Spring Break

by winterziyle

When it rains, it pours. The lightbulb Hawks caught is safe - at least for now - but in freeing the lightbulb, did he stir the already boiling pot? The streets seem peaceful enough, but whispers of dissiance are beginning to rouse the Underground on all sides. The villain Porcupine is threatening an imbalance in Fukuoka. The streets may seem peaceful. They soon won't be.

1. Chapter 1: Regrowth

Authors Note:

Hey yo!

I'm back!

This story is a direct continuation of 'Fate's Fickle Wings' - so - basically, if you haven't read that, this story might not make much sense. I mean, you can just jump into this one if you want, but I sorta recommend reading 'Fate' to understand some of the stuff that's happened to lead up to this point. ^_^

For those of you coming on from 'Fate's Fickle Wings' - this picks up basically a day or so after Hawks and Rilo have woken up.

Thanks for reading.

I hope you enjoy. ^_^

WinterZiyle

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Chapter One:

Regrowth

Dabi flung the newspaper down in front of Hawks. "Congratulations, looks like you're the flavour of the month."

It took a moment, but Hawks slowly raised his head from the cool surface of the kitchen counter in the poky little apartment. They'd only been bunking there for two nights—that he could remember—and already, he hated it. Though, it probably had more to do with the painful regrowth of his wings, and the sheer amount of overtime heaped onto his shoulders, than the actual environment itself.

Though the overwhelming hot pink-ness of the décor was migraine inducing. How Bucket had ever lived amongst all the bright clutter was beyond Hawks' comprehension.

Rubbing at his blurry eyes, Hawks reached for his coffee mug as he peered down at the headline.

"A rising symbol? Hm. They could have come up with something better."

"Really? Personally, I think the article is pretty good. You're just a bias dick, cause it's about you." Dabi cranked the coffee machine, making Hawks wince at the abuse, but he couldn't complain as, none of the appliances in the apartment belonged to him. Nope. They now all belonged to Dabi, because for some godforsaken reason, Bucket and Floral had decided giving a psychopathic villain the keys to a new life was somehow going to magically fix him.

Cause rainbows, and fairies, and magic pixie dust fixed villains or some shite. Gah. Reformists. They always had such high ideals of peace and harmony and fuck—now he was bunking with Dabi—fuck—

Did that make him a reformist?

What if he'd always been one?

Oh no.

Shite.

Fuck living with a cat—

Fuck—

"That sidekick of yours, the water-type…what's her name?" Dabi clicked his fingers.

"Bubbles."

"Yeah, that one." Dabi flipped out a spoon. "She's very good at wrangling things in your favour."

"That's why I hired her."

"The point I'm trying to make, pretty birdie, is that the people like you. Even villains like you. You sure that's not your quirk."

"There is a man out there who works for the Hearts and Minds Party whose quirk is charisma."

"The fucking what party?"

Hawks shook his head. "You'll hear about it soon enough I'm sure." He sipped his coffee. "Can you imagine though, having a charisma quirk. The damage you could do with that."

"Damage? Nah…the possibilities!" Dabi chuckled. "The power."

"No thank you. I'd prefer a peaceful, lazy life, secluded somewhere in the countryside, where flight restrictions don't matter, and I can raise a bunch of little kids with Rilo. Who wants power when…you could have peace, and quiet and fucking sleep."

"Babies do not equal sleep, Hawks." Dabi arched an eyebrow at him.

"How would you know that?"

"Because I've worked in brothels, and no matter how safe people are, brothels will always equal babies."

Hawks flopped back over the kitchen counter. "Any of them ever yours?"

"Eh, good question. I don't know." Dabi tapped the rim of his coffee cup. He looked around the apartment. "It's nice, having a place. If I get the tattoo parlour going, I might be able to hire some of the girls, move them down here to Fukuoka, to a more stable city. That'll give their kids opportunities, you know, like proper schools."

Hawks eased back. "You've given this some thought."

"Heh. There aren't many places that let unregistered folk work good jobs, or let unregistered kids attend schools. Your prefecture is one of the few."

"You have no idea how much I fight for that every council sitting. It gets harder every year." Hawks sighed, glancing down at the paper. "Though, maybe I'll have a bit more clout this time round. All-Might's name carries a lot of weight…"

Dabi leant forward, playfully tapping his mug on the pink countertop. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown."

Hawks gave a small laugh. "I never wanted any responsibilities."

"Yeah, you fucked that up big time." Dabi flicked his forehead.

Hawks groaned into his arms.

"So, how's the princess?"

Hawks glanced over his shoulder to the bedroom, and the light leaking out under the door. His shift had been a late one, and he'd only returned for a few hours for sleep. Things were getting complicated and chaotic trying to find a balance of work at the agency with everything that had happened over the Ranking weekend.

He and Rilo—

They just weren't getting time to sit and talk things over, or to even just breathe and pause, to realise they'd made it to the other side.

"She's alive."

"Yeah. I noticed that." Dabi arched an eyebrow. "Can't fuck a corpse. Well. I could—"

"Okay. Thanks…Dabi…for that illumining piece of information." Hawks held up both hands.

"Your ability to go from batshit killer to squeamish little boy is truly, truly one of your best qualities."

Hawks sighed, folding over onto his arms. "It's not over."

Dabi leant on the counter. "You mean the shite with the Bureau?"

"Hm." Hawks grumbled. "I have a bad feeling."

His newly grown plumage, all fluffy and—as Izuku and Rilo kept telling him—cute—super cute—had a horrible tingly feeling, that sure, might have been linked to the usual ache and pain of regrowth—but he knew better.

He knew it meant something was still off—he hadn't fixed everything.

Dabi held out a cookie jar. Hawks stared at it in confusion for a moment before slowly reaching into the jar and removing one of the cookies.

"Your wife made them yesterday." Dabi commented. "She got bored, which seems to make her all domestic. It's very amusing to watch."

Hawks' stomach clenched tight. Shite. He hadn't even asked her how she was doing—or if she was okay staying in the apartment—she didn't have anything. He'd blown up her only home, along with everything she'd ever loved and known.

Alright—so—he'd been a bit of an arsehole now that he thought about it.

Had he?

He smiled at the cookie, giving it a nibble. It was extremely sweet. No surprise there. Rilo had a terrible sweet tooth.

Dabi refilled both their coffee mugs. "On your subject of a bad feeling, I do have intel from my side of the fence. Porcupine is making his presence known amongst the villain hangouts. I might have to head out to throw my weight around if I want to keep the peace amongst the lower ranks, otherwise you could end up with a few loose heads on the streets."

"You think that's his plan, to stir up dissidence and cause an influx of villain activity?"

"Hm." Dabi tapped his foot back and forth idly. "It's a good plan. He's a mass murderer, right? Class-b?"

Hawks nodded.

Dabi dropped his head back. "He is going to aim for mass casualties. There is no way someone like him will not take the opportunity to fucking blow that whistle. The pleasure it'd bring would simply be too much of a high."

Hawks dragged his hands through his hair in frustration. Really—there never was an 'ideal' or 'good' time to deal with a villain, but for some reason, he always felt like his life conspired to throw situations at him when he was already swamped.

What was that saying?

When it rained, it poured.

"So, what'cha gonna do?" Dabi asked.

"Kill everyone," Hawks hissed.

"This is a good plan. I like your plans." Dabi grinned. "You come up with the best plans."

"Shut up, Dabi. I'm thinking." Hawks lowered his aching head. He really would have much preferred to have been in bed right now, wrapped up around Rilo, feeling that warm buzz from her quirk prickle against his skin and sooth out the ache in his muscle as he absorbed her output.

But no—

Instead he was being an idiot and punishing himself, staying out here, in the bleak, ugly pink kitchen, feeling sorry for himself.

Hawks raised a hand, pointing a finger at Dabi. "Okay. I need you to stay glued to Rilo for the next few days. It is highly likely she's going to be the focus of the attack. I must presume that Porcupine is still under contract by the Bureau, and since they must know they can't take me out, they'll go for her."

