Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami wasn’t all that surprised when Hawks asked him to visit just before he went home for winter break. What did surprise him was that the parking lot outside the agency was completely empty. He left his bags in the taxi, as he assumed this would only take a few minutes. Hawks hadn’t sounded as laid back as usual, so Tokoyami couldn’t even guess what the winged hero wanted.

    “Hawks?” he called as he entered. Without the usual sidekicks and workers around, the building was massive and empty, lined with desks and chairs free of people. Most of the lights were turned off, and Hawks continued to keep it at its usual low temperature, even though it was winter outside. Tokoyami, for one, appreciated the cold. 

    From the hallway leading to the training center, a single crimson feather drifted through the air. It stopped in front of Tokoyami before turning around in the direction it had come from. Suddenly, the feather shot full speed down the hall and into the gym. Tokoyami sprinted after it. 

    Inside the large training center lined with blue practice mats, the gym equipment was scattered haphazardly around. Despite how the pro might like to appear, Hawks was not the most organized person in the world, and he had a nasty habit of misplacing important things. The hero in question laid on his back across a weight bench, lifting a bar that proudly sported at least 180 pounds. Of course, he had no one spotting him. 

    Tokoyami sighed and walked to the bench, holding his hands out underneath the bar, just in case. “Is this why you called me here, sir?” he said, and it came out just a little too sharply. He bit the bottom of his beak, as he tended to when he was anxious. 

    Hawks grinned as he forced the bar back up onto its rack. He stood up without answering right away and stretched his arms above his head. He wore his black muscle shirt with the gold striped pattern on it and loose black sweats. One wing at a time, he unfurled them and stretched them out to full length, partially showing off.

    “Tsukuyomi!” he said with a bright smile and a clap on his intern’s back. “Glad you showed up before you got to kick it for the holidays.”

    “Do you always give your sidekicks such long breaks?” Tokoyami didn’t respond to being called by his hero name in such a casual setting. He’d long ago stopped getting frustrated at Hawks’s odd mannerisms. 

    “Why not?” Hawks tilted his head in genuine confusion. “I can handle things here just fine by myself. No reason to deny them time with their families.”

    “I see…”

    “Anyway, do you have any plans for your holiday break, number 1 intern?” Hawks picked his jacket up from the floor and flung it over his shoulder, indicating he was ready to leave the training center. He paused to wait for Tokoyami to join him. 

    Hawks leaned backwards a bit when he walked, as he always did, because his wings put a strain on his back muscles if he wasn’t easy on them. It gave him the appearance of someone who was completely relaxed and disconnected, when in reality, Hawks was the most vigilant man Tokoyami had ever met. 

    Tokoyami kept pace as well as he could with Hawks’s long strides. After a moment’s hesitation and his eyes flickering off to the side, the jet black hero shook his head. “Not really, sir. Why do you ask?”

    Hawks clicked his tongue but didn’t look back. “Would you drop the sir stuff? Neither of us are really on duty, kid.”

    “Apologies.”

    “I asked you to come here because, if you didn’t have your heart set on making plans with your family for Christmas, I wanted to offer you a chance that no other student is going to get from their mentor,” Hawks’s feathers twitched, probably with anticipation, but it was hard for Tokoyami to tell. Despite their time together, he still found Hawks difficult to read.

    “What chance is that?”

    “I had figured it would be a nice time for you to put your provisional license to some good use. You’ve vastly improved since we first met, so I was thinking. Even during holidays, most heroes don’t get a real break. Heroes don’t rest if the world keeps turning. So if you’d like to spend your break here as an official sidekick, I give you that opportunity.”

    “You want me to spend Christmas here with you at the agency?” Tokoyami was shocked. Flattered, but shocked. He sped up a little to try and get a glimpse of Hawks’s face. 

    Hawks winced. “Don’t make it sound like torture, kid.”

    Tokoyami always hated it when Hawks called him a kid. He was only six years younger than the pro. Thinking that, Tokoyami couldn’t help but feel a little inferior. To imagine accomplishing in only six years what Hawks had… it was intimidating to say the least. “No, sir!” he said quickly. “I would be honored to stay.”

    He would definitely be honored, but there was some kind of eagerness in Hawks’s voice that made him say yes. Tokoyami got the inkling that Hawks really just wanted some company for the holiday break. Of course, the winged hero would never admit that if it was true, so Tokoyami didn’t bother trying to get him to. It wasn’t as if Tokoyami had been terribly excited to go home for break anyway. His parents would probably be relieved.

    Hawks grinned. “Yeah?”

    “Yes, sir.”

    “What did I tell you about the sir thing?” Hawks reprimanded his intern. The smile never left his face, though, so Tokoyami was pleased. 

    “I’m sorry.”

    “I gotta teach you to loosen up. So, go get your stuff and give your parents a call. I’ll get your room set up,” Hawks seemed surprised that Tokoyami had agreed to this, but he was also very clearly happy about it. Tokoyami might have smiled if it were in his nature to do such a thing. He turned on heel and went to collect his bags from the taxi.

    Hawks continued into the extra rooms He’d been caught off guard when Tokoyami had agreed to his offer. Sure, it’d be nice having someone around, but Hawks had never met anyone who was so willing to forego visiting their family on Christmas. Of course, Hawks had never had that problem himself. 

    He went into the room at the opposite end of the hall from the one that he used, so as to give his intern some privacy for the next four days. It was relatively untouched from the last person who’d slept there and cleaned everything up. A bed, a small dresser, a night stand, and a desk in the corner. Simple, but Hawks was sure Tokoyami didn’t mind it. It was just a guest room after all. No need to spiff it up if the kid wouldn’t be staying there.

    He briefly smoothed out the blanket to busy his hands, then sat down in the black office chair by the desk. He let his wings drape down to the floor and sighed. What sort of family life did Tokoyami have if it was that easy to get him to stay away from them? Hawks was sure it was none of his business, but the curiosity ate at him. And something else too. Maybe he was a bit worried for the kid as well. 

    No, he was his mentor. Hawks had already said that teaching kids wasn’t exactly his thing. He’d meant that. But the public wanted him to take on an intern, and so did the public safety commission. Tokoyami had been a good fit. There was nothing more to it than that.

    Tokoyami had grown under Hawks, however. And there was definitely some pride to be found in that. Black Fallen Angel was a great technique, and Tokoyami would never have developed it if not for Hawks pushing him to play to his strengths. The winged hero had been right. His intern was wasting potential, so he was happy for him when he helped him break that pattern. Tokoyami was definitely top ten material if he played his cards right. 

    Hawks’s phone went off and he looked down. A text from an anonymous number. Of course, Dabi still wouldn’t get a damn cell phone. The man was so paranoid Hawks wasn’t sure how he opened the window blinds in the morning. 

    A little birdie told me you’ve got a feathered friend for Christmas. I hope he’s not going to get in the way of the plan that day. 

    Hawks's eyes narrowed. How had Dabi found out so quickly...? His phone was probably bugged. He sighed before he responded.

    Don’t worry about it. He’s just an intern of mine, you have nothing to fear from him. 

    That was an utter lie. Out of all the students in Class 1-A, Hawks would pick out Bakugou, Midoriya, Todoroki, and Tokoyami to fear most, as a villain. And if Tokoyami caught wind of the plan, there’s no way he’d let it go down without a very serious fight. But that wouldn’t happen. Hawks wouldn’t let him find out. Because keeping his intern safe while teaching him was priority number one during this holiday break. 

    A response.

    I would certainly hope not. It wouldn’t end well for either of you if you lied to me, Hawks. I don’t think you’re dumb enough for that?

    ...

    Of course not.

Chapter Text

    “This is your room,” Hawks said simply as Tokoyami brought his small black duffle bag into the room and set it down on the bed. The winged hero paused as if waiting for a response from his intern. When he didn’t get one, he continued. “It’s not spectacular, but it’s all I’ve got right now. If you wanna put up a poster or something, you can.”

    Tokoyami looked around and still didn’t give much of a response. So Hawks was startled when he bowed his head respectfully. “Thank you.”

    Hawks’s surprise faded into a smile. “It’s not a big deal. Anyway, get yourself settled in, kid. I’ll be in the lobby.”

    Before Tokoyami could say another word on it, Hawks had gone. It wasn’t his usual dramatic exit, with the wings and the crazy speed, but he still moved very quickly, even in such a small space. Tokoyami was left standing alone in the room his mentor had set up for him. He took a deep breath. 

    The agency, all except for the bedrooms, had a lot of windows and very high ceilings. Perfect for someone like Hawks. It was a very open-spaced building. Tokoyami found comfort in the openness, but he wasn’t overly fond of the bright light being let in through the windows. He would always think of himself as a creature of the dark, even as a hero.

    Tokoyami carefully emptied the contents of his bag, several outfits- all black in color- and various toiletries onto the bed. As he put everything away, he reflected on the phone call with his mom. He’d been right. She didn’t seem all that bothered when he stated he wasn’t coming home for Christmas. In fact, she’d wished him luck and hoped he enjoyed himself. 

    Dark Shadow had come out without Tokoyami really noticing it. “Dark Shadow, what are you doing?” he said quietly as the creature laid its head on his shoulder, seeming restless with boredom. Dark Shadow looked around. 

    “Where did Hawks say he was going? We should go spar with him.”

    “Not now,” Tokoyami answered. “Stay in at least until patrol tomorrow.”

    A sigh was all he got in response, but Dark Shadow did as it was told and returned. Tokoyami finished up with his work in putting his things away, then headed out for the lobby. The sun was beginning to set, and Tokoyami was always eager for the night. 

    “Hawks?” he called, looking around the lobby. 

    “Up here,” a voice answered him. 

    Tokoyami followed the voice up to the ceiling, where Hawks hung upside down by his legs from one of the beams up above. Aerial combat was obviously Hawks’s greatest strength, so his agency was designed to reflect that, to help him refine his skills. It was like the advice he’d given Tokoyami, to play to his strengths. He hung like a bat now, wings folded around him. It was clearly some sort of leg exercise, probably about stamina.

    “What are you doing?” Tokoyami asked. 

    Hawks folded his arms and lifted his leg so he was dangling by only one. “Just hanging around,” he said sarcastically. 

    It was a pun. God, Tokoyami hated puns. He had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at Hawks’s terrible joke. He folded his arms to mirror the number two hero as Hawks flipped down from the rafter, tumbling a few times in the air with his wings outspread to catch his fall before rolling to land on his feet in front of Tokoyami. The student didn’t react, other than thinking that Hawks was such a show-off.

    “Settled in then?” Hawks asked with his usual jovial attitude. He was barely out of breath, though Tokoyami didn’t miss the hero’s knees shaking with the effort of the landing. 

    A nod was all the pro got in response. 

    “Good to know. I’ve gone on both my patrols already, so I’m afraid that tonight, the heroes do get to rest up. If you turn in early, we can get the first patrol done before noon tomorrow. What do you think?” 

    Tokoyami was surprised that Hawks was asking for his opinion. “That sounds like a good idea,” he answered blithely. His voice was level, but he was more than a little eager to spend holiday break acting like a real hero. That would show the people around him that just because he and the darkness were kin, it didn’t make him a villain. He could use the darkness to his advantage if he learned to control its pull.

    “Great. Have you eaten?” Hawks asked. 

    Tokoyami almost felt his- and Dark Shadow’s- stomach grumble in answer. “No, sir. I haven’t had the chance.”

    Hawks shot a look Tokoyami’s way. Right. Drop the sir thing. But it was difficult, as it was in the student’s nature to be polite to those he respected. He didn’t feel he and Hawks were on a first name basis yet… especially since he didn’t know Hawks’s real name. That seemed like an important step one. 

    “Terrific. I know a fantastic place across town… if you think Dark Shadow can hold up that long,” Hawks cocked a challenging eyebrow at the two of them. Dark Shadow had once again emerged over Tokoyami’s shoulder and gave Hawks an irritable hiss. 

    “I’ve improved Black Fallen Angel. I can hold it much longer now, so you don’t need to worry about me,” Tokoyami gave Hawks a determined look. 

    Hawks smiled again. He rarely stopped smiling, Tokoyami noticed. Like All Might. And yet Hawks found more intrigue in the current number one hero? It didn’t make much sense, but Tokoyami also didn’t question it. After all, asking Hawks a question never really ended with a straight answer, and if it did, it was because Hawks wanted to talk about it.

    There was something different about the way Hawks smiled though. He seemed perfectly at ease and completely carefree… at first Tokoyami hadn’t liked him one bit because of his detached demeanor. But he’d quickly begun to understand that Hawks wasn’t uncaring, he just didn’t show his true colors to a lot of people. He was hard to really get, but Tokoyami felt like he was making progress.

    Hawks went to the large glass doors in the front of the agency and held one open for Tokoyami to pass through. As he did, Tokoyami smelled something. Fire. Hawks smelled like smoke. That was off, especially considering Hawks wasn’t a smoker.

    Tokoyami remained silent on it, deciding it wasn’t important enough to bring it up now. Hawks probably got into fights that ended in fire on a daily basis. It wasn’t surprising that his jacket would retain the scent.

    The duo hit the sidewalk at the same time, and Hawks spread his wings. “Are you sure you’re up for this? It’s getting dark.”

    Tokoyami took a breath. He couldn’t risk backing out now and giving Hawks reason to doubt him. The pro hero didn’t seem at all bothered when Tokoyami nodded and called Dark Shadow into his control, muttering “Black Fallen Angel” to give the shadow a better idea of what he wanted. On command, it wrapped around his body and enveloped him, using its power to levitate him off the ground. He wasn’t sure if he could make it all the way to where Hawks was taking them, but he was certainly going to try his best.

    Hawks was already in the air. He hovered, wings bringing him up a few feet and then back down with every stroke. He was watching Tokoyami with a silent, curious gaze, head tilted slightly to the side. 

    “Ready?” Hawks was taking it slow. Even though Tokoyami wanted to pretend he didn’t need him to do that, it was nice knowing his mentor was ready to slow his insane pace to match his student’s. 

    Hawks soared high into the air, embracing the wind through his feathers. Tokoyami tried to keep up, but even Hawks slowing down was a bit too fast for him. He urged Dark Shadow faster, but that familiar lack of control that came with the setting sun was creeping up on him. Dark Shadow was starting to grow restless around his body. 

    No. He had to prove to his mentor that he could do what he set his mind to. Hawks already had doubt in him. He wanted just one person to believe wholeheartedly in his abilities. But Tokoyami wasn’t sure if even he believed so strongly in himself. 

    “You okay, kid?” Hawks had drifted back beside Tokoyami, painstakingly slow for him, his brow furrowed with concern. 

    “Fine,” the student answered. 

    Hawks kept flying over the city, but now he remained at Tokoyami’s side with a resigned but still worried expression in his eyes. It was mere moments later that Dark Shadow gave an angry cry and began to struggle, unraveling itself from around Tokoyami. He quickly tried to regain control of himself, but it didn’t work. Before he knew it, he was plummeting towards the ground while Dark Shadow tried to strike at Hawks. 

    Hawks had already dipped in the air, folding his wings against his body to create a more streamlined shape. With his signature breakneck speed and quick thinking, he caught up to Tokoyami and caught him by his wrist. In one brush of his wings, Hawks flew down into the buildings and city center, which Tokoyami almost called him an idiot for doing, but the bright stadium lights of the city square managed to dissipate Dark Shadow instantly, forcing the creature to return to its host’s body.

    The winged hero breathed out a sigh of relief as they landed in the town center, drawing more than a few eyes their way, and turned to Tokoyami. Tokoyami was doubled over from the ordeal, hands braced on his knees. 

    The hero in training winced, expecting to be reprimanded, or at the very least, meet fearful eyes. Instead, his mentor was smirking at him. 

    “Next time, if you wanna take the train, just say so.”

Chapter Text

    “I’m sorry, Hawks,” Tokoyami said for the umpteenth time as he and his mentor boarded the train. He was apologizing for a myriad of reasons, but this time it was for Hawks, someone who hated cramped quarters, being pressed up against a hoard of people on a busy subway. It was standing room only, so everyone was pushing against everyone else. 

    Hawks used his wing to catch a young lady who hadn’t grabbed onto the bar in time and fell forward. He gently set her back on her feet and held her steady until she got her grip. She practically swooned against the bar. After doing that, Hawks immediately tucked his wings against himself, trying to take up as little room as possible. Tokoyami knew the feathers were sensitive, and all the movement and vibrations were definitely making Hawks uncomfortable.

    Of course, the winged hero tried to brush off the apology by pretending he was unaffected. “It’s nothing. I can handle a little crowd, Tokoyami.”

    He used Tokoyami’s name that time, and it caught his intern off guard. For the most part, Hawks only referred to him by his chosen name, as heroes were supposed to do in public. Casual names usually weren’t used between heroes who hadn’t known each other a very long time. It only reminded Tokoyami that he still had no idea what Hawks’s real name was. 

    The train lurched to a stop, catching Tokoyami off guard. He bumped into Hawks, who grabbed his shoulder to steady him. “You okay?”

    “Yes. I’m sorry.”

    “I swear, kid, if you apologize one more time,” Hawks said. He was teasing, but there was a very slight edge to his voice that could easily be missed if Tokoyami wasn’t paying attention. The jet black hero nodded. 

    “Alright,” he braced himself against the bar once more. 

    It was a short ride to the stop they needed to be at, but Hawks’s feathers practically bristled with anticipation. When the doors came open, he burst out of the small train without waiting for his student. When Tokoyami caught up with him, he found Hawks leaning with his back against a cement pillar, his breathing labored. His wings were folded tightly around him like a security blanket. 

    “Hawks!” he put a hand on the hero’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

    Hawks immediately caught his breath and stood up. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, just… you mind staying here for a minute?”

    The student nodded, giving Hawks the go-ahead to do whatever he needed to do. On cue, Hawks stretched his wings out to their full length and shot full speed into the air. It earned a few cheers and squeals from the bustling crowd of people, but Hawks was already gone before he could respond to them. 

    Tokoyami sighed and leaned back against the wall. It was too clear what was wrong. Hawks was fine with crowds for the most part. He didn’t mind eyes on him, and when people swarmed him in the streets, he’d trained himself to be fine with that. But being surrounded in close quarters with nowhere to escape? It would make any flight-based hero anxious. 

    The jet black hero wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he finally caught Hawks’s silhouette coming back down to land in front of him. He folded his wings and shook his head as if to clear it. People were staring, so Hawks put on an easy smile. 

    “Sorry about that,” he said gently. “Just needed a minute to stretch my wings. Anyway, let’s go. The takeout place is gonna close in an hour.”

    Tokoyami gave his back a long look as the hero started down the sidewalk with his quick pace. He once again tried and failed to keep stride with him. He wondered if Hawks ever really let himself be vulnerable around people. If not… maybe that’s why Hawks came off as so dissociated from the rest of the world. 

    Of course, Tokoyami didn’t have room to criticize Hawks for pretending. He often did the same thing. But still. Maybe he could, somehow, convince the hero that it was okay to be anxious or distressed, at least around him, if not the world.

    Hawks’s phone went off, a high pitched sound that Tokoyami couldn’t imagine Hawks liked to hear. The winged hero stopped in his tracks so Tokoyami, for the second time, crashed into him. Effortlessly, a small cluster of red feathers flew underneath his back to stop him from falling and ease him back onto his feet. 

    “Thank you.”

    Hawks was distracted, looking down at his phone. He clicked his tongue and turned to Tokoyami. “I have to go,” he handed him a thick stack of yen bills, bound by a rubber band. “Here, head inside and order the chicken skewers for me. Get whatever you want. If you need me, call me, I’ll pick up. Take the train back and remember to walk in the light.”

    “But Hawks-” Tokoyami was confused. 

    “I’ll meet you back at the agency. Hero emergency, but I won’t be long,” Hawks said quickly and without much inflection, taking to the sky and being out of sight in the blackness before Tokoyami could form a protest. 

    Tokoyami stared after his mentor. A hero emergency? One that a sidekick couldn’t be part of? The jet black hero felt his shoulders sag. So that incident with Dark Shadow did make Hawks distrust him. It was the only viable explanation as to why Hawks wouldn’t let Tokoyami join him in a “hero emergency.” He was an official sidekick for the holiday… Wasn’t he?

    He decided to respect the hero’s wishes and didn’t follow him. As much as he really wanted to, he knew that he’d already messed up once tonight. So with a deep breath, he went into the takeout restaurant and ordered barbecue chicken skewers for Hawks and soba for himself. All the while and on the train ride back, he found himself worried. What if the emergency was bigger than Hawks thought it was? The hero could be in danger. 

    Hawks crossed his arms. “Did you really have to call now?”

    He stood in a back alley, long abandoned by society. No dumpsters back here, nothing but a torn up blue couch someone had ditched. No one felt sorry enough to collect the old thing. Right now, Hawks stood in front of two of the most formidable villains in the league. 

    Dabi was standing in a slouched posture- still taller than Hawks, though- with a hand resting lazily on his waist. Next to him, Twice stood back a few feet, like he was acting as a bodyguard. Hawks didn’t blame them. He’d honestly given them no real reason to trust him… just did some dirty work as a bribe. 

    “Yes, we did, hero ,” Dabi said sharply, lighting a blue flame in his hand. Hawks wasn’t sure if it was a threat or not, but his wings sharpened either way. “Did you bring it?”

    Hawks glared, but he reluctantly tossed a small silver chip in Dabi’s direction. Dabi caught it in his palm and held it close to his face to scrutinize it.

    “How do I know this is the real one?”

    “I guess you’ll have to trust me,” Hawks answered. “Look, if you don’t want it, get another inside guy.”

    Dabi’s blue fire spanned out from his fingertips enough to singe the fur on Hawks’s jacket. Hawks wasn’t alarmed. Dabi did this shit all the time. Hawks silently drew his primary feather and held it up. Twice stepped forward, but Dabi put his hand out to stop him. He was smiling in sadistic amusement. 

    “Don’t threaten me, bird. Get on back to your agency. I’m sure your intern is worried about you,” Dabi turned to head back the way he’d come. The moonlight threw his shadow over Hawks as the fire-based villain’s form retreated. 

    “Dabi, wait,” Hawks couldn’t help himself. 

    The villain paused. 

    “You’re going to do it the way you promised this time, right? Not like with High End,” Hawks looked down. “That whole incident ended up on my shoulders. People got hurt, and their blood is on me. You’ll stick to terms this time, right?”

    Dabi seemed startled that Hawks was being so honest with him. But he grinned. “Yes, sorry about last time, chicken wing, it was just the right place at the right time. I knew you’d rescue everyone like you always do.”

    Hawks gritted his teeth. “Just… don’t hurt anyone else this time.”

    A bright smile. “No one but you and the fire freak,” Dabi gave a polite bow. “As long as you deliver on your promise, I think this Christmas is going to be a real success for the league and for villains everywhere.”

    The winged hero lowered his eyes. “Yeah…”

    As Dabi left, Hawks took a deep breath. Playing martyr was something he was good at. But now he was going to have to find a way to protect the number one hero without blowing his cover to the villains. He was going to have to sabotage this plan without getting found out. How the hell was he going to do that?

    It was a short flight back to the agency. Hawks came inside to a single light in the lobby, cast over Tokoyami. The student had fallen asleep sitting up on the couch, his chin propped on his hand. Hawks checked the fridge and found his takeout put away neatly and labeled. He went into his room, slipping his costume off and replacing it with a plain black t-shirt and black and gray plaid sleeper pants. He discarded his costume onto the floor before circling back to the lobby. 

    “Come on, kid. Can’t have you sleeping on my couch- that doesn't look very good on me, now does it?” When the student didn't stir, Hawks looped an arm under Tokoyami’s shoulders and knees, carrying him as one would a sleeping child, laying him down on the bed in his room. He left a small light on, just in case, and tossed the blanket over him. Hawks smiled before he left, and for once, there was nothing forced about it.

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami was awake at the slightest hint of sunrise the next morning. He realized he was in bed… somehow, and shook his head to reorient himself. Right. He was at Hawks’s agency for the next four days. Up until the day after Christmas, then it was back to the dorms. Tokoyami stood up and stretched. 

    He went to Hawks’s room and lightly tapped the door a few times. When he got no response, Tokoyami frowned and walked towards the kitchen. There, sprawled out across the couch in the lobby, was Hawks. Tokoyami rolled his eyes slightly and went over to the winged hero, giving him a gentle nudge in the shoulder. 

    “Hawks?”

    “Ugh,” the hero groaned after several more failed attempts to shake him awake, a hand moving to slide down his face. His eyes were half shut, but the gold still managed to focus blearily on Tokoyami. “What time is it?”

    “Around six o’clock, sir,” Tokoyami reported dutifully. 

    “And I’m awake because…?”

    “You said you wanted to rise early and get patrol done by noon.”

    “Early,” Hawks grumbled, starting to push himself into a sitting position. He leaned heavily against the back of the couch. His wings were ruffled and sticking out in all directions, as was his hair- which wasn’t unusual, but it seemed even more untamed this morning. “Early is eight o’clock on a good day.”

    “Apologies. I can let you rest longer, if you prefer.”

    “No, it’s fine,” Hawks sighed and stood up, bending his spine back to crack it. He did the same with his neck, knuckles, and wings, each of the bones emitting a loud pop. “I’m awake now, there’s no going back to sleep for me.”

    “Why were you on the couch, if you don’t mind my asking?”

    “I prefer not to sleep in enclosed rooms, where I can avoid them. The open floor plan in the lobby was designed for that,” Hawks shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter though.”

    “You sleep on the couch every night?” Tokoyami asked incredulously. 

    “Only when the sidekicks aren’t here,” Hawks popped his shoulder joints and began clawing his hands through his feathers to straighten them out. He was still grumbling about being woken up so early. “I can’t believe I’m awake at six in the morning. This only happens when something is on fire.”

    Noted. Hawks was not, in fact, a morning person. Which made sense, given his preference for late nights and long work days. But for some reason, it was still surprising to Tokoyami, who sort of expected the opposite. 

    “I need caffeine,” the hero announced, heading into the kitchen. “What do you want to eat? We have leftovers and takeout.”

    Tokoyami tilted his head a bit. “You aren’t much of a cook, then?”

    “Never really bothered,” Hawks replied casually, pulling his phone off its charger. He cleared his notifications without really looking at one of them and glanced out the large windows, toward a cloudy blue sky. “I’ve got too much to do.”

    “If you typically don’t start patrol for two more hours, won’t we have time to try to make something, at least for today?” Tokoyami wondered aloud. He worried Hawks wouldn’t have the suggestion, but the number two hero seemed to consider it. After a few moments, he nodded. 

    “You know what, that sounds like a plan. We can try to figure something out. I don’t have much here, since I just buy everything while I’m out, so I’ll make a run to the grocery store after patrol. If you want anything, go ahead and write up a list. In the meantime, we can try to work with what I’ve got,” Hawks was on his way to his room. “Start getting ready.”

    Tokoyami went to his own room, pushing open the door. He grabbed his costume, a black shirt and loose black pants with his utility belt, and of course, his cloak over top of it all. After he was dressed, he went back out to the kitchen and shifted through the barren fridge. Hawks hadn’t been lying. There was a backlog of leftover takeout- all of which was chicken-based- and mostly nothing else.

    After searching the shelves more thoroughly, Tokoyami found a pack of fish in the refrigerator and a box of rice in the cabinet. Hawks wasn’t a huge fan of seafood, but he’d still eat it. So it was the best option they really had at that point. 

    Hawks came out of his room donning his hero costume. The black and gold shirt under a tan aviator suit with his visor pushed up on his head and his headphones around his neck. He was carrying his combat boots in one hand and set them down next to the table as he settled down across from Tokoyami, who stood at the stove, hanging his jacket on the chair behind him.

    “So what did you decide on?”

    “Grilled mackerel and rice?” Tokoyami offered. “It’s basically all you have.”

    “Sounds good,” Hawks got up and moved into the kitchen, where Tokoyami was starting to boil water in a pot. He opened the pack of fish with one of his feathers, tearing a perfect slit into it. “So… do you know what you’re doing?”

    Silence for a few seconds. “No.”

    Hawks actually laughed. It was an easy sound, and honestly? Tokoyami found himself tempted to smile just from hearing it. “This is gonna go well, then, isn’t it?”

    The pro reached under one of the sleek black cabinets to produce a small electric grill. He plugged it in and let it heat up while he attempted to filet the fish with a large kitchen knife. It didn’t go well. He ended up with several uneven chunks of meat that were mutilated beyond repair. Tokoyami couldn’t hold back a little snort when he saw them. 

    At the same moment, his water began to boil over and he rushed to turn it down as he added way too much rice. Hawks laughed at his struggle again as he tossed the “filets” on the grill. Tokoyami couldn’t help but feel that that laugh was the first genuine happiness he’d seen from Hawks since they’d met. Hawks was the kind of person who always seemed to be hiding something heavy behind his eyes. But it seemed alleviated in that moment.

    Several minutes and a smoke alarm later, Tokoyami and Hawks had wound up covered in soy sauce when the latter spilled it while trying to get the cap off. Hawks looked at their pathetic attempt at making actual food and started laughing once again. They each had a massive bowl of overcooked white rice with several mangled chunks of burned fish on top.

    “That was awful,” Hawks said once he’d stopped laughing.

    Tokoyami winced a little. “Sorry, I thought it would go better. You don’t have to eat it.”

    To prove a point, Hawks grabbed a pair of chopsticks and took a bite. After chewing thoughtfully for a few seconds, he slapped a hand on the counter and grinned. “You know, it doesn’t taste as bad as it looks.”

    Tokoyami reluctantly took a seat beside the hero and picked up the chopsticks Hawks had given him. He took a bite himself and physically cringed. It was terrible. Either Hawks was a really good liar, or his taste buds were completely numb. Nevertheless, Tokoyami forced himself to eat a few more bites. 

    Hawks was a quick eater, and he’d already finished the entirety of his food before Tokoyami was even a quarter of the way done. He placed his bowl in the sink and started back down the hall to the restroom. “I’m gonna change shirts,” he said, gesturing at the sauce spilled down his torso. “Anyway. I think that went pretty well,” he disappeared through the doorway. 

    Tokoyami looked after him in disbelief as Dark Shadow appeared behind his shoulder and snagged the food away from his chopsticks. Was that sarcasm? Or did Hawks genuinely think that disaster went well?

    Hawks was aggressively brushing the taste of burnt fish out of his mouth in front of the mirror. That really had gone well. He could tell Tokoyami had been having fun with it, even if his intern wouldn’t voice it. He’d slipped his shirt off and tossed it in the corner, so he could now see all his scars. Most of them were combat inflicted, but there were plenty that had come from training just a little too hard. 

