All Might sat in his office, engrossed in the paperwork before him.

He might not have had the intention to build Might Tower, nor the various businesses that had attached themselves to his hero identity, he'd felt reluctant leaving the brand of the Symbol of Peace in the hands of people purely seeking profit. He'd initially been reluctant to try and take control of the machine forged in his likeness, but an enterprising young man had convinced him otherwise a few years after his return to Japan from America.

Now part of Might Tower functioned as a mechanism that allowed him to delegate the work he didn't have the time to do to people he trusted. Though he still came in everyone and then to ensure everything stayed on track. Today was part of his monthly routine of catching up with what was happening. This time, however, the stack of papers on his desk was dwarfed by the books Nezu had sent him. The rodent was ecstatic that All Might had chosen to teach at UA, but he insisted that All Might acquire at least a passing familiarity with the field of education before doing so.

What that rodent considered a "passing familiarity" was not the same definition held by any sane human, All Might thought with a wry smile.

The sound of an elevator pinging was followed by rhythmic steps down the long hallway towards the office doors. All Might didn't even look up at the sound of the footsteps approaching nor the doors swinging open dramatically, being intimately familiar with the gait and mannerisms of his business partner and sidekick.

What did draw his attention was the sudden ceasing of the footsteps, followed shortly after by the eager ripping of an envelope's seal.

"Remarkable, simply remarkable," Sir Nighteye said, shuffling through the papers in his proportionally oversized skinny hands like playing cards, somehow digesting the dense information with ease. His eyes glowing yellow, darted around the each page fast enough to become to become a blur.

"What is?" Yagi Toshinori asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. Nighteye had come in as usual with a stack of paperwork, but instead sitting down for the routine summary, he'd torn into a sealed document the moment he entered, dropping everything else to the floor.

"I was curious about one of the candidates for One for A-"

Sir Nighteye didn't get to finish. All Might had closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, one hand gently gripping the papers, the other covering Sir Nighteye's mouth.

"For one of the hero application sponsorships I'm planning?" All Might said, voice calm but firm. He slowly let go of his former sidekick's mouth but kept hold of the papers, folding them quickly and discreetly tucking them into his breast pocket. "What of it?"

Nighteye's brows furrowed in concern. This erratic behavior was unlike his old friend. His sharp gaze quickly swept the room, taking in every detail—the clean ceiling, the dusted bookshelves, the pristine carpet. Nothing out of place… except a single red feather lying in the corner, blending almost too well with the red of the carpet.

How long had that been there?

"Sponsorships? My that's new, I'm sure hero news will be crawling all over this juicy gossip~" came a sing-song voice from behind them.

Nighteye silently cursed. He didn't blame himself for not hearing the intruder, but he did blame himself for not having seen anything.

Both he and All Might turned to face their unexpected guest—Hawks, the Number 2 Hero, leaning casually in the doorway.

He was the perfect picture of a hero turned pop idol. His blonde hair was a paradox of styled messy bedhead, perfectly curated to look effortless. The five o'clock shadow on his face was equally deceptive, giving off the appearance of a lax routine when, in truth, it was the result of a strict maintenance regimen, no doubt dictated by his branding team. He wore his usual skin-tight black polo with gold accents that highlighted his athletic build, paired with khaki pants and a fur-lined khaki jacket, all perfectly tailored to him. Heavy-duty black gloves and boots completed the look. His almond-colored eyes were partially hidden behind red-tinted visors, and along with his relaxed posture and cocky smile, he exuded the vibe of a playboy pilot just here for fun.

The most striking aspect of Hawks, however, were his massive scarlet wings—each feather a gleaming red, soft in appearance but could harden to become as sharp as a blade. These feathers weren't just for show; they were capable of detaching and flying with precision, even slicing through steel.

Neither Sir Nighteye nor All Might missed the subtle movement in the corner of the room as a stray feather floated back into Hawks' wings, silent and quick. Both men were among the few who knew Hawks' feathers could be used as listening devices.