"What if I don't want to baby-sit your wife?" Dabi arched an eyebrow. "Ever thought that maybe I have other things I want to do with my time?"

Hawks cocked his head to one side. "You will do this, Dabi."

"Will I?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Dabi clapped his hands down on the countertop. "What do I get in return for my esteemed services?"

"Your fingers remaining attached to your body."

"Nice. I do like having fingers."

"Would you prefer money?"

"No, no." Dabi studied his fingers, and the glint of blood dripping from the paper-thin line running across them. "Attached fingers are fine."

A single calcified feather flickered in the dim light as it twirled back around. Dabi flinched slightly as it zipped past his ear, vanishing back into the soft plumage of Hawks' recovering wings.

"Fuck, you are terrifying." Dabi murmured. "I'd so love to take you to a villain meet."

"So I can fucking murder everyone?" Hawks pulled back, disgusted.

"No, so I can look awesome standing next to you as you murder everyone."

"Oh fuck off."

"This is my apartment, Hawks, you fuck off."

Hawks groaned into his hands.

0000

Izuku stared down at the bento lunch Rilo had made for him.

It was—

It was so cute.

She'd wrapped the little box in an All-Might themed napkin. Since he knew her entire collection of All-Might merchandise had gone up in flames when the powerplant had—er—mysteriously been destroyed the other weekend—it meant she'd purposely gone out just to get the little themed box and napkin for him.

Just for him.

Just for his time with them.

He vibrated with happiness.

"Careful, broccoli-top, you'll take off from all that joy you radiate." Dabi ruffled his hair fondly while passing by.

Izuku pouted at the villain, who so casually swung himself onto a stool by the kitchen counter where Hawks was finishing his morning coffee, though, it might not have been his first coffee. Hawks had taken a late-night shift, and he was pretty sure he'd heard him come home sometime in the early hours of the morning, but he just wasn't quite sure. The apartment was small, and Dabi had the lounge-bed, Rilo and Hawks had the main bedroom, and he was bunking down on the couch in the tattoo parlour. It was sort of working—so far—

Though if Izuku was being honest, it was weird—trying to wrap his head around the idea that Hawks wasn't capturing Dabi and dragging his arse to the police station in cuffs.

Or—

Hawks wasn't even attempting to kill Dabi and dispose of his body, which, Izuku privately thought would have been a lot more satisfying. Dabi was Dangerous, with a capital D. Having both Hawks and Dabi sitting in the same kitchen, had the same compressing feeling as All-Might being in a room.

Power.

Controlled power.

He felt so small and so insignificant beside them.

Dabi nudged Hawks. "You still going out today to mop up after all the chaos you caused?"

Hawks glanced up from leaning on his coffee mug. He had an intend on his forehead. He frowned at Dabi. "My city didn't fall into anarchy, thank you very much. I'm not wiping blood off the streets."

"Ah ha." Dabi poured himself a coffee. "That kid without a leg would disagree."

Hawks sighed.

"Still trying to wrap my head around how you fucked that up so badly." Dabi jeered. "I mean, come on. You, Wing Hero, against one quirk-less arsehole. You should have won that, don't care how drugged you were. I'm extremely disappointed."

"Yes, Dabi, because I exist solely to supply you with entertainment."

"Ah…yeah…basically."

"I overclocked myself, alright. Congratulations, you've discovered my greatest weakest; I can burn out, and drugs fuck me up. Big whoop."

"I'll spike your coffee." Dabi cracked a grin.

Hawks lifted his middle finger.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure your biggest weakness is the princess, but don't worry, I'll pretend it's the drugs. You know, just to throw off all those nasty villains." Dabi spread his hands, wiggling the long fingers. Izuku squinted at Dabi's hands. Each finger had a bright pink, neon band-aid wrapped around it.

Er—

That was a bit odd. Had Dabi hurt his hands?

Hawks eased off his seat. "Rilo mentioned you two were heading out?"

"I want to vomit every time I walk through the door." Dabi gagged.

"Ah." Hawks glanced around the apartment. "Floral's taste is a…er…overwhelming…"

Izuku bit his bottom lip, holding in his amusement.

Yeah—

The flowery pink wallpaper, ghastly pink décor and furniture wasn't exactly what he'd have pictured Dabi living in.

"The princess understands my pain." Dabi placed a hand to his chest. "So we're going to head to a few hardware stores, you know, things like that. See if we can't knock this place up into something a little more…er…"

Dabi glanced around and gave a shiver.

"Not hot pink?" Hawks offered.

"Yeah. Not hot pink."

Hawks smiled. "The only true pink is a pink lightbulb."

"Okay." Dabi pointed to him. "You're going to horny jail. Begone. Leave. Out."

Hawks collected his own bento from the kitchen counter. "Fine. Fine. I'll be off. Just make sure Rilo doesn't do any heavy lifting, and that she keeps her veil on." He turned. "Rilo! Honey! No heavy lifting!"

"I know, I know." Rilo's stuck her head around the bedroom door. "I'll be careful, I promise."

Hawks tipped around. "That's all I ask, babe. Thanks for lunch."

She beamed. "I love you."

"Nah, I love you more." Hawks twirled around playfully.

Rilo made a little heart symbol with her fingers, giving a duckie face.

Hawks grinned, returning the gesture.

"Stop it, both of you, that's enough, out!" Dabi pointed to the apartment door. "Leave before I vomit on my carpet."

Hawks laughed in delight, a sound Izuku was so relieved to hear.

"Bye Izuku! Have an amazing day at work!" Rilo's voice was the last thing Izuku heard as the door of the apartment clapped shut behind him. Work—that's right—it hadn't really sunk in, but, he was here to work as a hero, to train up to receive a powerful quirk. Was it weird that he kept forgetting he didn't have a quirk?

He quickly followed Hawks, trailing down the stairs into the tattoo parlour and out into the predawn of the quiet street. Hawks whistled as he skipped, rounding the building and heaving open the garage. For a startling moment, Izuku froze in shock.

Wait—

Was Hawks going to drive Dabi's car?

That'd be impossible.

Hawks' hated cars.

A fact he had only recently discovered with Hawks' having shed his wings and being grounded. It was surprising at just how much Hawks disliked being shoved into a vehicle that moved. Really, he'd have thought Hawks would have appreciated them.

"Oh…" Izuku breathed out. "It's a motorbike, is it Dabi's as well?"

"Oh, no, no. This is mine." Hawks' shoulders slumped back. "I spent hard earned money on this piece of trash."

Ah—

It didn't look like a piece of trash.

It looked amazing.

"God, I hate this thing." Hawks swung himself onto the sleek, red vehicle. Izuku was positive any little kid would have loved it, and probably wanted posters of it on their wall or something. Well—not him—he wasn't really the sort—but he could see Kaachan or Eijiro really liking it. Yeah, it was totally Eijiro's style with all the red and black.

"So, why do you own it?" he asked.

"For the sad, depressing occasions when I can't fly." Hawks pursed his lips.

"See, that's why you hate it." Izuku stuffed on the helmet that was passed to him. "You don't hate cars or motorbikes, you just have bad experiences with them because you've only ever used them when you don't have wings. So, naturally, you'd hate them."

"Well look at you, little arm-chair phycologist." Hawks chuckled, knocking his helmet playfully. "Hold on tight, alright?"

Izuku nodded, gripping Hawk's around the waist.

So—

Six months ago, he'd had never imagined this would have been his life; sitting on the back of a motorbike with Hawks: Wing Hero, Number Four, training to become the next holder of a quirk that could be transferred from welder to welder.

It still felt surreal. It still felt like he was in a waking dream, and that his actions weren't his own. That the Izuku who had ran at the sludge villain that day to save Kaachan had been taken over by some external force and he was now following that force, step by step.

