Luffy's childhood section is over! Enjoy~
"Luffy, time to practice," Hawks said through the door, waking the teen up. He was fourteen now, had graduated elementary school and was in the second year of junior high. He moved his wings to get out of the blankets easier. He'd gotten used to them being fully out at all times. He made the choice to keep them out rather than feel the pain of sucking them back in.
It was just easier to have them out all the time. Hawks could do it his whole life, Luffy could too. He put a shirt on and then went out of the room to cook breakfast. It was a practice day, like they always had in the mornings that Hawks was off work. He'd kept Luffy for five years, now. By now, the public knew about him and didn't bother him anymore.
Luffy did his best to stay out of the news, and Hawks wasn't in the news much either, so there was pretty much no real breach of privacy that Luffy had experienced. "How are they feeling?" Hawks asked, having made food that morning.
"Fine. Stretching last night helped a lot," Luffy replied. "Hey, don't drink from the carton! I tell you that all the time." Hawks grinned and opened the fridge to show an unopened bottle of orange juice. Luffy huffed, shaking his head but not in irritation.
Luffy's wings had become like Hawks now that he was unable to pull them back in without causing tearing. They ached if they weren't moved around for long periods of time and they shed feathers. He was still fully able to use other quirks, but had stuck to two for the five years since he'd been taken in.
The super strength and his Argentavis were what he used usually. Knowing he was overpowered when he wanted to be always annoyed him, so he stuck with two quirks no matter how many he collected each day just by passing people on the street.
"We're going long distance today. As in across the country long distance," Hawks said conversationally. Luffy was surprised with that distance. They could both fly without tiring for many hours, but Luffy had never flown so far as across the country. He asked why. "Mirko told me about a good sushi place in Aomori."
"Okay. How long do you think it will take? Will you be able to keep up?" Luffy asked with a smirk. Hawks looked at him unimpressed.
"Look, you can't let anyone know you're faster than I am. It'll be bad for my image, you know," Hawks replied easily. Luffy pointed out that he couldn't control his feathers like Hawks, so it was kind of useless to compare them. "You'll make a good delivery boy." Luffy scowled. "Just kidding. It should take four hours to get there and four hours to get back."
Luffy nodded, knowing this was just practice and Hawks didn't actually want to travel four hours to get some sushi. "I thought you and Mirko got in an argument."
"I'm not a kid, arguments don't turn into pouting sessions." Luffy pointed out that he hadn't said that. "As an apology she gave me a coupon to the sushi place. That's all I can expect and I'm not gonna waste her act of kindness," he said in a light voice. Luffy could recognize his sarcasm by now, even if it was hard to pinpoint for most people.
It was winter right now, so Luffy wore his jacket that Hawks helped clip from behind around the bases of his wings. Honestly, he couldn't really remember the convenience of not keeping his wings out. But, that was long gone and this was the new normal. And he wouldn't ever trade his wings for convenience. If Hawks dealt with it, he could too.
He still wanted to be a sidekick, so he wouldn't do any less a job that Hawks could. In his own way. They put on their goggles and headphones, though they could talk to each other through mics and speakers inside the headphones since talking over the wind was annoying. Constantly Luffy asking him to repeat what he said and Hawks teasing him about it. So this way was easier. They jumped out of the open window and Luffy followed where Hawks was going with his GPS on a smartwatch. It was fancy and didn't go with his casual attire. Luffy made fun of it even though he secretly wanted one but was too stubborn to ask.
It was windy, so they easily glided and barely had to flap their wings except to accelerate. Luffy lost track of time when they were flying. He could fly for five hours and not notice until he got a call from Hawks saying he was hungry. Luffy made dinner, but not because Hawks made him. He was kind of a control freak with how he did the meals.
It had become quite ridiculous, and Luffy always wanted to be the one to cook. It was just how things ended up. They were gliding on their way to the stupid sushi bar when suddenly everything was more visiblE and he could hear everything going on. "Whoa, what the hell," Luffy said. He signaled he needed to land, and they declined and easily landed on the sidewalk.
"What's wrong?" Hawks asked.
"Everything is… more intense. I can hear everything and see more," he said, putting his hands over his ears. The sound came through even through his hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pushing it away. "Okay, I got it under control." Where he gained new quirks, there was always an introduction moment before he pushed it away.
