Birds of a Feather Collection
A Night to Say 'Yes'
— During a long night, a young journalist gives herself a chance.
Miryoku shuddered, the thundering bass of EDM already thrumming in her ears despite her still being outside of the venue. She tucked her arms around herself to keep herself warm. Her thin coat had been a terrible choice. It did nothing to protect her against the chill that engulfed Tokyo this late at night. Or morning, she supposed. A deep grimace set on Miryoku's lips at the reminder of how ridiculously late it was and why exactly she was there.
Being the designated driver sucked. Very much so when she wasn't even in the damn club partying.
Wanting to get it over with, Miryoku made her way to the back alley, squeezing through the bunch of people cued up to enter. Some glared daggers at her, others shouted at her to get in line, she minded neither and made a beeline for the bouncer instead. The hulk of a man was about to tell her off when he realized who she was and a grin spread across his face.
"Miryoku-chan!"
"Hey, Touma." She shared a thin smile with him, her breath coming out as a puff of white.
Touma raised a curious eyebrow. "You don't look like your dressed for a good time."
"I'm here to pick someone up, actually."
A gruff chuckle burst from him. "Ah, yes, Usagiyama-san. No wonder she came alone."
"Didn't feel like clubbing tonight."
He nodded before reaching back and opening the door into the club. Now the music really tore at her ears. Geez, I'm not awake enough for this. Resigned, she thanked Touma before descending the stairs into the larger area of the club. A handful of chandeliers hung from the ceiling and reflected the prismatical stage lights that strobed to the music playing on every speaker perched on the walls across the club. As she descended the spiral staircase that led down into the bar, she could see how packed the dance floor was. Neon lights strobed on the floor from each step taken on it, adding to the energetic vibe she loved to have when she came. Not today though. Today she just wanted to find Rumi, get her home, and get herself back home to sleep.
Doing that, though, would be trying to find the needle in a bunch of neon haystack. Good thing, Miryoku had some kind of clue of where she was.
Once off the stairs, she bypassed the way to the dance floor and headed straight for the bar. Bodies smashed against her, adding to her ire, but she shoved them aside little by little and eventually made it. A thick, soundproof curtain that stretched from the ceiling all the way to the floor separated the bar from dance floor. The added soundproofing from its walls made the area relatively calmer and quieter when compared to the rest of the club but the muffled bass could still be heard beyond. Miryoku liked this part of the club. It was a good place to unwind once she got tired of dancing and needed a drink to mellow down. And this was exactly where she found Rumi on the brink of passing out with a drink in hand.
"Snow bunny!" The Rabbit Hero was quick to spot her despite her inebriated state and cried out at the top of her lungs as she got closer. "What are ya doing here?"
Miryoku shushed her, sprinting the rest of the way to her to catch her before she fell from trying to stand up. A feat in itself considering her physique when compared to Miryoku's tiny frame. Somehow putting her back on the barstool she'd been using, Miryoku blew exhausted lip bubbles.
"What do you mean—You called me, Ru."
"D-Did I?"
"Yes," she drawled for emphasis. "And I'm taking you home now, you're drunk."
"Oh, this ain't nothing!" She squinted at her half-full glass for a moment before lifting her gaze. Miryoku was about to chide her, determined to somehow drag her out of the club, when Rumi's eyes widened, glinting with a mischievous shine before she raised her glass at someone behind her. "Lookit, the whole gang's here!"
Gang?
"Well, this is certainly unexpected."
Great. Just…fantastic.
Her face scrunched at the familiar voice but sighed through her nose before turning to catch sight of amber eyes. They swept her from head to toes before that devilish grin upturned Hawks' lips.
"Hello, Ryoku-san—"
"It's Miryoku," she corrected, begrudgingly.
"Fancy meeting you here." His grin grew and his crimson feathers puffed out jestfully. "Didn't know you liked clubbing."
"Not tonight I don't." She turned to Rumi, dogged on getting her home before this could escalate into anything she would later regret. "C'mon, Ru, we're leaving."
"But I want another!" Rumi cried out and stood to make her point clear but quickly started staggering on her feet. Before Miryoku could do anything, Hawks sprinted forward catching Rumi before she could fall with her full weight against Miryoku.
"Whoa there, jackrabbit. Don't wanna squish Ryoku-san now, do you?"
Her crimson eyes narrowed on Hawks before she pointed at him, glass of liquor still in hand splashing everywhere with the gesture.
"You stay away from Snow Bunny, damn hawk."
Hawks chortled and Miryoku couldn't help the rush of blood that came to her face when he repeated that nickname under his breath.
"Where's that coming from?" he laughed.
"I'm warning ya."
