the middle of an alleyway. At night. Alone.
Not now. Not now. N̶͝ͅọ̵̎ţ̴͝—
Something was wrapped around his head.
Hawks, with all his speed, could do little more than flinch before hands retracted, leaving… cloth tied around his head above his eyebrows?
He looked at the owner of said hands and nearly passed out as the voices' alarm slammed into him. From the outside, he merely looked at the newcomer in vague confusion even as his inner thoughts literally screamed in panic.
Jin Bubaigawara looked back at him, hands moving uncertainly in front of him as if he were unsure what to do with them.
"You… were splitting apart." he said haltingly.
Hawks stared at him speechlessly, too stunned to move. He wondered why Twice was out in the open before recalling he wasn't a known member of the League yet. He forced his heartbeat to slow. Now was not the time to panic like a rookie who had never seen a Villain before.
Danger level?
"Not much in this instance." Green said rapidly. "He does not seem to recognize you. Twice was never the sadistic type and was a member that gained the will to kill. He does it only for the League, who he sees as the only people who accepted him."
Hawks continued to stare unblinkingly at Twice and belatedly realized he should probably respond to him.
"Thank you." he forced himself to say.
Twice blinked and blatant surprise flashed across his face. He slowly sat next to Hawks, and the Hero went through all the ways he could take him down from such a vulnerable position. He did not act yet, in part because the voices were not screaming at him too. They should arrest Twice here and now before he caused any damage. But…
"Did you have too much to drink?" Twice asked.
Hawks shook his head. "I don't drink. Alcoholic parents discouraged me." He smiled cheerfully. "Booze was always more important than I was."
A part of him that was possibly the voices was freaking out. He was having a normal— albeit unexpected— conversation with a Villain. But was Twice a Villain yet? Or a member of the League for that matter? Hawks had no clue, and the voices were clueless as well. The thought of trying to arrest him now felt wrong since they had no reason to except for future crimes that had not been committed yet, or by this Twice.
Think we can reform him? was Hawks first thought.
The voices' surprise— and in some cases, anger— rippled through him. Hawks repressed a flinch.
"̸̪̈́Ä̶̰r̶̻̊ḝ̵ ̷̢͛y̵͓̚o̵̟̍u̴͖͊ ̶͉̇s̵̜͝ṱ̴͌í̶̜l̵̟̚l̶̥̾ ̴͎͠s̵̛̠o̸͕̒ ̵̠͠s̵̢͘t̵̗͋ù̴͜ṕ̶̢i̴̩̔d̶̋͜ ̸̛̞y̵̪̆ȯ̸̡ũ̷̢ ̸̯̇s̶͈͠t̵͕̍ĩ̶͙l̷̢͌l̷͕̅ ̴̼̿w̵͍͗à̵̧n̵͉̄t̷̼̑ ̴̫̊t̶̞͠ơ̷̧ ̵̙̃h̷̯̋ë̸͙l̷͇̚p̷̢̉ ̸̞͋V̶̩̓ḭ̸̈l̵͊ͅl̵̦̽a̷͍͆i̷̖̋n̸̻̐s̴͙̕?̵͐͜ ̵̦͆D̸̨̍o̷̬͂ ̵̩́y̸̡̎ô̶̤u̶̜͠ ̴̻̈́s̵͔̑t̴͘͜i̷̟̇l̴̻̾l̸̬̒ ̴͓͂h̴͆͜a̸͔͠v̵̮̾ȇ̴͎ ̵̖͠y̸͈͒o̶̰̓ṵ̸̈́r̶͓͑ ̸͖͂s̴̤͆e̷̲̎l̴̪͂f̶̲͛ì̷̮ŝ̷̠h̷̹̄ ̷͙̄i̷͙̇d̷̯͛ẻ̵̼a̵̩͘s̶̘̈́ ̶̙͑t̷̞̅o̵̺͝ ̵̦͛'̴̜̃s̴̳͒ḁ̸͝v̶͙͋ê̷̖'̵̟̉ ̶̙̑t̴͇͐h̵͈͘e̷̱͝ḿ̷̦?̸͍͂ ̷̺͘V̴̆ͅi̷͖̅l̶̬̓ĺ̵̝a̶͍͝i̴͙͝n̶̹͆s̴̨̆ ̵͍̄a̴̡̓r̴̦͑ė̷̠ ̴̩̚t̷͎͑h̵̺͑ẽ̷̦ ̵̊ͅĕ̸̟n̸̪̕ë̸̞́m̶̬̀y̶͈͛ ̸̥͊o̴̡͌f̸͙͗ ̷̰͝S̴͉̒o̵͇̕c̷̲̒ǐ̷̱e̸͕̊ẗ̷͖́ỳ̷̭.̸̣͗ ̸̭̀G̵̪͐o̸̰̅ȏ̴͈d̴͖̾ ̶̬́H̴̳̑e̷̫͘ŕ̸̠ǫ̴̈e̸͊͜s̶̢͝ ̴̣͂d̷̜̏ó̵͖ ̶̺̃n̷͙͝ō̵̧t̷͍̽ ̷̻̂g̷̳̀r̷͖̊a̴̮̿n̴͈̎t̵͓̍ ̶̹̒a̶̠̍ṅ̶̻ ̸͚̕e̵͇͊n̴̺͝e̸̠̿ḿ̸͚y̷͉͆ ̶͚̔m̵͍͋e̵̟͝r̶͔̈́c̶̡͋ỳ̶͈.̸̖̐"̶̮͝
"Excuse me?" Orange spluttered, yanking Hawks out of his panic.
