Looking down on the street below watching as people passed by unaware of her presence or the thoughts going through her head.
'take a swan dive off the roof and hope you get a quirk in your next life'.
' You can't be a hero without a quirk'.
'Deku'
'Useless'
'Quirkless Freak'
'Hero Slut'
Izumi's shoulders shake with restrained cries as tears slipped from her cheeks on to the concrete beneath her feet. Standing she looks to the horizon with a melancholy filled smile on her face. The greenette watched birds fly passed, free as can be and thought ' if only'.
"I'm sorry Mom that you got stuck with a quirkless burden like me. I'm setting you free like you always wanted" Izumi cried thinking back to all the looks of disgust her mother got because of her. her mother had told her many times she could've had a better life if she had never been born. Her father had left them the week after she was diagnosed as quirkless. Izumi placed one foot over the edge of the skyscraper roof All Might had left her on.
Hawks flew as fast as he could pushing his wings to the limit praying he made in time to stop the young girl. Landing on the roof he made sure to walk slowly to the sobbing school girl. He whitened hearing her and seeing the hand-shaped bruises and burns covering her body some healed but others raw and blistered. Hawks knew that villains were cruel but to think civilians had done this to a fourteen-year-old girl, a girl only four years younger than him.
"you don't have to do this," He said to the young girl who paused to turn her head, dull hallow green eyes met the sharp yellow. Izumi placed a smile on her face when she saw who it was.
"I'm being reborn just he told to do" She whispered out. but to Hawks, it sent fear into his heart someone had told her to kill herself. The two didn't notice fire licking the air around them, golden whisps dancing on the breeze.
"I won't let you die," he said mostly to himself but Izumi heard him and she couldn't believe someone would say that to her, usually it's the opposite. Hawks knew he had no experience helping people this way but the reaction he got chilled his bones.
"WHY ARE YOU THE ONLY ONE" She screamed out at the red-winged hero dropping to her knees hiding her tears with her hands. Izumi didn't understand 'Why why why no one cares about me why do you,'. As she cried golden flames spreading out from her back in the shape of wings arching around her. Hawks was shocked at the site 'She said she was quirkless, this is bad'. he needed to calm her down before something happened and she got in trouble, no one would believe her quirk just manifested. He got to his knees in front of Izumi to pull her into his chest letting her cry into his oversized beige coat.
"It's okay now you should have been loved not scorned for the way you were born. " Hawks whispered into Izumi's hair holding her tightly looking at the wings of fire that shrink at his words. "It'll be okay. Us birds have to stick together right" He laughed lightly when he saw the flames vanish showing fully grown radiant golden wings, with a minimum 20-foot wingspan.
Izumi raised her head confused at his words before following Hawwks eyes to the magnificent wings attached to her back. She couldn't think straight as she stared at her new appendages. Because according to doctors she had no hope of having a quirk, that she should give up.
"Why now, when I want to end it, why not when Kaachan threw me down the stairs or when mom first hit me. Why Why why now" she sobbed out angry filled her mind, she slammed her fists into Hawks's chest.
"Now Pretty bird, we can find that out later. for now, let's get you something to wear." Hawks said rubbing her back in a soothing motion only now noticing her new wings had ripped her shirt and jacket in half. He couldn't stop the blush on his face at the thought 'Stop she is underage' he repeated to himself as if it was a mantra.
Izumi felt her cheeks heat up when she felt the breeze on her bareback embarrassed she pushed Hawks back holding the remains of her shirt to cover her.
"Don't look!" Izumi shirked her face completely red, arms crossed over her breasts, head down. She couldn't believe she was essentially naked in front of a hero. Weight dropped on her head pecking her eyes open all she could see was beige.
"Put that on, I'll take you to my place and get you something to wear, "Hawks said his back now facing Izumi in only a plain white t-shirt. Izumi smiled pulling the coat off her head quickly put it on and stuffing the remnant of her school shirt in her bag.
" Thank you" She whispered as she stood keeping her bag close to her chest. Hawks turned to her and stared 'Cute' he smiled holding his hand out to the little new bird. Izumi placed her smaller hand in his yelping when he jerked her into his arms his wings prepped to take off.
"Hold on tight, Pretty Bird" and they were off flying above the city shotting passed buildings. Until they reached a large glass building shaped like an aviary with a single balcony at the top.
Chapter 2
Hawks ran a hand down his face wondering what he was going to do with the girl currently in his bedroom changing. After what she told him, he wouldn't let her go back to her old life filled with pain and fear. He knew that the people who caused so much agony would change their tune when they saw her wings. Humans are shallow like that, even he was at one point years ago.
