WARNING: Chapters contains physical, verbal, psychological, and emotional abuse, dissociation, denial, self-blame, victim blaming, misgendering, threats of sexual assault, allusions and non-graphic descriptions of non-consensual touching/kissing/assault, physical and psychological torture, allusions to non-consensual surgery and medical procedures, non-consensual injections, and suicidal ideation.

THIS WARNING APPLIES TO ALL SUBSEQUENT CHAPTERS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Read at your discretion.

XXXXXXX

Chapter Thirty-Three: Atychiphobia

Hawks opened his eyes to an unfamiliar room. Half his vision took in the white wall, while the other half was partially obscured by the red fabric his face was pressed against.

Step One. Check for mobility and injury.

The only pain Hawks felt was a slight ache in his wings and head, along with a pinching sensation around his ankle. His hands were not bound. There was no blindfold over his eyes. He had no wings to bind, only small bones with tiny, useless feathers. His costume— minus the jacket— was there, but his shoes and socks were gone, leaving him barefoot.

His headphones and visor had been removed as well. His phone was in the alley. No way to get a message out, then. How long had he been unconscious for? He had no idea and no way to find one so he moved on. Something cold was clamped around his right ankle and he did not need to look at it to know it was a manacle.

Step Two. Figure out where I am.

He was laying on his stomach in a bed with the expected manacle around his ankle. Its long chain attached to the floor by the bed, bolted into it with a thick metal plate. It was short enough that he would have difficulty rolling onto his back without his leg getting twisted awkwardly. He carefully pushed himself up, mindful of any bed springs squeaking, and took in the rest of his surroundings.

A single light bulb hung from the ceiling, flickering miserably as it cast slight shadows on the walls. The walls were a blank white. All four of them. Hawks did a double-take. He checked again, just to be sure, and saw he was not mistaken. There was no door or windows and no indicator of what lay outside the walls.

Hawks slid off the bed and onto his feet. The chain attached to his ankle rattled. He froze, holding his breath, but there was no further sound except the pounding of his heart. He crouched by the plate binding his chain to the floor and felt it with his fingers—

Oh, his gloves were gone too. He should have noticed.

Hawks gently prodded the metal instead of frantically yanking on the chain and making noise, trying to get a feel for the type of material it was before deciding whether trying to pull at it was worth it. He had some strength but he doubted he could yank it out from where it was bolted into the floor— which was also metal if the cold bite in his feet was any indication. Maybe he should ask Gree—

There was no one else to ask about anything. He was alone and there was no one else there. He was not afraid of his captor doing anything to anyone else since there was no one else.

Hawks carefully shuffled around and tested the length of the chain. Unless he laid on the floor next to the bed it was too short to use as an effective weapon. And it was not like he could get Kae— his unknown captor to come close over there. It would be too obvious—

His captor was not unknown.

Hawks knew perfectly well who it was.

He huddled by the bed like a child trying to hide from the monsters in the closet and covered his mouth, breath hitching. His throat ached from where Kaetsu had grabbed it, the pain no longer ignored because of his denial.

In front of him, the wall opened.

Hawks recoiled backwards and tried to scramble onto the other side of the bed but the chain did not let him go far, leaving him in sight of the doorway. Kaetsu stepped through and the wall shut behind him, leaving no sign there had ever been an opening.

Hawks's handler hummed to himself as he approached, seemingly ignorant to Hawks's struggle to get away. He sat on the mattress, making it creak, and Hawks pressed himself against the headboard, feeling more and more like a trapped animal. Kaetsu's acid green eyes landed on him and he froze. His useless, small wings twitched but could do nothing to cover him.

Kaetsu tutted. "Turn around."

Hawks's breathing stuttered. His gaze darted around the featureless room and to the chain, searching for a means of escape he did not find. Kaetsu sighed heavily and grabbed Hawks's shoulder, hand clamping over his old scar. Hawks instinctively shoved at him but he may as well be a hummingbird trying to move a mountain.

Kaetsu yanked him around and shoved him face down, exposing his pathetically fluttering wings. A few feathers detached but they floated to the ground before they got anywhere close to Kaetsu, as useless as any old bird's. His weight settled on top of Hawks, pinning his legs, and he shut his eyes. Cold fingers brushed the pathetic remains of Hawks's wings, probing through the feathers hard enough that Hawks felt the bite of Kaetsu's nails.

"Hmm." Kaetsu murmured. "That won't do at all."

Hawks flinched as Kaetsu grasped a small feather and yanked it out. Then another. And another. With each jolt of pain, Hawks felt a growing number of bloody specks trickle down the exposed bone and swollen, scratched flesh. Kaetsu wiped his bloody fingers on the dark red bedspread.

