NeonHorizon: Hooray for FRIENDSHIP!
"There you are! Ready to get some breakfast?"
Nozomi looked over her shoulder toward the dorm, feeling a melancholic longing. She wanted to stay with Aizawa and Eri, but she knew that she had to go back with Hawks. For one, he might be supporting her rehabilitation and he might be acting like he was her friend, but he was still capable of putting her in prison. For two, she wanted to work on herself more so that the next time she saw them, no one would feel bad.
"You're treating?" she asked, approaching the winged hero waiting for her outside. Though she knew the answer already.
"Hey, maybe when your manga starts selling, you can take me out," he joked. Hawks looked past her at the dorm. The sun was still just barely peeking up from the horizon. Most of the students were still asleep. He knew he had to get her back home soon.
"My manga…" Nozomi half-grinned at the words. "Sure. Maybe I'll treat you to some yakitori when I sell my first copy."
"Huh? Well that'd be a waste." He rubbed the back of his neck and frowned. "I mean, that first copy's gonna be mine anyway."
Somehow, the thought of her roommate actually buying a copy of her manga made her just a bit flustered. Her tails swayed side to side and she pushed up her glasses. Stepping around Hawks, she started walking down the pathway. "So were you lonely without me yesterday?" she taunted.
The man perked up a little and trotted after her to catch up. "Of course I was! It got pretty boring when I got home, you know. And you know what else? Eating alone kinda sucks."
"You don't say." She smirked, feeling a little like her old self. Bantering, joking around. It made her feel whole again. "I'm surprised you didn't ask your idol out for dinner. You missed your chance since I'm back now."
"Nah. Endeavor's got his own stuff going on; I didn't wanna bother him." He grinned and linked his arm with hers as they walked. "What about you? Have fun playing house last night? Did you and Eraserhead-?"
"Stop." Nozomi lowered her gaze, a tremor running through her limbs and a tightening sensation forming around her heart. Her free hand lifted, running through golden tresses as she tried to keep herself from remembering the dread she felt when Aizawa reached for her. The guilt that had eaten away at her for the hours afterwards. "I can't…you know I can't…get too close. It takes time."
He tilted his head curiously, wings giving a gentle flap behind him as he realized how much pain she was in. It was difficult to look at so he tipped his head back and looked up at the starless, early morning sky. "Yeah. Sorry, Nozomi-chan. Didn't mean to drag that up. Hey, but you're doing pretty well now! You're a lot better than when I picked you up. You're trying really hard. I'm proud of you." The last two sentences were said in a softer, gentler tone that made her bow her head.
"Thanks." Shaking out of her melancholic mood, she decided to redirect her attention. "So what are you getting me for breakfast? Better make it something good to make up for that haphazard flight yesterday."
"What? I was careful," he argued.
Shift P.O.V
"You're in a good mood today. Did something happen?"
Aizawa was not smiling. He had not smiled at all during the day. So he was unsure of why Yamada thought he was in a good mood. Although he did feel just a little better. He had slept better that night than he had in a while. Mostly because he had not gone out to search for Grayscale.
"Nothing happened," he muttered, trudging along down the hallway.
"What?! C'mon! You've got a spring in your step and everything! What is it? What happened?" the blond persisted.
He scowled and lowered his head, letting his long, messy black hair fall over his face. "It's none of your business. Just stop."
Aizawa continued on down the corridor, walking at a brisk pace. Classes had ended for the day. He was going back to the dorms to see Eri and he knew what she was going to ask. The question had not been asked that morning before he left, but he knew she wanted to know just as badly as he did. When is Nozomi coming back?
Hawks had explained it to him. He had basically abducted her off the street and saved her from the League of Villains. Only he, and now Aizawa and Eri, knew where Grayscale was. He was trying to help her restart her life and leave her dark past behind her, trying to help her overcome her traumas. It all sounded noble enough. However, Aizawa could sense something a bit "off" about his claim that he was her rehabilitator.
The way he talked about her. The way he continued to glance over at her when he was explaining himself. She had been with Eri, telling her a story, when this happened so she failed to notice it, but Aizawa was irked by it. Something about the winged hero's actions told him that this was not as simple as Hawks was trying to make it sound. He was keeping a secret.
"Nozomi…?" Eri gave him a curious look when he returned, greeting him with Panda hugged to her chest like a plush toy. The chubby cat seemed to not mind in the least; appearing rather pleased. At her side was the hairless cat Gremlin, who was dutifully following her around like a tiny, bald bodyguard.
Aizawa stared down at the weird trio for a moment and released a quiet sigh. He pushed his hair back from his face, trying to decide what to tell her. She seemed to realize that Nozomi was not going to visit again for a while and her mouth fell to the saddest frown he had ever seen. The little girl bowed her head, hugging Panda closer and trying to hide her disappointment.
He crouched down and ruffled her pale wavy hair. "Hey. You really want to see Nozomi?" She nodded, shaking a bit as she tried not to fully cry. "I'll see what I can do. Not tonight, though; it's too soon. We'll see about tomorrow, okay?"
Eri lifted her head, eyes wide. They were still wet with tears, but now they were filled with excitement. She gave a nod. "Tomorrow…"
Shift P.O.V
"Here you go." Nozomi set a plate in front of her rehabilitator/roommate and could not keep the evil grin from forming on her face.
Hawks looked down at the food and seemed to just stare for a moment before he grinned back "Cool. Thanks, Nozomi-chan."
She was slightly disappointed at his reaction. Fried chicken wings, specifically just wings, should have gotten some sort of reaction from a man with wings. However, he seemed excited about the food instead of unsettled. Watching him dig into his meal, the girl frowned.
