"Sure you're alright, dove?" Hawks asked, his voice laced with a concerned facade, though a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "We had a pretty long night. I'm sure Re-Destro wouldn't mind you taking the day off."

Espionage clicked on the second microphone and fastened it to Hawks's left wing. "I'm fine," she answered. The vocal tone she used for Mari Yoshioka's persona was a little lower than she would usually speak in, partly because she still felt like shit and partly to play along with the act. Waiting out her migraine in the dark with medication, cuddling, and a few kisses definitely helped a bit, but she probably wouldn't be back at one hundred percent until the next day. "I can't miss the first meeting of the year, even if I'm hungover."

"Oh, baby bird," Hawks tsked.

"Hawks," she said in a warning voice, though her cheeks glowed pink.

"Come on. Skeptic ships us anyway. He can know, can't he?"

"Stop," she directed as she stepped back from the hero. His scarlet feathers fluttered themselves back into place to hide the devices and he threw his suit jacket over his shoulder. "Seriously. We might have tight control over press outlets here in Deika, but we're not making this a horribly public relationship even in the city."

"Yeah, yeah," he laughed. "Afraid my fans will break down your door?"

Espionage bit her bottom lip. Her tone didn't change, but the downcast look in her crystal blue eyes told him all he needed to know. The fans weren't an issue. The Commission and the Liberation Front were.

"Something like that."

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe from any extremely jealous stalker I've got," Hawks reassured. An eyebrow raised as he thought about what he said. "What's that called again? A stan? Or a simp? Eh, same difference I guess."

His best friend only gave an annoyed hum as a response.

"Anyway, are we getting dinner tonight?"

Espionage sighed. "What did I literally just say?"

"What if we invite other people too? Please?" he pouted, putting on the best puppy dog eyes he could possibly muster, which he hated to pat his own back, but he knew they were good. In all the times with her he could now remember, she's never said no to them.

"Fine."

"I knew you'd see it my way, dove." Hawks took a step toward her and planted a heavy kiss on her lips. "I'll see you tonight."

The winged hero made his way to her small balcony, looking back at her to see the worry on her face replaced by a soft smile.

"I swear if you get chicken again, I'm going to judge you," she winked. It made his heart skip a beat.

"Good thing I don't mind being judged by you," he said, blowing her a kiss and jumping into the air.

Hawks didn't know if he had ever felt so many conflicting emotions at one time as he did now. Being with Espionage again after so long made him feel amazing. It made him feel higher than the clouds. Even the exhilaration of letting himself free fall to the ground from hundreds of feet in the air just to save himself at the last moment wasn't as blissful. It made the cold air that hit his face as he flew back to his temporary residence feel like nothing, because all he could think about was the warmth of her lips against his.

But there was also anxiety. The knowledge of how he lost her threatening to crush his newly lifted spirit. What was worse is how easily repeatable it all was. Sure, he could put on a falsely confident face in front of her, but they both knew it was a lie. They were playing so many risky games at once that eventually something was bound to break. One of their card houses was going to fall. But that wasn't going to stop him from reinforcing their bottoms as much as possible. He'd come up with plan after plan to ensure she didn't have to go through her life in pain and alone anymore. So they both didn't have to feel alone anymore. The first step of all those plans was making sure they dealt with the Liberation and League as quickly as possible. Once that was done and things went back to how they used to be, the two of them could figure out something to keep in contact. Anything. It would be complicated and difficult, but together they could make it work. Just like their life in Project Eta.

Hawks never liked the small house he was assigned to, but walking inside after the long early morning made him like it less. His large and lovely penthouse didn't hold the same appeal that it used to when he thought about it. He pursed his lips together as he got ready for the day, already deciding that he wasn't going to spend much time in this quiet tiny home anymore, even if Espionage argued that he was staying with her too much like he knew she would.

After his morning routine, the winged man set out yet again, hoping to catch members of the League before their meeting and his fake patrols. Only a quick circle above the Liberation headquarters was needed to find Dabi leaning on the tanned bricks on the backside of the building, a cigarette between his fingers and a thin trail of smoke rising from his lips. The hero landed in front of the villain, brushing his hair back and smiling as he approached.

