Fate's Fickle Wings

by winterziyle

It begins with a Lightbulb falling from a balcony. Fate sets in motion the beginning of a another Upheaval, that will leave their society changed again - though - whether they all come out of it alive will be entirely in the hands of those they call heroes, and whom Hawks comes to call family.

24. Chapter 24: Monday

Chapter Twenty-Four: Monday

Bubbles stared at Rilo, bundled up in several layers of blankets on the couch in their agency lounge. She was sleeping, an exhausted sort of sleep, the type someone slept when they were preserving energy for mere existence. Hawks was leaning wearily back on one of the chairs. He'd just finished his story. A wild story. Catching a lightbulb, learning about—

Bubbles covered her mouth.

Oh—

She looked up at the lights dangling above them from the high ceiling.

How was she ever supposed to turn on a light ever again without thinking about where the energy was coming from. She wanted to vomit.

Canary was sobbing. He was like that. He felt everything intensely, and he let it out just as intensely. It had irritated his twin sister something terrible that he was the empath in their agency, and had most likely been one of the numerous reasons why she'd ended up transferring to Mirko's agency.

"Canary, it's okay." Hawks gently eased off the chair.

"This is so far beyond okay, Hawks." Canary waved his hands around, his yellow wings hackling until he looked like a bright yellow ball. "You have no idea how much explaining all that that broke you."

"I am aware."

Canary flung out his hands. "Why didn't you come to me sooner, I could have helped!"

Bubbles blinked. Confused. Why did it seem like the two of them were having a completely different conversation, above and beyond what had just been covered.

Hawks shook his head.

"We're dealing with a very dangerous governmental organization, Haruto. I didn't want to pull the agency into anything unless I really, really had too."

Canary looked fit to explode. Feathers bristled and wings taunt enough that they trembled. "You could have had the fucking decency to tell me as a brother. You know I'd do anything for you."

"I know. Which is why I didn't tell you. You little shite." Hawks' wings finally picked up, flaring out.

"Okay. Okay." Medusa walked between them both, mediating the situation. "This is not productive. Both of you, please stop your avian heckling."

Canary thumped back against the table, and it dragged back loudly at his weight. "I'm sorry."

Hawks sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "No, no, it's on me, Haruto."

"How is this even real…" Canary covered his face. His wings went despairingly limp. "How could…how could this be kept from everyone for so long…I…oh gosh…I feel sick…we have actual villains running our government. Oh. Fuck. Oh fuck."

Bubbles watched the young man's break down.

He was mirroring her own internal, slow combustion, only, he was having it externally. She'd always—always—held authority in high regard.

Little miss teacher's pet.

Obedient. Punctual. Disciplined.

There was an order to the world, and she liked how that order worked. It fitted into perfect slots, and made sense in her mind. She could file paperwork here, and there, and get affirmation sent back in return for a job well done.

Now Hawks had shattered her perfect bubble with a feather.

There wasn't supposed to be a dark side to her world of order and regulations.

Heroes—

They'd emerged to bring order to the chaos—

They'd made it all better—

Hadn't they—

Medusa's gaze fell on Rilo's sleeping form. His shoulders sagged. "I honestly thought it was a myth."

"You knew about this…this…" Bubbles managed to choke out. She didn't know what to call it. How to put it into words.

Was it a slave ring—

Human trafficking—

Hawks had mentioned the potential of a eugenics program, to maintain a single, pure quirk category. She'd not even known that was possible.

She didn't want to know how it was possible.

Oh—no—

She was going to lose her breakfast.

Medusa sighed. "There are stories back in my homeland, you know the sort. They get told around campfires, or in pubs after a few to many drinks. One story told of a time a few Upheavals ago when one of the powerplants near a town went into meltdown and exploded."

Hawks held up his hands in alarm. "I'm sorry, what?"

Medusa inclined his head. "The legend is; when they went to investigate, they found a young glowing boy trapped inside a cylinder. He emitted a radioactive quirk that took out the town."

They all, simultaneously, looked to Rilo and took a step backwards. Even Hawks.

He gave a laugh, dragging his hands through his hair. "Holy fuck, babe."

"Ah, she's not radioactive, right?" Canary squeaked out. "She's not a bomb, is she?"

"Your quirk isn't going off, is it?" Medusa quipped snidely.

"Haha, funny, Med, funny." Canary stuck out his tongue.

Hawks looked down at himself. "Pretty sure I'd be very dead if she was radioactive."

Bubbles gave an irritated huff. "We shouldn't be talking about her like this. I mean, she's asleep. She can't consent to anything we're discussing."

"I've already gone over things with her, and our relationship is one in which we trust each other to make decisions for the other." Hawks tipped his head, his smile oddly warm and tinted with fondness—which was odd, considering the macabre topic of their discussion.

"I'll be adding her to your medical file then." Medusa mused. "Good to know someone will finally be on it. The responsibility was honestly a bit much for just me."

Hawks smiled wearily. "However, Bubbles, if it makes you feel comfortable, I can wake her."

Bubbles shifted uneasily. "I'd…I would appreciate it. I'm sorry, Hawks, I don't like discussing someone like this when they're not involved."

"No, it's fine." Hawks placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your opinion is valued, and if you feel she should be awake, then that's fair."

"Is she well enough to be woken?" Medusa asked.

