Guys. Chisaki is scary.
Hawks has tiny shoulders
Uwabami does makeup tutorials
Telling the truth kind of sucks sometimes
At least Dabi is having fun
Aizawa has eyes
-00-
Headaches and Heartaches
-00-
"Did he say anything about what they wanted you to do?" The President asked.
Hawks shook his head, pushing his visor up into his hair. It was nearly five in the morning, the sky starting to slowly turn colors. It was disorienting, coming in from such darkness to the brightly lit office.
"He mentioned that he sought me out because I could travel between cities quickly and quietly. He wants me to deliver something. Either weapons or drugs, I'm not sure, but whatever it is he thinks it's a game-changer."
She looked down, thinking about it. "Do you believe him?"
"Everything he's done so far makes him out to be smart. Careful. I don't know how much stock to put into something he'd track down a vigilante for but the deliveries could just be a small part of his bigger picture."
"Yes, I agree," she stood up. "We can't afford to have the Shie Hassaikai rise up now of all times. If we're not careful they could even join forces with a group like the League of Villains. Find out what they're planning tomorrow and report back. For now, you will remain focused on the League but if get the opportunity to take down the Shie Hassaikai as well, do so."
"Got it," Hawks rolled his neck. "You're working me pretty hard with all of this. Guess I can't complain though, seeing how you're still awake too."
Hawks was pretty sure she didn't need to sleep. She was always here no matter what time he came. He'd never seen her so much as yawn.
"You chose to give yourself more to do," she reminded him.
"True," he sighed. because it was a fact. He really didn't need to work at UA anymore. All Might was retired and in terms of the traitor… well, there was nothing concrete to go on. It wasn't likely that they would attack UA again anyway. With All Might gone and a clear answer in the case of any 'defectors' (Bakugo had done great, the kid deserved some serious accolades for shutting them down so strongly) there was no reason to. No, their next attack would be something on a larger scale. With the seeds of doubt about hero society they had growing it would make sense to focus on the populace as a whole now.
It was why everyone was so nervous about their next move.
"We're relying on you Hawks," the President stepped around her desk, looking at him with the same expression she always had. He could read the tension in her shoulders though. The tiny, barely even there crease that wasn't caused by age around her mouth that only ever appeared when things were bad. When they had to rely on him when he wasn't strong enough to hold everything up. "If we don't catch them soon people are going to die."
Hawks nodded, looking out the wide windows to let the rising sun melt away the ice that had crawled beneath his skin.
"I know."
-00-
Hawks looked himself over in the mirror of his apartment. He hadn't gone into the school. Besides his final project he'd already submitted the rest of his lesson plans so he could easily take a day.
His wings were bare, all the feathers soaking in the specially made black dye he'd filled the bathtub with. They only needed to be in for half an hour, he could take them out soon. He'd need more than black feathers now, though.
His stealth suit was fine. Nothing about it would give him away. He'd used the dye for his feathers on his hair, he couldn't afford to use anything else. He didn't know of any other hair dyes that would wash out as fast as the Commission's stuff and he couldn't risk any stains being left behind. The Commission dye was a lot like oil. It hardened over his feathers and hair in a way that made it more of a flexible cocoon than a dye. It fucked with his ability to sense things with his feathers a bit but not enough to make it a liability. It was just annoying.
"And we're done," Uwabami cheered from his phone screen, reaching the end of her make-up tutorial. Hawks had it memorized at this point but it was good to have it up while he worked. "Do you see how it makes your cheekbones sharper but your eyes just a touch rounder? It's not a big change but look at how it transforms your face!"
Hawks practiced a few expressions. His eye markings were hidden, the contouring he did making them look a little rounder instead of the sharp angles he usually had. His cheeks had always been a bit round too, it was weird looking at them when they seemed harder. He'd dyed his chin stubbled black but he didn't plan on letting anyone see it. The full lower face mask that was part of his stealth suit would keep it out of sight.
