Each hour Hawks was away from Deika gave Espionage more and more anxiety. Yet everything was planned to a T. The Liberation trusted him wholeheartedly, the League was happy with his efforts, her and Skeptic set him up with the equipment he'd need to make sure the GPS and microphones stayed on him for as long as he was away. The Commission even told her explicitly what the nature of his overlapping mission was, further cementing that they were none the wiser about their re-established relationship. Everything was fine.

So why did she feel like every single day was like taking another step on a tightrope? Like she was either going to slowly make it to the other side or fall to her demise trying. As she laid awake at night, the anxiety bubbling in her like molten lava, she could only think of two legitimate reasons why.

The first was just Hawks himself. She worried about him. Worried more for his safety than she could ever think to care about her own. There were so many things he had to keep up with at one time that it made even Espionage's mind spin. He had to maintain his false loyalty to the Liberation, feign ignorance about the truth of their past to the Commission, hope that no one around him blew his cover, and on top of it all hunt down some crazed super villain. If she was the type to bite her nails, she'd have none within the first three days of him being gone. Espionage was as prepared as she could be for any wrong turn in Hawks's plans, closely monitoring his location and live feeds with Skeptic so that she could quickly provide whatever cover up he needed, but that led her to the second thing causing her discomfort with their current situation.

Dabi all of a sudden started to sit in with her and Skeptic more often than not. He claimed it was because he was bored. Something about Geten and him only being able to plan so many warfare tactics without Shigaraki present, but Espionage saw through that lie quickly. What he really wanted to do was watch Hawks. The villain seemed to be the one who trusted the hero the least, despite being the one who invited him this far down the rabbit hole. Her theory was only confirmed one evening when Hawks finally put the pieces together to pinpoint Nine's location.

"He's looking for the last victim's children," Hawks's voice sounded from Skeptic's computer speakers. "His two most recent victims have had some sort of healing quirk. I think he might be looking for a specific type in particular."

"Hm…" the familiar voice of the Commission President hummed. "And where are his children located?"

"Nabu Island."

The President grunted now. "That's where the students of UA are currently practicing what it's like to run a hero agency. They'll need back up right away."

"I can be there by morning," Hawks assured, an urgency in his tone.

Espionage bit the tip of her tongue, though her stoic expression never changed. His intern was probably on that island. She silently hoped him and the other teens would be alright as the President spoke again.

"We'll mobilize a whole team to set out tonight as well. But I expect you'll be there first?"

"Speed is the name of my game, ma'am," Hawks reminded, somewhat snarkily.

"Yes, quite," she acknowledged and cleared her throat. "Then I'm counting on you to bring this villain in for questioning."

"You got it."

Dabi chuckled from where he sat in the corner. Espionage's sky-blue eyes flicked towards his direction and was half surprised that he hadn't fallen asleep there. The villain rarely made conversation while he hung around, opting to instead listen to whatever came through on Skeptic's speakers, whether that be Hawks's questionings, the conversations going on around him, or the simple rustling of his feathers as he drifted through the air. When he seemed overly bored or satisfied with what was going on, he left as silently as he came in. Until now.

"You have his number, sweetheart," he commented, his rough voice coming out more like a statement than a question.

Espionage raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Remind him of what I want."

"And that is?"

"He'll know."

Espionage shook her head. The brown strands of her wig fell annoyingly into her face and she pushed them back with her hand. "Why don't you text him yourself then?"

"Don't know if you've noticed, but I've never really had a proper cell. Comes with the territory of being an on the run villain, you know," he snickered as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head.

Her glare only made him laugh more and Skeptic shrugged in response to the conversation. It took a few minutes for Hawks to respond to the text through the microphones, probably because he had to be sure he wasn't within earshot of someone else.

"Yeah yeah, Dabi I know. Let me take a two-hour nap while the Prez sends her emails and I'll be there. I should be able to take Nine out soon after sunrise," Hawks groaned. The quality of the live-streamed audio fell once again as the sound of air rushing past the sensitive devices made everything fuzzy, including Hawks's added statement. "You guys should probably get some rest too. I know you've been up as long as I have. I'll be home soon, don't worry."

"I think he's talking more to you than us," Skeptic muttered to Espionage with a lopsided smirk as he closed his laptop. The room grew as silent as the night outside when the feed was suddenly cut off.

"He's so stupidly protective. It's annoying," Espionage sighed, causing the older Liberation lieutenant to chuckle. She clicked her pen and closed the journal of written notes she took sporadically throughout the day to make herself look useful. In reality, the memos weren't truly important, especially when the audio could be played back at any time, but she needed the excuse to stay in Skeptic's office as much as possible.