"To be honest, Med, we're a bit beyond that." Hawks crouched beside her. "The mod-hancer is eating away at her quirk factor. That little electric pulse that keeps all our bodies going, hers is fading. I'm not sure what will go first." He brushed at her hair. "Her heart…or her lungs, or…well…everything I guess."

Bubbles worried her bottom lip. He'd said she'd had months to live. Just thinking about why was overwhelming her, frustrating her that Hawks had kept it from them.

No—

She had to focus on the now. He'd come to them now. That's what mattered.

"So, the mod is a time bomb." Canary worried.

Hawks nodded. "It is. I keep jumpstarting her, but that is taking a toll on both our bodies. However, it's all I've got right now."

"Jumpstarting?" Canary asked.

"I'll explain in a minute." Hawks offered.

Rilo's breathing was laboured as Hawks carefully eased her upright, giving her cheeks gentle slaps to cox her awake. Bubbles hadn't realised it'd be such a task to wake her.

"Come on, babe…wakey…wakey…"

Rilo gave a startled jolt, grappling for his shoulders. "Are we…are we back at the powerplant?" she looked frantic.

"No, sweetheart." Hawks held her cheeks. "We're at the agency, remember, I was going to talk to everyone about things today."

"Oh, right, of course." She squinted. "Yes. It's Monday."

"Bubbles was feeling uncomfortable that we were talking around you and over you."

Electric blue eyes shifted in her direction and Bubbles managed a weak smile in greeting. "That's sweet of you, Bubbles."

"Just…just want to make sure you're included."

"Thank you for thinking of me." Rilo rubbed at her eyes. "What did you tell them?"

"How we met, about the powerplant, the Bureau and the mod-hancer. I was about to start on our quirk compatibility and keeping your generator running, then onward to Dad's brilliant plan."

Hawks sat himself down on the arm of the couch and Rilo dropped her head wearily on his leg.

"Okay…have any of you heard of quirk compatibility before?" Hawks asked.

Canary shook his head immediately.

Bubbles shifted her eyes.

"So, I will admit, after our short talk on Friday…I…I tried to do some research…I didn't come up with much," she murmured. "So I wouldn't be able to give a clear answer as to what it is."

Hawks flicked his gaze to Medusa.

"I've read up on it, yes." Medusa shrugged. "Though it is mostly considered a theory amongst the medical profession, and whatever articles, papers and studies have been done are very difficult to come by."

"I'm rather confident that's on purpose." Hawks scratched the back of his neck.

"Hm. Usually the suppression of information is." Medusa snorted.

"Hawks." Bubbles held up a hand. "You're not talking about the Singularity Theory, are you?" She frowned.

Hawks wobbled a hand about. "They are similar, yes. However, from what I've been able to gather, quirk compatibility is far more about the natural evolution of quirks than the end of the world, due to quirks."

"Oh, okay…"

"Basically, it's the idea that separate quirk factors will be naturally drawn to quirk factors that match theirs. It's probably been happening for generations, and we've never noticed, not until recently, when quirks—like mine—have started stacking."

"Right, because you're a triple threat." Bubbles nodded slowly.

"As quirk evolution continues," Hawks held up his hands, stacking them one by one. "We should witness a natural progression of quirk categories merging to form new quirk-lines, and it may even be highly possible that meta-humans will branch out into several sub-species over the centuries. Who knows, really, we're at the roots of it all still."

"What does this have to do with you two?" Bubbles motioned between them both.

"Our quirks are compatible." Rilo offered. "Or, well, they would be, if I didn't have this mod."

"We actually managed to reach a reciprocal flow, albeit, stunted by the effect of the mod, but it was there." Hawks brushed at Rilo's hair.

"That'd explain the small optimisation in your output I noticed." Medusa chuckled.

Hawks tipped his head to the side. "Yep."

"Wow. That's so cool." Canary tipped back on the table. "I'd have never even thought about the idea of two quirks bouncing off each other like that."

Bubbles looked at them all. "I still don't get it."

Canary groaned into his hands. "Oh, Bubbles…"

"Don't worry, it will click in her overly analytical brain in a moment, Canary." Hawks smirked at her.

Bubbles heaved a sigh.

Hawks held out a finger to Rilo. "Do the thing, babe."

"Oh, the thing!" Rilo suddenly brightened.

"The thing."

"Ohhh, I love doing the thing." She bounced happily and started rubbing her hands together. "This was so much easier to do when I had more spark." She giggled.

Her delight lit up her pale, stony features as she touched her finger to Hawks, and his wings puffed up, along with his hair, in a way Bubbles had never witnessed before.

Static.

Canary burst into laughter. "Do me! Do me!" He bounced up to her, holding out a finger.

Rilo once again rubbed her hands together and Bubbles watched in amazement as a slow warmth began to emanate from beneath the mountain of blankets covering her, seeming to suggest that once, she really had glowed brightly.

Rilo repeated the action with Canary and he stood there, momentarily stunned at his puffed out wings and frazzled hair.

Hawks cracked it with laughter, almost losing his perch on the armrest of the couch.

"Oh. My. Gosh. That…is…so…weird…" Canary blinked rapidly. "Wow."

Hawks wiped at his watery eyes. "I know, right." He brushed at Rilo's hair. "We'll get you back to being a lightning storm, and then you can really let loose, babe."

A lightning storm. Bubbles breathed in deeply. Hawks and Canary were both emission type aviators. For either of them to fly took enormous amounts of—

Energy—

It clicked.

Rilo powered the city.