"Alright, Rumi!" Both jerked to attention from raising her voice. Ignoring the heat flushing her cheeks, Miryoku took Rumi's wrist intent on taking her away. "We are leaving. Now."
"Hold your horses." Miryoku got pulled back when neither of them moved and glared back at Hawks who'd purposefully stopped Rumi from going anywhere. He flashed her a crooked smile, different from his usual wolfish one. "Usagi called me here to take her home."
Her brow knitted down instantly. "She called me to come and take her home."
Out of the blue, Rumi threw her arms up triumphantly, sloshing around what was left of her drink in the air before plopping her arms around both Miryoku and Hawks and locking their necks.
"My best drink buddies!"
Unbelievable.
Miryoku let out an exasperated groan while Hawks laughed his heart out. Just when she was about to chastise the two of them for that—especially him when Rumi was this far gone—she stopped in her tracks when a soft touch brushed against her arm. Behind her, a couple crimson feathers caught her attention before hovering up to point at the glass. Miryoku eyed Hawks briefly and met his amber eyes for a second. He gave the glass in Rumi's hand a pointed look and offered her a knowing smile before turning broad as he went back to chatting with Rumi. Catching his drift, Miryoku busied herself taking Rumi's drink and placing it on the bar's countertop while Hawks distracted her with idle chatter. She gathered the few of Rumi's belongings and chased after them as Hawks coaxed her out of the club.
Once on the sidewalk, Miryoku pointed at her car from behind Rumi's back. Without stopping their chatter, he gave her a slight nod before stumbling around with Rumi over to it. Miryoku wasted no time opening the backseat door where he easily sat her down with the help of his feathers.
"Alright, Ru," Miryoku said softly, taking in Rumi's mellowed down and suddenly groggy expression. "We'll be home soon."
"Are you staying the night?"
"No, Ru, I'm not."
Tears sprouted from her crimson eyes and she pouted. "But—aren't we going out?"
"Ho?" Hawks immediately perked up at that, eyebrow quirking up at the same time his wings curled outward.
Heat rushed up her neck but she quieted down her embarrassment before giving Rumi a tender smile. Miryoku reached out and patted her head right between her ears.
"No, Rumi. Not anymore."
Rumi locked eyes with Miryoku for a bit, sniffling for a moment before nodding. Out of the blue, she scooted in before lying down on her backseat with her legs partially still out of the car. Her shoulders slumped as she sighed and pushed her legs inside and closed the door. A quick lock to reassure herself Rumi wouldn't suddenly run out of her car gave her enough time to turn up to Hawks as he leaned on the car's side.
"Thanks for the help."
"Don't mention it." He gave her backseat window a rap with his knuckles. "I'm guessing you're gonna need help bringing her into her house with her knocked out like that."
Her mouth fell open intent on sending him on his way home, assuring him she'd be fine with that much, until a kick from inside her car rocked it. Closing her mouth almost immediately, she nonchalantly nodded.
"Meet you at her place?"
Hawks didn't answer. Instead he simple held her gaze for a moment before smiling. Not the flirtatious smile or easy-going one you were use to seeing from him out in public. This one seemed softer, gentler even.
"Mind if I hitch a ride with you?"
Miryoku couldn't help the way her heart stirred at the way he said that. Shaking her head, she smiled before unlocking her car once more, her smile turning to a small grin. "You're gonna have to lose some feathers though. My car's not really made for fancy wings like yours."
He scoffed and shook his head but as he entered the car, almost the entirety of his feathers dissolved from his wings, turning them more compact on his back as he took the passenger's seat, and settled on the back seat giving Rumi a more comfortable bed. Miryoku chuckled as she looked over her seat, eyeing him one last time before starting their way to the Rabbit Hero's home.
Unease encroached over Miryoku, the blush on her cheeks never leaving as she took in the situation at hand. She and Hawks met during an interview earlier that year. What really brought them into each other's radar had been the incident that occurred at the gala for the Hero Billboards. Coincidentally or not, they had stumbled unto each other just like tonight far more times than she dared consider. At first she hadn't been fond of the encounters. He was just one of many heroes that she worked alongside as a journalist. Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Miryoku. Maybe one day you'll believe it. True to form, the mere thought of what had starting bubbling over the past months got her heart racing.
"So." His sudden interjection brought her back from her scattered head and drew a sidelong glance from her between the times that she watched the road. "You and Rumi were a thing?"
Damnit, Ru. Why'd you go and open your mouth about that?
"Back in the day."
"How long exactly is back in the day?"
"Why do you ask?" she asked.
A small, crooked small came to his lips as he leaned his elbow against the car door and his face against his hand to properly face her as she drove. "Curiosity mostly."
"And the bit that isn't from curiosity?"
"Self-interest."
