He visited the cave again on Saturday, bringing new speakers and a lawn chair where he put them in the starry-bug room. He relaxed in the chair and listened to music. He had gone on patrol with Hawks for hours but nothing happened other than a lot of winged stick figures drawn on little kids' backpacks.

While Hawks was working on paperwork, the boring aspect of the job, Luffy came here. It was snowing, but calm and serene. He stayed there for a while before he got hungry, and turned the speakers off. He'd bought them only for this room. He walked down the dark hallway where the only thing there was to see was himself and the reflection of the flames bouncing off of the walls.

If he was a normal person, it would be pretty scary, but he wasn't afraid. He crouched at the water's edge before he heard a noise that startled him and he fell face first into the water, getting a lot in his mouth and panicking. What if the water had chemicals in it? It didn't taste wrong or smell wrong.

He was worried as he made his way home, and didn't know whether to tell Hawks or not. But when he flew in looking shaken up, he couldn't hide it. "What's wrong, what happened?"

Luffy looked down. "I tripped in the cave water and some got in my mouth. I don't feel wrong and the water tasted and smelled like normal water," he explained. "Should I go to the doctor?" Hawks was frowning.

"Stay out here. If you start to feel weird or sick, tell me and we're going straight to the hospital," he said. Luffy nodded, and brought a book in the living room to read, but he was distracted. He said he was going to take a bath.

"No, I want you to stay out here."

"Okay, how about a quick shower?"

"Fine. Short," he said, clearly still worried even though Luffy was becoming less. After showering, he walked out and felt a tingling on his back. It was itchy and hurt before he tried taking out his old wings. But they were suddenly there, perfectly fine. He stared at the mirror before he screamed. Hawks banged the door open, and Luffy was standing there in underwear, both his wings back and the discoloration of his leg was gone.

"What happened?!" he asked in shock. Luffy had tears and demanded to tell him if he was dreaming. "No, Luffy. Your wings are back, they're real," Hawks said firmly. "What was the last time you took them out? Have they been growing back?"

Luffy shook his head. "They were dead yesterday. Nothing was there." He looked down, "And my leg was how it was this morning when I got dressed."

Hawks was deep in thought before he asked if Luffy thought it could be from the water in the cave. Luffy said he wasn't sure. "If it was, then it only healed recent things. All of the scars on my back are still there," he said, looking at his back where the scars and road rash were still clear from all those years ago.

"If your wings were back only, I could see where someone could argue that they just grew back on their own, but it's been months and they never healed. And when the first wing was taken, it took much longer for any progress at all. How do they feel? Do they feel normal?" Hawks asked, brows furrowed in confusion and thoughtfulness.

Luffy flapped them a little bit. They felt fine. He easily took them back in until his skin was smooth before bringing them back out. "I'm going to fly with them," he said suddenly and ran to the window and unlocked it. Hawks was there in case the wings failed and Luffy needed to be caught. Luffy jumped out and his wings supported him. He flew in a lazy spiral up and down the building before landing back inside, tears down his cheeks.

"Th-they're back," he said with a watery smile. Hawks hugged him, grinning widely.

Hawks then thought of something. "The water may not have healed you. Your wings weren't a wound anymore, there was nothing left. Maybe it enhances quirks. Your regenerative quirk upped and got rid of the wound you had before. Then your wings grew back fully since they're a quirk."

"And that's why my other scars didn't heal, since they were from before I had the regeneration quirk. If that's what it is, we can't let anyone know about the cave," Luffy said. Hawks nodded. They had to keep it a secret. Not just because they liked the private area, but villains could come to it.

But nobody had found it so far, and nobody but one with wings or a climbing quirk could get in or out without falling and dying or being stranded and unable to get back out. "Sometimes being reckless is good, huh?"

"Sometimes." Luffy asked how he'd explain this to everybody. "Claim it was your regeneration quirk that just suddenly kicked in." The younger nodded, saying that was really the only believable thing he could claim happened.

When Luffy went to bed, he cried himself to sleep, tears of happiness for the first time in months. He wouldn't be mourning his wings anymore. He was thankful for Hawks' temporary ones. When he woke up, he kept his eyes closed and brought out his wings. He opened his eyes to see they were different than they usually had been. He was grinning while he thought, unable to help himself.

He stood up and saw that a lot of the feathers now were almost touching the ground, and were fluffier than they had been before. And a more vibrant blue, the color they were after an intense cleaning of them. Healthier in general. He walked out of his room and went to the bathroom and turned around to stare at his wings.

