"I just don't understand why I wasn't invited!" Hawks complained lightheartedly. "The Commission leaves me out, you guys leave me out. Clue a guy in, yeah? When I saw you guys on the news, on top of that van? You looked super cool, but it would have been nice to know what the hell was going on."

"Sorry," Dabi drawled with a lazy smirk and a glance in his direction.

He didn't sound too sorry, but Hawks wasn't bothered. He was used to it, and he would even admit to finding it kind of endearing if anyone had asked. He wouldn't just volunteer the information, but he felt like he had the right to gush over his soulmate if anyone asked him how he felt about him.

Hawks thought he might have fallen for Dabi anyway, even without fate to push them along. Hawks was attracted to the powerful type. He wanted to feel protected; it was so rare for him to feel safe that he ate that shit up whenever it was offered. What gave him pause is that he rarely felt more protected than when Shigaraki got that look on his face when Hawks shared just a little too much truth about his situation and how he was treated by the Hero Commission.

Hawks knew that Shigaraki must have been used in a similar way before, or maybe was even currently being used and fully aware of that face, just like Hawks was. Hawks kept trying to dismiss these feelings, telling himself that Shigaraki just gets upset easily and it had nothing to do with him personally, but just people being used in general. That lie didn't get too far because of how calm and collected Shigaraki had been while executing his revenge scheme against the Yakuza in Magne's honor.

He looked between Dabi and Shigaraki as they talked with the other League members, celebrating their huge success. Hawks was long past feeling surprised at his own feelings, a similar warmth radiating his chest when he looked at either man. He had learned to accept his feelings and then let them go. That was the safe thing to do when feeling frustrated with the Commission. But he really, really didn't want to let these feelings go.

"Then the hero reached out to grab me!" Twice said, reaching his arms out in front of him to mimic the action. "Kurogiri had perfect awful timing as always, and I dropped straight down back here! Safe and sound!"

"Yeah, because you landed on me!" Toga chimed with a laugh, fiddling with her equipment to store the blood for future use.

Hawks never thought that he would be so enraptured by the group, but he genuinely liked every single member, even Twice, though he knew he was suspicious of Hawks. So was everyone else, but Twice had a more severe suspicion, like he thought Hawks actually might have a chance of succeeding any scheme the Hero Commission had cooked up. The others were more relaxed, keeping a more easygoing kind of guard up that seemed to slip more every day.

Hawks's handler was pleased with his progress. Hawks was, too, but for different reasons. He was learning more and more about the League members every day, and he grew closer to them every day.

He knew that every undercover agent went through similar situations, forming genuine bonds with the people they would have a huge hand in capturing. This was different, though, because Hawks was pretty sure he'd rather have the Hero Commission arrange his death than betray this ragtag group of villains.

And maybe, for once, it was time that Hawks did something that he wanted to do.

Hawks was broken out of his thoughts by the name of his intern.

"Full Throttle targeted Kaminari," Shigaraki declared.

It was weird. The celebratory mood instantly chilled and he had everyone's complete undivided attention.

Hawks still didn't understand the intrigue the League had with Denki, and he was honestly afraid to ask, nervous that they might not trust him enough to tell him, or maybe they would and he wouldn't like what he heard. He knew that Denki was captured and taken hostage, and before being rescued by his friends, he had undergone Force Majeure's quirk so that he could not tell anyone anything about what he had learned from his time with the League. If the League had that foresight, were they already planning on letting Denki go?

It didn't make sense, and while Hawks really liked the League, he wasn't going to go so low as to sacrifice his intern, someone who relied on him to keep him safe, to get even further into the League's good graces. In fact, Hawks would go to bat against the League to keep Denki away from them, even if it messed everything up and majorly set him back. The League would be pissed, the Commission would be pissed, but Hawks would be able to sleep at night.

The least Hawks could do was set Denki up for success and make him as powerful as possible, just in case the League tried to target him again.

So, Hawks spent his mornings being a hero in the public eye and reporting any updates to his handler with the Commission. He spent his afternoons training Denki. He spent his evenings becoming closer and closer with the League of Villains. And he started spending his nights with Dabi.

The days flew by. So much was happening, and he was actually enjoying himself for once. He dreaded speaking with his handler, but besides that, things were as close to perfect as they had ever been.