Her grip tightened on the steering wheel, fearing she'd swerve if she didn't concentrate on the road after that direct hit. Easy there, she reminded herself, easy.
"The summer before I entered university if I'm recalling right." Miryoku shrugged her shoulders to dispel some of her jitters. "We dated for a couple months before I broke it off. Frankly, we're much better friends than we were girlfriends."
Hawks gave the backseat a brief glance before cracking a grin. "Doesn't seem like she got fully over it?"
"Ru took it hard when I told her I wanted to break things off."
"Don't blame her."
"C-Can we stop talking about this, please?"
"Why?" he asked, a teasing smile spreading across his handsome face. "Uncomfortable?"
"Very much so, yeah," she replied with a chuckle.
"That's alright. Looks like we're here anyhow."
Just as he said this, Miryoku rounded the block and spotted Rumi's condo. She let out a hefty sigh as she parked and rummaged through her wallet for a spare key. "Let's get her inside."
Hawks leaned over with a furrowed brow. "You have a key?"
"Emergencies."
"Drunken ones?"
"Yep."
With Hawks' help, the whole endeavor of getting Rumi inside her condo was made a thousand times easier. Regrettably, said Rabbit Hero only made it halfway across her living room before deciding that the sofa would be as good a place to pass out as any. Miryoku shook her head at Rumi's questionable carelessness but smiled all the same, running off to the spare closet to grab a spare blanket to cover her with. She came back to Hawks snickering and her brow scrunched up at the sight, phone out and camera audibly shuttering as one of his feathers lightly prodded Rumi's face.
Manchild.
"Oh, come on."
Hawks chased after his phone the moment Miryoku snatched it from his hands. Deftly, she erased the photos he'd taken before locking it and pocketing it in her jeans' back pocket. She glowered at him, unamused at his antics, and effectively stopped him in his tracks. He feigned innocence with a light whistle before Miryoku shook her head at him.
"Ryoku-san," he whined exaggeratedly, hovering a little off the floor as she went about covering Rumi with the blanket. "Can I have my phone back, plase?"
"You'll get it once we're out of here."
He pouted and landed on the floor with an audible thud. Chuckling, Miryoku patted his arm, hushed him with a finger to her lips and led him outside of the condo's gate. Once at her car, she let out a long yawn, tears brimming in her eyes. Hawks turned over to the sky and his wings shuddered behind him as they tucked closer to him.
"The sun's gonna rise soon."
"Damn, and I've got work early tomorrow to boot."
He chuckled, leaning over to open the driver's seat and giving it a pointed nod. "Here, let's get you home."
"What," she said with an amused chuckle. "Are you going to drive?"
"Hardly." Miryoku felt the soft touch of feathers behind her as his wing nudged her closer to the door. "But I'd like to see that you get home safe and sound for one."
Not up for arguing with how early it was, Miryoku nodded lazily before getting inside. His feathers swarmed her back seat again as he took the passenger's and allowed her to head to her house. It was closeby thankfully and once she parked beside the small, cozy-looking house she breathed a sigh of relief. Exiting her car, she couldn't help but stare as Hawks did the same and gawk at the way his feathers so painlessly returned to form his massive wings. The yellow hue of the porch light she left on tinted them in an off hue of orange red, though soon, she supposed the sunlight would show their true crimson color.
What a beautiful color too.
His sudden facing her with those amber eyes and that affable smile got her to turn away quickly, heat rising again all the way up to her ears. Veering off to the side, she headed straight to the few steps that led up to her front door with Hawks trailing behind her at a safe distance. Once on the top of the steps she turned sideways to meet him as he still stood at the bottom of the stairs.
"Thank you for helping me with Rumi, Hawks."
Hawks shrugged his shoulders, a half grin lazily plastered on his face. "Tag team for the win, am I right?"
A bubbly chuckle came from her before a smile took its place. "And thank you for accompanying me home as well, though you really didn't have to."
"Of course, Ryoku-san."
Just as she searched for her house key and was to turn towards the door, Hawks stepped forward and called out, "Miryoku-san, you think I could ask you something?"
"Now?" She wasn't so taken aback by the sudden question as much as by the timing.
"It's quick I promise."
"Um, sure, I guess."
This time he didn't so much as move for a solid second. It struck Miryoku as odd, this stillness, but a large part of her preferred it better to his sudden climb up the stairs to stand at the top of them and a few feet away from her. All at once, Miryoku felt her heart fluttering at the sudden closeness, not so much from the usual apprehension of having another person bursting her personal space but simply from him being so close to her in particular.
"W-What is it?"
"Would you consider going on a date with me?"
Oh.