Crystal blue eyes looked quickly around the large office space as she gathered her things. Skeptic's base of operations was fairly drab, matching his usual down to business personality. In a strange way, it reminded her of Kobayashi's office in the mansion of Project Eta and she found herself suppressing shivers whenever she felt a random, uncomfortable tingling travel down her spine. Eventually her gaze locked with Dabi's ocean blue stare as he watched her.

"What?" she snapped, only slightly harsher than she was intending, though she didn't regret it.

Dabi shrugged. "Just wondering how pissed off your boyfriend would be if he found out I walked you home while he was away."

"Really?" she asked. An exasperated sigh left her lips. "Are you that starved for entertainment around here that you're going to antagonize us both?"

"Are you denying the offer, sweetheart?" Dabi questioned.

The spy's mind went into overdrive. If his idea was serious, that meant she could finally have him alone. It was true that Hawks would have strong feelings about that, either because of his jealousy streak or general concern for her safety, but just like with Toga, the opportunity was too good to pass up. Dabi had to know where Shigaraki and the Nomu were. It would be so easy to suggest. She could also satisfy her burning need to find out why he was so interested in pestering her lately. She would be able to find out all she ever needed to know within a short walk and cut their investigation time by leaps and bounds.

"Well, I," she stammered, her eyes looking down as she spoke, trying to play up a sense of shock and embarrassment. Dabi's one sided smile told her that the villain was buying it. "Hawks is always nagging me about how often I walk home alone late at night. Who knows? He might be thankful instead."

Dabi's scarred face cringed slightly as he stood from his plush black seat. "You say that like the bird brain and I are actually going to get along one day."

"And why not? We're all under the same banner. Is it that crazy to hope that you two will stop being idiots and properly work together?" Espionage chided. She flicked the long brown hair behind her shoulders as she stood and began to make her way to the door.

Skeptic muttered, "It would make our lives slightly easier," in a show of agreement as he continued shutting down his various systems.

"If he makes good on this mission, I'll consider it," Dabi groaned. "You ready?"

"I'm the one standing by the door," she said as she rolled her eyes.

It was just past midnight as the spy and villain left the Liberation headquarters. The air that surrounded them was so strangely still, like the particles in it were frozen and forever suspended in place. Espionage matched the quiet of the atmosphere, keeping her haughty attitude up like the whole ordeal was annoying while she waited for Dabi to make some sort of move. Surprisingly, it took him awhile to do so. Being alone with Dabi only reminded Espionage of how starkly different the man was from Hawks. They were, somewhat literally, like fire and water. Everything from their looks to their personalities clashed. The hero wouldn't have hesitated to start up some conversation, or at the very least make random observations to fill the void. The villain seemed more than happy to enjoy the silence. For some reason, Espionage wasn't put off by it. She was almost comfortable with him as the pair's feet echoed through the archway of trees, the sounds their boots were making changing as they transitioned from the cobblestone path to smooth concrete when they neared the more suburban part of the city. She would've enjoyed it more if she wasn't looking for him to talk at that moment.

"Do you really trust the bird brain?" Dabi finally said as they approached the halfway point to her house.

Espionage's colored eyebrows furrowed in a false show of confusion while excitement grew in the pit of her stomach. "I have no reason not to. He's done literally everything I've told him to. Well, everything except leave me alone. But he follows all the rules, wears all the devices, gave us some helpful intel. Why?"

Dabi didn't respond to her question in any way for a few long moments. Espionage watched as he made no change in his body language and no sign of opening his mouth to speak as he continued walking with his hands shoved in his pockets. She was about ask if he heard her when he finally spoke again.

"Besides that, don't you think it's too good to be true that someone like him was single?"

"Excuse me?" she asked, her tone controlled despite her genuine surprise in the shift in conversation.

"Don't play dumb, sweetheart," Dabi scoffed. "You have to have thought about it. He's young, rich, and famous. Has an attitude that people seem to eat up. I'm just sayin'. Aren't you worried he has someone waiting for him at home?"

"I really don't understand where this is coming from," she admitted with a slight roll of her eyes. "Hawks hasn't contacted anyone that could've been a significant other since he joined. Besides, I don't think it's your business what his relationship status is."

Dabi paused, his glowing blue eyes squinting slightly as he thought. "Guess it isn't. Just don't come crying to me later if I'm right."