    As Hawks spat out the mint flavored toothpaste, he pressed a towel to his face and took a deep breath. On his shoulder was a newer scar… a burn. Dabi wasn’t a very nice guy, and yet, he was the only villain Hawks knew he could have a real conversation with, without hiding himself. Sure, Hawks was a talented liar… but he hated lying. So he appreciated Dabi allowing him to tell the truth. But he knew Dabi didn’t trust him. Which was fair. Why should he?

    The number two hero met his own golden eyes in the mirror and forced that plastic smile and that easy little laugh. The one the hero commission had pounded into his head over and over again when he was a kid. 

    “It doesn’t matter what you’re feeling inside, Hawks. Never stop showing up for the people. Always smile for them, even when it seems like things are lost. Like All Might.”

    Like All Might. 

    His mind flashed back to that night. All Might had given the last of his power to defeat a villain, and the public watched his abilities self-destruct. The public watched as their symbol was ripped away from them. Hawks had watched, helpless to do anything without blowing his cover. All Might had emerged triumphant, but at the cost of the citizens watching him fall.

    Hawks didn’t want to be like All Might.

Chapter Text

    “Ready for patrol? It won’t take too long. You wanna walk or use Black Fallen Angel? Your choice. And Dark Shadow’s, obviously,” Hawks said brightly as he emerged back into the kitchen. He was already slipping his combat boots on. 

    Tokoyami had traded his black shirt for an identical black shirt, and he stood in the kitchen at the sink, washing their dishes. Dark Shadow was behind him, and it perked up when Hawks mentioned its name. Tokoyami started rinsing out the bowls he’d cleaned and glanced back at Hawks. 

    Hawks’s smile faltered, but only for a second before it returned. When it did, however, it seemed a little more real. “Hey you’re the guest here. Cleaning is my job.”

    Tokoyami nodded, but kept his gaze focused on his task. Dark Shadow was watching him work. “I’d like to do this for you, if you don’t mind.”

    The hero shrugged. “Alright so I got myself a kid who chooses to do housework. Never thought I’d see the day, but if you really wanna, go right ahead. In fact, if you wanna move in, keeping this place clean can be your rent.”

    Hawks was joking, obviously, but Tokoyami still found himself wistfully thinking about how nice it would be to come here instead of home. At least Hawks was present. That’s more than he could say for his family. Tokoyami was quiet and didn’t like to talk all that much, so Hawks’s chatter was just fine for him. And Hawks was engaged and just… there, in the moment. It was foreign to him, but Tokoyami couldn’t honestly say he hated it. 

    “Hawks?”

    “Hm?” Hawks was pulling on his gloves. 

    “If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your name? I know it’s late, but you haven’t told me yet. I was just wondering,” Tokoyami put his boots on as well. 

    Hawks hesitated. For the first time since they’d met, he looked uncertain. He turned his eyes to the window, to the sky, as he always did when he was searching for an answer. Tokoyami wondered if there was something up there only Hawks could see. Something written in the clouds just for him. 

    “It’s just Hawks, kid,” the hero answered. 

    Tokoyami turned his head down. “I understand.”

    Hawks looked back at Tokoyami, and his face was solemn and maybe a little apologetic. “It’s not that I don’t want you to know, Tsukuyomi,” he braced a hand on the intern’s shoulder. “I do. But I can’t tell you.”

    “Why not?” Tokoyami found it in himself to be bold. 

    Again, golden eyes wandered to the sky. Hawks shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

    Tokoyami shrugged Hawks’s hand off his shoulder, but he nodded. “It’s alright. Maybe someday you can trust me with it.”

    Hawks winced, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say on the matter, for once. Eventually he walked through the lobby, towards the doors. “C’mon. If we’re gonna be walking, we should get a head start since it’ll take a while longer.”

    Tokoyami did as he was told. He pulled his cloak around his shoulders and followed Hawks outside. They were silent as they began to patrol quiet city streets- as quiet as a city could be, anyway. Anyone who noticed Hawks called out to say hello as he and his student turned up and down the streets. It got busy when they reached the city square, however. 

    In no time at all, a small crowd had gathered around Hawks. Some snapped pictures, and Hawks flashed an easy smile. Tokoyami stood behind his mentor, trying to be subtle about the fact that he was hiding from the cameras and the people.

    “Who is this? Is this the intern you took up for the work study?” a young woman asked. 

    “Yes, this is Tsukuyomi,” Hawks answered, lifting his chin as if in pride. “He’s definitely one you guys will want to watch out for.”

    Tokoyami mustered a very small wave, but he couldn’t think of anything to say to them. 

    “Hi, Tsukuyomi,” another man said cheerfully. “Any student of Hawks must be something impressive. What’s your quirk like?”

    Tokoyami couldn’t help but step back. He wasn’t terribly anxious… just reserved and unsure how to interact with people. Hawks did it with such natural mastery that Tokoyami found himself unwilling to say anything. He didn’t want to do anything that went against the people’s image of what Hawks’s student should be like. He didn’t want to hurt his mentor’s reputation. 

    “He’s a bit shy,” Hawks stepped in quickly, noticing his student’s indecisiveness. “We’re certainly going to work on that over the next few days, aren’t we Tsukuyomi?” he tossed an arm around Tokoyami’s shoulders and pulled him up front so everyone could see him. He gave his shoulder a subtle pat, clearly intended to be comforting... it worked a little.

    A nod. 

    Hawks smiled at the crowd again. “Thank you all for your support,” he was asked to sign a few things as he spoke, and he did. “It means a lot to us. We are in the middle of Tsukuyomi’s first official patrol, however, so we’ll be going now.”

    At the hero’s request, the crowd dispersed. He took back to the sidewalk and kept walking as if nothing had happened. After they’d gotten away from the bustling city square full of last minute shoppers, Hawks turned to Tokoyami. 

    “Everything alright?”

    “Yes… I apologize for not saying anything.”

    “It takes practice,” Hawks admitted. “What, you think I was always a charming, suave, good-looking hero with a heart of gold?” After a pause, he grinned. “Well, the good-looking part was always true.”

    Tokoyami felt better when Hawks cracked a joke. “It seems to come so easily to you.”

    “Yes… well. My hero education went a little more in depth than U.A. does,” Hawks’s smile was replaced by something that resembled self-reflection. 

    The hero sent out a cluster of his feathers to catch a young boy from falling off a skateboard. He did it without even glancing in the boy’s direction. Tokoyami couldn’t imagine how much input Hawks got from his feathers, since every single one gave him dozens of messages. It was impressive he knew what to focus on and when. 

    “Where did you go for high school, then?” Tokoyami asked. 

    Hawks didn’t answer right away. “Private education,” he said softly. 

    Tokoyami could sense Hawks didn’t want to- or couldn’t- talk about it, so he let his questions about it go. Instead, he turned his head up and looked at the sky. Maybe if he concentrated, he could read it as well as Hawks seemed to.

    The rest of the patrol was quiet. Hawks did a few more small things, but nothing that needed serious attention. It was only a few hours before they circled back to the agency, where Hawks took a seat on the couch in the lobby. Tokoyami joined him and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. It’d been a long walk and he was tired. Hawks seemed to share the feeling, as he used his wings more often than not. 

    “So U.A. doesn’t really teach people skills,” Hawks said aloud, eyes focused on something far away. “What have they been teaching you?”

    Tokoyami opened his eyes, surprised as Hawks stood up. The pro hero was already walking back towards the gym. Tokoyami followed him quickly. “Combat and general studies. Rescues and first aid. Things like that.”

    “And how are the classes?” Hawks, while not looking at all invested, sounded like he was genuinely curious. Just like the winged hero. He wanted all the information he could possibly get a hold of. Well informed, that was Hawks, something he proudly announced.

    “To be honest… I am ashamed to admit that I’m not at the top. I do well enough to pass, but I’m still barely on par with the others,” Tokoyami shrugged. 

    Hawks considered that as he sat down on his bench, running his hands through each of his feathers. He smoothed them down and brushed out any grit and grime as he worked. “What sort of things are you struggling with, then?”

    “English and mathematics for the general courses. I’m doing rather well with the hero-oriented ones.” Tokoyami replied. He watched Hawks preening at his wings and waited for his response. 

    Hawks smiled. “Good to know you’re getting the important stuff down. Lucky for you, my…” Hesitation before he continued. “... education went in depth with both of those topics. If you’d like I can give you some tips.”

    Tokoyami was gratified. “Thank you.”

    “Sure, meet me in the rec room downstairs in twenty minutes,” Hawks finished up with his wings and went to his room without another word on the topic. 

    Tokoyami stared after Hawks. He wanted to understand his mentor, more than anything. Hawks was… confusing, at best. But Tokoyami felt closer to genuine happiness than he ever remembered feeling at home when he was here. Truth be told, he thought of Hawks as a real friend, even more so than anyone in Class 1-A.

Chapter Text

    When Tokoyami thought of a rec room, this was not what he pictured. Hawks’s idea of a rec room was a couch, a small TV, and a desk filled to the brim with files and papers. There were a few DVDs scattered on the coffee table, but this seemed more like a work space with a TV placed awkwardly in the center. 

    Hawks was standing in the center of the room, rifling through an English textbook as his feathers rushed around him, doing such tasks as stuffing the files in the drawers and clearing a few books- mostly about topics such as aerodynamics and martial arts- off the floor. Hm. Hawks didn’t strike Tokoyami as a reader, but it made sense he’d collect books like those. 

    The hero was working quickly, and while he cleaned up, Tokoyami looked around. The room was covered in a thick layer of dust. Even if this was a rec room of sorts, Hawks clearly didn’t spend much time down here… but still. Tokoyami wondered why the sidekicks didn’t at least make some use of it. 

    “Okay, so what’s the problem? Is it the grammar rules, vocabulary, speaking, writing, reading comprehension?” Hawks spoke quickly, never taking his eyes off the book as his feathers proceeded to put everything away. Eventually, the room looked… well, it didn’t look organized so much as empty. 

    Hawks took a seat on the couch and gestured for Tokoyami to join him. The student did as he was asked. “The… grammar, mostly.”

    In mere seconds, Hawks had already shifted through the pages to the grammar chapters of the textbook. “Alright, what unit are you on?”

    “2.7,” Tokoyami was surprised that Hawks was doing this for him at all, and yet, he was very grateful. He often studied alone. If he didn’t understand something, the computer was the only chance he really had at getting it right. 

    Hawks began to go over that section and offer his advice. All the while, he was observing his student closely, trying to assess his learning style. He noted Tokoyami’s strengths and weaknesses, and he adapted to them. He adjusted his teaching technique to fit what his intern needed. Hawks had never been given that opportunity with the commission. There, it had been learn their way or fail. Hawks would be better than them.

    As it turned out, Tokoyami was very receptive. And a visual learner. So Hawks drew out sentence structure for him with a diagram. He made comma placement into a chart, enhancing the important bits with bolded words and sharper lines, underlining his notes. 

    “And that’s 2.7 in a nutshell,” Hawks finished with a grin. 

    Tokoyami seemed shocked by how well that had gone. He understood the chapter a lot more clearly than before. “Thank you, Hawks.”

    “No problem,” the hero stood up and stretched. The room was too small for him to really unfurl his wings, but he managed to pop their joints anyway. “Take a break, kid. You worked hard today. I’ll come get you when it’s time for patrol.”

    Tokoyami nodded and obediently gathered his things- and his new, improved notes- before heading back to his room. He put his headphones on and laid back to gaze at the ceiling. He’d pulled the blinds down, welcoming the darkness. The shadows felt right, even though Dark Shadow was restless. 

    Meanwhile, Hawks pulled up his phone. He walked back into the lobby and out the doors. He sent Tokoyami a text saying that he was going out for a bit. 

    Pulling down his visor and headphones, he took off at full speed. He angled his wings against the wind and closed his eyes, relishing the weightlessness of flight. He often flew for fun, but while doing so, he kept a keen eye out for the people if they were in danger. His city was his priority, and he would protect it to his dying breath. While Hawks had grown up in near-poverty, this city had provided for him. Working and establishing himself here was the only request the commission had granted him. 

    It was the reason he’d gotten so frustrated when Dabi had sent the High End Nomu out into the middle of the city. No one had been killed, thank god, but there were injuries. The number one hero had nearly given his life to save Hawks’s city. The whole incident was entirely his fault, and he wasn’t even the person to fix it. 

   As he was flying, he lost himself in thought. It was easy for Hawks to move blind and let his mind wander, since his feathers would alert him should anything go wrong. 

   At that moment, he started wondering about the League of Villains. He’d been ordered to ignore their victims. He’d been ordered to go along with everything they asked of him, to the best of his abilities. The problem was, it was difficult to play double agent. Sometimes he found himself sympathizing with villains like Twice, and sometimes he thought about the atrocities he’d seen from them. It was sometimes hard to remember which side he was on. 

    Hawks turned his eyes up to the sun. His visor protected him from the UV rays, but he still needed to squint to get a good look in the direction. If he went high enough, it felt like he could fly right into it and be swallowed by the light. Maybe he’d be better off. 

    He couldn’t really think that, could he? The hero commission insisted that their orders for him bettered the world. But he hadn’t seen any evidence of that since he started working so closely with the League of Villains. 

    If for no other reason not to fly too close to the sun, he had to stay grounded for Tokoyami, just until the kid was old enough to be a hero on his own. Hawks couldn’t pick a successor for himself, since the commission had their precious handlers and trainers grooming kids from a young age to mold the ultimate hero. They chose for themselves who would be their next project, their next perfect hero.

    Hawks was not a perfect hero, not anymore. 

    But he could help someone be better than him. He’d never wanted to teach kids or help the younger generation- it wasn’t his style, as he was too young to really care. But Tokoyami… that kid had the potential to take over for Hawks. Even if the public safety commission tried to stick Hawks with another of their little puppets in training, the winged hero would never lose faith in Tokoyami. 

    How was he going to handle Christmas day? How was he going to keep Endeavor safe and try to keep Dabi assured of his loyalty… if somehow he survived? Hawks had already accepted he might not make it out of this alive. He’d resolved to salvage what he could… just in case. It was the foremost reason why Hawks had even invited Tokoyami to stay with him. If this was his last chance to have company for the holidays, he’d take it. 

   Hawks took a nosedive, closing his wings to let his body tumble. Just before he collided with the roof of a building, his wings snapped open, and he pulled his weight upwards. He banked sharply in a circle before flying back to the agency. 

    The flight had given him time to reflect and clear his head a bit. Now everything felt just a little bit simpler, even though it wasn’t and likely never would be. Hawks was used to his life being a jumbled mess, full of daily complications and intricacies that even the man who was just a little too fast could barely keep up with. Maybe if Hawks wasn’t so fast, he wouldn’t have to wait for the rest of the world to catch up to him. 

    “Tokoyami?” Hawks rapped on his student’s door a few times. 

    A pause, then Tokoyami opened the door. It was dark behind him. 

    “Time for patrol,” Hawks said brightly. “You ready?”

    “Yes, si- yes.”

    Hawks smiled and gave Tokoyami a passive pat on the shoulder. “You’re somethin’ else, kid, you know that?”

    “Is that a compliment?”

    “I’ll let you know when this break is over,” Hawks answered casually. 

    “I’d like to use Black Fallen Angel again, if you’ll let me.”

    “Yeah, of course,” the winged hero nodded, as if he were confused about why Tokoyami was asking him to begin with. “Whatever you want.”

    “You aren’t concerned about my losing control?”

    “Not really. I know you can do it. Besides, Dark Shadow doesn’t scare me,” Hawks shot a smile and pointed a taunting finger at the entity that appeared behind Tokoyami’s shoulder. Dark Shadow tried to snap at him in irritation, but Hawks was too fast. He easily pulled his hand back before offering the shadow a playful pat on its head. 

    Dark Shadow gave a disdainful hiss before ducking behind its host again. 

    “Anyway, shall we?” Hawks went back into the lobby and held open the door. Tokoyami paused as he went past him to give Hawks a long look. The smell of smoke was stronger than ever, and the white fur appeared to be singed. “Something wrong, kid?” Hawks’s smile faded.

    Tokoyami would have mentioned the jacket if something else hadn’t caught his attention. “The back of your neck. Is it burned?”

    Hawks winced. “Just a little. From an accident a few days ago.”

    “What happened?”

    What happened was that Dabi hadn’t been pleased about his attitude and scruffed him. Since then, Hawks had tried to curb his sarcasm. “Fire rescue.”

    “I hadn’t heard of any fires in this area.”

    Hawks forgot Tokoyami closely followed the news, more so than most students. “It was small scale. Don’t worry about it, kid. I’m fine.”

    A frown was all he got in response as the two of them moved out into the evening air.

Chapter Text

    Hawks had to seriously adjust his pace in the air to keep back with Tokoyami’s speed. The kid was fast, sure, but Hawks was… a lot faster. It took some getting used to, flying so slowly, but he honestly didn’t mind. It gave him more time to think and just enjoy the wind. Right now, he was mostly thinking about the kid, though, keeping an eye on him to make sure he wasn’t pushing himself too hard. 

    The sun had set, and Tokoyami still seemed to have control of Dark Shadow. Hawks, of course, kept with both of them, just in case Tokoyami did happen to start struggling.

    “Holdin’ up, Tsukuyomi?” Hawks shot him a grin as they flew over the city. They were flying a lot slower and a lot closer to the ground than Hawks was used to. Tokoyami’s eyes weren’t quite as keen as his own, so he couldn’t fault him for needing to fly low. 

    “Yes, I’m fine,” Tokoyami confirmed. Dark Shadow’s form twitched and shifted around him in the ever-disappearing light, but Hawks had full faith in his student. 

    Hawks nodded as he sent a few stray feathers to snatch a shoplifter and drag him back to the police, who were chasing him. He didn’t even look down. Instead, he seemed to be searching for conversation, either as a means to distract Tokoyami from Dark Shadow’s growing restlessness or to amuse himself on a rather quiet patrol. 

    It was, shockingly enough, Tokoyami who broke the silence. “What do you normally do for the holiday?”

    Hawks glanced out to the horizon. His hollow expression made it seem like he was trying too hard to pretend he didn’t care about the question. “I patrol, I deal with all my commission work, I gather information, I work out, I get takeout, I patrol again, look into a case or two, and then I go to sleep.”

    Tokoyami was surprised, but then he decided that made sense. Christmas wasn’t an officially recognized holiday in Japan, so why should pro heroes get the day off? “I understand. Hero work is your priority. What was Christmas like for you before you became a pro?”

    Hawks was silent. Eventually he banked slightly to the right and flew over a few taller buildings. He gestured at the empty street below them. It was perhaps the most poverty-stricken area in the city, and even then, Hawks had made sure everyone had homes and food. He started multiple initiatives for families to get charity for these sections of town. He’d donated a large chunk of that funding himself.

    “I grew up on this street,” Hawks said quietly. Tokoyami had to strain to hear him over the wind. “Christmas was a day for me to come out here and play with the other poor kids whose jackets were worn down to rags. Our celebration of it was freezing with each other while we tried to ignore our parents screaming about money… or lack of it.”

    A sad silence hung in the air between the hero and the student as what Hawks said sunk in. It was the most sincere Tokoyami ever heard his mentor speak. “Hawks…”

    Hawks’s sadness cleared up with a forced smile. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be a bummer.”

    “Have you never really celebrated Christmas then?” Tokoyami asked as Dark Shadow struggled in the darkness. 

    Hawks flew just a bit closer to Tokoyami’s side so he could observe him better. “No. But it’s not a big deal, don’t make it seem tragic, kid. I have better things to do nowadays anyway.”

    Tokoyami thought back on his holidays. They were never huge. It was always a quick gift exchange and a family photo or something of the like before dinner. But it was the closest he’d ever felt to his family, so he couldn’t imagine a year without Christmas, let alone living his whole life without the chance to celebrate.

    “I think you should try it this year,” Tokoyami said. Something about this conversation made him brave enough to suggest it. Even Dark Shadow quivered a little at the idea. “You and I. You might find you enjoy it.”

    “I doubt it," Hawks answered, monotone. His attention seemed to be elsewhere. Towards the darkness holding Tokoyami. 

    The jet black fell silent. He was grunting as Dark Shadow tried to coil itself around him. He twisted around to try and force the entity back, struggling to keep control. Hawks noticed instantly and placed a hand on Tokoyami’s shoulder as his eyes were lost behind the glow of Dark Shadow’s. 

    “Easy. Just breathe,” Hawks spoke softly. “Don’t panic. Tell him to ease up, you have control, Tokoyami. The darkness is your domain, remember?”

    “Hawks, get back!” Tokoyami snarled, his voice distorted. Dark Shadow had completely enveloped his body, but Hawks didn’t take his hand away. 

    “It’s alright,” Hawks’s calm tone didn’t change. “You can do this.”

    Tokoyami did as Hawks asked, trying to force Dark Shadow away, taking deep breaths as he did so. His mentor believed in him; he had to overcome this. He was a creature of the night. Pitch blackness should make him stronger, but never make him lose control. 

    Dark Shadow apparently was not fond of being told what to do when so much power was surging through him, and he attacked Hawks. The pro didn’t fight back or try to dodge as Dark Shadow backhanded him full force and sent him spiraling through the air. He landed hard on the roof of a nearby building, shaking his head to clear the daze.

    “Hawks!” Tokoyami cried out. 

    Hawks pushed himself to his feet and jumped back into the air. He flew up to Dark Shadow and gave it a light swat on the beak, careful to avoid Tokoyami. There were a few scuffs and bruises on the surface of his skin, a small gash under his eye. “That wasn’t very nice, shady,” he said pointedly.

    Dark Shadow snarled and lashed out again. Hawks ducked to avoid the strike, but he didn’t put forth that effort a second time. Dark Shadow grabbed him forcefully, and its hand extended all the way down to the top of a building, slamming his body into the concrete with all of its strength. This time, the pro didn’t get up at all.

    There turned the tides. Tokoyami mustered all of his strength and anger into forcing Dark Shadow back. “The darkness is mine!” he declared, eyes blazing beneath the shadow. “Now listen to me!” Finally, the Shadow seemed to give in, and it returned to holding its master up, albeit restlessly. “Go to Hawks. Now.”

    It flew them down to the roof. Tokoyami rushed to Hawks’s side. Hawks had landed in a heap near the railing on his side. His wings were splayed out behind him, and his eyes were unfocused. 

    “Hawks!” Tokoyami gave his shoulder a gentle shake. “Are you okay?”

    The hero’s golden eyes drifted up to Tokoyamk. He seemed disoriented, but quickly shook it off. “I knew you could do it,” he started to sit up and tried to hide his wince as his hand went up to his ribcage. Tokoyami placed a hand on his back to offer him support. Hawks smirked. “That was a hell of a hit, kid. Nice."

    “I’m so sorry!” Tokoyami ducked his head. “Please forgive me!”

    Hawks sat up the rest of the way and placed a hand on the back of his head, giving his student an easy laugh and a bright smile. “Hey, don’t worry about it, kiddo. I’m fine. Now let’s finish up patrol so we can go home.”

    “Are you injured?” Tokoyami’s eyes were wide with concern.

    “Nah. A little scuffed up, but nothing bad. It’s my fault anyway.”

    “Why didn’t you fight back?”

    “I wanted to let you do that. I told you I’m not scared of Dark Shadow. Not when you’re the one beneath him. I know I can trust you,” Hawks answered as he jumped into the sky. Tokoyami hesitated before joining him. 

    They ended up with takeout for dinner- no need to repeat the mess of that morning- before flying back to the agency. Every time Tokoyami nearly lost control after that, Hawks’s firm hand on his shoulder reminded him how to regain it. 

    As they went inside to eat, Hawks turned an eye to the cloudy night sky and gave it a content smile. “You know what, Tokoyami?” He said as he took a seat at the table. 

    Tokoyami looked up from his meal to Hawks. 

    “We can try this Christmas thing… how do you normally celebrate it?”

    Tokoyami was shocked. “Well… first my family exchanges gifts, then we take a family photo and play games, and then we have fried chicken for dinner. At night, we sit by the fire-” he didn’t bother to mention how close they made him sit in regards to the fire, to keep Dark Shadow at bay. “And just talk.”

    “You have fried chicken for dinner?” Hawks’s eyes lit up. “Well, why didn’t you just say so? Now that’s a holiday I can get behind!”

    Tokoyami felt the urge to smile, but of course, didn't give in to it. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. We can shop for each other then, if you’re okay with that?”

    Hawks nodded. “Why not, other than patrols, I’ve got nothing better to do tomorrow.”

    After they finished eating, they went about getting ready for bed. Hawks saw to it that Tokoyami was comfortable in his room before he went back outside to answer Dabi’s call. The plan wouldn’t take place until the sun set. That gave him enough time to do as he promised and celebrate Christmas with his student.

    “Hey, chicken wings,” Dabi said, sounding like he was grinning. “Did you scout the location yet?”

    “Yes.”

     “And?”

    “It’s perfect.”

    “That’s all I need to hear from you, then, hero,” Dabi chuckled. 

    “I’ll see you in forty-eight hours, Dabi. Remember to do it like we agreed this time,” Hawks raised an eyebrow at his phone.

    “Anything you say, number two,” Dabi hung up on him. 

    The conversation lingered around Hawks's mind, and he sighed. Then he went to his office, which was just a big room with one wall made entirely of windows, and started reading up on some relevant files. He still hadn’t been able to find anything on Dabi. But he wasn’t going to stop looking between him and Shigaraki. He knew that he'd probably be working on these briefings and notes well into the morning hours, so it was going to be a long night before he finally got to turn in. 

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami was always awake into the night. He reveled in the darkness, and spent much of his time lying awake listening to music or reading by a very dim flashlight. When he was alone and had no pressure, Dark Shadow actually seemed rather calm in the pitch blackness. As soon as there was stress involved however, Dark Shadow started to take over. Tokoyami had long ago figured out it was a defense mechanism, but that didn’t make it easier.

    As he sat awake in the darkness of his room, enjoying the silence, he skimmed a book on the paranormal and arcane. It was hard for him to find anyone who shared his interest in niche topics like this, at least among aspiring heroes, so he often kept to himself. Dark Shadow laid its chin on his shoulder to skim the book with him. In that sense, Dark Shadow was the best friend Tokoyami had. They found common ground, at least.

    Tokoyami looked up, and Dark Shadow lifted its head as he heard Hawks’s door opening. The front doors clicked open and then shut as the pro left. Tokoyami frowned. Why would his mentor feel the need to sneak out, especially so late?

    Again, he felt the pull to follow him, but he also felt he didn’t have the right to question Hawks and his affairs. The winged hero knew what he was doing, far better than Tokoyami did, anyway. So the intern laid back against the wall and sighed. He supposed he could mention it to Hawks in the morning. Tokoyami did his best to force himself to sleep, but something about this was… off.

    The sun wasn’t up yet when Hawks limped back into the agency. As he entered, he braced his forearm against the wall, leaning heavily on it. He held a gloved hand against his stomach, trying to control his heavy breaths. His wings were trembling, and they hung limp behind him, a good majority of his feathers gone. 

    Painfully, the pro hero pressed his back against the wall and slid down it to sit on the floor, hands pressed tightly against the wound in his abdomen. A blade had pierced the skin, but it hadn’t gone deep enough to warrant an emergency. His right knee was also badly damaged, probably fractured as a best case scenario, but it wouldn’t need a cast. Just wrapped.

    He didn’t have time to think about this. Instead, he focused on being silent so as not to wake Tokoyami. He’d dealt with wounds far more severe than these on his own before, no need to make the kid worry about it. After a few seconds of just giving himself a break, Hawks forced himself to stand up and make his way to the bathroom, where he grabbed his first aid kit and sat down on the edge of the tub, shrugging out of his shirt.

    “Shit,” he hissed through clenched teeth as he poured rubbing alcohol over the injury to clean it. He knew alcohol posed the risk of damaging the tissue, but it was the best way to guarantee any bacteria was dead, and god only knows what had been on those blades. 

    He finished cleaning and binding the wound as quickly as could be expected of him, and his stomach heaved against his will. He ignored it as he hiked the leg of his pants up and wrapped his knee. When he finished, he let himself collapse backwards into the bathtub and closed his eyes to catch his breath.

    Twice had generously created clones for everyone else, because clearing those wannabe villains out was going to be dangerous. Of course, he hadn’t bothered for Hawks, because Hawks was a hero and he could handle it. He was also expendable, more so than any of the others, at least. And when things got rough, the villains bolted. 

    He didn’t want to think about what these injuries meant for him. Before it was going to be hard enough to sabotage this stupid plan, and now, it was going to be impossible. He couldn’t exactly explain that to Dabi. Hawks couldn’t ask for them to push the date back without making it suspicious. There was no reason he couldn’t lead Endeavor into the location Dabi had chosen just because he was injured. And the villains knew that.

    As the sun kept rising and the light flooded the agency, Hawks passed out in the bathtub from pain, blood loss, and exhaustion. 

    Tokoyami was up early the next morning. He knew Hawks wouldn’t want to wake up at six again, but he was also sort of eager to start the day. Not that he’d ever admit it. In spite of himself, he knocked on Hawks’s door a few times. When the hero didn’t answer, Tokoyami tried again. Still nothing. That was strange- Hawks was always highly alert, even when he pretended he wasn’t… he would typically at least groan at Tokoyami to go away. 

    “Hawks?” he called. 

    Nothing.

    Tokoyami figured he was on the couch again, but when he went into the lobby, he saw that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, the only thing he did find in the lobby were blood stains on the floor, trailing back the hall towards the bathroom. Tokoyami followed the trail and knocked on the door a few times, now frantic. 

    “Hawks?”

    A breathless, pained groan answered him, but it was completely incoherent.

    “Hawks!” Tokoyami repeated. “May I come in?”

    The hero’s words slurred together, but it sounded like an agreement, so the worried student burst inside either way. Hawks was leaning heavily over the side of the bathtub. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, so Tokoyami could see that his abdomen was tightly wrapped in bandages, blood staining through in one spot.

    “What happened?” Tokoyami asked, a little too sharply. 

    The hero looked up at him, and he was barely recognizable. His eyes were dark underneath, and his face was several shades paler than usual. “Some hero commission work I had to deal with. Don’t worry about it.”

    Tokoyami frowned. “You look terrible. Did you sleep at all?”

    Hawks scoffed as if that was a stupid question. When Tokoyami thought about it, he realized that it probably was. 

    Tokoyami straightened his stance, deciding to be firm about this. Dark Shadow peered over his shoulder, looking worried, eyes full of fear. “You need to lie down. I will patrol for you while you get some rest.”

    Hawks looked up in surprise, but then he shook his head adamantly. “There’s no way I’m letting you go alone, kid. Besides, I promised you we could get some stuff for tomorrow. I’m not going back on that.”

