My BRAIN. I had about 1/2 of this chapter was done almost immediately after I posted the last chapter. Notice how it took a few days to get this out. A few DAYS. Blegh. My writer's block always follows the stupid pattern of 'get nearly everything done and then, when all you need to do is tie a few things together, FLOP'. T-T I could always just write a short, crappy line to vaguely explain the moments in between but they would be short, crappy, vague lines and that would just much everything up. Gross.

Anyways, rant over. Here's the next chapter!

Dabi draws on walls

Sidekicks are nice

Hawks has totally moved in

Surprises are can be bad

-00-

An Offer He Can't Refuse

-00-

Hawks landed on the edge of the roof directly across the street from the fire.

Dabi (because who else could it be with flames like that) wasn't even trying to be subtle now.

The floor of the building was completely engulfed. It was slowly creeping down to the next floor but Hawks knew everyone was already evacuated. It didn't seem like there was a body this time either, unless that had already been reduced to ash. The fire couldn't have been going for very long at this level so unless Dabi had incinerated someone before starting the fire it looked like there were no casualties.

Which begged the question, what message was this one supposed to give?

It was late. Late enough that Hawks wasn't technically 'Hawks' right then. No one had seen him fly overhead, his wings too dark against the smoke-filled sky. Observing was so much easier like this. He could actually use his eyes instead of his feathers with no one around to match his gaze to his target. It made it easier to pick out the darkened charcoal marks along the back of the building near the ground floor. They were stark against the brick, clearly not meant to be there. No one was near it, it would have been stupid to stay in the tiny little alleyway with a flaming building on one side.

Hawks swept down, grimacing at the heat when he passed by the burning section. He landed on the ground soundlessly, wings spreading to feel for any stray pyros that might have hung around to catch unwitting birds off guard.

No one was around. Hawks pursed his lips. Unless Dabi was friends with someone that had a very particular type of vision quirk there wasn't anywhere around where he could hide to observe the little 'note' he'd left behind. How would he know if someone found it?

Hawks tilted his head, lifting his visor a bit to see better. Thin, burnt lines painted a name across the brick. It was a bit hard to picture Dabi writing it out with his finger with only a blurry picture and his student's descriptions of the man. He knew he was tall, black-haired, wore a long black coat, and had a lot of purple scarring. In Hawks mind he was a morphing black blob who was proving more and more mysterious as time went on.

Sukihiro Shiro. He didn't recognize the name but Hawks knew this message had to be for him. The fire in the clearing was obvious enough but who else would find this name except for Hawks?

He smiled, sharp and crooked. This was it. He'd officially 'made contact'. Whatever this name lead him to would shape the path he would need to take.

He memorized the name, flying back up to his original perch. He'd wait to inform his Handler until he was in the safety of his room. Now that he knew he was being watched (scouted, hopefully) he would need to be as careful as possible.

-00-

"Heeyy, Toki," Hawks sang, holding out the medium-sized chocolate cake he had special ordered.

Toki put her face in her hands, slumping over her desk like a woman about to be walked to the guillotine.

"I know you're busy," Hawks hooked his foot around the swivel chair at Pictorem's desk (currently empty since the man ran out as soon as he saw the cake) and dragged it over so he could sit down in front of her. "So I just wanted to get you a little something to show how much I value you and everything you do."

Narrow golden eyes appeared behind thin fingers. Toki glared.

"It's triple chocolate~" Hawks waved the cake around.

"What do you want?" Toki sighed, sitting up. Hawks set the cake on the table and pushed it towards her with his fingertips.

"Nothing, nothing. I just had some questions and I thought we could chat over something sweet."

"Mh," Toki grunted. She reached down, pulling out the drawer she always kept a few plates and plastic utensils. Hawks waited patiently, resting his elbow on the desk. He grinned when she cut herself a large piece and pointedly ignored him.

He couldn't handle that much sweetness anyway.

"So," Hawks scooted forward, tapping his toes on the floor, "if, hypothetically, someone were to become a vaguely titled vigilante and was looking to make some underground connections while simultaneously trying to come off as someone who wanted to be left completely alone what would you do?"

