Authors Note:

I am really - really dyslexic - so - I apologise in advance for all the horrendous spelling and grammar. ^_^;

If you seeing something that is super glaringly bad - feel free to tell me so I can correct it. I like 'trying' to learn, not that I ever do, but I try.

Chapter Two: The Brewing of Trouble

He needed coffee. He needed it injected into his bloodstream if that were at all possible. Keigo massaged the bridge of his nose beneath his visor. He'd managed maybe four hours sleep before his early morning shift alarm beeped at him. He'd done his diligent duty and gone on patrol, collecting a few early morning drunken nightowls and ferried them home before they did any damage to themselves or anyone else. Then some brats had tried to shoplift a convenience store for smokes, and had received a fierce berating from the owner while he watched on in amusement. They didn't think his ability to tip them upside down and rattle stolen items out of their pockets was as hilarious as he thought it was.

It honestly never got old.

Now, he was sitting on top of Tsubame's husbands very expensive car, waiting for her. The lights were on in the house, and he could hear the boys running around inside as they prepared for school. Osamu was in there too, being his usual condescending arsehole of a husband self. He wondered what the man had been like when he'd been younger. Something in him must have once attracted someone like Tsubame, right?

Keigo sighed. Then again, if he thought about his parents, and their abysmal relationship, and the abysmal way he'd even come to be born, perhaps he was idealistic. He studied the photo he'd taken the night prior, smiling at the happiness it projected, and the warmth it brought. His wings prickled with warmth.

Nah. Being idealistic was fine. He'd choose hope for the future, his future, their future, over fear of the past.

"God damnit, Tsubame, your pet boy-toy hero is perched on my car like some kind of disgusting animal."

"Ah, hear that," Keigo tipped his head back, seeing Osamu staring at him from a second story window. "That's the sound of a bigoted arsehole, crowing in the morning. Hey, Osamu."

"Don't you use my name, you little—"

"Hawks! Hawks! Hawks!" Two of Tsubame's boys burst out the front door, bouncing around with far too much enthusiasm for so early in the morning. Keigo leapt off the car, only to be barrelled into by Haia.

"Hawks! You're here!"

"Well, I wouldn't be anywhere else." Hawks heaved him up, throwing him into the air and swinging him around. Haia—Haia had caused him trouble and stress from the moment he'd been born. Hawks was sure Tsubame and Osamu's marriage troubles went far back before he'd met them, but they'd escalated dramatically upon the arrival of a little blond haired, golden eyed bundle of mayhem. The tabloids had loved it—and that was probably what drove Osamu's hatred to the extreme. Though the man had to have disliked quirk users from the get-go, it had been notched up as the years working at Tartarus went on, and his own kids manifested quirks.

Hawks had never second guessed himself so much in his life when it came to Haia—and the mystery of the kid still irked him—but there was one thing he and Tsubame were jointly agreed upon:

Haia wasn't his, as uncanny as the resemblance was.

He'd been nineteen when Haia was born, and while Tsubame's taste in men was hideously bad, and she had the worst judgement—he'd admit to that—she tended to aim for an older age bracket, if rumours the station were to be believed, and he believed them.

He struggled to shift a wiggling Haia onto his shoulders. "Morning, Jaku." Hawks greeted the more reserved middle child. Jaku shifted quickly up to him, ducking beneath a wing to hide away. Hawks rested a hand gently on his mop of black hair, careful of the small set of horns protruding from his forehead. "It's okay, kiddo. I got you."

"Dad's not happy."

"Don't think I've ever known your Dad to be happy." Hawks muttered. "He lives with a giant stick up his arse."

Jaku looked up. "Etio…Etio's been not feeling well, can you…talk to him?"

Hawks nodded. "I'll make sure he's fine."

As if summoned by being mentioned, Etio scurried out. At thirteen, Etio was all awkward arms and legs and preteen misery. Honestly, the only thing Hawks was grateful to the Commission for was the fact that he'd been too busy being abusively trained to realise there was such a thing as puberty.