    Tokoyami pulled Hawks up, letting the hero use his shoulders for support. “We can do that after you at least get a few hours of sleep. I know you aren’t fond of letting your sidekicks actually do things for you, since you’re too fast and all, but please let me help you out. I can handle it if you’ll trust me.”

    Hawks tried to look irritated that he’d been defeated. “Alright, alright. Take your phone and call me if anything- anything - goes wrong. Don’t get yourself killed out there.”

    “Yes, sir,” Tokoyami reached the couch and forced Hawks down onto it. The pro didn’t put up any struggle, cupping his hands together under his head to lie down. He closed his eyes, and Tokoyami ran off to get ready. 

    Over his shoulder, the boy added, “And please make sure you actually get a bit of sleep.”

    Hawks sighed. He couldn’t very well say no to him. This was the first time Tokoyami had actually asked him to trust him to do something. And honestly, Hawks was thrilled about that. It meant the kid believed in himself enough to do this. 

    Tokoyami took off his sleeping clothes and put on his hero costume in its place. As he secured his utility belt in place and slipped his cloak on, Dark Shadow looked at him with a confused expression. “Why are we doing this?”

    “Because Hawks needs us to,” answered the student as he pulled on his boots.

    Dark Shadow considered that. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

    Tokoyami paused, then took a breath. “I do. Hawks is powerful. It will take more than something like this to bring him down. But you and I still have to do this.”

    Dark Shadow held his hands up in a gesture that mimicked a shrug. “I’m with you, Fumikage, you know that.”

    As Tokoyami left the agency, he looked back to Hawks, who was either asleep or pretending to be asleep on the couch.

Chapter Text

    Patrol was shockingly quiet. Tokoyami elected to walk rather than fly, to give himself more time to think. He couldn’t help but feel he’d been lied to. Hawks had stated he was injured doing some commission work… but if that were true, why wouldn’t they have helped him with his wounds? Why did Hawks feel he needed to lie about all this?

    Thinking about it only gave the intern a headache. Tokoyami, more than anything, just wanted to understand his mentor. Hawks was good at working with others, marketing himself, but he still came off as such a loner. Like he needed to bear heavy burdens that he couldn’t let anyone else see. 

    As Tokoyami walked the streets, he kept a sharp eye out for any criminals or people he could help. He had to pause and look around a few times, since he wasn’t quite as good as Hawks when it came to paying attention to multiple things at once. 

    Around one of many street corners, something piqued his attention. Two people- two people he recognized- were standing face to face in a dark alley a few buildings down. Tokoyami went that way, silent as ever. He willed his body to melt into the shadows, employing every technique he'd ever learned regarding stealth. And he closed his eyes, hiding at the end of the alleyway, just out of sight. He strained to hear them but kept his form concealed. 

     It was Dabi and Mr. Compress, two villains Tokoyami recognized from the night Bakugou was kidnapped. Dabi wore a hoodie in an attempt to conceal his identity, but Tokoyami’s sharp night vision caught the fierce blue of his eyes and the staples gleaming on his face. The compress villain wore a mask and a top hat, and he leaned forward casually, resting his weight on his cane. 

    “We cannot afford to fail. Shigaraki will not stand for another loss,” Mr. Compress dipped his head as if in shame. 

    Dabi waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, Mister,” he produced a crimson red feather from his pocket, and Tokoyami's eyes went wide. “Everything will go according to plan,” to punctuate his statement, blue fire lit up his palm, and the feather burned into a pile of ash, slipping through his open hand. Dabi clenched his fist around the remains of the feather and sneered.  

    Tokoyami felt his stomach drop, then he ran. He ran a short ways before using Black Fallen Angel to return to the agency as quickly as he possibly could. All he knew now was that the villains were planning something, and they were going to hurt Hawks in order to get what they wanted. 

    “Hawks!” Tokoyami burst into the lobby, where the hero was still passed out on the couch, his breathing steady. 

    Hawks was up in an instant, as if he hadn’t been sleeping at all. Tokoyami didn’t miss the pro’s wince as he sat up sharply. “What is it?” he got to his feet and practically stumbled over to Tokoyami. “Are you all right?”

    Tokoyami was out of breath, but he tried to speak anyway. “The League of Villains… I saw- I saw them… they’re planning something… they’re after you.”

    Hawks laid a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay, kid?” he repeated, trying to keep his voice level, but there was genuine worry in his eyes. 

    “I’m fine, I just… I don’t know what they’re going to do, or when, but you need to be careful,” Tokoyami managed. He was speaking a lot more quickly than usual, and as a result, he was unable to catch his breath. 

    “Okay, easy. Easy, calm down,” Hawks was gentle. “You need to breathe.”

    After a while, Tokoyami managed to even his breaths. “Did you not hear me? Villains are planning something against you.”

    “I’m not worried about them,” Hawks answered. “I want you to ignore it for now. When whatever it is comes into play, I’ll take care of it.”

    Tokoyami shook his head. Hawks couldn’t possibly think he’d agree to that. “Ignore it? But what if-?”

    “I’m the number two hero, Tokoyami. Villains will always be gunning for me, it’s nothing to worry about,” Hawks sat down on the couch once more. He seemed relieved that nothing, at least in his own mind, was seriously wrong. “Anyway, are you ready to get started? Only a few hours until the next patrol, so that gives us time to buy what we need. We’ll split up, then we can meet back here. I’ll get the food and everything.”

    Tokoyami’s frown deepened. He didn’t want to let Hawks brush this off, but there was really no arguing with the pro when his mind was made up. Besides, there was logically nothing he could do about this on his own. If Hawks was sure he didn’t need to worry, then Tokoyami had to trust him. “Okay.”

    “Awesome,” Hawks held open the door for Tokoyami. “Thanks for patrolling, kid. How did it go, besides the villain thing?”

    “It went well. It was very quiet,” the intern answered as he walked into the open air again. “I didn’t do much at all.”

    “Quiet days mean this city is a step closer to being the way I want it to be. No villains, no problems, a world where heroes can get a few days off. Even top ten heroes… we need a break sometimes, too,” Hawks looked up into the clouds, as he always did. “Something you’ll learn. The better of a hero you are? The more people expect from you. The more they forget that you’re human, too. It’s a blessing and curse, to be loved by the public.”

    It was the first genuine piece of advice Tokoyami had gotten from Hawks in a while. “Are you saying I shouldn’t aspire for the top ten?”

    “You should think about it,” Hawks answered. It was the only life he knew, the only one he could possibly lead, but Tokoyami had a choice in the matter. “It can be fulfilling, but the responsibility is a heavy one. You have to make sure it’s the life for you. I don’t want you to be stuck with something you realize you don’t want.”

    Tokoyami nodded. “I understand. I promise I’ll consider it carefully before I choose.”

    Hawks smiled at him. As long as the kid was sure he wanted to shoot for the top ten, the winged hero knew he could make it there. Sometimes, though, the pro wondered what his life would be like if he’d had a choice. “Let’s go, kiddo.”

    Tokoyami elected to walk, and Hawks chose to fly. As the heroes split up, Hawks turned over his shoulder and gave him a wave from the air. Tokoyami nodded at his mentor, then turned down the first street. He was definitely still worried about what he’d heard in the alley, but he’d resolved to protect Hawks no matter what, so just let the villains try to get to him. 

    Hawks had time to reflect on what Tokoyami said. His intern seemed worried, but Hawks was far less concerned. He’d “accidentally” left one of his feathers behind, using it to effectively bug Dabi and hear every word he said. Alas, he’d been found out, and he felt that feather go up in flames. It wasn’t something to worry about, however. Hawks and Dabi didn’t trust one another in the slightest, so Dabi knew Hawks would do something like this. It didn’t have to mean he was a traitor. Not yet anyway. But Hawks still dreaded that confrontation. 

    The flight was easier on his wounds than he thought it would be. With luck, he’d be back in decent fighting order before tomorrow night. That was wistful thinking, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t indulge himself. He’d gotten very little sleep while Tokoyami was on patrol. The hero had turned his phone volume all the way up and mostly laid awake to listen for a call… just in case. 

    It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Tokoyami. Of course he did… but being a hero was a dangerous job even for Hawks. He wanted to make sure the kid was okay as his first priority. And this city was still a rough one, even despite all the work Hawks had put in to improve it. The winged hero had a long way to go before he could call it safe.

    Hawks wasn’t exactly sure what he could buy that would suit Tokoyami, so he flew around the entirety of the city, searching for inspiration. Eventually he settled on visiting a place that meant a lot to him as a kid. He hadn’t been there in a while, far too swamped with his hero duties to stop by. 

    The pro pushed open the doors and was immediately grateful that the place was empty of other customers, because he heard a familiar, kind voice calling out his name. His real name.

Chapter Text

    “Keigo!” a young man said brightly from behind the counter. He was only a year or two older than Hawks, with messy brown hair and thin framed glasses around piercing black eyes. He wore a brown biker jacket and a pair of blue jeans. The chains on his motorcycle boots rattled and clinked with every step he took.

    Hawks smiled and leaned back against the door frame, straightening the color of his own brown leather jacket. They could pass for twinning today if Hawks was wearing lighter jeans. “Hey, Seichi. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call me by that name, you know? I have an appearance to keep up,” aside from… his family, Seichi and the other kids Hawks used to know were the last people who remembered his real name. No one else could know that information, and Seichi could be in trouble if the commission found out he was privy to it and called Hawks by it.

    “Oh, of course, I’m sorry, Hawks,” he said quickly. Before the hero could respond, his old friend was already out from behind the counter and throwing his arms around him. The hero tried to conceal his wince of pain as the taller male hugged him, but he offered a half-hearted embrace of his own. “I haven’t seen you in forever,” he pulled back and punched Hawks in the arm. “Dumbass.”

    “Sorry, I’ve been busy,” Hawks shrugged. It wasn’t a lie, but it also wasn’t the only reason. Seeing Seichi, the same rebellious spirit he’d always been, and knowing that Hawks was a completely different person than the friend Seichi remembered… it was difficult to face him, as well as the others. Honestly, Hawks would just rather not face how much he'd been changed since he was a kid, at least not with the people who knew him. 

    “So what brings you here on Christmas Eve of all days?”

    “My… intern. Uh, sidekick, really. But- he wanted to do some Christmas stuff or whatever tomorrow, and I figured why not. Kid’s been working hard under my wing, so I thought I could do something to repay him,” Hawks raised his wing and extended it slightly to emphasize his statement. 

    Seichi’s eyes widened in shock, but he smirked. “Really? No kidding? You agreed to celebrate Christmas just because some kid asked you to? That’s not the Hawks I know. You’re always too busy for your sidekicks and especially for holidays.”

    Hawks shrugged again. He secretly bristled at Seichi calling Tokoyami “some kid,” but to be fair, that’s exactly how Hawks would have referred to him when their internship had first begun.  

    “So this kid… you looking for a gift for him?” Hawks took a look around the old thrift store, a place Seichi had always loved and insisted he’d take over when the old man passed away. He was right. Mr. Ichitaka had left his small business to Seichi, having no family to take up its mantle. Hawks and his friend would come here for hours when they were young, just to browse the shelves and try to identify some of the oddities the old man had collected. 

    “Yeah.”

    “Okay, tell me about him, what sort of things does he like?”

    “Well…” Hawks considered it, and he couldn't seem to come up with a concrete answer right away. For all he thought he knew about Tokoyami, he supposed he didn’t know all that much. “Honestly… I’m not sure.”

    “And there’s the Kei- Hawks- that I remember,” Seichi said with a knowing grin. 

    “Music… is one thing. He told me about some school festival he played guitar for,” due to heightened security regarding the festival, Hawks hadn’t come. He figured it’d be safer if no high profile heroes butted in. 

    “Of course he did. He’s like you, then? Likes to be onstage for the world to see?”

    Hawks’s brow furrowed as if in thought. A hand moved up to his chin. “No, he’s quite the opposite. I don’t think he’s performed before that festival in his entire life.”

    “Anything else you think would help narrow it down?”

    Hawks thought long and hard, deciding exactly what he wanted to say. “Well, he’s… he’s into some abnormal topics for kids his age. He likes darker stuff, especially regarding the arcane and paranormal, and he seems intrigued by the idea of things we can’t understand. His quirk justifies that, since no one can really explain it. He’s the bravest kid I’ve ever met and damn loyal, too. He doesn’t give up on people, even when he should. 

    “He’s not afraid of things that would make a grown man cry himself to sleep, and more than anything, he wants to be a hero. I think he wants to prove something, but I haven’t figured out what it is yet. He’s so talented and in control with so much potential backing him up, and I know that with the right guidance, he’s gonna be the best damn hero I’ve ever met.”

    Seichi was staring at Hawks in open-mouthed shock. 

    “What?” Hawks tilted his head. 

    “I’ve never seen you talk about anyone like that… this kid must be something special. He means a lot to you, doesn’t he?” the surprise quickly fell into a grin. 

    Hawks opened his mouth. Then quickly closed it. He wasn’t sure how to respond. Did Tokoyami mean all that much to him? Hawks liked to tell himself he didn’t. He liked to tell himself he was just a teacher for him and nothing more. But the truth was… even though Hawks was way too young to be his father… he couldn’t help but take on a parental role with Tokoyami. Maybe because the kid never mentioned his family… Hawks figured he could take on the job, if they couldn’t.

    That was stupid, though. Tokoyami’s family had obviously raised a great kid. Why did he need Hawks to act like a dad or something if he had them backing him up? 

    “It’s not- I don’t- he’s just some kid I picked up from the hero course because the commission told me to do a work study this year. With him following me around, I was bound to learn a few things about him,” Hawks lied through his teeth. 

    Seichi wasn’t fooled, of course. He knew his childhood friend better than that. “Whatever you say, birdbrain. Anyway, take a look around. If you don’t see anything, let me know, and I’ll try to give you a hand.”

    “Thanks,” Hawks nodded and walked off to peruse the shelves. 

    “Oh, and Hawks?”

    “Yeah?”

    “Tell your kid I said thanks.”

    “For what?” Hawks turned back around to face Seichi, who had started toying with an old music box. It didn’t make noise beyond the occasional click, but it was also ancient. 

    “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you this happy. Even when I see you make appearances on television there seems to be something eating at you. But now, it’s like some of that invisible weight has been picked up off your shoulders. I don’t know anything about this kid, but I know you. And I know he must be good for you,” Seichi abandoned his playful tone to demonstrate how serious he was about what he was saying. 

    “I’m just trying to help him become a hero.”

    “With you at his side, I’m positive I’ll see his name up in lights one day… what is it, by the way?” Seichi cocked an eyebrow.

    “Huh?” Hawks picked up a few things and instantly put them back. He wasn’t sure if he was waiting for the universe to tell him what he should buy or not, but nothing really seemed to click for him. 

    “The kid’s name. What is it?”

    “Oh… Fumikage Tokoyami,” Hawks answered absently as his keen eyes zeroed in on something that almost seemed too perfect, and he knew that was what he was buying. He picked it up and turned to Seichi, who had his feet kicked up on a worn mustard yellow couch that had been there for years. “You’ll probably hear his hero name, Tsukuyomi, first though.”

    Hawks brought his purchases up to the register and paid for them.The shop owner grinned at them when he rang them up. 

    “I’ll see you soon, Hawks,” Seichi followed Hawks as his old friend walked out the door. “At least I’d better see you soon,” the duo shared a quick hug. This time, Hawks was careful to keep Seichi back enough to avoid touching the wound in his abdomen. 

    “I’ll come around more often,” Hawks promised. He meant it this time. 

    “Damn right you will. Oh, and congratulations on your new kid,” Seichi followed up with a grin. Despite being quirkless, the young man had an infectious smile that Hawks would insist worked as well as any quirk. “Bring him by sometime after the holidays, I’d love to embarrass you in front of him.”

    Hawks smiled back at him- because how could he not- then nodded and took to the sky. Enough of his feathers had grown back in for him to control his flight well enough, though not with quite as much ease and precision as usual. He waved over his shoulder before he disappeared into the afternoon clouds.

    Tokoyami wasn’t having much luck. The fact of the matter was that he had no idea what Hawks enjoyed. The pro never had any real free time, since training, working, and occasionally sleeping took up every spare minute. Thinking that, Tokoyami felt a prick of guilt in his chest. He was only taking up even more of Hawks’s time, and it was time Hawks could dedicate to himself. Instead, Tokoyami was there, asking for training and advice and barging in on Hawks’s already-chaotic life like he was entitled to his mentor’s time. 

    The jet black hero tried to ignore the voice in his mind and scanned every shelf in every store he went through, but he still wasn’t sure what he should get. He passed a few shops, and a small, dimly lit thrift store eventually caught his eye. Sighing, he went in. It was completely empty, save for a man in a motorcycle jacket, reading a newspaper proudly declaring the headline that Hawks had jumped to the number one spot in approval ratings after Best Jeanist declared his retirement. 

    The man looked up and grinned brightly. “Hi, there. My name is Seichi Tahaka, welcome to Odds ‘N Ends. What can I do for you?” his tone wasn’t overly formal, though his words were.

    “I’m seeking a gift for someone,” Tokoyami said, readopting his serious tone, the one he sometimes dropped purely by accident around Hawks. “I noticed the dark lighting of this shop, and I was drawn to it.”

    The man who introduced himself as Seichi Tahaka cocked a slight eyebrow at him with those words. “What’s your name, kid?”

    Tokoyami was caught off guard by the question. He wasn’t wearing his hero costume, so he answered with his real name. “Fumikage Tokoyami, sir. Why is that relevant, if I may ask?”

    A bright grin as something seemed to click for the shop owner. “I was just wondering. You reminded me of someone I know.”

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami cocked his head slightly, as a curious bird would do. Seichi grinned, because that mannerism was an exact mirror image of Keigo. He didn’t seem sure how he should reply, so Seichi went ahead and picked up the conversation for him. 

    “A friend of mine… I’m sure you’ve seen him on television,” Seichi was taking down a few numbers for the business day, somewhat distracted. 

    “Who is he?” Tokoyami walked up to the counter so he could have an actual eye to eye conversation with the man. He was a lot taller than Tokoyami- taller than Hawks as well, and despite the stubble on his chin and long hair, he managed to look well-groomed. 

    “The number two hero, Hawks,” the cashier replied with an infectious smile. Thankfully, Tokoyami was immune to such smiles. He’d have to be- hanging around Hawks, who never stopped grinning.

    He wasn’t immune to shock, however. “You know Hawks?”

    “Sure do,” Seichi confirmed as he stacked his paperwork off to the side. “I’ve known him since he was a little tyke. Before he was Hawks, at least. We grew up together. Have you met him?” The shop owner seemed to already know the answer. 

    “Yes, sir. I am an intern at his agency,” Tokoyami gave a nod.

    Seichi lit up as if his suspicions were confirmed. “No kidding?”

    “You knew that already, didn’t you, sir?” The jet black hero had an inkling that he’d been talked about here at some point or another. 

    “I suppose I did, yes. He came in not too long ago, and he wouldn’t shut up about you,” Seichi answered easily. He didn’t see a need to hide the interactions he had with Hawks. 

    That almost seemed to fluster Tokoyami, as he quickly looked down. He was quiet for only a few moments, before he seemed to think of something. The boy looked up sharply, hands tucked firmly in the pockets of his dark gray and red hoodie. “You said you knew Hawks before he was Hawks. Can you tell me his name before he took up his hero mantle?”

    The young man seemed to consider it. Then he smiled softly. “Sorry, kiddo, but that’s not mine to share. I’m sure Hawks will come around and tell you when he’s ready. You just need to give him a little time. The poor guy has the commission breathing down his neck around every corner, so just be patient with him. You’re here to pick out a gift for him, I assume?”

    Tokoyami was instantly back on task. “Yes.”

    “And you’re gonna ask me what kind of stuff he likes so I can help you choose something for him, is that right?” Seichi fully expected a repeat of the first interaction that day. So far, it made perfect sense that Hawks would take a shine to this kid. He was very polite. Maybe Hawks was trying to teach him to loosen up. 

    Tokoyami glanced around uncertainly. “Thank you, sir, but I think I’d like to choose something myself.”

    Seichi was surprised, but he nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely. Have a look around, and don’t hesitate to ask if you need help.”

    “Thank you,” Tokoyami repeated, wandering off into the aisles. He looked high and low, finding dozens of neat or otherwise foreign objects, from a Christmas nutcracker modeled after a traditional samurai warrior to a pack of rare insects such as a scorpion and a cow killer preserved in resin. None of them were things he’d choose for himself, but they were unique and interesting nonetheless. 

    The student shuffled through old books and old clothes, racking his brain to think of something- anything that Hawks could use. Their rendezvous time was coming up, and Tokoyami didn’t have all that much time. 

    Finally, his eyes dragged him to the jewelry section. He considered his options. Hawks had plain black earrings, but he didn’t tend towards anything flashier than that. Hawks wouldn’t wear bracelets, since his gloves were too long and thick for them to be comfortable. He probably wouldn’t wear any fancier earrings since he wore his headphones all the time. Rings were weird. Absolutely not.

    Tokoyami looked through the cases until he saw it. Perfect. “I’d like this one, please,” he pointed through the case.

    Seichi smiled and retrieved the necklace Tokoyami asked for. It was a black cord that would qualify as a choker, but still hang low enough to not be distracting. What drew the student to that particular necklace was the pendant. It was a feather, declaring the word ‘free,’ clipped to the cord’s length rather than dangling from it. “You know, I thought of Hawks when I stocked this. It’s definitely his style. You know him pretty well, kid.”

    Tokoyami was flattered. “I’ve learned what I could.”

    “You know, I always thought Hawks was too young to be a teacher. That’s why I never thought he’d take on an intern. He’s what, only twenty-three, after his birthday? But clearly I was wrong, and he’s outdone himself with you. He-”

    “Wait a minute, you said his birthday? Is it soon?” Tokoyami realized he had no idea when Hawks was born. He didn’t mean to interrupt, but the thought was pressing.

    “Sure is. December 28th, to be exact, three days after Christmas.”

    Tokoyami was shocked it was so soon. He’d be back at school by then, but maybe he could still visit his mentor that day, if Aizawa would grant him permission. Nevertheless, the boy paid for what he bought, after picking up one more thing- something Seichi had a good chuckle at when he was given context for it- and started for the door. 

    “Hey, kid,” Seichi came out from behind the counter and braced a gentle hand on Tokoyami’s shoulder. “I meant for Hawks to tell you, but thank you.”

    “For what, sir?”

    “All you’re doing for him. He seems different since the last time I saw him. Happier.”

    “All I’m doing for him ?” Tokoyami echoed in shock. “I haven’t done anything, he’s the one who’s helping me become a hero and teaching me all about it.”

    “He adores you,” Seichi replied fondly. “I can tell. If you truly think you haven’t helped him since joining him on this work study, you’re missing the big picture of you two. All I’m saying is that I’ve been friends with Kei-Hawks since before he could fly. I know when he’s upset, and I know when he lightens up. But I’ve never seen him talk about anyone the way he talks about you. He’s proud of you, kid. You gotta know that.”

    Tokoyami was dumbfounded.He’d never felt so pleased but so surprised all at once. “I… don’t know what to say, except thank you, sir.”

    “Really, it’s no problem,” Seichi Tahaka waved at him dismissively. “Just promise me one thing, will you?”

    “Anything you ask.”

   “Keep an eye on the dumb bird. Don’t let him get himself killed. And keep growing with him. I think he could really use your help, more than you know,” Seichi returned to the counter after patting Tokoyami firmly on his shoulder. 

    “Yes, sir,” Tokoyami lifted his chin and took off, using Black Fallen Angel. He had to make it back in time to meet up with Hawks. 

    No surprise, Hawks was already there. “You can leave whatever you bought in your room,” he said as he stretched. He was boredly toying with one of his feathers, having already changed into his hero costume and looking more than ready for patrol. 

    Tokoyami did as he was told, also changing into his costume. As the two of them took to the sky, he glanced at Hawks, thinking of what had transpired at the shop. Seichi seemed to know the pro hero well. Chances were, he was absolutely right in thinking that Hawks seemed different since their work study had begun. But being told that Hawks adored him… he wasn’t so sure that was true, but he sort of hoped it was.

    Keep an eye on him, Seichi had asked. 

    Of course, Tokoyami would. He would protect Hawks against any villain who tried to raise a hand against him. 

    “Alright, Tsukuyomi?” Hawks asked as he flew beside him. “Cat got your tongue?”

    Tokoyami looked ahead. “No, sir, just in thought.”

    “Alright, well. I’m going to cut patrol a little short tonight. I have a sidekick who wanted some holiday pay. He’ll take care of the outskirts of the city for us. Gives us time to get some rest before tomorrow, you know?” 

    The student glanced at his mentor. “Yes.”

    When they landed back at the agency, Hawks glanced over his wings. The feathers he’d been missing were coming back in nicely. His wound didn’t cause him much pain anymore, so with luck, twenty-four hours from now, he’d be fighting fit, just in case the plan went awry. 

    “Hawks,” Tokoyami said quietly. 

    “What’s up?”

    “Do you think of me as an equal?”

    “Of course I do, kiddo. Honestly I think you got more fire in your heart and skill in your quirk than I do, if you use it right,” Hawks answered sincerely. 

    “Then please tell me the truth. What’s your real name?”

    A beat of silence. “Let’s get some food. I have leftover takeout.”

    “Hawks…”

    “Food first,” Hawks answered in a voice that felt rather monotone for him. There was the unspoken promise that said they would talk, so Tokoyami didn’t argue.

Chapter Text

    Hawks was silent for the first half of their meal, which consisted entirely of leftovers, as promised. Tokoyami didn’t push him to speak. Instead, he waited patiently and ate in his own silence. Dark Shadow snagged bites wherever he could, but he also stayed very quiet, seeming to understand that something was tense between the two heroes. 

    Finally, Hawks took a breath. He placed both hands on the table, as if physically bracing himself would help prepare him mentally for whatever he’d say. “I trust you wholeheartedly. And I know that you’d never breathe a word if I told you.”

    Tokoyami only nodded. He wasn’t sure where Hawks was going with this, but he still wouldn’t press him for anything more than he was willing to give. If Hawks told him anything at all, that would be more than enough. It would be proof Hawks really did trust him.

    “So I’ll tell you everything that won’t put you at risk. If you have questions, you can ask, but I won’t guarantee I can answer them,” Hawks pushed his food back and forth nervously. His expression was difficult to read, but Tokoyami knew it was conflicted. “Deal?”

    Another nod. 

    “Alright. Where am I supposed to start, then? Well... you already know I was born in that poor neighborhood we patrolled yesterday. My old man was a thief, and he tried to turn me into one too. It nearly worked. For a long time, I was a damn good pickpocket. My mom did her best to make ends meet while my dad was in and out of prison. But he was… he was a really shitty person when he was actually around. He’d hit us, but he’d never yell. That was honestly the scariest thing about him. He seemed so laid back, the exact opposite of the kind of guy he really was. And he didn't like it when other people showed their own feelings. 

    “I hated him. With all my heart. And my mom, she didn’t really pay attention to me. She hated her life too much to spend any time trying to be happy. So I ran away. A bunch of times. Then my dad… who’d made a name for himself as a thief and a villain… Raptor, he called himself- he would always hunt me down and drag me back. And he kept making me steal. We agreed that I’d get extra food in accordance with how much I helped him take from people. If I refused, I didn’t eat at all, so I usually did whatever he asked.

    “But one day, we saw a woman carrying her daughter, a rich woman, judging by her jewelry and clothing. I was faster than the old man, so he wanted me to swoop in and grab the little girl, and we’d give her back, but for a price. When I told him exactly where he could stick that plan, he tossed me aside and went in to do it himself. I tried to stop him, but I was small, barely six. He was a lot stronger than me, but I fought back with everything I had because dammit if he was gonna lay a finger on her with me there. Nobody messes with kids if I have any say in it. But when I was down on the ground bleeding, that’s when Endeavor showed up out of what seemed like nowhere and saved me.

    “After my old man was taken away, this woman, part of the hero commission, came up to me and asked where I lived. I took her there, and apparently Endeavor had told the commission the hell of a fight I put up… she offered to take care of my mom and me in exchange for me joining a special program designed to craft heroes, on the condition I leave my name and old life behind. And the rest of my days were training that bordered torture and doing anything they told me to,” Hawks was glaring at his hands. He clasped them tightly together, trying and failing to hide the fact that they were shaking. 

    “Hawks…” Tokoyami began. 

    Hawks looked up quickly, then back down again. “Sorry, kid. It’s- I- I’m sorry. I don’t mean to bum you out or anything, I just thought you should know.”

    “Hawks,” Tokoyami repeated.

    The pro hero looked up again, this time in shock. Tokoyami had placed a hand on his shoulder. The touch was cautious, gentle. 

    “I’m glad you told me this. I do understand,” the student paused and retracted his hand. “And I understand if you don’t want to talk about it anymore, but what was the training like, exactly?”

    “Brutal. But it made me a damn good hero. So I won’t dare complain about it,” his tone made it very clear that he wasn’t about to go into detail. “Nothing I can do to change it now anyway.”

    Tokoyami wasn’t sure what to say. So for a while, they continued to eat in silence. Well, Dark Shadow ate. Tokoyami and Hawks just stared at their food. 

    “Keigo Takami,” Hawks said softly. 

    Tokoyami looked up in surprise. “Your name?” he guessed. 

    A nod. “Before the hero commission took me in, my name was Keigo Takami. You can call me by that name here and only here, and only when it’s just you and me. Never say it outside the walls of this agency. If they find out I told you, it wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

    Tokoyami nodded back. “Yes, sir, I won’t say a word.”

    “Thanks, kid. Anyway, I do believe it’s your turn to share your tragic backstory,” a familiar lightheartedness found its way back into Hawks’s voice. 

    Though he was relieved to hear the refreshed tone, the student shook his head. “I don’t have one. A most typical childhood,” from the way his voice hitched slightly, Hawks knew instantly that he was lying. 

    “Right… well then. We have a few hours before we need to turn in. I’m going to train for a bit, if you wanna join me,” Hawks had deposited his dirty bowl in the sink and was already out of the room by the time his statement registered with his intern. 

    Tokoyami looked after him. He briefly considered pointing out that Hawks might sleep better if he worked out in the morning and spent time winding down at night. Since Hawks preferred to sleep in late, Tokoyami had an inkling that his mentor had plenty of experience with restless nights anyway. Well. They had that in common, at least. 

    He stood up and walked into the gym, where Hawks was flying through the obstacle course on the ceiling, designed specifically for Fierce Wings. Tokoyami had seen him train using it before, and he knew that it could be customized and shifted to add more of a challenge. It consisted of simple things like hoops to more complicated slalom poles created for the sole purpose of straining Hawks’s wings to their limit. 