Toki paused. She stared at the cake for a long, depressed minute.

Hawks flapped his wings happily when she took a bite. She was in.

"Which vigilante?"

"Have you heard of Raven?"

Toki closed her eyes. She cut off a large chunk of the cake, shoving the whole piece into her mouth in the most unattractive way she possibly could.

Hawks drummed his fingers along the edge of the desk while he waited for her to finish avoiding the conversation.

"Raven, hypothetically, should stop doing whatever it is he is doing before he gets himself killed. Or arrested. Or arrested then killed."

"He won't be arrested," Hawks promised. His subtle way of telling her that this was all Commission approved.

She looked furious.

Toki took a deep breath. "In that case, I know a few people who would love to meet someone like him I just need to figure out where he's going to be."

Hawks tapped his chin with his fist, thinking about it. "If I were to take a wild guess I would say he's probably going to be in Naruhata most evenings for about a week. There's someone there he's trying to find, so I hear."

"I'll see what I can do."

"If it's not too much trouble," Hawks slid a piece of paper over too her, pulled out from his jacket pocket, "could you also ask about this name? I've looked it up myself but it's like he doesn't exist."

Toki looked it over. She scowled. "He's an underground doctor, hard to find and harder to pay for. I haven't heard about him in years but I haven't been looking. I'll ask around."

Hawks let his smile narrow down to something smaller. More sincere. "Thanks, Toki."

"Don't," she said, brow pinched. "Just… be careful."

"I always am."

He ignored the look she gave him and prepared for the next part of his plan. The kids were going to be back in school soon, he needed everything set in place before then so he could manage his time without risk of backlash. If he couldn't manage it all he would need to leave UA.

Hawks licked the back of his teeth.

He'd like it if that didn't happen. Thankfully he had Toki. Calling on her to use her past connections wasn't something he enjoyed doing, no matter what she said, but if it could help get into the League faster then he could stay at UA.

"Hawks," Toki stood when he did, banging her hip into the side of her desk when she moved too fast. She ignored it, reaching out as though to grab his arm but stopping halfway. "If… if you need anything else- anything else please don't hesitate to ask. You know I would do anything."

He did know. It's why he so rarely asked.

"I will," he said instead, stepping back. "Tell Siren and Pictorem they're doing great. I didn't see them on patrol yesterday but I heard they've been helping out a lot downtown. Don't forget to eat something besides cake today!"

Hawks clicked open the window and jumped out.

Toki gripped the sides of her desk, clenching her jaw.

"Toki?" Siren called softly from the door, Pictorem looking in over her shoulder.

Toki swallowed, shaking her head. She turned to face them.

"What is it?"

They shared a look.

"We were going to go get some dinner together," she said. Toki twitched under the calculating stare of the normally wide-eyed woman. Anyone else, be it villain or otherwise, and Toki would face them down with her chin held high. With Siren though… well, her eyes cut in a different kind of way. "Would you like to come with us?"

Pictorem was frowning. He looked at the sliced up cake then back to her, one eyebrow raised.

Toki sighed. They wouldn't be letting this go any time soon and, despite her best efforts, she was fond of these two.

"I have a few calls to make," she said, boxing her cake back up. "If you're willing to wait I'd be happy to join you."

"Yay!"Siren clapped her hands, hoping the rest of the way in. Pictorem slouched after her. "I wish Hawks had stayed a little longer, we might have gotten him to join too!"

Toki nodded, not saying anything. She wouldn't tell them about what Hawks had asked of her, or why he had to ask it. She didn't know the full story herself but she could make a few guesses. If Hawks had wanted them to know he would have said something. Toki didn't really want them to know either. They were… sweet. Kind.

Different.

Toki would keep it that way if she could. She only wished she could do the same for Hawks. For the man that saved her in a way no one else had ever tried.

She made her calls in the back room, where it was soundproof and windowless. The Commission heroes that had been hanging around when Hawks was gone had been very curious about this room but Siren had kept them suitably distracted. Toki hated this room, it was dark and cold, but it was useful.