Hawks paused Uwabami's video, picking out a few black studs and a silver ring to add to his ears. He only ever wore the square earrings in public so no would know about the other piercings with how small the holes were and his headphones. It made it easier to disguise himself.
The timer on the sink went off. Hawks pulled his feathers out of the tub, letting them hang over it so none of the dye dripped onto the floor. He turned on the large fan he'd carried in, leaving them to dry while he finished getting dressed.
He'd wear a regular hoodie for now, with a face mask. He could change out into just his stealth suit once he was in the lower end of town.
Hawks stretched, working from his neck down to his legs. He twisted his arms behind him, slipping into the splits and leaning over his legs. He wasn't sure what to expect at the warehouse but he didn't know Chisaki well enough to say he wouldn't start a fight.
Once his feathers were dry he directed them all into his duffle bag. He pushed down the unease at having them contained, pulling his wing bones in tightly to his back.
"Okay," he said, nodding to himself. He closed his eyes, breathing deep. Everything unnecessary was carefully locked away, pushed deep down where it wouldn't bother him. It was like a cold blanket, wrapping around his body and seeping deep into his bones. He took the time to really settle it into place, locking it in a way that only he could get rid of when, and only when, he really focused on it.
He could do this. With his feathers tucked away and disguise in place he just needed to go through the parking garage, take a few buses to Naruhata, then find a nice abandoned area to change into his stealth outfit.
Then he had to meet with Chisaki.
Simple enough.
-00-
Getting to the pier had been easier than he thought. There had been plenty of small sideways and fences to hop over whenever he felt someone getting close to him. It was only a little past three when he arrived.
No one even looked their way when Chisaki met him at the entryway to the pier with one of his lackeys. There were workers everywhere but Hawks didn't see them even glance over. The closer they got to the end of pier 3 the fewer workers showed up until, eventually, it was just Hawks, Chisaki, and the weird guy that looked like a literal plague doctor.
The warehouse, when they got in, was completely empty.
"Are you an undercover cop?" the plague doctor asked him.
A fog descended on him so quickly it made his breath catch in his throat. It wrapped around his brain, holding it there like a bird in a cage.
'What color is this?' they asked him and he said blue because they were making him tell the truth.
'What color is this?' they asked, over and over, until he found a way to get around the building pain in his head and the blood in his mouth from trying to bite his tongue hard enough to make the words wrong even if he tried to say them right.
'What color is this?' the President asked, watching him closely with eyes so cold he felt them pierce his soul.
"Well it's not yellow or red, that's for sure," Hawks laughed (and he laughed and he laughed because if didn't laugh he would talk and if he talked he'd say blue).
'What color is this?'
"It could be a very light purple if you squint at it. It's not white, clearly. It's the same color as the one I wore last week on Tuesday around lunchtime.'
And his brain screamed, and screamed because it was true but it wasn't true enough but he could ignore it for long enough that they would get bored. That they would believe him. That they would move on.
"No," Hawks said, because he was an undercover hero. His brain screamed under the grip holding it.
"Have you been looking into the Shie Hassaikai," Chisaki asked.
"I haven't heard anything about them in a year," he said, because he only read about them to keep up to date, for all the good that did.
"Are you working with the heroes?"
"No." He was too fast for team-ups, those were a leisure he couldn't afford often. "I work alone."
"What is your quirk?" Chisaki circled him, messing with the edges of his glove. He looked at Hawks' wings with a glint in his eyes that made Hawks want to tuck them away out of sight but he couldn't move when his brain was melting and reforming between his ears.
"I have a bird-mutation quirk. My wings are very strong."
He never called them 'Fierce Wings'. That was what the public called them, to him they were just 'his wings'.
"What is your name?"
"Takami," he settled on because he only had two names and one would get him killed and the other was one that would never lead back to Hawks no matter how hard someone looked. The Commission had made sure of that.
"Takami?" Chisaki scratched at the edge of his mask, brow furrowing. "I've heard that name before. Have we ever met before?"
"No."
"Are you going to betray the Shie Hassaikai?"
"Maybe. I have my own goals."
