Kae Membrana: Sweet baby Felix (*¯︶¯*)
The next day, Tokoyami was surprised when he was told they were driving to a park. He sat in the back with Luffy, all three of them in their costumes. Hawks had the radio playing music Luffy told him Tokoyami listened to that Hawks thought was nails on a chalkboard: classical music. He claimed it sounded like elevator music and he hated it.
"Luffy, I was wondering something. Can you use Dark Shadow?"
Luffy shrugged, saying he'd never tried or was interested in trying. "I've only used some of your guys' power and it was when I was in the fight with Hood. If I remember correctly, I used Uraraka's to keep me from hitting the ground and dying after my wing was r-ripped the first time. First I used Kirishima's when I was slammed in the building. I used Todoroki's, Cementoss, Ashido's and Kaminari's to kill it. Those were it."
He noticed Hawks was gripping the steering wheel really hard, hating remembering what had happened, what he'd shown up to see. Luffy sobbing, bleeding and wingless and his blood sprayed all over the street. It had been a nightmare, as he described the sight later.
When they entered the park, Luffy carried Tokoyami to the training area and landed on the shore. "This is where I learned to fly. Over the lake so if I fell I'd be fine," Luffy explained. Tokoyami said the area was beautiful.
Since he'd been training Dark Shadow for so long, Luffy had no doubt he could be able to control it enough to make its arms into wings. Well, big and flat enough to function as wings. He couldn't have wings, just substitutes. Nobody grew wings in their teens. And they were really rare anyways. There were only a handful of people with feathered wing quirks.
So, they spent the day with Tokoyami, figuring out how to cover only his back with Dark Shadow and spreading its arms. Hawks flew him over the lake with Dark Shadow's arms wide. Tokoyami was clearly worried. "Don't worry, I won't drop you. If I do, it's in water."
If he was saying this to Luffy, he had no doubt he'd finish that sentence by adding, "Besides worrying about the lake monsters". But it was hard enough already for Tokoyami to relax, teasing him wouldn't be productive.
Tokoyami was doing his best, like usual. Hawks asked when he wanted to try on his own. For him to release him to try on his own. Luffy didn't know why Hawks was starting this so intensely. It had been a long time of flapping and then cruising the air with the rope on the roof. It was weeks later that he brought him here.
But then again, Tokoyami didn't live with him and couldn't practice whenever. He smiled, thinking of the early days and the first time Luffy had smiled was while flying. His first smile was when he learned to fly, so maybe that had to do with the reason flying was life changing, not just because it was fun. It did change Luffy's life, his wings were his life.
He clenched his hands and then sucked Hawks' wings back in, and tried, for the first time in weeks, to bring out his old wings. He looked behind him and saw there was still nothing there. He touched where his winds would have started. It was empty.
"Luffy, stop thinking so much," Hawks said loud enough to hear, but not in a cruel way. Luffy nodded and brought out his new wings, pushing the sadness and grief away. "So, you wanna try on your own? Luffy can be under and catch you."
Tokoyami nodded and said he'd try. Hawks circled back to the shore and picked Tokoyami up again, and rode the wind that was in their favor, Luffy flying below enough to catch him easily, but keep out of his way. "Ready?"
"Yes." Hawks released Tokoyami, flying above him but also giving him some room. Tokoyami wobbled to the side and Luffy matched his speed, raising to catch him but letting him continue on his own. Like when a mama whale pushes their baby up to the surface to breathe. Assisting but not controlling.
Dark Shadow was gliding, and Hawks encouraged Tokoyami to try and flap the wing arms. He tried, but it was off balance, which was predictable, and Luffy helped him up again. Though he was unable to flap, he could glide. A step forward! A really fast step, but then again Luffy wasn't just learning to fly he was learning how to get used to two heavy things on his back. Dark Shadow was already well mastered.
Once it got dark, things changed. Dark Shadow got much stronger and Tokoyami could suddenly flap and keep flying. He looked nervous but determined and flew of his own volition. "There you go!" Hawks cheered. But Tokoyami crashed into the water. Luffy went and picked him up. "That was a great first lesson!" Hawks said positively. Luffy brought Tokoyami back to the shore.