Izuku tightened his hold around Hawks' middle. He was so grateful. Grateful for that day—the day that had changed everything—and grateful for All-Might, and Hawks, and his Mum. His world had expanded rapidly, and he felt so full, after his empty life.

Rapidly speeding through the streets of Fukuoka on the back of a motorbike wasn't at all as freeing a feeling as flying through the clouds, which was probably why Hawks was ignoring every speed limit restriction that existed.

And he had the audacity to lecture Dabi about the same thing.

Thanks to Hawks' truly reckless driving they arrived at the agency way before sun-up. As they pulled into the agency's garage, Izuku pondered if Hawks even had a licence, and mentally debated the very real possibility of him having just forged the document because—yeah—that'd be totally something Hawks would actually do, because his mentor was that lazy.

Hawks swung off the bike with a bounce, yanking off his helmet.

Izuku clambered down with less grace, grateful when his legs found solid ground. Hawks helped him remove his helmet and his head came free with a soft pop.

Izuku shuffled.

"Um, Hawks…"

"Yup."

"Did Dad and Mum sound upset that I…er…you know…haven't gone home?"

Hawks hung the helmets up on a rack.

Izuku hobbled anxiously, twisting his hands about. He flinched as Hawks suddenly tapped him under the chin, reminding him to lift his head. He attempted to do so, struggling to raise his eyes to look up at his mentor. Sometimes, he fell into his old habits of hiding—of curtailing himself behind fear and timidness. He was just glad Hawks was patient with him, and never thought less of him for his nervousness.

"Baby birdie, Mum and Dad understand that you've made a decision to become a hero. This won't just be a sacrifice on your part, but also one on theirs as well. For Dad, it will mean something monumental, as we both know. For Mum, it means having to let her baby boy go. I don't think either of us can truly understand what that means for a mother."

Hawks' expression was completely blank and stale in that moment.

Izuku bit his bottom lip.

"However, I do suggest giving them a call this evening. With everything that went on over last weekend, I know they'd appreciate hearing from you, especially your mother."

"Okay." Izuku nodded. "I will."

"Good." Hawks waved a hand over the activation panel for the garage door. "Maybe you'll be able to convince Mum not to murder me."

"Ohhhh, how did you piss off Mum?" Izuku laughed.

Hawks dragged a hand through his hair. "She didn't appreciate my excuse for not being with Rilo during her operation, nor did she find my explanation for Etio losing his leg very satisfactory."

"That's not fair. Mum can't blame you for what happened?"

"I'm a hero, Izuku. When things go wrong, I am to blame. That's just how it is. Dabi is right. I should have managed to restrain Osamu before you did, the fact that I couldn't, only shows me that I truly underestimated the effects of the tranquilizer."

Izuku watched as the plumage feathers beginning to regrow around Hawks' shoulders ruffled up in a show of his displeasure.

"Mum also stipulated very firmly that, what if it hadn't been a tranquilizer. What if I had misjudged, what if they'd just shot me with something unknown? God forbid, what if they'd developed something that removes quirks?"

Izuku sucked in a sharp breath. "Mum said that?"

"She did. She went there." Hawks sighed. "She's worried. And I suppose she has a point. It is always possible that there will come a time, when the things I think I know will be wrong."

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah…Mum…er…she can be a bit…harsh."

Hawks chuckled. "Nah. It's good. Never really had a parental figure talk to me like that before. From a place of caring, not condemnation."

Izuku felt his neck crawl. For some reason, his mind just flipped back to the dark hotel room, and Madam in her pin-stripe suit. She hadn't been tall, she hadn't been all that imposing, and yet, she'd seemed to fill up that room in which four heroes had stood—one of them All-Might himself.

That—

That had been true power.

To make heroes quell their knees.

Izuku clenched his fists.

"Izuku, stop dawdling, come on."

"Oh, um…yes!"

"Gosh, you're always stuck in a daydream."

"I am not!" Izuku protested. He dodged a head slap and grinned in victory as Hawks glanced down at him, impressed at his quick movement.

"Nice reflexes, baby birdie."

"Well, my mentor is the fastest hero in Japan."

Hawks laughed. "Cheek."

Izuku loved the Hawks Agency. It was open and airy, and had a golden, always autumn quality to it. That was Hawks' favourite season, according to all the magazine write-ups, and it was probably correct considering the very subtle way the agency was themed towards the season.

It was still dark out, and the streets outside were just beginning to come awake with early morning commuters. Hawks glanced up at the lights shining above them from the lounge area, suspended between the four large main beams than ran through whole agency like four great trees.

"Looks like Bubbles is back from her shift. We timed that well then." Hawks glanced at his watch. "Okay, so, I've got to catch up on a fuck-ton of admin that I've missed over the last few days."

"Ewww." Izuku pulled a face.

Hawks sighed despondently. "Depressing, I know, but alas, it is a part of the job. You can either help me with that, or go on foot patrol with Canary and keep him company, since he's grounded as well."

"Foot patrol!" Izuku flung up his hand. "I pick foot patrol!"

"Wooooo!" Canary appeared over the walkway railing, dangling down from above. "Buddy time!"

"Canary, get down. You're grounded and I can't catch you if you fall."

"I'm fine, boss."

"Canary. Get the fuck down." Hawks snapped.

Canary swung onto the walkway. "Okay. Okay. Someone is cranky."

Hawks headed for his office. "Take the north route in sector two, and Canary—"

"Call in every half-hour, yes sir, I know sir."

"You brought this on yourself." Hawks glanced back. "Be grateful I didn't fire your arse."

Izuku watched as Hawks vanished into his office and the door slammed shut, the sound resounding through the entire agency.

Canary blew a long rasp. "Fire my arse, yeah right, giant softie."

"Er…is he…angry?" Izuku glanced up at Canary.

"Nahhh." Canary twirled around happily on his toes. "He's irritated. That's different from anger. Hawks very rarely gets angry. He's extremely good at controlling his emotions, to the point that I usually don't feel much from him. That doesn't mean he isn't experiencing emotions; it just means he's containing them in a way that they're not controlling his personal actions. It makes him very peaceful to be around."

Izuku trotted after Canary, following him up the stairs to the lounge. Canary yanked open the fridge and Izuku handed him his bento. Canary stashed it away on a little shelf, where his name had been written out and stuck down.

"Bubbles likes things to be neat." Canary offered. "So, keep that in mind in the lounge. Always make sure you wash up your cups and dishes, otherwise she will unleash the wrath of a sea goddess on you."

Izuku giggled.

Canary handed Izuku a water-bottle from the fridge, tucking his own into a pouch around his waist. Izuku glanced down at his own uniform, finding the same pouch.

"When Hawks is in pain, that changes everything. He gets really irritated and grumpy, and it's so much worse if he grounded. He can't fly as a way of de-stressing, and he can't escape admin duties."

They emerged from the agency and Izuku flipped down his visor. He really didn't need it on predawn, but eventually, the sun would rise and the light from all the reflective windows around them would get horribly oppressive against his eyes.

"It also doesn't help that his sense quirk is muted." Canary sighed, rubbing at his wounded shoulder. "So, we'll have a grumpy boss for a bit."

"Ah well." Izuku shrugged. "If a grumpy Hawks is the worst outcome, I'd say we got through it all rather well."

Canary laughed. "You know, that is a rather good way to look at it."

00000

000

The high trapeze was something Hawks had installed entirely for himself, mostly for the long night shifts when he was alone and needed something to whittle away time with. But it was also handy for the times when he was wingless, and all he wanted was to just feel the motion of his body in movement. He'd spent the morning clearing his backlog of admin, and it had been agonizing to get through. There had been a considerable number of complaints about the lockdown in conjunction with the blackout. Not complaints from citizens, no—so far—his citizens had been all rather concerned and worried about his well-being, and Rilo's well-being. Which was all rather sweet, really. It was always confronting when he was shown proof of his popularity.