A generator quirk.

Hawks' greatest weakness had always been burning through the lacklustre energy reserves of his own body, and risking overclocking. There weren't enough calorie drinks in the world that she could force feed him that would have countered a single use of fierce wing.

Bubbles sucked in a sharp breath.

"Oh my…that's what you mean…" she whispered.

Hawks smiled at her. "You finally got it."

Bubbles nodded.

"Right now, Rilo's struggling to generate even a spark." Hawks stroked her cheek. "Sometimes, the spark goes out, so, I've been redirecting the energy from fierce wing back into her. It seems to be giving us a bit of leeway."

Canary was resetting his frazzled hair. "If you're compatible, Hawks, shouldn't I also be able to do the same?"

"Technically, yes, and the thought did occur to me that if I wasn't around, you could help, but Rilo got worried about that idea…"

Rilo shook her head at Canary. "I'm not suggesting that you couldn't, Canary. It's just, I wouldn't want to hurt you." She spread her hands. "I generated enough energy to power the whole of Fukuoka…"

"Right. Yeah." Canary rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So, jumpstarting you would require considerable reserves. I'd overclock immediately."

"Hawks perhaps only has one or two jumpstarts left." Rilo worried.

"Nah, I'm good for at least three." Hawks nudged her playfully. "Four if you fuck me tonight."

"Oh, shut up." She slapped his knee. "You're the one who said no sex until this is all over."

He laughed. "What a jackarse I am."

"You are." She slapped at his knee again.

He was defusing the situation; Bubbles was sure of it. Trying to make Rilo smile, despite the awfulness of what they were discussing. Shifting the attention off her.

"Hawks, if what you're saying is true, and quirk compatibility is a thing…why…why isn't it public knowledge?" Bubbles paced. "Something so important should be out there."

Hawks' brow lifted. "It's not public knowledge for the same reason Rilo was kept in a tower her whole life." He motioned to Rilo. "Those in authority do not want us to flourish, they want us to stagnate, and remain stagnated, never reaching our fullest potential…while…behind a curtain, they dictate our paths."

Bubbles couldn't stop her hair from drying out. "But…but…"

Medusa rested a hand on her shoulder. "Do you think the eugenics program our little lightbulb here is trapped in is the only example of humanities horrific crimes? If quirk compatibility is truly a thing, imagine the horrors they've been inflicting behind closed doors on something that is supposed to be natural evolution of meta-humans. Bubbles, we could be looking a very, very deep hole."

Bubbles crinkled her face. There went her simplistic life of just telling her father fun stories about heroes. Of course she'd get tangled up in some dark, mangled reality that she couldn't talk to him about.

"I'm sorry, Bubbles." Rilo made to stand, as if to offer comfort.

"Oh, gosh, no, no! Rilo, it's not you." Bubbles quickly held out her hands, keeping Rilo seated. "This whole thing just leaves a foul taste in my mouth, that's all."

And it ruined her hair.

"Bubbles is right, how about we put aside this talk, and move onto how we are going to remove your pretty Lightbulb from the electrical grid?" Medusa clapped his hands. "I'm excited. Hit us, Hawks. What have you done?"

"Hey, why do you think I've done something." Hawks mockingly touched his chest.

"Oh please…" Medusa scoffed.

"Fine." Hawks fluffed up his feathers. "I might have gotten All-Might involved."

Bubbles was sure her brain stopped working right then and there.

She was also sure she started choking on her own spit and ended up with Medusa slapping her on the back in comfort as she tried to recover, but she couldn't really think past the whole—

All-Might—

The greatest hero in all Japan—

Oh—

Oh Hawks—

Why did he—

How did he—

Was impossible even a word he comprehended?

Why was working for this agency always so complicated. She buried her head in Medusa's chest, giving a groan.

Canary started laughing, breaking down into hysterics until he was a ball of yellow feathers on the floor. "I fucking love this agency. Sis has no idea what's she missing out on."

"How involved are we talking?" Medusa arched an eyebrow.

Hawks and Rilo shared a look. Hawks gave a shrug. "Ah well, we're all in now, babe."

Hawks held out a hand and a set of files flew into his grasp as a feather whipped past. He passed the documents out to them.

"These are you for guys, your homework is to memorise everything in the files."

"Ohhh, homework!" Canary cheered.

"Keigo Tamaki…" Bubbles murmured the name on several of the documents. "Who is Keigo Tamaki?"

Rilo laughed softly, propping her chin up under her knees as she cuddled back into Hawks wings. "You're looking at him, Bubbles." She held a hand up at Hawks. "My goofy goose husband."

Hawks waved playfully.

"I know, Bubbles, it's hard to imagine that an amazing hero like me didn't just spontaneously pop into existence, but I do, in fact, have a civilian name. There are just… conditions…surrounding why I don't use it."

Bubbles felt her world pivot.

All these years working at the agency, and not once—not on a single legal document—had he ever signed his civilian name. He hadn't needed too; the agency was tied to him as a pro hero. That was all she'd ever known him as.

Hawks.

She hadn't needed to know that there was a man behind the visor, behind the witticism and quippy snark, because that wasn't what she'd signed up for.

But—

Bubbles stared at Rilo—

She knew the man behind the visor.

