Chapter Text
He hung his legs lazily off the end of a roof of a modest building, watching the sun set. He’d just ended one part of his career, and with any luck, it wouldn’t be the end of him.
When word got out that there had been no new cases for an entire month after a year of hell, Hawks was the first and only pro-hero to set up his agency in Musutafu. It wasn’t a branch either. He moved his entire agency the moment he legally could.
There was just too much to do. He ran over the lists, trying not to micromanage, but churning with ideas. The big stuff was getting water, food, medicine, housing, and clothes to the survivors. That stuff was easy. The long term, expensive stuff was harder to fund.
The building he’d chosen was a shopping mall before the quirk plague. The atrium was perfect for short gliding lessons. The little shops were great for making quirk counseling centers and supply distribution hubs. Classes for how to modify your clothes to fit over your wings over here. When he’d gathered the funding and support, he’d make a specialized quirk training ground for people with flight-related quirks. Hell, he could make Musutafu the Mecca for people with wings, like how people with water quirks founded Atlantis. Only problem was this was on land, not out in the middle of the ocean. It required changing laws about public quirk use, which made old systems of controlling quirked people harder to justify, which could undermine the Hero Public Safety Commission’s power, AKA, the people holding his leash.
He might just lose his license this year.
A little note to add landing areas to the roof of the mall, and he mailed the list off.
The creepiest thing about Musutafu was how empty it was. Before the plague it was a bustling ward of over 100,000 people. He was used to sitting on two-story buildings and being surrounded by the comforting buzz of humanity. They didn’t know the death toll. Probably would be finding corpses for years to come in isolated, abandoned places. It was so quiet that he could easily pick up the sound of a kid sniffling.
It wasn’t like there was any crime happening in the open, so he jumped into an updraft to comfort a kid.
A skinny kid with awkward holes torn into his hoodie for his black wings. Even the flight feathers had grown in, so this kid was one of the earlier victims. Wasn’t the first outbreak at a middle school? He looked about the right age. Hawks swooped down and landed ultimate cool dramatics in front of the kid.
The kid flinched back.
Okay, maybe a little too cool. Time to try and salvage this.
“Hey hatchling, it looked like you needed some help with your groceries, so I decided to lend a feather.”
He raised his head, giving Hawks a glimpse at a busted lip and dark circles under his eyes.
“Um, they’re rations, not… you know.” The kid shrugged. “I don’t have any money since my ma popped.” He held the messenger bag closer to his chest.
Hawks cleared his throat and dipped his head so he could watch the kid closer. “You got a name?”
He ducked his head, hiding his face with his oily, overgrown hair, like he was trying to sort out how safe it was.
“Just getting to know everyone in the area so I know when outsiders show up. Also makes getting aid out to civilians easier.”
“Oh.” The kid loosened up his shoulders a little. “I’m Midoriya Izuku.”
Shit. Day one and he’d already run into patient zero.
Midoriya snuck a glance at Hawks, then pulled his wings around his shoulders against the cool fall wind. “I don’t really hang out with anyone. Everyone hates me because I popped first.”
He put on his people pleasing face, hoping it’d do the job. “I don’t. It wasn’t your fault. Besides, I’d be in trouble if I had something against wings, wouldn’t I?”
It must have worked because Midoriya smiled. “I know where some people are, though I probably should stay away when you meet them because they’re scared I’ll get them sick. There’s a lot of people in my apartment complex just ‘cuz the water and electricity still run there. And I know someone whose mom died and his dad’s really struggling.
His voice quickly dissolved into indistinguishable mumbling.
“Right. We’ll do what you think is best. This your apartment building?”
Midoriya nodded and led him up four flights of stairs. He really needed to teach this hatchling to fly, because walking up stairs wasn’t something he particularly liked.
A red-faced “There’s a grandpa in the apartment below mine who didn’t pop but he has a hard time with stairs,” and “Goodbye!” and the kid vanished into a small, dark apartment.
If (no, WHEN. He was going to change the laws dammit) he pushed through those changes to the local laws, this kid would never have to trudge up another flight of stairs. He grinned at the memory of flying in the open for the first time. Every kid with wings should get that. Even if they got their wings late.
A few errands for the grandpa done, he reported back to his agency.
“You’ll never guess who I just met.”
“Who?”
“Patient Zero.”
“You’re kidding! What was he like?”
He took a moment to get more altitude, looking for lights turning on in the evening twilight.
“Shy. Needs a haircut and a doctor to check for malnutrition.” He paused a moment. “The kid’s being targeted. I’m gonna keep an eye on him, and set straight the fuckers who busted his lip.”
“Is that an actionable threat, or just creative language?”
“Either. It depends on what happens when we meet.”