He was shaking, eyes wide. "What did you think? It's cool, huh?" Luffy asked.
"And terrifying. But it was much easier once it was dark out and Dark Shadow was more powerful," Tokoyami said. Hawks said it was late and they definitely should get him back home.
Luffy said it would be much faster for Luffy to fly Tokoyami to his home, but he said his mother was waiting at the agency. He had told her he might be gone for a while. "That's convenient," Hawks said happily. "Now there'll be three flyers in my agency."
Tokoyami quickly said he would never be able to fly like he and Luffy could. "I can't even fly like Luffy can. So, he's #1 at flying, I'm #2 and you can be #3." The bird man was shocked, asking why he was saying Luffy was above him. "There's no way I can fly around the world in an hour! I can't reach the same speed Luffy can."
"Why?"
Luffy replied, "I can flap my wings harder and faster due to the super strength power I use. It takes a lot of power to get at the speeds I'm able to."
"That does make sense."
"Shh, don't tell anyone I said that. It wouldn't do to say a fifteen year old is better than a pro-hero," Hawks said jokingly. Tokoyami swore on his life he wouldn't, not finding the humor in it. Hawks pouted at this and Luffy hid a snicker.
By the time they got back to the agency, it was late and they were hungry. Tokoyami got his clothes back and headed to his mom's car. "See you later, Tsukuyomi," Hawks said happily.
"Have a nice night, Hawks-sensei," he replied with a bow. When he and Luffy went back up stairs, he slumped.
"I'm losing hope." Luffy patted his back and said today was a step in the right direction. "Dark Shadow is a fast learner and much more powerful at night." Luffy nodded. He'd never fought it at night or worked with it at night, but he did know it got much stronger in the dark. They ordered pizza since it was 8:30 and Luffy didn't want to cook.
When the pizza came, Hawks got it and also noticed they had mail. He brought up the pizza and a heavy box. "Oi, Luffy, you have mail from the HPSC."
Luffy was surprised, wondering what kind of thing he'd be mailed from the Hero Public Safety Commission. Hawks put the pizza on the bar counter and Luffy took the package, opened it and pulled out a rectangle wrapped in paper that he unwrapped and found a medal in the box with a plaque. Thanking Luffy for his services as a hero against the League of Villains.
He showed it to Hawks who laughed. "I guess they got tired of neither of us confirming going to a televised ceremony to accept this." Luffy looked at it with conflicted feelings. He was glad, of course, that he was able to capture them once and for all. But he couldn't help but be bitter about it as well. If the pro-heroes had done their job, Luffy's wings would still be there. He put it down with a look of distaste.
He served himself the pizza and went to his room, shutting the door and sitting on his bed. It had been weeks since he lost his beautiful wings forever, and still he was angry and hurt about it. Still upset they were gone and never coming back. Part of him was ripped away, one of them being ripped away twice.
Luffy couldn't protect his wings, that was on him. But the fact was that the pro-heroes should have gotten the League earlier. They were pros! They were supposed to do their jobs and protect the public, and they failed multiple times. And looked at what had come of it. Who cares about a stupid medal, he didn't care.
He didn't care about their thanks. He was a kid. One with a powerful quirk, but a kid. It shouldn't have been him that ended their reign of terror. It should have been the grown ups who were on the case. Hawks was never on the case so he didn't blame him at all. But those who were…. They should have done their jobs better.
After he ate two pieces, he changed into pajamas, scowling at his foot. The discoloration. He went to bed and Hawks let him sleep, probably knowing why Luffy wanted to self-isolate and wasn't happy with being given a medal.
-x-
Luffy was still sour the next day, and the class noticed. "What's wrong?" Midoriya asked with Luffy scowling out of the window. He hadn't even noticed he was doing it. It was before class, and Aizawa wasn't there yet. "You look really angry."