"Much better. Your wings are so beautiful, my Angel, but you haven't earned the right to keep them yet. Now then…"

Warm breath tickled the back of Hawks's neck and Kaetsu nuzzled his ear, kissing his jaw. A familiar disconnected feeling washed through Hawks's body. Had Kaetsu taken control or was Hawks's own mind at fault for his paralysis? He could only move his eyes, which he firmly shut as he reminded himself not to drift.

Just let it happen. It will be over when it's over. There is nothing you can do to stop it.

"The Commission wants me to kill you, you know." Kaetsu told him serenely. "The suicide of the young Winged Hero Hawks would be such a beautiful tragedy. The stories would spread of how you never recovered from your traumatic absence, but so bravely fought on for the people's sakes. Eventually it became too much and you jumped off a building. Or— more likely— you slit your wrists in a bathtub." Kaetsu traced lines up Hawks's forearms with his fingertips. "We wouldn't want to risk ruining your pretty face in a nasty fall."

Hawks shuddered.

"Shh." Kaetsu soothed him. "I'm not going to kill you, my Angel. I could never hurt you like that. I need you too much."

He leaned in and Hawks squeezed his eyes shut as his handler left bruises and marks up his throat and along his jaw. A particularly painful bite made Hawks's eyes snap open. The room was too bright, like his pupils had shrunk to let all the light in it could. A wailing sound reached his ears and he belatedly realized it was him making it.

Kaetsu clamped a hand over Hawks's mouth and shook his head wildly, not in an attempt to escape but trying to force himself to shut up. Kaetsu gave him a calculating look that made his stomach shrivel. It was the kind that made him question if Kaetsu had mood swings at all or was simply playing with him. His arms slid around Hawks's waist and he pulled him into his lap, nuzzling the top of his head.

"Shhh, shhhh. Calm down. I'm willing to wait a little longer, my Angel. I don't want to see your body so… disfigured."

His hands jerked upward and clenched around Hawks's throat. Hawks gasped, reaching up to try to pry Kaetsu's fingers away, but his handler did not appear to even notice what either of them were doing.

"You were disfigured because if you weren't that would mean you were lying to me." Kaetsu snarled.

He removed his weight from Hawks and pulled him to face him, pushing his back into the headboard with an arm across his throat. Hawks only got a single gasp of air before the pressure became too much. Black spots crept into his vision but he could still see those furious green eyes. Kaetsu leaned into his face, breath tickling his nose. It smelled like blood and decay.

"You wouldn't lie to me and trick me, right? Right, you little bitch?" Kaetsu hissed.

Hawks managed a tiny nod.

Kaetsu sighed serenely and relaxed his hold on Hawks, kind and gentle once more. "I know, Angel. I know you're not a liar. The Commission told me what happened. I know the League of Villains altered you. But the Commission has a wonderful doctor who will make you right again."

The contradiction of that with his previous statements about the Commission wanting Hawks dead went right over Kaetsu's head. Or— most likely— he was incapable of seeing that incompatibility at all.

Hawks was too busy coughing and massaging his aching throat to say anything. Even if he wasn't he wouldn't dare to reply.

Kaetsu's expression twisted sorrowfully. "Look at what you made me do."

Hawks submissively dropped his gaze.

Kaetsu grabbed his hair and yanked his head up. "Look at me."

Hawks looked, not daring to even blink as his heart hammered in his chest. What was he supposed to do? What did Kaetsu want? Did he want him to apologize? But the last time he apologized, Kaetsu hit him.

The slap he got was not unexpected.

"Ungrateful brat." Kaetsu hissed.

It was the tone he used as Hawks's disappointed handler. Hawks found it preferable to that of a man obsessed with him. As if Kaetsu had read his mind— or his fear— he immediately held Hawks again.

"I'm sorry." he murmured. "I didn't mean to do that. You're just so frustrating. Why can't you simply do as I ask?"

Hawks could not make himself respond. He stared at Kaetsu in mute indecision, gaze darting to his hands and away. Kaetsu sighed again, like dealing with Hawks was the most taxing thing he had ever done but he had selflessly taken that burden upon himself. He kissed Hawks's cheek and pulled away, getting up.

Hawks's hopes that he was leaving were instantly dashed as he removed his shirt, boots, and other accessories, leaving them far out of Hawks's reach. He returned to the bed and shoved Hawks down before laying behind him and trapping him in his arms.

"I'll keep you safe." Kaetsu murmured as he stroked Hawks's face, stomach, and side. "I'll keep you mine. I promise."

He went quiet. Hawks eventually heard his breathing even out. He did not move, or try to wriggle out of the constrictive arms around him. Instead he stared at the featureless wall as the hours passed, unable to truly know whether it was night or day.

Toshinori would know he was in trouble which meant the Heroes— at least, Miruko, Mockingjay, All Might, Best Jeanist, Ingenium, and Eraserhead— would be looking for him. Right—? No, no of course they would look. That did not give him much hope. Kaetsu was a Commission agent and he knew how to hide his trail. He and Hawks might not even be in Japan anymore.