When she was done she joined her co-workers, her dearest friends, at the balcony and let Pictorem pick her up. He pulled ink out of the containers hidden throughout his outfit, swirling it up into powerful dark wings. They flew down to the street together, Siren laughing and Pictorem complaining as always.

Toki owed all of this to Hawks. Her new life, her job, her friends. She owed him everything. So she would do whatever it was he asked of her without question.

If only the things he asked for were for himself.

-00-

"I like your room," Thirteen complimented as they walked in, arms laden with their typical show watching snacks.

"Thanks," Hawks grinned, flipping off the roost where he had been reading at his wall desk. "I liked that bean bag you had so I got one for us to use up here too."

"Dude," Hizashi whistled, carrying the drinks, "this looks way better than the last time I was in here. Nice clock."

Hawks preened under the compliments, pretty proud of himself. He'd never really 'designed' a room like this before. When he'd moved into his apartment all the furniture had already been in place so he had just placed a few knickknacks here and there whenever Rumi or his sidekicks got him something. This room, though, had been his to do with what he wanted. It turned out to be a lot more fun than he thought it would be. Once he started, he struggled to stop.

Everything was painted, a little off at the points Nemuri hadn't helped with, and his roost he'd made a nice deep blue. The start stickers he'd bought he had Thirteen help with when they were bored the other day and now he had a fairly accurate re-creation of the actual night sky. His bed had the giant blanket he rarely used, he was still waiting for the right time to give it to Aizawa without the man throwing it back at him, and there were a lot more pillows now since he knew Thirteen would be coming by to watch things from time to time.

Hizashi had joined in on the second season of their show once he realized they were watching it. He'd been the one to suggest that they go to a different room every week to 'mix things up a bit' so Hawks had made sure to buy a fairly nice television for his room as well as the large beanbag and comfy egg chairs he'd copied off of Cementoss. There were also small shelves hung up all over the walls, most high enough he had to fly up to grab them, filled with various books he'd brought from his apartment. It made sense to have a lot of the educational books here, at the school, so he could look up any questions he had during classes. He only had one extra hero costume here, he couldn't stay on nights he planned to be out as Raven (he was happy they'd given him a cool sounding name) but he did keep half of his casual clothes here now so he no one would think he was weird when he hung out with them on their days off. Casual clothes were usually only things he wore for photoshoots or when he was getting ready for bed but he was getting used to wearing them in the mornings when he was at the dorms.

The last thing Hawks had added was the chicken clock Rumi had gotten him. Hawks hadn't really thought too much about it when he grabbed it on his way over. It just seemed like it would match this room better than the one at his apartment.

"What happened last time again?" Hizashi asked, claiming one of the egg chairs. "They finished the proto-type, right?"

"Yeah, but the General was smiling evilly at the end so something's probably going to go wrong," Hawks draped his wings over the back of the beanbag, helping Thirteen hold onto the snacks as they joined them. "Rose was being weird too, but I think that's for something different."

"Probably the new guy. She seemed to like him," Thirteen said. They were wearing a light orange suit this time. Hawks wondered if they had a different color for every day.

"You think so?" he asked. "She kind of looked like she wanted to murder him when he made that stupid space joke."

"I thought it was funny," Thirteen huffed.

"She's totally into him," Hizashi laughed, already a quarter of the way through the popcorn and they hadn't even started yet. "There's 'murder gaze' and then there's 'I hate you for making me like you gaze'. It's the second one, for sure."

"How do you know?" Hawks tilted his head, plucking up the remote to pull up the episode.

"Shouta."

"Ah."

In the end it turned out that it wasn't murder or interest, but that Rose had known the new guy's twin sister and had been trying to remember where she had seen him the entire time.

"Boo," Hawks called, finishing off the last of the finger sandwiches Hizashi had made. "That's boring. There's no drama."

"No romance," Thirteen sighed.

"Maybe it's a build-up kind of thing!" Hizashi defended, always the 'silver lining'. "Like, this is what made him catch her attention and now they have something they can talk about! It'll be like an inside joke with them."

Hawks and Thirteen shared a look, unconvinced.

When Hawks' phone buzzed he excused himself, carrying all of their empty dishes out as the two argued about the science behind building a space farm. Hawks had been reading up on the topic since they were both so interested, but he didn't know enough yet to really contribute.