"Morning, zombie man," he greeted.

Dabi rose an eyebrow. "You slept in late. Didn't have anything to do with your dramatic disappearance last night did it?"

"Maybe it did," Hawks shrugged. "Why? Did you miss me or something?"

"Hardly," Dabi responded, rolling his bright cyan eyes, and taking another drag of his cigarette.

"You totally did. I can see it," Hawks laughed. "Sorry man, but I couldn't let you out do me after you stole Mari away for that poor display you called a dance."

The villain snickered. "You really that threatened that I'm going to steal your girlfriend away from you?"

"Nah, I don't think you're her- "

Hawks was cut off by his phone ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket, frowning at the lit screen as Dabi's eyes squinted curiously in his direction.

"Yo, Hawks here," he answered.

"Hello Hawks, we have an assignment for you," Agent Watanabe said from the other side.

The hero gave a dramatic sigh. "Happy New Year to you too. So, how urgent is it? I kind of have things I needed to take care of today."

"It's concerning reports of attacks on civilians lately. Their quirks have been stolen from them by some unknown villain."

"Quirk stealing?" Hawks repeated, searching Dabi's face for a reaction. The scarred man cocked his head to the side, an amused grin playing at the corners of his charred lips.

"Yes. We humbly request that you help us in this mission," Watanabe continued. His emphasis on the words 'humbly request' indicated that this assignment was not a choice. It was a coded demand. "You're not needed immediately, but we ask that you report in tomorrow morning if you can."

"I'll see what I can do. But I make no promises," the hero said, giving a slight eye roll and hanging up the phone.

Dabi laughed, more wispy gray smoke exhaling from his mouth. "Guess the heroes are still trailing behind us."

"What? You know something about that?"

"Yeah. It's probably Nine." Dabi threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out with his worn black boot. "You can go ahead and take care of that one. He's just something we kinda left hanging. Got wrapped up in the Liberation and all this shit and forgot about him."

"I'm confused," Hawks said, taking advantage of Dabi's strange openness to fish for more details.

"Come on, I know you don't actually have a bird brain in there," Dabi grumbled. "You think the Doc would put Shigaraki through the effort of trying to do all those weird ass alterations without knowing if it worked? There were a few test subjects before him to get out the kinks. Nine was one of them and he went AWOL after the Doc was done with him. I'm surprised he kept quiet for this long, honestly."

"So, you want me to be your clean-up crew and shut him up before the Commission catches him?" Hawks questioned.

"Yeah. What else are you good for?"

"I don't know. My charming personality? Dashing looks? Large public influence? There's tons to choose from."

Dabi didn't respond. Instead he turned away from Hawks and began to walk away, his boots crunching against the frosted ground. The hero laughed and caught up with the villain before he got too far ahead.

"I'm kidding. Jeez, lighten up, Dabi."

"Did you just ask me to light you up? Because I won't hesitate."

"As attractive as fire play sounds, I'm gonna have to pass for now," Hawks joked. "I guess I can fix what you guys fucked up. Got any intel on the guy so I'm not flying blind?"

"Nope."

"Of course. Can always count on you for help."

"Help for what?" a third voice asked. Hawks and Dabi looked in front of them to see Espionage making her way to the large front doors of the villa. She was wearing a bit more makeup than usual, probably to make herself look slightly more alive in her pained state. But like always, she was the best actress Hawks had ever seen. He'd be surprised if anyone else noticed something was wrong with her.

"Nothing you need to be concerned with, sweetheart. What you should be worried about how much your boyfriend flirts with me," Dabi chuckled.

Espionage's eyes narrowed in Hawks's direction and her arms crossed over her chest. "What did I say about blabbing about that?"

"I didn't say anything." Hawks rose his gloved hands in the air in a show of innocence. "I told you that us leaving the party like that wasn't very inconspicuous. But someone was a little too tipsy to listen to me."