    Whether it was the most impressive or concerning part of this, Tokoyami noticed something that made him wonder more about how the commission trained Hawks. Hawks wore a black cloth around his eyes to deprive himself of sight. Tokoyami couldn’t help but be a little anxious as to exactly what they did to him to create the “perfect hero.” Tokoyami had never fully trusted the HPSC, just because their leadership piqued some sort of suspicion in him every time they spoke publicly. It felt so fake. 

    As Hawks finished the course, he landed in front of Tokoyami and pulled the cloth down around his neck. He offered his intern a smile, despite being rather out of breath with slightly shaking wings. “Hey, kid, are you here to train?”

    Tokoyami frowned a little. “No, sir.”

    Hawks cocked his head. “Okay... Then… what’s up?”

    Tokoyami took a deep breath. “About what you said… how the commission trained you. Will you ever tell me the truth about that as well?” he felt he was demanding too much, but this would eat at him if he didn’t at least ask. 

    Hawks flinched before he responded. “No. What you already know is risky enough. If you don’t wanna spar, go to bed, Tokoyami. There’s no need to stay up late tonight. I won’t be nearly getting myself killed with hero work or anything.”

    Tokoyami hesitated. Then he nodded. “Alright.” With that, he turned and exited the gym, giving Hawks a long, uncertain look over his shoulder. 

    When the kid had gone, Hawks slumped down against the wall, resting his forearms on his knees. He sighed. Honestly, he’d buried the memories of the training in the recesses of his mind, and thinking about them was never a good move. It usually ended in panic attacks and nightmares. The nightmares often came anyway, but indulging in his past only served to make them more vivid.

    He wasn’t sure why Tokoyami was so desperate to know so much about him anyway. After all, the kid wasn’t sticking around much longer, and Hawks knew he wasn’t the type to dwell on the past. 

    Hawks turned his eyes to the skylight, which revealed a black sky full of clouds above him. He wished he could get a look at the stars, but the city was far too bright. 

    It would be Christmas tomorrow. Hawks had already planned to spend it beside his student, as promised, but when the sun set… that would be a different story. Hawks only hoped he’d mulled over it enough to survive it. 

    Some hours passed with Hawks returning to his workout and then trying to straighten and smooth out his feathers, when he checked his phone. It was midnight. He received a single text from an unknown number at the exact moment the city clock struck twelve. 

    Merry Christmas, bird. 

    Hawks looked at Dabi’s message and knew that, although it was partially mocking and partially a threat, it was the only message of its kind Dabi would be sending today. Something about that fact felt a little… sad. Hawks stared at the words for a few seconds before he hesitantly typed out a reply. 

    You too, matches.

    It wasn’t a friendly interaction, as some might think messages like those would be. But both Dabi and Hawks, across the city from one another, looked down at their phones with passive, unreadable expressions.

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami looked at Christmas as the one day a year where his parents bothered to spend any real time with him. But this time, that wasn’t going to be the case. And yet… today, he was looking forward to it more than he ever had. The intern rose with the sun and checked the time. It was six in the morning. He didn’t want to wake Hawks up early, as he was determined to make this a good day for both of them. 

    As he got dressed for the day, Tokoyami turned his playlist on low volume when Dark Shadow came out to see what was going on. “Merry Christmas, Fumikage,” he said, his voice low so as not to wake Hawks. 

    Tokoyami nodded, once again very close to smiling. It was practically tradition for Dark Shadow to say it before anyone else. He was glad his friend didn’t disappoint despite the new circumstances. Tokoyami eventually settled on a black collared t-shirt with gray sleeve cuffs and a pair of dark blue jeans. Might as well break up the black and be a little festive. 

    The student was slipping on his combat boots when he heard a sound like pots banging in the kitchen. 

    Suspicious, he snuck out that way, and Dark Shadow curled himself around Tokoyami, aiding in stealth. The latter peered around the corner, seeing that the kitchen light was on. And he nearly reeled back in shock. 

    Hawks was at the counter, his feathers flying around him at breakneck speed. He was holding a book in one hand and glaring at the stove while brandishing a spoon in the other. Tokoyami cautiously stepped inside. 

    “Hawks?” he said.

    The hero looked up as if barely surprised. Like Tokoyami, he was dressed casually, but it was different enough to look like he put some effort into it. The pro wore a dark gray t-shirt under a simple brown jacket paired with dark-colored jeans. “He lives! And a very merry Christmas to ya, number one intern. Bout time you got up.”

    Tokoyami double checked the clock to make sure he had the time right. Yeah, it was six. “I’m always awake by this time… And merry Christmas, but what are you doing up?”

    “The early bird gets the worm,” Hawks answered simply, with a smile. 

    “Yes, but…” Tokoyami trailed off, unable to piece together what he was thinking. Hawks had really gotten up this early just to make breakfast for them? Upon closer inspection, Tokoyami saw that Hawks held a western-style cookbook in his hand. 

    “Sit down, kiddo,” Hawks said. “I’m almost done.”

    Tokoyami did as he was told and took a seat at the table. He watched Hawks closely as the hero’s feathers danced around him, grabbing ingredients and plates from cupboards. It seemed a lot more controlled than the mess he made of the kitchen two days ago. And Tokoyami honestly wasn’t sure just how much one book could have helped with that.

    “Alright, it’s no masterpiece, but everybody loves pancakes, right?” Hawks sent a few of his feathers, carrying a plate of the western-style breakfast, to Tokoyami, adding a second for Dark Shadow. The duo stared down at them, almost unwilling to believe what they were seeing. 

    The pancakes looked fine. A little brown around the edges and vaguely shaped like various countries from around the world- Tokoyami was pretty sure that was unintentional- but other than that, they hadn’t suffered too much. He waited until Hawks joined him before the three of them started to eat together. Dark Shadow seemed pleased with the arrangement. 

    Hawks gave Dark Shadow a playful pat on the head and grinned at him. For the first time in what felt like forever, Dark Shadow didn’t hiss or snap or even shrink away when he was touched by someone who wasn’t Tokoyami. In fact, the dark entity even smiled very faintly. It surprised even the shadow’s host, who nearly choked on a pancake as Dark Shadow returned to his meal. 

    “Thank you,” Tokoyami said to his mentor as Hawks finished first. 

    A shrug. “No big deal. I picked up a few of those books yesterday. I figured why not? Gotta start being my own housewife eventually,” he’d once grilled Endeavor for not spending enough time in the kitchen. Although he’d been teasing, Hawks figured it was time he took his own advice, especially since Tokoyami was here. 

    A nod. 

    “Anyway, breakfast is out of the way, and the sun is rising. I figured we could skimp on patrols and only do one today. After all, what kind of villains wanna work on Christmas?” Hawks seemed to flinch at his own words, but Tokoyami didn’t notice.

    “Okay.”

    “Morning or afternoon? Totally up to you, kid.”

    In the end, they decided to go with a morning patrol to get it out of the way. It was a quick and easy patrol, and the streets were rather quiet of any shady activity. Neither of them had to do much of anything, and it was a leisurely trip around the city, which Hawks seemed particularly happy about. 

    The duo gathered in the rec room. Hawks wasn’t exactly sure why Tokoyami had ended up settling on two things instead of one for him, but he also wasn’t going to complain. Honestly, this was the first time anyone had gotten him anything at all, aside from a few sidekicks sending candy or a “Best Boss” mug. The mug was a blatant lie, but Hawks appreciated the gesture.

    “You wanna go first?” Hawks asked, handing Tokoyami the white paper bag. He was honestly a little anxious, placing the tip of his thumb against the bottom of his front teeth, hoping the kid liked what he’d chosen. 

    “Sure,” Tokoyami carefully opened the bag. Inside was a set of black and blue headphones with the earpieces having a vast galaxy printed on them. They were wireless, something that Tokoyami had been meaning to invest in for a long time. He turned them over in his hands a few times. “These are incredible.”

    Hawks’s chest fell with relief, and he immediately resumed looking as cool as ever. “I figured you’d like ‘em. I know music is like your thing, or whatever it is,” he looked away to hide his smile, but Tokoyami saw it. 

    “Thank you,” he placed the headphones around his neck. 

    “No problem, kiddo,” Hawks leaned back against the couch. 

    Hawks carefully opened the box. Inside was a coffee thermos, much like the one Hawks already had, except that it was printed with a red sun setting over an expanse of water, which shimmered thousands of different shades of pink, orange, yellow, and even purple. It was the sky, and Hawks adored the sky. 

    “This is beautiful.”

    “I’m pleased that you think so,” Tokoyami considered it. “I thought it was, too.”

    “And bonus points for it being something I’ll use,” Hawks added with an easy laugh.

    Tokoyami nodded. Then he presented the second gift to Hawks. “And since I probably won’t be around that day, consider this an early happy birthday from myself, sir.”

    Hawks hesitated, shocked. He’d honestly forgotten, too wrapped up in his hero work and the kid. December 28th felt like it was an eternity from now. “Right,” he said slowly, taking what was being offered to him. 

    Tokoyami had produced one very small package, which had been hastily bound with white ribbon. Hawks used a feather to snip it away. Inside was a cord-bound necklace, short, with a metal feather clipped to it. He held it in his hand, seeing the characters for “free” engraved on it. He bit his lip as he considered everything that word meant to him. 

    Instantly, he secured it around his neck. It was the perfect length not to dangle, but also not to feel constricting. “I love it,” he spoke softly, sincerely. Hawks always had an affinity for jewelry, but he never really wore it, outside of his earrings. He could never find anything that wouldn’t distract him during flight, but Tokoyami had done so on the first try. 

    “I’m glad,” Tokoyami lifted his chin proudly and tried not to beam. 

    “Thanks, kid,” Hawks ruffed Tokoyami’s hair. “Oh right, Dark Shadow. Well, I hope this is enough for him,” Hawks tossed a box of cookies he’d produced from behind him at the kid. “You two can split those.”

    An eager chitter from Dark Shadow immediately confirmed that it was enough for him. 

    Hawks slung an arm around Tokoyami’s shoulders and pulled him into a lazy half-hug. Then he just as quickly got up and didn't acknowledge it whatsoever. “So… what’s next on our festive agenda?” he felt his phone vibrating against his thigh and nearly winced. Five minutes peace. That’s all he wanted.

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami sat next to Hawks on the roof, looking out over the city. It was freezing, so Hawks had his wings out as a shield from the wind, one of them curled around his student, feathers sharpened to create a barrier. He’d suggested they hang out up here until it was time to start making dinner, and Tokoyami hadn’t argued. It honestly sounded like time to relax. 

    “Alright, alright,” Hawks continued the conversation they’d been having with a chuckle. “Let me get this straight. Dark Shadow has knocked you down how many flights of stairs now?”

    “He didn’t mean it,” Tokoyami answered defensively as Dark Shadow voiced his distaste about being blamed for these incidents. “And it hasn’t happened since I was small. He just got excited sometimes… but four.”

    Hawks rolled his eyes at that and tried to stifle his laugh. He stretched out his legs so they dangled over the edge of the roof. Both of them wore their heaviest jackets, and Tokoyami had somehow convinced Hawks to wear a scarf. The latter was toying with the cord around his neck, fingers lightly brushing the feather pendant. 

    “So I’ve told you all I can about me,” Hawks watched the sky, and Tokoyami followed his lead. It was a bright and clear day despite being the dead of winter. “When do you think I’ll get the truth about you?”

    Tokoyami immediately looked away, absently reaching up to scratch Dark Shadow on the nose. The entity gave the back of Tokoyami’s neck a small nudge, clearly urging him to say something on the matter. The student sighed. “I’ve had a typical-”

    “A typical childhood, I know,” Hawks finished for him. He gave Tokoyami a long, unreadable look. “If you change your mind, I’ll always be around to listen.”

    They sat in silence for what felt like hours. Hawks never turned his eyes back down. Tokoyami watched the pro hero, watched the way his feathers shifted against the wind, how he tilted his head towards the sun, which barely peeked out against a white blanket of clouds. 

    “Will you ever teach me how to read the sky?” Tokoyami asked suddenly. 

    Hawks, who’d been closing his eyes, glanced down at the student. “What?”

    “I notice you’re always looking at the sky. When you’re not sure of something, when you need comfort. Why is that?”

    A pause. “The sky is my freedom, I guess. I’m on the commission’s leash most of the time nowadays-” he cut himself off and buried his mouth in the fabric of his scarf. “Sorry, I shouldn’t talk about them that way-”

    “No,” Tokoyami interrupted. He looked up at the shifting clouds. “I may not know what they’ve done to you to make you who you are, but I know they had no reason to do it outside of creating the type of hero they could bend to their will. It was cruel, and you should have every right to resent them for it.”

    Hawks looked surprised. “I-” he thought for a moment about what he wanted to say. “I’m not so sure I do, kid. If everything they did to me made me who I am, then what can I say against them, as the number two hero?”

    A shake of the head from the student. “They can’t control you. You have wings,” he looked Hawks dead in the eyes. “There’s no need for you to be confined to the ground,” the intern quoted his mentor back at him. Then he looked out at the city. “I think you’re already free.”

    The wing hero smiled very slightly, but there was a sad, longing look behind those golden eyes. “If that were true, I’d be a very different man.”

    “What do you mean by that?”

    Hawks shook his head to clear it, as if doing so could wipe away the entire conversation. “Nothing. It’s cold as a corpse’s heart out here. You want to go back inside?”

    Tokoyami frowned as Hawks jumped off the three-story building without another word. He and Dark Shadow followed suit, but he couldn’t stop wondering exactly how the commission had treated Hawks… how they still treated him. What had they done to him to make him think that he couldn’t be angry for any abusive training? Tokoyami feared he’d never know, and that fear sat with him as they went back inside. 

    Hawks shed his aviator coat and scarf, even though the agency wasn’t exactly a cozy temperature. “Anyways, back on topic here…”

    Tokoyami couldn’t imagine which topic he was referring to. 

    “Has Dark Shadow done anything else to baby Tokoyami that I should know about?”

    Oh. 

    “No, he was just a little too big for me to control back then,” Tokoyami answered with a slight shrug as he removed his own jacket. “Besides, he was my best friend for most of my life, so I cannot complain.”

    A light chuckle was the only thing that answered him for a few minutes. Then Hawks glanced at the clock. He’d been doing that a lot today. “Alright, kiddo. You want to start what is undoubtedly going to be the worst disaster of a dinner you’ve ever had on this holiday? It’ll probably take a while to make, so I figure we should get started now.”

    Even though he wasn’t hungry yet, Tokoyami agreed. Hawks produced a different cookbook than the western one he’d used that morning. 

    “Alright, so it looks like we’re making karaage, because that’s what’s in here,” he announced with some sort of pride in his voice. His feathers were already rifling through cabinets and picking out various ingredients. “Technically this calls for sake, but we’re absolutely skipping that because you’re… what, fifteen?”

    “Sixteen,” Tokoyami held back a smile.

    “Either way, no,” Hawks looked over the list. “Okay the first thing we’re supposed to do is dice the chicken. You like dark or white meat?”

    “Dark.”

    “Good, more white for me, then,” Hawks produced the chicken breasts and thighs he’d purchased the day before. He looked down as if considering something. “I’m gonna have to clean my wings again after this,” he grumbled to himself as he sent a feather out. With extreme precision and speed, the chicken was diced in uniform squares in no time. 

    Tokoyami stared, obvious question in his eyes. 

    “My feathers are easier for me to control than a knife, I’ll put it to you that way,” Hawks said simply. He turned his eyes back to the book. He used his feathers to add most of the ingredients, garlic and soy sauce and such to the bowl, then gave it to Tokoyami to have him put it in the fridge to marinate. 

    “Okay, so far so good,” Hawks spoke cautiously. “Maybe this won’t turn out horribly.”

    “Wistful thinking, I’d say,” Tokoyami muttered. 

    Hawks nearly started from shock. “Did you just make a joke? Did Mr. No-Nonsense Darkness and whatnot just make a joke? In my kitchen?”

    Tokoyami turned his eyes to the counter. “I suppose I did.”

    Hawks threw an arm around the kid’s shoulders and laughed a bit. “I’m so proud of you. You should be sarcastic more often, you’re really good at it.”

    After the chicken had time to marinate, Hawks fried it up for seven minutes, as the book instructed, in egg and potato starch. Shockingly enough, he didn’t burn the entire agency down, and the finished product looked pretty good. The two of them sat down to eat. Hawks, of course, made the mistake of checking his phone after they’d finished. Dabi had messaged him.

    I’m pushing the meeting time to a few hours before sunset.

    Hawks closed his eyes. No. Not this soon.

    Why?

    Because I want to, feathers. And because the boss said so. Unless you have plans that prevent you from fulfilling your duty as a member of the cause?

    Fine. What time were you thinking?

    How about two hours?

    Hawks had planned to send Tokoyami to sleep early so he could get him back to the school in the morning. At least, that was going to be the excuse.

    And how am I supposed to explain that to my intern?

    Be creative, birdie. Don’t keep me waiting.

    Hawks set his phone down and took a deep breath. This was unexpected and inconvenient at its very best, but he was the number two hero. Adapting to bad situations had been programmed into his brain since he was young. He looked up at Tokoyami, whose eyes were already on him, wide with concern.

Chapter Text

    “Sorry about that, kiddo,” Hawks looked down, apologetic. “Listen, the commission needs me to turn in around two hours from now. Duty calls, you know?”

    “The commission?” Tokoyami cocked his head. “What do they need from you?” he was clearly worried and trying his best to conceal it. It was fair enough. After what he’d learned about the commission, it only made sense for him to try and keep Hawks as far away from them  as possible. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done. 

    Hawks sighed. “I can’t tell you the details. I’ll be alright though, don’t worry about me,” he stood up. “I need to shower and get ready. Listen. You need to go to sleep as early as you can, since you have to head back to the dorms tomorrow. I should be back in a few hours.”

    Tokoyami knew he was being lied to again. Hawks may have been a skilled liar, but he had tells. He blinked a lot more often when he was lying, and he kept his hands very still, as if consciously. “I’ll sleep soon,” Tokoyami promised. 

    Hawks smiled before he started back the hall. “Thanks.”

    As he showered and put on his costume, Hawks felt a heavy shadow of dread falling over him. Dabi was an impatient and not very understanding guy. If something went wrong, even if it wasn’t obviously Hawks’s fault, the fire villain would not take time to ask how it happened. Hawks tucked his wings closer around his body as he pulled on his boots.

    He ran over the steps of the villains’ plot to take out the number one hero over and over again in his head, trying to figure out exactly where he could insert himself to make sure it wasn’t a success. 

    Okay, Dabi had already used the device Hawks had given him to take control of all the monitors in the city square. Authorities wouldn't see a thing, while the league saw it all. Endeavor wouldn’t be spending time with his family on Christmas, as Shoto would have elected to stay at the school while the others would likely keep to themselves. Instead, he’d be doing hero work, because that’s just who he was as a person. Hawks had to create some sort of disaster that Endeavor would agree he needed help dealing with. That was easy enough. 

    Part two got messy. The league’s doctor had been developing a new serum designed to temporarily erase quirks… it worked on mutant quirks like Hawks’s as well, so that was concerning news when Dabi told him about it. 

    Dabi hadn’t been willing to share much more than that, but he’d given Hawks a small bullet… much like the quirk-destroying bullets that Overhaul had given him. Hawks had a sneaking suspicion that Dabi was lying about the serum being temporary, and they were those very same bullets, replicated. Which meant Hawks couldn’t risk actually using it. 

    That was the first obstacle. It would be easier if he could let Endeavor in on this plan so the number one could just play along that he’d lost his quirk, but the commission had made it very clear what Hawks’s fate would be if his cover was blown. 

    Part three. The league would close in. Dabi had convinced Shigaraki to let him have the fatal blow. And just like that. Hawks would be the number one hero. 

    He shivered at the thought, but he also had an idea that might let the failure of this plan seem like an accident. He’d only been given one bullet, and he warned Dabi that he was a terrible shot. This was, of course, not true, but one could hope. Hawks was the only one who could get Endeavor where he needed him to be, however.

    There had to be more to this than Hawks knew, but he wasn’t willing to dig any deeper. It would raise too much suspicion. Hawks finished getting ready and returned to Tokoyami’s room, where he was listening to music on the new headphones. 

    If this didn’t go well, which Hawks really feared that it wouldn’t, he wasn’t coming home tonight. He went inside the room without being invited and took a deep breath. He had to say something, just in case. 

    “Hey, Tsukuyomi?” He addressed the kid by his hero name, pulling his visor down so he could look him in the eye without any obstruction.

    Tokoyami’s head darted up, and Dark Shadow appeared over his shoulder. Hawks pet him a few times before turning back to his student. He sighed, unsure where he should start or how much he should say. “The commission said this might get a little dodgy. If anything happens to me… it won’t, I mean. I don’t want you to worry about that. But, if maybe you don’t see me for a while… just... give it hell for me. Okay?”

    Tokoyami looked confused and scared and more like a kid than Hawks had ever seen him. “But, if this is so dangerous… why won’t they send back up for you?”

    Hawks put a hand on his intern’s shoulder, trying and failing to comfort him. “It’s complicated. But I promise I’ll be alright. I just… I needed… I don’t know, kid!” his composure was starting to crack, and he realized it just in time. He shook his head. “I… gotta go. I’ll see you soon, Tokoyami. Don’t wait up.”

     The student put a hand on Dark Shadow’s head and gave him a little scratch, but the gesture was absent. “Yes, sir.”

    Hawks swallowed everything else that he wanted to say, hating that this could very well be their last interaction. He practically sprinted out the door and vaulted into the air before he could change his mind and explain everything. He spent a good twenty minutes flying in random directions at full speed… just so Tokoyami couldn’t find him if the kid did decide to try.

    “I’m sorry, kid,” he whispered, his words devoured by the fierce winds around him. 

    Tokoyami shivered, the cold in the agency finally starting to get to him. At least, he liked to tell himself that’s why he was trembling. He turned his eyes to the window, and the cloudy night sky above him. Maybe Hawks was doing the same thing, wherever he was. Maybe the sky would tell him everything would be okay. 

    “Fumikage,” Dark Shadow said quietly. “You’re going after him, aren’t you?”

    “I’ll never be able to find him, even if I do,” Tokoyami’s voice was defeated. “Hawks is strong. He has to be okay.”

    The jet black hero turned up the volume of gentle rock music in his ears and turned all the lights off. Dark Shadow was empowered and confident, but Tokoyami wanted to disappear. He kept his eyes out that window. Maybe if he told himself Hawks was going to be okay, then he would be. But if even the number two hero was worried that wherever he was going, he may not come back in one piece…

    Tokoyami squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the blankets closer around himself. 

    “Hawks is very strong,” Dark Shadow agreed. “But this commission work, as he called it… may be too much for him. He’s the fastest hero, yes, but even he can be tracked.”

    “Are you saying you want to go after him?”

    “I’m saying that you want to, and I will do what you wish, Fumikage,” Dark Shadow replied gently. As gently as something with such a distorted and deep voice possibly could. 

    “It’s dark outside,” Tokoyami said, looking pointedly at the window. “Do you think we can make it?”

    “Hawks needs you.”

    “I know.”

    Tokoyami didn’t wait another minute. He slipped his headphones off and got up, Dark Shadow retreating to let him get ready as quickly as possible. The student put on his hero costume and stormed out the double doors in front of the agency. He didn’t have any idea where the commission would send Hawks, but that wasn’t going to stop him. 

    “I’m coming, Hawks,” he said as he and Dark Shadow took to the sky. Somehow, he’d find him before it was too late.

Chapter Text

    “Hey, bird,” Dabi’s voice came over the earpiece he’d given Hawks a few days before. 

    Hawks tapped it to speak. “Dabi,” he acknowledged. 

    “Have you decided what you’re going to do to get our number one out and about?” Dabi spoke the title with venom and resentment, and Hawks found himself wondering where so much bitterness toward Endeavor had come from. After all, Hawks had annoyed Dabi far more than any other hero, but Dabi didn’t seem to hate him all that much. 

    “Yes. But don’t you think A-ranking villain Dabi’s blue flames would be more enticing than anything I can come up with?” Hawks answered, voice dripping with feigned friendliness. 

    “Don’t sell yourself short, number two,” Dabi scolded. “Besides, god knows if you so much as break a nail, the noble Endeavor will rush to your side. He’s such a great hero, after all, and we all know how much he adores you,” the sarcasm and scorn in his tone was something Hawks couldn’t contest on his best day. 

    “What’s with the hostility today, matches?” Hawks said with a lighthearted chuckle as he banked to the right. He was circling the empty street corner, doing one last check for any civilians who might get in the way. Dabi couldn’t know about it, but Hawks would save every last one of them, even if it cost him his precious cover. “Someone need a nap?”

    “Someone needs to incinerate some heroes. It’s been too long,” Dabi said sharply. 

    There was a pause in the conversation as Hawks debated on whether that meant Dabi intended to go through with killing them both. He’d assumed that Shigaraki would prefer their inside guy being the number one hero over being dead, but Hawks had been wrong before. 

    “Sorry, birdie,” Dabi’s voice came over the radio, quiet and subdued. He sounded like an entirely different person as he spoke, seeming to read Hawks’s mind. “You don’t get to be fried just yet. I still need you around.”

    Hawks swallowed as he landed, folding his wings behind his back. “How thoughtful.”

    “What can I say, I’m a considerate guy,” the wing hero could almost hear his adversary’s shrug over the speaker. 

    “Of course,” Hawks agreed with a bit of a smile, walking toward the small abandoned building that was about to be fodder for this whole scheme. He kept finding himself wondering why Shigaraki had entrusted control of something this big to Dabi. They weren’t just going after some small town hero this time. But Hawks had yet to meet this big boss of the league of villains. If it wasn’t for USJ, he might think the guy was a myth.

    “Alright, let me know as soon as he arrives. Got it?”

    “Yes, sir,” Hawks answered, his tone mocking. 

    “Maybe I will fry you, on second thought,” Dabi snapped. 

    Hawks forced a smile and a laugh. “I’d like to see you try,” he tried to sound playful, but he heard his voice catch. The hero just hoped that Dabi wasn’t observant enough to hear it as well. But the villain said nothing on it, just scoffed.

    He placed the small explosive inside the door and lit the fuse. Instantly, he took to the sky to avoid the blast that decimated the front of the building. He stayed close enough so that the power of the bright flash reached him and singed a few of his feathers as well as his jacket. It didn’t hurt, but at least now he looked as if he’d been fighting.

    Alright, that was easy enough. Hawks produced his phone and rang up the number one hero, feeling that dread crushing down his chest. Priority one was protecting Endeavor. Priority two was staying alive. And priority three would be keeping his cover. Though Hawks wasn’t sure in which order the commission wanted the latter two.

    “Yes?” came the deep voice of Enji Todoroki. He sounded confused. “Hawks?”

    Hawks forced his voice to sound weak, raspy, and he added a few coughs for good measure. He hated lying. It was too much work with not enough payoff, but it was something he had to do for the league, more and more lately. He sputtered out the address. “Hurry!” he added before he hung up. Okay, part two.

    The pro hero saw the orange glow long before Endeavor actually arrived. He signaled Dabi and told him as much. The flame villain sounded pleased with the time they were making so far. In less than two minutes, the number one hero was at Hawks’s side, looking him over and noting the burns. He was slightly out of breath, as if he'd been in a rush to get here. “Are you alright?” he demanded. 

    Hawks winced, but with guilt more than pain. “Yeah, I was flying over, and that blast caught my wings. It brought me down pretty hard, but I’m fine. I can’t find anyone around though,” he explained as quickly as he could. 

    Endeavor ran ahead of him, toward the wreckage. Hawks noticed a piece of debris just overhead dangling by what seemed to be a handful of wires, and he used a few of his feathers to move it away, trying to be subtle. 

    “Hey, birdie. I saw that,” Dabi’s voice came over the speaker again. 

    “You said you wanted to be the one to do it,” Hawks whispered. 

    “Then shoot. Now,” there it was. The order.

    Time slowed down. It did that a lot for Hawks, especially here lately. Sometimes it felt the world was creeping by, and Hawks was the only one going at a tolerable speed. But this time, everything was different. This time, though he liked to claim he was fearless, Hawks found his nerves jumping and his heart beating rapidly. This time, his mind seemed to slow down to fit the pace of the rest of the world.

    Before he could consider anything further, he brought up the odd gun he’d been given and leveled it with Endeavor’s back. He’d already sent out a few of his feathers as discreetly as possible, hoping Dabi wouldn’t notice. 

    A deep breath. 

    In, out. 

    This would be easy. Dabi wouldn’t notice.

    Hawks used his stray feathers to send a piece of debris down from an upper level, making as much noise as possible. Thankfully, Endeavor noticed and quickly dodged to the side to avoid the debris, right as Hawks pulled the trigger. The fragile bullet slammed into the rock and crumpled on impact. Some of the serum leaked out of the thin needle onto the concrete.

    After the fact, everything was silent. And for just a moment, Hawks thought that was it. The plan had failed, he could apologize, take the league’s beating, and go home. A very naive way to think, given his associates. 

    “ Hawks… ” Dabi’s voice was low, filled with hate. 

    “I’m sorry, I missed. He-” Hawks whispered, starting to try and explain himself. He wasn’t yet sure if Dabi had seen what he did. 

    He was cut off. But Dabi didn’t shout at him for his failure or curse at him or make a snide remark. Instead, he chuckled for several moments before his quiet voice chided Hawks. “I was really hoping I didn’t have to do this to you.”

    “Do what?” Hawks’s sensitive feathers answered the question for him as he felt the origin of another explosion. But something was different about this one. A powerful blast dispersed around them, and it didn’t hurt at all. As soon as everything quieted down, Hawks felt himself waver on his feet. His head started to pound as a shrill ringing sounded off in his ears. “Dabi, what is this?”

    The radio was dead silent. But Dabi’s voice came to him nonetheless. This time, however it was from only a few feet away. As the flame villain walked onto the scene, Hawks had already lost all feeling from his waist down, and he’d dropped onto his knees. He looked up in time to see that Endeavor was in the same situation. 

    “Dabi,” Hawks said softly. 

     “Hey, Hawks,” Dabi greeted as if they were old friends. He walked in a slow circle around the heroes. “Trust me, I believed you when you said you were a terrible shot. But having you do it that way was the only chance at you getting out of this unscathed. Too bad, I guess.”

    Hawks had collapsed in a heap, unable to even twist his head to get a look at Dabi, who stood just behind him, eyeing Endeavor the way a leopard might eye a wounded zebra. Endeavor was trying to push himself up and failing. He let out an angry grunt of protest, but he said nothing. 

    “So Kurogiri and I worked on these. These explosives are imbued with a neurotoxin that will paralyze anyone within their radius. The time length varies based on size, so number one is up first, since Hawks, you might be here a while. You’re kinda puny, you know.”