The image in his head was of a filing cabinet where he stored away quirks, able to sort through them by category. It was hard to explain. "I'm good, we can go," Luffy said and both of them shot up. Hawks looked uneasy. "I'm fine, I swear."
"I know, it's just weird it came out of nowhere," the pro-hero pointed out. Luffy nodded in agreement, but it was out of the way and he was again focused on his two quirks that he made into one by infusing the strength into his wings. He could carry very heavy things while flying, and had actually carried a car out of a river when Hawks was rescuing the people but his feathers couldn't get into the sinking car.
So Luffy literally swooped in and saved the day. It had been on the news for a short period of time before fizzling away when he declined to comment. But he wasn't allowed to do actual hero work without a license. He was impatient to get one. He knew that Hawks didn't take him in to turn him into a mini version of himself or a sidekick, it was just that things ended up with him wanting to be a helper, legally.
They made it to the sushi bar in record time. They were there maybe 25 minutes before walking back out. "That was not an apology coupon, she sent us to a nasty sushi bar," Luffy said, laughing at Hawks disgruntled expression, him knowing that was true. Mirko probably gave it to him since she knew it was far away and wanted to cause him trouble.
"Well, it wasn't a day wasted, we got plenty of stretching and you've already done your homework and a half. I don't understand you, Luffy. Why do you want to work ahead so badly? You haven't missed a day of school since fifth grade and you are never late."
Luffy said, "I like being a good student, and feeling smart and on top of things makes me more confident." Even though his quirks were powerful, he was great at school and his grades were all at 100% and the fact that he lived in a caring place didn't take away the lack of confidence that he felt would always be there. That he was abandoned, but not just left on the street. He was chucked out of a car. That stuck with him once he felt stable in other ways.
Hawks never told him he should be confident anymore since that made Luffy feel worse. "Hey, Todoroki might actually laugh for once if you told him about this," Hawks said, changing the subject. They both drank some water before making the peaceful journey back.
Luffy liked hanging out on the roof, and had a little area set up to relax and listen to the city bustling or music in headphones. It was peaceful to him. "I told you, he's happy when no one else is around. I'm just the only one to actually see it." He grinned at it, shaking his head. It was hard to get Todoroki to laugh, but it was doable for Luffy.
They'd been friends and then close friends after their mutual past abuse, but got closer other than just that conversation starter. The first time he met Endeavor in person had been awkward. He got in a fight with Todoroki and it was an uncomfortable picture for Luffy.
His friend told him at a later time that his dad was mad that Luffy looked stronger. More fit with powerful wings. But Todoroki was very skilled with his ice power, so Luffy never understood anyone comparing him to an emitter. Not when his obvious quirk was mutation. And he'd never met any other user with wings like his or Hawks'.
That guy from the video game, whose quirk Luffy adopted, never voiced a word of similarities. That game had been a flop, so five years later, it wasn't relevant at all and nobody would discover it when it's been that long and the game was that forgettable.
Not for Luffy. It was silly, but he had the game propped up on his dresser like a photo. He was thankful Hawks bought that one so he could have his wings. He had never been injured after he was eleven and came across someone with a regenerative ability. He hadn't even noticed it before he broke an ankle and had it immediately right itself.
When they got back home, Luffy took his jacket off and hung it up in the closet before going to take a shower, putting the plastic fittings over his wings. It was like those you put clothes in the laundromat in. they covered the wings completely and easily. It took maybe a minute to put them both on, and a minute to get them both off and folded up and put back into the cupboard.
"Hey, what do you want for dinner?" Luffy asked while reading a book on the beanbag chair in the corner of the living room by the window. After Hawks noticed Luffy sat on the floor right there a lot, he'd bought him a little seat to be there that was comfortable.
"Hmmm, the tomato pasta dish with the sun dried tomatoes," Hawks replied, pausing his show. Nobody in the public knew he binged Netflix for at least two hours on his days off. He really did take Sundays to relax. Luffy asked if they had the ingredients. "Yup. I bought them."