He would spend his mornings patrolling different areas. Mornings were usually boring because there wasn't much villainous activity happening, but Hawks would find ways to entertain himself, whether that be by helping an old lady carry her bags home or following Endeavor to his agency on his regular route, incessantly talking about anything that came to mind and dropping not-so-subtle hints that they should totally team up sometime.

The answer was always no, of course. And Hawks knew it wasn't anything personal against him. But he was the Hero Commission's puppet, and no one else wanted to get roped into that mess. (Except the League never seemed to rub it in that Hawks was dragging them down with him, but Hawks tried not to think about that.) Endeavor had a kid attending UA, rising through the ranks, constantly growing, so powerful. The last thing that kid needed was to gain the Commission's attention.

Hawks hoped that the Commission looked at Denki as just a publicity stunt to garner more support for the number two hero and didn't actually recognize the raw power the kid possessed. He hoped that he could bring it out of him without alerting the Commission or League of what exactly he was capable of.

So, Hawks spent his afternoons training Denki, pushing him endlessly. He felt bad, sometimes. Denki would scream with the pure electricity coursing through his body, frustrated that he was giving so much, yet Hawks was always demanding more. In the long run, though, Denki would be able to protect himself, from the League and the Commission. He might be nearly unstoppable if he could just get everything to click into place.

Sometimes Hawks would even make the evening news based on what he had done during his morning patrol, but only if nothing extreme had happened that would overshadow a feel-good news story.

"Saw you on the news," Shigaraki said as Hawks entered the hideout.

"Hi, Hawks. How are you? Oh, I'm great, Shigaraki. Thanks for asking! Of course, Hawks. Anything for you!" Hawks teased.

Shigaraki's jaw dropped at his audacity, but Hawks had stopped worrying about crossing lines with his snark alone. It seemed that the League was one of the rare cases that could take exactly the severity of sass that they dealt out. What surprised Hawks, though, was the pink tint spreading across Shigaraki's face. He might have missed it if he was wearing that creepy hand, but Shigaraki had been forgoing his handy attire more and more as time went on. He was rarely found with the hands on, even as he enacted plans and dealt with others outside of the League, and never while inside the hideout.

"Well excuse me," Shigaraki snapped. "While you're out there, saving school children from slipping on the ice like some damn crossing guard, we've been here getting actual work done."

"Actual work?" Hawks said, a teasing lilt in his voice as he glanced sideways at Dabi, who was actively shooting at zombies on the screen, yelling loudly into his headset at a player deemed P05itiv3R3volt.

Shigaraki's sneer in Dabi's direction easily morphed into a smile as Dabi stood up, screaming in celebration of his victory. When he realized that his gaze lingered on Dabi for a little too long and that his gaze was less annoyed and more full of content adoration, Shigaraki shot Hawks an apologetic look before explaining what he meant.

"Toga and Compress are out doing recon, trying to find out more information on where Full Throttle might be hiding and who his allies might be."

Every single member of the League of Villains had become obsessed with hunting down Full Throttle after Shigaraki had announced that he had went after Denki. Hawks sometimes caught himself smiling and nodding along with their scheming against Full Throttle, like the League might actually have Denki's best interest in mind. And Hawks wanted to believe that. Denki was a good kid, but that was a double-edged sword. He was a good kid, so he deserved to be protected. At the same time, he was a good kid, so he wouldn't associate himself with villains.

Hawks knew this because he himself was not a good person and look where he ended up: Empathizing with villains and falling steadily for his villainous soulmate.

"Oh, hey!" Dabi greeted, glancing over his shoulder at Hawks. "I saw you on the news! You look great on television! I wonder how I would look…" A pause, and then a boisterous laugh at something his gaming teammate must have said. Dabi moved his player on the screen and replied into the headset, "I thought you said my scars look cool!" Then, "you know what? You have a point!"

It was about a week after that when Shigaraki and Dabi were still awake when Hawks meandered into the hideout later than usual. When Shigaraki and Dabi turned to look at him with these serious expressions on his face, Hawks thought he was found out. They must have figured out that Hawks was supposed to double-cross them, and that was going to be his last night alive. There were worse ways to die, Hawks figured. If it was violent enough, maybe he could even stick around as a ghost and haunt his handler. He would make her life so inconvenient.