"For the record, I feel like he's the one more emotionally invested in whatever relationship we have anyway," she smoothly lied, though in the back of her mind she laughed at herself. She'd be the first to admit that wasn't true in the slightest.

They were at the sidewalk that led up to her front door now and the villain stopped walking to look at her with his usual deadpan expression. It was frustrating that he was so hard to read sometimes.

"You keep just saying 'relationship'. Is he your boyfriend or not, sweetheart?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

He leaned closer to her, his cyan eyes sparking with a strange sort of delight. She fought the instinct to take a step back as she refused to back down from him. The lack of intimidation she showed caused a low, dark laugh echo from his scarred lips.

"Because if you're keen on keeping that an open relationship, I'm sure the two of us could have some fun that would drive that bird brain up the wall," he said with a smirk.

Espionage looked away from his eyes in a show of embarrassment, but used the opportunity to glance around her surroundings. The streets were completely empty. This would be perfect. When she looked back up, she made sure her blue eyes locked with his.

"I'm flattered, but I'm not interested," she started. "But I do want you to- "

She cut herself off as Dabi's eyes unfocused, the pang in her head persisting as she held him in limbo for a few seconds. Getting this information was the best thing she could probably do, but there was a sudden knot that formed in her stomach as she started her suggestion. Something about this wasn't right. Something about the way he was looking at her that made her rethink what she was about to do. His eyes glowed with the same fire that he created with his hands. Like smoldering blue embers that looked familiar enough to make her throat tighten.

Dabi blinked. The movement pulled Espionage from her spiraling mind and she asked the first thing that popped in it.

"I want you to be honest with me and tell me why you don't trust Hawks," she stated, releasing him from his trance.

He crossed his arms and shook his head, causing his messy black hair to fall over his eyes and away again. "Why would I trust him? He's a dog of the government trained to do whatever they tell him to."

Espionage's mouth dried up like she had just inhaled desert sand. Did Dabi know that Hawks was a double agent? Did he really know that he was trained by the Commission themselves? And if he did, how long was he going to keep up the facade that he didn't know?

An endless list of questions swirled in her head like an angry storm, but Espionage remained outwardly cool. One of her eyebrows arched as she calmly asked her next question.

"What makes you think that?"

"I have my sources," he shrugged. She could tell he was still being honest, but unless she was more specific, he could be as vague as he wanted and still be telling the truth.

Part of her wanted to hang onto the topic and pick his brain about everything else he could possibly know about Hawks, but she knew her time was limited. Keeping Dabi out too late just increased her chances of something going awry. So she jumped back onto her initial point, hoping to circle around once she got the most important information out of him.

"I want you to tell me where Shigaraki and the Nomi are located," she said in a quiet, yet stern voice.

"They're all with the doc in Jaku General Hospital."

Her heart pounded as adrenaline flowed through her veins. Finally, the answers they've both been waiting two months for at the tips of her fingers. They could start planning the raid. No more Liberation. No more League. Hawks could be free again. Well, free-ish.

"I suggest you- "

"Dabi! What are you doing out so late in the evening?" a dramatic voice called from the distance.

Espionage's attention flicked in its direction, cursing in her head as she saw Mr. Compress headed their way, Dabi stood unmoving as he waited for the rest of her suggestion.

"I suggest you forget I asked about Shigaraki and the Nomu and act like we were having a normal conversation," she hissed.

Once his eyes focused again, Dabi slowly turned to his fellow villain. He huffed in annoyance before responding.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I was just out on the town. Making some magic happen," Compress laughed. "It's nice being in a city we can roam free without fear. Don't you agree?"

"I guess. Not like you have to worry about that much. No one recognizes you when you take your mask off."

"That is part of the point. I would say you should invest in one yourself, but it's a little late for that," Compress said, matter of factly. He looked at Espionage and dipped his head in greeting. "Good evening to you too Ms. Yoshioka. Am I interrupting something?"

"No. Dabi was kind enough to walk me home since Hawks isn't around. Though I didn't need it," she answered.

"I don't know whether to be proud or shocked that Dabi acted so gentlemanly. Maybe both?" Compress questioned.

Dabi gave a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "I'm gonna to go to bed." He turned around, dug his hands deep into the pockets of his long black coat once again, and started to walk without another glance.

"I was headed back to the villa as well, so I'll join you. Have a good rest of your night, Ms. Yoshioka," Compress said with a wave.

"You too. And Dabi," she added. The man took the bait and looked back over his shoulder at her once again. "I think you can trust Hawks. There isn't anything he can do that would get past me."