"Well, that's reasonable," Chisaki said, walking closer. He was right next to Hawks' wings. Hawks tensed when he raised his hand but the man only adjusted his glove. "What are your goals?"
"To help people that need me," Hawks tested his hands. They twitched. So he could move, it was just hard to do so. Dangerous, but doable.
"Do you have any idea what we're planning?"
"Drugs or weapons. You want me to deliver something."
"I wondered if you'd be smart enough to catch that," Chisaki stayed an arms-length away but he craned his neck to get a better view of Hawks feathers. "You took down a few of my lower subordinates a week ago, dropped one clear in another city. I needed him that day. Do you remember that?"
"Yes, he was harassing his sister and her teenage son. I dealt with it."
"Strangely enough I wasn't able to find the two after he was 'dealt with. I've barely managed to track down any of the families of your… targets. But the ones I found, they seem very well off suddenly. Did you give them money?"
"As much as I could afford," without being suspicious. Hawks bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. He'd found some of the families? Which ones? How? Were they in danger? Could he afford to move them again without alerting both Chisaki and the police to his involvement? If he was discovered by the police could he trust that the ones that learned about his undercover operation wouldn't rat him out to anyone?
"You must need a lot of money to be able to afford handing it out so easily," the plague doctor man, the one who had to be the holder to the truth-telling quirk, commented.
"It would explain why you were so open to my offer after I told you money was involved. If we don't get in the way of your 'goals', are you willing to help us?" Chisaki loomed over him suddenly, his mask almost brushing Hawks' nose. His golden eyes were wide and unblinking. Hawks suddenly understood why the Commission always told him his gaze was unnerving.
"Yes."
"No matter what we ask you to do?"
"Yes."
Fuck. He hadn't meant to be so blunt with that last one, he didn't want them knowing he'd do anything to get them off the streets, but his head was hurting so badly his vision was starting to waver now. His wings were trembling with the added assault of sounds around the pier, Chisaki's steps across the floor, the different rhythms of breathing filling the warehouse. All the dye across every barb, thick like tar. He couldn't parse it all out like usual, couldn't block any of it when his brain was being so forcibly opened and dug through.
Chisaki's gaze bore into him, horrifying and intense. Hawks wondered if they were planning to kill him from the start. It didn't make sense, why go so far to track him down only to kill him if they didn't know who he was (they hadn't asked any questions about Hawks, there was no way they knew) but the irrational fear was there. And it was growing with each second it took the Yakuza boss to blink.
"Then I guess we have a deal," Chisaki's eyes went half-lidded with sudden laziness. He stepped back, blinking.
It must have been a cue because all the sudden Hawks could think straight and his lungs were heaving for air.
Chisaki raised an eyebrow. "So out of breath after answering a few questions?"
"He was fighting against it very strongly," the plague doctor said, sounding irritatingly impressed. "Not enough to break it, of course, but far stronger than most that have tried."
"What the fuck?!" Hawks demanded, hunching over with his hands on his knees because he was Raven right now and Raven was pissed.
"Sorry about that," Chisaki said, not sounding sorry at all. There was a glint of interest in his eyes that Hawks recognized (and very much wanted not to be there). "We have to be careful about who we recruit. You understand."
"Do I?" Hawks spat, shoving himself upwards and storming towards the door. "I came here because you said you'd pay me, but if you're just going to dig through my fucking head-"
"225,000."
Hawks froze, wings outstretched to take out through the window just to get out faster. "What?"
"225,000," Chisaki said again, coughing a bit. He sounded bored. "Per delivery."
Hawks flapped his wings in a clear sign of irritation.
"230,000," he demanded. "And you stay the fuck away from anyone I help."
"Deal," Chisaki tilted his head as he looked at him. Hawks felt his pulse jump when he held his hand out to shake.
Chisaki was a clear germaphobe. This had to be another test.
Hawks cursed, gliding over and taking the offered hand roughly in his own. "Never use that on me again, or I'm out."
"Of course," Chisaki gripped his hand lightly but he didn't need a firm grip to get his point across. "You don't need a job interview for someone that already landed the position."