What kind of Hero thinks other Heroes will release him?

None. Just a pathetic, incompetent fake.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself. They need you to act.

Hawks did not elaborate on 'they', not even in the supposed safety of his thoughts. The voices were so silent he may swear they did not exist if he did not know any better.

Help might be coming, but Hawks could not rely on it. There was no message telling the Heroes where he was. There was no Villain complex or Commission building to raid. He could not sit around here and wait for things to get worse when Kaetsu's 'patience' wore out.

They needed him to escape.

Hawks had to relea— No.

He had to rescue himself.

For them.

XXXXXXX

"You've got to be kidding me." Dabi said flatly. "That's why you insisted on me coming here? To look for some Hero?"

If Dabi did not know better, he'd think Twice had truly lost his mind. The other man looked so genuinely earnest as he nodded his head, emitting an almost naive type of hopefulness even through his mask.

"Yeah. Hawks was kidnapped and I want your help to find him. Giran already got a few locations for us to check out." Twice paused. "We don't know if he's really there at any of them but he's probably close by."

It was telling that Twice did not immediately contradict himself, as if all his thoughts were united by one goal. He truly was serious about this and his heart seemed set on his mission.

Dabi stopped himself from rolling his eyes at the stupidity of it. "So you want us to go and do what? Rescue him? I hate to break it to you but he probably has a group of Heroes looking for him already. We don't need to waste our time."

"Yes we do." Twice hissed with surprising— or maybe it was unsurprising— vehemence. "The Heroes don't have Giran's contacts. The places he gave me are deep in the Villain underworld. There's all this criminal activity like black markets and drugs and Quirk trafficking and brothels. It'll take forever for the Heroes to find anything close and raid it. And that's even if they can. They might not even be able to get a warrant since the Commission won't let them go there. Besides…" His jaw clenched and Dabi had the feeling he was trying not to tear up. Sentimental idiot. "The Heroes might not rescue Hawks at all. He's being vanished, Dabi. You know…" He made a shooting motion at his temple. "Taken out of sight and shot in the backyard."

Dabi's cold expression contorted into a grimace. "I know what it means. And why would I care about some Hero biting it?"

"Because he's not just a Hero." Twice snapped. "He's a living, breathing person and they're going to kill him for being different!"

It was rare to hear Twice shout in rage, but Dabi could not care less.

"Not my problem." Dabi said flatly. "If Hawks thought he was in danger he should have run. Instead he stuck around like a good little angel until they came to tear off his wings. That's on him."

He made to leave but Twice grabbed his shoulder. Dabi glared at him but Twice did not let go.

"You don't believe that." Twice growled. "You may be a Villain, but you're not the kind of guy to blame victims for not running." His expression grew pleading. "Dabi, please. Part of being a Villain is doing what we want. And I want to find Hawks and help him. Won't you help me?"

Dabi shoved his hand away. "No."

Twice looked at him, and even with the mask, Dabi could tell he was hurt. He covered it with a scowl and exaggerated rude gesture.

"Fine! I knew you didn't care. I thought we were buddies who stuck together but I guess not! I don't blame you. Well, screw you too then! I need your help. I don't need you anyway!"

He turned on his heel and stormed off, but Dabi could tell he had no idea where he was going. Dabi himself could do slightly better since he would not argue with himself, especially if Twice really had to go into the darker part of society to find his little Hero. Most Villains didn't snitch but there could be a bounty on the League's heads that would interest some of the characters who needed some money.

Whatever. It wasn't Dabi's business. Sure, it would suck if Twice got himself cared but Dabi was not sticking his neck out for some Hero. He was a Villain so why should he care about Heroes hurting Heroes? Answer: he didn't, because Hawks was a Hero just like the rest of the trash. Sure, Hawks was a bit 'younger' than the many Pros, but he was not a helpless child—

He's Fuyumi's age.

Dabi's steps faltered and he halted in place. He stared hollowly at the plain brick wall in front of him, fingers flexing and curling as fire flickered at his fingertips. His hands closed and the flames extinguished.

"Damn it."

He turned around and hurried after Twice.

XXXXXXX

Rumi Usagiyama did not panic. The word 'panic' was not in her vocabulary, thank you very much. Instead she barged forward in a mindless fury, tearing through video after resource after interview, shoving jagged puzzle pieces together and hammering them if they did not fit. She caught several other Heroes in her wake and although it felt like they ran in circles, Miruko knew they had found more than she and Mockingjay would have alone.

"Just finished recording witness testimonies." Ingenium was telling her over speakerphone. "Many of them remember seeing a plain white sedan with tinted windows near the site."

"We got a license plate. Bee's already tracking it." Mockingjay reported, her fingers tapping rapidly on her own device. "He—" She paused, scowling. "Stolen. Of course it was. The police found it near the Port of Hakata. The cameras conveniently stopped working before it showed up."