    “Dabi,” Hawks repeated, but his tongue felt heavy, mouth dry. His entire body had started to hurt, his veins lighting up as if they were on fire. 

    “Shigaraki and I have been planning this for months,” Dabi continued as he stalked toward Endeavor. His eyes glowed an unnaturally-bright blue against the number one hero's orange flames. They carried a bloodlust that was out of character even for someone like Dabi. As he spoke, Hawks rolled his eyes. So the flame villain was still a sucker for his monologues. “It was only natural to develop a few backups in case the first try didn’t quite stick its landing.”

    No no no no. Hawks hadn’t accounted for something like this. Idiot. Why hadn’t he considered they’d turn on him if things didn’t go according to plan? Well… he’d considered that, but he hadn’t thought that it might end up so that he couldn’t even get Endeavor out of their reach. Idiot, he’d been stupid. He should’ve been faster, thought more about this. Now the man he'd always looked up to was at the mercy of a villain's flames- a villain Hawks had assisted- and Hawks was helpless to do anything. This was exactly what the commission meant when they told him he wasn't fast enough.

    This is your fault, Hawks. People will die if you aren't faster. A hero has to save everyone, no matter what.

    Hawks squeezed his eyes shut, but the memories weren't just empty words anymore. 

Chapter Text

    Dabi was so frustrated. He’d gone the extra mile to make sure that idiotic bird didn’t have to get hurt doing this, and Hawks missed the shot. Of course he did. Just because Dabi didn’t trust Hawks didn’t mean he wanted to see the chicken get roasted. No, when that happened, Dabi was to be the one to do it. That’s the deal he’d made with Shigaraki, who constantly insisted Hawks was a snitch. 

    Yeah, there was a good chance he was. But some part of Dabi also wanted to believe Hawks understood him. Keigo Takami had seen the cruel inner workings of hero society, and Dabi knew firsthand that it’d been literal torture for him. Surely the commission hadn’t brainwashed him so well that he thought what they’d done to him was okay? Surely...

    “Very good,” Shigaraki rasped from just behind Dabi as he took in the glorious view of two heroes, paralyzed on the concrete. Hawks was still struggling, somehow, but he was unable to get up. “Two rats wandered into our trap.”

    “The bird stays alive,” Dabi reminded the leader under his breath, too quiet for the pros to hear. 

    He could almost hear Shigaraki roll his eyes under that freaky hand he wore across his face. The mastermind of the league sighed and readjusted the collar of his jacket. “Fine. For now. Go ahead, then. It’s freezing out here, I’d like to get this over with.”

    Dabi’s face split into a gleeful grin. Finally. After all these years, he could take his revenge, and he hoped it would be sweet. For the hell he and his family had endured. “With pleasure,” he walked past Hawks, over to the number one hero, who laid on his stomach, jaw clenched in defiance.  Dabi used his boot to kick Endeavor onto his back with as much force as he could manage, which was quite a feat considering their size difference. A pained grunt was all he got in response. 

    “Dabi, stop!” Hawks shouted. 

    Dabi’s eyes snapped up to the wing hero. He sighed in irritation. He wasn’t surprised that Hawks was adverse to this plan, just disappointed that he’d sabotage them after Dabi had tried so hard to explain exactly what was wrong with hero society. Oh well. Hawks could still be used, even if he was a little liar. Unless Shigaraki did it himself, Dabi saw no way the idiot chicken was dying tonight.

    “While I’m impressed you’re still able to talk, kindly shut your mouth, number two. Just be grateful I’m not making you watch,” Dabi growled. He was mostly hoping the bird would shut up so Shigaraki would decide he wasn’t worth killing just yet. If Hawks said something that outright confirmed his treachery, Shigaraki wouldn’t hesitate.

    And Dabi, of course, wasn’t sure why he cared. Hawks was a traitor, after all.

    Dabi returned his attention to Endeavor. The bird could wait. He had a much bigger fish to fry… figuratively speaking. He stalked just a bit closer so he could look Enji Todoroki in the eye, a wicked grin pulling at the staples on his face until they bled. 

    “Do you know who I am?” he snarled. 

    A muffled answer that sounded like his villain name. 

    “You will,” Dabi raised a hand that was engulfed in blue flames, as if he hadn’t really been expecting much of an answer. “For now, tell Touya I said hello.”

    Endeavor’s blue eyes went wide with shock, but he didn’t react much beyond that. He really couldn’t. But his fingers began to twitch with the faintest hint of his mobility returning. Dabi reared back to strike.

    This was bad. This was really bad. 

    Tokoyami wasn’t someone who panicked, not even in high-stress situations like this one. But seeing the top two heroes down there while two of the most notorious villains in Japan loomed over them… he would be lying if he said his heart wasn’t pounding. 

    The explosion had originally piqued his attention, but it was in the far distance, almost something he would have disregarded, had it not been for Endeavor a few blocks down, putting his phone away and sprinting towards the scene. Tokoyami had never been more grateful for his heightened eyesight, or he might have missed him completely. But he followed the orange flames all the way to this situation. He’d arrived just after Hawks and Endeavor went down.

    Tokoyami took a deep breath to try and calm himself as he grabbed his phone from its place in his back pocket. He wasn’t sure who to call, however. The police would notify local heroes, sure, but this city was predominantly protected by Hawks. Very few heroes actually took up residence here to look for work, since most of the crime was taken care of so quickly. Instead, the student searched through his contacts frantically. 

    He could call his classmates, but Tokoyami felt terrible putting them at risk. Yet there appeared to be only two villains present, so he felt some of his classmates could handle it. The leader of this group, Tokoyami wasn’t afraid of. The man couldn’t disintegrate a shadow. The flame villain was the real problem. Who, in his class and out of the people he’d actually traded numbers with, could stop him?

    In the end, he sent out a very quick text to a few of his classmates and friends detailing his location and declaring it an emergency. He didn’t give any more details. The list was short, since Tokoyami mostly kept to himself, but he knew these were people he could trust. 

    Todoroki, Shinsou, and Shoji. He also had Midoriya and Tsu’s number, but he decided against messaging them. They were very close with their families, and it was Christmas. Chances were they had their phones off anyway, and Tokoyami knew they’d feel terrible if they opened the message after the fact and had been unable to help. The jet black hero also sent the message to Mr. Aizawa, having acquired his emergency contact number after the incident at the training camp. 

    Four. That would have to do, if any of them could make it in time.

    Shoji responded almost instantly with, On my way. Fifteen minutes.

    Tokoyami breathed a sigh of relief. Fifteen minutes was a long wait, but at least one of them had gotten the message. He crouched behind some of the fallen debris, Dark Shadow twisting and turning as the sky grew darker. Getting here had been quite a challenge, but the worst was yet to come.

    The student narrowed his eyes at Dabi, who circled Hawks like some kind of predatory cat, his eyes glinting in the dim light. He was grinning, but nothing about the expression was genuine. Dabi said something about making Hawks watch. Tokoyami frowned. Making him watch what?

    His mentor was sprawled on his stomach, repeatedly trying to push his weight up on his arms. His wings hung limp around his back, and his teeth were gritted with effort and pain. Tokoyami wasn’t sure what they’d done to him, but if it kept Hawks down, it had to be pretty bad. 

    Tokoyami had planned to stay hidden until Shoji was closer. The fire-quirked villain seemed to be fond of monologues, so maybe he’d ramble long enough for at least one of Tokoyami’s friends to get there. It was wistful thinking, but it was the closest thing the student had to hope at this point.

    Dabi snarked something at Endeavor as he stood over him and raised a hand to deliver what would obviously be a fatal blow. Hawks was shaking, trying to drag himself towards them and failing to get his body up even a little bit. 

    The villain’s hand lit up with blue, and Tokoyami squeezed his eyes shut. “Now, Dark Shadow!” he shouted. 

    So much for waiting for backup. 

    It was his last coherent thought before Dark Shadow’s black mass engulfed him, taking full control.

Chapter Text

    If Hawks hadn’t already known what panic felt like before all this, the emotion was instantly redefined when he heard a familiar voice. “Now, Dark Shadow!”

    Dabi stopped mid-attack and looked up in surprise. Even Shigaraki cocked his head as if he hadn’t been expecting such an entrance. Before, he’d been detached and uninterested, but as soon as a massive black shadow rose up to cast darkness over the entire city square, Shigaraki’s attention was piqued. 

    “What the hell is that?” their leader demanded. 

    Dabi groaned, recalling the training camp and how one of the kids had a shadow quirk. That was the kid that Hawks had taken in. Great. Just great. 

    The flame villain pushed his hair back and accidentally met the bird’s eye. Somehow, Hawks had twisted his body to look at the massive shadow above them. Something told Dabi that Hawks wouldn’t be keen on working for them if he murdered his intern. “That,” he answered Shigaraki with a sly grin. “Isn’t going to be a problem for me.”

    “Leave him alone!” the words tore from Hawks’s throat in a raspy snarl as a cobalt blue glow illuminated the asphalt beneath him. Dabi had already ignited his palms, stalking towards Dark Shadow, who had grown considerably in size, as it snarled and shifted in the blackness. “Tsukuyomi, run!”

    “I think that order will fall on deaf ears, hero ,” Shigaraki spat as the dark creature lashed out haphazardly at Dabi, and missed. “That thing won’t listen to you.”

    Before Hawks could answer, Endeavor growled with effort as he started to push himself to his hands and knees. Hawks felt his wings begin to shift and stretch as he tried in vain to get them moving. This paralysis was starting to wear off. Shigaraki was already walking toward Endeavor, a hand outstretched. 

    “He’s mine,” Dabi reminded him as he sent a sphere of blue flames towards the shadowy claws that rushed him. The shadow cried out in pain as its hand dissipated into nothing. It attacked again as its arm reformed, only to meet the same outcome. 

    “Then hurry up,” Shigaraki didn’t stop moving towards Endeavor. He stopped with his hand hovering at the back of the number one hero’s neck. 

    Dabi looked up at the furious shadow monster and took a breath, considering how he should go about this. It wasn’t exactly his style to murder children in cold blood, but this was a really bad time for a kid to show up in the first place, so he could make an exception if it came down to that. 

    “Hawks, tell your kid to scram,” Dabi looped a hand through his belt, trying to look bored. His other hand was raised as if he was examining his nails, but it was covered in blue flames. They flickered and danced up and down Dabi’s wrists as he turned a side-eyed glance towards Hawks, a threat.

    “Tokoyami, if you can hear me, get out of here!” Hawks repeated. 

    Dark Shadow let out a cry, and, as Shigaraki had predicted, ignored the order. Instead, the shadow charged at Dabi, claws outstretched. Dabi looked disinterested as he fired his quirk at the creature, who narrowly dodged. Dark Shadow slipped around the villain and tried to strike him from behind, but Dabi was expecting that. 

    He sidestepped before plunging his hand into Dark Shadow’s side and igniting it. The shadow screeched in response as it shrank away from the light. Dabi did the same thing a second time, and it was too easy from there. Dark Shadow cowered away from the bright light and ducked behind Tokoyami, who knelt on the ground with his head down. 

    The student was out of breath, eyes wide with the realization that he stood no chance in this fight. His arms shook while he tried to steady himself. 

    “Are you alright, kid?” Hawks called out to him, managing to brace himself on his elbows, despite the fact that they were trembling. 

    “Hawks!” Tokoyami looked up in concern. 

    Shigaraki’s threat to decay Endeavor on the spot had pinned the number one hero back down, and Hawks still couldn’t pick himself up. His limbs felt like they were made of lead. He gritted his teeth and struggled to meet Tokoyami’s eyes. 

    “Get out of here,” he ordered. 

    “No,” the word was firm. 

    Dabi was ignoring them both now, having deemed Tokoyami powerless enough. He was returning to the number one hero with that predatory glint returned to his eyes. Unfortunately, Tokoyami was just as stubborn as the hero who mentored him. 

    Tokoyami was on his feet in seconds, placing his body between Endeavor and Dabi. “Stay back,” he raised his hands in a typical mixed martial arts stance. While Hawks had advised him to play to his strengths, Mr. Aizawa had advised him to hone all of his skills and cover his weaknesses. Both were viable pieces of advice, and Tokoyami had never been more grateful to have followed both. He was fairly experienced in hand to hand combat now.

    Dabi clicked his tongue. “I don’t have time for this,” he knew the kid was stalling. Which meant he had to act now. “Why are you birds so insistent on getting in my way?” He placed a hand on the ground and sent a stream of fire at the student, who narrowly jumped out of the way. But Dabi knew he wasn’t going to give up that easily. 

    On cue, Tokoyami was back on his feet and charging. Dark Shadow had returned to his side, but he was cautious about the flames. Tokoyami pounced on Dabi, like a falcon dropping down on its prey. He grabbed him by the shoulders and braced himself against the ground to give him enough momentum to throw the villain over his head. 

    Dabi collided hard with the asphalt, but he was up again in less than a second, springing to his feet. One of the staples on his cheek was slightly out of line, a thin trail of blood down his cheek. He’d gone from bored and disconnected to this uncanny wild glee in so little time. His face split itself open in a grin that would make even the bravest hero shudder. 

    His boot lit up in flames as he kicked a bolt of propane blue fire right into Tokoyami’s chest. He followed the kick by grabbing Tokoyami’s wrist and throwing him full force away from the fight. Dabi’s eyes flashed with something a little darker than before. 

    Tokoyami landed on his back, skidding a few feet. The impact left his back and arms raw, and his chest both burned and ached. He’d felt his phone glass shatter when he landed, shards of the glass poking into his skin. 

    “Stay down!” Dabi ordered, his tone fierce. 

    Tokoyami was already pushing himself up, and Dabi groaned in irritation, raising a hand towards the student. 

    “Dabi, don’t!” Hawks had struggled to his knees, but he continued to fall back onto his hands. His expression was something that Tokoyami had never seen before in his mentor’s eyes. He’d seen Hawks at low points. He’d seen him laugh, and he’d seen him get angry. He’d seen him anxious, and he’d seen concern. But what he saw right then shocked him. In the hero’s golden eyes, he saw sheer panic. Hawks was terrified. 

    Dabi’s smile faltered, but he slipped back into that disengaged demeanor of his. “Not my fault your kid listens about as well as you do. I’m running out of time here, birdie.”

    Tokoyami brought his knee into Dabi’s rib cage without warning. Then an elbow into his jaw. Dabi staggered, but he recovered quickly enough to cinch an arm around Tokoyami’s neck, pulling it tighter. The jet black hero gagged and struggled, but Dabi didn’t let up. Not until he felt the blade of a knife at his throat. 

    No. Not a knife.

    A crimson red feather, glinting sharp. 

    Hawks was shaking, though Tokoyami suspected some of it was from the struggle of controlling his feathers. “Dabi, let him go.”

    Dabi snarled, low and animalistic, but he dropped Tokoyami, who landed on his knees, hacking and trying to regain his breath. He placed a hand on his throat in an attempt to soothe the throbbing in his head and ears.

    The flame villain raised a hand and incinerated the feather on the spot. He balled his hands into fists as the frustration with the whole situation finally overcame him. He kicked Tokoyami onto his back and turned wild eyes onto the number one hero. “Just do it, boss.”

    “No!” Tokoyami started to get up, only to have Dabi’s boot come down on his chest again. Dabi pinned him there, glaring down at him. 

    Shigaraki smirked under whoever’s hand adorned his face and placed all five fingers on the back of Endeavor’s neck. 

    Nothing happened. 

    Tokoyami looked up just above him to see Eraserhead lined up with Shinsou, Todoroki, and Shoji on the roof of the partially-destroyed building. Eraserhead’s eyes gleamed red as his capture gear coiled itself around him. 

    “I apologize we couldn’t get here sooner,” Aizawa didn't take his gaze off Shigaraki. 

    “Traffic was hell,” Shinsou added with a smirk.

Chapter Text

    God damn it. This plan had successfully crumbled to the ground with nothing to show for it. And surprisingly enough, it hadn’t been Hawks’s fault, like Dabi assumed it would be. Well, it wasn’t entirely his fault. More so his intern’s. 

    “What do you think, boss?” Dabi tried to force down his anger. He’d take it out on a back alley or something later. But he already felt the flames creeping towards the surface of his skin, searing the veins and muscle just beneath. It felt like his body was threatening to explode, which was definitely a sign that he needed to get somewhere fireproof, and as soon as possible.

    “We aren’t prepared for a large scale fight,” Shigaraki made the wiser call. “With Eraser and the brats around and number one able to move again, I’d need to bring in the others, and even then, it’s too risky.”

    The warp portal belonging to Kurogiri appeared behind Shigaraki, and shockingly, none of the heroes made a move to stop them. The fact was that they were in no optimal condition to fight the league of villains either, and none were keen on the idea of trying. Shigaraki had already stepped through, but Dabi turned and looked between the heroes. 

    “I guess I should say something classic, like ‘Curses! Foiled again!’ shouldn't I?” his eyes lingered on Hawks’s, and the pro hero wasn’t sure what to make of his expression. “After all, I could say this plan was doomed from the start, wouldn’t you agree, Hawks?”

    “I-” Hawks dropped his gaze to the black asphalt. 

    “Ah ah ah,” Dabi waggled a finger at him as he stepped through the portal. “Watch out, hero. I’ll see you again soon.”

    And silence followed in his wake. The others were either oblivious or straight up confused as to what Dabi meant by that. But Hawks’s attention was elsewhere. Tokoyami was sprawled on his side, seemingly unconscious. Dark Shadow had retreated. The number two hero was at his student's side faster than any of the others could blink, literally. He looked him over to make sure there wasn't any bleeding or anything so serious. At first glance, the kid didn't look so bad, disregarding the dirt and bruises. 

    “Tokoyami,” Hawks spoke gently, reaching out to put a hand on his intern’s shoulder. 

    “His breathing is off,” Aizawa said, and he was suddenly directly next to Hawks. If Hawks hadn’t sensed him with his feathers, he would have jumped. He nearly jumped anyway. “I’ll call Recovery Girl and we can get him back to UA for immediate treatment.”

    “I’m coming with him.”

    “Alright. You three,” Aizawa’s sharp and very terrifying gaze slid up to the other students. “Go  home. You’ve done enough involving yourselves in villainous activities for one night. Next time, let the adults handle it. I’ve told you this countless times.”

    “With all due respect, sir, I think we’d like to go with Tokoyami as well,” Shoji ducked his head a bit. 

    “It will be better if you’re out of the way,” Aizawa said with finality. No one argued.

    Endeavor had gotten up and walked over to them, albeit shakily. He looked between them all, his gaze sticking to Shoto for just a second longer than the others, and down at Hawks, who was gathering Tokoyami into his arms. “Is he alright?” He raised an eyebrow at the duo. His expression emulated something like concern. 

    “He’s gonna be fine ,” Hawks answered, but there was an edge to it. He picked Tokoyami up as easily as if he were a small child. He spread his wings behind him, as he always did when he was preparing to take off. 

    “Hawks?” Aizawa looked up at the hero. 

    “Take care of things back here, Eraser. I can get to UA faster than any of you.”

    A nod from the erasure hero was the only confirmation Hawks needed before he shot into the air. While his wings flapped several times to get him off the ground, the hero slipped his headphones down to Tokoyami, who wouldn’t be quite as accustomed to the high velocity as Hawks. He made sure to tip his intern’s head into his jacket to protect his face as well. Then he poured most of his speed into one powerful swipe of his wings.

    As he flew, he was laser focused on where he was going. He didn’t have time to contemplate how late it was, nor did he think about the frigid night air forcing his feathers to go a little stiffer than usual. When he did think about the low temperature, he held Tokoyami a little closer, hoping his body heat would make up for it. 

    Tokoyami shifted against him. The poor kid was bruised to hell and back, dirt and grime covering his face. A pang of guilt spiked Hawks’s heart. 

    Hawks wanted to laugh and cry all at once. Of course, only one of those things would be an acceptable reaction. So Hawks settled on a quiet scoff. This kid was a lot more like him than he thought. Stubborn as all get-out. Now the pro finally understood why Best Jeanist and Edgeshot scolded him so much. .

    He landed outside UA a short time later and brought Tokoyami inside. Aizawa apparently had him covered and called ahead, since both All Might and Recovery Girl waited on the steps. All Might pushed open the door as Hawks carried his student after the nurse, who brought him to the infirmary. 

    “Oh, the poor dear,” she said, closing the door behind them. 

    Hawks laid Tokoyami down and looked at him. He didn’t bother forcing a smile for the nurse, and instead stepped backwards so he was leaning against the wall. His wings were curled slightly around him, like a barrier. Hawks sighed deeply. This was his fault. He should have been more careful. He should have found a better lie. 

    Someone got hurt. And in his head, all he heard were his directors telling him he wasn’t fast enough. He wasn’t strong enough. He didn’t perform well enough. 

    Recovery Girl either didn’t notice Hawks’s struggle or deemed Tokoyami more important. She fussed over him for a bit, planting a kiss on his forehead and cleaning his wounds. After the healing kiss, his ragged breathing slowly returned to normal.  Upon removing the student’s shirt, she saw there were several burn marks on his chest, but Hawks found himself surprised at just how minimal the damage had been. Dabi normally went all out with his fire.

    After Tokoyami was sufficiently bandaged up, the skid marks on his back and arms cleaned and bound, Recovery Girl went to work on the burns, cleaning and covering them. Aside from that, the wounds were mostly scratches and bruises. 

    The nurse, after finishing all this, turned to Hawks, who was still trying to block out those ghosts in his head. 

    “I’ve done all I could for him. The rest will heal naturally. For right now, let him rest. You should go home, Hawks. You look exhausted,” she spoke gently. 

    Hawks shook his head and that easy smile came back. “Ah, I’m fine,” he raised his hands in polite dismissal. “But thank you. I think I’ll stick around until he wakes up. I wanna let him know I didn’t ditch him.”

    A slight frown on the elderly woman’s face, but she didn’t argue with the number two hero. Instead, she nodded and turned away, with instructions to come and get her if Tokoyami needed anything. When she was gone, Hawks dipped into the chair next to the bed his intern laid in, and he sighed. 

    “Sorry I got you into all that, kiddo,” he said quietly. 

    Tokoyami shifted in his sleep, but he gave no reaction. It didn’t even seem like he could hear the number two hero.

    Hawks ducked his head. “I really am. Sorry, I mean. I… should have found a better way to do what I did. Some hero, I didn’t even get anything done during that fight,” he looked away, and his eyes burned. “Thanks.”

    “Kid’s a real scout,” Aizawa said from the doorway. 

    Hawks looked up in surprise, but quickly looked back to Tokoyami. “Yeah, but… he shouldn’t have to be. It’s my job to protect him, not the other way around.”

    Aizawa grabbed one of the chairs and brought it over so he could sit next to Hawks. “I can’t say I disagree with that. Hell, these kids have had to rescue me more than I’d ever care to admit. It’s not fair, but it’s who they are. The most you can do is walk with him down whatever path he chooses. Be there if it takes a wrong turn.”

    Hawks didn’t reply right away, so Aizawa continued. 

    “I’m going to make a visit to his parents’ house tomorrow morning to alert them about this. I already called them to let them know there'd been an incident and he was injured, but I’d like to discuss it further. You should come with me, I think it might help you to understand Tokoyami's... situation a little better.”

    The pro looked up in shock, but then he nodded. “Sure.”

    Aizawa was already standing up. “The other students are home. Endeavor keeps saying he wants to talk to you. And… Hawks?”

    A slight head tilt, questioning. 

    “You look terrible. Get some sleep.”

    “That, coming from you?” Hawks grinned and cocked an eyebrow.

    Aizawa had the ghost of a smirk threaten on his mouth. “It’s problem children like you who keep me awake.”

    Hawks snickered. “Problem children? Have I really been so bad as to earn that title from Eraserhead himself? We’re only seven years apart, you know.”

    He nodded, scratching his neck as if in thought. “Oh, I know. I don’t retract my statement.”

Chapter Text

    Hawks sat there for a while, scrolling through his phone and ignoring every text message that came his way. All of them were from Endeavor anyway. Hawks sighed and decided to scour the news sites for any case he could pick up. Doing this was an easy way to distract himself. Endeavor was a great hero and all, but the man was so pushy it drove Hawks insane. 

    A text from an unknown number, between all of the texts asking him where he was, how Tokoyami was doing, whether he’d heard from Aizawa, popped up. 

    Sorry about your kid. Wasn’t supposed to turn out that way. But I have some new intel for you. Meet me tomorrow night at the warehouse. Eight o’clock.

    The wing hero took a breath. The commission would clip his wings and then skin him alive if he turned down the opportunity to get info from Dabi. But he wasn’t sure why Dabi wanted to continue their alliance at all. He’d just made it painfully obvious that he wasn’t on board with taking out the number one hero. He’d figured his cover might as well have been blown with that. But Hawks was too curious to refuse.

    Alright . 

    Tokoyami groaned and shifted again, but this time his eyes drifted open. He winced a bit as he tried to focus his gaze on something. It eventually settled on the winged hero. Hawks nearly dropped his phone when he noticed, but he quickly regained composure. 

    “Hawks?” Tokoyami looked up at him. “What… what happened?”

    Hawks breathed a sigh of relief despite himself, then grinned as he settled back against the chair. His wings hung awkwardly around the back and armrests. “Good to see you’re finally back in the land of the living. Eraserhead showed up just in time, then the villains retreated. No huge fight or anything like that.”

    “But… the villains, they- they tried to… kill you,” Tokoyami put two fingers on either side of his beak as he started to sit up, clearly trying to make sense of his scattered thoughts. Hawks quickly placed his hand on his shoulder to keep him down.

    The number two hero winced. That wasn’t exactly true, they hadn’t been after him, but he didn’t contest aloud. “Villains will be villains,” he shrugged. “It’s not that big a deal.”

    Tokoyami’s eyes wandered down to his lap, and he didn’t say anything more. Hawks frowned. He kept thinking about what Aizawa said, about how he’d understand Tokoyami’s “situation” better if he made a home visit. Hawks wasn’t sure what situation the teacher had been referring to, but Tokoyami’s constant doubt in himself and quiet servility made him nervous to find out. 

    “Of course,” Hawks continued casually as he stretched his arms and popped their joints. “That’s not to say it wouldn’t have been a big deal if you hadn’t shown up. You saved my bacon, that’s one thing for sure.”

    Tokoyami looked up, wide-eyed. “I…” he trailed off. “Thank you.”

    Hawks scoffed. “For what? I’ll be honest, I was on the ground the whole time, I should be thanking you.”

    “Not for the fight,” Tokoyami averted his gaze again. “For everything else.”

    The pro smiled brightly, and Tokoyami was put at ease by the familiar expression. “Ah, don’t sweat it, buddy. After all, what are questionably-motivated mentorships for?”

    A nod.

    Hawks considered his intern in silence. “Your classmates are returning to the dorms tomorrow morning. Eraserhead- Mr. Aizawa- told me he was going to give you as much time as you needed to recover before you have to go back. I guess that means the sidekicks will be back at the agency tomorrow as well,” there was something unspoken in his meaning.

    Tokoyami understood what he meant immediately. This was over. He’d still be doing his work study with Hawks, but now he’d have school to focus on again. His time staying at the agency had come to an end, and what an ending it’d been. “Right… I suppose that brings winter break to a close, then.”

    “Yup,” Hawks agreed, looking down at his hands. “My staff members are gonna pass out when they find out I learned a thing or two about cooking because of you. They’ve been affectionately telling me I need to stop eating leftovers and microwave dinners at every meal.”

    “I would agree with them,” Tokoyami nodded.

    “Look, I’m a busy guy, I don’t have time to spend in the kitchen,” Hawks smiled. “Anyway. You need to get some more sleep, buddy. I’ll head out and let you rest. I can stop by again tomorrow morning.”

    Tokoyami flinched but didn’t say a word. Hawks, of course, noticed. And he felt he could guess exactly what was wrong. 

    “Not too fond of hospitals and the like, are you?”

    A single head shake. 

    “You want me to stick around for the night?”

    “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

    “That’s a yes,” Hawks pushed the chair Aizawa had brought over up against the other one and sprawled out over the two of them. “Now, get some sleep.”

    Obediently, Tokoyami curled up on the bed, on his side to spare his wounded back, so he was facing the window and Hawks. Hawks was intentionally taking up as much room as possible, wings flared out behind him and one leg kicked over the back of the chairs. Tokoyami watched his mentor in silence for a few minutes before he closed his eyes and let himself slip into darkness. 

    “Hawks,” Aizawa gave the hero a gentle shake. 

    Normally, Hawks would take approximately thirty minutes to fully wake up because of general exhaustion, but after a full night’s sleep and the events of last night leaving him on edge, the pro jumped into action, shooting into a sitting position and sharpening his feathers without thinking about it.

    “What’s up?” he said after he realized where he was, wings relaxing. He hadn’t had time to preen them in a bit, so they were starting to get itchy and sore. He stood up and stretched his wings out as far as he could while he gently ran a hand through each of his primaries.

    Aizawa watched him work on his wings for a moment before he replied. “I’m just about to head to the visit with Tokoyami’s family… did you stay here all night?”

    “Dozed off,” Hawks lied. Tokoyami was still sound asleep in the same position he’d been in the night before. The pro grinned at him. “No big deal. I got more sleep here than I did in…” a scoff. “Years, probably.”

    Aizawa contemplated them both, then turned towards the door. “I’d recommend street clothes. His parents aren’t overly fond of professional heroes.”

    Hawks froze. “Say what?”

    “Come with me, you don’t want to wake him,” Aizawa walked out the door, holding it open for Hawks, who followed him with a confused and suspicious expression coloring his features. His golden eyes swam with different emotions, as if he couldn’t quite pick one.

    “What do you mean, they don’t like pros? Their son is going pro.”

    Aizawa looked at him for a moment. He wasn’t sure how to explain. He’d met Tokoyami’s family once before, and that had been quite enough for him. “It’s difficult to put into words. I think meeting them will clear some things up.”

    Hawks left it at that, obediently taking off to the agency, where he put on a brown jacket over a gray T-shirt with black jeans. He refastened the choker Tokoyami had given him and spared a glance in the mirror. His hair was even more untamed than usual, sticking out in every possible direction, but he didn’t have time to fix it. He met Aizawa back at UA in almost no time at all, while the teacher was getting into a black car driven by a man Hawks had never seen before. 

    As he climbed in the car beside Aizawa, he folded his wings uncomfortably behind him and sat awkwardly sideways. Hawks hated cars. His wings were already cramping up. But there was no way he could fly as slow as one. That would drive him nuts. 

