"Bye, have a nice day!" Yuriko said with a smile as the person stepped away from the register. As soon as they were out of eyesight the smile fell from the young woman's face. She hung her head, groaning as she ran a hand down her face. "Holy shit."
She heard a chuckle next to her and the purple haired woman shot a glare at the person.
"Not enjoying work today, Umeda?" a man with four horns coming out of his forehead said, a bright smile on his face.
"No," Yuriko said, elongating the word. "I love working Saturdays. It's totally how I want to spend my weekend." She let out a huff, blowing some of her purple and pink locks out of her face. Leaning an elbow on the register counter, she rested her chin in her palm. "Especially when it's super slow for a Saturday. What gives? People are always shopping on weekends. This doesn't make sense!"
The man chuckled lightly, folding his arms over his chest. "It hasn't been too bad. This morning we had some customers."
"Including our friend 'What do you mean this shirt isn't part of the sale?'," Yuriko said, her voice shifting from hers to that of a gruffer voice. "Oh and let's not forget 'You sound like your twelve.'" That time her voice shifted to the shrill voice of a woman. "I mean who says that to someone?" Yuriko exclaimed, her voice back to normal and throwing her hand into the air.
"I mean with your quirk being what it is I wouldn't doubt you sounded like a twelve year old." The coworker grinned even bigger at Yuriko who flared at him.
"Oh shut it, Koboyashi. You were there, you know I didn't use my quirk when I talked to her." She sighed and stretched her arms out. "Anyway, it's time for me to leave."
Koboyashi made a face as he glanced at his phone as well. "Huh, guess it is. Well thanks for yo-" The sound of the door's bell chiming brought the two workers' attention away from each other and to the new customer. "Hey, welcome in!" Koboyashi greeted. "How can we help you?"
The customer who came in was a short, lanky man. His red hair had a large receding hairline and his eyes had very dark circles under them as if he hadn't been sleeping for days. Something Yuriko could relate to with the past couple days keeping her busy. Something about the man seemed off as his eyes shifted around the store as he approached them. His head almost didn't reach the counter.
"Uh can we help you, sir?" Yuriko asked after a moment. Her brow furrowed in confusion as the man finally turned to look at them.
"Yeah," he finally said in a raspy voice. His face tried to seem intimidating, but it kept wavering from worry to almost threatening. It matched the fluctuation in his voice as he spoke. "Give me all your money!"
Lifting up his hand and pointing it at the purple haired woman, Yuriko could see that what once was his boney fingered fist was now a solid, rust colored brick. Unlike his head, it reached over the counter, but was far from a threat as it most likely wouldn't reach Yuriko, let alone Koboyashi who stood a solid foot taller than her. Four feet almost compared to the man.
Yuriko nodded her head, eyebrows raised and lips turned downwards. "That's a new one," she said, turning to Koboyashi. "A little better than the last guy who just flickered the lights whenever he blinked."
Koboyashi snapped his fingers. "Or the time that guy who could teleport like three feet got stuck in the wall. That helped us figure out how thick the walls were from that one time the cannonball guy came through from the other store."
"Oh yeah!" the woman said, a bright smile on her face. "Gave you an excuse to talk to the manager at that store. He was cute."
Stuttering came from below the cash wrap. "I-I'm serious! Give me all your money! Now." He began waving his brick fist in the air, trying desperately to bring the workers' attention back to him. "Give me your money and no one gets hurt."
With a glance from Koboyashi to the man, Yuriko raised a brow. "Yeah, um sorry dude," she glanced down at her phone, "but you have the worst timing. It's the end of my shift."
"Huh?" The man shook his head. "I don't think you understand. I'm robbing yo-"
In the blink of an eye the man was lifted into the air and sent flying across the room. Dangling high up on the wall, the short man thrashed about trying to get down. Pinning him by the collar of his jacket was a bright red feather.
"Hey, Songbird!" greeted a cheerful voice.
The two retail workers looked over as the owner of the voice walked up to them, a smile on the young man's face.