Luffy told the truth. "I got a medal about ending the League of Villains." Kirishima asked why that would make him mad. "I don't want a stupid medal. It shouldn't have been me to get them. The pro-heroes should have done their job and captured them. I'm just a kid. I don't care about a medal and don't care about people liking me because of it. If they had done their job I wouldn't have had my wings ripped off twice. I wouldn't have some discolored leg from it being dissolved 37 times. And that's never going away and my wings are never coming back, so I have to use Hawks', even if they're a different color," he said angrily. "What are heroes for if they can't even do their job?"
The class was silent, shocked. But nobody argued with him about it. They understood how he felt. Just at that moment, Aizawa came in, looking more tired than usual. Luffy didn't even think of him hearing his little rant. He was sour and everyone left him alone. The only thing, all day, that got his attention and distracted from his anger was Tokoyami talking about flying.
"What? Hawks taught you how to fly?!" Kirishima asked at lunch, dropping his spoon. Everyone else at the table besides Luffy froze as well. Tokoyami nodded, saying Luffy assisted him, too.
Luffy said, "It's really rushed with Tokoyami, though. When he taught me how to fly I had to find 'my own' wings at first and I found them from a character in a really shitty video game. He started out by tying me to a rope on the roof and teaching me how to glide, then gradually let the bungee cord go longer and longer until I could fly around the edge of the roof.
"That was when we went to the lake. But it's different from Tokoyami because he already had Dark Shadow trained well and it's 8 years old. Plus, Hawks doesn't have time to help him learn to fly multiple days of the week for hours."
Tokoyami nodded, saying he understood why it was rushed.
"You know, before I met Luffy, and saw Hawks cop an attitude at the Billboard charts, I thought he was some immature guy. I didn't know he was raising a kid my own age," Iida said.
Luffy replied, "I don't think 'raising' is the right term. I was already mentally mature as a kid based on my hardships. I mean, I was a brat and told him to fuck off all the time, but he sort of just guided me while growing up. He was rarely strict about making choices for me except if it was something medical related. He's not my dad and I'm not his kid. He called me a 'stray' he picked up on his way home from work," he explained. "That describes it the best."
Kaminari said they had a strange relationship.
"In a way. I don't feel like he's a parent or sibling. Like we're best friends/roommates/mentor and student. Sometimes I feel like the adult in the house. It works and we like living together. And he's happy with me wanting to be a sidekick.
"He also really likes having someone else who can fly with him. The sky isn't lonely anymore," he finished with a smile. His first smile of the day.
Tsu said, "You two do work very efficiently together. With how both of you were handling the car wreck the other day. And you guys worked together to solve the mystery of the villain who killed children to grow weed."
Luffy nodded, saying that was the best sidekick case. "I actually did most of the thinking in that one, though," Luffy said honestly and with an awkward smile. "Mostly because I could smell things better with one of the only other quirks I use when needed. And I was used to being around trash."
Sero said, "Huh?"
"Well I was around garbage a lot in the slums. It's hard to explain the whole thing, it would take forever. Just know that my sense of smell helped a lot," he said simply. "We had to fly home after the whole thing was over. I was really tired, I think we had an argument about sandwiches. I can't remember it right, but he kept buying me bags of sandwich bread and underlining any spot that said 'bread' with thick sharpie."
Uraraka laughed and said it sounded exhausting living with Hawks. Luffy just laughed. "I'm glad you're smiling again, though." Luffy blinked and then nodded.
"Hey, do you think Aizawa heard Luffy talking about the heroes failing? He looked more depressed than usual today," Midoriya asked. Luffy frowned. Partly, he was talking about Aizawa. But mostly those who failed at the Bakugo rescue mission.
Todoroki asked who he'd meant when he said the heroes failed him. "The teachers and those who went on missions to end the League but failed every time. I know it might not be fair to judge them about it, but I can't help it. My wings meant a lot to me. Losing them was worse than any of their torture. Not just because it hurt when the nomu crushed it. I think it would be hard for other people to understand why they meant so much. To other people, it's just another extremity."
They nodded, knowing they would never understand personally but knew they meant a lot to Luffy.