Snipe was at the kitchen table with his laptop. He nodded at Hawks when he walked in but went right back to work.

Hawks pulled out his phone and opened the files Toki had sent him.

There were several gangs interested in meeting Raven to recruit him, and a handful wanting to take him out because he was a threat. Hawks memorized those ones in particular, he had made his motives clear as day so anyone that thought he would come after him did so because he'd shown he would. He didn't plan on joining any of them, but having them approach him would get rumors circulating.

The next few nights would be interesting.

The last file was about Sukihiro. It wasn't his real name, no one knew what it was. He was in his sixties and he was the best underground doctor five years ago. No one knew where he disappeared to or why.

Hawks made plans to get Toki an entire bakery, whichever one she wanted, when he read the address at the bottom of the file.

Hawks: Have I told you lately that you are my favorite person ever?

Toki: Siren has been sad that she hasn't seen you in a week. Visit her and I'll call us even.

Hawks huffed, smiling fondly. It was good, seeing her so close to the others. He'd leave her be for as long as he could, let her enjoy her peace and quiet. Hopefully, this would be the last favor he'd need to ask.

-00-

Sukihiro Shiro was now going by the name Tanaka Nato. He lived in a small, nice home in a good neighborhood by himself. Every weekday his granddaughter would stop by on her way back from school to tell him about her day and have a snack. He didn't seem to be in contact with anyone else besides his son and daughter-in-law.

He had been a doctor that cared for anyone that could pay. Toki had vouched for his character saying that even though he was cold he would often agree to small payments over time which most underground doctors would balk at. It was always upfront or you were left to die. His son ran a medical clinic, Hawks wasn't sure if he knew what his father was up to but it was clear where Sukihiro got the majority of his supplies.

Had he left that life behind because of his family or was it something else? Why did Dabi write his name? If Hawks responded, if he told the villain where Sukihiro lived, what would happen to the elderly man? To his granddaughter?

Hawks sighed, hopping over a thug's leg and whipping around in the air to kick him in the head. His wings flared out, catching the second guy in the side.

"I'm not interested," he said again, low with anger.

Toki worked fast, he'd had two small-time groups approach him trying to get him to join them approach him already and it was only the first night.

"That's a shame," a new voice said from the other end of the abandoned lot.

Hawks flared his wings warningly. He hated not being able to detach his feathers, it left him feeling grossly vulnerable even with his wings, but at least it made his reactions more realistic.

"They could really use someone like you," the stranger looked at the two small-timers Hawks had laid out. "Without a big hitter, they'll be absorbed by another group or killed."

Hawks looked around the edges of the lot carefully. No one approached him when they were alone.

"I don't need them," he said shortly.

"Clearly," the man sounded almost amused. He stepped forward, some of the shattered lights of the street slashing across his face and the mask he had covering the majority of it.

Holy shit. That was Chisaki Kai.

A B-rank villain from an outdated Yakuza that the Commission wasn't overly concerned with because he'd kept a low profile over the years. Dangerous but mostly inactive (as far as the police could tell).

His quirk put him in the top ten of 'people to be wary of' list Hawks had. What was he doing here? This wasn't anywhere near Shie Hassaikai territory.

"I'm not here for a fight," Chisaki looked laid back. Uncaring.

If he was Hawks right now he would have matched him. Instead, Hawks kept his wings raised, knees bent for an immediate take-off if need be.

"You've been flying near Shie Hassaikai territory lately. I heard you'd be around here, thought I'd come give you a proper welcome."

Hawks had been careful to avoid the yakuza's territory due to the heavy police watch on the area. "If you're going to lie, come up with a better one."

Chisaki coughed. "You've caught our interest. With all the assault you've been going around doing I had expected you to be placed on a watch list but amazingly you've managed to fly under every radar without so much as a blip. You're rather skilled for a simple 'vigilante'."

He'd stretched the word like it was something that tasted gross.

Okay. This wasn't quite the attention Hawks had been hoping for (or expecting) but he could work with this. If he could get some rumors going around about the type of group he'd actually say 'yes' to then he might be able to entice Dabi, the Leagues chief recruiter, into approaching him faster.