While they were out, he had asked what else she liked besides manga. When she mentioned that she used to cook for Aizawa, he got just a little too chipper and insisted on stocking up on supplies so she could cook. Admittedly, he seemed more excited about the prospect of getting food from someone rather than helping her. Not that she minded much; it was satisfying to see someone enjoy her cooking.
Settling beside him, she began to eat her own meal. "Tch. You're no fun."
"This is pretty good," he commented. "Better than that place I usually hit on the way home. Heh. You know, you'd make a good wife."
"Wow. What a compliment," she stated in monotone. "Just what I've always wanted to hear. Be still, my delicate, twisted little heart~"
He laughed a bit and set a hand on her shoulder. "Seriously. I kinda doubted that you were ever a caretaker before, but I see it now."
"Hm." Nozomi absently chewed, staring down at her plate. What's he trying to say? He's weird. He's too hard to read. Damn birdbrain.
Seeing the somewhat grumpy look on her face, Hawk's grin grew sly. He set his empty plate down on the coffee table and stretched his arms over his head, wings extending as well in a stretch. Leaning back against the couch cushions, he watched her from the corner of his eye. "Seeing you with that kid, I could totally see you as a caretaker. Honestly, if we hadn't dyed your hair, I would've thought she was your kid or something."
"My kid?" She looked over at him and saw his eyes shift away from her. "Tch. Sure, yeah. Who'd want to have kids with a murderer?"
"You're pretty cute when you act like a mom," he spoke, his grin spreading. "Think you'll ever want to have your own?"
"My own kids?" Nozomi saw him nod and she frowned. She pushed up her glasses, her tails quietly thumping against the couch cushion as she began to feel frustrated and flustered. "Someone like me…shouldn't have kids. You have no idea what I've done." She scratched at the bandaging over her neck, not even thinking about it. Besides, to even have a kid, I'd have to be able to get close to a guy and do "that". I can barely even get close to the guy I like without feeling scared.
Hawks observed this and frowned, cocking his head to the side. "That wasn't Nozomi; that was…uh…" His eyes narrowed and he ran his fingers through his messy blond hair. "What was your real name again? Yorika?"
She stared at him in disbelief for a moment. "Hiyori. Why did you think-?"
"Hiyori? Seriously?" He seemed almost disappointed. "Dabi keeps calling you "Yori" so I thought it was short for "Yorika" or "Yoriko". Why does he think your name is "Yori"?"
"That was what Shigaraki called me," she murmured.
"Okay? Why? Wait. Shigaraki didn't know your real name, did he?" He saw her shake her head and snickered. "That's hilarious!"
"Not really. I spent years of my life getting called by the wrong name. I didn't even bother to correct him; I was afraid of pissing him off." Just the mention of Shigaraki brought on a flood of memories that made her heart pound, her stomach churn. Goose bumps raised on her skin and she lowered her gaze. She felt a wetness against her fingertips and grimaced, pulling her hand away from her neck. Her nails and fingertips had red glistening on them.
Before she could move to wipe off the blood, her wrist was gripped and Hawks frowned down at her. "You scratched it open again? You've got to stop hurting yourself."
"You can say that…but it's not like I mean for it to happen. It just does. Half the time, I don't even know I'm doing it unless you say something."
He stared down at the blood for a moment and shook his head. "Stop hurting yourself, okay? What if it gets infected-?"
"So…what? You don't want me to hurt myself. My rehabilitator…doesn't like to see me hurt myself. Would you let me hurt you instead?" The words left her lips in a soft, even tone despite her naturally hoarse voice. Her hands both curled into fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms and made them sting.
"Sure." Hawks saw her bright amber eyes widen and he beamed. "You said you want to tear out my feathers, right? They'll grow back and I don't need them until tomorrow anyway." He brought his wings forward around his sides, extending toward her. "Go ahead and rip them out. Some of them are loose anyway."
Shift P.O.V
Hawks was having trouble falling asleep. He pushed himself to sit up in his bed and looked over his shoulder at his wings. They hurt a little. It was just a light stinging sensation; not enough to keep him awake. He was fine with a little pain anyway, if it kept her from hurting herself.
Turning, he looked at the figure sleeping beside him. Nozomi was wrapped in her own separate blanket with her stingers poking out from beneath the edge. Long, golden hair was spread over the sheet beside her head and her expression was troubled; as if she might be having a bad dream.
She was more than reluctant to sleep in his room, let alone in his bed. It took a lot of convincing and bothering until she finally gave in. She made it really clear that she would not be cuddling with him and she demanded her own blanket. This was fine. In fact, he had no desire to cuddle with the ex-villain or be under the same blanket as her.
Hawks turned his gaze through the open door to his apartment door. When he sighed, he realized that he had been holding his breath since he sat up. He stared at the door expectantly for a long moment, waiting for something that he dreaded. The reason why he had Nozomi sleep next to him was because he was legitimately concerned that Dabi might know where she was.
The last time they spoke, Dabi seemed to know that something was "off". Hawks had tried to hide his anxiety about Nozomi being out, but Dabi had noticed and even mentioned it. If he was able to locate where Hawks lived, if he got in, he would find Nozomi and he would take her.
He's not getting you, Hawks vowed to the girl as he looked down at the ex-villain again. He reached over and drew the edge of the blanket over her shiny black stingers. A final glance was cast toward the door before he resolved to try to fall asleep.
The winged hero fell onto his side behind where she was curled up, his gaze fixed on his roommate as she slept. His wings twitched, stinging slightly from where she had anxiously plucked out feathers. He just wanted to distract her from whatever dark memories were threatening to plunge her into despair. Now he extended his left wing forward, partially wrapped around her, and closed his eyes.