"According to the documents in front of you, Rilo is now All-Might's daughter, she was born here in Japan, but moved around with All-Might during his world-travelling years. She did her architecture degree via remote learning in America, which, is where we met, at a university campus where I attended that conference on agency establishment." Hawks rotated a hand around. "She has a little brother called Izuku Midoriya, and her mother is Inko Midoriya. You'll probably met them at some point. I've been training Izuku for the last few months."

"Wait…civilians are in on this?" Medusa looked up in surprise.

"A lot of works been done, Med." Hawks offered. "We made this as tight as we could get it."

"Wow…this is a whole cover-story and, like, everything." Canary laughed, holding up the sheets to the lights in glee. "You even got your marriage certificate signed by Best Jeanist, so cool."

"Like I said, we made it tight." Hawks scratched his chin. "So, memorise all of it. You're all going to have to make it our new reality."

"So awesome." Canary whispered, looking through the papers. "This is actually legit documents. You even have ones from overseas, and Rilo…whooo…you only got a passing grade for some of your uni-studies. Tut. Tut."

"Some of it was hard." Rilo pouted.

"Hawks, this is insane." Canary laughed.

"I didn't do it. All-Might did."

"Why?" Bubbles asked abruptly. "Why would the symbol of justice and peace in our society do something so…fraudulent?"

Hawks frowned. "Because of the injustice."

She hesitated.

He wasn't telling them everything.

Rilo's hand settled on Hawks' knee, and he flicked his eyes down at her. Neither of them said anything at all, but a tenseness in Hawks' shoulders eased slightly.

Bubbles compressed her lips.

She'd leave it.

"Okay," Canary looked to Hawks. "So I'm gathering you're hoping that the false identity you've fabricated for Rilo will be enough of a shield against the Bureau?"

"It's not so much the false identity…" Hawks eased back on the arm of the couch, hooking a leg over his knee. "It's how we'll present it, and who it's tied too. If we stage it correctly, the public themselves will come up with a narrative that will ultimately be our shield."

"The Heroes Ranking Convention?" Canary's wings sprung up excitingly. "Oh, please, oh please…wait…no…I'm not going…" He dramatically flopped around. "Awww, Hawks! This is so not fair!"

Hawks held up two fingers. "Indeed, we're going to use the Heroes Ranking Convention as our stage to announce, one, that All-Might has a daughter, and two, that I married her."

"But that's so much fun." Canary burst out. "Can you imagine how hilarious that will be—"

"You do realise you're wanting to gaslight the public of Japan, right?" Bubbles interjected.

Canary arched an eyebrow. "That's a rather negative way to view it, Bubbles."

"It is what you're suggesting, though, isn't it?" Her hands slipped onto her hips.

Hawks spread his hands. "I won't sugar-coat it. We are basically fabricating a batshite story and presenting it as truth, and yes, I am asking all of you to participate in this masquerade."

"But you don't have too." Rilo piped up. "I wouldn't want any of you to put your lives in danger, or make you question your morals and obligations to the public."

Canary crouched beside her, his wings happily shaking. "As far as I'm concerned, the public—especially everyone in Fukuoka—owe you big time, sis. I'd have never, in my wildest nightmares, have imagined the government used living people as generators…" he looked up at Hawks. "And if we can't expose the Bureau for what they are—yet—then, I'm all for using their underhanded tactics to screw with them."

"Not surprised you'd feel that way." Hawks flicked the young sidekick on the forehead. "You weren't the one I was worried about convincing, little bird."

Bubbles breathed in deeply as golden eyes flicked her way.

Right—

He'd been worried about her—because she cared about rules, regulations and laws—and she knew—oh—she knew—that if the curtain came down, and they were revealed to be liars, their lives would be over.

Her life—

Everything she'd worked for—

Would be over—

She could walk away, right now, and she knew he wouldn't hold it against her.

Medusa handed Hawks a coffee. "Well, I'm in. You have All-Might behind you, and so is Best Jeanist. That's enough for me. Besides," he smiled down at Rilo, "we need to get that mod out of you, cupcake, so the two of you can live long, happy lives and I can be a doting uncle."

"Thank you, Med." Hawks nursed his coffee.

"Life in this agency is never boring." Medusa chuckled, ruffling up Canary's mop of yellow hair. "That's for sure."

"Get off me, old man." Canary fought him away with a laugh.

"I am barely thirty."

"You're ancient." Canary retorted.

"Really looking forward to when you're thirty." Medusa scoffed.

"Bubbles…" Hawks' golden eyes studied her.

She didn't know this man anymore.

The past few years she'd spent with him, and the man in front of her now was a stranger to her. It was as though glass had shattered all around her, and the distorted reflection she had once viewed him through was gone.

If she'd never known the real Hawks—

Then she would need more years getting to know Keigo.

Bubbles breathed in deeply, setting her shoulders back. "I've worked too hard to get this agency—to get you—standing on that stage, Hawks."

He inclined his head. "I know, Bubbles."

"So, okay." She nodded. "Okay. Let's do this. I'm all in."

Afterall, she'd married this agency.

For better or worse.

She'd go down with it.

Or rise with it.

And no matter what, she'd make it rise.

0000

Bubbles left for patrol. Though, if Rilo was being honest, she felt the young woman had probably left more to think things over than anything else. They'd thrown an enormous amount on her shoulders—it almost felt wrong.

An awkward, uncomfortable sense of guilt tightened her throat.

She'd caused all this.

"Hey—" Keigo tapped her gently under the chin and she glanced up at him. "It'll be fine, love," he whispered. "I hired Bubbles for a reason. She is remarkable in her own way."