"I will go look around personally." Best Jeanist promised, also on call. "I'm close by anyway."

"Do you think he could have taken Hawks out of the country?" Toshinori asked.

His voice was rough, almost as choked and scratchy as it had been when he called Miruko in a panic and told her Hawks was in trouble. If Miruko were a betting kind of woman she'd gamble he had not slept in the four days Hawks had been missing. She knew she and Mockingjay hadn't.

"It's possible." Eraserhead said before Mockingjay could. "We all know the Commission has secret ways out of Japan."

"So Hawks could be anywhere." Miruko said flatly. "He could be on the damn moon for all we know."

"Well, I doubt that." Present Mic said.

It was probably meant to be a weak joke but he looked to exhausted for that. His hair was down instead of in its usual style and the shadows under his eyes were close to matching Eraserhead's. The two UA teachers, Miruko, Mockingjay, and Toshinori were at their impromptu 'base'— one of UA's currently unused facilities since any Agencies might not be secure— while Ingenium, Best Jeanist, Fatgum, Suneater, Lemillion, Nejire-Chan, and some of the sidekicks were out searching. Miruko did not know how the students— three of UA's best but still kids— got involved but guessed Fatgum had vouched for at least Suneater since he already knew about Hawks's Quirk outburst.

If anything will make him do… whatever he did again, it's that bastard. I should have asked Hawks about his Quirks when I had the chance.

Even if he did have access to that ability, it might not help. It was not like Hawks had many feathers to do anything. They had found hundreds of them in the alley along with his phone. Mockingjay had intended to collect them but had gotten a warning from Bee that Commission agents were mere seconds away. They'd been forced to destroy the feathers before the Commission could 'request' to have them for who knew what nefarious purposes.

Mockingjay plucked her phone out of her pocket and held it up, hesitating. She put it away and met the other Heroes' curious stared with a neutral glower. "If we have a reason to think he's in America I have someone to call." Her already stern expression grew colder. "It likely won't be necessary. Even if Kaetsu is working alone, it is probable they are still in Japan. The Commission most likely knows where they are but they're going to wait to 'release' Hawks until he's more obedient."

'Broken'. They all knew she meant 'broken'.

Broken or dead.

"They'll want to make a spectacle of this." Mockingjay continued. "Whether Hawks is 'rescued', 'retrieved', or found dead, they're letting Kaetsu keep him in part so they have a story when he's found."

Present Mic looked up from their mark-covered map. "Maybe we should—"

"Break the story first?" Miruko interjected. "Oh yes. That would be a wonderful idea. Let's tell everyone the Number Three Hero has gone missing again. And this time, it's because of a stalker."

"If we say something to anger Kaetsu or make him think he's cornered, he'll kill Hawks faster so we can't 'take' him from him." Mockingjay stated.

She said it with such certainty that Miruko had to wonder if she'd dealt with this exact situation before. Then she remembered Mockingjay had been the one to expose Kaetsu last time and supposed she had done her research on the man's psych.

"We need more manpower." Miruko said abruptly. She turned to Toshinori and could not stop herself from glaring. "Now I'm not usually a Hero who asks for help, but we could really use your boss right now."

Toshinori shifted his weight. "Well, you see—"

"Don't give me excuses." Miruko snapped. "It's been four days and All Might hasn't shown up once! Is he so busy that he can't appear when we need him? Is that how it is?"

Toshinori looked pained. Miruko would feel bad for snapping at him but Hawks was in the hands of a serial killer who worked for the Commission and stalked him. It was selfish and unprofessional, but Miruko just wanted to scream.

"So?" she demanded. "Is he on a secret mission? Is he on vacation? Huh?"

Eraserhead stepped forward. "Miru—"

Miruko turned on him. "I'm not asking you." She whirled back to Toshinori. "You kept saying he'd have Hawks's back. You kept saying he'd help. Well Hawks needs help now and yet he's nowhere to be found. So where the hell is All Might?!"

Toshinori faltered. He looked away, shutting his eyes, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Miruko flinched back, raising her foot in preparation to kick.

The smoke receded.

Miruko stared dully, ears flicking backward. "I'm going to kick your teeth in, Toshinori."

All Might winced. "I know."

Miruko dragged a hand through her hair, tearing out a few pieces with her fingers. She left them fall to the floor. "We don't have— You know what? We do have time. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Few could say that they got the Symbol of Peace to recoil like he'd been stung, but Miruko gained that badge on her own.

"I wanted to offer young Hawks someone to talk to without judgment." All Might said, and now Miruko could hear Toshinori in his voice. "I apologize if—"

"He wouldn't have talked to you if he'd known." Miruko interrupted coldly. "I wouldn't have let him either."

Toshinori grimaced. "Does he dislike All Might that much?"