Sure, he might have been crowned number four, but the Ranking felt corporate and distasteful. Knowing who—and what he was to Madam—he had felt like a toy being put on a shelf, to be shown-off for the gratification of others.

Receiving honest, warm and comforting messages from the people of his city was completely different. It was immersive. It showed what he did—it made a difference.

Still, there had been complaints—

All corporate and bureaucratic.

Draconian; the mayor had labelled the lockdown draconian.

Hawks gave a small laugh.

Oh—

The little annoying man didn't know the meaning of the word draconian. The European Conglomerate that Medusa had fled was draconian.

He could almost hear the irritating, grating voice of the mayor dictating the email he'd received, harping on about the over-use of power awarded to heroes.

Hawks flipped and swung, landing on the bar with a small bounce. He followed the momentum of the trapeze and dropped, looping several times around the bar until he came to a halt upside down.

"The over-use of power, heh…" Hawks muttered.

True—

He probably had abused his position by orchestrating events to his favour in such a way that he'd be permitted to act without repercussions. If the Bureau went after Rilo now, they'd be further inciting the instability and unrest within society, and he highly doubted they wanted an actual civil war.

At least not the top brass, who relished in the comforts provided to them by the decades of exploitation.

So—

That left the die-hards, the true-believers—

Like Osamu.

Hawks breathed in deeply.

Osamu wasn't alone in his sentiments. He had simply escalated them. Something—or someone—had triggered him to do so.

And that was the concerning worry that niggled at his aching, regrowing wings.

For the longest time he'd felt the tensions between the different factions of meta-humans, and the quirk-less, had been comfortable, manageable. Madam would have him kill someone, here or there, who'd poke their head up in the wrong direction and things would maintain an uneasy equilibrium.

But—

He'd caught a lightbulb—

Hawks swung up, landing on the trapeze's platform.

The fact was, he couldn't pretend that he wasn't a part of the narrative.

He had to choose—

"Hawks!"

He sighed at Bubbles shout, echoing up through the agency. Break time was over.

"Yes, Bubbles!" He peered down into the agency below.

"Hawks? Where are you?"

"Up on the trapeze." He shouted.

"Can you come down, you've got a visitor."

Part of him hoped it was Rilo, but he suspected it wasn't. He'd had felt her searing energy if she'd been nearby. Ever since waking up next to her, their reciprocal flow had resurged. Just standing next to her made him feel lighter and less fatigued.

Oh—

He could bask in her warm rays all day.

They just—

They hadn't tried fucking yet.

She was nervous. He could tell in the way she moved around him. She was terrified of her quirk. She'd never experienced life without the mod-hancer, so, what was he supposed to expect—of course she'd be nervous, confused and even uncomfortable.

He just had no idea how to assure her everything was fine, especially between them.

His headspace was—

Hawks rubbed at his face in frustration.

His headspace was stuck in an underground facility, surrounded by cylinders, and he could not shake the sight of Rilo's lifeless body suspended in front of him hooked up to a fucking machine. Every time he closed his eyes—

That image was stuck there.

He was trying to shove the other issue deep down, away from his mind entirely. The issue about how she sometimes flinched away from him with fear in her eyes. He instinctively knew he wasn't the one she was afraid of; she was seeing something else entirely. It was just—

How was he supposed to assure her she was safe?

What was he supposed to say?

He'd put her in the situation in the first place.

With a sigh, Hawks jumped off the platform, slowing his decent with his new plumage, though, he did land with a pretty good thump in the foyer. Enough of a thud to startle Bubbles.

"Sir! Oh my gosh, don't do that!" She clutched at her chest.

Hawks clapped at his knees. "You called?"

"Oh, ah…yes—"

"Yay! Hawks!"

Hawks stepped back as Haia barrelled straight into him.

"Whoa. Whoa." Hawks hoisted the boy up. "Who let you out into the wild?"

"I have a grandpa!" Haia clambered over Hawks' back.

"Easy, Haia, easy." Hawks chided. "I'm a bit sore."

"Oh…sorry…" Haia hugged carefully around the neck. "You look funny without wings."

"Rude." Hawks tweaked Haia's cheek.

He held out an arm to the far more reserved Jaku, who slipped in beneath the arm to hug him tightly.

"How you doing, Jaku?"

"I'm okay." Jaku kept his gaze to the ground. "Um. Mum…Mum should be getting out in a day or two."

"Yeah? That's good news." Hawks forced a smile. "What have you two been up too? I hope you didn't both wander over here alone?"

The sudden, horrid thought struck him.

Jaku rolled his eyes. "No, Hawks. Gran Torino came to get us the other day, we've been staying at a hotel with him…you know…since…um…we…we can't…go to the…house…um…he wanted to come by the agency…but…we got lost." Jaku despondently looked to the side, shuffling. "And then I realised my mobile was at the house, and…and…I didn't have your number."

"Aw, kiddo, I'm sorry." Hawks crouched down. "I should have checked with you before I left the other day."

Jaku shook his head. "Things have been really…um…complicated."

"They have been, yeah."

"Anyway, Izuku and Canary found us, so, it's okay." Jaku beamed, wiping at his teary eyes.

Ah, so that explained how they'd made their way to the agency then. Hawks hoisted Haia off his aching shoulders, standing to his feet. The glass doors of the agency hissed open to reveal Izuku and a short, grey-haired man, dressed in a white shirt, dark blue jeans that would have made Jeanie so proud, and hideously bright cowboy boots that matched a bright, shining belt. It was the walking cane that really made Hawks' brow twitch. It was a gangly thing, that looked as though the man had just plucked it off a tree somewhere and decided to use it to prop himself—and his horrid boots—up as he shuffled along.

Gran Torino.

How fascinating.

Hawks had never expected to meet a hero of the man's generation. It was impressive that Gran Torino still held a hero's licence at his age, when so many heroes burnt out well into their thirties and forties—sometimes even earlier, as Hawks knew would have been his future, if he'd not caught Rilo. Though he was beginning to wonder if his knees would simply give out on him in the end. Not even an endless supply of energy could fix fucked up knees.

From memory, his file on Gran Torino had contained little on the hero but praise for his deeds—his impressive speed—and brutally tactical precision in taking down villains. It had all indicated that Gran Torino had been—and most likely still was—brilliantly intelligent. He also knew this man was one of Yagi's mentors, and one of the few people who knew of the existence of One for All.

So—

Was he looking at an ally—

Or at a hindrance?

Would this grandfather be for or against Izuku taking on the torch that was going to be handed to him soon.

"Izuku, aren't you supposed to be on foot patrol?" Hawks teased, cocking his head to one side.

Izuku began waving his hands around frantically.

"No, um. Hawks. Sir. Um. You see…um…Canary and I…we um…we met Gran Torino while out on patrol. He didn't know the way to the agency, so I offered to escort him and the kids back here."

"Thank you, Izuku. I appreciate that." Hawks motioned over his shoulder. "Would you mind taking Haia and Jaku up to the lounge, find them a snack, yeah?"

"Sure thing." Izuku beamed. "Come on, you two." Izuku heaved Haia up onto his shoulders. "Canary keeps a secret stash of lollies…he thinks it's totally well hidden, but I found it. Let's go raid it!"

"Yeah! Eat all the lollies!" Haia squealed. "All of them!"

Hawks shook his head as the three charged up the stairs, heading for the lounge. He tipped his head down at Gran Torino. "So, Haia is going to be hyped up."

The elder hero gave a small chuckle, tapping his walking stick. "It'll be a good distraction. It's been hard to get him to smile these last few days."

Hawks sighed. "I can imagine."

"He doesn't quite understand why he can't go home, or why he won't be seeing his father again. It's difficult on the elder two, trying to explain it over and over."

"They're amazing boys." Hawks rubbed at his neck.

"Adversity creates character, or some nonsense." Gran Torino muttered.

"Or some nonsense." Hawks motioned to the stairs. "So, we can talk in my office, need help getting up there?"