"I know…it's just…everyone is working so hard to—"

"Because we're heroes, and that's what we do." He kissed her gently, only to pull back at the loud clapping from Canary.

"Canary, keep that up and I will lob you over the banister with your wings pinned." Keigo glowered.

Canary hopped off his perch on the large round table. He twirled around on his toes. "Oh, but its just all so adorable."

"Ahah…adorable…" Keigo arched an eyebrow. "Death by taunting a hawk. Anything else you'd like to add to your death certificate—"

"Hi, hello. I'm Rilo. It's lovely to officially meet you." Rilo quickly interjected, holding out her hand.

Canary burst forward in a flurry of bright yellow feathers. "I am so happy to meet you."

Keigo pushed Canary backwards with a single finger to his forehead. "To close, Canary."

"I'm Canary!" Unphased, Canary gently took her hand, as if it was glass. "Hawks' number one sidekick."

"Bubbles would refute that." Keigo thrust a hand into Canary's side, winding him.

"I thought…I thought your name was Twin One?" Rilo looked around the lounge, squinting in confusion. "And that there was a Twin Two somewhere, right?" She turned to Keigo. "Didn't you have two avian sidekicks?"

"I did." Keigo nodded. "Canary's twin sister got poached by Mirko's agency a few weeks back, mostly to help out with the hunt for the ManKiller, but, to be honest, she'll fit in better with Mirko's lot. They're all…" He tipped his head to the side. "Er. How do I put it nicely…"

"Rough." Medusa offered from where he was reading the files Keigo had given him, spreading them out across the centre table in the lounge.

"Okay, we'll go with that." Keigo tipped his head to Medusa.

"So, you're not called Twin One?" Rilo squinted at Canary.

"It was a placeholder name. My sister and I didn't pick our hero names at hero school, we simply couldn't decide, so, everyone just called us Twin One and Twin Two. Hawks suggested Canary for me, since it rather matched my quirk. So…that's what I went with." He beamed brightly, a smile that matched his bedazzling yellow colours. No doubt the tinting of his wings and hair had also played a part in the name. It was a little on-the-nose.

"See, this is why I should name our kids." Keigo flipped out his hands. "And we shouldn't go with any of your horrible ideas. I'm good with names."

"My ideas aren't horrible." Rilo huffed. "They're cute."

"Don't worry, nothing will beat the hero name my sister decided on." Canary flopped over the floor.

Medusa started laughing from his spot at the table.

Rilo frowned as Keigo covered his face, heaving a long, defeated sigh. With a reaction like that from all three men, it had to be something interesting. Keigo didn't just falter in utter despair about weird names.

"Okay, wow…now I have to know."

"Dominator." Keigo climbed off the couch's arm, heading for the coffee machine.

Rilo blinked. Wait a minute, had he just said what she thought he'd said.

"No…" She clutched at her chest. "Oh, Hawks…she didn't…tell me she didn't…"

"Oh, yes. Sis really did." Canary flung his arms up from his spot flopped out on the floor. "Though, technically, it's Dominator of the Sky." He made a rainbow-like movement with his hands.

"She's not fucking dominating anything, let alone the sky." Keigo started laughing, pausing from making his coffee. He had to hold himself upright on the counter as he lost himself in his amusement. Rilo could understand why. If Twin Two had looked anything like Canary—

Adorable—

Adorable was more the word—

Dominator was not the word—

"But it will be shortened to Dominator, and we told her that, or well, Hawks did." Canary puffed out. "And I did, and Medusa did, and Bubbles did…we all did!"

Rilo could picture it now. Keigo would have been horribly blunt about it. She almost felt sorry for the girl. Maybe she'd gone through with it out of sheer defiance.

Keigo cranked open the fridge, sending her a raspberry cola with a feather. "Also tried to explain that someone like Midnight can pull off the whole sexual allure thing, but she needed to consider if it was what she wanted ten, fifteen years down the line."

"Oh, Hawks…" Rilo nursed her head. Yep, he'd been blunt.

Keigo shrugged. "Hey, she needed to hear it from someone and if I got painted as the evil man for it, that's fine, but she had to hear another voice. She can wear whatever the fuck she wants. I'd be a hypocrite to say otherwise when I know my own appearance is sexualized."

Rilo sighed. "That's true."

"My concern was over her lack of goddamn fucking armour." He pinched his nose, hissing in frustration.

Canary waved his arms and legs around. "Her new costume had holes it in, Hawks. Actual holes in it. How can you wear a costume that has holes in it."

"The armour she had was perfectly fine. It was the same as ours." Keigo muttered. "Can't get anymore skintight than that."

"Apparently you can." Medusa added with a chuckle.

Canary covered his face and groaned.

"To be honest, your sister sounds confused on what she wants her hero identity to be." Rilo sipped her cola.

Sitting up, Canary crossed his legs. "We both always have been. I was never the fighter, she always was, and because we are twins…I guess we naturally ended up getting paired. I think…I think that put pressure on her, you know, that she had to be something that maybe she didn't want to be. That she had to protect me, and always think about me. Now. I think…she's going off to find herself. So. I think it's a good thing." He smiled. "And who knows, maybe she'll end up surprising us all and really become the dominator of the skies."

Keigo started laughing again. "That's never not going to be funny." He passed a coffee mug down to Canary, who took it with a smile.

"Thanks, Hawks."