"Hey, Hawks!" Koboyashi greeted in return, lifting a hand in a small wave.
"Sup, man! How's work been?" Hawks greeted, leaning against the counter of the cash wrap. "Make any sales?"
"Just a few so far. Been a slow day," the male worker replied with a shrug.
Hawks smiled before turning to the woman. "You ready to go, Yuriko?"
"Just give me a second to get my stuff and we can head out. I'm starving!" Yuriko said, scooting passed Koboyashi as she headed towards the back.
"Where are you guys going this time?" Koboyashi asked, leaning towards the hero.
Hawks raised his hands in a shrug, a good natured smirk on his face. "I honestly can't say. I'm feeling like fried chicken, but Yuriko will probably want something else knowing her. Maybe takoyaki."
The shop owner nodded his head. "Don't you always get chicken?"
A hearty laugh left Hawks' mouth. "What can I say? It's good."
The horned man glanced up as the stockroom door opened up. Yuriko walked out, slinging a bag over her shoulder. "You know you got lucky that there wasn't as much damage this time, Umeda," Koboyashi commented as Yuriko and Hawks headed out the door. "We need to fill out a maintenance request for the hole from the feather." He gestured to the man hanging on the wall as if he wasn't there and only the feather.
"Fill that out for me and I'll bring something back for you," Yuriko laughed. "You are the owner after all."
"Yeah yeah, enjoy your date."
Yuriko rolled her eyes as she shut the door, turning around to be met with a grinning Hawks.
"Ready for our date, Songbird?" he asked, holding out his arm for her.
The purple haired woman rolled her eyes, smiling lightly as she walked past the hero's awaiting arm. "Not a date."
"You wound me, Yuriko," Hawks said, dramatically placing a hand over his heart. He grinned at her. "I can't take the most beautiful girl out on a date?"
"Not when said 'most beautiful girl'," she mocked in a perfect mimic of his voice, "is already dating someone, Bird Brain."
Hawks smirked, lowering his hand. "Where to today? I was thinking that takoyaki place down the road."
The woman gave the hero a look. "You went there the other day and brought Koboyashi and I lunch," Yuriko said, shaking her head. "I am not having takoyaki again. Let's just go to that cafe two blocks over. I've been wanting to go there. Aimi said it had really good food when she went with her boyfriend." She glanced back at him, giving him a small smile.
"Alright, sounds promising."
Continuing down the street, Yuriko led them to the cafe. She'd glance at her phone every few minutes, double checking their directions. She pointed ahead, "We should be taking a right at that corner." She pocketed her phone before turning to Hawks. "That internship with that UA student is starting soon right? When is it happening again?"
"It's starting in three weeks." He nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Yuriko raised a brow. "You seem calm. Are you not excited? He's your first intern after all."
Hawks shrugged, his lips pulling down. "I'm not sure about excited, but more intrigued than anything."
"Intrigued?" Yuriko nodded. "Yeah I can see that. That Tokoyami kid was pretty impressive during the Sports Festival. I can see why you'd be intrigued by him."
"Hmm? Oh yeah, he was pretty good during that fight."
"Okay yeah you don't seem that excited," his friend deadpanned. She shook her head.
"Like I said I'm intrigued," Hawks said, lifting one hand up. "I'm intrigued because I see potential in him." He lifted his other hand. "But I don't have any interest in training the new generation of heroes."
"Then why offer him an internship if you don't want to train them?"
"Like I said he has potential." A smirk grew on the hero's face as he leaned over. "And he's a bird! He and I are birds of a feather. Just like you and me, Songbird!" His smirk grew into a grin and he flung his arm over the woman's shoulders.
Yuriko groaned, shaking off his hold. "You have got to be kidding me." She rolled her eyes when she saw the giant grin on Hawks' face. "You seriously decided to take your first intern all because he's a bird?"