The elderly gentleman arched an eyebrow up at him. He was poked roughly in the leg with the walking stick. "Do I look like I'm a decrepit old man, to you, boy?"

Hawks smirked as he twirled away, bouncing up the stairs. "No, sir."

So, maybe Tsubame's temper had been hereditary.

Hawks clipped shut his office door, giving Gran Torino an amused look. The elder hero's eyes had settled on the large, framed art piece on the wall by his desk. It was one of Rilo's architectural sketches, that he'd requested from her, just for his office. A stunningly detailed sketch of Fukuoka Tower, and two little figures sitting aloft its heights. Eventually he hoped she'd work on a full piece of the Fukuoka skyline for the foyer, but, considering he'd blown up her drawing supplies with the powerplant—

Yeah—

They needed a house.

In his true minimalist style, he kept even his office scarce of hindrances and annoyances, but he had a couch—a very comfortable couch that he often napped on. He stared at the couch longingly, wishing he was napping with Rilo right about now. His regrowing wings were just making his whole-body ache something fierce.

Gran Torino glanced around curiously. "This room, is it secure?" he asked.

Hawks inclined his head. "Probably one of the most secure places in Fukuoka, if you're wanting to discuss One for All."

The look he received was everything he'd expected from someone who knew a secret so dangerous, and so life-altering. Immediate suspicion, flickered over by confusion, then concern that folded into acceptance. "I see…so you know who I am then."

"I know a lot of things about a lot of people." Hawks shrugged lazily. "But I didn't know Tsubame was your daughter. That one was new to me. There are some heroes who do a good job keeping their families secure."

He hoped to be one of them—though he rather doubted that'd be the case, but he'd try.

"It was more ignorance on my part than a wish to protect what I loved. I was unaware of her until her mother passed, and by then, she wanted nothing to do with a hero like me. She was already set on her path, and meeting Osamu only twisted her up worse…" Gran Torino sighed as he eased down onto the couch. "He loathed meta-humans, and I never could figure out if it was fear, or jealously or a combination of both."

"Well, how about we grab Canary and go to the station and find out." Hawks mused. "I think I've calmed down enough that I won't immediately kill the man on sight."

"You believe you can get something out of him? A reason for his behaviour?"

Hawks leant back on his desk, picking up a pen to fiddle with it idly. He looked out the enormous panoramic window that filled out the wall of his office. The street below bustled with a hive of activity. Warm. Inviting. Safe.

His city was safe.

"It's just a bit too much of a coincidence for me that Osamu works at Tartarus, and Tartarus tranquilizers were used by the Bureau…and…a Tartarus inmate in currently prowling the streets of my city somewhere."

That was pissing Dabi off something fierce. If he understood anything about villain culture, an A-class like Dabi could stake a territory, even an entire city like Fukuoka, and any lower sub-class of villain honoured whatever code was implemented. As a b-class Porcupine was close enough of a threat to Dabi's stake claim, and was now throwing off some villain-hierarchical-balance, and Hawks really didn't like how that sounded. Dabi wasn't about to go on a mass murdering psychotic rampage—and if he did—he'd probably do it in another city. For some reason, Dabi liked Fukuoka and Hawks, frankly, wasn't going to argue with whatever villain logic that was.

Gran Torino blinked rapidly. "The Bureau?"

"The Bureau of Energy and Infrastructure. They're the ones who kidnapped my wife at the Ranking." Hawks swallowed. No—no—he wouldn't let his mind go back to that chamber, deep underground.

No—

"I thought it was a group of anti-quirk terrorists looking to capitalise on All-Might's return to Japan and announcement of his family." Gran Torino frowned.

Well, if a hero like Gran Torino had taken that line from the media, then the Bureau had managed to scrape through it without being mentioned at all. Arseholes.

"I wish society was ready to face the lies behind the curtain, but if all they can cope with is lies, and more lies, then what else can we do but give them hope in the form of lies." Hawks flicked the pen he held in the air.

"As heroes it is our duty to protect the ignorant masses." Gran Torino rubbed at a knee. "We must take the brunt of their burdens, their pains, their sufferings, so that they can live their mundane lives in peace, troubled only by mundane things."

Hawks gave a wiry smile. "I suppose that's one way to look at it."

"You remind me very much of Toshinori." Gran Torino shook his head. "He found himself constantly weighed down by the heavy crown of a hero's duties, and if he thought he failed in even the slightest way, he felt as though he'd betrayed his own idealism of what heroism was."

"True." Hawks mused. "I never do feel like I could ever live up to the idealistic image I have created for myself."

"You young folk…" Gran Torino waved his walking stick. "None of you ever have your heads on straight. Come over here so I can give you a good whack."

"Ah, no, I'll pass, grandpa." Hawks clapped his desk. "So, I presume you're here to help Tsubame with her move. She said something about you offering her a house by the beach? That's very generous."

"Heh, it's not like I'm using it." Gran Torino huffed. "And the boys need to get away of all this, especially Etio. I should have check up on them sooner…" His eyes shifted. "I should have put my foot down…or…done something…"

"Let's go ask Osamu some questions. I think as heroes, we'll both feel better after that." Hawks clapped his hands together. He startled up, off the desk, as the office door eased open. It was getting annoying, having his sense quirk so muted. It made him so very jumpy, and reminded him of the awful—

The awful times Madam stuffed him in a tiny, itty-bitty isolation tube.

The horrid grip of momentary fear vanished as his skin tingled with a rush of energy, and his hair puffed up in response. Gran Torino gaped at him in alarm. Hawks ruffled back his hair, trying to flatten it.

"Hey babe." He flashed a smile at Rilo as she carefully stepped into his office.

"Hi, um…I'm not interrupting, am I? Izuku said you were in here."

"Nope. Actually, good timing." Hawks waved her in, and she approached. He brushed a hand over her arm, delighting in the crackle of energy between them. "Rilo, this is Gran Torino, he's Tsubame's father, and a pro hero."

Rilo gave a formal bow.

"He also mentored your father."

"Oh—oh my gosh, really?" Rilo brightened up with a buzz. "You mentored Dad?"

"He never mentioned me?" Gran Torino looked utterly insulted.

Rilo bit her lips. "I'm so sorry…um…"

The elder hero gave a heavy sigh. "That would be Toshinori." Gran Torino eased onto his feet. "Well, I am sure you two don't need and old man like me bothering you. I'll go see what the boys are doing."

Hawks arched an eyebrow as he watched the old man wobble his way out of the office. Was that an act? It had to be an act—he had to be putting that pottering old man act on, right? If he was, it was a really good facade.

He flicked his attention back to Rilo. He hadn't expected to see her.

"Is everything alright?"

"Um."

"Rilo?" His chest clenched. "Did something happen?"

"No, no." She quickly shook her head. Rilo clutched her hands together, her shoulders rolling forward as she tucked herself tighter. She rubbed at her watery eyes. "Oh gosh. I'm…I'm sorry, Keigo. I'm just…I'm feeling so unsteady, and, you're the only solid thing I can cling to, and I feel so guilty about that."

"Don't feel guilty about holding onto me." Hawks reached for her hands. "Babe, I want you too. That's kind of the point. Never stop holding on."

He tugged her close, folding her up in his arms. "I know everything feels unstable right now, but let me assure you that the one thing which will remain solid for all eternity is my love for you."

She giggled into his chest.

"To much?"

Rilo shook her head, tightening her grip against his armour. "Perfect."

"Oh good, I've been trying to figure out how to word that all morning." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. His gaze shifted to the couch, and he sighed. "Fuck work."

Rilo laughed, following his line of sight. She clapped his cheek. "Eyes on the goal, handsome."

"Er. Getting you pregnant?"

She kicked his boot. "No, you goose, getting a house!"

"House, boring. I think we should make a baby, that's interesting. The possibilities are endless and ever expansive."