    Aizawa noticed Hawks’s discomfort and slid as far to the side as he could, giving Hawks room so his wings weren’t as pinned. The wing hero even temporarily sacrificed a few of his feathers to make his wings a bit smaller, letting them collect on the floor at his feet. Hawks despised doing it, but after a while of his wings complaining at him, he ditched almost all of them onto the floor so he could sit back against the seat. He sighed. And after he’d just straightened them all out.

    “This is the biggest car UA would lend me,” Aizawa said, his tone a little bitter.

    “Oh, it’s fine,” Hawks smiled. “Just consider the wings set to travel mode.”

    “Hawks,” the teacher’s tone completely shifted to something more serious.

    “Yeah?”

    “When we do this, don’t be rash. I know it’s difficult for you to control your reactions, but I’m going to ask you to try and be passive.”

    Hawks did not like the sound of that.

Chapter Text

    “This is Tsukuyomi’s place?” Hawks got out and brought all of his feathers back onto their place on his wings. He stretched them out and flexed them a few times.

    Aizawa nodded. 

    Hawks looked up at the large house, which had been built using traditional wooden and stone architecture, blended with a sleek western look. It was honestly quite beautiful, outside city limits with a great view of the river below it. An expanse of land had several trees speckled over the lot, and the house itself was massive and intricately designed. Hawks stared at it for a few moments too long. 

    “Jeez, what, do they rob banks for a living?” Hawks murmured sarcastically as he followed the homeroom teacher up a large cobblestone path. 

    Aizawa gave him a side-eyed warning glance. 

    “Right, right, sorry. Keep it to myself,” Hawks made a zipper motion over his mouth. 

    Aizawa straightened his tie- he seemed a little overdressed for this, but Hawks didn’t really mingle with wealthy people, so he wasn’t sure what they expected. Sure, he himself wasn’t tight on cash anymore, but his background left a lot to be desired. Though, when he thought about it, he supposed he had no trouble mingling with at least one wealthy person. The fact that Tokoyami came from money surprised the pro more than he thought it should’ve.

    The teacher didn’t hesitate, knocking in three polite beats on the front door. Hawks felt his nerves peak just a bit. Here he was, dressed like a street rat, about to walk into this mansion that his intern called home without knowing a thing about his parents. 

    The door began to click open, and Hawks nearly bolted, but he took a breath and kept his composure about the whole thing. 

    “Mr. Aizawa,” a polite female voice greeted before the door opened the whole way. 

    Hawks was shocked. 

    On the other side of the door stood two people, and even more than he’d been startled by the huge house, he was startled by those two people. Hawks wasn’t sure what to expect… but he’d thought at least one of them would look like… well, Tokoyami. Instead, two perfectly normal human beings, a man and a woman, stood in the large foyer.

    The man was huge, his size certainly matching this ridiculous house. He had a traditionally masculine, business-y look to him. His dark brown hair was slicked back while sharp green eyes searched the two men in front of him, sizing them up. Though he was a head and a half taller than Hawks, the pro hero didn’t feel small standing in front of him. The man wore a crisp suit and a glimmering golden watch, and a permanent scowl.

    Next to him stood a tall, slender woman with tired red eyes. Her raven hair was sloppily put into a bun, and she wore a simple pink cardigan and some form-fitting blue jeans. Nothing about her stood out much, except for her pointed teeth when she smiled. 

    All four of them stood there in tense silence, each waiting for the next to react. 

    The woman took up the helm. “I see you brought… Hawks,” she turned up her nose as if Aizawa had brought a moldy sandwich to her doorstep. 

    Hawks laughed that cold remark off. “Sure thing, what would you like me to sign for you? Shirt, hat, forehead?” he said with an easy grin, slipping his hands into his pockets. Aizawa looked ready to facepalm. 

    “That won’t be necessary,” the man said, lifting his chin. He was glaring at Hawks as if the pro had murdered his firstborn. If the events of last night had turned out differently, the look might be justified, but all it succeeded in doing right now was making Hawks even more suspicious. Something was clearly wrong here. “Do come in,” this was directed more at Aizawa than at Hawks.

    The pro followed the trio inside anyway, scuffing his boots on the welcome mat before he did so. The inside of the house was just as grandiose and intricate as the outside, if not more so. It was a lot more traditionally Japanese on the interior, but there was still something about the light color scheme that felt modern. 

    The couple led the pros to the sitting room and gently slid the door shut behind them. “We were informed there was an incident involving some villains,” the woman said after ushering the heroes into their chairs. Her eyes showed no genuine worry, just exhaustion. 

    “I do believe introductions are in order first, as Hawks has yet to meet you,” Aizawa’s tone was polite, but his eyes burned with something else.

    “Right, apologies,” she didn’t sound sorry. 

    Hawks had let his attention wander. He was now focused on a pretty collage above the fireplace, framed with what looked like mahogany. In it were wedding photos of the couple as well as several portrait-style pictures of people who Hawks assumed were family members. Not a single one of them was a picture of Tokoyami. 

    “My name is Hanahi Nakajima,” she bowed her head. “I am Fumikage’s mother.”

    Hawks felt this confusion and this feeling that things here were just wrong welling up in his chest. Her last name wasn’t....

    “And I am Kato Nakajima,” the man added. “Your intern’s stepfather.”

    Oh. That explained a lot. Hawks’s smile faltered when he didn’t even refer to Tokoyami by his name. The couple sat so prim and proper and polite. It was easy to see where Tokoyami picked his manners up from… but everything else… Hawks couldn’t piece it all together yet.

    “Fumikage didn’t take your last name?” Hawks blurted before considering if the question was rude or not. He felt Aizawa tense up beside him. 

    Mr. Nakajima rolled his eyes as if that were an idiotic thing to ask. “Of course not. That kid is the physical embodiment of ‘like father, like son.’” 

    “His father… did he have the same quirk as your son?” Hawks leaned forward with interest. This time, Aizawa also raised an eyebrow slightly, curious about an answer to a question he’d never asked. 

    Hawks didn’t miss the fact that both of them grimaced at the mention of their son’s quirk. “No. His quirk was a little more like yours. He… looked like Fumikage. But instead of his quirk being sentient, it was just a shadow he could manipulate to his will. Usually as a pair of wings.”

    “Why did Fumikage’s quirk turn out the way it did then?” Hawks pressed. He had to know more. 

    “Well…” Mrs. Nakajima stared at her lap as if she were talking about something shameful. Something to be humiliated by. Hawks bristled. “The doctors weren’t sure. One theory is that I was supposed to be having twins, until they… combined, so to speak. It’s not exactly a scientifically plausible theory, but it was the most they could offer me when that thing manifested in my son.”

    Hawks looked up sharply, and in turn received a subtle kick under the table from Aizawa, urging him to tread carefully. The wing hero continued without pause. “When Dark Shadow manifested… how old was Tokoyami?”

    “I don’t appreciate this interrogation of my wife,” Mr. Nakajima interrupted. “If you want to know more about the kid, you should ask him yourself. After all, aren’t pro heroes supposed to have good investigative abilities as well?”

    Once again, Hawks brushed off the jab. “Yes, sir. One of the most crucial investigative abilities consists of communication with primary sources, an ability I was just trying to exercise.”

    This time, the passive aggression was enough to make Aizawa literally facepalm. He squeezed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. But Hawks wasn’t done with this conversation yet. 

    “I find your tone condescending,” Mr. Nakajima folded his arms. 

    “Sorry,” Hawks was not, in fact, sorry. “If I may, would you both fill me in a bit on the nature of your relationship with your son?”

    Before the man could blow his top, his wife intervened. “Fumikage keeps to himself, and we let him do just that. After all, we are… wary, considering the dangerous and unpredictable nature of his quirk. He barely has any control over it. I’m shocked that UA was irresponsible enough to accept something like that in the first place.”

    Hawks bristled again and was much closer to snapping. That was an awfully nice way to say they were afraid of their own son. And he barely had control? That was such a load of- “Are you serious-?” he started to get up, but was immediately dragged down by Eraserhead.

    “We are here to discuss the incident last night, not Fumikage’s role at UA,” Aizawa tried to get the conversation back on track. 

    “Clearly he’s being set up by a rude, brazen mentor like this,” Mr. Nakajima turned his head. “Professional heroes, you’re all the same. Making messes for others to clean up, thinking you’re so high and mighty.”

    “Sounds like something I hear in the streets from villains every day,” Hawks’s friendly demeanor had vanished. All that remained was subtle hostility. 

    “That’s enough,” Aizawa said sharply. 

    Hawks was still not finished. “Do you think your son will ever be a hero?”

    “With a quirk like his?” The raven-haired woman looked away. “No. It’s a wild quirk, and it gives him trouble in his day to day life. If he were to try and save people with it… it just can’t be trusted. And so… neither can he. Not to be a hero.”

    “I feared he was going down a much darker path… his father was certainly no prime role model,” Mr. Nakajima added unhelpfully. 

    Hawks felt like his head was going to burst. All from the excess of information, the questions he still had, and anger. So, so much anger. 

    “It was only natural to protect ourselves. After I married Kato, we agreed, as a family, that Fumikage would be better off if he kept his distance. We didn’t want to trigger any sort of attack from that quirk of his.”

    Hawks stood up so sharply that the chair behind him toppled to the ground. “All due respect-” which was none, not anymore. “That sounds like a mild way to tell me you’ve neglected your son his entire life,” before they could speak in their defense, Hawks continued. His wings were flared up behind him, making him look much bigger than he really was. Aizawa kept his head in his hand, but it was too late to try and stop the pro. “Tokoyami is…. He’s amazing. He has so much potential and control over his quirk. So much more than you give him credit for. His sense of honor and justice is unparalleled, and now I’m wondering where he developed such a strong moral code.”

    The woman rose to her feet, and her husband swiftly followed her. Hawks couldn’t think of her as Tokoyami’s mother. Not even for a moment. 

    “Say what you will about us. But he is still our son, and we have every right to retract our permission for his internship with you.”

    Hawks’s heart dropped in his chest like a rock falling into his stomach. His wings fell just a bit. “You can’t do that.”

    “We absolutely can,” the man intervened with a mean look in his eyes, grinning at Hawks like he’d found some leverage.

    Now Aizawa stepped up. “Because he is sixteen, the age required to exercise his provisional license, he technically only needs permission from one guardian figure. While he resides in the dorms at UA, that responsibility falls to me. So I hold final authority on the matter of his internship permission.”

    “And you approve of his working with… with…” she trailed off, but she didn’t need to say anything when she gestured angrily at a seething Hawks.

    “I do,” Aizawa remained calm and polite. “Hawks has taught Fumikage so many things about being a hero. The boy idolizes him, really. If you won’t support your son in his journey to become a professional hero, I fully place my trust in Hawks to do so.”

    Hawks gave them a smug smirk, but it faded into surprise when Aizawa grabbed his arm and dragged him out the door. Huh. They hadn’t even gotten a chance to discuss the night before. And Hawks was having such a great time meeting them. 

    Aizawa stopped when they were back at the car. 

    Hawks forced down his rage, saving his rant for the way back to the school. “So… did that go as you thought it would?”

    Aizawa almost smiled, but it flickered into more exhaustion. “Every word of it.”

Chapter Text

    Hawks had elected to fly back to UA, deeming himself too irritated to have to ride in a car again, leaving him waiting on the steps for the erasure hero to arrive. Aizawa had only gotten halfway down the sidewalk before Hawks met him there and immediately started going off about what Tokoyami’s family had said about him. He glared and gestured furiously with his hands as he spoke, trying to convey exactly what he was thinking, but it all came across as a jumbled mess. Aizawa remained quiet, letting him speak.

    “That was…” Hawks’s wings literally ruffled to show his agitation. “There’s not even a word for what that was! How could they say those things about him? It’s like they’re terrified of him, or they think he’s gonna be a villain or something. Why can’t they see how good of a kid he is! I- I don’t understand! How could they say he can’t be a hero when they never even bothered to get to know him or Dark Shadow?

    “He’s got more of a hero’s heart than I ever did when I was young. And they have the nerve to say he’s unpredictable as a hero and can’t be trusted just because his quirk doesn’t make sense to them? And calling it keeping to himself- as if he had a choice? When they pushed him away and just decided it would be better for him to be shut off than working with him and trying to help him?

    “And they think he doesn’t have control? Have they even seen him fight? He only starts to lose control when Dark Shadow starts to sense his negative emotions, and besides, that’s only in the dark that he needs to really worry about it. What are their quirks anyway, that they have such great control over them?” 

    His anger was beginning to fade for something else. Mostly sympathy for Tokoyami. Hawks’s parents had been abusive and negligent too. He knew how that sort of thing could mess with a kid. How had Tokoyami become so loyal and courageous with people like that raising him? It had left a young Hawks bitter and eager to get away, so ready to be snatched up and twisted to the will of the HPSC. Maybe he was a little envious that he hadn’t been so strong. 

    “Mr. Nakajima is quirkless, actually,” Aizawa supplied in a typical deadpan tone. 

    Hawks’s brain somersaulted as the pros began the trek back to the infirmary. That fact might explain why the man was so resentful towards pro heroes. Maybe the reason also had something to do with Fumikage’s father, who apparently- according to Mr. Nakajima- wasn’t a good role model? His head hurt the more he thought about it. “And his… mother?”

    “Zero-In. It’s a simple quirk that lets her zoom the focus of her eyes with perfect clarity to hundreds of yards away. Useful in many fields of work.”

    Hawks scoffed and rolled his eyes. His vision was keen enough that he could do that anyway. “And Tsukoyomi didn’t receive that part of the quirk?” -which was a little odd, since he had his mother’s red eyes. 

    “No. It may have been the power the other twin would’ve inherited, if that theory holds any weight,” the teacher answered. 

    They came to the infirmary door and paused outside of it to address one another.  

    “Are you finished?” Aizawa said softly, regarding the tirade Hawks had just gone on.

    A pause. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good,” Hawks’s tense shoulders fell a bit.

    “And you’re planning to talk to him about all this?” Aizawa asked Hawks. It was a genuine question, indicating that the teacher was leaving the decision entirely to him. The wing hero considered his answer for a long moment before he sighed.

    “I don’t think I have a choice… I have to know more,” Hawks looked at the door. He wanted to get back to the agency and check on some things, but they could wait. His sidekicks had already been blowing up his phone asking where he was. He’d answered most of them that he was taking care of something, and with a person like Hawks, that was excuse enough. The sidekicks could handle it without him for a few hours.

    A nod before the man started down the hall. He loosened and removed his tie as he went, slipping his hair out of the knot it’d been tied into. “I’m going to the dorms to check on the brats. If you need anything, you have my contact.”

    “Alright, catch you around, Eraser,” the wing hero looked after Aizawa for a moment before he entered the infirmary. 

    Tokoyami was on his back with a black notebook in hand, pencil scratching along the paper in wide strokes, like he was drawing. He glanced up to see Hawks and slammed the book closed before sliding it under his pillow. 

    “Whatcha working on?” Hawks asked nosily. 

    Tokoyami lifted his shoulders slightly, as if he were about to shrug, but he grimaced in pain instead. Hawks quickly braced a hand against his inter's arm and eased him backwards. Tokoyami settled against the large pillow again with a relieved breath. He looked much better than he had when Hawks left, which meant Recovery Girl’s treatment was still working on him.

    “Hey, you need at least one more night in here before you try taking off,” the wing hero scolded, gentle.

    Tokoyami searched Hawks’s face. “My mother texted me,” he looked down at his phone as if it’d betrayed him. “I thought that was out of the ordinary, so I read it immediately. Did you meet with my family? Apparently Kato thinks you’re…” Tokoyami squinted at the screen. “I’m not entirely sure what this word means.”

    Hawks took the screen and looked through the wall of text Tokoyami’s mother had sent him, most of it talking about how disgraced she'd felt and how rude Hawks had been and how Tokoyami should really reconsider his work study. It was all bullshit. When he got to the word his student was referring to, he cringed. “That’s a lovely word that has a very specific English meaning. We do not need to discuss it further.”

    Tokoyami tilted his head as if he wanted to ask a question, but then his eyes trailed down. “So you met them, then.”

    Hawks’s nod was solemn. 

    “What sort of things did you discuss?” the student began to fidget with his own hands, the background silence in the room suddenly a lot louder than before. 

    Hawks watched him for a moment. He wasn’t sure what he should say. Hey Tokoyami, I know how they treat you and I was this close to throttling both of them. In fact, I probably would have if Eraserhead wasn’t there. Anyway aren’t you glad you’re training to be a hero with me?   “The incident last night,” Hawks lied.

    “What did they say about it?”

    “They hope you’re recovering well,” another lie.

    Tokoyami obviously knew that wasn’t true, because he scoffed and looked down again. “Are you ever going to tell me what you really talked about?”

    Hawks smirked, but it wasn’t genuine. “Jeez, kid, you’re getting to know me too well,” it shocked him. He’d been able to lie to the League of Villains, other heroes, even a few people in the commission, and no one really suspected him, not that he knew of. Well, that wasn’t true with the League after last night. “We kind of got stuck on introductions. Can you imagine, them not wanting an autograph from the number two hero? Like they could have at least took it and sold it, not that they need the money, judging from that house.”

    Tokoyami snorted.

    Hawks let himself grin at that. It was the closest thing to a laugh he could get from Tokoyami, so he would happily take it. His expression fell serious again. “We… talked about you, mostly. How they felt about you being a pro hero, your quirk, everything like that.”

    Dark Shadow had emerged from over Tokoyami’s shoulder, and he cowered at the news, as if he knew exactly where this was going. The student was stone-faced, but the corner of his mouth, the bottom of his beak, was trembling ever so slightly. He reached up to pat Dark Shadow a few times to try and comfort him.

    “And listen, Fumikage-”

    Tokoyami’s head snapped up. That was the first time Hawks had ever directly addressed him by his first name. His shock was visible, but Hawks continued. 

    “I want you to know they’re wrong. You’re going to be a hell of a hero, and I trust you and Dark Shadow wholeheartedly. It’s cruel that they shut you out. You’re an amazing kid, and I don’t want you to let them make you think otherwise, not even for a minute. Got it?”

    Tokoyami was trembling even more now, and his eyes glistened. When he spoke, his voice cracked. It’d dropped that deep, serious tone he always took on, replaced by something shaky and uncertain and much more like someone his age. “Thank you.”

    Hawks smiled again, and put his fist out. Very gently, Tokoyami bumped it with his own. 

    “Anyway, enough of that gushy crap,” Hawks straightened up. “What’s going on, did they feed you yet?” He had so many questions, but they could wait until Tokoyami had a chance to eat, if he hadn’t already. 

    “Not yet. I had skipped breakfast because I wasn't feeling well, and lunch doesn't take place for a few hours.”

   “Nice, how about I whip something up myself?”

    An incredulous look. 

    “Kidding. I was just gonna order takeout and tell you that I made it.”

    Tokoyami snorted again, and Hawks found himself wishing that, just once, he could see Fumikage Tokoyami with a genuine smile on his face.

Chapter Text

    When the pro hero returned with the promised takeout consisting primarily of noodles and chicken, Tokoyami thanked him and wasted no time digging in. Neither of them had eaten since dinner the day before, and both were starving.

    Hawks spent most of the meal texting the others at the agency and giving them his instructions. It was a lot harder to manage things from the infirmary of a high school, but he trusted his sidekicks to get things done right. That’s why he’d chosen them after all. And typically, they worked clean-up because Hawks moved so quickly from one job to the next. So they were probably grateful for the chance to work a few cases.

    “Alright, kid,” Hawks finished his food before Tokoyami had even reached the halfway mark. “Now that we’ve had enough carbs for a while, I was hoping I could talk to you…” he tried to keep his voice soft, cautious. “... About your family?”

    Tokoyami flinched as he kept eating. “What would you like to know?”

    “How old were you when Dark Shadow manifested?”

    “Around three.”

    “Can you tell me about it?” Hawks shrugged his jacket off with a bit of a struggle before he flung it over the back of his chair. He sat forward with interest. 

    Tokoyami dabbed at the corner of his beak with a napkin before he offered Dark Shadow a few bites of his food, which the entity happily accepted. “That story is one of the most abysmal nights I can recall about my childhood, if I’m to be honest.”

    “All the more reason to tell your big bird bro about it,” Hawks urged with an easy laugh. He wouldn’t force the kid to tell him this stuff, but he could still encourage it. “After all, my ageless wisdom can only serve to help you at this point, don’t you think?”

    Tokoyami took another bite and chewed thoughtfully before he answered. “I remember the day it happened more vividly than any other day of my life. I always guessed I’d receive my father’s quirk, but I was very eager no matter what it was going to be. Even as a child, I loved the thought of becoming a hero and hoped endlessly for a quirk that could help me do that."

    "But?" Hawks pressed gently.

   “Dark Shadow appeared, to my shock. My mother and stepfather were instantly put off by it, but I thought it was fairly interesting that my quirk was sentient, so I tried to see what he could do. But at first, Dark Shadow and I... didn't get along. When it got dark for the first time after Dark Shadow manifested, that night was the most miserable I'd ever suffered," Tokoyami was looking down at his food as he and Dark Shadow finished it off.

    The wing hero kept his solemn gaze locked on his student. 

    “Dark Shadow went out of control due to our bickering, and my family rushed in upon hearing him. They saw, and they were scared. Their presence made everything worse when Dark Shadow got angrier,” the shadow hung his head with guilt as Tokoyami described their past. “He attacked them, and they barely managed to get away. Then they locked the door and left me alone in the darkness. It felt like a demon had possessed my body, and no matter how much I struggled, Dark Shadow was stronger than me. But as the sun rose, everything was normal again, and the following day, I spent time with Dark Shadow, trying to understand him so we could find common ground. But my family never treated me quite the same after that.”

    Hawks shook his head in disgust, but he was also shocked that Tokoyami had told him so much all at once. Honestly he felt more sick than anything else. They hadn’t even stayed with him that night to try and help him. The pro hero very gently reached out to pet Dark Shadow on the head. “Ah, kid, I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me anything else if you don’t wanna.”

    “What else would you like to know?”

    “Will you tell me about your father?”

    Tokoyami went tense. “I don’t know much about him,” while that statement felt true, there was more to it that Hawks was certain he wasn’t being told. Nonetheless, this was something he couldn’t press for. He filed it away in the back of his mind for future reference.

    “Right,” Hawks nodded. “Okay, well, I won’t bombard you with questions, but I am wondering about two things. After you got your quirk, what made you decide to become a hero? And why do you like the whole dark thing if it’s more dangerous for you?”

    The jet black hero’s eyes searched his own hands before he answered. “I’ve been told countless times that my quirk has villainous potential. I  have villainous potential. Everyone expected me to be a bad person. I suppose I chose this path in part to prove them wrong, but more than anything, I just want to help those who can’t protect themselves. I’ve never wanted to shine bright among heroes- not like you have… but I want to save as many as I can.

    “And the dark… After I had time to bond with Dark Shadow and accept him as a partner… and a friend, I started to appreciate it further because it made the two of us stronger as a pair. As long as there was just one ray of light, I knew the darkness was a place that we could thrive being partners when I became strong enough to control Dark Shadow’s power.”

    This had been the most Tokoyami had ever said aloud at one time. He was a person of very few words, in stark contrast to Hawks, but here he was. Willing to open the book of his past and read it aloud for Hawks to hear. The wing hero was shocked, but pleased. 

    He nodded. “Right. Thanks for telling me all this, by the way. I know you don’t really like to talk about this stuff.”

    “You’ve told me about your past. I’m only repaying a debt by doing the same.”

    Hawks paused. Probably enough to make the silence awkward. But he was in thought. If Tokoyami’s family were afraid of him, if he never got the nurturing and embracing he needed from them, Hawks couldn’t expect him to keep living like that. It sounded lonely, even more lonely than playing two sides of society and ending up estranged from both. The number two hero considered his next words. 

    “You shouldn’t have to go back there. Not when they treat you like some kind of outlaw,” Hawks said with a solemn tone. 

    “I’m afraid I don’t have a choice, sir. During breaks, summer, and even some weekends, I can’t stay at the school,” Tokoyami settled back against the pillow and sighed deeply. Though what they’d talked about had clearly troubled him, the boy remained stoic. 

    “Well, I’ve been thinking about that,” Hawks continued. “I thought about it on my way back here from the Nakajimas’ place, on my way to get food, and on my way back again. While I was flying, I had a thought. Now that you’re completing a work study with me, and you have your provisional hero license, I’d like to offer you a permanent spot at this agency, at least until you graduate to establish your own.”

    Tokoyami’s eyes widened in shock. 

    “What that would mean for you,” the wing hero’s face was difficult to read, but his wings twitched anxiously. “Is that during holiday breaks, including summer and weekends, you will have your quarters here. You would gain full access to all facilities and become a part time sidekick. It’s an internship, more or less, just with a fancy title and more time at the agency. Would you be interested in that?”

    Tokoyami seemed flustered. “I-I would be honored, sir.”

    “Don’t ‘sir’ me, kid. I think we’re past that,” Hawks chided lightly.

    Tokoyami nodded quickly. “Sorry, si- Hawks. I respectfully accept this offer of yours.”

    Hawks’s heart jumped in his chest. Though he was a bit surprised that Tokoyami had been so quick to leap on the recently created- very recently- part time sidekick position, he was also thrilled. Not only would he and Tokoyami have more training opportunities and time to just hang out… mostly training opportunities, of course, but the kid was also getting far, far away from a family that- frankly- didn’t deserve him. Win-win.

    “Great,” Hawks smiled. “I’ll take care of the details, you focus on not dying in here.” He knew his promise came with talking to Tokoyami’s parents again… which… yikes. “If you want, I can grab some of your stuff from your house for you, or you can come do it once Recovery Girl lets you go… but it's your choice.”

    Tokoyami grimaced as he realized what that meant. He looked up at Hawks slowly. “So are you going back there today?”

    “Tomorrow, probably,” Hawks looked toward the window. “I have some work to do at the agency, but I’ll come back tonight to make sure you’re still alive.”

    A nod answered him. Hawks grinned and gave a small farewell salute before he dipped out of the room. 

    “Later, Tokoyami,” he said over his shoulder, still smiling.

    “Goodbye, Hawks,” Tokoyami produced the notebook from under the pillow and kept working. 

    Hawks walked out into the hallway, where he wasn’t fully surprised to see Aizawa waiting for him. The teacher looked startled however. “The number two hero taking on a permanent internship? Are you sure you’ll have time for it?”

    “I’ll make time,” Hawks told him with finality. “There’s no way he should be staying at his house with the way they treat him.”

    Aizawa shrugged slightly. “That’s your call. But if you do this, make sure you don’t let him down. I really would prefer not to burn a bridge with the number two hero.”

    Hawks laughed. “Aw, you do care.”

Chapter Text

    Hawks went back to the agency and was immediately hounded for where he’d been. He dismissed most of the questions, but the sidekicks didn’t seem surprised by that. Hawks was always that way. 

    It felt strange, being back in a bustling agency with all of the sidekicks going about their daily work. Hawks had gotten so used to the easy quiet of having Tokoyami around. His wings twitched a bit in discomfort as he drifted from sidekick to sidekick, seeing what each was working on. 

    Some were looking for cases, some were heading out for their patrols, and some were crumbling up pieces of paper and making shots at the various trash cans around the office spaces. Hawks encouraged that sort of thing, surprisingly enough. He liked to jump from case to case as fast as possible, letting the sidekicks get the easier task of cleaning up. As a result of his speed, they could afford to take breaks and relax. It was a small step in the journey to that world of heroes with free time. 

    “Hawks!” a familiar voice called out to him. 

    The hero turned his eyes up to the second floor, where at the top of a staircase- one Hawks was fairly sure he’d never used since it’d been built- his second in command stood with a laptop tucked securely under his arm. He was already darting down the stairs in full costume, always rarin’ to go. Hawks had chosen him for that energy. While the number two hero didn’t exactly have a right hand man due to the nature of his hero work, he definitely appreciated sidekicks who at least tried to keep up.

    “Hiya, Ishida,” Hawks gave a small wave. Most heroes would ask their sidekicks about the small winter break and how it’d gone. How the man’s kids had enjoyed their gifts. How excited his wife was about the extra time. But Hawks had never been one for small talk. “What’s up?”

    “How was your holiday?” the man asked brightly, not bothering with the sir thing. He wore a black and white suit that completely concealed his body. Though Hawks knew what lay beneath, Hiroto Ishida liked to obscure his features regardless. 

    So much for no small talk. 

    “It was…” Hawks thought of all that had gone down. The few days before everything hit the fan. “It was nice, if not a lil bumpy towards the end… how was yours?”

    Ishida’s head tilted as if he was shocked. Because he kept his face hidden, he communicated mostly through body language, something that was easy for Hawks to pick up on. He shared that much in common with his sidekick.

    “Oh, it was great. My sons were thrilled with the new puppy,” the pro could tell Ishida was grinning.Or… he would be. 

    Hawks grinned and leaned back a bit, tucking his hands in his pockets. “I’ll bet. So do I have anything on that schedule of yours in the next few days?”

    “Oh, right! Yes. You have two public appearances tomorrow morning, and a commission meeting on Thursday. You also have... let's see... a morning patrol on Friday with Endeavor, as requested by the number one hero. He said something about needing to talk to you,” he pulled open the laptop and started scrolling through his spreadsheet schedule of Hawks’s life. Hawks hated that it was mapped to the hour, but with as many things as he had to keep track of, the sidekicks certainly couldn’t keep up otherwise.

    “Can you make sure my afternoon tomorrow is free?”

    Ishida- also known in the hero world as Polychrome (which was an ironic decision given the pure black and white color scheme)- paused. He cocked his head and worked at the keyboard for a second. Hawks could guess his expression was puzzled. “The whole afternoon?”

    Hawks nodded. “If it’s possible.”

    “I hope I’m not prying, but why?” Polychrome stepped a bit closer to the number two hero as if he was about to receive classified information. 

    But Hawks saw no reason to lie. “I have to clear some things up for Tokoyami.”

    “And you’re taking the whole afternoon off for it?” Ishida’s words and voice clearly intoned his meaning. It wasn’t like Hawks to forego work for anything, let alone some intern he had no real obligation to. 

    Keigo Takami smirked a little. He’d been hearing that a lot lately. 

    “Other than evening patrol,” Hawks pressed with that signature smile of his. It was a look that put others at ease, even if Hawks was sick of forcing it. “Do I have any commitments that prevent it?”

    Ishida scanned the schedule before he shook his head. “The commission would like you to report to them.”

    “Yeah, let’s postpone that.”

    “But-”

    “I’ll give them a call myself,” Hawks amended. He knew his sidekicks were somewhat familiar with how the commission had been treating him. Even though he tried to hide it, his expressive eyes and trembling feathers gave him away every time they called him. If the commission could scare even Hawks, the sidekicks were always wary to talk to them. Fair enough.