Hawks scoffed. He reached into his hoodie pocket, ignoring the way both Chisaki and the other guy tensed because Raven had already proven to care more for efficiency than having his movements read correctly. He pulled out a ripped up, stained piece of paper with the number for his burner phone.
"Use this to contact me. I only work at night, it's too easy to be caught during the day."
Chisaki pulled away, accepting the note with a disgusted crinkle in his brow. "Two days. I'll give you a time and a place."
"Fine."
Hawks backed away to the door, not turning his back on them because Raven got this far by being paranoid. Hawks wings twitched against his will, still reeling from the after-effects of accepting every vibration in the area with no mental block. He slid the doors open and took off, diving low across the water until he could slide beneath a run-down, abandoned old dock at the far end. He wrapped himself around one of the diagonal support beams, making sure he wouldn't slip, before he puked into the water.
He hated truth quirks.
The smell of the sea didn't really help his stomach calm down but the cold wind lessened the headache enough that he could control it. Hawks clung to the wood weakly, wings draped around him. They twitched when a wave got too big and hit too hard. The spray of droplets in his face helped distract him.
Damn, he really wished he could go to the Commission, or even his Agency, right now. He needed a dark, quiet place to get full control of his wings back but he couldn't go flying around like this. He was hesitant to leave the docks at all. Even if he sent a feather to fetch his duffle bag (the mere thought of controlling one for so long made him nauseous again) it would be a long walk back to his apartment and he wouldn't even be able to change before he needed to be back out on the streets looking for Dabi.
No, it would be better to wait here. Out of sight, with enough privacy to get himself together.
At least he had an in, now. He could gather information on Chisaki's plans through the deliveries and small jobs like that would leave him plenty of time to continue his work on the League. All in all, it was a win.
He just needed his pulse to calm down enough to accept that.
-00-
There was a deep, horrified scream from the alley to his left.
Dabi paused, looking down it with one eyebrow raised.
"Where'd he go?!" a man shrieked.
"What do you mean, where'd he go, he was right fucking-!"
More screams.
Dabi rolled his neck, thinking about it. After a moment he shrugged. Hands in his pockets he ambled towards the yelling.
Hopefully, this would turn out to be something interesting. The last time he'd followed the sound of screams for some marginal spark of entertainment, he'd found a bunch of drunk old men yelling at a garbage can to shape up and make something of itself. He empathized with that garbage can.
Something flapped above him. Dabi looked up, eyes widening at the brief glance of pitch-black feathers disappearing over the roofs.
He grinned, lengthening his stride. Three bodies were piled next to a dumpster. All breathing, because Raven (Hawks, it had to be) was apparently squeamish. On top of them was a single black feather.
Dabi plucked it up carefully, ignoring the groaning mass of what looked like members of the local Yakuza. Small timers, dumber than bricks. Not worth his time.
What was worth his time was the tiny note attached to the feather.
What will you do with him
Did this mean Hawks had really found Sukihiro? Dabi had half-believed the cranky old bastard had died. If he was alive then maybe Dabi could finally get the stupid fucking medicine he needed to keep his immune system in check. Base-grade pharmacy shit wasn't cutting it anymore and it wasn't like he could just go waltzing in anywhere now. He needed the real deal or he'd be screwed. If Sukihiro was alive it would be a lot easier than breaking into an actual hospital and raiding their drugs.
Dabi set the feather on fire, even though he kind of wanted to keep it just to try to figure out how the bird made it change colors so seamlessly. But he knew how this worked and he wasn't going around with a tracker on him.
How should he set up the next note? He loved fire, but it was becoming an old trick. It needed to be a trump card. How else could he get the Number 3's attention where he wanted it?
Dabi grinned, kicking one of the guys Hawks had waylaid on his way out of the alley. Finally, something that required a little thought. The League was full of idiots, and anger only took up eighty percent of his day. The rest was filled with mind-numbing boredom but now he had something to puzzle about.
Thank fucking god.
-00-
Hawks' head was killing him.