Luffy was back, finally all of him was back from that first nomu attack that was the beginning of the nightmare that had plagued him for months. He was happy some days, but he'd been severely emotionally crippled after losing both wings. But they were back now! And he felt perfectly fine, not sick or ill or unnatural. He was sure the water had done nothing harmful to him, and he opened the window and jumped out, flying easily high above the building and back down, landing gracefully.

He made breakfast and smiled the whole time he ate, looking out the windows with his wings still out. He heard Hawks open his bedroom door and hurry over, asking how Luffy felt. "I feel fine. I don't feel off at all. And my wings look healthier, don't they? Fluffed up and more vibrant."

"They do. I'm so happy for you, Luffy," he said sincerely. Luffy smiled and nodded.

"They feel a lot better than yours did. That's probably me being biased, but I'm very thankful for your wings being my substitute," Luffy said.

Hawks replied, "Hopefully for the last time, those were your wings, not mine. But these are all yours." Luffy nodded.

"I… I'm still gonna keep them in if I don't feel safe in a situation with them. I know I'll be more paranoid now about losing them, so I'll be very careful," Luffy said firmly. "But I do wonder what is in that water."

"If it's water at all." Luffy nodded in agreement. It tasted like water, but that might not be a reliable method of telling what it is. "I still want you to stay around me in case something is off in a negative way. Have you tried any of your other quirks and noticed a difference?"

Luffy shook his head and then went to the kitchen and got a knife before cutting his arm. But no blood came out as it healed almost immediately. He stabbed straight down but against it healed. "Looks like the regenerative one had a boost, too," Luffy said. Then he smiled. "Now I don't have to be scared you'll lose your wings, too. You can just drink the water and maybe heal, also."

"Awww," Hawks teased. "That's so adorable." Luffy scowled but couldn't hold it for long. "But we should still be careful and not rely on that as a failsafe." Luffy said that he'd like to fill a water bottle with it and hide it in the house somewhere. "I think that's a good idea as long as we hide it somewhere good."

The next morning was another attempted flight morning, only out earlier to challenge Dark Shadow. Plus, Hawks and Luffy had to go back to the cave. Luffy used his now-spare wings so Tokoyami wouldn't be surprised and distracted.

He did better this time, flying over the lake with help from Luffy and Hawks. He was more determined and focused, no longer worried or apprehensive. After all, falling into the water was no big deal and he didn't need to swim all the way back to shore when one of them could pick him up.

He was able to glide again, though not as gracefully as during the night. He was pleased with the progress, and his mom picked him up at the park's parking lot.

It was late afternoon when they went to the cave, already eating the peanut butter and jam sandwiches for lunch with Tokoyami, but Luffy was getting hungry. They made their way to the mountain much further into the park. In the car, they already had the canteen and their phones, so they were ready.

They had the canteen and dropped down into the darkness before they stopped once it got pitch black and saw Luffy's feathers glowing in the dark. He looked at the rest of his body and his leg, but nothing else was glowing. Hawks asked him to try out his other wings, but these ones didn't glow.

"Is it, like, radioactive?" Luffy asked in concern.

Hawks frowned, Luffy able to see him just from the glow of his wings. "I don't think a mouthful would be enough to hurt you. After the nuclear plants sunk during the earthquake years ago, nobody was in real serious danger from the contaminated water. I did research on it and a mouthful of radioactive water wouldn't harm you." Luffy let out a breath. "But since we don't know what it is, we definitely shouldn't consume it often."

Luffy agreed, and then filled the canteen with the water, scooping it out of the shallow pool. "My wings won't be good for stealth missions anymore," Luffy commented on their way to the star-bug room. Hawks said he could use his spare wings for stealth missions if necessary.

"You would be good for catching attention in the dark, though. If they continue to glow, you could go to disaster areas and alert people soundlessly that help is there."

"How often would there be accidents that would make that helpful?"

Hawks shrugged, saying you never knew. "Is this your special fort?" he joked when he saw the speakers and lawn chair.

"It's awesome, why wouldn't I want to make it more comfortable?" The pro-hero said that was a good point. "Hey, what if these bugs aren't bioluminescent and they just drank the water and glow now, too?" Luffy wondered. Hawks said they'd probably never know. Then he sat down in Luffy's chair. "No, get your own chair."

"You weren't even sitting in it."