"Hey Hawks." Etio shouldered his school bag. "Mum will be a few minutes; she's just finishing her makeup."

"Since when has your mother used makeup?"

"Dad said she was looking old and tired."

"Wow, your Dad has no class."

Etio nodded. "He's having another affair."

"Okay." Hawks clasped Etio by the cheeks, squeezing him gently. "How the hell do you kids know these things."

"We see all." Jaku whispered from beneath a wing.

Hawks sighed. The things he'd seen as a kid, living with his parents, had been truly horrifying. Not even his life at the Commission had taken away the nightmares from those years.

Tsubame finally exited the house, tugging her jacket on. Hawks barely caught the bruising on her arm. Damnit. Beside him Etio shuffled closer, ducking under his wing as Osamu stormed out of the house in a bluster.

Tsubame's hands went to her hips in disgust. "Osamu, please, some manners."

"Don't need manners around animals." Osamu shoved past Hawks to climb into his car.

"Someone's mood is on the extra side of arsehole today." Hawks commented to Tsubame.

"It's his job." Tsubame forced a smile.

Hawks watched the car speed down the road. Well—he'd not have to worry about Osamu for a few weeks. That was the glorious thing about the man working at Tartarus. It was similar to one of those old oil-rigs from the Before Time. Folk working there went for long hall-shifts.

"That's not an excuse, Tsubame." Hawks arched an eyebrow. "I realise it can't be an overly good culture in that place, seeing the worst types of criminals our society has cooked up, but it doesn't give him a pass at being a swinging dick."

Haia blew a gust of air. Tsubame pointed to both Hawks and Haia on his shoulders. "Don't speak like Hawks, Haia."

"But Hawks is awesome!" Haia gushed.

Hawks mockingly zipped his lips.

Tsubame dropped her shoulders. "What am I supposed to do with you four rascals."

"Let us run wild in the streets." Hawks flapped his wings, grabbing Jaku and hauling him into the air, causing the boy to squeal. "Causing mayhem and chaos."

"Yeah!" Haia whooped. "Chaos!"

Hawks tackled Etio and all four of them ended in a pile on the lawn. Hawks lay flat, wincing has Haia clambered ruthlessly over his wings, trying to pin him. He smiled up at Tsubame, propping his head up on a hand.

"The makeup looks nice."

She sighed. "Really? You don't think it's ridiculous."

"Oh, no, I think it's ridiculous, but it does look nice."

"Well, I try. Come on, boys, get off Hawks."

"Aw, but Mum—"

"No. Enough roughhousing. You'll dirty your uniforms." She started brushing each of them off. Hawks smiled as she reached him, clicking her tongue at his own frazzled state. "You're all a bunch of hellions. Now let's go, or we'll be late." She took up Jaku's hand and headed through the front gate.

Hawks lifted Haia back onto his shoulders and wrapped a wing around Etio.

"Better follow her orders, little hellions, or she'll cuff me to a police car again."

Etio started laughing. "That was so funny!"

"No, it wasn't." Hawks hissed. "Wasn't funny in the slightest."

If there was one thing he hated, it was being tied to the ground, even if he could have easily broken out, the mere idea ruffled his feathers.

Taking Tsubame's kids to school once a month hadn't helped the rumours about them. Which probably hadn't helped Osamu's fragile ego. It still weirded Hawks out, the tenacity of the media and the insistence on finding a story to latch onto.

Still, he'd popped into the kids' lives at the right time to fulfill the cool and fun uncle role, and if nothing else, it was good press in that regard. Best Jeanist would have been proud of his positive spin on the whole thing.

Haia and Jaku were the first to bounce off with excited waves into a bustling school yard. Hawks rested a hand on Etio's head, glancing to Tsubame.

"How about you fetch coffee and I drop him off."

"You sure?"

"About coffee? I'm always sure about coffee."

Tsubame rolled her eyes. "For goodness sake, Hawks."