Dabi's eyes shifted back and forth between Espionage and Hawks, surveying the way she glared at him and how sheepish he looked under her gaze. After a few moments, he shook his head, his black hair falling over his eyes before a sharp exhale left his nose.

"You two are something else."

"What was that?" Espionage inquired, her steely stare switching to the villain.

"Nothing."

"So, speaking of the totally secret relationship that we don't have," Hawks started in an attempt to diffuse the rising tension. "Wanna get dinner with us tonight, Dabi? We can talk more about that Nine guy before I've got to leave."

"Leave?"

Hawks waved his hand. "I'll fill you in on the details later, dove."

"Does this make me your third wheel cover up?" Dabi grimaced.

"Essentially," Hawks smiled. "Think of it as payback for reducing me to be the janitor for your mistakes."

Dabi closed his eyes and grumbled under his breath. When he opened them again, there was a strange look of acceptance in them. His decision came quicker than it used to. It made Hawks slightly more comfortable now that the villain was finally coming to trust them both more and more each day.

"Fine. But you're buying."

Espionage huffed, shifted her weight, and placed a hand on her hip. "I better get a detailed explanation from both of you then. And Hawks, don't make Dabi late for the meeting. Not like he pays attention to them anyway."

"Roger that, dove," Hawks said with a casual two fingered salute.

The hero left Deika for his staged patrols not long after that encounter, with most of it being extremely quiet. He would've considered it a relaxing day if he didn't have so much buzzing in his mind. His thoughts bounced from Espionage, to Nine, to the Commission, to the Liberation, to Espionage, to Dabi and the League, to Shigaraki and that doctor working on him, to Espionage again. It made him understand why their supervisors were so concerned about the nature of their relationship. It was true that she was always there in his mind, but Hawks wouldn't say it was a distraction. In fact, he was more determined now than ever to find out Shigaraki's location, because it was the last piece of the puzzle they needed before they could start properly planning the raid.

He used a majority of the afternoon researching reports of people being attacked and their quirk stolen from them on his phone, scoping out some of the locations of attacks nearby to find any lingering clues, but coming up short on his own. The best way to figure out where that Nine character was at was going to be talking to the Commission and victims in person, neither of which he wanted to start on without a green light from the Liberation. Dabi might have given his blessing, but just disappearing would give Re-Destro, and therefore Espionage, a heart attack. He was threading a small needle, tiptoeing across thin ice. It made him envy the people who walked below him more than he already did. The people who had normal lives, going about their day with normal worries. Hell, part of him wished he were like every other hero. He'd still be responsible for countless lives, but at least it wasn't it wasn't on this scale. And then he could have a life beyond being the dog of the government.

But at the same time, he didn't mind taking on the role if that saved someone else from going through the same trauma he experienced.

It was easy enough to find Espionage and Dabi when he returned to the villa in the early evening after his unsuccessful day. They were still inside, Espionage rubbing one of her temples with her index finger as Twice stood in front of her, droning on about something. Dabi looked almost completely zoned out, his eyes unfocused even though he faced his fellow Liberation Lieutenants. Toga was beside Twice, picking at the messily applied polish on her nails. Whatever Twice was saying obviously wasn't of major interest to the group.

It was strange seeing Espionage surrounded by the League. Due to her influence, there was still a solid line between the original Liberation members and the villains, but Hawks and her seemed to be the connecting threads between the two groups. Even then, they're personas stood on opposing sides. She stood with the Liberation. He stood with the League. He blurred the line a little by establishing a relationship with her, but he never noticed her interacting with League members that weren't Twice beyond meetings very often, unless he dragged her into something. Not that he felt she was in immediate danger by being around them. In fact, he'd argue that she was probably safer with the villains right now than the Commission. Until they showed their true colors, that is. Once the pair pulled their strings, the whole operation was bound to unravel. Or at least that was the hope.

"Oh, my sweet little dove," Hawks sang as he approached. Espionage barely moved, but her eyes closed and he could see the movement of them under her eyelids as she flicked them up and back down.

