This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Hawks opened the apartment door and stepped inside to feel more disappointment pile onto what he already felt. Sitting there on the coffee table were Kaere's "welcome home" gifts. Things he had picked up in anticipation of her moving in with him after his plan was executed.

The hospital staff wanted her to stay overnight for observation. Once they were made aware of her healing quirk, they decided to let her body heal itself without additional help. She had apparently stabilized herself a little after entering treatment so it only made sense. They had assured Hawks that she would be safe for the night, but he was still worried.

His plan had gone so horribly wrong all due to one stupid little oversight. He had severely underestimated Dabi's possessiveness. The hero never imagined that the villain would go so far after seeing her with a pro hero. Hawks had planned for Dabi to see her with Endeavor and assume she was working with the flame hero. Then he would confront her over the phone and Kaere would know she had to hide and this, in turn, would cause her to call on Hawks.

He thought it would be better to have Endeavor with her so he could try to preserve his connection with Dabi. He wanted to keep an eye on the League's activities, but if they knew that he took away their healer, it would ruin everything. He just desperately wanted to save her from them. Instead, he caused her to be put through so much pain.

Endeavor had not seen what exactly happened between her and Dabi after the villain grabbed her. Not even the hospital staff knew. Kaere went silent when Hawks asked her about it. The whole time he was in her hospital room, she kept her right hand hidden under the blanket so he had a bad feeling about it.

The winged hero shrugged off his jacket and slipped off his boots as he made his way to the bedroom. He let himself fall face-down onto the bed. She barely even talked to me. I can't say I blame her, though. She probably feels like I betrayed her trust. He folded his wings against his back and reached for a pillow to slide under his head.

She's right. I lured her out there by lying to her. She was only there because I told her that I needed help. I'm the reason why this happened to her. She doesn't have any reason to forgive me; I ended up putting her through hell. And once the League finds out about what happened…

Hawks struggled as horrible scenarios started to form in his head. He retrieved his jacket and boots before setting off for the hospital again. I can't sleep anyway. I might as well keep watch.

Walking into the hospital, planning to give them a little warning, he was greeted by a smiling night nurse. Hawks gave her a smile and a small greeting wave. "Hey. I was here earlier to see Naoru Kaere. Any updates?" he started.

"You know, you're the second person to ask for an update tonight. Still surprised her family hasn't tried to call or visit. The poor girl."

He tilted his head, the bad feeling in his gut increasing. "Oh yeah? Who else was asking about her?"

"Endeavor actually called about an hour ago to check on her condition."

His eyebrows raised and he felt a sheepish half-grin tug at his lips. So he's got a soft side? Hawks pointed upwards toward the roof. "Mind if I perch up top? I want to make sure everything's secure, you know?"

"Oh, go ahead. That should be fine. I'll let security know you're up there."

Shift P.O.V

Kaere felt numb after waking up in the hospital bed. She knew it was shock. Her brain was still struggling to process what had happened to her. It was common when someone experienced extreme trauma; she had seen it plenty of times when she was treating her clients.

The numbness wore off by the next morning when Hawks came to retrieve her. She was trembling and fearful for the walk through the hospital, but when he took her left hand in his right hand, she started to feel a little better. However, Kaere kept her other hand hidden in the front pocket of her partially burned and torn hoodie. Terrified of what Hawks would think if he saw it.

"Welcome home," the hero announced as he let her into the apartment. He locked the door behind her and walked over to the array of gifts on the coffee table, spreading his wings behind him in his eagerness to show her. "I got these as "welcome home" gifts, but I guess "get well soon" works, too."

Kaere's vision was blurry, but she could hear the excitement in his voice and she had to smile. "Thank you. I…I really appreciate it." She walked over to sit on the couch, blushing pink when he sat next to her. Staring down at the gifts, her heart sank a little. I can't open these with just my left hand, she realized.

"Need some help? I've got it. We'll start with this." Hawks reached into one of the pockets on his jacket and withdrew her glasses. "Ta-da. I managed to get these off the sidewalk before they got crushed. Let me just…" He carefully unfolded them and slipped them onto her face for her. "Better?"

Seeing his smiling, faintly blushing face so clearly made her cheeks heat up. She quickly turned her head to the side, her own smile growing. "It's a lot better. I really…wanted to see your smile, Hawks."

He rubbed the back of his neck as his face went from pink to almost as red as his wings. "Way to ruffle my feathers," he joked. "Okay! Let's move on to the next one. I can open it for you."

Kaere had never received so many gifts before and she was at a loss for words. Various sheep plushies, supplies for a new medical kit, a new box to serve as a medical kit, some clothes, a little Endeavor plushie, an Endeavor hoodie, and a Hawks hoodie. Hugging the Hawks hoodie against her chest, she felt tears start to form. "Thank you. I-I really like this, but I…I can't really put it on right now," she murmured.

Hawks cocked his head to the side, his eyes lowering to where her right hand was still tucked into her pocket. "Do you want some help? The one you're wearing has some rips so-"

"I-I can't! I mean, I…don't want you to see." She bit her lip and slouched as she stared down at where her hand was tucked away. What is he going to think? I can't keep this from him forever. I can't hide it for the rest of my life. He'll see it eventually so why delay it?

The girl glanced toward him and was surprised when he slipped both arms around her waist. The hero nuzzled his cheek against her shoulder, his wings moving forward around them in a double hug. He saw the scars on my chest and stomach…and he wasn't grossed out. I just don't want him to see this and feel guilty. That was why he got all of these gifts, isn't it? He feels bad about Dabi attacking me because I was on my way to help him.