"Have a seat," Shigaraki said, nodding to the chair across from where they sat.

Hawks thought about running, but where would he go where his literal soulmate wouldn't find him eventually? If someone as reclusive as Full Throttle, who was unassuming and average looking, was going to be tracked down by the League, Hawks wouldn't stand a chance with his huge, red wings. Hell, even in Antarctica, he was sure the League probably had penguins on the inside that would report back to them. No, Hawks just had to face the music, so he kicked his shoes off and made his way over to the duo, trying not to give away how nervous he was.

"We wanted to talk to you about this soulmate situation," Dabi said.

Oh. Maybe Hawks wasn't going to die that day after all.

"I've been wanting to talk to you two about this, too," Hawks admitted, figuring it was best to just dive right into the crux of the conversation. "I know that you two have something really—you have a strong connection already. I never intended to come in between that."

Hawks continued, pushing through his nerves as Shigaraki and Dabi shared a charged glance. This was good, Hawks tried to convince himself. No more tiptoeing around each other. Clarify what lines would be drawn, and then everything is settled. Maybe then the look on their faces won't hurt so much when they find out that Hawks betrayed them.

"Soulmate connections don't have to be romantic, and you two already have an established relationship. So, it's cool with me if we just have a platonic connection," Hawks offered with a heavy heart.

It was better than nothing at all. Even if his handler was going to throttle him for his insolence.

"What?" Shigaraki said. "Dabi isn't good enough for you?"

Hawks head snapped up, and he immediately felt like he was walking into a trap.

"What? No!" Hawks sputtered. "I would love to—I would—"

This is not how any of it was supposed to go. His gaze switched between the two, trying to figure out what he could say that would get him out of this in one piece, trying to understand their end game.

"Just admit that you want to kiss me, birdie," Dabi challenged, looking intensely right at Hawks and refusing to look away.

Well, if he was going to die, he was going to be honest for once in his life.

"I want to kiss you," Hawks said easily, not hesitating to meet Dabi's challenge head-on.

Dabi was up in an instant, leaning over Hawks. Hawks expected to be lit up with flames, maybe. But when Dabi's hands caressed his face, they weren't scalding hot. Then, with a smile, Dabi leaned down and placed his lips on Hawks's. He pulled back to gauge Hawks's comfort level before diving back in again, deepening the kiss.

Dabi didn't use his flames, but Hawks melted anyway.

When Dabi pulled away again, he glanced over at Shigaraki. "You okay?"

Hawks expected to have hands reaching for his throat, ready to decay his head right off his body. But when he looked over at Shigaraki, he just saw the man's red eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.

"I'm okay," Shigaraki confirmed after another minute. "Are you okay?" Shigaraki then asked.

Hawks was startled to find Shigaraki's eyes on him. Shigaraki was asking him if he was okay?

"Yeah," Hawks said, a little out of breath from the confusion of the whole situation, "but what's going on here?"

"We know these soulmates who invited a third into their relationship," Dabi answered carefully. "Two soulmates, plus one more who wiggled his way into their hearts—"

"Everyone's hearts," Shigaraki muttered in correction.

"All dating each other."

"Both soulmates are dating each other and the third person?" Hawks asked to clarify.

Dabi and Shigaraki nodded, watching Hawks carefully for his reaction.

"And you want that for us?"

Hawks immediately felt stupid and wished he could snatch the words back from the air in front of him before the vibrations could reach the eardrums of the men in front of him. Unfortunately, that was not a perk of his quirk, so he braced himself to be laughed at, ridiculed, maybe even hit if it was insulting enough. The idea that Shigaraki would want Hawks as much as Hawks wanted him—

"If that's what you want, too," Shigaraki answered slowly and deliberately, not wanting Hawks to misunderstand. "We could also arrange it so we're both involved with Dabi but not each other. Or I could—"

"You want me?" Hawks asked, unable to hold back, staring intently at Shigaraki and pointing at himself like there was another 'me' that Hawks could have been talking about.

Shigaraki smiled. "Who wouldn't?"