"Canary's quirk is a rather fascinating one." Keigo sat back on his perch on the arm of the couch and Rilo tucked herself up into his wing once more. "It works extremely well in densely populated areas, the more people, the better it works."

"So I guess you're well suited for the cities, then." Rilo offered.

"Pretty much." Canary grinned.

"There is an old series of science fiction books." Keigo glanced down at her. "I found them on the trip I took to America. They're about a man who could predict the future through something he called psychohistory, it was all based on mathematics and populations, and historical sociology…anyway…point is…I got curious if there was a quirk a bit like it anywhere."

Canary touched a hand to his chest. "That's how he found me. I was still in hero school."

"So you can tell the future?" Rilo asked.

Canary shook his head. "Not quite. Since my wing type falls under the empath category and not telepath, like Hawks. When you put me in a densely populated area and let my feathers go I can begin to get a feel of everything going on." He made circles with his hands. "From this, my quirk allows me to predict if there is the likelihood of dissidence happening, of a villain nearby, and like, the general vibe of an area. Usually, if there is a villain hanging around, even if people don't know that one is hanging around, I can sense this miasma of unease. I can walk into a building and just know from the feeling of the people living in there that something uncouth might be going down…then…it's really just a case of narrowing things down."

"Hence…" Keigo spread his hands. "Canary in a Coalmine, the first to sense danger. I thought it was pretty good."

Rilo laughed. "Well, you would." She paused. "What would you have recommended for Twin Two?"

Keigo raised his brow. "If she'd stayed in the agency, probably would have stuck with the theme we seem to have going…I'd have called her Silvereye. Quick. Ruthless. Annoying as fuck, but a damn good little skydancer."

Canary's smile was fond, and soft, as he twisted his legs up tightly and rocked back and forth. "My sister is a keen battler. I'm not so much. I mean, I can fight, but I find it very emotionally taxing and Medusa doesn't like me doing it unless I have too."

Rilo looked at Medusa working at the table, not really seeming bothered by their conversation. He raised a pen, pointing it at Canary. "Let's not have another situation like this weekend, thank you, Canary."

"Oh come on," Canary tipped back. "I handled that really well!"

"We talking about you encountering Porcupine?" Keigo shifted gears. Rilo felt it in his wing around her. He was no longer as relaxed, even if he was just sitting there, sipping his coffee. The mention of a villain had altered his persona, sharpening even the lines around his eyes and cheeks.

Canary turned back to Keigo, giving a firm nod. "Yeah. So, I was just doing the monthly routine check of the old apartment blocks down in sector eighteen, you know, the ones the mayor seems intent on not doing anything about despite them being the biggest fire hazard ever."

"It's a lot of people to relocate." Keigo sighed. "Most of them unregistered. We're never going to shift his opinion on the matter, we can only keep an eye on the place."

Canary looked extremely displeased. "It's going to go up, Hawks. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Hundreds of people are going to die."

Rilo swallowed uneasily.

"I know, Canary, and I can only do so much with the resources I have."

"Sorry." Canary shuffled. "It's just so frustrating."

"It is." Keigo sighed. "It really is."

"Anyway, ah, so, I was playing a game of basketball with some of the local kids and Porcupine just walks right past me." Canary looked down at himself. "Maybe it was because I was dressed in civilian clothes, I don't know, but he took no notice of me, at all…but…hell…I could feel he was a villain. I didn't know he was Porcupine, but I knew he was someone bad."

"I presume you pursued?"

"I did, for a bit." Canary tipped his head. "I wanted to see if I could find where he was hiding out, but then I think I ran into an acquaintance of yours."

Keigo looked confused at that.

"Porcupine almost tagged me, and this pyromancer just dragged me straight into an alley and told me to fuck off before I got hurt, and to perhaps leave this one to you cause I was apparently punching way above my abilities." Canary rubbed at his neck. "I was not going to argue with another villain, so, I hightailed it out of there and got lectured by Medusa for like…three whole hours!"

"It was not three hours. It was barely two minutes." Medusa scoffed.

"It felt like three hours." Canary whined.

"You had burns all over your neck."

Rilo's lips narrowed.

Keigo slapped a hand over her mouth before she could speak.

To late. His reaction to her action had incurred the pale, all-seeing eyes of Medusa, and they settled on Keigo, freezing him stiff.

Medusa tapped the pen he held on the table. It was the only sound in the whole agency, and it echoed. "So, Hawks, you going to explain to me why you're wearing a turtleneck sweater."

"I'm cold."

"Really."

"Yep."

Rilo licked Keigo' hand over her mouth and he glared down at her. Oh—he was not amused.

"Extremely cold," he insisted.

She snorted beneath his hand. Right—like Medusa was going to believe him. Hawks ran hot, and he was running even hotter than usual of late as he focused on keeping her warm. He should have just gone with that as an excuse.

She smirked, noticing that a similar thought had suddenly occurred to him and he swore softly. "Shite, screwed that up."

Yep. She agreed mentally. Sometimes his ability to lie was perfect. Sometimes, he fudged it so hilariously it was a wonder how he'd made it so far at all.

Medusa twirled his pen. "So it has nothing to do with those healing burns hiding beneath your clothes."

"Oh come on, how the fuck do you even…" Keigo huffed.

"You do know that pyromancer." Canary gasped, covering his mouth, acting as though the entire thing was a teenage scandal.

"I don't know him, Canary." Keigo heaved himself off the couch. "I fought him the other day."