Hawks forced himself to breathe. You heard me. You just said he's not a sadist-type Villain. He wants acceptance, not to burn everything down. Could mental health care help? Or a reinta— a-a rei-intag-gra— Hawks's throat closed like hands had physically clenched around his throat and he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. A Quirk help program? And I'm not talking about that disgusting 'Quirk Therapy'.
"I don't know." Green said doubtfully. "He might not want that help. He might not want to change. He knows he will not be accepted into normal society as it and he are now. The League is the only place he can be himself."
"But he's also not a 'let's kill everyone for the fun of it' type." Purple added. His cautious mood soured into something darker. "Or he never got the chance to become one."
What do you mean?
"He died shortly after..." Purple paused. "...shortly after things started going downhill. We think Miruko killed him. She vanished around the time he did."
Hawks shivered at the thought of his best friend's possible death. It won't happen again.
He blinked, realized he had drifted, and recalled he was sitting next to a Villain. Or would-be Villain. He would like to claim he did not recoil and avert his gaze but that would be a big fat lie.
Guys, we are doing great at the not-freaking-out. Let's keep that up.
"Sorry." Hawks said, apologizing to a Villain who possibly joined a group that screwed over the entire world. "I sink into my head sometimes."
"It's okay." Twice said. He had a surprisingly soft voice. "Your head can be a scary place."
Hawks muffled a sardonic laugh. "Yeah. PTSD is awful." He twitched. "Not that I have it. I mean, I might. But I don't! Because I haven't been diagnosed… So I don't have it."
Purple? I'm being an idiot again. Please make me shut up.
"I don't think I should." Purple murmured. He sounded fascinated. "We can use this. We can use this to—"
"No."
Hawks flinched, because he had never heard Pink sound that angry before. Her next statement sent a shiver up his spine.
"We are not having Hawks infiltrate the League. Never."
When Hawks focused Twice was still with him, which was more than what most strangers would do. It made the voices reel as they tried to fit this man with the villain who brought about the end of their world.
Hawks eventually untied the over-shirt from around his head and handed it back to Twice, who accepted it.
He did not know what to say.
He did not know what to do.
So he sat in silence that was disturbingly calm and tried to breathe as a stranger— a villain— sat next to him in equally silent support.
Asking for nothing.
Demanding nothing.
Merely being there.
It was more than anyone at the Commission had ever done for him. So pardon Hawks for being a little off his game.
Eventually Hawks found his voice. "I—"
The club door opened. Tensei stepped out, face taut with worry, and his eyes narrowed as he spotted Twice. The smile he put on was polite but strained.
"You've been out here for ten minutes. I think even Ru noticed you were gone." he casually walked over, hands in his pockets, and Hawks wondered if he had one around his phone to send an alarm to the others. "Everything okay?"
"I'm fine." Hawks glanced at Twice as his stomach twisted into knots. Would Ingenium realize who he was? "Just needed some air."
