This chapter has been rewritten!
Hawks looked down at the city he loved so dearly as he flew towards his meeting. He could feel the liveliness of the people milling around on the ground through the vibrations in the air. He wanted to keep it this way. His phone trilled again. It was unlike Dabi to reach out so suddenly but Hawks hoped it meant he was making headway. The president hadn't been on his ass so much as she had been on his secretary's. It wasn't fair.
"Right on time, little hero," Dabi's voice rasped below him. It hurt to hear him talk sometimes. A warm hand brushed against his arm as Hawks landed beside the villain. He should feel disgusted by the intimate nature of the touch but for some reason it had his shoulders relaxing.
"You actually put it at a decent time and place. I know I'm fast but I still have appearances to keep up."
"We wouldn't want to lose that showmanship of yours. It has been most useful." Dabi's smile pulled the staples around his mouth.
"What do you want?" Hawks rolled his eyes.
"The Liberation Army is looking to expand its headquarters and during construction we found something rather odd."
"Okay," Hawks said slowly.
"I hadn't originally wanted to bring you on board with this, but after a great discussion it seemed unavoidable. We have resources. Lots of them but we don't want to bring attention to us. Not yet."
"What was it?"
"A body. A hero's body to be exact."
"Why does this interest you all?" Hawks wasn't following. This should be something to gloat about, right? For villains?
"An unknown hero buried in an unmarked grave in the middle of the woods? It piqued my interest."
"That is quite the tale. Which still doesn't answer my question."
"I have the body and I want to give it to you and your agency to investigate."
"Oh?" This was an unusual request.
"Something fishy is going on and with Shiguraki out of the picture for the moment, I want to cover all our bases."
"Smart."
"Hawks, I'm being serious." Dabi pinned him down with a stare and not his usual cold, death to the world stare. His blue eyes were alight with something like he had something to live for.
"This means a lot to you. Did you know him?" Hawks stared at the picture Dabi had given him. "He looks about our age."
"I don't think so, but it is never impossible," Dabi shrugged.
"Giving everything and yet nothing," Hawks said through clenched teeth.
"You can tell your little puppet master that I've given you a special task. Do this and I will consider telling you Shiguraki's timeline."
"I don't-"
"Cut the bullshit, little bird. This isn't a time for pleasantries. Both our worlds are getting ready for an all out war and I for one will not be a pawn in making it happen," Dabi hissed. "It seems the group I had joined in hopes of changing the hero society wants nothing more than to destroy it."
"Every time I think I understand your angle, you throw me for a loop." Hawks shook his head. "I thought my secretary was the only one to give me such headaches."
"I want to change the world; not burn it. I've got enough of that to last me a lifetime."
"I think we all have."
"Keep me updated and I will uphold my end of the bargain." Hawks grinned. It wasn't exactly how he planned on getting through all this, but he wasn't one to look a gifted horse in the mouth.
"I'll hold you to it!" Hawks shouted, letting his wings take him up.
Hawks smiled at the sight of his secretary asleep at her desk. The files that were piled up around her fluttered as he landed next to her. He let his attention wander to her computer screen where there appeared to be some sort of building plans drawn up. Maybe he was putting too much on her. Hawks shifted her jacket to cover her shoulders, his eyes fluttering across the files. Some of these should not be on her desk but then again it wasn't like he was there to take care of them.
A red folder caught his eyes particularly. It had the word URGENT in bold across it. Hawks thumbed through it, stopping at the same picture Dabi had given to him at their meeting. The report was sparse only detailing an anonymous tip and how they were unable to get through to the police.
"Hawks?" Yuri slowly blinked up at him.
"Seems like you had a busy day." Hawks lightly brushed a curl from her face; a wisp of anger curled in his stomach at her slight flinch.
"It was a weird day. If I didn't know any better, I would say it's a full moon out," Yuri grumbled. "I see you found our anonymous tip."
"Dabi handed me the same exact picture." Hawks chuckled as Yuri stared at him blankly for a moment before recognition slowly glinted in her eyes.
"And then he sent it here?"
"Probably to make it seem legit." Hawks shrugged, slumping into the chair across from her. The agency was quiet. Everyone was most likely out patrolling or doing something or other, leaving them on their own. "What are the building plans for?"
" The Hero Commission sent them over. They want us to renovate the agency; although, it looks a lot more like a fortress than a hero agency." Yuri's brows furrowed as she scrolled through the pages. "I don't think they expect this to end well."
"I don't think it will either. I expected to be gone a lot more in the future but with this 'special task' Dabi gave me, I think I'll be around a lot more."
"I'm sure the agency will appreciate it."