Luffy nodded, saying he'd get on it soon. "Don't rush, it's only 5:30," Hawks said, playing his show again. Luffy went back to his book before he wanted to try out his new quirk. He closed his eyes and pulled out the newest drawer of the filing cabinet. Suddenly he could hear everything again, even some people talking. It was a jumbled mess of different sounds before it got under control.
It was like there were different classes of sounds he could focus on. The talking was the most messy, but he could separate it from the sound of cars driving or honking. He could hear the wind. And he could hear Hawks' breathing. He took a deep breath through his nose and smelled the house, the laundry detergent on his shirt, the trashcan that wasn't very full. He was able to turn off the sense of smell.
The hearing dulled and went back to normal, only hearing Hawks' TV show. He was looking over the back of the couch. "New quirk?" Luffy nodded. "Useful at all?" Luffy said it could be some day, maybe for being stealthy.
He went back to his book, reading by the window with the slowly reddening sky. He got up at 6:00, not able to wait to cook any longer, and got to work on dinner, having earbuds in while he did it. It was peaceful, cooking while listening to music. When dinner was ready, Luffy served himself and then sat on the reclining chair.
"So, when were you planning on registering for high school? You have to do it soon," Hawks said while they ate with a trashy reality TV show playing in the background. Luffy said they were officially getting the forms from the school the next day. "You know where you're going to register for?"
He already knew the answer, there was no real point in asking. But Luffy no longer ignored questions. Even if he didn't want to answer them, he said so. He still scowled sometimes, he couldn't help it. Mostly when Hawks teased him about something. "UA first, Shiketsu and then Ketsubetsu. Going to Shiketsu would require a long flight, but I can fly to places alone now." Then he smirked. "And you wouldn't be there to slow me down."
"What a brat," Hawks sighed and chuckled. "I'm sure you'd easily get into UA You have straight A's in every subject and no doubt would ace the entrance exam. And you're strong enough to do great at the practical exam that every hero school has." Luffy nodded, knowing those things were true. He was still nervous.
Todoroki was applying for those schools as well. He said Endeavor would be angry if he didn't make it at UA He would, Luffy had no doubt. Even if he only used his ice, he was powerful. Luffy had never once used his quirk, and he still didn't know what Luffy's actual quirk was. And now he had three he had at all times. The Argentavis and now the regeneration.
Hopefully Todoroki didn't notice that he suddenly could heal from any wounds. Hopefully, but the teen was smart. "Don't be so worried, Luffy. Even if you don't make it to U.A., Shiketsu is a very prestigious school as well."
Luffy nodded, knowing that was also the truth, but he had another reason he wanted to go to UA The campus was massive, lots of room to fly around. After dinner, Luffy did the dishes and then took a shower before going to bed.
He woke up in the morning to his alarm, finding a note on the door saying Hawks had to go to work early for a bank robbery that his sidekicks couldn't handle. He remembered when he was nine, he started to get worried about Hawks dying on the job until he finally convinced Luffy he wouldn't die easily.
That was the period of him being clingy, so happy but also so worried he'd be dumped while he was so happy, having friends and doing well in school. But that never happened and he trusted Hawks wasn't the kind of guy to kick Luffy out.
He got dressed, able to put his shirt and jacket over his wings and clip them on his own, only it took a bit longer. Then he put his sling backpack on, clipping it across his chest before he jumped out of the window, closing it behind him while latching onto the building with the hooks on his wings that Hawks didn't have before jumping back off and flying his way to school quickly.
If the teen went as fast as he could, it took less than ten minutes to make a 45 minute train ride. Distance didn't matter to Luffy. And now that he was able to regenerate, his wings couldn't be harmed. He was so glad they would heal no matter what. He landed in front of the gates and went to class. They all got their application papers after lunch that day, and filled them out.
Only two of their class were trying UA as number one. Everyone knew why Luffy wanted a license, but Todoroki never really went into detail about why he wanted to be a hero. It wasn't because of Endeavor, he hated him with a passion. Luffy never pressed even if he was his closest friend.
They chose the same schools to pick. After class, Luffy went home and then received a text from his friend saying the teachers were going to recommend both of them. Luffy wanted to try the entrance exam, but now he had a failsafe. And the teachers thought he was talented enough to get in on recommendations.