Hawks' grin widened as he caught Nighteye's expression. "Sir Nighteye," he chuckled, "I know you could probably read every card in the deck, but you might want to avoid playing poker for money. You look like you're trying to add laser vision to your arsenal of quirk abilities."

Sir Nighteye had found in the past that his most unreadable face was one of anger and disappointment, he was currently using the insinuation that he would cheat at anything, especially by using his quirk, as fuel to keep the look in place.

"You're a long way from home, Hawks," Sir Nighteye remarked, his eyes shifting color as he scanned the Number 2 hero for anything suspicious. He couldn't find anything, which was in itself suspicious. Heroes in their uniforms were considered on-duty, and on-duty heroes kept a communication device on them at all times, especially highly mobile ones like Hawks.

Hawks grinned, unfazed. "I was in the area, thought I'd stop by on my way back from Tokyo to say hi to the big man," he said, gesturing casually toward All Might. His eyes flickering around the room in a way that betrayed his nonchalance.

"Mirai, stop being rude," All Might chided, he didn't like how defensive his sidekick was being, it could turn their interaction in a less peaceful direction. "He's a hero, not a villain. We're all on the same side." He glanced toward Hawks, his smile more genuine than his words.

Hawks shrugged noncommittally, checking his nails as if the entire exchange bored him, though his eyes lingered on the books on All Might's desk. "I'm sure we are," he replied.

"Come, take a seat." All Might gestured toward a set of couches near the bookshelves lining the room. On the coffee table was a hi-tech jug of water that kept its contents cool. "Want something to drink? The autumn air's pleasant, but flying always leaves me thirsty."

Hawks wordlessly accepted the offer, sauntering toward the couches. He narrowly avoided bumping Sir Nighteye with his shoulder, though the tips of his feathers brushed against the sidekick's pants as he passed by. Sir Nighteye schooled his reaction despite the obvious act of disrespect.

"Oooh yes~ The air does know how to dry you out, doesn't it?" Hawks flopped back lazily into his seat, making a show of looking around the room like he hadn't scanned it moments before. "Got an Ali's Coffee around here?"

All Might glanced at Sir Nighteye, who was already scanning the vicinity with his quirk. His eyes glowed with a dual hue; purple mixed with green—indicating the use of his x-ray and zoomed-in vision.

"Nothing within a five-minute round trip," Nighteye reported, his voice clipped.

"That's a shame." Hawks pouted theatrically, making mocking puppy eyes at the sidekick. "I hear the one on Granger Avenue is fantastic."

"Granger Avenue? That's a 15-minute trip, I'm not your assistant." Nighteye replied flatly. "Anything else we can get for you?"

All Might cut in smoothly. "Mirai, he's my guest. Do me a favor and grab that coffee for him, and I'll sign one of your collectibles again." The offer had the desired effect, as Nighteye's reluctance visibly eased.

Hawks smirked. "I'm craving an apple-chocolate cappuccino, but if they don't have that, just let them surprise you."

"Yes, sir." Sir Nighteye said, bowing with exaggerated formality towards Hawks before walking robotically to the doors, closing them with a silent nod and another bow.

A brief silence followed between the two heroes as the side-kick's footsteps drifted down the hallway, as soon as the sound of the elevator doors closing was heard. Hawks broke it, gesturing in the direction the sidekick had left. "He's a funny guy."

All Might chuckled softly, taking his own seat. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled to hear you think that."

"The old man knows sarcasm? I'm impressed." Hawks' tone cut through the pleasant atmosphere All Might was trying to develop between them.

All Might sighed, making it clear we was disappointed in his guest's behavior. "Hawks, can we not do this? I'm not in the mood for hero rank banter."

Hawks raised his hands in mock surrender, a sly grin still on his lips. "Caught me." He paused for a moment, shifting the topic. "I didn't know you could fly."

All Might held back a cough of self-deprecating laughter, he knew his guest wouldn't understand the inside joke that made that statement seem so funny to him. "Ah, well, I wouldn't call it flying—what I do is a bit too crude for most to consider it as such."

Hawks laughed. "Leaping over tall buildings doesn't count as flying, I get it."

"Oh no, I can go long distances—Japan to America, no problem." All Might smiled wryly. "But it's more like punching the air to stay up. Not exactly graceful, it more like I'm being bounced erratically through the air in a general direction."

The image of THE All Might launching himself across the globe in such a bizarre and undignified manner elicited a genuine chuckle from Hawks.

"If you can still do crazy stunts like that, the higher-ups are worrying too much about your retirement," Hawks said, his grin fading into a more thoughtful expression. "You've still got a few good years in you."

"Thanks, young man," All Might replied, his smile reflecting that he was touched by the praise.

"Which makes me wonder why you're stepping down to work for that rat." The lighthearted mood was once again shattered, Hawks' tone turning sharper. The playboy was gone, replaced by the government lapdog.

All Might exhaled deeply. "There it is." He pointed at Hawks, his expression resigned. "I was waiting for that."

"Are you going to tell me?" Hawks leaned forward, his eyes locking with All Might's, an unspoken challenge passing between them. "Originally I was sent to check if the rumors were actually true, but the books on your table speak for themselves."

All Might met his gaze calmly, grabbing the jug on the coffee table and pouring two glasses of water. "Surely Madam President can figure it out herself?"

"She probably can," Hawks admitted. "She was hoping the rat had forged your signature ..and that she still had your commitment to continued co-operation with us."

His eyes were flickering between All Might's eyes and his hands. All Might figured that it was both smart and foolish, keeping an eye on your opponent's main weapons would keep you from being on the back foot in the case of a surprise attack. However, All Might was not Hawks enemy, and if he was, anticipating his punches would do little to prevent them from hitting their target.

The young man was insanely talented, reaching rank 2 at 19 years old, the year after his first debut. But All Might was still in a different weight class in experience, power and agility. The only area they were really comparable was raw speed, but All Might was a brawler who appreciated tight spaces, and this building was effectively a birdcage for the smaller man.

"She has it—in my capacity as a hero. Nothing more," All Might replied, pouring his own glass. His lax demeanor projecting how little this confrontation concerned him.

"You're just a hero, it's all you've been for 40 years." Hawks argued. "You can't tell me that anything you do isn't tied to your job. The way I see it, either you're fully committed to the system or you're thinking of going against it."

All Might's hand stilled as he poured a second glass. "Toshinori Yagi still exists, even if he has no social life, no hobbies and no family."

He set the glass down in front of Hawks, then sent him a pointed look as he let go. "When's the last time you looked in the mirror and saw Keigo Takami?"

Hawks hesitated, All Might knew he wouldn't answer that question, but it was clear he had made his point. The birdman tried to cover for slipping his guard by pushing the glass back. "No thanks, I've got a drink on the way."

All Might gently pushed the glass back toward him. "You didn't order coffee for the drink, Hawks. You wanted a private talk. Take it."

Reluctantly, Hawks grabbed the glass but didn't drink.

"How did you know?" Hawks asked, seemingly genuinely curious at how he was figured out.

"I've been the number one hero for a long time. I keep track of heroes' dietary needs in case I ever need to host a social event. Coffee's no good for someone with bird-like physiology." All Might's voice was calm, commanding. "And you look thirsty. Drink."

Hawks placed the glass back on the table.

"Let's change the subject."

He was on the back foot in the conversation and All Might figured he wanted to re-assert control.

All Might sighed inwardly. The young man adhered almost religiously to his training. He was probably taught to never drink something he hadn't made himself.

"She doesn't like that UA pulled out from under the HPSC's umbrella," Hawks said, his tone shifting again.

"I didn't think she would." All Might nodded. "It's not a great look for her, especially since the WHA has the HPSC's every move under a microscope."

"Then why do it?"

"Because I don't care about the politics, never did. Nezu, though... he's been angry with the HPSC ever since the stunt they pulled with Nagant. That's your answer if you're looking for motive. Though I suspect he has other issues with the system Madam President has been propping up by using my name."

Hawks leaned back, his gaze flicked to All Might's torso. "How's the injury?"

All Might raised a brow. "How much did they tell you?"

"Not everything," Hawks admitted. "But enough."

"See for yourself." All Might lifted his shirt, revealing a glossy patch of pink skin on his right side, marred by a small, partially healed puncture scar at its center.

"That's after Recovery Girl looked at it?" Hawks whistled softly, his eyes scanning the injury in too much detail for it to be wholly innocent. He was probably trying to figure out how he could use the injury in his advantage if the government ever needed him to try and play hitman on the number one hero.

"I've been told that burns don't heal very well. But if Endeavor hadn't cauterized it on the spot and flown me to the hospital, I'd be in much worse shape—or dead." Recovery Girl's healing quirk was near miraculous, it was a big reason All Might hired her to work as part of his agency. Unfortunately, like all quirks, it had limits, and she wasn't able to completely heal him.

"And now? It's not slowing you down?" Once again, All Might was faced with the government pestering him for updates on his health, he'd found it best to just co-operate to speed things along.

"I feel a pinch occasionally, if I bend too far. But I can handle most villains without feeling a thing." All Might readjusted his shirt, covering his injury.

Hawks eye's darted back to his face. "And your arm?"

All Might flexed his right hand. "I haven't pushed it hard enough to know for sure, but it's weaker than it used to be—despite being my dominant arm."

There was a moment of silence before Hawks changed gears, hoping that All Might's current ease of co-operation would carry through the rest of the conversation.

"What were you talking about when I walked in? Something about One for All?"

"No, you didn't," All Might said evenly. "I said nothing of the sort."

Hawks held up his hands in surrender, standing up to leave. "Right. I'll drop it. Madam President only asked me to check in about UA, if she doesn't ask about it, she won't hear a peep." All Might knew the man was lying through his teeth, it wasn't going to be long until the HPSC was poking around that topic.

"One last question, before I go though?" Hawks asked.

All Might nodded his consent.

"Are you sure he's dead?"

All Might's grip tightened around the glass in his hand, the only reason it didn't break was because of years of restraining such strong emotions before much more threatening individuals than Hawks.

"Have you heard of a quirk that can recover someone after everything above their lower torso's been blown to bits and scattered across five city blocks?" All Might's voice was low, barely containing his fury.

Hawks raised a brow. "Fair point. But if you retire, who's going to stop him if he comes back?"

"He's not coming back," the finality in his tone leaving no room for argument as he stood up to show Hawks out of the room. "Tell Madam President everything I said, but remind her—I have boundaries, and they won't be tested again."

Hawks hopped in place, the playboy smile returning. "Yes, sir," he quipped, his usual cocky swagger back in place as he made his way to the door.

As he reached the doorway, he opened it to find Sir Nighteye, standing with arm outstretched, a red feather in his hand in place of the expected coffee. "I believe you lost something, Hawks." He stated, letting go of the feather as it pulled itself towards the rest of its kin.

"Thanks~ Thought I lost that." Hawks remarked sing-song as he stalked further down the hallway to the elevator.

Once sure their guest was out of ear-shot the hero and sidekick killed some time by going through their scheduled plans for the day. New to All Might's list was an invitation to a party being hosted by Nezu for all of the sponsors for his upcoming grand remodeling of UA. All Might had seen the plans and was curious to find out which big names were bankrolling the more expensive parts of the plan.

Soon enough they had exhausted enough of the paperwork to feel comfortable Hawks was long gone.

"I knew they wouldn't be happy about Nezu's plans, but sending Hawks feels a bit heavy handed, doesn't it?" Sir Nighteye asked.

All Might leaned back in his office chair, shaking his head. "They know they can't intimidate me with him. They want to see where I stand, and see what they can salvage from the situation. Unfortunately, he left with knowledge that I might be looking to pass one One for All."

"Do you think they might try and use that against you?" Sir Nighteye asked. He felt guilty for the slip-up but knew he wasn't entirely at fault. Hawks was well-trained; they couldn't be blamed for not noticing him earlier.

"I don't know, but I don't like it." All Might admitted. "It feels like I'm being pressured into making a decision about One for All."

The topic reminded him of the contents of his breast pocket, which he fished out to have a look at.

"These are the papers you were so interested in?" All Might asked, scanning the contents briefly. "These are Young Midoriya's results from his first month of training with Gran Torino."

"Yes they are." Sir Nighteye confirmed. "My apologies, I was overwhelmed with curiosity when I heard from Recovery Girl that you were considering a quirkless candidate and asked her if I could have a look."

"Do you really think it's so impressive?" All Might asked, the numbers on the paper meant nothing to him. He might have been quirkless once upon a time, but decades of being able to lift buses as easy as lifting kittens had skewed his understanding of what was normal.

Sir Nighteye nodded. "Extremely so. I know it's only been a month, but his progress looks phenomenal. Especially when you consider that he's quirkless."

Since he began training the young man, Midoriya had been sent to Recovery girl for a monthly checkup to ascertain his progress, apparently things were going well.

"Do you think he's ready for the quirk?" All Might asked, causing his sidekick to blink.

"Are you actually going to rush the decision?" Sir Night eye asked. "Is it really wise to do so?"

All Might shrugged. "I don't like the HPSC sniffing around. I want to make my decision soon enough that whoever I choose has a good while to grow into their own before they have to deal with the world of politics."

"Is Midoriya still your favorite candidate?" Sir Nighteye asked.

"He might be, I'm still leaning heavily towards giving One for All to someone without a quirk."

Sir Nighteye scoffed. "Is that because of the dreams?"

All Might nodded reluctantly, he knew just as much as the younger man that it felt a little silly to hinge such a serious decision on some dreams he's been having, but his gut told him to trust them.

Sir Nighteye sighed in exasperation, knowing he couldn't do much to persuade the hero.

"What about Mirio?" He asked pointedly, and All Might had to admit that Sir Nighteye had a point. As far as things went Mirio, or Lemillion as he had recently named himself, was a fantastic choice.

The second year UA student was being hailed as one of the Big 3 in his year, highly talented, extremely smart, and scarily skilled. His physical aptitude was nothing to sniff at either, there was no doubt that he'd be able to handle the strain of One for All. Broader society would take well to him as well, he lacked any notable mutations, so he wouldn't looked at with skepticism like many unfortunately were. His quirk was also special, one power giving the illusion of several, he'd be able to hide One for All well.

Most importantly, however, his personality was perhaps even more like All Might's than All Might. He had the cheery, reassuring confidence down to a T. He had recently started his work studies at Might Tower under Sir Nighteye, following his glowing recommendation as a potential candidate from Nezu.

He was perfect, but his instincts screamed at him not to give him the quirk, and several times he had dreams of the teenage dying in various ways after receiving the quirk.

"I can't deny that he seems perfect, but..." All Might trailed off, Sir Nigheye didn't need him to finish the sentence to understand.

"What about the others on Nezu's list?" Sir Nighteye asked.

"I haven't really looked into them much, but what I've seen so far look good. Still, nothing is standing out as much as Midoriya or Mirio. Realistically I wanted more time to evaluate all my options." All Might admitted.

Sir Nighteye adjusted his posture, straightening a little. "And you're certain you want to decide soon? How soon?"

All Might thrummed his fingers on his desk. "Another month? Maybe two? We're 7 months away from the UA entrance exams. That would give them around three months before the first round of sponsored applications and close to half a year before the regular entrance exam."

Sir Nighteye nodded, though felt he needed to bring something up..

"I'm hesitant about Midoriya. He might be exceptional for a quirkless teenager, but I still feel there is the risk that no matter how much we train him, he will never be able to handle the level of power One for All has attained." Sir Nighteye nodded, pulling out an All Might themed notebook from his breast-pocket. "So while I recognize that you're slightly attached to him, I suggest we look at some of the other candidates first."

All Might grabbed the notebook as it was extended to him, and while flipped through it and looked at the names, he couldn't help but feel that in his heart, he had already made his choice.