Rilo shoved him towards the door. "Okay. You're in a mood, and while it's incredibly adorable, it's not productive for work. Out. Out!"

Keigo tipped his head back. "I don't want to work. I want to make love, and sleep, and fly, and not work."

"Well rough luck, work wants you." She poked his cheek.

He laughed. "Stop advocating for work, babe."

They headed into the main hall, hearing the sound of laughter from the foyer. Hawks glanced down into the large bowl below, watching Izuku chase Haia around, catch him and throw him up and around.

Hawks ducked his head into Bubbles office. "Hey, Bubbles."

"Yup?" she looked up from her computers screen, her watery hair bobbing about. Spotting Rilo, she gave a warm smile of greeting.

"I'm going to pick up Canary on route to the police station, to have a chat with Osamu before they ship him off to wherever it is they send his sort."

Bubbles spun about on her chair, looking over at a large whiteboard on her office wall that had their assortment of names written out in time blocks, corresponding to their shifts and the city sectors. "Okay, but, try not to be too long. Things have been okay in sector three, so, skipping it this week should be alright, but, with Canary and you both grounded I do expect some rise in villain activity soon."

Rilo head poked up under his arm. "Why?"

Bubbles flapped a hand about. "Oh, it just happens when the news gets out. Riffraff think they can get away with more when Hawks is grounded."

"We'll make it quick." Hawks assured. "Thanks Bubbles."

Hawks took Rilo's hand, leading her down the stairs to join the small gathering. "You wouldn't mind looking after Jaku and Haia for a few hours, would you, while I deal with this?"

Rilo's brow furrowed. No doubt, she was putting pieces together. "No, no, that's not a problem." She assured.

He kissed her lightly. "Thanks."

Rilo waved to Jaku and Haia. "Come on, you two, Uncle Dabi has an amazing car! It's waiting outside."

"Gah, Dabi drove you."

"Yes, Keigo. Because you threatened him into being my bodyguard." Rilo pinched his arm.

"What?" He scoffed. "Nooo, I wouldn't do that."

"Ah ah." She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, okay, it's totally something I'd do." He shrugged.

Rilo smiled. "Thank you."

He was glad she understood his concerns, that she was willing to accept that he was worried, and was going along with his unspoken plans. He did love that about her, how she melded around him.

"Having fun, are you, doing up the apartment?" Keigo wiggled her chin.

"Dabi has horrid tastes. He's almost as bad as Floral and her explosion of pink. He's lucky to have me on his side to save him from the depths of interior design hell."

She was glowing. He couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed that he was missing out on the fun when she was so delighted.

"Oh well, aren't you in your element."

"Hm." She kissed his cheek. "Get me a house and I'll nest with you."

"One problem at a time, babe." He smirked into her neck. "Haven't even figured out how to fuck you yet."

She soothed back his hair. "We have all the time in the world now…"

They did.

Yes.

They did.

He liked that thought. It was a very good thought.

He kissed her knuckles. "Thanks. I needed that today."

"I love you, Keigo." She whispered into his ear, before pulling away. Her All-Might coloured dress swirled around her ankles, and she skipped away to take Jaku and Haia's hands, leading them out the main door of the agency.

Gran Torino stepped up to him. "Yagi never mentioned having a family, in all the years I've known him."

It was curiosity that Hawks caught foremost in the elderly gentleman's tone, not disbelief, or condemnation, just simple curiosity at the possibility that he'd missed something in his apprentices life.

"Did you ever mention a daughter?" Hawks quipped back.

"Hmp." The grandfather huffed. "No, I suppose not."

"What heroes do in the dark, stays in the dark, heh?" Hawks turned. "Izuku! Hurry up or we'll leave without you."

"I'm coming." Izuku shouted. Hawks watched as the brat jumped onto the edge of the stair railing and slid his way down, bouncing off the end with a whoop. He should have probably discouraged such behaviour but—heh—nah—

0000

There was a sombreness in the station as he entered through its glass doors. He hadn't felt this much like a stranger in the police station since he'd first walked into its ugly, green paint-flaky hallways as a teen pro hero. Knowing that Tsubame was always somewhere in the building had been his grounding foundation for years, or at least, if she wasn't in the building, she'd be on the radio for him to call up and whinge at.

Life had changed—

He was changing—

The world was changing—

Hawks leant up against the front desk, giving the officer a smile. "Hey yo, could you let Casy Yu know I'm in."

"Of course, sir."

Hawks eased back on his heels. Izuku was looking around, wide-eyed and doing his odd little vibrating trick of contained excitement. Poor Canary was frazzled, his sprained wing limp, and the other was in desperate need of a good groom. It was obvious by just looking at him that he hadn't been sleeping since his encounter with Porcupine, and the tranquilizer—while most definitely out of his system by now—had given him trouble.

"Hey, Hawks, Canary."

Hawks glanced over his shoulder. An officer was quickly approaching down the long hall. It was one of the detectives under Tsubame's department, Casy Yu. He'd tended to work more with Canary, as Hawks had always found him to be stable and consistent enough to trust with the young empath.

Casy paused, looking down at Gran Torino. "Oh, hello again sir."

Hawks startled. "You've met?"

"Yes. At the hospital, I was visiting the Lieutenant."

"The detective kindly showed me to my daughter's room." Gran Torino inclined his head.

"It wasn't a problem at all sir." Casy assured. "And, Izuku, good to see you too."

Izuku flashed a smile.

"Okay." Hawks held out his hands. "Apparently lots happened while I was knocked out."

"Oh, you missed a lot." Casy gave his arm a pat. "But we won't hold that against you, sir. I'm just glad your pretty wife is fine. Trust me when I say this, the whole of Fukuoka might have gone to war over it."

"Yeah…" Hawks flinched. "I'm starting to get that feeling from all the articles. It's a little unnerving."

"You're our hero, sir." Casy turned about. "Okay, so, we've had Osamu stashed away in one of the holding cells. He's due to be moved to the holding facility tomorrow, and I can wash my hands of him."

"Has he said anything to you?" Hawks asked.

"Well…" Casy led them down the hall. "He's refused all legal counsel, and he gave a complete confession, both verbal and written."

"Great. He's wanting to fast-track things to a judge, one of the quirk-less ones." Hawks sighed. "Shite. This is going to get very messy."

"Well, he could…you know…have an accident before then." Casy muttered.

"Casy." Canary gasped.

"What?" Casy shrugged. "You really believe we have a fair justice system? Please. The only reason why Fukuoka is a safe place is because you guys let us be—"

"Tyrannical, corrupt arseholes who deliberately loose paperwork." Hawks shouldered his way through a door.

Casy flipped out a hand. "Ah, yeah, that."

"Hawks, tell him we can't just scoot around the law." Canary spluttered.

"The law is there to protect the people, Canary, when it starts to not be for the people…what do the people do?" Hawks asked.

"I don't know." Canary looked down at his boots.

"That's what heroes are for, right?" Izuku piped up. "We're supposed to be the moral arbiters, capable of making decisions that others can't make—and shouldn't have to make. We take that burden on."

Hawks glanced down at Izuku.

"That is easier said than it is done, child." Gran Torino shook his head. "Heroes are just as much human as the next person. Indeed, we are, in many ways…just as much capable of being him." The elder motioned to Osamu, sitting in a small holding cell behind a glass window.

Hawks stepped up to the viewing window. Osamu was a mess. His wounds had been treated, but, that didn't take away from how brutally he'd been beaten. It was a testament, he felt, to how much Tsubame and the kids had struggled. Since he'd met Osamu at age sixteen, he'd disliked him, thought him a terribly foul character, full of bigoted hatred—but it hadn't been surprising to him, and it hadn't unnerved him.

Those loathsome eyes had always followed him everywhere in the Commission, from Madam, to lower handlers, to some of his teachers—then to members of the police force, to folk in the general populus that he worked hard to interact with and create stable communication links with.