"Hawks," Twice said, interrupting himself from whatever it was he was saying. "You finally got her. Nice going."

"I thought we weren't telling people?" Hawks chuckled.

"We aren't," Espionage groaned.

"Skeptic outed you guys during the meeting," Dabi said, his tone flat but a smirk growing on his face as his eyes focused back on the situation at hand.

"Damn. Remind me not to trust that man with a secret," Hawks said. "I'm kidding Skeptic," he added, talking more to the microphones than anything.

The Commission spy sighed. "It's fine. I guess it's okay that the other lieutenants and advisors know so there's no conflict of interests. And it'll be easier to keep any surprise tabloids controlled. But it doesn't leave leadership." Her sky-blue eyes slid around the people surrounding her. "Right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Toga sassed.

"I won't tell anyone," Twice nodded. "But I wanna tell people. It's a juicy story! But I don't have anyone to tell."

As per usual, Dabi gave an unenthusiastic shrug in response.

Hawks looked at Espionage, who seemed satisfied enough with their responses to accept them without further argument. "Well if that's settled, you two ready to go?"

"Go? Go where?" Twice asked.

"Mari, Dabi, and I are going to dinner," Hawks answered with a cheeky smile. "You guys want in?"

"Hawks is paying for all of us," Dabi muttered, looking at the hero as if challenging him to argue the statement.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Twice cheered with an energetic fist pump.

"Does that include dessert?" Toga asked, her interest finally redirected from her nails.

Hawks shrugged. "Whatever you guys want."

"Then I'm in."

"We have a proper party here," Hawks remarked. He walked closer to Espionage and looped an arm around her waist. While her expression looked like she was annoyed by his action, he felt the muscles of her back relax and her weight switch to rest against his side.

"Does this mean I don't have to come?" Dabi asked.

"Nope, you're not getting away. You've already committed to this." Hawks grabbed the fiery villain's shoulder with his free hand and pushed him in the direction of the exit. "Let's get outta here."

The mismatched group quickly found a small, quiet restaurant not far into town. The event itself went well. Surprisingly well, in fact. Other than the information Hawks asked about Nine, he'd dare even say it was normal. Like they were five friends hanging out. Other than the few strange looks the owners of the establishment threw at them, anyway. Just like earlier that day, Hawks wished it were as simple as that. While normal on the outside, everything in his head wasn't. Everything he said was carefully thought out, ensuring that his words were right and he got the information he wanted throughout the evening. Espionage was vigilant as always, staying quieter, but adding helpful additions here and there to steer the conversation in particular directions, all without using her quirk. The unspoken communication the two had developed over years of training together was strong as ever now that he wasn't limited by his own false memories. It was all so seamless. Like he never forgot her at all. Too bad the Commission didn't realize what they were missing out on when they decided they didn't want them to work together.

At the end of dinner, the small group of villains made their way back to the villa, looking satisfied with the hefty amount of cash they made the hero drop on them. Hawks offered to fly Espionage home, which she accepted without hesitation for once. There wasn't enthusiasm in her answer, but he'd take the improvement. The only issue was that he knew the lack of excitement wasn't all acting just by looking at her.

He cut through the clear winter sky to her residence, now understanding why she was so comfortable being in the air with him from the get-go. She's flown with him several times in Project Eta as part of different training exercises. Though it was different now. Now they could go more leisurely, enjoying the views above and below them without the stress of needing to impress their supervisors. He could hold her close just because he wanted to and freely pepper her cheeks with light kisses. Having her back, really truly back, made him realize just how touch starved he was. And damn was he going to take advantage of the time they had together one way or another.

So, even when Hawks put Espionage down, his hands remained on her hips as she unlocked her door. Once inside, he spun her around and pulled her back in before she had a chance to get ahead of him.

"Hawks, what are you doing?" she questioned, looking up at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Just making sure I get enough of you for the next few days," he chuckled and put his lips against hers in a kiss that made his heart feel like it was on fire.