"Oh, and food. I haven't actually eaten breakfast."

"Hawks!" She stomped off. "You're such a bachelor."

"Not for long." He whispered.

Etio grabbed his jacket suddenly. "Is that true?"

Oh, whoops, he said that louder than he'd intended to.

"Are you leaving us?" Etio choked out. "No. Please. Hawks, don't go."

"Whoa. Whoa. Etio!" Hawks crouched down, gripping the preteens shoulders. "I'm not leaving. Just getting busier, but not going anywhere."

"Oh…okay." Etio relaxed slightly.

Hawks brushed back Etio's black hair. "Having a hard time lately, heh? Jaku mentioned you've not been feeling well?"

"Its nothing, Hawks. Really." Etio ducked away.

"If your brother mentioned it, it's something. Come on, it's me, you can tell me what's up."

"I don't want Mum to lose her job."

Hawks breathed in. "Has your father hit you, or the other two?"

"No!" Etio quickly shook his head. "No, he…he hasn't."

Hawks frowned.

"Hawks, please. He…he hasn't. Really!"

"Okay. Okay." Hawks held up his hands.

Etio wiped at his damp cheeks. "He's just getting worse. I know he is, and it's getting harder to hide Jaku and Haia. Dad blames Mum for everything now."

Hawks hugged Etio.

"He says everything is her fault, that she gave him mutant kids, and that we're not True Humans."

"Oh, he's into that propaganda, great. That's just want we needed." Tartarus sounded like it was becoming a breeding ground for anti-quirk dissidence.

Etio sniffed. "I'm not…I'm not stupid. I know Haia isn't Dads. Mum and Dad have been hurting each other ever since Jaku was born, and Haia doesn't deserve any of it, so, I try to hide them both from all the yelling. It's so…hard…and I'm tired…"

Hawks felt his wings sag. Why—why did these kids have to go through this? Why couldn't he just remove them from the whole situation entirely. They were too young to be worrying about hiding their possibly half-brother from an abusive father.

Wait—

Wait a minute—

Hawks halted his walk.

"Sorry, back up, Etio." He held up a finger. "You hide your brothers?"

"Oh, yeah…" Etio awkwardly burrowed his hands into his school jacket. "You know how Jaku's quirk is like…a shield quirk…well…I've kind of been lying about…not…having a quirk." Etio hugged his shoulders to his neck. "Jaku and I…decided…I shouldn't tell anyone ages ago."

Tsubame literally had no idea what was going on in her house. The poor, poor woman.

"What's your quirk?" Hawks arched an eyebrow.

Etio glanced away.

"Etio." Hawks insisted, dropping his tone.

"I know it's illegal not to get registered."

"That is not my worry, kiddo." Hawks shook his head. "Some quirks are extremely dangerous. You know you could have come to me, at any time. You are allowed to ring me, even if it's the middle of the night, you know that, right?"

"I know…" Etio glanced down at his feet. "We just…we don't want to bother you. You have so much going on, being a pro hero, and stuff with Dad is super annoying. You shouldn't need to bother about us."

"It is annoying, yep, and your Mum is really irritating me with her insistence on not divorcing his bigoted arse." Hawks grumbled.

"Can't you take us away?"

There was so much pain in that question, and not just pain, but confusion and desperation. He remembered how much he'd wished someone, anyone, would of have stolen him away—only—when they finally had—it hadn't been the life he'd imagined. It'd been hell.

He couldn't do that. They were better off in some stability, right? What if he intervened and it made everything worse?

"It's very complicated, Etio."

Etio nodded sorrowfully.

"I don't really get what my quirk is, not really, but we figured out that Jaku's quirk can interact with mine. It's why I didn't seem to have one until his manifested. Whatever he shields, I can make it invisible…but…it's exhausting." Etio frowned, rubbing his head, right where Jaku's horns were. "I get really bad headaches."