    “Are you sure?” Ishida confirmed what the number two had guessed. “Sorry if I’m overstepping, but you’re never quite… yourself, after you talk with them.”

    Hawks gave an easy laugh and brushed the concern away. “Oh, don’t worry so much. You’ve got patrol in an hour, don’t you?”

    A nod. 

    “Well, then, go get ready for that. Text me a copy of that schedule, will you?” Hawks was already walking away. 

    “Where are you going?” Ishida called after him. 

    “To research something,” Hawks’s voice carried even though he barely raised his volume.

    “Research what? A case?”

    “More or less.”

    Hawks could feel his sidekick staring at his back as he retreated to his room. With the sidekicks around, it was really the only private area in the agency. He appreciated their hard work, but having people worry after him was not ideal. 

    The number two shook his head to clear it when he entered the quiet room. Honestly, he could use a breather. He retrieved his own laptop, stretching his wings and popping his joints before he sprawled across his bed on his stomach with his laptop in front of him. Hawks opened it, and he quickly accessed the database holding information on every census taken in the past twenty years. In the search bar, he typed one name.

    Dark Shadow had elected to stare over Tokoyami’s shoulder whenever the boy took out his sketchbook- which he was typically accustomed to- but eventually Fumikage grew annoyed and gave up on his current drawing, returning it to its spot under the pillow. Instead, he pulled out his phone. The glass hadn’t completely shattered, but there was a large spider web crack in the center with a few mangled shards sticking out. 

    Right, he had to get a new phone. 

    “Tokoyami?” a familiar voice greeted him. 

    Tokoyami’s head darted up to his visitor. Or, visitors. Midoriya, Todoroki, and Tsu stood cautiously in the doorway. Recovery girl was tapping her foot in irritation, but she allowed them to come in. 

    “How’re you feeling?” Midoriya asked brightly. 

    “Much better than I was,” Tokoyami’s hand drifted to his back. It was still tender, and the burns in his chest were sore, but he really was doing much better. “Though lying in this room is no doubt the most abhorrent trial I’ve ever endured.”

    “Does that mean you’re bored?” Midoriya’s smile faltered as he tried to figure out what his friend was saying. 

    A nod.

    “That’s why we’re here,” Tsuyu smiled a bit, but there was something in her expression that made Tokoyami think it wasn’t genuine. “Midoriya and I especially wanted to talk to you.”

    “About what?”

    “How sorry we are,” Midoriya interrupted. “That we didn’t come and help out.”

    “To be purely honest,” Tokoyami was shocked, but he shook his head. “Mr. Aizawa did most of the helping out even with the others there.”

    Todoroki nodded and took a subtle step close to Tsu and Midoriya. “It’s true. I didn’t do much of anything myself. Nor did Shinsou or Shoji. Mr. Aizawa had most of it handled before we could. It’s like I’ve told you. You have nothing to regret.”

    Though they weren't convinced, they seemed to let it go for now.

    Tokoyami sighed and leaned back. “Does this mean that Class 1-A has returned to the dorms?”

    “Yep!” Midoriya gave him a thumbs up. “Most of them have been bugging Shoji, Shinsou, and Todoroki to find out what happened.”

    “Have they told them anything?”

    “Not much,” Todoroki answered. “Just that you, Hawks, and my father got into a fight with some high-class villains and you got injured.”

    Tokoyami considered that. For some reason the mention of Hawks made him turn his eyes up to the sky as if he might catch a glimpse of the wing hero up there soaring by. It was odd, after going four days with Hawks chattering in his ear to being completely separate from him. Tokoyami wasn’t sure he’d ever readjust to the quiet. Well, if Hawks got this permanent internship thing to work out, maybe he wouldn’t have to. “Thank you.”

    Midoriya offered Tokoyami a handheld gaming console and took a seat on the edge of the bed while Tsu and Todoroki took up the seats next to it, scrolling through their phones. Tokoyami took the racing game and took turns rotating them around so each of the small group had the chance to play against one another. Even though he wouldn’t say it, Fumikage was grateful for the company.

Chapter Text

    Hawks was frustrated, on his fifth cup of coffee and third hour of fruitless searching for various spellings of the surname Tokoyami. Ishida had come knocking six times to try and figure out what was going on, but was turned away by Hawks’s excuse of researching a case. That was partially true. None of his searches came up with much of anything. Dead bloodlines that had no relation to Fumikage, and one line that might have something to do with the kid. Even then, it was practically encrypted. 

    “I’m not supposed to do this,” he murmured to no one but himself as he brought up the HPSC criminal database. The commission used the confidential system for names they wanted to disappear from the census. Among them were the identities of people like Shigaraki and Dabi, names so protected that not even Hawks could access them. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t break into the simpler areas.

    A few lines of code and passwords he shouldn’t be privy to later, and Hawks broke into the system without raising any red flags. In the pale gray search bar flashing a stick thin cursor, he typed Tokoyami’s surname. 

    The result was instantaneous. Only one Tokoyami was registered in the HPSC criminal records. Akushedo Tokoyami. Hawks clicked on the name and kicked off his boots. He’d long ago shedded his visor, headphones, and jacket, and now sat up on the edge of his bed with the computer in his lap, wearing nothing but his t-shirt and loose aviator pants. 

    As he started to scroll, he ran a hand through his hair. For some reason, he was afraid of what he’d find. More than anything, he felt guilty. Like he was betraying Tokoyami’s trust by doing this. But Hawks was nothing if not an investigator. He had to know the truth.

    In bold letters across the top, the profile declared Akushedo the villain mercenary, “Nightshade.”

    Hawks couldn’t help but snort and roll his eyes at the name. Too on the nose. Or… on the beak, perhaps. Underneath the title was a photo, and Hawks knew instantly he’d found what he was looking for. 

    It was a spitting image of Tokoyami. A man with a bird head. The feathers and hair cresting his head were taller and more rounded than his son’s, and his orange and black beak was far more dangerously curved. Instead of the jet black of Tokoyami’s plumage, it was a dark smoky gray. His eyes were bright gold and nearly perfectly matched the color of Hawks’s own. 

    Hawks swallowed nervously. The photo was a mugshot. Akushedo Tokoyami glared at the camera with such ferocity that the number two hero was almost afraid he’d leap out of the picture frame to strangle Hawks. 

    Okay, focus, Hawks.

    He scrolled and read, mouthing the words as he went. 

    Akushedo’s quirk: Shadows. He can manipulate his shadow into a tangible object of his choice. This quirk relies on some form of light to create the shadow he uses.

     Arresting Officer’s Brief: Akushedo Tokoyami was caught in possession of illegal quirk enhancing drugs, pedaling them to villain agencies at an inflated price. He would then assist these villains in various anti-hero attacks for payment. He was arrested on December 17 and placed under a twenty-year sentence at Ashihari Prison. 

    Beyond that were statistics about how much he’d been in possession of and what exactly he’d sold. It was an intimidating list, but Hawks already understood. So Tokoyami’s father had been a criminal. A villain, even. The pro wondered if the kid knew that. Had Tokoyami ever even seen the man?

    Hawks closed his laptop and left his room. Ishida was almost instantly on his tail. “Excellent, have you finished your research?”

    “Nope,” Hawks didn’t make eye contact as he surged down the hall. He wasn’t going to talk to Tokoyami about this just yet. But he knew where Ashihari Prison was. “Are you comfortable taking care of things until I get back? I’ll need you to trust me on this, Polychrome, it’s a sensitive case.” He felt sort of bad lying, but he had to do what he had to do. 

    He could almost hear his sidekick frown. “I- yes, I can do that.”

    “Great. Thank you,” Hawks was already nearing the front doors. His wings snapped open, eager for the long flight. Before his sidekick could protest, he shot into the air at full speed and disappeared in seconds.

    Tokoyami’s friends left as it started to grow darker outside. They wished him well and hoped they’d see him in class the next day. But after their goodbyes, Tokoyami was left alone. It wasn’t time to sleep yet, but he was preparing for a night in an infirmary alone. He felt sort of foolish thinking Hawks could abandon work just to make sure Tokoyami fell asleep okay. The boy would survive. 

    And Hawks… He wasn’t the type to leave his hero duties behind for people. The public was always his priority. 

    Even with this new internship, Tokoyami knew his mentor would be busy throughout most of it and have less time to really hang out with him. He’d be selfish to think that Hawks would drop everything for him. Tokoyami certainly couldn’t ask that much of the pro hero even if he were willing to do it.

    Tokoyami opened his phone. The message from his mother burned in his mind, and he finally worked up the nerve to reply to it. 

    Despite your differences, I would like to continue working under him. Hawks has been more of a father figure to me than Kato ever tried to be. 

    An outraged text answered him less than ten minutes later. 

    He’s nothing but a child! And so disrespectful. He’s no better than your own father! If you continue on this utterly reckless path of yours, I fear you’ll turn out just like that monster. 

    Tokoyami’s breath hitched, but he forced it down. 

    Thank you for your concern. I will take your advice into consideration. 

    Think carefully about this, Fumikage. The public already fears children with villainous quirks like yours. With a wildcard like Hawks backing my first son- the son of a man like your father, this family’s reputation will fall. And I simply can’t allow that with another child on the way. 

    Tokoyami winced. Of course it was about the new kid. Of course it was. He repeated himself, trying not to get angry. 

    I will take your advice into consideration. 

    He turned his damaged phone off and debated flinging it against the wall just to have an excuse not to answer any more texts. He hated it, but his eyes stung. So this new baby of theirs would come along, it would inherit his mother’s quirk, and it would be normal. And they’d be so damn proud of it. 

    Tokoyami drew his knees up to his chest, though his wounds protested. There, in the dark of the infirmary room, with Dark Shadow curled up like a blanket around him, Tokoyami couldn’t stop the silent sobs and the tears on his cheeks. He didn’t bother clawing them away, and he was grateful that Dark Shadow kept quiet.

Chapter Text

    Hawks had seen so many prisons in his lifetime that they all blended into one big concrete building with tinted windows. The insides were reminiscent of worn bunkers with cell blocks divided by cement bricks. But something about Ashihari Prison sent chills up his spine and to the ends of his sensitive feathers. As he landed in front of the main gate and buzzed himself in with the pass allowing all licensed heroes access to facilities like this one, Hawks looked up at the massive prison. 

    He walked down the narrow walkway and into the lobby, where a tired young woman with blue hair and an excessive amount of piercings sat at the front desk. She barely looked up as she slid a visitors’ form his way. 

    “Hiya,” he greeted smoothly. 

    At his voice, her bored demeanor shifted. Her eyes widened in shock as her jaw nearly hit the ground. “H-Hawks…” she said softly. “I- I’m so sorry, what can I do for you?”

    The giddy voice coming from her black lips was so contradictory to a harsh appearance that Hawks could barely contain a laugh. “Sorry to startle you. Here on official hero business. I was just wondering if you were still containing a certain inmate.”

    “Sure,” she was already reaching into a drawer to produce the cell charts. She seemed rather flustered, and Hawks found it a bit endearing. He’d been through this exact same scenario so many times with so many fans who tried to remain professional. “What’s the name?”

    Hawks leaned forward on the counter, appearing friendly but subtly trying to get a glimpse of the chart. “Akushedo Tokoyami,” he kept his voice low. 

    She leafed through her papers, mumbling to herself as her eyes scanned the page. Her ice-colored eyes seemed puzzled. The woman took up a sticky note and a black pen with a fluffy pink feather ball at the end of it, scrawling out a few numbers. “Yes… this is his cell block. Oh right- I need to check your license. Sorry, it’s just protocol.”

    Hawks reached into his back pocket and produced a small brown wallet, flipping it open to display his hero license. The woman took it from him and placed it under a scanner. As she did, she started talking again.

    “Akushedo Tokoyami was a mercenary and a dealer of illegal quirk-enhancing drugs. But I’m sure you already know that. He’s been here for nearly sixteen years- I was honestly thinking everyone had forgotten about him,” she was obviously pressing for more information. Normally, Hawks would happily give her some, but this was about Fumikage, so he wouldn’t risk it. 

    Instead of answering her, Hawks shrugged easily. “You’d think so, but here I am.”

    She handed his license back to him, and her expression had changed. “I’m just surprised to see you… you're pretty far outside of your usual sector, aren’t you?”

    Hawks’s feathers twitched. He wasn’t sure if it was conditioned paranoia or if she was genuinely acting suspicious, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. He made a point not to give her anything else that she might use against him… just in case. He kept that bright smile as he took the sticky note and memorized the number. 

    “Yeah… it’s a pretty widespread case. I’m always around the world and back for my job,” Hawks answered. 

    The woman was watching him, and there was something confusing in her expression. Hawks was always great at reading people, and this was no different. If it made sense, he’d call her eyes something in between pitying and guilty. The wing hero gave her a casual wave as he started down the first hall of cells. His mind was racing, and he was desperately trying to think of something that would explain her dramatic shift in behavior. 

    Akushedo’s cell was on the second floor, though each door had a depressing sameness to it that made Hawks wince. It was so monotone and gray. He’d go crazy in a place like this. His wings were already feeling the urge to snap open and take off. The narrowing hallway only got narrower with each step. He was followed by outraged shouts and cursing from the criminals who were furious to see a pro hero- much less the number two hero- strolling down their halls.

    To be honest, Hawks was used to being shouted at. After all, his fans did it all the time. But in a small hallway like this with no windows for escape, the vibrations started to get to him. He kept his wings tucked close against his back until he came to the cell at the very end of the hallway. The inmate behind him- a crazy-looking man with what appeared to be a hyena quirk, reinforced by his incessant laughing- was reaching out to try and touch Hawks’s wings. 

    There were cameras everywhere, and a guard posted in each hallway. Hawks would have to keep his voice low. But he brought his wings even closer to him. 

    “Well, well,” a very deep, gravelly voice addressed from the back of the cell. Out of the shadows emerged the man from the photo, a smoky gray raptor’s head on his shoulders. He didn’t cast a shadow, but he wore a bright orange suit. “Hawks, right? To what could I possibly owe the pleasure?”

    “Akushedo Tokoyami. The villain Nightshade. Do I have that correct?” Hawks stood as tall as he could, but the mercenary still stood almost a foot above him. That was surprising. Tokoyami was barely 5’3”. Hawks found himself secretly hoping the kid didn’t hit some kind of growth spurt anytime soon. 

    “You’re perceptive. So. How’s my son doing?”

    Hawks jumped a bit at the question. “How do you know about that?”

    “Oh please. The internship was public knowledge. There are televisions in the cafeteria. What kind of ‘villain’ wouldn’t keep up with hero news? I personally think they let us watch just to taunt us. You’d think some kind of cheer went up that night with Kamino, but no. It was dead silent in this place, for the first time since I got here.”

    “Fumikage is doing fine,” Hawks decided to be honest. “The last time you saw him though… wouldn’t he have been…?”

    “Barely two months old. It was funny… I found out he was coming along and I tried to back out of the game. Just goes to show you not to trust those circles. Villains will turn on their own in an instant. Anyways. What do you want from me, number two?”

    Hawks was silent, reflecting on what he'd been told. Frankly, he wasn’t entirely positive he knew the answer to that. For some reason, he’d just wanted to meet the guy. Just to try and understand. As soon as he entered this place, he knew it was probably a mistake, but the curiosity would kill him otherwise. He looked at the golden-eyed mercenary for a moment. 

    “Tokoyami has told me almost everything. About his quirk… do you know what it is?”

    “I saw the sports festival, though that was something the guards wanted to watch rather than us. I gotta say, the little chick has really filled out. And that quirk? It’s pretty remarkable, wouldn’t you agree?”

    “Yes.”

    “So tell me, wing hero. Why did you choose Fumikage as your intern?”

    Hawks’s gaze wandered down. “He’s very powerful. I wanted to help him reach his full potential. Kid like that shouldn’t go to waste.”

    “I can agree with you there. Well, I’ve seen you fight. When I first heard you took him in, I was skeptical. You’re… not known for your leadership abilities. But then I saw the thing with that mutant and Endeavor- real piece of work, that guy- and I knew the chick could learn a lot,” his voice sounded genuine, but there was so much spite hidden underneath. 

    “I-” 

    “Hawks!” a sharp voice addressed the wing hero.

    Hawks and Akushedo darted their heads up in a very raptor-like fashion. Just down the hall was a woman in a blue suit. One of the commission agents. 

    “What’s going on?” Hawks, on instinct, was all-business again. Normally the commission only came to him if they needed something. Most of the time, it hadn’t been because he’d done something wrong.

    “The HPSC would like a word with you,” she was already walking back down the hall. She knew Hawks would fly there and beat her to it anyway. 

    Hawks’s shoulders dropped back. He didn’t like the sound of that. 

    “What’s that all about?” Akushedo asked softly. 

    “I have to check in for work, apparently,” Hawks left the building. He checked his watch. He was still supposed to meet Dabi, and if he had to meet with the commission first, the flame villain would incinerate him for being late. And Tokoyami was probably wondering why he hadn’t shown up yet. He pulled out his phone and texted the kid to let him know work was running long. Hawks could already sense this was going to be a very late night.

Chapter Text

    Hawks tried to appear as laid back as possible when he walked into the room with the blank-faced hero commission burning holes into him with dead expressions. But with their silent, almost doll-like eyes following every move he made, he had to press his wings close to his back to conceal their shaking. He did the same with his hands, shoving them into his pockets. In his eyes, however, any person with even the slightest amount of empathy could see that the number two hero was scared . 

    Luckily, the commission had no such thing. 

    The president spoke up first. Though her gaze was just as empty as her words, she forced a polite tone. “Hello, Hawks. We are sorry for bringing you in so late at night, but there were some concerns we wanted to raise with you regarding your work performance.”

    They weren’t sorry for bringing him in late. They never were sorry for anything they’d done. Hawks shuddered a little in spite of himself, but he managed to look bored. “Great. I’ll be happy to take notes. While I’m at it- If I could just throw out some names of other heroes who’ve been-” he was cut off from being a snarky little shit by the president rising to her feet. Her hands smacked down onto the conference table hard enough to send a wave through the water bottles in front of each commission member.

    “Your insubordination may be cute on television, Hawks, but here, you answer to us. Is that clear? Lest you need to be reminded.”

    Hawks swallowed, then politely gestured for her to go on. The woman sat down and shuffled through a few papers. While she was doing that, Hawks spared a glance around the room. It was a small meeting room set up conference style with three rows of tables and chairs joined to create a u-shape. Big bay windows behind the woman showed the beautiful cityscape just below them, the abyss of a night sky above. Hawks wished there wasn’t any glass in them. He’d take off into the sky and never be seen again.

    “Now,” she turned over a piece of paper and held it up for Hawks to see.

    Hawks’s heart dropped. On the small packet was printed Tokoyami’s student profile.

    “We’ve noticed that in the last few days, you’ve been spending quite a lot of time with this student from UA. Your intern. Is that right?”

    Hawks nodded. His body felt numb. His wings dropped behind him. He was standing as stiff as a board. Every single one of his feathers tingled with the same dread that made his stomach feel like a black hole in his abdomen. 

    “We have a few concerns about how his presence will affect your public appearance. I understand you’ve offered him a permanent place at your agency without our consent?”

    The hero bristled. But he merely smiled and waved them off. “I wasn’t aware I needed to ask permission to recruit someone to my agency.”

    “Be that as it may... We think his… image greatly conflicts with the hero people want to see in you. He doesn’t quite look like a hero the public would be comforted by. That’s your job, Hawks,” she folded her arms.

    Hawks took a deep breath, holding himself back from snapping. “Was this your only concern then?”

    “No. The incident involving you, Endeavor, and two members of the League of Villains. We expect a full briefing on it by tomorrow afternoon, and we’d like to know. Has your mission to infiltrate them been compromised by this?”

    “No.”

    “Very good. The last of our concerns… why did you go to Ashihari Prison to seek out Akushedo Tokoyami?”

    “A bit of a research project,” Hawks answered. 

    The president cocked an eyebrow at him, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she circled back. “Hawks, you are our proudest achievement.” Emotion finally sparkled in her dead eyes. Some kind of self-satisfied glee. “ My proudest achievement. You were the first successful product of our ultimate hero training program. I- We would be simply shattered to see you destroy what we’ve built.”

    Hawks hated everything she’d just said, but his mind hung on one point. The first success. Implying there had been others. Others who were failures. He tried not to think on it too much, but it was ringing in his ears. “Trust me, I’m not changing. Not for anybody.”

    “You will change for the public if we deem it necessary,” she snapped, her voice suddenly harsh. “You will do as you are told, or there will be consequences. If we see your approval rating falter even a fraction of a percentage, you will be forced to sever all ties with Fumikage Tokoyami. If you do not, you will both face repercussions.”

    “If my approval ratings are in danger solely based on the appearance of one sixteen-year-old child , we may want to reexamine how I present myself,” Hawks tried to stand tall and ignore his racing heart. The president was not delivering empty threats. She could and she would make sure that Tokoyami was far, far away from Hawks in whatever form that took. The hero felt immediately guilty for dragging the kid into this. 

    “You may want to reexamine how you speak to your superiors,” she said. He felt the judgemental eyes of the other commission members glaring at him. “Regardless, we are giving all of this a chance. If you do not stay in line and keep up with your duties to the HPSC and the public, we will have to take action. Do you understand what you’re being told?”

    If there was one thing Hawks hated, it was being threatened. But with the commission, it was different. They would follow up on those threats if he so much as uttered the word “but” to any order. Instead of doing any such thing, the wing hero nodded.

    “And your infiltration? What is your report on its status?”

    “It’s going smoothly,” Hawks lied. “In fact… I’m due to meet with one of its core members in about five minutes. If I may take my leave?” He didn’t wait for an answer before he began shuffling towards the door. 

    “Yes…” the president watched him with narrowed eyes, and he paused to hear her speak. “But Hawks, remember this: you may have wings, but heroes with a duty cannot fly freely. Your priority is to the public, not one child. Do not neglect that priority.”

    Hawks grinned and waved at her before he disappeared through the door. As soon as he was back outside the massive headquarters, his fear finally consumed him. His wings locked behind him, and his rib cage shuddered with his breath. He felt an attack coming on, so he immediately took to the sky. Flying was the only thing that could keep them under control. His wings released their tension when he was airborne. 

    Apparently he’d underestimated this one. Even with his wings carrying him into the night sky, he was hyperventilating and trembling all over. His feathers gleamed sharp against his will, and he began flying full speed, carrying himself miles away from the headquarters. 

    In his state, he wasn’t quite looking where he was going, and his wing clipped a telephone pole that went a bit higher than most. The sudden impact was enough to throw his flight pattern off completely and send him hurtling to the ground, where he tumbled a few times before landing in a heap against the warehouse in which he was supposed to meet Dabi. 

    Hawks laid there, dazed for a moment. His wings ached and his head pounded. He’d gained a few extra bruises and scuffs, but nothing terrible. A simple scrape on his cheek, his jacket dirty. The wing hero breathed out to try and relax before reluctantly struggling to his feet. His ankle nearly gave out, which hinted that he’d twisted it. Great.

    “Hey, chicken wings. Nice landing,” a raspy voice crooned from somewhere above him. 

    Hawks’s heart jumped. He forced his wings to relax, but his trembling was not so easily hidden. “Hi, edgelord,” he spoke quietly because his voice was breaking. “What do you want?”

    “Right to the chase, then? No need to be rude. After that mess on Christmas, I think you owe me an explanation anyway.”

    “Dabi…” Hawks warned.

    “Alright, alright,” Dabi put his hands up in surrender as he slid off the supply crate he’d been perched on. But after a moment, his eyes narrowed at Hawks. “Why do you look like shit?”

    “Because I just fell out of the sky, what’s your excuse?”

    “I meant the shaking and raccoon eyes, moron.”

    “The shaking is because I just fell out of the sky,” Hawks lied. “And the ‘raccoon eyes’ are probably because I’ve been awake for too long doing too much work and you wanted to meet me here for some reason. Evidently to waste my time.”

    Dabi almost laughed. Almost. “Boss wasn’t too happy about your kid interfering. You should be thanking me for convincing him not to dust the brat.”

    Normally, the hero would quip back. But Hawks was tired, he was afraid, and at the mention of Tokoyami, what little restraint he had snapped. “If he- or you- ever even think about hurting him…”

    “Oh, don’t go all hero on me. We aren’t coming after your kid,” Dabi lowered his voice. “Look, I called you here because I’ve got something for you.”

    “What is it?” Hawks was suddenly all business again. 

    Dabi’s eyes shifted back and forth as if to make sure they were truly alone. “The HPSC president is our next target.”

    Hawks froze. He couldn’t immediately process what he’d been told. “You… you’re going after the commission?”

    “Boss thinks we should have started there. I guess that would’ve been smarter. Makes more sense than starting a war with people stronger than us. Anyway. That’s all you get from me right now, bird. You have anything we can use?” There was something heavy and uncertain in the flame villain’s eyes when he looked at Hawks, but he covered it with that familiar spite.

    “She’s got a lot of bodyguards. Not just anyone can get close to her,” Hawks answered reluctantly. “The whole commission is under the protection of several heroes as well. Mostly everything else that could help you is classified. If you give me more about this plan of yours, I can give you more about how to get closer.”

    “Oh, come off it, birdie. We had a deal. Are you not really one of us? Do you not want to see the commission torn down?”

    “I do,” Hawks wasn’t sure if he was lying or not. “And because I do, I’m warning you ahead of time. I hope you know what you’re doing. It’s going to take someone really gifted to off someone like the president.”

    Dabi smirked like those words gave him a brilliant idea. “Thanks, hero. I’ll see you soon. Right now, I think you’ve got a little feathered friend who doesn’t do so well in the dark.”

    And just like that, Dabi slipped around the side of the building and vanished. Hawks watched after him for a few moments, thinking about how he knew that. Should he even give this information to the commission? No. They would increase their guard and raise suspicion from the league. Maybe… Would he really be forced to protect the woman who’d ruined his life? It felt so cruel, it was almost laughable. 

    Hawks snorted under his breath and took to the sky. He flew back to UA, but found the doors locked. Knowing the man never slept, he called Aizawa, who came down to let him inside. The number two hero made the trek to the infirmary, all the while it felt like there was so much happening all at once, so many threads to pull. All of it was tangled up and intertwined, and for the first time in a long time, Hawks wasn’t sure where to start.

    He entered the room with the rows of beds, seeing Tokoyami sitting up with a flashlight pressed into his shoulder, reading. Hawks took a breath before settling down in the chair beside the bed. It was only when he cleared his throat that Tokoyami jumped, finally noticing him.

    “Hawks,” he said quietly.

    The number two hero, always perceptive, noticed that Tokoyami’s eyes were red and irritated. He’d been crying. Dark Shadow was nowhere in sight. Which was odd, considering how much the entity loved the darkness.

    “That’s me,” Hawks answered, voice low. His wing extended, and he rested it on the bed over Tokoyami. “Get some sleep, kiddo. I’ll be here to talk when you wake up.”

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami woke up to find that Hawks had kept his word and was right beside him. He was already awake, however, and Tokoyami found himself questioning whether the number two hero had actually gone to sleep at all. The latter sat in the chair next to the bed on his phone, wings thrown over the back of the chair. 

    “Oh, he lives,” Hawks observed without looking up from whatever he was reading. 

    Tokoyami groaned as he stretched, then he rubbed at his eyes. “What time is it?”

    “Almost time for you to get to class,” Hawks looked up now, and he gave his student a lazy smile. “Except I already told Eraserhead you were ditching today because your back is still giving you grief,” he winked. 

    “I can’t fall behind-” Tokoyami started to protest.

    “Ah, relax,” Hawks’s eyes drifted out the window and up to the clouds. He still planned to meet with Tokoyami’s parents today to discuss what their son had agreed to. But first, the kid needed a little fun… and honestly, Hawks could use some, too. As everything was piling up, Hawks craved that free time he so often talked about even more. “You’ve got yourself a primo tutor, and the arm kid already agreed to take notes for you. You could use a day to get your head back together after all this.”

    Tokoyami wasn’t sure whether Hawks was offering this because he’d been perceptive enough to recognize something was wrong last night, or if the number two hero just thought his words were true. Nevertheless, it didn’t sound like a bad idea. He pushed himself up slowly, and Hawks’s wing absently curled around his shoulders to offer support while the hero continued looking down at his phone. Tokoyami carefully slid out of the bed and stood up.

    Recovery Girl practically teleported next to him. “I don’t think so, you aren’t going anywhere until I have you checked out.”

    Hawks chuckled easily and before he slipped in between them. “Oh, he’s fine, don’t worry,” he spoke with that laid back tone of voice he was so recognized for. “Besides, I’m gonna be with him, I’ll make sure-”

    “No. You’re just as responsible for this happening the first time. I wouldn’t trust him outside the front gate with you, you’re like a magnet for disaster. You need to clean up your act and stop dragging students into your messes,” Recovery Girl snatched hold of Hawks by the shoulder and dragged him down to eye level. She was so much shorter than the number two hero, but when she started chewing him out, he actually shrank back, surprised at just how much fire she contained in her tiny form. “And another thing-” she was about to continue on her tirade when a familiar voice interrupted.

    “Hawks?” All Might- in his much smaller, thinner form- addressed the number two hero. “Mr. Aizawa told me you’d be here. What seems to be the problem?”

    “I haven’t approved this patient to go yet, and this one thinks he can just waltz in and take him without my answer,” she put her hands on her hips.

    “Oh, perhaps you should let them go-”

    The angry rant was now taken out on All Might as Recovery Girl grabbed his earlobe and, in a similar fashion to how she’d seized Hawks, pulled him down to eye level. From behind the nurse, Hawks gave him a thumbs up and a soft snicker before he grabbed Tokoyami by the wrist, dragging him out the door without being noticed. When they were safely out of range, Hawks paused and looked at Tokoyami. 

    “Do you like your heroics teacher, Tokoyami?” Hawks asked.

    “Yes, sir. Why?” The intern seemed genuinely confused. 

    “That’s a shame. He’s a dead man,” Hawks spoke lightly and punctuated the quip with a laugh. Tokoyami gave him that not-quite-a-laugh-but-Hawks-would-take-it snort.

    The two of them made the trek to the dorms, where Hawks waited outside for Tokoyami to get dressed. Everyone was in class already, so he knew they were empty. In a few minutes, the student returned wearing a black hoodie and black jeans to match. Hawks couldn’t help but scoff a little. He would say the kid overdid it with the black, but somehow, it suited him. 

    “Ready?” Hawks spread his wings out behind him. 

    “Yes,” Dark Shadow curled around Tokoyami. Hawks grinned, and both birds took off for the sky, just in time for the sun to rise above the distant buildings and turn the clouds a blazing orange and yellow.