"H-Hawks, I've—" She chuckled, her voice cracking slightly from the previous shock. "I've told you before that I don't really—"
"Date heroes?" He nodded as his gaze fell to stare derisively at something she couldn't make out. The disconcert was short lived, though, and he quickly lifted his face to give her a bitter smile. Her heart tore at the sight of it. "Yeah, I thought that'd still be the case. Sorry for asking."
Hawks turned on his heel, jumping the three steps down the porch and giving himself space as his wings unfurled to ready himself to take flight. All at once, Miryoku felt her own heart ache at the sight of his broad back.
He had asked her the same question many times before, all rather snide or jestful in some manner, and Miryoku had dismissed him just the same as she had now. And Hawks would always dismiss the rejection with a smile, obviously adamant to not let that bring him down. Never before had that laid-back attitude or easygoing smile disappeared like they did just now. Seeing them go away tightened her chest and made it hard to breathe. And it was just that much worse to know that she caused it.
Before, she would've said no and it wouldn't have been like this. Before, she would've meant her rejection and not be affected by his reaction. Now, after so many things that had transpired between them, she couldn't keep her heart aching from how much it pained her to say words she mostly didn't mean.
Miryoku didn't date heroes for a reason. She didn't date at all right now for a very good reason. The genuity with which Hawks asked her though, spurred something from inside her. It urged her to be truthful.
You can't be afraid of something that hasn't happened yet—something that can only ever happen again if you let it.
It urged her to act.
"Hawks, wait—ah!"
The rush with which she ran down the steps, few as they might've been, made her lose her balance and stumble down them. Her shrieked muffled against warm cotton instead of cold, hard asphalt as arms took ahold of her arms to help steady her. Getting her footing back, Miryoku raised her face to meet amber eyes wide as could with surprise.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm—yeah." Taking a few steps back, she cleared her throat, her hands fiddling with the strands of her hair that fell forward and brushing them behind her ear only to have them fall back again. "It's just…that…your—your phone!"
Hawks' lips fell open for a split moment before the ghost of a smile upturned the edges. She fumbled with the phone as she took it from her back pocket and presented it to him. Without much preamble, Hawks went to take it but when Miryoku refused to let go of it, he raised his gaze to her.
"Ryoku-san?"
C'mon, Miryoku. Just…give it try.
"I know…that I said before that I don't go out with heroes. A-And I still stand by that," her grip tightened on the smartphone as she mustered the courage to say what was on her mind. "But I don't see anything wrong with just accompanying you somewhere to have a good time. So I wouldn't necessarily be saying yes to a date with you but yes to just hanging out, you know. If that turns into a date or not, well, that'd be beyond me to know, right? So, if you're okay with that being the case, then I don't see why we couldn't…"
The warmth of his hand suddenly folded over her own but didn't so much as move it. He simply held it tenderly in his as his wings came to surround them both. Daring to lift her gaze, she met his and almost felt her heart stop completely at the adoring gaze he set on her. The most sincere smile came to him as he kept their eyes locked.
"Hanging out with you sounds like a splendid time." With her grip on his phone loosened, he easily brought it out from under her grip and held it up to tap at his chin. "I'll be texting you to iron out the details then."
"S-Sure."
Hawks gave a nod behind her to her house. "You better go get some rest. I'm sure you don't want to be totally sleep deprived at work today."
Heeding his advice, she carefully climbed the stairs to her front door but before going through the door turned back to glance over her shoulder. Hawks hadn't left yet, waiting for her to enter with his hands in his pockets and a content expression on his face. The sight of it brought a genuine smile to her and a swell to her chest that she couldn't describe.
"Goodnight, Hawks."
His wings spread behind him as he took a light bow and not tearing his eyes from her for one instant. "Goodnight, Miryoku."
Miryoku entered and closed the door behind her. Her legs quaking beneath her gave way almost instantly and she slid against her front door to break her fall. The whistling of air outside was indication enough of Hawks leaving, but in spite of his absence, the giddiness that filled her to the brink of bursting remained.
The boisterous barks of her dog, Junji, echoed through her small home at her arrival. The Akita skidded from the hall that led to the main bedroom and bounded straight to her, leaping onto her and licking at her face with reckless abandon. Bubbling laughter escaped her lips as she pushed the Akita away and vigorously petted at his head to calm him down. The dog wasn't having any of it though, and frankly, she didn't feel like she could sleep either with how elated she was.
It's not a date, she reminded herself, don't be too happy.
Miryoku couldn't help herself though, burying her face against the Akita's fur as she hugged him tightly and squealing into him as he barked out enthused at her happiness. Date or not, she had taken that first step. She allowed herself to start over. That more than anything set her heart fluttering. And it being Hawks made it all that much better.
She squealed against her dog's fur again at the mere thought of him. Junji simply barked again and let his tongue stick out through his goofy grin.