"The Heroes did not find out who the League of Villains were until after the training camp." Silver reassured him.
So what if Tensei connects Twice to me later?
Silver had no response to that.
A hand touched Hawks's shoulder and he flinched. He saw Tensei pull back and hastily stood up, glancing at Twice. "Thanks for staying with me, mister."
"I..." Twice's icy blue eyes flicked from him to Tensei. They paused on Hawks. He studied his face and they widened slightly. Crap, had Twice recognized him? "Of course." he said gruffly. "It was no problem. Since your friend is here, I suppose I can go."
He waved vaguely and wandered off like a stranger was wont to do after helping another stranger.
Hawks watched him go without even trying to stop him.
He and the voices wondered if they had made a huge mistake.
"Want to go home?" Tensei asked quietly.
Hawks nodded.
He followed Tensei back into the club to pick up a perfectly poised Jeanist and drunk Miruko. Tensei drove to Hawks's relief since he did not trust himself not to drift on the road. They arrived at Miruko's apartment building and Hawks was tasked with dragging her drunken rabbit tail inside. Tensei offered to help but he declined.
"I can always pick her up with my feathers."
"They're soft and fluffy!" Miruko slurred. "Like a baby chick's." She poked his wing, became fascinated with them, and kept doing it. It was like being poked in the side of the head. Annoying, but bearable. Unfortunately, she decided hugging him and rubbing his cheek with hers was a good idea too. "Baaaaaby Bird! Fluff fluff fluff!"
Hawks sighed.
He waved goodbye to Tensei and Jeanist and began herding Miruko towards the door. Whoever came up with the phrase 'herding cats' had never tried to herd rabbits before because she somehow managed to wander off more than a two year-old. She talked at everything too. Him, a tree, a piece of litter, the moon. Specifically she whined the moon was too bright and was looking for its off switch.
It's official. I am never letting her try to drink Jeanist under the table again.
He followed Miruko as she wandered around and assaulted some poor shrubbery.
She randomly stopped, looked at him, laughed maniacally, and kept wandering.
"The fuck." was Orange's eloquent response.
"I am so confused." Red said flatly.
Join the club.
Miruko ceased in her endeavor to pick all the leaves off a miserable-looking plant and abruptly turned to him, slinging an arm across his shoulders. She frowned.
"Are you okay?" she slurred. "You've been reaaaaaaaally quiet."
"Well you've been reaaaaaaaally talkative." Hawks pointed out dryly.
She squinted at him and nodded slowly in agreement. "It's true. But ya know what else is true?"
Hawks sighed and braced himself for a long-winded rant about something inane.
"You're scared. You're still upset about what those assholes did to you." His spine went rigid. Rumi did not seem to notice. She flailed at the air a few times before her hand successfully landed on his head. "I know you're scared but I'll keep you safe." She patted his head and scowled. "I'm doing an awful job."
Hawks did not reply at first. He knew Miruko would not remember this conversation tomorrow. Yet he couldn't let that statement stand. "You're doing great. More than I deserve."
Her scowl deepened. "You deserve better than those shitheads at the Commission."
Hawks grimaced. "We are not having this conversation now while you're drunk."
"Fiiiiiine." Miruko whined.
She then proceeded to vomit on the sidewalk.
XXXXXXX
Hawks sat at an unfamiliar table with cooling coffee in front of him, watching the cream-filled liquid quiver. He refused to lift his gaze from it, focused on keeping his one hand curled around the handle of the mug.
Best Jeanist sat in front of him. His hair was dyed black and styled into rebellious spikes and his clothes were dark but Hawks doubted the shadows under his eyes were from eyeliner. Seeing Jeanist like this should be funny. It wasn't. He stared at his mug as Jeanist stared at him. A clock ticked on the wall, counting the seconds of heavy silence as they passed.
Tick tick tick.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Jeanist asked.
Hawks sank in his seat and heard Kaminari slide down too, both of them trying to make themselves as small as they felt. Neither of them looked up at the Fiber Hero.
"This is why we have rules." Jeanist stated. "This is why we have regulations. A Hero inside the Paranormal Liberation Front is now in mortal danger because of your actions."
Hawks could not speak. Her eyes filled with tears but she didn't let them fall.
"We just wanted to help." Kaminari whispered.
"You didn't help." Jeanist said flatly. "Nothing you did helped." There was no malice as he stated the facts. His fingers clenched. "Why did you think finding me would benefit anyone?"
She finally dared to look up. "Bakugo—"
"—did not need to be assured of my status." Jeanist stated. "He was my intern for a week, and that is all. But you did not care about that, did you? You had to keep digging and see for yourselves. Because you did not trust the Pros to investigate, Shigaraki now knows I am alive. He knows Hawks and I conspired to fake my death. We haven't heard from Hawks in weeks. It's certain he has been captured by the Villains."
She began to shake. She heard Kaminari's breath hitch and her own eyes stung.
"I-I…"
What could she say to defend herself? Nothing, because she'd been reckless, nosy, and stupid. What had started as a suspicious conversation she and Kaminari overheard involving Tokoyami and Hawks had turned into a web of conspiracies and rumors-turned-fact. It was not just her and Kaminari. Half of Class 1-A had been involved in investigating Best Jeanist's disappearance after the teachers bluntly and specifically told them not to get involved. But they were the two that started it all, and kept pushing even when others thought they should stop.
None of them expected to uncover that Hawks was working as a double agent for the Heroes. None of them expected that fact to get to the wrong person. What was unearthed could not be shoved back into the shadows, and it was Hawks— a Pro Hero working for the good guys and now exposed as a genuine Hero to the PLA— who paid the price for their hubris.
"If we did not need as many Heroes as possible for the upcoming crisis, you and everyone involved in this 'investigation' would get your Hero licenses revoked." Jeanist stated. "You would have also gone to court for accessing confidential files under false pretenses."
His expression was cold, grave and completely unsympathetic. She wondered if that was why Aizawa-sensei was not the one facing them now. Was he blaming himself for not doing more to dissuade them? Abruptly Jeanist slammed his hands down on the tabletop, making her and Kaminari jump.
"Do you understand what you have DONE?!" he repeated, shouting this time. "What you may have cost—"
A phone bleeped.
Jeanist fished it out of his pocket and looked at the message. His eyes went wide and he spun away from them, turning on the television. The image came into focus and she clapped a hand over her mouth so she would not scream.
Hawks's bloody face was plastered on the screen, gripped firmly in Shigaraki's grasp.
The Villain grinned at the camera, chapped lips stretching unpleasantly. "That's right, wonderful viewers: The Heroes became so desperate to stop us they sent their Number Two to spy on us. They became so terrified they were willing to throw their second-best to the wolves. He did such a good job too. Too bad his 'allies' betrayed him." Shigaraki's grin widened so much his lips cracked and bled. "I and my fellow Liberators send our personal thanks to Ochaco Uraraka and Denki Kaminari of UA's infamous Class 1-A. We never would have found this little spy without you."
He shoved Hawks downward, revealing his bare back, and two long, bleeding cuts where there had once been wings—
Twenty-two year-old— not-tortured-not-bleeding-not-wingless— Hawks's eyes slid open.
He stared at the ceiling as they prickled with unshod tears. Pink?
"I'm sorry." She— Ochaco Uraraka— sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
Hawks swallowed. Yellow, you…?
Yellow— Denki Kaminari— said nothing but his anguish ripped Hawks's heart apart.
The two fled into the depths of his mind and the rest followed, but Hawks still felt their guilt.
None of the voices spoke to him for the rest of the night, no matter how much he called for them.
XXXXXXX
A/N: Hey. It's not the day I said I would update (again). What a surprise. You can all act shocked that I updated early. Go on. XD
Anyway, I think I might start doing two updates a week. It would take me half a year to get through the chapters I have done if I continue a weekly update schedule. Yes, I have that many chapters done for this, haha. If I think I might run out (or if I think I'm updating too quickly) I'll slow down updates again but for now, why not?
And now a story to ruin the mood: Drunk Miruko is based off of an event when my cousin slept over. She was not drunk, but she was either extremely tired or possibly sleepwalking? I woke up to find her wandering around pulling leaves off our house plants and when she looked at me, she literally laughed evilly. Like a full-on cackle. Then she went to the couch, laid down, and apparently fell asleep. I'm sure my expression of "What the Hell?" must have been legendary.
The next update will still be the 3rd.