So, it was a quirk manifested entirely around the defence and protection. Now that was a very fascinating manifestation for the two boys, and it was interesting they'd manifested the quirks in such an environment.

Hawks crouched. He took Etio's chin between his thumb and fingers, forcing the boy to stare through his visor, directly into his eyes. "Listen to me, very carefully, Etio."

Etio nodded.

"You are a very, very brave young man, looking after your brothers. You shouldn't have to be dealing with any of this, and the fact that you are is a fault on your mother and me, and your father."

Tears dripped down Etio's cheeks.

"None of this your fault. Do you understand?"

Etio nodded, wiping at his eyes.

"You got your school diary?"

"Why?"

"I want to write a note to your teacher." Hawks motioned and Etio shrugged off his bag, pulling out the small black book that he handed over with a pen. Hawks scrawled out a quick note, passing the diary back. "Give that to your teacher, it's permission to be let out early."

"But…but why?"

"You haven't had your quirk checked out, at all, and you said you're getting tired, and having headaches. We need to make sure you're not hurting yourself. Some quirks have rebound effects, sometimes our bodies might not have developed the right resistance to our quirk and actually using it is detrimental to our health."

"Oh…"

"These things need to be looked at."

Hawks shuffled around in his jacket, tugging out his wallet. He handed over a card. "You remember how to get to the agency?"

Etio nodded. "Yeah."

"Good. After lunch, head over to the agency, use the money on this for the transport." He passed over the card. "I want Medusa to check you over. You remember Medusa, right?"

"He's your medical sidekick."

"Yep."

"You promise Mum won't get in trouble."

"She won't." Hawks stood. "We'll keep it in-house. I just want to make sure you're okay."

Etio shouldered his backpack. "Yes, Hawks."

"You just need to worry about school and getting amazing grades so your Mum can boast about you to absolutely everyone at the precinct."

Etio made a disgusted face. "She doesn't, does she?"

"All the time. Every day I'm in. I never hear the end of it."

"I'm not that smart."

"Well, I don't know much about mothers, but, the ones I do know, they really like to brag about their kids." Hawks smiled. "It's the way it's supposed to be, I guess." Standing back to his feet, Hawks ruffled Etio's hair. "Alright, get to school, do…school things…"

Etio rolled his eyes. "You're so weird."

"Yeah, but I'm like the cool weird, right?"

"No, just weird."

"Damn." Hawks' hands went to his hips. "Totally thought I was cool."

"Maybe to other kids, but…to us…you're just…I donno…Hawks. You got normal ages ago."

"Ah, I see, burst the hero bubble, hey."

"Yeah. You sit on my Dad's car and call him an arsehole. There's no going back from that." Etio grinned.

"Alright, alright, I have doomed myself." Hawks laughed. He gave the preteen a pat, sending him through the school gates. He waited until Etio had vanished into the building before turning away and heading back in the direction of the nearest coffee shop. Tsubame was waiting, coffee and doughnuts in hand.

"Did you have a talk with him?" Tsubame asked.

Keigo nodded.

"Does he seem upset to you? He's been avoiding me since last night."

Tsubame's hand brushed the arm he'd noted was bruised. Hawks bow lifted beneath his visor. Whatever was going on behind the closed doors of the Tou house, it made his skin crawl.

"Tsu." Hawks breathed in deeply. "I am asking you, once again, please, divorce Osamu."

"He's just stressed—"

"Tsu." Hawks tempered his tone. "This isn't stress…and you know that."

She studied him, her frown growing cold. "What did Etio say."

"How about tonight, you sit down with him and learn about how fucking abusive your husband is." Hawks snapped back.

"Hawks. You're twenty-two and never had a relationship, don't judge."

"This isn't me judging, Tsu. This is me worrying about you, and about the boys that I somehow ended up being attached too. It's a huge difference. Canyon sized difference."

"I can handle it."

"Well, the day you can't handle it. You know where to find me." He muttered.

He received a warm, tender smile. "I know, and that's all I need to hear." She handed him a paper bag.