After spotting Dabi walking down the street around one in the morning (was he an idiot? What kind of 'highly wanted villain' went around taking late-night strolls with their face out for all to see? At least Hawks had a face to the name, even though it had been too dark to make out anything except purple and emo) Hawks had dropped in on some random guys he'd seen getting a little rough in one of the alleyways. He'd apologized to them, mentally, because they had really been doing nothing wrong when he'd drop kicked one of them, but they'd reeked of drugs and alcohol so it was really for the best that they slept it off before they did something stupid. Dabi had gotten his note, Hawks had gone home, and then passed out in bed.
The headache did not go away. In fact, it was edging on a full-grown migraine now. Hawks hadn't had a migraine in three months because he'd been so careful to keep it monitored, but then that stupid plague doctor wannabe had to go poke his nose directly into Hawks' brain and now here he was at the school because his apartment had been too- too something and it had left him on edge and he really shouldn't skip going into work twice in a row even if he was technically done with most of his things and god damn it, his head hurt.
"Hey man, want burritos for lunch?" Hizashi asked (loud, too loud) from the door. They were all going to the break room, Hawks waving them off with the excuse of finishing up just a few more sentences of a document he had made by typing the name of everything he could see instead of anything actually substantial because his head hurt and he couldn't focus on his proposal without fucking it up somehow.
"Sure!" Hawks beamed. "Chicken for mine!"
"Of course," Hizashi laughed, closing the door behind him.
Hawks raised his wings, waiting for all the footsteps to disappear. He grimaced, sending a feather to close the blinds as he hunched over and placed his forehead on the cool wood of his desk.
This was… this was better than being at his apartment where even the silence got too loud, but even if he felt better he also felt worse. There was so much noise here. Breathing, writing, tapping, humming, so many that were good but hurt. He should just go back. He could come back when he could actually appreciate the sounds and-
Hawks jerked when the door slid open, wincing at the horrible, striking pain that went from the top of his head to the base of his spine.
Aizawa blinked at him blearily. He had a cup in one hand and a bottle in another.
Hawks smiled at him, confused when he walked over and place them both in front of him.
"What are-" he trailed off.
That was his migraine medication. The ones Teruko prescribed him. No, it was a bottle of the medicine, not his. His was almost empty, he'd taken one at least every other day because of how bright the sun was to prevent a migraine in the first place. Except for today. He'd been so desperate to get out and his thoughts had been so skewed by sleep and cold that he hadn't remembered until it was too late.
"How did you know?" Hawks asked, blinking slowly but still smiling.
"You kept tapping your cheek," Aizawa said softly, walking over to his desk. "Doctor Teruko told me you do that when you have a migraine."
Hawks frowned. "What? She told you that?"
"I asked," Aizawa stared at the pills sternly. He waited until Hawks uncapped the bottle and shook out two. "There was a medical portion on the forms everyone needed to fill out for the dorms. You didn't fill yours out and you're shit at taking care of yourself so I called her to see if there was anything we should know. She told me then."
"Oh," Hawks said softly, looking down at the little white tablets in his hand.
Oh.
He downed the pills, taking them with water this time because they were harder to swallow than usual for some reason.
Aizawa watched him like he thought Hawks would spit them back out.
"Come on," Aizawa motioned as soon as he was done, grabbing his sleeping bag from under his desk.
Hawks didn't question him, following after in stunned silence.
"Where are we going?" he finally asked when they walked outside and went to their dorm.
"To take a nap. I'm tired of dealing with Mic's screaming and you need to rest before you pass out."
Was he- should he argue with that? He didn't need more sleep, he was still at the early portion of his sleep schedule and he'd already slept so much last night.
But it sounded really nice. And Aizawa was the one telling him to do it. Aizawa didn't really take 'no' for an answer.
"You can stay in my room, or pick one of the other two idiots, but you can't sleep in your room today," Aizawa said once they were in the elevator. He was still speaking softly, like he was afraid his voice would be strong enough to crack Hawks' skull. "You need a dark room, your room doesn't cut it."