Hawks opened his mouth, but a distant squeal brought the two friends' attention to their side. There, a few feet away, were three girls with glee written all over their faces and hearts in their eyes. One was clinging to another as she grinned, the one being clung to had a look of shock on her face. The third was practically bouncing on her feet.
In seconds the three girls had made their way across the street to where Hawks and Yuriko stood.
"Oh my god, Hawks!" the one clinging to the second girl cried out. "I can't believe we're meeting you!" She turned to the shocked friend. "I told you you'd meet him one day, Emiko!"
The second girl, Emiko, just stared at Hawks with wide eyes, nodding her head slowly.
"Hey, ladies!" Hawks greeted with a smile. "I guess it's your lucky day!"
"Can we get a picture with you, Hawks?" the third girl said, her smile getting bigger.
"Sure thing! Say cheese!" he said, throwing up a peace sign as he got in the middle with the girls.
Yuriko laughed, smiling as she watched the girls fawn over the hero. She always enjoyed watching how his fans reacted to seeing him and how casual and friendly he was with each and every fan. He'd always take his time with each one and give them time to make them feel special in some way.
"Hawks! Hawks!" a small voice cried out.
A feather shot out from Hawks' right wing. It zoomed past the girls and gently landed under a little boy just as he tripped over an uneven ledge in the sidewalk.
"Whoa there, buddy," Hawks said as the feather lifted the boy back onto his feet. "You gotta be more careful. We don't want you getting hurt."
The little boy beamed up at the hero, eyes shining brightly. "Hawks! Do you remember me? You saved me from that villain with the geyser quirk." Just as the one girl, he was bouncing on his feet, beyond excited to meet Hawks.
The hero smiled down at the little boy, reaching out and ruffling his red hair. "Of course I remember you, kid. You took that geyser pretty hard that day. Glad I was there to grab you in time."
An even bigger smile broke out on the boy's face. He held up his hands, shoving a piece of paper up in the air towards the winged hero. "I made this for you!"
Hawks took the paper from the boy, glancing at it before he smiled widely at him. "Hey! This looks great!" He glanced at the paper, smiling at the drawing of the scene of Hawks rescuing the boy from the geyser. "Thanks a lot," he glanced at it again before looking back at the kid, "Ryuu. I'll definitely hang this up when I get back to my office."
If the little boy's face could shine any brighter it would have after that comment. He quickly ran up to Hawks, hugging his legs. "Thank you again, Hawks!" he exclaimed before running off again, shouting for his mom as he went.
Yuriko watched, smiling fondly as Hawks interacted with every fan that showed up until the last one, a young woman left, grabbing a quick selfie before she did. The purple and pink haired woman shook her head, stepping back up to her friend as he waved the fan goodbye. "You sure are good with all your fans."
"You said that last time there was a crowd," Hawks said, the two friends falling back into step down the street.
"But it's true!" She gave the hero a fond smile. "Whenever you interact with them I've noticed you take time with each of them."
Hawks looked at her for a moment before breaking into a smile once more. "Aw, are you jealous I'm giving them more attention than you?" He gave her a wink. "Don't worry, Yuriko. I still have time for my favorite songbird."
"Hawks," she gave him a look as the winged hero continued to grin. She shoved his shoulder which only made the man laugh. "I'm being serious. I think it's sweet. You're always busy, but you make time for them. It's sweet. Oh! Speaking of fans." Yuriko reached into her purse, retrieving a piece of paper. "Here, Megumi wanted me to give this to you."
A large grin and a laugh came from Hawks. "My favorite fan!" He took the paper and chuckled when he saw it. On the paper was a drawing of Hawks and a little girl with purple pigtails and blue eyes with little pink and red hearts surrounding them. "Aw she drew you and me!" He laughed as Yuriko shoved his shoulder. "I'm kidding. You two just look so similar."
Yuriko couldn't help but giggle at that. "I'm sure she'll love to hear that. She was so excited when I took her to get her hair colored. I still can't believe you paid for that whole trip."
"Hey, I can't let my biggest fan down," he said with a shrug. "Like you said, she was feeling down and I thought making her look like her favorite aunt would make her day."