Hawks knew at that moment that he loved Shigaraki. He was so strong that he could adapt to his lover finding his soulmate and roll with the punches, find a solution. Hawks wondered if Shigaraki could find a solution to the situation that Hawks had found himself in, caught between his villainous soulmate and boyfriend scenario, and the stronghold that the Hero Commission held over him. He wondered if Shigaraki would reach out with those hands and kill him for daring to scheme against the League of Villains. He wondered if it would be more personal. Maybe Shigaraki would reach out to kill him for himself and not think of others for once. He wondered if Dabi would be angry or relieved when Hawks was nothing but a pile of ash on the ground.

Hawks gave a shaky smile. "Does that mean you're going to kiss me, too?"

"Come here, pretty bird."

Yeah, Hawks was in trouble, all right.

Hawks wasn't sure if he was brave, stupid, or just oblivious, but it wasn't until he was lying in bed that night that he realized that he had leaned into Shigaraki's touch, four deadly fingers on each side of his face.

So much trouble.

Hawks wondered what he would do if the League ever asked him to help them capture Denki again. Before, he would have said no. Not a chance. Then, he would have had to actually think about it. Maybe a week from then, he wouldn't have to think about it, and he would do anything asked of him. He already wanted to do everything asked of him, and he wondered how much longer he would still be able to resist if something didn't feel right.

It was strange. He hated doing things for the Commission. They could tell him to save a kitten from a tree, and he would hate doing it just because they are the ones who told him to. Being raised as a puppet to the Commission, he hated taking orders, but found out the hard way, multiple times, that it was easier and less painful to just carry out the orders as effectively and efficiently as possible. Yet, it was a relief taking orders from the League. When Hawks thought about it, even when he first started and had to do mindless tasks before being able to meet with Shigaraki and learning where one of their bases were, he didn't have the visceral reaction that he did when given orders by the Commission. Hawks wondered what would happen if he denied an order. He knew what would happen if he told the Commission no, but what would Shigaraki and Dabi do?

"Hawks, I need you to go with Toga for surveillance," Shigaraki demanded as he poured over his maps and plans. "We need an aerial view of the forest."

Heart pounding and blood pumping, Hawks answered, "no."

Shigaraki looked over at him, brow furrowed. Dabi looked over at the two from his position on the other side of the room, mapping out plans for a different mission.

"Are you feeling okay?" Shigaraki asked.

Hawks's adrenaline spiked, but it wasn't a condescending tone. It was a genuine question, not fishing for a reason why Hawks might deny a request. Hawks forced himself to push harder.

"Yeah. I just don't feel up to it."

Shigaraki nodded, narrowing his eyes and looking down at his plans while Dabi went back to sketching potential escape routes. Hawks braced himself for something to be thrown at him, for yelling, for Shigaraki to just lunge at him.

"You know what?" Shigaraki started.

Here it comes, Hawks knew.

Shigaraki continued, "all you do is work. You have hero shit in the morning, intern shit in the afternoon, and then you are working with us all evening and night. You deserve a break, and I can't believe I haven't thought of this before. Dabi!"

Dabi perked up, hand pausing his sketching.

"When's the last time you took your soulmate on a date? Huh?" Shigaraki demanded. Not waiting for an answer, he said, "well get to it! Do I have to do everything around here?!"

Dabi smiled as he dropped his pencil onto the map and stretched his arms over his head. "You joining us, boss?"

"No."

"That's fine. I'll just make some soba and get a picnic basket together," Dabi said.

He started to walk away, allowing himself to smile and roll his eyes at Hawks, but only because his back was to Shigaraki, so he couldn't see Dabi's scheming.

Shigaraki only hesitated for a moment more. "Soba?" He took a breath and seemed to be weighing his options. "No, you two go. Just save some for me."

The way Shigaraki glanced at Hawks before making his decision gave him away, though.

"I want you to come," Hawks said with a nod. "What kind of date would it be without my boyfriend there?"

It felt strange calling one of the most dangerous villains in Japan a title as fluffy as his 'boyfriend,' but Shigaraki's face lit up, and Hawks decided that he could very quickly get used to it if that's what he got to see every time.

"Why soba?" Hawks asked Shigaraki as the warp gate disappeared after dumping the trio on top of a secluded, scenic mountain.