A small smirk grew on Dabi's discolored lips. "I was just looking out for you, sweetheart. I can't wait to hear that he killed Nine in the morning, though."

And Hawks did. Just a few hours after sunrise, like he initially predicted. By the sound of it, Nine was in very bad shape already and Hawks's assassination was practically out of mercy as much as it was necessity. Or at least that's how Espionage rationalized it. The rest of the day was spent taking care of the small island folk as well as the UA students. The spy got to hear Hawks's intern's voice over Skeptic's speakers and it made her release a breath she didn't know she was holding. The student spoke in such a serious manner that juxtaposed Hawk's more outwardly carefree attitude in a way that almost made her laugh, but they seemed to get along well enough all the same. In fact, beyond the humor of it, their interactions made Espionage's heart flutter as she enjoyed hearing the inflections in Hawks's voice as he went on about how proud he was of the kid for holding his own. She had half a mind to give him a taste of his own medicine and tease the hero for being so adorable when he returned.

The cleanup efforts on Nabu Island kept the winged hero's attention for the rest of the day as he worked to keep up appearances with the other heroes and civilians that surrounded him. He told the Commission that Nine was dead by the time he found him, which they accepted without much argument. Dabi seemed more than satisfied with the results and was practically humming as he left Skeptic's office. It was probably the happiest Espionage had ever seen him.

Unfortunately, Hawks didn't return to Deika before Espionage had her meeting with the Commission the following day. Not like that was necessary, but she would've felt slightly more comfortable knowing that she wouldn't accidentally bump into him in the building and risk someone being clued in on one of the many secrets the two were keeping from the rest of the world. Her worries were put to rest a little when she received a text saying he was on his way back while she was at the midway point to her destination. Traveling from Deika to the closest Hero Public Safety Commission office in Toyota was a multistep process. Her cover story had her leave Deika fairly frequently to assist in her fake family's business in the city, so as long as she didn't miss a meeting, no one was ever suspicious about why she left so often. Once in the city, she stopped inside a large building filled with offices for a variety of businesses where she dropped the wig, changed her outfit, and left while wearing a mask to conceal half her face so she didn't have to wash off and later reapply a ton of makeup. It made for an easy, yet confusing transition to prevent her from being followed, even though she knew she never was.

Walking to the meeting room was as stressful as always. Entering the room made her cortisol levels spike. Kobayashi looked to be in a particularly sour mood from the get-go. His eyes were squinting due to the furrowing of his thick brows, purple bags sitting beneath them, his hands folded tightly in front of him. Watanabe looked perturbed as well, but was better at maintaining his composure as she walked in and bowed. Suzuki was nowhere in sight, but Espionage assumed he was still on incident clean up duty.

"What's your report, Espionage?" Kobayashi asked, wasting no time with pleasantries.

The spy recounted all the information she had gathered since her last contact with the Commission, leaving out her conversation the previous night with Dabi. She was still technically barred from communicating too closely with the League, so she'd have to tell Hawks to relay that information if she wanted to avoid getting them both in trouble. The Project Eta lead's expression never changed.

"Espionage," he said, repeating her given name like he tasted something bitter on his tongue. "Do you have reason to believe Hawks is defecting?"

"No, sir," she answered.

"Do you know why he disobeyed orders and killed Nine?"

"Yes, sir. The League of Villains ordered him to. They talked about Nine being a liability to the cause during our last meeting."

Kobayashi raised his eyebrow. "No other reason?"

"Not that I know of, sir," she responded, curiosity bubbling within her. Surely Hawks found a way to get a message to him about this already. Why would he be asking?

"How's Hawks's relationship with those in the Liberation and League?" Kobayashi further questioned.

Espionage glanced between her supervisors through the thin scarf over her eyes. Project Eta's head looked more stern than before whereas the second in command looked almost uncomfortable. Watanabe kept his eyes down on his notes, like he was trying his best to avoid looking at her for whatever reason. It only made her more nervous.

"They all trust him wholeheartedly. Dabi was the last to do so, but was completely won over after yesterday."

"And his relationship with Mari Yoshioka?"

"Civil," she answered, her tone staying cool in spite of the rapid beating of her heart. "Naturally he's trying to get to know her too in order to build trust within leadership, but him and Yoshioka are nothing more than acquaintances."

Kobayashi grunted. He closed his dark eyes and he leaned back before standing up from the gray pleather chair he was in. Watanabe followed his movement, though with less urgency.

"Come with us, Espionage."