"It did. She asked for red nail polish at the nail salon because they had to look like your wings. She was very specific about the red."
"Good. I'm glad she's feeling better." He laughed as he looked back at the drawing and read the note in the corner. "I think she's close to proposing. How's Daichi and Takahiro taking the fact that I might be taking their daughter away from them?"
Yuriko laughed. "I don't think they mind. Takahiro laughed when he handed me the drawing last time I went to visit him and my brother. I think he's thrilled that she's putting her energy into something other than causing chaos. Pretty sure she gave her teacher a heart attack the other day."
"Do I want to know?"
"No, you don't."
He chuckled. "I'll be sure to hang this up with the rest of her drawings."
Gently folding the drawing, he placed it into his coat pocket. The two continued their way to the restaurant, finally reaching it (after a couple more stops from fans). The place was a little packed, seeing as it was nearing the end of the lunch rush. The host (yet another fan) greeted them with a smile and probably more enthusiasm than any other customer.
Yuriko couldn't help rolingl her eyes with a small laugh as the minute they sat down a waitress came scurrying up, offering them drinks right away. The young woman couldn't help but laugh to herself, noting that she always got the best service when she was out with Hawks.
"So," she said, grabbing her glass of water and taking a drink, "how are things with Hironaka going? Are you guys still up for that double date with me and Hidaeki?"
Hawks' face fell. "Oh yeah, she and I aren't seeing each other anymore. That ended earlier this week."
"Really? What happened?" She leaned against the table, raising a brow at her friend. "You two looked cute together and you looked like you enjoyed being around her."
The hero waved his hand dismissively. "Thanks, but she just wasn't it. I have…" He waved his hand in a circle as he thought over the word. "I guess I have a specific type. My type being a pretty purple haired singer." He leaned forward on the table, placing his cheek in his hand as he gave the woman a bright smile.
An unamused expression fell on Yuriko's face and she closed her eyes for a second. "Funny, Hawks. Real funny. But seriously, I'm sorry it didn't work out. She was nice, unlike the last woman you dated. I want you to find someone. You deserve someone nice for you."
A small huff of a laugh came from the blond and he gave her a fond smile. "Thanks, Yuriko." He leaned back, grabbing his own drink. "So what's new with you? You had your last performance a few weeks ago. Have any new auditions coming up?"
"Actually I do!" Yuriko's face lit up, her eyes shining. "My director told Aimi and I that there's going to be auditions for Wicked coming up in a week. Aimi wants to audition for Glinda and she told me I have to audition for Elphaba." She laughed.
"That's great! You'll get the part," Hawks said. "You're talented and you and Aimi go well together from what I've heard from you two practicing. I've heard you practice plenty of times. You'll get it."
A blush grew on the woman's face and she smiled even more at him. "Thanks, Hawks. That means a lot."
"Of course," he offered just as the waitress brought out their food. He gave a quick thanks before she disappeared with a giggle and he turned back to Yuriko. "Let me know if you need help with practicing. You remember what happened last time you used your quirk too much for an audition."
Yuriko groaned. "Thanks for reminding me. I hate that I missed that audition. I'll be sure to let you know if I need help. Thanks."
As Yuriko turned her attention to her food, she missed the lingering smile on the hero's face before he began to eat.
Two years later and I updated? Who would've thought!
So I honestly didn't think I'd get back into this. I mean I had so many ideas planned when I started chapter 1 and then a new hyperfixation took over. But now here I am and thanks to some friends and forcing myself to actually sit down and write this, it's done!
Now that Hawks' backstory has been revealed in the manga the first chapter isn't completely accurate, but I'm just going to keep it as is due to laziness and not wanting to rewrite the first chapter. However, I can work around it and make it work to the canon, so hopefully you all enjoy it!
I'd like to thank a few friends for encouraging me and helping me brainstorm ideas for this story and reading bits and pieces of this chapter. You know who you are. I love you guys!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts!