My fingers slipped off his coat instantly, so I sped myself up. No way I'd be able to pull what I did last time; he'd spaced me too far from the surrounding buildings. No nearby rooftops to aim for to minimize damage either. I was pretty sure he'd catch me at the last second if I screwed up, but seeing how much I was aching, I wasn't sure how much was an acceptable amount of injury for him.

I didn't have anything on me to catch the wind and slow me down, and he'd already moved out of my reach, so grabbing onto him wouldn't work either.

Shit, shit, shit!

An awning. There was an awning over the entrance to the agency building. I could make it there with some repositioning and try to bounce off it, disperse some momentum.

I had a feeling it would still hurt though.

Lacking any better plans, I rolled toward the canopy, and it occurred to me far too late that it might just rip.

Welp, I was committed now.

My boots hit the fabric and it slowly bent under me, absorbing the shock. I bent my knees in preparation, willing it to hold.

I saw a small tear between my feet. It was gonna give.

Grabbing the metal structural bar, I propelled myself forward before I could crash through and break my back. I flipped forward and the ground came toward me. I angled my feet to land; I'd push myself up again, as many times as it took to ease the force.

Before my boots could hit the pavement, however, I felt something jerk me up.

I exhaled in a whoosh and flinched as my body jerked toward the ground while something pulled me away from it.
The feathers holding me up slipped out of my costume, letting me drop to my knees.

"Sorry to intervene," Hawks said, landing smoothly beside me, "But you were about to break your legs."

"I really respect you," I wheezed, heart pounding, "But if I had the energy, I'd hit you right now."

"Aw, don't say that. You did pretty good; you wouldn't have died." Body aching horribly, I laid fully down on the pavement, wondering how many backup costumes heroes had, because there was no way they washed them daily.

"Ow." I mumbled.

.

The day of the gala arrived, and I had Amelia vet my outfit to make sure I was on the right track. I didn't say I was basing my concept of high-end parties entirely off of film and literature.

"Oh my god, you're adorable." She said, "Yes, that will work just fine. I'm actually thrilled you were invited. It makes the agency look good, that our intern has garnered attention already."

"Happy to be of service."

"I know you trained in the morning, so why don't you take a shower and all the time you need to get ready? Don't be afraid to grab a quick nap either; there's no telling how late it'll go."

After a good meal, I did as I was told. My hair was grimy, so I washed it and conditioned it and let it dry while I got some beauty sleep.

I found a hair curler and figured it out pretty quickly. My hair had some natural curl to it, but I wanted to try and get something fancier going. I played around until I liked what I saw, and even tentatively used the make up Amelia had provided. I didn't know much beyond basics, so I kept it simple, just using slightly darker lipstick than usual and a bit of shimmery silver eyeshadow. I thought I looked pretty okay, so after making sure the dress and shawl were in place, I strapped on the shoes.

They weren't terrible; like worse versions of my hero boots; I was taller, just a lot less stable. I was glad I'd picked the lowest heels I could find.

It was half an hour before departure time, but I crept out anyways. I'd just sit at the lounge until I was told to move.

"You look so darling!" Amelia exclaimed, catching me before I could sink into a seat and making me redden, "And all bashful too. Please let me take a picture."

"…take one with my phone too. I might was well have a memory and something to show my brother."

"It's a deal!" I tried to soften my expression for the pictures, but I didn't entirely know what to do with my arms. I'd taken off the bandages, so the scratches were visible, but mostly healed over. My leg was almost constantly aching due to the intensity of training, but I was confident it would come out stronger.

"What are we, going to prom?" Hawks complained as he was immediately flocked by Amelia as well, letting her take her pictures. I couldn't help but stare for a moment. He was dressed in a suit, black tie, and a deep red shirt. No visor, no earmuffs, his strangely marked eyes were fully exposed.

"You might as well be." Amelia replied, grabbing his elbow and dragging him toward me, "If the press doesn't get any flattering shots of you, they may not run a favorable story. You wanted to make the most of having an intern this year, this is how you do it. Or do you have a sudden urge to take over PR?"

"No." Hawks sighed, defeated, "But come on, look at us. How could we not have flattering shots?" He place a hand on the small of my back and offered the camera a confident smile. Feeling a bit more comfortable, I gave a wide smile of my own.

Hawks glanced down to look at me properly while Amelia returned my phone.

"Alright! You look like you've done this before."

"Let's hope the illusion lasts the night."

Much to my surprise, a dark SUV was waiting for us up front. I half expected masked men to toss us in the trunk and hold us for ransom.

"The higher-ups spring for stuff like this when there are a lot of eyes." Hawks explained, opening the door for me. I scooted in. "They like to make it seem like it's all a lot more glamorous than it is." He seemed absolutely bored with it all, even though the car smelled new and had more legroom than my bed back at home. We rode in silence, watching the city go by, picturing it from above.

"Two minutes." The driver warned, making Hawks yawn and straighten.

"Most heroes ignore the cameras and just walk right in. You can do what you like, at you own risk." With that ominous piece of advice, the car stopped and the door was opened for us. Hawks stepped out first, to many cheers. There was a lot of flashing and I was tempted to stay right where I was. But he turned and offered an arm. I took it and climbed out of the car as well, squinting at the flashing cameras.

Reporters threw questions like bullets, not stopping to breathe. Hawks just waved and said hi as we passed. I offered a polite smile.

Inside the house (it seemed more like a mansion to me) there were dozens of people chatting. A cold wind hit us from behind as the doors closed.

"Brought my own this time." I said quietly, gesturing at the shawl with my chin.

"Does it double as a pillow?" He replied, just as softly, fake smile plastered to his face as we faced the other guests, "Because I might ask to borrow it from you this time."

"Say the word and I'll think of a medical emergency."

"That's the kind of loyalty I like from my interns."

Truth be told, Hawks hadn't lied about how boring the event would be. It was gorgeous, no doubt. But we sat through three hours of boring, empty speech, after boring, empty speech. I found it hard to keep my eyes open. When that was done, it was time for drinks before dinner, so we weren't close to seeing the end of the torture. A few people approached us, asked about the day of the Nomu attack, asked me about my studies and All Might. It was so loud and overwhelming. At least my dress did just what I wanted; I fit in without standing out. Some women had full ball gowns, others sleek pantsuits.

"Gonna ditch you for a minute," Hawks warned after a particularly prying conversation, "Nature calls." My heart sank.

"Me too."

"I don't think so. Mingle, make more reliable friends."

"You're mean." With a shameless grin, he left me moored. I drifted a bit, finding the refreshments table and attempting to figure out what any of the offerings were, if edible or just decoration.

"You're Solace, aren't you?" I turned to see a portly man with a big gray mustache. I offered a tired smile; it was past my bedtime.

"That would be me." It was a bit harder now that I didn't have the witty commentary telling me what I had to know about these people.

"Nice to meet you!" We shook hands. "You wouldn't happen to recognize me, would you?"

"…sorry, sir."

"Not at all, we haven't actually met before. I'm just an old, boring senator." Yikes, definitely should have known who he was, "I just wanted to thank you personally. Do you recall helping a young family on the dreadful day earlier this week?"

"I think so, yes."

"That would be my daughter and her family. They're all in ship shape now, just a little shaken but ultimately safe. I wanted to personally thank you for taking care of them."

"Oh! I'm so glad to hear they're okay. And, really, sir. You don't have to thank me, I wanted to."

"Well, they spoke very highly of you. You left quite the impression on my grandson. He's been talking about becoming a hero now, much to his father's chagrin." The man gave a bouncy laugh, "Speaking of, you go to UA, don't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"You're so polite, you'd never think you were working under Hawks of all people. Well, I won't talk your ear off any longer. Keep up your studies."

"I will, thank you." He wandered off and I felt a bit of gratitude toward the man. He'd said his piece and moved on before things could get awkward. Since i had a feeling not all my conversations would go that way, I searched for Hawks; surely he couldn't still be gone, could he?

A hand grabbed my arm and I turned expectantly.

A man in his early thirties peered at me with a smarmy look.

"I knew it, you're that pretty new hero everyone's talking about." I thought to how nice my night would have been, out scouring the streets for bad guys with the side-kicks, instead of left alone in this stuffy event.

"Can I help you?" I asked, pulling my arm away.

"Jeremiah Coventry. Pleasure." He went to grab my hand, but I avoided his grip.

"Manderly." I said shortly. "If you'll excuse me, I need to-" Jeremiah stepped in my way, much to my annoyance. He seemed under the impression that his being about an inch taller than me meant that he was in charge of this exchange.

"A few of us are headed down the road for a livelier party. You look like you could use a dance to loosen up." I caught his wrist when he went to grab my shoulder.

"Touch me without my permission again," I said firmly, "And I'll give you a personal demonstration of my quirk."

He yanked his hand back, drawing some looks.

"You can't just threaten me like that!"

"Have a nice night." I turned and quickly left the room, flustered and angry. Where the heck was-

Hawks.

I'd wandered into the library in my rush, and saw Hawks out the big windows. In the dim light, his face was frowning. He was carrying a black duffel bag. Something about how he held his shoulders or the stiffness of his walk immediately sent alarm signals through my brain. Something wasn't right.

I thought back to Moe. If heroes look after everyone else, who looks after heroes?

Stealthily, I snuck out the back.

Behind the mansion were expansive gardens. Not very well lit, however, and ghostly empty. I followed Hawks quietly, too far to catch up to him, but just in time to be able to trail him.

I thought I'd lost him entirely when I ended up outside of the gardens, on a road that led to a street, that led to a bridge over the river. It was very dark out here, only very distant streetlamps illuminated anything.

Hawks was standing at the center of the stone bridge, duffel bag at his feet, staring down to the water. I hesitated behind the tree I was at, thinking maybe he didn't want to be disturbed. But he seemed upset. Was I really the person who could help him here?

I had just resolved to walk over and make sure he wanted to be alone, when a second figure appeared, walking from the opposite side of the bridge toward us.

Shadows hid his face, but he stood beside Hawks. Neither looked at each other.

"Hey, man!" Hawks greeted, suddenly cheery. "It's about time we met in person. What, were you afraid I'd make fun of your face? Have a little faith."

"Enough small talk. You brought what we asked?"

"Sure did. You guys made a fuss about it being a hero involved last time, so I kept it low profile." He kicked the duffel bag over, "This is just a random fan of mine. I felt kind of bad with how easy it was."

I felt cold. What… what were they talking about?

The mystery man kneeled by the duffel bag and opened it to check. I started to step back. I definitely had no business being here. What if they left this way?

I felt a push on my back, almost like something was trying to keep me in place. I turned but saw nothing there. The leaves of the trees rustled, just a tiny bit. I held my breath.

Both men turned to look in my direction. For the first time, I saw this guy's face. It was half purple, like it had been melted off and propped back into place with staples. I had no doubt that I absolutely should not be here.

"Juniper, is that you?' Hawks called, as casual as if we were running into each other at a park on a sunny day, "No use crouching behind the bushes, you might as well come over here. I'll introduce you." I crept into sight, approaching reluctantly. The other man glared at me. Hawks turned to explain, blasé as ever, "Solace, she was itching to meet you. I said no, but dang, she's faster than even I am." He let out a laugh and slung an arm around my shoulders. It felt as protective as it was performative.

"You let yourself be followed?"

"Hey, calm down. She's in the know. You could say she's my apprentice. These here are my eyes and ears inside UA." Oh, oh, oh god. He was lying. Right. So we were lying now. I had to play cool.

"You didn't tell me you'd broken our confidentiality."

"Man, it's not like that. Honestly, I was going to bring her up next time you guys were questioning what I brought to the table. But someone jumped the gun."

"Ah, sorry." I breathed.

"You've been spying on All Might then?" The man asked me, and I felt even colder. Spying on All Might? I nodded.

"Yup."

"She was in the USJ, taken classes with him, the whole schtick."

"Is that so? And you just suddenly decided that rather than be a hero, you wanted to destroy the establishment entirely?" Bad news, bad news, bad news.

"Well, my attending UA was somewhat unplanned." I said, "I got in, but I didn't plan to actually study there. Hawks convinced me otherwise."

"And what have you learned?" I glanced at Hawks.

"Don't give him your full thesis, just give him a taste. Wanna keep 'em coming back for more, don't we?"

"All Might…" I said, trying not to sound shaky, "…isn't what everyone thinks he is. He's… not as strong as he looks." What the hell was I doing?

"Go on."

"I don't know much, because the teachers keep it hush hush but I think he can't be strong all day anymore. Maybe he's just old." I couldn't actually tell them all I knew. It would be devastating. But maybe they knew this already.

"Doesn't sound like you like him."

"No." I swallowed hard. "No, All Might is a living lie, more a cartoon than a savior."

A few moments of silence passed.

"You done grilling my apprentice?" Hawks complained, "She's not why we're here today. As you can see, I'm serious about this. I want to help. All you have to do is trust me." I glanced down and bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood, just to keep the shock from my face.

In the duffel bag was a body, crammed unnaturally and absolutely pale. It looked like a young man, but it was hard to tell.

Hawks's arm round my shoulders increased its pressure, almost imperceptibly.

"…fine. The League will be in touch." The man said, annoyed. Then the next thing I knew, his hand was grabbing my hair and yanking me toward him. Hawks didn't release me, making my neck arch at a painful angle.

"Hey!" Hawks protested, voice quiet and alarmed. It transitioned to annoyed, "Do you mind? I need her alive." The villain still didn't let go of me. I clutched blindly at my mentor's arm, quiet and frightened.

"That's fine," said the man, "But I don't appreciate surprises." It was going to be okay, it would be fine, Hawks had it under control, "Unless you're above a bit of punishment?"

"Well if that's all it is."

Hawks let go of me.

The villain yanked me to my knees and my ankle twisted painfully. Looming over me, still pulling at my hair, one of his feet rested on my just-twisted leg and a sound of pain left my lips.

"Scream and I let him kill you." Hawks called, bored. No, no, no, this couldn't be real.

I saw a flash of blinding blue above me.

"Know that if you betray us," The villain said as I felt a wave of heat, "You'll not only die, but suffer."

…fire?!

My hands flew up to cover my mouth as my hair was set on fire. With a painful yank, he tossed me aside. I rolled on the stone roughly, trying to pat out of flames as quietly as possible.

For a moment, there was silence, just the sound of someone walking away. My neck was burning.

Then, quick footsteps.

"You idiot." Hawks breathed, all fake casual airs gone, kneeling beside me and putting out the fire with a swift gust. I was shaking from head to toe. I couldn't stop. "You have no idea what you just got yourself into."