"Will you?"
"What kind of a question is that?"
"You can't be sneaky if I'm here," Hawks hummed.
"Whatever am I to do?" Yuri rolled her eyes, a smile playing lightly on her lips. "How else will those villains get the information they need?"
"They might need to actually work for it."
"Shame, I was having fun."
"Are you?"
"I work at a hero agency. There is nothing fun about this work," Yuri deadpanned, "but it is fulfilling."
"What is your quirk?"
"Classified."
"What does that mean? You can keep secrets?" They stared at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Yuri, will I ever get to know?"
"You already know, Hawks," Yuri said softly. "It is not my place to force you into remembering something you have no interest in."
"I have lots of interest in it!"
"I think you have an obsession with it." Hawks felt his feathers rise at the insult. "I think you got so used to being the President's prized bird that the fact she isn't reading you in on my situation bugs the shit out of you."
"Yuri, it's not that!" Hawks defended. "I'm just worried."
"You can worry a little less. Otherwise, I'll start to think you're a hen not a hawk."
"I am not a HEN!" Hawks' wings vibrated behind him but the sight of her giggling was more than enough to cut his ire short.
"Are you sure? Because with the way your feathers are puffing up, I would assume otherwise!" Yuri laughed. It was nice to see her happy for once. Flashes of her silent screams danced in his mind but it mingled with a distant memory grinning like the world had been handed to her. Her small desk light glinted off her quirk collar. It was probably too tight and uncomfortable especially with the new scars underneath it. "Hawks?"
"I want to help you, but I am at a loss," hawks sighed. "I think that is part of it."
"You are a true hero through and through, birdbrain. Perhaps, a murder investigation will help."
"Any ideas?"
"I'm not a hero."
"But you have a talent for investigation," Hawks stated, leaning further back into the chair. "I haven't forgotten how you traced Lilith's emails."
"The hero's name is Drakon. Nothing was too notable except the last fight he had was against a disfigured villain with what appeared to be two quirks. The news coverage isn't much and the hero commission didn't make any official statement of his recovery time or about the villain. It all just faded away."
"Until he was discovered in the middle of the forest."
"It's strange. Why would they want this investigated? Shouldn't they just dispose of the body?"
"One would think but something tells me there is more to this than meets the eye. I think we should bring this to the attention of the special police force being led by Gran Torino."
"Oh? Why is that?" Yuri raised an eyebrow at him.
"Two quirks? It might be an early Nomu. Which brings to question why the Commission never made a statement."
"Numerous reasons. He wasn't a very big hero. No one would've noticed if he had gone missing."
"No one did notice."
"Yes, sorry." Yuri looked down at the file in his hand. Her teeth nibbled ever so slightly on her bottom lip. Hawks licked his lips as it turned a beautiful red color.
"Hey, what did I say?" Hawks brushed his thumb against the swollen appendage, shivering at how soft it was.
"Hawks… He was in some of my classes in college." Hawks froze. "I remember this tattoo, here on his shoulder. He used to joke about whether or not it was decent for a hero to have one."
"Was he in your special classes?"
"Yes," Yuri whispered. The air felt heavy again. How far did the Hero Commission go just to ensure the heroes on the streets were theirs? How many other Hawks and Yuris came before them? "Do you think-"
"I don't think we should finish that statement here."
"Right."
"Yuri-" Yuri threw Hawks an apologetic look before turning to her phone.
"Hirano, speaking."
"Secretary, we will be needing you today." The tone the president had sent Hawks' teeth on edge.
"Of course, at the main office?"
"Be here in 20."
"Yes, ma'am."
"It looks like I am needed elsewhere at the moment. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yuri- Baby Bird, be careful."
"I always am, min hauk." Yuri stared at him for a moment before leaning forward. She pecked his cheek, letting her cheek rest a little longer against his. "Jeg elsker deg."
"Don't tempt me, baby bird," Hawks tutted.
"I love these moments of ours, min hauk. I would like to keep having them."
"I do too, babybird," Hawks whispered as he watched her leave hastily; his eyes wondered once more. He had a feeling this meeting would lead to a different development and he didn't like it. Hawks fidgeted with the small jacket Yuri had been wearing. It had fallen to the floor when she had woken back down at his phone, a glint of something caught his eye.
Hawks reached down and picked up the small gold necklace. It must've been stuck in a pocket and fallen out. He caressed the top half of the locket where the blue glitter seemed to glow around the small crimson feather that lay in the center. Hawks released a fast breath as he opened the locket up. He stared at the picture before quickly shoving it in his pocket. This whole thing just got a whole lot more complicated.