Medusa groaned despairingly as he flopped back. "I am surrounded by idiots."

Hawks slid off the couches arm. "Come on, Rilo. We've got to get back to the powerplant."

"What?" Canary bounced up. "You're…you're going back to that place…but…but…you can't…"

"I don't want the Bureau getting any ideas, so, until the Ranking Convention…" Keigo sighed. "We'll hold out."

Rilo fought for a smile, but inside, she knew she was breaking. "It's okay, Canary." She shuffled up as Keigo gently lifted her. "We'll manage."

"That's not what either of you are feeling right now." Canary murmured.

Keigo glanced back at his young sidekick. "Sometimes, Canary, what you feel and what you do, can't line up."

00000

"Figured I'd find you here."

Bubbles looked up at the voice. Hawks leant over her, just like he had the first day they'd met. His smile was soft, not at all the charming grin that she'd first encountered.

She'd been dazzled that first time. Dazzled that the wing hero would ever notice her. Dazzled by the brilliance of his shine, his overwhelming smile, and the cheerful glint in his golden eyes. Everything about him had been inviting.

"Has it all been a lie…" she whispered.

He hopped over the back of the bench she sat on, easing down beside her.

"Most of my life is." He looked forward, clasping his hands as he leant on his knees. "Because sometimes, Bubbles, the truth is simply too dangerous to tell."

Her chest tightened.

"Who are you?"

"To you, I am Hawks." His hand settled on her knee. "And I always will be, and that's all I ever need to be. Don't complicated it in your head."

Bubbles sighed, thumping against his shoulder. "You're making it sound like I'm some lovesick teenager who just found out my crush loves someone else."

He grinned down at her. "Oh, so, that isn't what this is about."

She shoved him. "No. Ew."

He chuckled.

Bubbles shook her head. "I've worked hard, Hawks." She glanced down at her trembling hands. "I've poured my life into this agency…maybe…maybe that's unhealthy. I know it is…but…I love my work."

"I know you do."

"And for a moment, looking at you and her, sitting there, in the lounge, I couldn't help but feel angry." She covered her face. "Angry that you would be such a typical man and throw all my work away for a woman."

And now she just felt disgusted—

At herself for feeling something so ridiculous—

And at him—

For being such—a—a—man—

"It's alright, Aiya. You have every right to feel that."

"But do I?" Bubbles pulled her hands back. "All these years, and I've never once asked you what you wanted in life."

She'd never known him beyond the visor.

How would she have ever known that he wanted something more than hero-life.

"You've never really been all that interested in climbing the hero ranks, you're only ever really interested in just…being there for people, in whatever shape that takes."

He looked out across the parklands, his gaze lost, his expression distant—almost—longing, and perhaps, aching for something she could not even comprehend.

Freedom, maybe?

"The heroes ranking has been my goal." Bubbles plucked at her armoured tights. "And because it meant something to me, you made sure to always submit your applications. I never even had to bug you about the paperwork."

He smiled at that.

Bubbles swallowed nervously. "But Hawks, what do you want…?"

"I want a world where heroes have too much time on their hands." He leant back wearily. "It's kind of a loaded concept, I suppose. So…breaking it down, I want normality and mundaneness. A wife, kids and the most boring evenings you can imagine, and the warmth that comes from that." The smile he gave her crinkled the edges of his eyes. "I am a simple man."

She snorted. "Oh, yes…so simple."

"What, its super simple."

Bubbles rolled her eyes.

"Hey, just because you're all Miss. Workaholic doesn't mean you can judge us weird romantic weirdos." Hawks playfully tipped backwards.

"Not how I would ever have described you."

"I am very romantic. I buy Rilo pudding, every night."

"Wow. She's so privileged to have you."

"Yup."

"You're a cheap arsehole."

"Oh yeah, I am, and fuck does she know it."

"Hawks…" Bubbles breathed out. "Does…does she love you."

He leant forward and she watched as his wings rippled. "Love is interesting. I'm not sure I entirely understand it, Bubbles. I didn't grow up in an environment that fostered it…and frankly…neither did Rilo, so, we're both kind of on a journey of discovery at the moment."

"So, she doesn't."

"That's not what I said." He frowned at her.

"I think love has a lot to do with trust." Hawks reached for a pebble on the path, playing with it idly. "Who is that one person in the world that you trust to be intimate with in ways you aren't with anyone else. The one person you trust to make judgements for you, when you cannot do it for yourself, because they know you, inside and out."

Bubbles breathed in deeply, clutching at her legs as the skin on the nape of her neck tingled.

Was this—

Keigo—

"So, yes, Rilo very much loves me, and I very much love her." He tossed the pebble in the air.

"You're committed then," she muttered.

"Ah, I married her, Bubbles." Hawks tipped his head, amusement tinting his tone.

"This ruins your image, you know," Bubbles quipped.

"I rather think it'll improve it, to be honest." He stretched his arms, lounging back. "Unless I end up getting articles about having affairs now. Oh…fuck it…that'll happen, won't it."

"Hm, probably," she teased.

He flopped over. "I'll never win."

Bubbles tapped her chin. "We should get on top of this. I'll need to organize some articles to be released immediately after the Heroes Ranking Convention." She clapped him as he lay flopped over the bench. "Do you have any photos of a wedding?"

He gave a soft laugh. "Nah, we're not really into that sort of thing. All-Might had to really twist my arm just to get me to sign the marriage certificate."