Osamu had simply been another pair of eyes full of hate.

He couldn't possibly think that each pair of eyes was evil, could he?

The world didn't work like that. If it did, then he was just as guilty as Osamu.

Hawks glanced to Canary. "What you getting?"

Canary shook his head. "He's serene at the moment."

"Serene?"

"Content in his actions." Canary offered. "Happy, perhaps."

"Well, that's unsettling." Hawks frowned.

Gran Torino sighed. "Villains are often filled with euphoria after they have succeeded in their goal."

"But…then…what would his goal have been?" Izuku asked.

"Inflicting pain and suffering on his wife." Canary's hand settled on Izuku's head. "Because that is what he has felt she has done to him over all these years. Thus, she deserved it, tenfold, in his mind."

"But how could anyone think that way?" Izuku released an uneasy breath.

"Unfortunately, Izuku, the mind spins around and around, and sometimes, some people are just not strong enough to fight the current." Hawks headed for the door into the holding cell. "Canary."

"Yes sir."

"Gran Torino?" Hawks looked back at the elderly gentleman.

Gran Torino shook his head. "I must decline. I thought, perhaps, in my aged wisdom, I would be able to contain my anger…but I am afraid it may be to my detriment. If I face him, I may regret my actions."

Hawks inclined his head. "No shame in admitting that, sir."

Taking a deep breath to centre himself, Hawks grabbed the door handle into the holding cell and swept inside.

Osamu's grey eyes flicked up at him, and his lips turned up in a sneer.

"You're not dead."

"Nope." Hawks eased into the seat across the metal table. "Should I be?"

Osamu shook his head. "I was promised you wouldn't be problem."

"You know, that's the second time I've heard those exact words. I do wonder who promised such a ludicrous thing?" Hawks raised his brow.

Osamu scoffed.

"The Bureau of Energy and Infrastructure?" Hawks asked.

"Yes." Canary answered.

Osamu's eyes widened, jerking towards Canary, standing in the corner of the small room.

"Shite." Osamu hissed. "The fucking empath."

"Yeah, he's a walking, talking lie detector." Hawks spread his hands. "Which means if I ask you, if you're the one who released Porcupine for the Bureau, will that be a…"

"Yes." Canary answered.

Osamu slammed his cuffed hands down on the table. "Fuck you."

"How are the tranquilizers being decommissioned from Tartarus?" Hawks tipped his head to one side.

"It's not him, Hawks." Canary offered. "He's too confused about it."

"Yeah, didn't think so." Hawks sat back, tapping his chin. "If you'd had access to a tranquilizer, you'd have used it on me, instead, you went for an adrenaline shot. I'm going to guess that came from the Tartarus medical centre?"

"Yes." Canary answered again.

Osamu's hands grabbed at the table. "Stop fucking doing that."

Canary raised his middle finger.

Smashing the table forward, Osamu bent across it, leering through his straggly hair. "You listen here, you filthy animals. You're all going to perish. You're a taint, a disease! That's what created you! All of you, you're nothing more than a disease, and we must rid our world of diseases."

Hawks tapped the table idly. "I see. Like the Bureau solved that ancient issue of global warming, maybe they're trying to solve other problems too…"

"I don't like this, Hawks." Canary piped up. "He's completely confident in everything he's saying. It's terrifying even being near him."

"Is Tartarus working in conjunction with the Bureau?" Hawks asked. "Are they providing specimens to the Bureau for scientific study?"

Osamu grinned.

Hawks winced as Canary suddenly slammed open the door. He heard his sidekick vomit into the bin somewhere outside.

"Alright. Well…" Hawks eased up. "That answers that question."

Osamu tipped his head to one side. "I hear your wife turns a very nice pink when fingered."

Hawks froze in the doorway. He was pretty sure he didn't breathe. The flash of pure rage burned through him.

Canary jerked around, blue eyes wide in fright and panic.

"Hawks! No! Don't!"

His sidekick grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, hauling him out of the doorway, and slammed him into the nearest wall. The impact cracked the plaster. Canary struggled to hold him.

"Hawks! You're reacting exactly how he wanted. Calm down." Canary slapped him, hard, over the cheek. It stung.

Hawks blinked.

"You fucking bitch-slapped me."

"Sorry." Canary's wings bunched up.

"At least punch, Canary. Like you mean it." Hawks loosened his coiled-up shoulders, forcing down his boiling anger, balling it into a tiny box. He'd deal with it later. When he had time to think about how—

How Osamu could even come up with a line like that to throw at him.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Canary released his grip on his jacket. "Just…doing my job, boss." Canary murmured.

Hawks breathed in deeply, dragging a hand through his hair as he settled his ruffled up feathers. He glanced at the broken wall.

"Ah…sorry about the wall, Casy."

Casy shrugged. "Better the wall than you releasing fierce wing in here. Remember that time you did that?"

Hawks puffed out his cheeks. "I remember no such occurrence."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that." Casy scoffed. He stepped out of the room, answering a chatter on his radio.

Hawks looked to Gran Torino. "So, feel satisfied?"

Gran Torino tapped his cane. "Tell me, young sidekick, your thoughts as an empath?"

Canary sat back on a bench, letting it take the weight of his sprained wing. "Honestly, sir, he's full of anger and bitterness. He always has been. It has simply been amplified over his years of working in an environment like Tartarus. I'm not trying to justify his actions, but…" Canary looked through the one-way window to Osamu, still seated in the cell. "He stared into the abyss, and the abyss stared back."

Gran Torino nodded. "An acceptable assessment." He squared his shoulders. "I think I shall return to the hotel and organize the movers. There is much to be done."

Casy popped his head through the door. "I'll call you a taxi. Hawks, this came in for you this morning. Sorry, I only just remembered it."

Hawks took the note handed to him as they exited the small room back into the corridor. It was non discreet and there was utterly nothing on the exterior to indicate who it was from. He flipped it open and halted in his steps immediately, his brow furrowing as his new feathers ruffled up around his shoulders.

"Izuku! Canary."

Izuku snapped to attention. "Yes sir!"

Canary lazily turned around, giving utterly no indication that he'd felt a spike in relief and momentary influx of hope, which he probably had, but he was being professional and not showing it. "Yup."

"Head back to the agency, do a loop of sector three on your way."

"Aw, come on, we've already been on our feet all day—"

Hawks arched an eyebrow at Canary, who quickly flung up his hands. "Will do, boss."

Izuku giggled. He saluted at Hawks. "We're on it!"

"Gah!" Canary's good wing flicked out. "Okay, okay, that's enough, baby birdie. At some point, you need to pretend to be like, annoyed at work."

"Why would I ever be annoyed at hero work?" Izuku asked honestly as Canary led him out the station doors.

Hawks chuckled. He could just imagine the discussion that was going to ensue between the two. Canary liked to be a brat on purpose, for no other reason than to be persistently annoying and trigger emotions, and Izuku was the embodiment of goodness and try-hard obedience, someone who tried to pacify situations. It was an interesting mix. Perhaps they'd rub off on each other a bit.

He flicked his gaze back down at the note.

Alright—

This was going to be interesting.

"Oie, Casy." He called out to the detective. "Could you drive me to Sakura Hospital."

"You mean…in a car."

"Yes, Casy, in a fucking car." Hawks grumbled.

The detective pretended to grab his chest, feigning a heart attack.

"That's not amusing, Casy. Stop it." Hawks propped a hand on his hip.

Laughter was all he received from the officers around him.

"Tossers, the lot of you." Hawks hid his smile.

0000

"Thanks Casy." Hawks eased out of the police cars front seat.

"No problem. Do you want me to hang around?"

Hawks shook his head. "Nah, we'll be fine. I'll call someone to pick us up. Your shift ended an hour ago, so, apologises for keeping you."

Casy waved a hand about. "What, it's all good!" The officer looked over his seat, smiling at Etio in the back. "Jirou makes the best ramen in all Japan. You're going to love it."