"You don't have anything I want," Hawks opened the way for an offer, tensing his legs.

"You sound so sure about that," Chisaki blinked for the first time in their conversation. Hawks was uncomfortably reminded of the President. "Can I not even make an offer?"

Hawks fluttered his wings, showing off his nerves.

"I am the leader of the Shie Hassaikai. You can call me Overhaul."

What? What happened to the previous boss? Hawks hadn't heard anything about his death and the Hassaikai group was big on tradition. If he had died the world would know about it.

"You're not the leader," Hawks shook his head.

"I am, for now," Chisaki pulled at the edge of the glove on his right hand, readjusting it. Hawks watched the motion closely. Something moved behind him to the left. "Until our Boss is ready to retake his spot I will be leading the Shie Hassaikai. As leader, I think we could benefit to have someone with your talents."

"Not interested," Hawks growled, deeper than he usually would. People connecting Raven and Hawks wasn't a problem, he knew it would happen outside of the League with his approach, but he'd really rather if one of those people wasn't someone with eyes like Chisaki.

"You seemed smarter than this," Chisaki sighed. "You're not even thinking of what we would offer you in return. I've noticed your usual targets. Very commendable, but inefficient. Do you think you can scare away every person in this country who raises their hand to their families? By yourself? You must realize how little your actions will matter in the end at the rate you're going."

Hawks wondered if this is what it was like to look into a funhouse mirror. Chisaki was relaxed, his tone almost lighthearted as he struck at what he believed to be Hawks' most core ideals to get the reaction he wanted. It stung a little too, even if this wasn't Hawks' main purpose. He was begrudgingly impressed.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Hawks spat.

Chisaki looked almost bored. If Hawks couldn't sense the two people edging along the outskirts of the lights behind him he would have thought the man had really come to just talk.

"I understand things more than anyone else you'll ever meet," Chisaki promised. "Look at the bigger picture. If you want to make an actual change in this trash heap of a society you are going to need resources. Information. Power. Everything I can give you."

Hawks scoffed. "Why? The Shie Hassaikai has been inactive for years. You're weak."

Ohh, that was a sore spot. Chisaki's eyes flashed. Hawks widened his stance when the two behind him jerked towards him but Chisaki raised his hand to adjust his mask and they stayed hidden.

"You're not entirely wrong," Chisaki admitted. Hawks was surprised he was able to swallow his pride like that. It was suspicious. "The Shie Hassaikai has gotten weaker over the years. But not anymore. There are changes coming, soon, and you could be a part of it."

Hawks blood raced in his veins. Changes. There had been no signs of activity from the Yakuza according to the police but Chisaki would know they were being observed. It was an open secret, he could have found ways to work around the police. What was it they were planning? How big were these changes?

"Changes?" he asked. He would need to look into this. Raven was becoming even more helpful than he thought it would.

"Nothing you need to worry about yet," Chisaki said. He was baiting Hawks, drawing him in with curiosity. "All you need to worry about is the fact that in return for a few favors, nothing big of course, I will offer a helping hand with your goals. Information and even money, for a job well done."

"Why?" Hawks straightened his legs, dropping his wings an inch to show his interest. "Why me?"

"You can go back and forth between cities in a very short amount of time. Silent and efficient, I need someone that can cover a lot of ground making as little waves as possible. I won't ask you to do anything horrible. Just a few delivery jobs. If you happen to be interested in more later we can work out a deal."

The sheer amount of information this would give him was too good to pass up.

"...How much money?" Hawks looked down and away.

"200,000 yen per delivery," Chisaki sounded smug. "For now. We can always negotiate a higher price later."

The tips of Hawks' fingers were cold in building horror. What, exactly, would be worth that much money for a simple delivery? Chisaki was smart on paper, even smarter in person, he wouldn't waste effort or money like this.

There wasn't even a choice.

"I need more information," Hawks stood up fully, wings still raised but only slightly. "No promises."