She followed the older men out of the meeting room to the basement of the building. It matched the upstairs well, with white walls and winding halls lined with door after door. Though these doors weren't bright and open like the offices on the main floors, but instead heavily reinforced, serving as the barriers between the holding cells for prisoners brought in for questioning and the outside world. The spy kept her breathing even as she followed the men further and further, eventually stopping in front of a room labeled A05. The room inside was small, still white with a few stools placed towards a large one-way viewing window. Inside the adjacent room was a forlorn looking woman with blue eyes and chopped red hair. She appeared pale, beaten, and utterly defeated. It made a lump form in Espionage's throat as she was given her next orders.

"This is Slice, one of Nine's accomplices that was captured." Kobayashi handed Espionage an earpiece, which she was quick to put on. "She's being uncooperative, probably because she seemed to have a close relationship with Nine, so we want you to interrogate her on Shigaraki's whereabouts."

"Understood, sir."

Espionage felt a chill run down her arms as she entered the next room, noticing that it was significantly colder than the last, probably to make the inmate irritable enough to comply. A plan that obviously didn't work. She lifted the scarf from her eyes and pushed back her bright orange curls as she sat at the table across from Slice.

"Hello, my name is Espionage. I have a few questions for you," she introduced.

Slice sighed and rolled her eyes before looking up. "Espionage? Sounds like a villain name to me. Sure you're not one of us?"

"Let's cut straight to the chase." Crystal eyes met exhausted watery blue as Espionage started the first of a series of suggestions. "I want you to tell me your name."

"Kiruka Hasaki," the captured villain answered.

"I suggest you tell me about your compatriot, Nine. How did he come to get his abilities?"

"He partnered with the League of Villains. I didn't think it was a good idea at first, but he seemed so satisfied afterward. So powerful. Other than his… affliction. They couldn't cure him of that."

"I suggest you tell me where he received these abilities."

"I don't know."

"I want you to be honest with me. I want you to tell me where he powered up."

"I told you already, I don't remember."

Kobayashi's stern voice buzzed through the speaker in Espionage's ear, like an annoying bug that's been pestering her throughout her life. "Keep pushing her."

"I suggest you tell me where Shigaraki and the mysterious doctor he's working with are."

"I don't know! Nine left with them and we didn't follow. The League brought him back to us. If they told me, I don't remember," she loudly answered.

Her hands slammed down in frustration, causing the metal of the quirk restricting restraints she was wearing to clang against the table. The Commission spy didn't even flinch at the woman's suddenly feral attitude. Instead, she sighed and rolled her neck to alleviate the aggravation that was building up in the back of her head. She started to get up from the metal chair before Kobayashi spoke yet again.

"Repeat the suggestion."

"Sir, I can't force her to remember something she doesn't know."

"Try."

Fear shot through Espionage like lightning. The room felt suddenly colder and she thought she was going to start slowly freezing where she sat.

"I suggest that you remember," Espionage directed to Slice, uncertainty finally showing ever so slightly in her voice.

Slice finally broke eye contact and shook her head. "I can't."

Silence fell as Espionage waited. It felt like an eternity passed before she heard the bug in her ear again.

"Very well. You may leave, Espionage."

Kobayashi wasn't concerned about Slice. He wasn't concerned about Hawks. He was concerned about her. His previous questions made more sense as the realization fell on her. The Project Eta head was assuring himself that Espionage couldn't bring Hawks's memories back. Something must have tipped him off. Or maybe it was the misguided distrust of her that he's held on to for years.

She should've felt better that he assumed Hawks had forgotten her completely with no hope of remembering her again. But she didn't. The man still had that dark glare in his eyes as she slid her scarf back over her own and handed the earpiece back to him, bowing and apologizing for her inability to get answers. Watanabe stood behind him and made an even more obvious point not to look at her. It seemed he didn't trust her either.

She felt numb as she was being dismissed. Her muscles screamed, begging her to run away from the Commission as fast as she could. But she maintained her composure as she began the process she started that morning but in reverse, disguising herself once again before catching the train back toward Deika. The conflicting numbness and flight response battled each other through the ride, consuming almost all her thoughts. Yet no one would know the way her mind swam as she greeted Liberation members on the streets after she returned. No one knew the pain her head caused her as she casually unlocked the door to her temporary home.

No one knew. No one could know. No one besides Hawks.

A/N: Hi friends! Hope you're enjoying this story! Just wanted to let you know for those following and favoriting, I'm currently trying my hardest to update this bi-weekly. My work schedule is absolutely insane right now but I love this story and want to see it through eventually!

Thanks again for reading I appreciate you!