"Mum always said this was an amazing place to eat."

"She's right." Casy gave a thumbs up.

Hawks popped out the portable wheelchair. He leant into the backseat, unbuckling Etio. "Alright, you ready?"

Etio nodded. "Yep."

"Up we go." Hawks hoisted the teen up and out of the car, easing him back down into the wheelchair. He wrapped Etio in a blanket, tucking it around him tightly before standing, and they both waved as Casy drove away down the empty street into the afternoon.

"Off we go." Hawks twirled around, gently pushing Etio along the footpath.

Etio looked around in fascination at the old-style buildings, and large utility poles that hung heavy with wires down the street. "Wow, sector eighteen is so different from our sector. It's so…it feels older, and like…I donno, I feel like I've stepped back in time."

"Well, in a way you have." Hawks smiled to those they passed by along the street. "Sector eighteen has some of the oldest buildings in Fukuoka, pre-dating many of the Upheavals we've gone through. That's why it feels different to you."

"Mum always said to stay out of sector eighteen though."

"She's just got a bad opinion of the place due to how many unregistered folk live here. Everyone here live the same lives as you and you siblings live, there are kids here who go to school just like you, they're just…a little more rough around the edges due to their circumstances."

"So…like you?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Hawks grinned down at him. "I was born in a place very much like sector eighteen, and that's where I spent the first few years of my life, as an unregistered brat. It's always good to be registered, as it can help with health care and all that, but, it is expensive and the government often uses it as a means to force people into compliance. Like, if you need housing, or health care, or a stable job, or schooling, you must first be registered."

Etio frowned. "I didn't realise it was like that."

"It's not really something you learn at school. Not sure why. Most people are automatically registered when their quirk manifests, but…" Hawks paused them in their walk. "There is a whole community of people out there, Etio, who live their lives trying to keep their quirks secrets and safe."

"Why?"

"Because there are people, horrible people, who will take quirks and abuse them." Hawks sighed. "And the registry is one way to find those special people."

It was how they'd found him, after all.

Etio was frowning. "Hawks…why are we here?"

"To meet a special kid." Hawks turned them down an alley, lit by hundreds of hanging lanterns strung across its high walls. Etio looked up, smiling brilliantly at the display.

"Wow, so cool."

The alley opened up into a large courtyard, surrounded on all four sides by high, towering apartment blocks, and within the courtyard was a gloriously green and lush community garden. Hawks opened the gate, pushing Etio through it.

"Hawks, you made it." Jirou called out.

"We did, hope we're not too late for dinner."

"Not at all."

"Fantastic." Hawks beamed. "I'm starving."

Wheeling Etio through the small garden, Hawks admired the work in turning what would have once been just a vacant lot of land into a lush vegetable patch. It was a little jarring to see the greenery amongst the dulled, old buildings of sector eighteen, but it almost seemed to match the environment in a bizarre way.

They found Jirou and Kai at a beautifully hand crafted picnic table. Upon spotting him, Kai's arms flung up high and he dashed across the path. So, he still wasn't speaking then. The boy riffled around in the pocket of his muddy little blue overalls and pulled out the dead feather he'd gifted him, such a long time ago now.

Hawks shoulders slumped back.

The day after he'd caught Rilo.

Goodness, that was eerie.

Kai held out the feather, pointing to the pendant Etio wore around his neck.

Hawks crouched down, ruffling up Kai's mop of blond hair. "That's right, he's got one too. You're both super special."

Kai grinned, giving what must have been a silent squeal of happiness.

Jirou chuckled at the boy tearing around the small picnic table.

"Alright, Kai, that's enough. Sit down."

Kai bounced onto a seat, wiggling into it. Jirou placed a bowl of ramen in front of him, before dishing out two more before Etio and Hawks. Etio smiled at the bowl.

"Thank you, sir. Mum has talked so much about your ramen."

"You eat up good, yes." Jirou tweaked Etio's cheek. "Let me know if you want more."

"Yes sir."

Hawks accepted his own bowl.

"Bring your wife next time." Jirou grumbled.

Hawks laughed. "Sure."

Honestly, a decent hot meal really settled his aching wing junctions. There was just something about good food that chased away all problems in life, even if it was just for a moment. Hawks leant wearily on the creaking table, watching was Kai tried valiantly to push Etio through the garden to show him his favourite plants.

When the two boys were far enough out of ear shot, he finally turned to Jirou. "Alright, I'm here…"

Jirou's large hulk shifted in his chair. He sipped on his flagon of beer.

"I want you to take Kai."

"Jirou—"

"He should be with his own kind."

Hawks rubbed wearily at his eyes.

He felt a queasy sensation gripping his gut. So much for nice food.

This—

This was too familiar—

The man across from him was not his mother, and yet, that was all he could see.

This was—

Almost—

Was he—did that make him—

Madam?

Hawks swallowed the foul taste rising in his mouth. He eased back against his chair. "Jirou, he is with his own kind—"

"It is far too dangerous for him here. Hawks, what happened with Tsubame's kids, I don't want that happening with Kai. I see the way my daughter looks at him. I know she reads things, and listens to things…stuff young people get into these days, you know. All this…nonsense about True Humans and division."

Jirou sighed, just seeming to sink into his chair in defeat. "It's too much. Can't we all just get along over a bowl of good ramen. Can't a little kid like Kai, can't he just be loved by his mother, and his sister? Why did he have to be born with a quirk…or…why did I have…to be born without one."

Hawks closed his eyes. He tipped his head to one side. "You do have a quirk, Jirou."

"I do?"

"You make the best ramen in Japan."

Jirou chuckled, his eyes damp.

"Hawks! Hawks! You need…Hawks! Quick! Come!"

Hawks snapped up.

"Etio!" He ran for the teen, only to skip to a jerking halt in confusion and surprise at the sight of him standing on—

Two legs.

"What the…"

Etio slowly looked up at him. "I…I don't…I don't know what happened? One moment Kai was just making a plant grow, and the next I…I…I had my leg back. I didn't feel anything."

Kai held up his feather, smiling, then pointed to Etio's feather. Etio broke down into tears, sliding to his knees to fold around Kai.

Hawks swallowed.

Oh shite. Oh shite.

Oh fuck.

"Do you understand me now?" Coming up behind him, Jirou grasped his shoulder. "Why he needs to leave this place."

Hawks' plumage rippled. Etio remained hugging Kai fiercely, sobbing all over the confused and startled little boy.

"How long has he been able to do this?"

"I cut off my finger a few months ago." Jirou held up his hand. "He grew it back."

"So, this is why you asked for Etio."

Jirou nodded. "It…I felt…it was the only way you'd believe me, that you'd understand how important it was for him to leave. With the way things are going, you know how dangerous it will be for him if he stays with me."

He wanted to protest. To tell the man to take Kai away himself, to hide him some place in the mountains—but he knew what the answer would be—that it simply wasn't enough. Jirou felt inadequate, incapable of protecting his son against a terrifying world that was only going to become even more terrifying.

Hawks scrunched a hand through his hair. "You're right. This is an extremely powerful medical quirk."

"Will you take him?"

"Jirou…" Hawks looked over at the man. "You're asking to give up your son—"

"To keep him safe."

"Jirou." Hawks whispered.

Don't—

Don't ask him to do this—

To give up a child—

"Please. Hawks." Jirou clutched at his arm. "Please. I am begging you." Jirou slipped to his knees, folding forward in a bow. "Save him."

Hawks closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

He wasn't Madam.

Right?

"Alright. Okay. I'll make some calls." Hawks crouched down, resting a hand on Jirou shoulder. "Give me three days. Can you do that?"

"Three days." Jirou lifted his head. "Thank you."

Hawks hesitantly looked across the garden to Kai. He swallowed the knot in his throat.

Was fate just laughing at him, or did history just conspire to repeat—

Or was he—

Was he just—

Was he going to someday be the next Madam.