"Of course," Chisaki agreed easily, raising his hands as he stepped forward. Hawks felt the two in the shadows back further away. Would they have attacked him if he said no? Most likely. Hawks stepped away, watching his hands warily. Chisaki stopped. "It's getting late. Why don't we pick this up tomorrow?"

"Not in your territory," Hawks demanded.

Chisaki's eyes narrowed. "Smart, but misguided. We're business partners now, there's nothing to worry about."

Hawks crossed his arms.

"Alright," Chisaki sighed, sounding very put upon. "How about the docks? I own a warehouse on the edge of dock three here."

Hawks doubted the man would accept any place outside of his control.

"Fine," he grunted, rolling his shoulders to make it clear he still didn't like the idea. "Time?"

"I'll be down there around three in the afternoon for business. I'll stay till four."

While the sun was up. Great. At least it would give Hawks a chance to practice getting around in the daylight before he joined up with the League.

"I'll be there."

"Good," Chisaki drawled, smug in a way Hawks hated. "I'll see you then."

"You leave first," Hawks demanded, glancing down at the bodies of the thugs still unconscious on the ground. If he left them here with Chisaki he couldn't be sure they would be walking away.

Chisaki didn't look all that pleased to be ordered around but he backed away. "Tomorrow then."

Hawks waited until he couldn't sense him or the two others before dragging the thugs to the street and calling in an anonymous tip. He couldn't afford to let them wake up on their own, not when Chisaki was still around.

He made a show of taking off, flying away for a while before looping back. He kept an eye on the two thugs until a patrol car came by to pick them up. He spent the rest of the night listening for any reports involving Chisaki's quirk.

Nothing happened. He'd really come all this way to try to recruit him.

Why? Wings were kind of rare, but not enough to justify Chisaki coming himself.

Hawks needed to call his Handler. The mission had changed a bit.

-00-

When you go fishing and you catch the wrong fish but it's still a big-un.

hinatayvonne: He did once when Midnight was painting his talons and he fell asleep. It was a while ago :D

ChaosHearth: He has! Only once though, way back when Midnight painted his talons. It was something he was trained out of, in this story at least, but more so because it was similar to a 'tell' for what he was truly feeling than because it unnerved people. If he always chirped when he felt a certain way people would figure it out. Good to hear from you dear!

StandUpKeepMovingForward: *rolls up sleeve* are we going this? *tapes your picture to the mirror*

Rosto'sGirl: I'm not gonna lie... I've got a lot of angst planned. Like, I have to pause when writing sometimes cause I start sniffling. There's still a lot of fluff though too! He has a plan for those bracelets, it's gonna pop up soon ;D Those sleepy morning zombie walks XD Well I really love YOU!

Guest: It's a missed opportunity if he doesn't utilize the 'chirp chirp'! Aww, dearheart! That is so very sweet! Knowing that people are discussing my writing is just a huge 'WOW' kind of feeling! I get giddy just thinking about it, thank you, darling! I'm sorry to hear that life is trying to kick you down. If this helps you kick back even a tiny bit then I'm happy. I hope I can continue to help in this small way but I hope good things come to you even more!

Guest: Thank you so much for letting me know about the Tumblr Inbox! I didn't realize I had my settings on that way, I changed it right away! There's nothing wrong with being careful with your privacy rights dearie! By-the-by... you've seen my fic recommended in places? Really?! That's... that's wonderful! Amazing! Thank you for letting me know! All of your words have been so kind and helpful, thank you so much! I'm glad you like the story!

CrimsonLink: 'angst riddled tooth decaying fluff' XD I love it. Thank YOU dear!

Rook2020: Chapter six was one of my favorites to write! It's up there with the chapters with the class montage and the family montage (...maybe I just really like writing montages? That seems to be a theme). I'm glad you liked all the little details! I try to make it so that everything has a purpose, even the tiniest of things later (as long as I'm not a dumbo and forget about it later) so the fact that you notice them is so wonderful! Coos are some of the sweetest sounds in the world. I always smile when I hear them. Thank you so much, friend! You are very sweet! I appreciate that you took the time out of your day to tell me what you thought!

GrimReaperLaw: Bird traits are great! I have a few more planned. I hope you have some nice days as well my precious bean friend!