Hawks grabbed one side of the picnic blanket, and Dabi grabbed the other. They spread the blanket and smoothed it out while Shigaraki stood off to the side, holding the picnic basket full of freshly made soba, vegetables, and fruit, enjoying being taken care of for once, even in such a simple way.

"Dabi makes the best soba," Shigaraki answered with a grin in Dabi's direction.

"It's my sister's recipe," Dabi shrugged off, not wanting to take full credit. "It was my little brother's favorite, so we made it all the time."

"The cold version?" Hawks inquired as they all sat down and Shigaraki started handing out the utensils.

"His eating schedule depending on his training schedule, and it wasn't ever the same from day to day. It was best to have the cold version that could just stay in the cooler for as long as needed instead of trying to time hot foods right only for him to not make it back in time to eat before it wasn't fresh anymore."

To Hawks, this was absolutely fascinating. "You've never told me about your family before."

"He gives random pieces of personal information at the weirdest and most unexpected times," Shigaraki warned with a knowing smile.

"Hey! It's like you're writing a manual for dating me or something!" Dabi said, pausing his hand as he lifted the noodles to his mouth. His mouth was too busy arguing with his lovers to actual eat at that moment.

"No need for a manual, I don't think," Shigaraki teased, looking over at Hawks. "I'd say you're stuck with us, so it doesn't need to be written down for anyone else."

Hawks had wanted to see how bad the punishment would be if he refused a command and ended up on a fun date with the two people he felt the safest with. He was hoping for leniency, but for Shigaraki and Dabi to turn it around as he was being overworked and use it as an excuse to have fun instead? Mind-blowing to Hawks.

For the first time since starting this double-crossing undercover mission, Hawks withheld pertinent information from his handler.

"Progress report."

Hawks winced, holding the phone away from his ear. Her voice got more and more grating every time he spoke with her, and if he never heard her voice again it would be too soon.

"New arrangement," Hawks reported, short and to the point. "I'm involved with Dabi, but Dabi is also involved with Shigaraki."

"They know you know?"

"Yes."

"Interesting."

Not as interesting as knowing that all three of them were involved with each other, but Hawks decided that was none of her business. He was starting to feel like none of this was anyone's business. What anyone else did with their soulmate and romantic lives was private, so why did Hawks not have the same consideration?

Hawks had stopped worrying so much about the Commission because most of his worry was directed toward his intern. Internship periods were ending, and Denki still hadn't progressed as much as he needed to. Hawks was nervous that Denki would choose someone else to work with next, but Hawks wanted another round with him.

"Higher!" Hawks sang.

Denki shot him a glare, but then he closed his eyes and the electricity around him got brighter and crackled louder. At one point, the view of Denki's outline began to fuzz, and Hawks silently celebrated at the progress, not wanting to interrupt Denki's work.

"You're doing good," Hawks complimented, and Denki looked surprised.

Hawks made a mental note to give more positive feedback in the future. The Commission gave demand after demand, and success was met with more demands, but Hawks didn't want to be anything like the Commission. He had a lot to unlearn.

"Before you go," Hawks started as Denki started packing up. "I wanted to let you know that I'll be putting in a bid for your internship again."

"Really?" Denki asked, giving Hawks his full attention. "You aren't bored watching me try and fail at something you're trying to get me to do?"

"You're not failing; you're getting closer. Progress is progress."

Denki looked at him oddly in consideration but nodded his agreement.

"I really think I can take you to the next level if you give me another chance with you," Hawks confessed. "Will you accept my internship for your third year at UA?"

"The year-long internship that lasts my whole last year of UA?" Denki clarified.

Hawks nodded.

"The one that is the most important for my future as a Pro Hero?"

Hawks nodded.

"After we've done nothing but sit on this mountain and test my endurance?"

Hawks winced and nodded.

"Yeah, okay."

Hawks did a double take. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"You won't regret this, Chargebolt!"

"You mean spending my whole last year with the number two hero? And you're acting like I'm the one doing you a favor?" Denki laughed, slung his bag over his shoulder, and left.

Between Denki and the League of Villains, Hawks was surrounded by weird people who constantly did unexpected things. Hawks couldn't stop smiling.