Hawks has been standing bare naked for a few minutes now. He's feeling cold and exposed already as Enji faces his back, and he's not supposed to be feeling cold of all things while near fucking Endeavor. But the man is hesitating to touch him. Hawks knows it must be hard, because his ass is nice and perky and Enji loves it, but the man hasn't even moved yet, just keeps staring dumbly at Hawks' body.

"Are you sure?"

"Endeavor-san, I've already told you a hundred times. In the last minute alone."

"I know." Enji's voice is quiet. "But..."

Enji still doesn't move to touch him.

"I'm aware it makes little sense. It should be the last thing I'd want right now. But I really need it." Hawks tries to sell it the best he can for the umpteenth time. "I don't want them there anymore. And I don't want to do it alone."

Hawks tries not to be annoyed to be explaining this again. Because he knows Enji's just concerned.

"I'm trying to understand." Hawks knows the bit about not wanting to do it alone is what melts the old man's heart. "But...the fire...it would be the same thing..."

"No, it won't."

Hawks turns his head around and can read in his eyes (insecure and it's the weirdest thing, how his eyes have become so filled with doubts after the war) the question:

Why

"You're you." Hawks says simply and watches the surprise written all over his face. And disagreement too. Because Enji's probably about to say something in the lines of Yes, and that's precisely why it would be a bad thing.

But Hawks thinks differently. And usually with Enji he settles on agree to disagree, the gap between their generations too big to overcome.

But he's not gonna do it on a matter like this one.

This is not something trivial as which decade has the best bands or how many nuggets it's healthy to eat per day.

"Don't fight me on this, big guy. You won't win. Not now not ever." I'm never gonna see you as the bad guy.

"Come here and touch me, will ya?" Hawks asks. "You don't need to do it right away, just warm me, it's fucking freezing here."

Enji still takes his time, but eventually obliges and hugs his smaller frame from behind. Hawks flinches a bit, because he's still not entirely comfortable with things touching the scars on his back where his wings used to be. Specially heat. But Enji is emanating a safe warmth and smelling like the coffee he's been drowning himself in to fill all the behind schedule paperwork.

It's so cozy staying like this that Hawks thinks he could doze off standing up. Warmth is nice. He thinks of Enji's flames as comforting like that, not excruciatingly hot, not the kind that would burn and melt his flesh as soon as it touches it.

And Hawks remembers what he wanted Enji to do in the first place.

"You know...we could do it over sex if it'll make it easier for you." Hawks whispers his very inappropriate suggestion like a dirty secret. "Kinkier."

"No." The response is sharp and definitive. It's been a long time since Hawks heard the word leaving Enji's lips in such a commanding tone. Well, it's been long since the man said anything in that tone really, still too busy picking up the pieces of his former self.

Hawks just waits and soon enough regret washes over Enji's face, like the man isn't used to denying something so intensely anymore.

"What I mean is," Enji lets his strong jaw rest on Hawks exposed shoulder. "I don't want to lose control. Not even by a single degree."

"Awn, does daddy gets worked up that easily from fucking me?~"

"I'm worried about you." Enji never used to say these words before.

"I'm just kidding, Endeavor-san." Hawks didn't use to say these ones either. He usually just let the guy get all furious and shoot fire just for the sake of having fun at watching his anger. But Enji's not even annoyed by the comment.

There's silence for too long and it makes Hawks nervous. Enji's hold on him hasn't gone any looser, though, so he allows himself to breathe and calm down inside the number one's strong arms before speaking again.

"Will you do it?"

"I could never deny you." Hawks' face feels warm not because of Enji's quirk and his heart flutters in his chest because it's true. Sure, Endeavor used to be grumpy enough to deny simple silly things Hawks used to ask of him, most of the time just to tease, but when it counts, when it's really important, he knows the man would wage war for him. Damnit, he's fucking seen it happen.

He waits because he's not going to push the other man anymore, he'll let him take his time. But Enji doesn't spend too long stalling.

Soon Hawks feels his calloused hands traveling all the way towards his ass. They don't grope it, though, they gently stroke the smooth skin there, and Hawks feels really loved (but also really horny, c'mon, can't Enji accept his stupid idea and fuck him while he does it?).

The hands caress the red feathers above his butt. His little tail respond immediately by vibrating against his palm. The heat is barely there, and he knows Enji must be containing his quirk as much as he can.

It's still oversensitive though. Perhaps because they're his only feathers now, the lack of his wings make them overload with stimuli. Enji just continues to caress them, not turning up the heat nor hardening his touch. Hawks chuckles a bit to think of the irony of calling his touches feather light. Stupid brain making stupid puns on the wrong time.

"I'm ready."

Enji hums and Hawks can feel the heat increasing slowly. He knows it's gonna be painful, but he also knows Enji's going to do everything he can to make it less so.

Still, asking someone to burn off your tail is pretty nuts.

But it's not like Hawks' gonna need stability or control over flights that can't happen anymore. His feathers are just... there. Existing. The sensitivity on them was never precise enough to be useful anyway, so they just serve no purpose really.

Even more than useless they just feel...wrong.

He doesn't like looking at them anymore, he doesn't like to remember his wings when he sees the little bit of red still attached to his body.

He could've surgically removed, sure. But he feels better this way. Feels safe.

And he must be fucking out of his mind to still think of flames as bloody safe after everything, but they're Enji's so he can't help it.

It hurts, but surprisingly not as much as he expected. And maybe the kisses and touches he receives in a dumb form of apology make it worth it.