"I was going to," Luffy argued.

"Suuuure. You don't just want it cause now you can't have it?" It was night time now as they'd left later in the day and they both heard noises from a the cave entrance. They both jerked up and flew that way before finding bats swooping down and drinking from the pool of water. They watched them drink and then leave as quickly as they had come.

Luffy said, "Well the water isn't killing the bats, so it's not poisonous."

"I don't think it works that way," Hawks commented. Luffy huffed and looked at his watch.

"I'm hungry," he declared, wings still glowing brightly. The glow lit up the tunnel, no longer needing the fire as a light. Hawks said they could go, and that they needed groceries on the way home. Luffy took the canteen and clipped it to his belt.

Luffy's wings glowed out in the dark outside as well, but were not blindingly bright like in the pitch black. Luffy didn't like it but switched wings to not bring too much attention and the two of them went into the market they usually shopped at and got the stuff on the list. They were heroes whose costumes didn't protect their identities. They had wings, no mask could hide that.

But no one asked for pictures with them when they didn't have costumes on since it was illegal to take photos of heroes not in their outfits. A breach of privacy and security, even if it didn't really mean much in their cases.

When they got home for dinner, Luffy made stew, which Hawks seemed really excited about. "How much longer?" he asked.

"8 billion years," Luffy said. "If you don't believe me, then you can check the timer." Hawks shook his head at the sarcasm and saw 8 minutes left.

"Well, you got the 8 part right," he commented and then sat back down. It was dark outside now, and Luffy had his wings out just to know they were there, they were back to him. He was glad he fell into the water. And he felt perfectly fine. He'd once gotten food poisoning and it had made him sick, so if he had ingested something dangerous, he would have gotten sick, his quirk wouldn't heal it. But, since it was in overdrive at the moment, maybe it had been bad and he'd healed it with his regenerative quirk working so hard.

Either way, he didn't feel the need to worry. They'd hidden the canteen in the shaft that got air from outside inside. They'd pulled the grate off on the roof and then stuck it inside, in a small, sealed box. Nobody would find it there.

Even in the warm lights from inside the house, his returned wings gave off a slight glow even though they were still their dark color. It was really cool, and he liked it. After Luffy served the food, he sat on the recliner and Hawks asked when he was going to put them away. "When I go to bed. I feel safe here and that nothing and nobody will rip my wings off at home. I can keep them out if I want," he replied.

Hawks smiled, really happy for him. Luffy was, too, and couldn't wait to tell everyone. It would be that they grew back and suddenly his regenerative quirk spiked. That was the truth, just leaving out what caused the spike.

-x-

"Guess what," Luffy asked cheerfully, not going to class through the window as he had been doing for weeks. Now he went in the hallways, taking up much less room and attention without his wings out all the time. He walked into the room, looking happier than anyone had seen him in months.

"What?" Kirishima asked, clearly noticing the change. The circles under his eyes were gone and he looked generally more healthy. He sprouted his wings.

"They grew back!" Luffy said and the class cheered. Besides Bakugo, of course, who just looked bored with it. "And the ugly mark on my leg is gone, too!" he added, pulling his pant leg up to show regular colored skin. Ashido asked what on earth had happened. "I don't know, suddenly my regenerative quirk spiked."

He grabbed a pencil and dragged it across his arm. It healed so fast it looked like there was no wound. There was no blood on the tip of the pencil, either. Uraraka asked if it worked for any of his other ones. He said he hadn't noticed anything different, but hadn't really tried any of the others. "I don't use any others, y'know? Well, I did use Endeavor's but only when I'm cold, but only warm my body a little, not use the flames."

Todoroki was listening and asked him if he'd noticed any change in his strength. Luffy shook his head. "I don't use that casually. Only when fighting or flying. I just grew them back on Saturday." Tokoyami clearly made the connection that Luffy knew he had regrown his wings the day before when they were practicing with Hawks.

He was happy to hear from Hawks (who was even happier) that Tokoyami had loosened up just a little. Not much, but any progress was good progress.

Much to Aizawa's irritation when he entered the room, the windows were covered in tape and ice to make the room dark so they could see Luffy's wings glowing a deep blue color, lighting them up. Aizawa walked in and asked what was going on. Kaminari excitedly said, "Luffy's wings grew back, and now they can glow."