He was smiling up until Hawks came home after he finished that week's homework and went on a flight to the nearest park and laid down on the grass, his wings spread out so they didn't press too hard against the ground.
When he got back home, and Hawks was there, he told him the great news, and said that he still wanted to try the entrance exam. Hawks grinned, saying that was awesome. "I wish I could watch the entrance exam. I'm sure you'll be great. I never got to go to school, so I'm so happy you can."
Luffy knew briefly about Hawks' past. A sad and lonely one that somehow turned him into a laid back guy like he was. More mature now than he had been five years ago, but still mostly the same. Luffy was glad, he didn't want Hawks to change.
After dinner, Luffy focused in his room on the super senses. He'd get control over it soon enough, using it when it was convenient for him. He went to bed early that night, happy and relaxed even though he fell asleep on top of the blankets.
-x-
"How do you think you did on the test?"
"It was pretty easy," Todoroki replied, Luffy nodding in agreement. They were surrounded by other middle schoolers wanting to apply. Todoroki didn't have to come, he could have taken the exam before now, but he wanted to be there as support, though he didn't say that. Luffy was thankful for it, as he was nervous. He felt he'd aced the test 100%, finishing before everyone else and then going over each answer many times, how he usually did on tests.
Now he was heading into the auditorium to listen to directions about the practical exam. He was sitting in the back so his wings didn't block anybody's view. The chairs were nice for him, big and able to have his wings pressed against it without being irritating. Present Mic, a loud hero who was also one of the teachers here, told them about the bots and points given for each one.
There would be no fighting anybody else here. Oh well, it wasn't that big of a deal. He was in the same group as some interesting people. There was one kid who looked terrified. Luffy wondered how he'd do if he was so scared. He went to the gate and was the first to get inside as he flew using All Might's speed. He might piss some people off by taking all of the bots, but he was there to shine.
He wanted to make Hawks proud, even if he wasn't his dad or anything. And plus, he'd think it was funny if Luffy took out most of the bots. He arrived at the first three and dive bombed them by punching a fist into them before flipping and kicking one so hard to dent. All three blew up and by then, Luffy was at the next cluster, taking those out as well before going to the next, and the next.
For the others, he left many untouched, but took out the majority. By the time the other students had made it to the ones Luffy had already defeated, he was far away, deeper into the setting. After he offed 76, he felt that was enough, and went to the rooftops to watch how everyone else was doing.
There was one guy that was very fast with engines on his legs, though not as fast as Luffy could run, and another with a laser coming from his stomach. He looked like an... interesting guy. He went looking for the scared kid, and saw he hadn't really gone anywhere and was still at the first street.
Luffy felt sorry for him, since he must be so embarrassed. But not too bad. He had come here and wasn't able to do anything so far. Luffy perched on the roof, sitting with his legs over the edge. Luffy then was a bit startled when one of the huge zero point bots appeared, breaking the ground and buildings. Would this setting be able to be repaired? Everything did a lot of damage. Luffy not too much since his attacks were so focused, but many had more destructive quirks.
Luffy hadn't noticed the trapped girl until the scared guy suddenly leapt into the air and punched the bot away, leaving the girl. She could have died! But he could easily tell the guy's arms and legs were broken, and flew over to pick him up and set him down before helping the trapped girl out by holding the stone up with one hand and helping pull her out with the other.
The broken kid was crying, begging to get at least one point. Luffy looked at with pity and confusion as to why he was there if he couldn't control his quirk. He was broken from it! Then, the exam was over, and ten minutes passed.
An old woman in a nurse's costume came over, and naval laser dude explained that she was what let UA be so crazy. She healed anybody with a kiss and handed out gummies to everyone and healed those who were more severely injured. Luffy assumed the gummies were some sort of vitamin or something to make them less fatigued, but he wasn't sure.
Luffy was one of the only ones with no bruises or cuts due to his regenerative ability. Hawks would be proud of him for how many bots he took out and saving two other students. Well, the broken kid - who was now not broken - and done the saving first. He just saved him afterward and continued his goal while he was out of commission.
"Thank you," the green haired teen said. Luffy nodded, and helped him up before he flew off back to base after Recovery Girl told him that was fine, leaving everyone else behind. He didn't go at full speed like he had been, but the normal speed he did when flying with Hawks.