Hawks peered into the bag, containing very delectable looking doughnuts. "You're trying to ruin my calorie count today, right?"

Tsubame blew a rasp. "Hawks, you burn like a billion calories just taking off. Shut up and eat the damn doughnuts."

He flicked her nose. "Yikes. Jealous much."

"Yeah, well, talk to me after you give birth to three boys and have a midlife crisis."

"Sorry, physically incapable of giving birth, but, the midlife crisis is still incoming, I'm sure." He bantered.

She held out his coffee. "Shall we get to our patrol? So, I can walk off all my midlife crisis weight and listen to you lecture me even more on my abysmal marriage."

"What marriage? Oh, you mean the sinking ship of doom that is a loveless, probably sexless, and physically abusive relationship…you mean that marriage?"

She strolled faster. "Stop being a brat."

He matched her pace. "Well, I would…if you'd hand the coffee to me." He motioned to the two takeaway mugs she held.

"Oh! Sorry." Tsubame blushed.

His wings twitched. Hawks halted from taking the coffee. This morning was just dragging, all he wanted was coffee. He lifted a wing, peering around and spotting three teens making a beeline for them.

"Hey there." He smiled in greeting. One teen shoved another slightly forward, muttering at him. They awkwardly shuffled for a few moments, before finally, one stepped up.

"Hi, um, Hawks, can I have a photograph."

Hawks held out a hand. "No probs. Just you, or do all three of you want in on it?"

The teen looked back at his friends, grinning, and they all burst forward.

"Here, hand your mobile to the nice police lady. She takes good photos, cause she does it a lot."

Tsubame sent him an eyeroll.

Hawks wondered if any of the hero courses had classes on how to pose in photographs, and how to smile and not look like an idiot. It took effort to be photogenic. It didn't come naturally to a lot of heroes. He was lucky he was naturally inclined to smile, nor did he find such confrontations intimidating.

"Thanks so much, sir." The first boy bowed.

"All good." Hawks glanced him up and down. "Aviation quirk, yeah?" Hawks asked.

The teen spread a pair of delicately detailed butterfly wings. "Do you…um…have any suggestions for trying to improve flying skills."

"I do. Fly, a lot. You need to get more use to being in the air than on the ground."

The teen pouted. "Yeah, but we're not allowed. I'm not even permitted to fly at school."

Hawks sighed. "They have really made it difficult, haven't they…alright, I'll let you in on a secret. Got a pen and paper."

"Oh, um, sure." The teen shuffled around in his bag, before dragging out a notebook and pen. Hawks took it, scribbling out an address.

"So, there is this place, a few kilometres out of town, that is run by an older couple. It's a huge chunk of land, and, basically, they're got it set up for aviation quirk users to head down there and fly around in. Pay them a few bucks, and you can get some practice in." Hawks handed the pen and notebook back.

"Wow. Thank you! So much, sir."

"No probs. Just keep up the practice, yeah." Hawks waved as the three dashed off. He snatched his coffee back from Tsubame, ignoring her playful bump against his arm.

"So, why is it that you're always so happy to accept photographs, but never hand out signatures. What's the difference? Isn't a photo would be more of a bother." She mused as they continued along the footpath.

He arched an eyebrow at her. "You're asking me that now, after all these years?"

"Well, I donno." She shrugged. "It's just something I noticed over time. Half the kids in Fukuoka must have a photo with you."

He smiled at that. "True."

"So, is there a reason?"

"Yeah, yeah there is." He studied his coffee. "But it's macabre. You sure you want to know."

Tsubame nodded.

Hawks looked out across the bustling street, and the faces surrounding them. "I learnt something I shouldn't have, early on during my training. Something about my predecessor. It really messed with my head for a while."

He tapped his coffee cup. "But then I realised something…I realised…my handlers couldn't disappear someone, if that someone's face was out there. That's when I made it my mission to go Pro, as fast as I could. They could own me, they could pay my checks, but I had my shield." He flashed her a smile. "And that's why I never turn down a photo opportunity. The more public I am, the safer I am."