"Kaere, look. I'm not going to turn my back on you, no matter what. And I'm not going to push you, okay?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks and a sad smile curved her lips. "Hawks. I…I love you. And I trust you…more than I've ever trusted anyone." Her whole body trembled as she slipped her right arm back and revealed the true extent of what Dabi had done. "I'm free now, but it cost me a hand."

When Dabi's fingers had laced with hers, he released intense blue flames to consume her hand down to her wrist. The nurses bandaged the area, but her hand was gone and she had no idea what it looked like beneath the wrapping. Kaere felt Hawks hold her tighter when he saw the injury, his feathers puffing up.

He gently took her forearm and drew it closer so he could get a better look. His eyes began to narrow and the muscles in his jaw tensed. "I'm sorry. Kaere, I'm so sorry."

"It…it isn't your fault," she tried to assure him.

Kaere did not have the heart to tell him everything. About the League knowing she had a boyfriend. What Dabi had told her before he burned her. Telling the girl that he was doing it to show her who she belonged to. The hatred, the obsession, and greed in his stare when he leaned down toward her. She felt her stomach twist in knots just thinking about how terrifying the whole experience was. There was no way she could tell Hawks about this because it would only make him feel guiltier.

"Look. There's not a lot we can do; it's dangerous for you to go out. But we'll do whatever you want to do today, okay? So what do you want to do first?"

She looked down at her partially burned hoodie and then glanced toward the new clothes on the coffee table. "I…honestly, I think I should change."

Going into the bathroom, she struggled a little to change into a pair of dark purple sweatpants and a black tank top. Kaere happened to glimpse her reflection in the mirror and she winced. I definitely…don't look right. She eased her fingertips under the edge of the bandage on her cheek and carefully peeled it away.

Kaere's left cheek was severely scarred from where Dabi had burned her, but it was mostly healed. She wanted to take the bandage off of her left shoulder, but with only her left hand, it was awkward. The girl leaned closer to the mirror, staring at her left cheek and feeling her stomach turn.

"Hey. Do you need any help?" Hawks joked from the other side of the door.

She opened it and looked up at him over the edge of her glasses with her watery hazel eyes. "K-kind of."

To her surprise, he did not flinch away at the sight of her scar. In fact, it was the opposite. A pinkish tint spread across his cheeks and he gently took her hand. "Let's take this somewhere more comfortable, okay?" He led her over to the couch again and sat down so he was facing her.

Hawks was extremely careful as he pulled off the bandage and winced in sympathy when he saw the deep scar on her shoulder. Unlike the one on her cheek, this scar was in the unmistakable shape of a handprint. A sick, twisted means of making Kaere unable to look at it without thinking of Dabi.

No words came. Instead, Hawks leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled into the space between her neck and shoulder. The warmth radiating off of him clashed against the girl's subtle coolness.

The hero's wings adjusted; shifting out to the sides and then forward as he fell onto his back. He pulled her with him, letting her lie on top of him as one hand trailed up from her lower back to run his fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry," he murmured, closing his eyes. "Kaere, I'm so sorry."

She blinked in surprise when he fell back and her face heated up with a blush. "Hawks…it wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was! Kaere, listen-!"

"I-I'm not going to let you blame yourself for this! This wasn't your fault…and it wasn't my fault, either!" Kaere pushed herself up a little so she could look him in the eyes. "This…this was Dabi's fault, okay? You shouldn't blame yourself! And…because all of this happened…I'm free now! I know I won't see my friends again…I'll never be able to say good bye to Twice-san and Toga-chan…but I'm with you now and I love you! So please just-!"

Hawks cut her off as the hand in her hair drew her down so their lips met. His wings twitched out at his sides as the arm around her waist tightened. Breaking the kiss, he leaned down to the scar on her shoulder and gently brought his lips against her damaged skin. She tensed at the contact, but slowly relaxed again.

Smiling up at her, the hero raised an eyebrow. "So? What do you want to do now that you're free? You know you could just be my own personal medic. I don't get banged up too often, but I kind of like the idea of having my own medic waiting for me when I get home from a rough day. Or maybe just having a roommate that's this comfy to sleep with."

Her face started turning red from the way he worded that and she bit her lip, turning her head to the side. "Maybe…that's what I want. You're pretty comfy, too."

He tilted his head and grinned. "Awww! Kaere, are you trying to tease me? You know, that was pretty cute. You'll have to try a little harder if you're going to really seduce me." Despite saying this so confidently, he was still blushing pink as he said it.

"I...still need to try?" Kaere's face was flushed red as she attempted to flirt back. She expected some sort of joking reply from him, but he actually looked flustered. The feathers puffed up on his wings and he leaned up to steal another kiss. Her pulse quickened as her legs slipped to either side of his right leg and she hesitantly ran her fingers through his wild, golden hair.

He arched his back a little and the hand on her lower back slipped beneath the hem of her shirt. Warm fingertips skimmed along her skin as he brought her closer against him. When the kiss finally broke, Hawks nuzzled into the side of her neck and lifted his hips slightly to push against hers. "I know it was just a few days, but you have no idea how much I missed you, Kaere."

"I missed you, too. I thought about you every day and I just…I wanted to come back, but I couldn't get away from him…"

"Hey, hey! Look at me, okay?" He leaned back to look up into her hazel eyes with his gold ones, gently cupping her cheek with a warm hand. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again. I promise. I'm going to protect you with my life."