“Right. Next checkin in 15. Fly free!”
“Fly free.”
The openings he’d cut into his jacket weren’t large enough. The edges chafed the underside of his white wings, in that spot that was impossible to reach in the middle of the back. But it was cold, so he was stuck with the jacket that was a touch too small, waiting in the ration line behind Izuku.
He wouldn’t say who beat him up last week. Katsuki had threatened to beat him up a second time if he didn’t say, but Izuku had called his bluff.
“It doesn’t matter. They lost someone. It looks worse than it is. We’ve all lost someone, so I understand.”
Bullshit. Katsuki had thought that he’d erupt with fury, burn himself and the whole world down when he found out his dad was dead. Instead, he’d felt numb. Pragmatic. If Katsuki, Mr. Wrath himself, could keep it together, then those fuckers had no excuse.
He felt hopeless, helpless, seeing Izuku’s messed up face. He couldn’t make Izuku stand up for himself. He couldn’t guard Izuku’s every waking minute. He could try though. Last week was a fluke, ‘cuz Izuku had to wait in the ration line by himself while Katsuki picked up his mom’s medications.
They’d moved in with Izuku when the power was lost in their neighborhood. Single family homes were just too difficult to keep the electricity going to. The city decided to prioritize apartments, so the fact that Izuku lived in a shoebox in a massive apartment complex was a good thing for once. That they lived together - adults with Granny and Katsuki and Izuku on the fourth floor and therefore got two sets of rations for their little household was their little secret.
The sky darkened, and their three hours of electricity would start soon. They needed to get the rice home and cooking.
The relief workers were covered head to toe in plastic protective onesies. Even so, as they lumbered closer, he could see them stiffen when they saw Katsuki and Izuku with their ratty clothes and wings. Katsuki made eye contact, and held it until the coward turned away first.
They got their rice and freeze-dried veggies without a fuss.
Their bags of rations slung over their shoulders, they hurried home. The streets after dark were lawless. Even as badass as Katsuki was, two winged kids with fresh rations were a golden target. So, when a blur of red slammed to the ground in front of them, Katsuki immediately spread his wings as far as they could go, making himself look bigger, and raised his palms, showering the vague figure with sparks.
Larger red wings spread in front of him, and a weirdly cheery voice chirped, “Heya Midoriya, who’s this other hatchling with you?”
Hawks. It was Hawks. Izuku hadn’t lied, Hawks was really here!
And… he’d just threatened a prohero with his quirk.
Fuck you life.
He snapped his wings back and dropped his hands.
“See?” Izuku hissed.
“You win. Now I’m gonna get arrested for public quirk use. Yip. ee.”
Hawks laughed. “Nah, that’d be no fun. I’d rather encourage people to use their wings. In fact,” he reached into his own messenger bag, producing a handful of flyers. “I’m starting up a flight school in the old shopping center. Share these with friends of yours who need help adjusting.”
Katsuki held Izuku back, and took the flyers himself.
The word “FREE” jumped out on the top. The hairs on the back of Katsuki’s neck rose in response, because nothing was truly free. Not in the quarantine zone.
“Also, I can help you kids get home, since it’s getting late.”
“We don’t-” Katsuki began, but Izuku cut him off.
“That would be lovely, thank you!”
Damn Izuku and his hero-worship. Hawks was gonna walk with them the whole way home, then they wouldn’t be able to take the flying shortcut to their apartment. He focused on kicking a rock down the street, while Izuku chatted about Granny Badass downstairs.
The gray apartment building loomed.
“Hey, Bakugou-kun!” Hawks chirped, swooping into his path. “Your wings have their flight feathers grown in - do you want to try flying tonight?”
Katsuki came to a stop, a grin spreading across his face before he could stop it.
“Really?”
“Really. As a prohero, I can authorize civilians to use their quirks. And, I’d rather help hatchlings fly than have to go up that many flights of stairs ever again.”
Katsuki didn’t need another excuse. He looped his bag over his shoulder, crouched, and, “LIFT OFF!” he yelled, using his explosions to propel himself into the sky. Then he twisted in mid-air, snapped out his wings, and with a few more explosions, he rocketed towards the fourth floor.
Izuku had to make a running jump with his wings spread, but soon he swooped and caught air currents like he’d been born to fly right behind his friend.
Hawks never had seen something so beautiful. The kids laughed, floated, dived, twirled… Dancing in the air. He found himself joining in without a second thought, his heart lightening after having seen so much grief.
When they finally had landed at the front door, he asked, “When did you learn to do that?”
Katsuki laughed in his face, all fear and hesitation gone. “There’s been no coppers or proheros in Musutafu for months. Who the hell’d stop us?”