Tsubame sighed. "Super, that's great. Now I'll never look at you smiling in a photo the same again."

"Well, funnily enough, I did take a photo last night." Hawks smiled. "Probably the only photo I've ever taken that actually means something to me."

Tsubame looked at him expectantly.

He poked her nose. "Nope."

"You're such a troublemaker." Tsubame huffed. "So, are you still heading off this afternoon to deal with your little problem?"

"Tsu, please don't call her that." Hawks paused from their stroll. "I'm genuinely concerned."

Tsubame's brow furrowed tight. There was a faint look of disproval in her stance, and it was surprising, to be faced with such confrontation after their years as colleagues. Though, no doubt, she probably found his insistence about Osamu just as exasperating.

"I hope she's aware of what you're putting on the line, Hawks. I do not want you taken advantage of."

"Tsu, I appreciate the concern. I do, but, I am capable of looking after myself."

Her frown just increased. He sighed. Well. That was that. She still saw the sixteen-year-old boy she'd had to lug around with her. It was no wonder she didn't listen to a word he said about her issues with Osamu. She didn't see the assassin or the spy; she didn't even see the Pro Hero he now was. He'd always be that boy in her eyes, and a part of him was grateful—despite how condescending it was in the moment—that at least one person in his world, didn't see his blood-tinged wings.

Still, if things kept heading in the direction they seemed to be going, she'd find herself confronting the Pro Hero he was, and he had a feeling she wasn't prepared for that confrontation.

0000

Hawks landed on the launching platform outside of his office in the agency, giving his wings a stretch. The morning on foot patrol had been almost unbearable, and he'd never do it unless bribed by copious amounts of coffee. Just to many people not minding where they were going and smacking into him. It almost felt like they did it on purpose, just to touch his wings. It was unnerving. Being a pro hero didn't give the public permission to invade his personal space, no matter how friendly he made himself out to be.

He slipped through the large glass doors into the office interior. Minimalist—that's what Jeanie had told him his agency was—he didn't like wasting agency money on unnecessary things like un-purposeful wall art, or a ridiculous side table for a corner. If there was going to be clutter and mess, it was because he was too lazy to be bothered cleaning up after himself because he was exhausted after a long day. Why add more things on-top of his own tendency to create chaos.

It probably drove Bubbles insane, as she would have been someone who'd have filled the agency up with stupid paintings or something. Instead, she survived on donated flower arrangements from one of the florists they'd saved from a villain attack in the first few months of the agencies establishment. It had been Bubbles first assignment—so—he let her have her flowers.

He winged down from the top floor, ignoring the stairs and simply jumping off the balconies.

"Hawks!" Bubble shouted from somewhere. "Stop doing that!"

"Nope!" He sailed downward. "Never."

She came running out of her own office, following him down the stairs. "Did you send Etio Tou here?"

"I did. Is he here?"

"Yes. He's with Med right now."

"Great." Hawks grabbed a balcony railing, swinging himself up beside her. "That's where I'll be then."

"Oh, um, before you go. I got your request for time off…"

He glanced back at her. "Is there a problem?"

"Well…" her glossy, watery hair turned to foam. "No, it's just, you've never requested actual time off before. I mean, I know you have your freelance work from time to time…"

Freelance work, yep, that's what he'd called Commission jobs. It sounded better than admitting he was leashed by the very corporate entity whom all heroes were held accountable too. He really did wonder sometimes, what Bubbles would think, if she ever learnt where some of the agency's finances came from. He'd killed a politician to pay for the marble floor in the foyer. Like his wings, his agency was just as blood tinged as he was.

"I've got some things to do, personal things." Hawks smiled. "It must be shocking, I know, to realise that I actually have a private life."

Bubbles blue cheeks coloured a deeper aqua. "Oh. Yes, of course you do, sir."