Izumi stared at her reflection golden feathers taunting her with their beauty. All she felt was a sharp pain in her chest seeing them, they just reminded her of all the misery their absence caused her. Shoulders shaking she sunk to the hardwood floor, hands over her tear-filled eyes.
"Why now," She said to herself repeating her earlier words as droplets fell from her cheeks.
Growing worried the winged hero knocked on the door leading to his room. When he didn't get a response fear consumed him, what if she slit her wrists with his razor. Edging the door open he was not expecting to see Izumi quietly crying in front of the standing mirror on the far side of the room. Striding over, he squats down placing his hand on the fluffy greens stands.
"Pretty Bird"
"Is it wrong for me to hate my quirk"
"No, It's not"
"I know that when I go home... Everything will change, Mom will suddenly care, school pretend they cared the whole time, but ill know its all conditional it's not real"
"Then stay" Hawks blurted out shocking both of them. Izumi lifted her head to look into the kind yellow eyes the stared back. Hawks knew what he said was stupid but he didn't regret it.
"I couldn't, I would just be a burden" Izumi muttered wanting to stay with the one person that showed he cared.
"Then work for me, I peaked in your notebook the info inside is 10x better than my old analyst. You stay here and I get your brilliant mind" Hawks smiled at the flash of joy in Izumi's doe eyes. Nodding Izumi cried tears of joy at the feeling of freedom that toke over the pain. "Now Pretty Bird, call me Keigo" He continued happily.
"My name's Izumi," She said smiling, happy to leave her last name behind and just be her true self.
"Still going to call you Pretty Bird"
Chapter 3
It's been a full week since Izumi came to live inside the Aviary, never leaving the upstairs apartment. The only time she left was late at night after everyone else had gone home. Keigo tried to get to go out with him on his days off but she was still terrified that her mother would force her to go back. She never wanted to go back to her old life, working for Keigo was the best decision she ever made Keigo paid her to do something she loved.
The clinking of computer keys were the only sounds coming from Hawks' office. The hero was checking missing persons' reports wondering if anyone had cared enough to report his pretty bird's disappearance. He was proven wrong the only new report was a middle-aged man. Leaning back he knew he should be relieved that the police weren't going to be looking for her, but all he felt was anger that Izumi was correct, that no one from her old life cared not even a little bit. Pushing away from his desk he headed upstairs to see his tiny roommate hunched over a laptop writing her notes on a new villain he encountered yesterday. From behind her, he pushed the screen down cutting her work off.
"We are going out, get dressed... You can't refuse I'll just take you in what you're wearing" He smiled at the startled look on Izumi's face, taking the laptop with him to his room.
Knowing he was serious Izumi got up and headed to her room to change out of her p.j's and into an oversized white sweater, a pleated black shirt, stockings, and black flats. Walking back out she saw Keigo in a black leather jacket, white t-shirt, and ripped jeans. The two looked like night and day one pure and innocent the other a bad boy, if only they knew Keigo would do almost anything for fried chicken.
Keigo beamed down at her but she just scowled at him, not wanting to leave the apartment.
"Come on Pretty Bird we are going shopping" he exclaimed dragging her out the door, laughing at her protests.
Employees of the Aviary stared in astonishment at their boss dragging a girl behind him to the garage. At first, they thought the two related because of the wings attached to the girl back. Only when the duo disappeared did they remember that Hawks only had his mother. So they wonder who she was and what she wanted with their kindhearted boss.
Izumi dug her heels into the floor trying in vain to slow her boss/best friend. Shopping was a torture for her as she was never able to pick anything she wanted. Everything she had back ar her old house was oversized and unflattering, she hated them with a passion. Keigo just picked her up taking away her leverage putting her into the passenger side of his mustang.
"Let's get wild" A feral grin spread across Keigo fast as he started up the engine. confused Izumi turned to ask him what he meant but slammed backwards as Keigo pressed the gas speeding away.
"SPEED DEMON" she shrieked in fear her nails having a death grip on the leather seats. Keigo laughed up a storm at her comment mostly because she wasn't the first one to tell him.
"You know it Pretty Bird" he called out in between laughs. people they passed laughed with Keigo though some did disapprove of how fast he was going.
When they stopped in the parking lot of the shopping center Izumi nearly ripped off the seatbelt in her haste to get out of the death trap.
"I hate you" She whispered glaring at the laughing blond at the way her wings puffed up in anger. Keigo secretly smiled when she turned her back to him because she looked so cute when she was angry. A warm feeling settled in his chest when she looked back at him.
"While this was your idea, come on"
"Coming Pretty Bird"