Miruko laughed bitterly. "Oh no. Hawks was conditioned to think you're the perfect Hero he should kill himself to be. The Commission always built up how perfect and wonderful and heroic you are while shoving him down."

If there was any more poisonous bitterness in her tone, Toshinori might have dropped dead. As it was, All Might looked like someone had killed a kitten in front of him. Miruko wanted to be bitter and petty and scream at him but in honesty she was just angry at everything. Mostly herself. She was the one who called Mockingjay away when Hawks was asleep. If she hadn't he might not have left his Agency.

Miruko's fist slammed into the table covered with evidence, sending a few papers fluttering to the floor. "I can't believe I let this happen. After all that talk we gave about being able to protect him, we fucking failed."

Eraserhead shot her a look but did not comment, merely scooping the papers back up.

Mockingjay did not comment either. She seemed completely unsurprised by All Might's identity. Miruko wondered if she had known but knew she would never have let Hawks near the man if she had. The Underground Hero abruptly turned on her heel and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Miruko demanded.

Mockingjay leveled a look at her. Her grey eyes were colder than ice. She did not need to say anything.

Miruko let her go.

XXXXXXX

Hawks did not know how long he had been inside this room. All he knew is Kaetsu had slept beside him twelve times and taken him to the bathroom five. No food had been given to him, only some water, and his stomach was starting to twinge from hunger.

There was no toilet in the blank white room so Kaetsu blindfolded Hawks whenever he carried him to the bathroom. Those trips did not help Hawks get a layout of anything. Hawks knew Kaetsu went in extra circles to make sure his captive had no idea what type of place they were in. Even his ears failed him. He did not hear cars or machinery or animals or anything that might give him a clue where he might be. Not even a plane passed overhead.

Whenever he needed to release Hawks, Kaetsu kept the key to his manacle on a string around his neck. Hawks only glimpsed it during those periods and never any other time, so he could only guess that Kaetsu kept it somewhere outside of the room. There was a pattern developing— blindfold Hawks, unlock the chains with key, carry him, carry him back, lock him up with key, remove blindfold— but he did not know how to take advantage of it before Kaetsu inevitably switched it up.

The bathroom became the only place he felt anywhere close to safe with his thoughts because at least Kaetsu did not barge into the small stall he shoved Hawks in. It was not out of courtesy but because they both knew Kaetsu's fingers were itching to strangle Hawks if he saw something he did not like.

Hawks tried not to think about Kaetsu's other victims but could not get the images of their corpses out of his head. How long would it be before his body was found on the side of a road? What would be worse? If it was soon, or never? Kaetsu probably planned to keep him around until his temper or impatience got the better of him.

Not that it already hadn't. Hawks's fingers brushed a bruise below his eye and shifted on the bed in a futile attempt to lay down in a way that did not aggravate any injuries. He had given up on trying to figure out what set Kaetsu off. Whether or not his rapid switches between 'loving' Hawks and despising the 'traitor' were intentional or not, Kaetsu was almost always angry.

When a captor's first instinct was always 'hurt the captive until they stop moving', it was hard to do anything. Hawks was supposed to be too fast for his own good but now he was afraid of moving at all since it wasn't just his life on the line. He was apprehensive about contacting the voices for ideas because what would Kaetsu do to them? He might already know they existed. Hawks tried not to fear for their safety but it was like trying to stop the flow of a wide river with only his hands.

The wall opened and Hawks tensed, sitting up and dropping his gaze to his lap. His chained leg hung off the side of the bed, while his left was bent inward in a half-pretzel. He focused on the developing gash near his inside ankle bone where Kaetsu had cut him with a knife. He'd thought the man was planning to sever his Achilles tendon so he could not walk but Kaetsu had simply slashed the skin and avoided the tendon that would leave Hawks permanently injured. Was it a warning, or just out of sadism? It was likely the latter since Hawks had not even tried to run yet.

Yet.

Hawks did not think bad thoughts like planning to escape and focused on his clasped fingers, rubbing the knuckles with his thumbs, as the bed creaked. Kaetsu's fingers brushed through his hair before grasping it and holding his head still.

The kiss to his temple was hardly noticed by Hawks, who was growing numb either due to the frequent occurrence or his mind initializing attempts to protect him through apathy. He almost wanted to think that his brain had tricked itself into thinking that Kaetsu's touches were no more dangerous than a friendly hand on his shoulder. It would be preferable to acknowledging them for what they really were.

Before Kaetsu could speak, Hawks's stomach growled loudly. He shut his eyes and wished the ache in his gut would just shut up.

Kaetsu gave what many would mistake for an affectionate chuckle. "Did you expect me to bring food? I know that you're stupid, but even you have to know that's not how it works. I can't simply give you food along with housing. You have to earn your keep."

Even Hawks could not delude himself into briefly believing he was supposed to clean the room or something. He stared at the blank white wall, unblinking, as Kaetsu pulled him closer. Kaetsu's hand traced the edge of his face, lingering on his jaw. Hawks could shove him away, or headbutt him, or kick him. He did none of those things and he wasn't even being controlled into obedience.

Kaetsu did not control him with his Quirk simply because he did not want to control Hawks that way. He wanted Hawks to give up on his own just to show how powerless he was.

Hawks had given up on his own.

Just let it happen. It will be over when it's over. There is nothing you can do to stop it.

Hawks shut his eyes and felt breath on his cheek.

Kaetsu chuckled and leaned away. "Just kidding." His grin widened mockingly. "Unless you want to."

Hawks slowly dragged his gaze to Kaetsu's acidic green. Then he silently turned away.

The punch was as expected as the sun setting. As was Kaetsu grabbing his hair and giving him a violent shake.

"Don't give me that attitude, brat."

Hawks did not apologize. It did not matter if he said sorry or not.

Kaetsu pulled Hawks's head up so they were nearly nose to nose. Sour breath washed across Hawks's face but he did not flinch, instead meeting Kaetsu's gaze dully. He could not tell whether his handler was enthralled by his apathy or disappointed.

"I know you secretly want this." Kaetsu told him in a deceptively patient voice. "You could stop me. You could fight me off. You have the training. You have the skill. Yet here we are. Perhaps you like the loss of control, my Angel."

Hawks didn't. He did not say it. He did not have to.

Kaetsu laughed. It was an off-putting, distorted sound.

He struck Hawks again and dark splotches danced across his vision.

Another strike caused the splotches to double, and a third sent Hawks temple-first into the edge of the headboard.

When Hawks regained consciousness he was laying down with Kaetsu's familiar weight behind him. His pants were gone and his underwear had been moved down a couple inches on one side but it was not enough for him to panic. He craned his neck and only had a second to spot the syringe in Kaetsu's hand before the needle jabbed into his exposed hip. Hawks's scream of pain was muffled by Kaetsu's other hand, which covered his mouth with so much pressure he could feel the edges of his teeth pressing against the insides of his lips.

"There we are." Kaetsu said pleasantly.

Kaetsu pulled the needle out and left the site exposed. Hawks clutched at it and pulled his hand away, revealing blood on his fingertips. He looked at Kaetsu and his handler laughed at the fearful expression on his face.

"Don't worry, my Angel. It's not Trigger or an aphrodisiac. Or even anything addictive. I don't want you to rely on anything but me."

He waited, smirking expectantly, and Hawks knew he actually wanted a response this time.

"What is it, sir?" he croaked.

Kaetsu kept smirking. "It's a secret, Angel." He rose from beside Hawks. "Now, I'm off to run some errands and I'll be right back. Be a good Hero while I'm gone."

He sounded cheerful, almost sweet, but Hawks heard the warning that dared him to try anything while he was gone. If he even was leaving and not hanging around to see if Hawks had bad thoughts and plans.

Kaetsu headed towards the door. Hawks swallowed a plea for him not to leave and a hysterical demand to know what had been in that syringe. He watched the door vanish and curled up on the bed, pressing a hand to his side. The injection site had stopped bleeding, leaving only a tiny hole. The skin around it was slightly inflamed but Hawks felt no pain or cold or anything.

He shivered and wrapped himself in the blanket, not caring that it had dried bloodstains. He should try to sleep before Kaetsu came back again but his mind raced as he tried to think of what his handler had injected into his body. If he was some addictive mind-altering drug he should be feeling it by now, right? Hawks closed his eyes, trying to think, and remembered the liquid was clear. So what was it? Could it just be water? Or some other placebo just to freak him out but leave no affect? Or maybe it was a tracker?

Hawks felt a stab of pain in his side. He recoiled and fell off the bed, expecting another shot before he realized he had felt his own nails digging into his skin. He forced his hand away and put them to his head, rocking back and forth.

Keep it together, he begged himself. If you can't handle this how will you handle what else he's going to do?

But that was the point, wasn't it? If there was ever proof that Kaetsu still retained his mind and knew exactly what he was doing, this was it. Hawks knew he had a meticulous plan to slowly break his 'Angel', pushing him and pushing him before finally using his Quirk as the final straw to turn him into a broken, poseable doll again.

Hawks climbed back onto the bed, clasped at the tiny, stinging injection site, and shuddered.

He had to escape.

XXXXXXX

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

"GOD DAMMIT!"

Midoriya winced as Bakugo threw himself at the wall in a frenzy, fists crackling with the small explosions of his Quirk. Beside him, Uraraka and Kaminari were not much better. The former gritted her teeth as she strained to make a window weightless so she could lift it while the latter's hands flickered with electricity as he slammed them into a security screen, both of which failed to do anything.

The golden security doors covering every outside inch of the building was a pretty good clue as to that. It was as if they were made from the hardest metal, opaque and unbreakable even as Iida kicked them with all his strength. This kind of separation had happened before when Amplifier attacked, but the security doors keeping unwanted spies out— and the voices in— were much thicker this time. Any other time, Midoriya may marvel and theorize about the skill and technique it took to create such a structure within one's mind. But not now.

He caught Bakugo's arm before he could try to break the wall again. "Kaachan, stop. We need to calm down and think."

Bakugo turned on him, palms sparking with miniature explosions. "We don't have any time for a damn plan. You know what that bastard could be doing to him!"

They didn't know, only suspected. They could not feel anything from Hawks. They might as well be inside the real UA under lockdown, except even the real UA's security doors could not withstand Bakugo's explosions.

"I know." Midoriya said steadily. "But even if we get out, then what? I doubt Kaetsu will let Hawks grow feathers we can use."

"We can use our damn fists—"

"And would you just control Hawks's body to try to escape?" Midoriya continued. "He'd shut down."

Bakugo faltered.

"Plan." Yaoyorozu blurted. "We need a plan."

Her stress had nowhere to go so it filled the dorms like poisonous gas.

U̸͕͌r̶̹̓a̸̯̕r̴͓̋ȧ̶̝k̶̉͜a̸̞͌ and K̷̳̕ā̷͙m̷̢̿i̴̩̋n̶̻͆ȃ̴ͅr̷̠̀i̵͈͋ stopped trying to break out and slumped where they stood, gasping for breath.

Even B̶̧͆ǎ̴̫k̸̨͆u̵̩̅g̶̜̓ọ̶͛ faltered, falling to his knees as his shoulders shook from strain.

M̴̡͂ï̸̤d̴̺̿ö̴̠́r̵̼͛i̸̦͌y̶͎̓a̷̡͗ weakly pressed a hand on a gold-plated window and leaned his forehead against it.

"Please, Gold. Let us out. Let us help you."

XXXXXXX

What do I do?

Fumikage Tokoyami sat on his bed in his mostly-dark room, with Dark Shadow only kept at bay by a few small lights. It was daytime but he was not in the mood to enjoy the sun so his shades were drawn shut. His mother had hinted he should go out with friends, but Tokoyami knew if he met them, he might just do something stupid. He flicked his thumb to scroll down the page of unanswered texts to Hawks and set it down, putting his head in his hands.

What do I do?

Hawks was not answering his texts. Aizawa-sensei wasn't either and when Tokoyami went to visit Eri, Midnight and Snipe were watching her. Tokoyami did not have Miruko or Mockingjay's numbers. He should have asked for them because then maybe he could figure out if Hawks was in trouble or not.

Tokoyami sent his phone a glare and had to stop Dark Shadow from throwing it out the window. It was a close call. Dark Shadow had the window open and was prepared to toss the phone through it when Tokoyami caught it in midair. He transferred his glare from the phone to Dark Shadow, who blinked at him innocently.

"Throwing this won't help anything." he said, for Dark Shadow and his own reminder. "It won't help find Hawks."

Tokoyami wished he was being paranoid. Hawks could be on a mission or something. He did not need to inform Tokoyami of his every move so that could be the logical reason why he had not responded.

Tokoyami truly wished he was being paranoid, but knew that was not the case. Hawks was not the type to leave his interns' texts unanswered. In fact, he'd insisted he would answer rather vehemently after… something had happened with Todoroki.

Tokoyami did not know the exact details, but Todoroki had apparently moved and started visiting animal shelters if his vague statements were any indicator. The kittens were said to be adorable. Though that did not explain why Hawks had been so obviously worried, though he did try to hide it. Iida and Todoroki had not noticed, but Tokoyami had seen his unease. It likely had something to do with the Commission. Had they made their move?

Tokoyami glanced around outside worriedly and put his hands on the windowsill to pull it down.

Before he could, he heard crying.

His gaze snapped to outside and he glanced around, listening intently just to be certain. Sure enough, he heard what sounded like a child's sobs. Tokoyami glanced back towards his door where he knew his parents, Ai, and Hikaru were, then away. He stepped towards the window and hesitated.

Tokoyami forced himself to turn around and hurried out of his room. His footsteps padded softly on the stairs and he peeked into the dining room. Ai was sitting at the table, scrolling through her phone. She looked up as soon as Tokoyami peered around the corner and cocked her head.

"I think I heard a child crying outside."

Her expression softened the slightest bit. "You did right to come to me first." She pinned him with a sharp red glare. "If we run into trouble, I give you permission to use your Quirk for self-defense. I shall deal with the repercussions." She rose from the chair. "Shall we?"

Tokoyami nodded and head out the door with Ai at his heels. The sound of crying was louder out here. As Tokoyami drew closer it became softer, like the crying child was muffling themself. Soon enough they found themselves by a dumpster. If Tokoyami looked hard enough, he could see the outline of a small figure pressed between the bin and the wall.