"So…do I have your permission for the time off?" He glanced around, as if indicating that it was her agency and not his.

"Yes! Gosh! Yes!" Bubbles laughed awkwardly.

"Thank you, Bubbles." He skipped back, his wings lifting him slightly in an upward draft as he turned mid-air. "I'll see you later. Look after my agency while I'm gone."

"Yes, sir! We'll be fine, sir!"

He glided through the interior of the agency. He'd been insistent about the open spaces, and the large windows. There was no way he was going to feel cooped up in some hideous, concrete space for hours. He had to be able to move freely, and see the city outside. Sure, maybe it was minimalist of him, but he preferred the expansiveness over oppressive furniture.

He also had doorways he could fit through. If the Commission made him suffer every time he went to their hellhole of a building, then he'd spend all their blood-money on nice, wide doorways.

Landing on the railing by Medusa's medical bay, Hawks swung himself onto the walkway. He could hear Etio inside, speaking softly to the medi-hero. Medusa's foreign accent was pronounced, and was actually what made him stand out far more than any quirk ever could. They were the only two in the agency who were fluent in English, and sometimes—just sometimes—it was a little fun to annoy Bubbles by ignoring her entirely. Life was always made better by annoying Bubbles, she really needed more fun and less work. Someday he'd have to order her to take a holiday. It'd most likely be the only way she'd ever take any of her overtime leave.

Hawks tapped gently on the doorframe. "Hey. How's the patient, Med?"

Medusa's hero name was a call back to an old, before-quirk myth about a cursed woman who could turn men to stone. Most folk probably wouldn't have gotten the reference, since much of the before-quirk history wasn't as widely known, but the fact that Medusa himself had used it, made him unique. It revealed one thing, that he'd studied up on the pre-quirk era.

His eyes were flat, white and glassy. Confronting. He hid them behind a set of square glasses, in an attempt to be less intimidating. Along with the eerie white eyes, his hair came in thick, linin like strips that he could easily tear off to form healing inducing bandages, or tight bindings.

Medi-heroes were few and far between, which was disappointing. They were sorely needed out in the field. Medusa could have had his pick of agencies, and yet, he'd strolled right into the Hawks agency and asked for a job.

Turning a medi-hero down would have been stupid, they were invaluable.

Best of all—

Medusa was a foreigner; he wasn't as attached to the Commission as most other heroes in Japan. It was a bonus Hawks hadn't wanted to turn down, though, it had felt a little too good to be true.

"He's an extremely well-behaved young man." Medusa praised, rolling his chair back from the medical bed where Etio sat.

Hawks laughed as he entered the medical room. Etio shily ducked his head to one side.

"Hi, Hawks."

"Hey, kiddo. How you doing?"

"I'm okay."

"Any trouble getting here."

Etio shook his head.

"That's good." Hawks thumped down beside him. "So, Med, how's his quirk?"

Medusa held up a packet of pills. "These will help with the headaches for the time being, until your horns grow in."

"I…I have horns? Like Jaku." Etio touched his head curiously.

"Sure do." Medusa lowered his data-pad. "They're just taking a bit longer to grow, and because of that, you're forcing your psychic skill to work harder due to its organs not being fully developed yet. They're there, but they're inside your skull." He playfully tapped Etio's head. "I'd say be patient, but I know teen boys aren't."

"Am I going to hurt myself if I keep using my quirk?" Etio asked.

"Other than giving yourself migraines, and nosebleeds, I don't see any internal or external damage being done."

Hawks relaxed.

"But I would suggest trying not to use your quirk until you've grown out your horns."

"I'll be fine." Etio insisted.

Medusa nodded. "Okay, but I want you to take one of these if your headache gets really bad." He handed over the pills. "There is no need for you to suffer stupidly in silence like someone else in this room." Medusa stared straight at Hawks.

"Yes sir." Etio agreed. "Thank you, sir."

Hawks ruffled Etio's hair. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No." Etio shook his head. "It wasn't."