"Why?"

"Ah. I don't like pieces of paper dictating my life. Personal opinion." He shrugged. "Rilo's not fussed." Hawks waved a hand around.

"But then…what…you both just decided you were married."

"Sure." Hawks smiled. "Isn't that what it really is all about in the end." He stood. "Every morning, you get up, and no matter what you're feeling, you look at the person beside you and accept you made a vow, and then get on with your life."

Bubbles' brow compressed. "No, I…I get it."

She did.

She might never understand the depths of love, might never appreciate it—or perhaps want to—but she could sense the starkness of its confidence in him. Maybe she even envied how vibrant it made him.

Hawks gave a yawn. "Anyway, I better start patrol. You going to be okay?"

Bubbles nodded. "I'll be fine."

"You sure? I'm asking you to go against your strong righteous moral streak and devotion to bureaucracy."

"Hawks, your wife is caught up in a scary web of scariness that could dismantle the stability of society if we revealed its existence. I get it. I do."

"Okay." He spun around. "Just checking. I mean, you are the best personal assistant in all Japan, and Rilo is a little worried you're upset at us." He jutted a thumb over his shoulder. "I just left her crying and distressed that she's ruined our deep, overwhelmingly amazing working relationship," he playfully settled his hands to his chest as he leant towards her, his brow raised, "and she's like, super sorry for existing…and so on…so forth…female drama…stuff…I donno."

"Wow. You're so sympathetic to your poor wife." Bubbles scoffed.

"I'm here, yeah." He quipped back.

That made her pause.

Oh—

It wasn't his words.

It was his actions.

She breathed in deeply. "Okay, yes, I am very upset you flung all this on me during my finest hour." Bubbles huffed. "But, as the best personal assistant in all Japan, I will deal with this, and I will deal with it brilliantly."

His warm, golden smile returned, and she felt the intensity of his dazzling brilliance as he spread his wings. "I expect nothing less, Bubbles."

He was still Hawks.

00000

Izuku studied his hands, flipping them back and forth.

They didn't look any different.

Well—

They were calloused and rough, but that was from all the work he was putting in down at the beach.

It was odd. All day at school, he'd been glancing down at them, expecting to see them dripping in blood or something, but, nope, they were just his ordinary hands. Izuku sighed, dropping his head back against the headboard of his bed. Laid out around him across the bedspread were all the files he needed to memorise on his 'new life'.

There were dates, and names, and locations and stories that he had to learn and imprint into his mind.

He'd have to be flawless to protect Mum, Rilo, Hawks, Dad—

He frowned at his hands.

Was he going to be good enough?

How could he even compare to All-Might—

Or even Hawks—

Izuku sighed. "Oh, come on…you're only thirteen," he laughed to himself.

Though, when Hawks was his age, he'd been forced to cut off the head of his trainer…so…there was that.

Izuku cringed into a pillow.

"Izuku, are you alright? What are you still doing awake?"

Izuku snapped up. Illumed by the soft glow of the corridor beyond his room, Yagi stood in the doorway.

"Oh…um…" Izuku quickly gathered up all the papers surrounding him. "I was just reading up on all the stuff about our family, you know, making sure I've got it all locked in my head." He tapped his temple.

Yagi stepped into his room and eased down on the bed beside him. It was always interesting how, even when in his gaunt form, he moved gingerly and with deliberate, firm steps. Even when he sat down, he always seemed to sit with an expectation that his weight would cause a frame beneath him to bend and buckle.

Izuku supposed years of habitual movements couldn't be easily undone. It was a bit like how Hawks always compensated for his wings around people and objects, only to get extremely pissed off at himself when he'd over compensated and struggled to gain back balance.

"Hawks told me about the other night. Do you want to talk about it?" Yagi's hand swallowed his knee, giving it a gentle pat.

Izuku frowned. "I don't know…Dad…"

"If you're not comfortable calling me that—"

"This is my new reality." Izuku smiled, knowing his eyes were getting watery. "And you know, I'm really happy it's you. You've been a part of my life…my whole life…you saved me, you gave me hope."

Izuku crawled forward, collapsing into Yagi's arms and huddling against him. It didn't matter that he wasn't in his All-Might form, everything about him was still strong, and affirming and solid. The hands that held him were scarred and worn from decades of work.

"I know it's weird, but…but you've kind of already been my Dad, just, now, you actually get to be here."

"I am here." Yagi's arms tightened. "I will always be here, Izuku."

Izuku nodded into Yagi's shoulder. Slowly, he eased back.

"Um. Are you upset that Hawks took me out last night."

Yagi sighed.

"I gave Hawks full permission with your training. I know, in my heart, I am not suited to teach you what you need to know, it just pains me that we are putting you through this so young."

"I'll be okay," Izuku assured.

Yagi chuckled. "Oh, Izuku. You shouldn't be the one assuring me." His hair was ruffled. "Everything will be alright, son."

"As long as we're all together, right?" Izuku asked.

"Yes. Indeed." Yagi eased off the bed. "Try to get some sleep."

Izuku nodded, tucking himself down into the All-Might themed bedcovers. "Goodnight, Dad."

Yagi paused at the door for the briefest of moments before he left. Izuku curled himself up tightly, and let exhaustion seep over him. As wild as his new reality was, and as scary as the future seemed, he'd never felt so safe.

Authors Note:

Thank you, everyone, for reading. I really appreciate it. ^_^