Espionage leaned into him, deepening the series of kisses they gave each other. Their lips danced back and forth, his hands slowly dragging up and down her back as he did. Her own arms wrapped around him, gently grabbing at the feathers at the base of his wings. The feeling made him shiver and he bit her bottom lip lightly in response. The spy gave the softest moan before suddenly pushing him away.

"Nope. Nope. Not doing this."

"What?"

The hero's eyebrows furrowed as she stepped back, her hands moving through the feathers on his right wing until she found the microphone and clicked it off.

Hawks chuckled. "Not into exhibitionism, baby bird?"

Espionage glared in response, which made him laugh more. When both devices were shut off, she sighed and melted into his arms again, the heated moment they had just shared cooling into something more innocent. Hawks placed an arm around her shoulders and rested his cheek on the crown of her head as he held her against his chest.

"You feeling any better, my beautiful dove?" he asked, his thumb dragging itself back and forth against her shoulder.

"Hm…"

Hawks frowned. "I'll take that as a no."

"Well it's not," she started, pausing as she looked for the right words. "It's not the headache. It's been pretty manageable and I should be perfect after some sleep."

"You're always perfect."

"Hush. You know that's not what I mean," she chastised with a light slap to his arm. "I'm just exhausted from playing this role. And then there's days like today where the League really makes me think."

"About what?"

"Is it terrible that I… I feel bad for them? Twice and Toga specifically. What they do is wrong, but… I feel like if they just had someone able to help them in the past, they wouldn't be stuck in this mess. It just makes me wonder if there's any redemption for people like them. And if there isn't, how could there possibly be redemption for me?"

It took a moment for Hawks to respond. Of course he understood exactly what she meant; a part of him felt a similar way. Twice and Toga were two people who could've been completely different if someone in the world showed them courtesy before they met Shigaraki. The League of Villains was attractive to join because they finally found acceptance there. Maybe with some counseling, they could've once lived normal lives. Maybe they still could.

Hawks shook his head before lifting Espionage's chin so she was looking into his golden eyes. "If there isn't redemption for you, then there's none for me either. What we do isn't wrong. It's backhanded, sure, but at the end of the day, we're making the world a better place. In our own… unique way."

"But what's going to happen to them? Do you honestly think they'll get a fair trial after all this?" she questioned.

"I don't know," Hawks admitted. "The best we can do is hope. I can try to pull a few strings for them but…"

"I know. You can only do so much."

"Espie," his free hand brushed a few strands of the brown hair she wore behind her ear, "please don't forget that they are still villains. Ones that won't hesitate to cause mass chaos at that. Regardless of how human they are, we can't just let them go."

"I'm not saying that we should let them escape," Espionage sighed. "This is just so much easier when we aren't forced to spend so much time with the enemy. When I can just view them as the scum of the Earth the Commission tells me that they are and leave it at that."

"I know you don't actually believe them, though."

She smiled softly and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and I know you don't either."

"In times like this, yes. But when push comes to shove, I'll do what I have to do. I don't want you or other people to get hurt," he stated, placing a soft kiss on her forehead in a show of reassurance.

"Always the hero," she muttered.

"You know it," he chuckled. "Anything else bothering you?"

"Well, there's Dabi," she mused. Hawks's eyes widened in curiosity, so she continued. "There's something off about him. Something… something I really can't put my finger on."

"Wait, you don't actually have the hots for him right?" Hawks half joked. "I told him earlier today that he wasn't your type."

"No of course not," Espionage denied, pushing away from Hawks only for him to pull her back in.

"You sure?" the hero teased in a singsong voice.

"And what if I said I did, Icarus? What would you do then?" she challenged, a sly smile playing at her lips.

An ember of jealousy flared within the pit of Hawk's stomach. While he was sure she was teasing him back, that didn't stop the selfish side of him from peeking through. He wanted her to think of him. No one else.

"Then I'll have to remind you who the best damn kisser on this side of Japan is," he snickered. "Besides, I'll take the excuse to make up for lost time anyway."