"Um," Hawks said, off-balance in more ways than one. "Your room is fine. It's the darkest one. I have a blanket you can use. I've been meaning to give it to you. Lend it to you. It's comfy."
Aizawa stared at him for long enough that the elevator made it all the way to the top and Hawks was starting to wonder if he'd said something stupid.
"Go get it," he said like the silence hadn't just happened. "Then go the fuck to sleep."
"Okay."
So Hawks went to get the blanket, wincing at the brilliance in his room (maybe Aizawa had a point about that), and ducked into Aizawa's room before the man could change his mind.
Aizawa was on the tiny couch Nemuri and Hizashi had bought for him, curled up with his face pressed into the cushions.
"Don't argue," he grunted before Hawks could even open his mouth. "The beds here are too soft anyway. Go to sleep."
Hawks shifted back and forth on his feet. It was nice and cool in here, but not cold. There were sheets and blankets on the bed already and arguing with Aizawa could be fun but he really didn't want to right now. Not after the man had called Teruko for something he really didn't have to.
Hawks toed off his boots by the door, dropping his jacket next to them. His visor and headphones were back in the teacher's lounge. Stepping softly over the rug he unfolded the blanket and threw it over Aizawa. He didn't move.
The beds here really were soft. Hawks sunk into it immediately. He cocooned himself in the blankets, back up so his wings could stretch out a bit.
It was quiet. But he could still hear things. The hum of the mini-fridge in Hizashi's room. Aizawa's breathing and pulse from the couch. The ceiling fan right below them that Hound Dog always forgot to turn off when he left but Hawks was too nervous to call him out on.
His head didn't hurt so bad in here. In fact, it was a lot easier to fall asleep here than it was in his apartment.
"Thank you," he said softly, eyes dipping closed.
"Don't mention it, kid," Aizawa said after he knew Hawks was already asleep.
The Doctor had been right. He'd been hesitant to believe everything she'd told him. Everything she'd implied.
Hawks had tapped his cheek, then thanked Aizawa for helping him with his migraine.
If she had been right about that, what else had she been right about?
Aizawa scowled when Hawks snorted in his sleep.
He needed to talk to Nezu.
-00-
Oh boy, oh boy, the kids are coming back soon!
ChaosHearth: Nice Raven catch XD Instincts will pop up a heck of a lot more later after some stuff, I pinky swear! Well I ADORE you! It's always so nice to chat with you!
Rosto'sGirl: Oof. Best of luck with classes dearheart! The bracelets are a'coming! There's a special day for them. Does it really cut them off sometimes? I've tried looking at it but it seems fine from my end. I'm typically on my computer for this though. If you have a spare moment could you give me a chapter it happens in and I can try to fix it? Thank you for letting me know!
hintayvonne: Friend! Dabi: *plays hard to get* Hawks: *goes to hang out with Chisaki* Dabi: *shocked Pikachu face* XD
fencer29: Chisaki sees himself as more of a scientist (cause he's a prick who need a foot up the- ahem. He's a prick). And Hawks has wings. He needs that bird aesthetic, you know?
Blackdrake: Ah! Blackdrake, you are even nicer than usual this time around and you're super nice on average! Gah! The Overhaul arc is one of my favorites so trust me, I'm gonna go HAM. Also, you are in for a treat my dear! I have quiet a few badass Hawks fights coming up that I think you'll like! Now that he's out fighting without the kiddos he's gonna be going full force a lot more often! Always such a treat to hear from you!
StandUpKeepMovingForward: o.O You- so skilled! But! *Uses digital reconstruction to create a 3-D model of your face. 3-d prints it and places it under a large sign that says "The Literal Best"* Take that! ...I've never just, mentally created someone's head before. XD What an interesting image.
GrimReaperLaw: I'm probably gonna have this all in one fic (which, dang, looking at the rate I'm going this is gonna get pretty long). Hawks: I have terrible time management. Everyone else: *staring at his schedule that he planned down to the very last second including when to sleep, eat, and blink* -_- XD