The teacher raised his eyebrows and then relaxed them, saying he was happy for him. Todoroki melted the ice and burned away the tape, Luffy's wings no longer noticeably glowing before he sucked them back in, making his back smooth. Not spotless, the scars would always be there, but it looked like he had no wings. He wasn't proud of that, but it was what felt necessary.

He had a feeling he'd be paranoid for a while, if not for forever. But he could deal with it.

Later that day he was on patrol with Tokoyami, walking instead of flying. Luffy was overjoyed, so happy about his wings being back and no longer having visible proof that he was tortured by scum like the League of Villains. When he was asked to take photos, his grin was true and wide, putting both hands up in peace signs, looking much less relaxed and easy going as Hawks.

But then he heard shouting and screaming, he grabbed Tokoyami around the chest and flew to the scene, where he could track the sounds to see a helicopter out of control. "Tsukuyomi, get people out of the way in case it crashes!" He pressed the button on his headset to call Hawks and tell him what was happening as he hoped his strength was boosted as he gripped the helicopter from under, pressing his back to it and slowly lowering. It was still out of control, but lowered.

Hawks' feathers arrived before he did, and pulled the people out who weren't behind the door. Luffy landed on the ground and shoved his hands into the bottom of the copter, standing with his feet stomped into the ground as he kept it steady.

Hawks joined his feathers and opened the front seat to get the others out and to safety before going inside and cranking the lever to stop the propeller so Luffy could set it down. Tokoyami was checking the injuries of those who Hawks had removed from the helicopter. Luffy couldn't figure out how to get out from under it.

Hawks came back with an empty trailer of a truck stuck on the freeway and slid it under so Luffy could quickly get out from under. Bystanders started clapping for them and Luffy let out a sigh. "That was heavy."

"I would expect it to be, it was helicopter," Hawks said in amusement before patting his back. "Nice work." Luffy smiled and said he wasn't the only one, pointing at Tokoyami who was speaking to those who had been in the copter or in the way and could have gotten hurt.

Hawks walked over and told him he did well to calm those who were in danger. "Thank you. I just wish I could have been more help." Luffy pointed out that he would be even more helpful once he learned to fly. His classmate nodded, saying he hoped to improve quickly with that. Luffy looked at the helicopter blocking the road and asked what they would do with it now.

"Maybe a towing company? Though it would be hard to tow a helicopter." He turned to the pilot of the vehicle, who was shaking. Hawks asked him kindly if the helicopter was broken, if there was any way to fly it out.

"No, the tail rotor is broken. It can't fly as it is now. Once it's repaired it can. I don't know what happened, it just stopped working," he said, sounding freaked out.

Hawks declared, "Well, we'll just get someone to repair it and fly it off. I'm not having you even attempt to move it," he said, turning to Luffy.

"It's too heavy, I wouldn't get it far before crashing it and making even more a mess. But it's blocking traffic. Maybe I can push it to the side so there's an open lane," Luffy replied. Hawks said that was really all they could do. "Tsukuyomi, can you help us with Dark Shadow?" Luffy asked.

The three of them carefully pushed the helicopter to the right lane so the left was open to mediate. There were police at the scene already and one of them started to direct the cars into taking turns to pass before the helicopter was repaired and could get out of the way. "I'll deal with the rest, you two go back to patrolling."

Luffy nodded and Tokoyami said, "Yes, sir." Hawks stuck out his lower lip at that but Tokoyami didn't see. Luffy hid a snicker. He and his classmate went back to patrolling the streets. "How was that? You're first big event to resolve beside the lost kid and the fist fight you broke up."

"I am happy I was trusted during it." Luffy frowned, saying of course he was trusted. "There have been incidents with Hawks-sensei where he tells me to stand back as he does the work. I wish I could help him more."

Luffy nodded, understanding why Hawks would be like that. "He's laid back and lazy sometimes but he takes his job seriously. I think he wants you to observe when you aren't necessarily needed. When I would go with him on patrols, since I wasn't legally able to go on hero patrols I just 'hung out' with him, he always told me to watch and not do anything. Unless it was something that only I could do." He smiled and said, "That's probably what he thinks for you. He wants you to be safe and not rush into things. He cares about and really wants you to loosen up a bit."

Tokoyami looked surprised but then a little happy. "Then I'll be more than grateful to observe if that helps him." Luffy smiled and said that was the right thing to do. Learn before taking part.

Just want to say that the wings growing back isn't a plot device that just erases the pain that happened to him. There's a good reason it happened. And by now everyone should know I don't give good things to Luffy for too long hehe.