"If you head into our sidekick kitchen and lounge area…" Medusa pointed down the open corridor. "You'll find that Bubbles brought in a whole bunch of really delectable small cakes. You're more than welcome to pick a few to nibble on while you finish your homework for the afternoon."

"Really?" Etio beamed. "It's okay if I just hang out here until I have to head home?"

"That's fine." Hawks rubbed Etio's shoulders, nudging him to the door. "You're always welcome here, kiddo. Off you go."

They both waited for several minutes after the teen had left, before turning to face each other. Hawks rubbed his face, groaning loudly in frustration.

"Right, I want it straight. Is his quirk messing with him?"

"He's fine, Hawks. Really."

"You sure, because I am stretched really thin right now…I can't deal with more fucking things being flung at me."

"Hawks, are you sleeping."

Hawks peered out between his hands. "Sleep is overrated."

Medusa sighed, shaking his head. "You make me worry."

"Thanks for worrying." Hawks mumbled. "So, is Etio really fine?"

"I'm sure." Medusa assured firmly. "It's obvious he's been using his quirk while he's in pain, and that stress triggers a lot of physical reactions in the body that he's having to deal with. Ideally, removing him—and his brothers—from the stress, would improve everything."

"I'm working on it." Hawks grumbled into his hands. "Tsu is being stubborn about Osamu, for reasons I cannot comprehend. I can't seem to make her understand that if it gets any worse, I'm going to have to be forced into action simply because of…well…hero licence."

Medusa frowned. "That is an ultimatum."

"The problem is, I don't think she believes me." Hawks sunk back into the medical bed, feeling immensely done with the whole situation. "And now I'm kind of ticked off that she neither regards me as a pro hero, a friend, or a colleague, but as a child."

"Well, you said your piece. You warned her. Now it's up to you to decide when you go hero mode on her."

Hawks dropped his head back. "I haven't figured that out yet."

"Men like Osamu escalate. You know that, better than I do. He'll escalate whether you're involved or not, you're not the problem, it's the boys and their quirks that are."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know." Hawks dug his hands into the bed's mattress. "I don't know why she's being so stubborn."

"Probably out of fear of losing her only stability. She'll stay in the hell that is known, rather than face the hell of the unknown."

"Even if she knows she has help. I mean, we're literally here…" he waved at the walls. "She's in the police force. She knows people will help her."

"Fear is a horrible thing." Medusa shook his head. "It cripples everything inside us. Makes us believe we're incapable of moving forward. We heroes must battle it each and every day, for folk who aren't used to it…it's difficult. You've grown up being forced to confront it. Not everyone gets their wings ripped out daily at the age of eight, Hawks."

"I really shouldn't have told you about that." Hawks glanced aside.

Medusa shook his head. "I'd have gotten it out of you eventually. My eyes are very preceptive. It might not be that obvious to you, but I can see the damage. You know the worlds secrets, but I'm very good at knowing secrets of the body. It is why I chose your agency."

Hawks hooked a knee under his chin. "I suppose you're right. I can't be too hard on Tsu. I just see my mother sometimes, when I look at her, and it hurts."

"That's only natural. I see my brother in you. We all have our demons, Hawks. Now, you were supposed to be going someplace, right?" Medusa shifted to his work bench. "You asked for time off? Bubbles has been in a right old tiff about it."

Hawks motioned down at himself. "You'd think I broke a leg or something, with the way she's acting."

"Here, catch." Medusa threw a packet at him and Hawks snatched it from the air. He blinked, staring blankly at the condom package.

"Med…why did you just throw me a pack of condoms."

"I'm not an idiot, Hawks." Medusa sat down in his chair.

"How could you possibly guess…wait…" Hawks flinched. "Fuck."

"Ah, and you just gave yourself away." Medusa grinned, spreading his hands gleefully. "Works every time."

"Damnit, Med."

"Do have a very good weekend."

Hawks hightailed it to the door, ignoring the laughter he was leaving behind.