During the hero basics training, Luffy wondered if he hated All Might for not being able to stop the League. But he decided he didn't. The former symbol's body paid the price of defeating All For One. He looked weak without his muscles or confident demeanor anymore. Luffy had new wings. He couldn't bring himself to hate All Might.
On his way back home, he stopped by a Starbucks to get an iced tea that he drank on the way home, the wind being perfect today that he barely needed to flap at all, he cruised almost the whole way back to the agency. He wasn't patrolling today, getting his homework done and then going on a long flight to think and relax at the same time.
He finished his work for that day, getting everything done even if it wasn't due the next day. He checked the fan page, something he couldn't help doing, seeing what funny gifs they had put up, or seeing pictures of baby Felix. He saw some of the footage of Luffy and Hawks rescuing people from the car wrecks together.
There was art of both of them flying next to each other. It made Luffy smile, but he exited out of the fan art area since the page was now much more organized.
Nothing much there. He exited and then left, flying back to the lake and up the river into the mountain, enjoying the snow. He landed in it and flopped down on his back, his wings out. The snow didn't melt and didn't seep into his feathers and make them heavy.
He stood up and trudged through the snow and to the caves he'd always wanted to go to. So he went that day, though going alone may have been not smart. He explored them, but there was nothing much. He went deeper in the cave and found something weird inside. It was a huge hole deep down into the ground. He broke a piece of rock off the wall off and tossed it down. It echoed after a few long seconds, clearly very deep.
Luffy knew he was being reckless, but also knew his face shield had a powerful tracker that wasn't easy to break after what happened with the League. The hole was deep enough to fly out of. He climbed down, absorbing the wings and pressing his back and legs and hands and shimmying his way down.
Even if he fell, he'd heal just fine unless he hit his head. When he got to the bottom, he followed the cave deeper, lighting up the place with a hand on fire. He found a lake in the middle of the mountain, deep below the surface. He didn't go in the water, not knowing if it had any chemicals in it. But it was beautiful. He flew across it and to the other side, venturing deeper and deeper until he finally reached the end. But he no longer needed the fire, as bioluminescent insects made the walls look like a vibrant night sky.
He called Hawks. "Yo, you okay?"
"Yeah, are you still on duty? I found something awesome!"
"It's almost six. Where are you?"
Luffy said, "Do you promise not to get mad at me?" Hawks slowly said okay. "I went exploring and found this really cool deep cave in the mountain above our lake. There are tons of bioluminescent bugs that I've never seen anywhere. I wish I had brought my phone so I could take pictures."
"You went to the mountain alone?" Luffy made an exasperated noise and said Hawks said he wouldn't get angry. He sighed on the other end, and said he'd follow the tracker and come see himself.
He hung up and Luffy flew through the caves and up out of the shaft, then making his way out of the original cave that led outside. He knew Hawks was going to be mad, but he would get over it once he saw what Luffy had. It took around half an hour of waiting for Hawks to show up, landing in front of Luffy. "The storm wasn't this bad an hour ago."
"Uh-huh," Hawks said, unconvinced. "Where's the cave?"
Luffy said they had to go a lot deeper to find it. He led Hawks deeper and down the long hole and then flew through the larger area, over the glowing lake and finally into the area that he was talking about. Hawks looked around in awe, forgiving Luffy for going off on his own. "Cool, huh?"
"Very cool," Hawks agreed. Then he grinned and pulled his phone out. He took a bunch of photos. It was really cool when Luffy stood in front of the wall with his wings out so his silhouette was glowing with the bugs on the wall. He did the same for Hawks and they laughed at this, so ridiculous. "Nobody else can get in here without being trapped. But I don't want you going here in the middle of a blizzard."
The teen agreed that he wouldn't come by himself in a blizzard. They eventually left, and Luffy said it would be cool to bring chairs and things to make it comfy, like a hide out. "Well, we can only see this way with fire. So the chairs would be in the starry-bug area." Luffy agreed as they flew up and out of the shaft and into the original cave and then through the storm, back down the mountain, above the park and finally back home.