The first thing Tokoyami saw was a shock of white next was that kid was around his age, maybe a few years younger. He was certainly smaller, and when compared to Tokoyami's height that said something. What it exactly said was not good when taking in the rest of his appearance. He was wearing a hoodie but the sleeves were pulled up— likely because of the heat— which exposed his arms.

Bandages were wound up his forearms and Tokoyami caught a glimpse of some around his neck, much like Eri had when he first met her. His heart sank. Ai gave a small gasp. Her expression twitched before it smoothed out again.

The kid heard her gasp and finally noticed he had company. The white-haired head snapped up and Tokoyami found himself staring into familiar blue eyes. The boy flinched back, pressing himself against the wall behind the dumpster as his gaze darted frantically, searching for an escape. Finding none he curled up, holding his knees as he huddled in the shadow of the dumpster.

"Please don't send me home."

The boy's voice was tremulous, but slightly deeper than Tokoyami expected. The likeliness that he was close to Tokoyami's age increased, though Tokoyami had never seen a teenager look so… small. Not in stature, but presence, like he wanted nothing more than to vanish so he no longer had to exist.

"Who said anything about sending you home?" Ai said. Her voice was the most gentle and soothing Tokoyami had ever heard from her. She sat down and motioned for Tokoyami to do the same. "My cousin and I heard you crying and thought you might need some help. Are you okay?"

The boy tensed, blue eyes sharp and guarded— and familiar. "No. I don't need—" He winced, clutching at his neck, and his face crumpled. "I'm so weak."

"I highly doubt that, child." Ai said quietly. She did not move closer, simply staying where she was on the outer edge of the dumpster. "My name is Ai, and this is my cousin, Fumi. What's your name?"

The boy nibbled on his lip as if debating whether to tell her. He glanced at her hesitantly and quickly dropped his gaze. "I'm Touya."

Ai glanced at Tokoyami and inclined her head. It took him a second but he realized she was nodding towards the pocket he knew held her Hero license. He took a breath, hoping he understood what she wanted him to do.

"Hello, Touya. I wish that we had met under… better circumstances. Would you like to come into my house? My father is making—"

Touya flinched and clutched at his arm. The bandages had shifted, revealing a burn. It was in the shape of a hand print. Tokoyami's throat felt unnaturally dry. Touya seemed to notice his stare and hastily covered the injury.

Ai's gentle expression was strained. "Touya, who gave you those burns?"

The boy avoided looking at her. "No one."

Ai almost frowned. She met Tokoyami's gaze again and nodded towards her pocket. At first he had to wonder why she did not just say she was a Pro Hero but put together that she was hoping his closer age to Touya would make him trust him more. Understanding what she wanted, Tokoyami turned back to the boy.

"My cousin is a Pro Hero. If someone's hurting you, she can stop them."

Touya's head snapped up and his eyes went wide. "You're a Hero?"

"That's right." Ai admitted. She slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out her altered license which claimed she was Ai Tokoyami. Touya scrutinized it closely as if suspecting its validity and sniffed loudly. If Tokoyami did not know better, he might think the kid was smelling the card.

"Ai. Pro Hero: Darksphere." he said out loud. He wiped at his eyes and lowered his head, his white bangs falling into his face. "You won't let him hurt me anymore, Darksphere? You'll help me? You'll save me?"

Tokoyami spoke before she could. "We will."

Touya chuckled and looked up with acid green eyes. "Liar."

The boy vanished.

Ai's red eyes widened. She lunged towards Tokoyami, hand outstretched. "NO!"

Tokoyami felt a strange pulling sensation and she was gone.

No, not her.

He was the one who vanished because when he blinked, he was no longer outside his house.

Laughter reached his ears and he saw the white-haired Touya standing beside a white-haired man. For a moment Tokoyami thought this was the boy's father, but then the boy blinked out like a mirage, as if he'd never truly existed. The man remained, smiling at Tokoyami with a grin too wide for his face.

"A fear of losing a protectorate." the man chuckled, and Tokoyami caught a glimpse of a black tongue. "How conveniently fun."

Tokoyami blinked and a huge figure that had not been there a second ago was next to the man. Even with the hood shadowing most of its features, Tokoyami could recognize that kind of blank stare anywhere. He stepped back— Too slow— and the Nomu's jaw opened.

Light exploded from its maw and Dark Shadow screamed, howling in agony as it fled to hide under Tokoyami's shirt. Tokoyami himself was blinded, flailing helplessly as he clutched at his eyes. He lowered them in time to see the Nomu was no longer next to the man.

He turned—

The last thing Tokoyami saw was a large fist coming towards his face.

XXXXXXX

A/N: Next chapter will be up between the 8th and the 10th-ish.