    As they flew, Hawks made sure to keep it slow. The kid was still injured, after all, and as much as it pained Hawks to keep his wings strokes long and fluid rather than rapid and fierce, he didn’t want to push it. Instead, he kept up a perfect sync with Tokoyami, taking the time to really look around and breathe for a few moments. Moving so slow… it felt nice, Hawks found himself guilty to admit. 

    “May I ask what you had in mind?” Tokoyami called to his mentor, his words nearly swallowed by the wind. 

    “We’re heading to the agency,” Hawks answered. 

    “Oh,” Tokoyami almost seemed disappointed by this. As if he’d been hoping for something other than a leisurely patrol and a bit of training. He just as quickly felt a pang of guilt for feeling disappointed at all. Here was the number two hero, Hawks, taking time out of his schedule to devote just to Tokoyami, and the boy still found something to complain about. Frankly, he didn’t often feel he deserved this much from Hawks at all.

    Hawks smiled, noticing. He didn’t say a word on it, however. Instead, the duo took their flight to the agency in silence. The commission was going to have Hawks’s head for taking yet another day off, but Tokoyami was priority right now. At that thought, he winced, thinking about what the president had said. Hawks knew he had to tread lightly, if only for Tokoyami’s sake.

    “Alright,” Hawks said, stretching out his wings and arms, popping every joint. Tokoyami couldn’t help but wonder why he did that so often. “I’ve been thinking. Since you’re an official sidekick until you’re ready to start your own agency, you should really have a place here that’s more your own. All of the sidekicks have customized their own rooms as they wanted to. Although pretty much all of them go home at night and for breaks and such, it’s still nice for them to have a space here that they can use to get away if they need it.”

    Tokoyami wasn’t sure where Hawks was going with this. He looked silently down the hall branching off from the lobby and leading to the sidekicks’ rooms. He heard their bustling speech coming from the office area to the right. None of them had noticed Hawks yet, as he stayed behind the corner, running his hands through each of his feathers to groom and straighten them out. “Right. I’m sure they appreciate it,” the student spoke absently. 

    Hawks tilted his head in a very bird-like fashion. His intern took note that his mannerisms were far closer to those of a raptor when he was preening his wings. Tokoyami wondered to himself just how much of Hawks’s quirk was that of a bird. Was it as much as him? Less? More? 

    Stowing his questions and curiosities for a later time, Tokoyami turned his head down the hallway and looked at the door to the room he’d been staying in for winter break. It was just as plain and typical as it had been, but there was one new addition. 

    A metal nameplate. ‘Tsukuyomi.’

    His and Hawks were the only two occupied rooms in this section of the hallway, as the rest of the quarters branched off in two directions at the end. The only other room close by was one belonging to ‘Polychrome,’ and it was at the beginning of the intersecting hallways. Polychrome. Tokoyami remembered him from the internship. He’d been like Hawks in several regards, high energy and always on the move.

    “I had Ishida laser print this for you,” Hawks ran a hand over the engraved metal. “He was pretty stoked to hear you were working with us.”

    “I... “ Tokoyami was staring at the door as if it held behind it the key to immortality or something just as grand. It was a very small gesture, the slightest customization, but it felt astronomical in that moment. “Thank you, Hawks.”

    Hawks cocked an eyebrow at that. “No problem, kiddo. But you’re not here to marvel at my laser printer work.”

    “Then why am I here?” Tokoyami looked up at Hawks with a quizzical expression. The statement might have come off as blunt, if Tokoyami’s tone wasn’t so polite and earnest. 

    Hawks smiled. “I might be the youngest and therefore coolest pro hero in the top ten and am skilled at most things- the range of which only growing with every passing day… but I was never one for interior decorating.”

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami gave Hawks a sideways look. “You want to…?”

    “Make it feel a little more like home,” Hawks amended, waving his hand. “Well. Maybe not too much like home,” the number two hero recalled seeing the bland, white-walled room at that mansion. It felt like Tokoyami hadn’t been given any input, lest he destroyed the pristine and proper charm of that stupid house. Sure, he had the dorms at UA, but he deserved a space outside of school. 

    Tokoyami swallowed in response as Hawks pushed open the door. The room hadn’t been touched, still as colorless and plain as it had been just a few days before. Hawks had already shed his jacket outside the door, so he was wearing only the compression layer beneath. “Hike up your sleeves, bird bro, we’ve got work to do,” Hawks grinned. 

    “Sir?”

    “And there he is again with the sir,” the wing hero snickered a bit as he started dragging all the furniture to the center of the room. Tokoyami instantly started offering his assistance, dragging the dresser and bed to the center by himself. “You still need to loosen up, kid.”

    The jet black hero gave his mentor a look, but he settled on nodding. 

    “Anyway, pick your poison.”

    “What?”

    “What color?” Hawks clarified. 

    Tokoyami’s eyes drifted off in thought for a few moments. There was a hesitant air about it, as if the kid was worried about marking up Hawks’s boring white walls. The wing hero didn’t say a word, just smiled and waited for an answer. 

    “White is just fine,” Tokoyami said politely. 

    “Listen, kiddo. I won’t force you to stick your heart and soul into doing this if it isn’t what you want. If you can look at me and tell me that you really don’t care to make this place better for you, I won’t push it. But you’ve got my complete permission to do whatever you want,” he spoke earnestly, rubbing his neck in a manner that seemed almost… timid. Tokoyami was sure he was reading that wrong. Hawks and timid were like tomato soup and chocolate milk. They just didn’t mix. 

    Tokoyami was silent.

    “So to reiterate. What color are you thinking?”

    A long pause answered him, and Tokoyami pulled out his phone. Hawks cocked his head as his intern scrolled through one of his social media profiles. It seemed empty except for a few saved pictures, all of which appeared to be black in aesthetic. He pulled up an image of a pretty wall. “I had always thought something like this would help embrace the day’s shift into darkness.” It was black to purple ombre, starting with jet black on the bottom and slowly fading into lighter and lighter purple, until it was lavender. 

    “I warn you, I’m not artistically inclined in the slightest, so… I’ll follow you on that one,” Hawks said with a grin. “But it looks pretty cool. Suits you.”

    Tokoyami raised his chin a bit, as if proud of the remark. Dark Shadow poked his head over his host’s shoulder and chittered in disapproval. He urgently nudged Tokoyami with his beak, muttering something to him, too quiet for Hawks to hear.

    “No red,” Tokoyami said firmly. 

    “What’s wrong with red?” Hawks teased, ruffling his wings pointedly. 

    “I simply prefer the regality of purple,” the jet black hero folded his arms as if he’d turn his back on Dark Shadow… if the shadow weren’t already at his back. “Besides,” he directed this at Dark Shadow. “Do you really want the top of the wall to be pink ?”

    Dark Shadow hissed. 

    “Somehow I always forget you two are permanent roommates,” Hawks said with a laugh at their bickering. “I’ll let you sort it out.”

    “We’ll do the purple,” Tokoyami said pointedly to Dark Shadow, who grumbled something under his breath. “If that’s alright.”

    “Fine by me,” Hawks answered brightly. “You have my total permission to completely renovate this place. Hell, put in a jacuzzi if it makes you happy. This is like every crappy home design show on the network. Anything you want, we can do.”

    “It’s… you said to make it feel more like home…” Tokoyami’s eyes were trained on the floor, and the lower part of his beak trembled slightly. Hawks was certain he heard his intern’s voice crack on the last word. “Is this… home, then?”

    Hawks smiled. “Yep. I still need to run your decision by your folks, but I have a feeling they won’t put up too much of a fight about it. And after that, this agency is just as much your home as it is mine.”

    Tokoyami set his jaw as if he was trying not to cry. Same thing Hawks did during his more restless nights. Before the student could speak, a soft, gentle red wing curled around Tokoyami. It completely shielded him from the rest of the world. All he saw on all sides were fluffy red feathers. Forgetting himself for a moment, the jet black hero ran his hand down the length of one of the primaries, put at ease by their soft touch- like a baby bird curled up under its mother’s feathers. In the cocoon of Hawks’s wings, he was able to regain composure. 

    “Thank you,” Tokoyami whispered. 

    Hawks was going to say something lighthearted and in his typical spirit of brushing people off, but when he saw the look in Tokoyami’s eyes, he found himself stunned into silence. The boy’s eyes glistened, and Hawks offered him a fond smile. He put his arm around Tokoyami’s narrow shoulders. 

    “I know I’m not your family or anything, kiddo. But you deserve more than what you got. Until you start believing that… I’m sticking around. That’s both a promise and a threat,” Hawks hugged him lightly.

    Tokoyami was quiet. What he couldn’t bring himself to say was that Hawks was more his family than anyone else in the world. What he couldn’t bring himself to say was that the reason he didn’t believe he deserved this was because Hawks had done so much more than what was required of a mentor. And now he was offering up a new life for Tokoyami. A new home and a new job and- it felt like too much. But Hawks promised to be there. 

    He closed his eyes, tired from the repressed emotions, and nestled his head onto Hawks’s shoulder for a moment. Dark Shadow curled around them, and Hawks gently slipped his other arm around the entity, giving it a little scratch between its eyes. 

    One thing Tokoyami was eternally grateful for was that Hawks held no fear towards Dark Shadow. Everyone in the jet black hero’s life was at least somewhat wary towards his unpredictable quirk. Even his friends, like Midoriya and Shoji, had been cautious after the night at the training camp. But even after Tokoyami lost control and nearly hurt him, Hawks treated Dark Shadow like a friend. It was small, but it meant the world to the student. 

    The hero and his intern- and his intern’s quirk- stayed in their small group hug for a while, and Hawks felt so much gratitude in that moment. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve a person like Tokoyami in his life, but he was never going to let him go. A kid had walked into his life as nothing more than a side gig carrier pigeon, and Hawks had come to love him. Hawks felt like a proud big brother and a protective father all at once. A foreign emotion, surely, but…

    The rest of that morning was spent purchasing the paint at a hardware store down the street and covering the floor. Tokoyami and Hawks worked efficiently, the wing hero catching onto the blending motions rather quickly, though he let Tokoyami handle most of that part. In what felt like a very short few hours, the duo had completed the paint job. It didn’t look as nice as the one in the picture Tokoyami had shown Hawks, but both were secretly proud of it. 

    “That should dry in approximately two hours,” Tokoyami spoke quietly. 

    “Awesome. You wanna head out to your… family’s house and see what they have to say about you kicking it with me?” Hawks was already walking towards the door. Tokoyami decided not to point out the purple paint stains on the hero’s red feathers. He simply snorted under his breath and followed his mentor out. “When we finish up there, we can keep working here? But you gotta turn in early tonight. You have class tomorrow morning and there’s no way I can get you out of that.”

    Tokoyami rolled his eyes, but the look was more playful than anything. “Understood.”

Chapter Text

    “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to,” Hawks reminded Tokoyami for the umpteenth time as they flew towards the student’s house. His old house. His parents’ house. That house had never been home. 

    “I want to,” Tokoyami insisted. That wasn’t true, but it felt like he had to do this. He couldn’t tell Hawks that, because Hawks would say, of course he didn’t have to. Which was true, when he thought about it. But the feeling remained. And it was a conversation he wasn’t keen on having with his mentor. Not now. 

    Hawks spent much of the flight reflecting on the past few days. Fumikage’s decision, the commission’s threats, Dabi’s warning, and Akushedo Tokoyami’s story. He had a lot to think about and not much time to do it. At any moment, the league could carry out this plan of theirs, and at any moment, the commission could deliver on their promises. Hawks liked to joke that they’d clip his wings. Sometimes he feared they actually might.

    Tokoyami was watching the ground as cities turned into the beautiful estate the Nakajimas called home. His expression was purposefully blank, and of course, Hawks noticed.

    “You okay, kiddo?”

    “Yes, sir.”

    Hawks fell quiet, not forcing Tokoyami to elaborate, as the duo landed at the base of the long winding sidewalk up to the massive front door. “We’re kinda dropping in on them without warning, so keep that in mind. I wouldn’t be happy to see my son and the guy who accused me of being a terrible parent show up together without asking.”

    Tokoyami nodded, but he remained silent while the heroes walked to the enormous porch. Hawks rapped on the door a few times. It wasn’t until he heard the lock clicking open that he felt a sudden urge to spring in front of Tokoyami and shield him with his wings. The hero repressed the feeling and folded his hands politely in front of himself. 

    “Hawks? Fumikage?” Hanahi Nakajima answered the door, dressed in a black dress suit with tall heels. “To what do I owe the… pleasure?” Her narrow face scrunched up slightly at the word. Crimson eyes narrowed on Hawks to emphasize her disdain. He snorted. Alright, lady, tone it down, I don’t like you either . Apparently subtle wasn’t a thing she strived for.

    “We’d like to discuss a few things regarding your son’s internship with me,” the pro hero tried to remain as polite as he could, as if their previous interaction had never occurred. But he couldn’t fight the anger already rising in his throat. “I would like to apologize formally for my hurtful words during our last encounter,” Hawks meant not a word of that apology. But she didn’t need to know that.

    “Thank you,” she said simply. As if she felt an apology was deserved. And Hawks bristled when she returned no such thing. 

    “May we come in?” Hawks urged. He had to force himself to remain civil. For Fumikage’s sake, if nothing else.

    “No,” a male voice interrupted as Tokoyami’s stepfather emerged from just around the corner, as if he’d been waiting to jump into the conversation. “We aren’t taking guests right now, and because Fumikage’s mother is expecting, we think it wise to keep that quirk of his away from her. It’s simply a safety precaution to protect her and the baby.”

    Tokoyami had started to shake. He set his jaw the way he had earlier, but now, instead of awe and disbelief, there was sorrow and hurt. The boy looked away as Dark Shadow receded into his body in shame. The quirk gave a sad chitter as it disappeared. Hawks’s head bolted up at Kato Nakajima mentioning that Tokoyami’s mother was expecting another child. Judging by Tokoyami’s unsurprised expression, the boy already knew about this and hadn’t said a thing. The pro hero swallowed his anger at those parents and laughed easily. 

    He slung an arm around his intern’s shoulders, trying to appear casual, but giving Tokoyami’s shoulder a firm squeeze of reassurance. The boy’s breath hitched, but he leaned into the touch for comfort. Hawks nearly snarled at the couple on the other side of the door. “It’s fantastic that you feel that way. Because we’ve got a proposition for you.”

    Both the petite woman and the ridiculously huge man folded their arms and waited. Hawks explained in great detail his offer to Tokoyami and what the job would entail. He explained that school was the priority, and that this agency position was mostly about training and experience. He also dropped the fact that Tokoyami would have no further business in that household, and everything changed in their demeanors. Up until that point, they’d been nodding along, even saying some things they agreed with, but the moment Hawks stated that Tokoyami would nearly sever ties with them, they protested. 

    “Now just a minute-” Kato began.

    “If Fumikage is to become a professional hero in spite of his quirk-” Hanahi continued. 

    “We expect to be privy to that lifestyle as well,” Kato snapped. “He cannot just abandon his family for fame and fortune.”

    Family. Hawks bristled again. Now that they were going to lose his success, they were a family . No. These people didn’t know the first thing about Fumikage. 

    “This is not negotiable, I’m afraid. Tokoyami is old enough to exercise his provisional license on his own. It gives him complete freedom to join a hero agency until he passes his exam. He does not need parental consent for this.”

    “No but I fully expect him to listen to me!” Hanahi folded her arms, smug, as if she already knew the answer. She addressed Tokoyami. “Fumikage, I’ve sacrificed so much to give you this life. I’ve worked so long and so hard to build a family I could be proud of. Your success is cultivated by the roots from which you’ve grown. Even though you have a villainous, unpredictable quirk, I raised you with care and helped you become what you are now. Will you really turn your back on me?”

    Hawks ground his teeth together to keep from lashing out. He kept his arm around Tokoyami’s shoulders as he felt the boy go tense. Tokoyami’s whole body was trembling.

    “I…” he began, his voice broken, uncertain. 

    “Villainous and unpredictable? Oh, come off it!” Hawks snarled suddenly, unable to let this continue. “There is nothing villainous about either of them. Fumikage is brave, fair, and compassionate. Dark Shadow is loyal to him no matter what. Nothing about this quirk is unpredictable, and saying otherwise is sheer ignorance on your part. You have a son who is exceptional and who works hard to earn his place on his own. Treating his success like a testament to your own accomplishment is ridiculous.”

    Tokoyami was staring, wide-eyed. Hawks wasn’t finished yet, and he cut the mother off before she could protest.

    “It’s very clear to me that you are oblivious to how you treat him. So let me put it in perspective for you. He constantly doubts himself and asks permission to do anything. Why? Because you put it in his head that he can’t be trusted to make those choices.”

    “He can’t be! Dark Shadow is-”

    “Dark Shadow is the closest friend he’s ever had. All because you isolated him. Dark Shadow is kinder to him, knows more about him, than you ever will. I won’t listen to you speak of either of them as if they’re villains.”

    “His father was a villain!”

    “As was my own. And yet I reside in the second spot among all professional heroes with a record for saving the innocent from such villains. Your excuses are just that. Excuses. We are not here for permission. I am informing you of your son’s choice, and he is going to collect a few of his things. We can discuss anything further while he gathers the belongings he wishes to bring with him. Tokoyami, go ahead to your room and pack.”

    Tokoyami’s jaw had dropped at some point, listening to that. He stared at Hawks in utter disbelief as if he were dumbfounded that the pro hero would defend him like that. His shock only made Hawks more furious with the Nakajimas.

    “Fumikage, if you do this, you are not welcome back here. You are my son, but if you choose a high and mighty hero over your own family, it will be your only choice,” Hanahi warned, eyes burning holes into Hawks.

    Hawks did not take his hand away from Tokoyami, who shrunk back very slightly, and he pulled the student just an inch closer. “You’ve got wings. There’s no need for you to be confined to the ground,” he reiterated what he’d told his student a thousand times over. “Follow your gut on this one, kid. It’s your choice and yours alone.”

    The jet black hero swallowed, then raised his chin. “Hawks is right. Working with him has given me the courage and freedom I need to become the hero I want to be. I choose that over a life of fear and distance.”

    “Very well,” Hanahi turned away as Tokoyami ventured past her and up the stairs towards what was undoubtedly his old room. 

    Hawks moved to follow, but a big hand lunged out to shove him backwards. Kato grabbed his jacket collar. “Try it, hero. You’ll be damn sorry you walked into my house.”

    “Let go of me, please,” Hawks said politely. He wondered what this quirkless asshole thought he could do to a professional hero.

    When he was not obeyed, Hawks used his feathers to easily push Kato away from him. He backed out the door and waited patiently outside for his student to return. When Tokoyami did, Hawks grinned at him and his one little duffle bag. 

    “Ready to move on, kid?”

     “I am.”

Chapter Text

    “Hawks?” Tokoyami whispered on the flight back from the hardware store, which they’d gone to in order to pick up more supplies for their interior decorating endeavors. If he hadn’t been looking at his student, the pro would have missed his beak moving at all. 

    “What’s up?”

    A pause. “What you said to my mother and stepfather. Thank you… No one has ever said any of those things about me.”

    Hawks grimaced, then forced a smile. It was that bright, nothing is wrong smile that he wore for the public. Tokoyami had come to recognize it well. “Well then. Rest easy knowing I meant every single word. Those two are quite literally the worst, and I’m so relieved I never have to speak to them again.”

    Tokoyami wouldn’t rain on his mentor’s parade and say that it was very likely Hawks would in fact have to speak to them again. Instead, the jet black hero was quiet as they flew. Dark Shadow was at his side as always, curled around his host like a security blanket, and Tokoyami kept thinking about all Hawks had said in their favor. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Tokoyami was wholly confident in his quirk and its merit, and he had Hawks to thank. He hoped he could return the favor someday.

    “Hawks!” Tokoyami’s eyes, like his mentor’s, had been patrolling the ground. Hawks had told him at the beginning of his internship that watching out for trouble even when not actively looking for it was a good habit to get into. 

    A large black cat had wandered into the road to sit down and clean itself, and a car sped towards it with no intention of slowing. 

    Hawks was already down there before Tokoyami could even finish calling to him. In one swift motion, he flew down next to the road, used his feathers to easily retrieve the cat, and tucked the animal under his arm before he landed on the empty sidewalk. It was the most effortless rescue Tokoyami had ever seen. He flew down and landed beside Hawks, who was awkwardly holding the cat. 

    “He’s beautiful,” Tokoyami murmured as he took the cat in his arms. Hawks seemed relieved to have the burden lifted. The cat flashed wild green eyes on the pro hero and let out a soft growling sound. 

    Hawks clicked his tongue. “Well to each their own. Anyway, put the cat down, we have to get back.”

    Tokoyami stroked a hand down the length of the big black cat’s tail, and the cat instantly started purring. It rubbed its face over his hands and curled into the jet black hero’s touch. He looked up at Hawks with eyes that would be completely unreadable to anyone else.

    “No. Absolutely not. I don’t do cats,” Hawks said firmly. 

    “This cat was foolish enough to sit on the road. He would definitely be safer if he accompanied us. Besides… I have always wanted a pet.”

    “I’ll get you a nice parrot. Or a golden retriever. Or literally anything else,” Hawks wasn’t entirely joking. Birds and cats… they didn’t mix so well, and he’d never liked them much. The only cat he’d ever known was Seichi’s, and it had been a grumpy old thing that always pounced on his feathers and chewed at them. 

    The cat burrowed its head under Tokoyami’s hand and kept it there, nestled in the safe crook of the student’s arm. He kept petting it. “I’d bring him with me to the dorms, but unfortunately, I’m not allowed to. Small animals only. Mr. Aizawa would not be pleased if I were to break that rule.”

    Hawks shrugged. “Well that’s him being a buzzkill, not me.”

    “Can’t he stay at the agency? There’s plenty of room, and the sidekicks would love the company? Please,” Tokoyami kept petting the dumb cat. 

    Hawks grumbled. There was no way he could refuse. Tokoyami didn’t ask him for much, and… yeah the cat seemed to like him. “I guess . If I let it stay, it’s your cat, though, not mine. I’ll feed it and get its supplies and stuff but the whole love and affection thing is on you.”

    Tokoyami’s eyes widened. Hawks swore he saw the corners of his mouth turn up ever so slightly. “Thank you.”

    Hawks rolled his eyes. He had absolutely no willpower. Instead of saying anything else, he put his hand up for the cat to sniff him. It let out an irritated hiss before returning its doting attention to Tokoyami. 

    “Listen up, hairball, I just saved your tail from being a cat pancake, I think a little respect would be in order,” Hawks said sharply. 

    Another hiss. 

    “I do not like this cat,” Hawks muttered.

    Tokoyami snorted. It was barely a laugh, but it was genuine. 

    “Anyway,” Hawks spread his wings and took to the air. Tokoyami tucked his new friend inside his hoodie to protect him from the wind. “What are you gonna name the thing?”

    “I’m not sure… perhaps Oblivion, or Abyss, or Raven…” Tokoyami put a thoughtful hand on his chin.

    Hawks stole a glance at the cat. It was a tall, scrawny thing with exhausted eyes and messy black fur. It looked like it hadn’t bothered to groom itself in a while. And there was this absolutely done expression permanently on its face. 

    “It looks like Aizawa,” Hawks snickered. 

    Tokoyami looked down at the cat, then nodded. “He does… How about Eraser?”

    Hawks grinned. “Now that I can get behind.”

    As they returned to the agency and went into Tokoyami’s room, his new friend was practically glued to his ankle. It hissed at Hawks any time the pro got too close. Eraser instantly curled up on Tokoyami’s bed as if he belonged there, while the duo resumed working on the room. They changed the blankets- well, Hawks tried to, but he ended up getting scratched trying to nudge the cat out of the way- Tokoyami put up some posters and unpacked his things. After a while, it started to look like a place the kid would make for himself.

    “Nothing like physical labor to really get the day rolling,” Hawks said brightly.

    Tokoyami patted Eraser on the head, and the cat started to purr, pressing into the touch. “Thank you for all of this, Hawks.”

    “Sure,” Hawks agreed, but it seemed as though his focus was elsewhere. After a moment, he followed up with, “Are you hungry?”

    Tokoyami’s stomach growled at the thought of food.

    “Me too,” Hawks nodded. “Let’s grab takeout, then we can pick up the stuff for your cat. Then you have to turn in early. Class tomorrow and all.”

    After they spent the better half of their afternoon together, Hawks took his student back to the UA dorms, and then he went on his patrol. A few small scale criminals tried to pop up, but they were dealt with easily. He made his daily report, he ran over the next day’s schedule with Ishida, and he completely forgot he was turning twenty-three tomorrow. It did seem like time flew, but not as fast as Hawks did.

    Hawks went to his room and sprawled on his back while he groomed out his wings. He straightened each feather from the bottom to the top. He went through, using his hands to gently remove any grit or grime. As he was working, Eraser’s head popped up over the bed.

    “Oh, hey, hairball,” Hawks said bitterly. “Riddle me this. Why is it I can easily infiltrate a league of, like, actual villains and have them believe I’m one of them, but I can’t say no to a kid asking for a cat that could very well have rabies?”

    Eraser just stared at him with wide green eyes.

    “Yeah, I don’t know either,” Hawks muttered. 

    After a moment, the black cat pounced on Hawks’s perfectly groomed wing and began chewing on his feathers. Hawks was standing up and looking at the feathers in disappointment. “Damn it, hairball!” He cursed as he began to work on that wing again. “Don’t think just because Tsukuyomi likes you that you can do anything you want. You’re under my roof, you little gremlin.”

    The cat hissed in disdain at the sudden movement before it took off down the hallway. Hawks groaned and leaned his head back. He normally wasn't such a pushover. But then he remembered Tokoyami nearly smiling when they found it. Maybe the stupid cat was worth it.

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami returned to class the next day. It was strange, being back and treating it as if nothing had changed. More strange was Hawks’s absence. He’d gotten used to the number two hero constantly chattering at him. Honestly, he found himself missing it within a few hours of class. In the homeroom of Class 1-A, however, there was never a dull moment. 

    Aizawa walked to the front of the room, and looking at him, Tokoyami was even more convinced that the cat they’d found was nearly identical. The teacher’s eyes were tired, and his hair was unruly. He honestly looked like he’d just crawled out of his bed. Really, in that sense, nothing had changed. 

    Bakugou was cursing at Midoriya for something, Kaminari and Kirishima were arm wrestling- Kirishima was winning, and Shinsou was desperately scratching at his notebook. What he was writing was a mystery, as Aizawa hadn’t even begun speaking yet. Tokoyami leaned back a bit, thinking. It was Hawks’s birthday today, so Tokoyami had plans to stop by the agency for at least a little while. 

    “Are you alright, Tokoyami?” Todoroki leaned forward to give his shoulder a slight nudge. “Aizawa asked us to review the new chapter.”

    “Oh… my apologies, I was lost in thought. Yes, I’m fine,” a thought seeded itself in Tokoyami’s mind. “Todoroki… what are you planning to do after class today?”

    The boy stared downward with dual-colored eyes. “My father wants me to stop by his place for a while. I haven’t confirmed I would, but with nothing else to do, I can’t possibly give him an excuse.”

    “Would you like to accompany me to visit Hawks?”

    “Oh… sure.”

    Tokoyami nodded. “Shinsou? Will you join us?”

    The purple-haired boy’s head jerked up at his name. He considered it for a few moments. “I’ll come, if Eraser says it’s cool. And if there’s not too much homework assigned.”

    Tokoyami was instantly reminded of his new cat when Shinsou called Aizawa by his hero name. He hoped Hawks was being a good host to his birthday guest.

    “Damn it, hairball! Get back here!” Hawks caught the black cat by its scruff, maybe a little too harshly. “Drop it. C’mon- give it back,” he took hold of the cord locked between the animal’s tiny teeth. “You’re gonna ruin it! What kind of cat eats wires anyway? Are you trying to get electrocuted?”

    Eraser hissed and bucked out of Hawks’s arms, running off with the USB cable. Hawks’s feathers shot out, hooked the cat’s collar, and immediately dragged it back. Hawks scruffed him again, frustrated.

    “I’m not finished with you yet, flea magnet! Now give me the cord!” Hawks pried the object out of his new pet’s mouth. And proceeded to get bit in the hand. “Damn it!” He dropped the cat, which landed gracefully on his feet as if he’d been expecting Hawks to drop him. Hawks waved a hand to shoo him away. “Get lost, hairball!”

    Eraser hissed again before he disappeared around the corner. 

    “Tsukuyomi has weird taste in pets,” Hawks muttered to himself. The sidekicks already adored Eraser. And the cat seemed to return the affection… for everyone except Hawks. He was actually sweet with everyone else, purring and rubbing up against them. 

    Hawks sat down to fill out his incident report from that day, sitting on his bed cross-legged with his wings stretched out slightly. As he was writing, Eraser climbed up onto the bed and laid down next to him as if he belonged there. “You again? What’s wrong, you out of water or something?”

    The cat huffed softly as it settled down to sleep.

    “Must be nice,” Hawks muttered. 

    Eraser blinked at him. 

    Hawks kept working. His golden eyes shifted to the cat next to him. Eraser laid his head down and purred. The wing hero cocked an eyebrow as the small animal fell into sleep. He gently reached a hand out and stroked the cat between its ears. 

    “You’re a lot more tolerable when you’re sleeping,” Hawks commented with a small smile. He finished filing the paperwork and then laid back, stretching out his wings beneath him. It was quiet around the agency today. He’d been on his first patrol, got takeout, and started working on paperwork. No major disasters or anything, which was always nice. 

    Just then there was a rap at his door. 

    “What?” He sat up quickly, startling the cat, who growled at him. “Sorry,” Hawks was not sorry in the slightest. 

    “Hawks, Tokoyami is here,” Ishida’s voice rang through the door. 

    Hawks cocked his head. Hm. Tokoyami typically didn’t come by without texting him first, but he wouldn’t complain. It gave him an excuse to blow off the incident reports until later. He got up and stretched, walking out to the lobby with Ishida at his side. 

    “Tsukuyomi!” Hawks greeted brightly.

    He was startled to see Tokoyami hadn’t come alone. He was accompanied by Endeavor’s youngest kid and the purple-haired kid that vaguely looked like Aizawa. Hawks attributed that fact to how tired the two of them always appeared. 

    “Hello, Hawks,” Tokoyami dipped his head. 

    “You brought friends, huh?” Hawks smiled and welcomed them with a small wave. “You guys can make yourselves at home, no need to stand so rigid. Only one of my sidekicks bite, and he’s on patrol.” Hawks snickered at his own joke.

    He got three blank faces in response. Of course, they were Tokoyami’s friends, after all. 

    Hawks tried a new tactic. “So what brings you here, Tokoyami?”

    Tokoyami’s eyes flickered down. “I came to bring well wishes for your birthday, sir.”

    And there was the sir again. Hawks was almost used to it at that point. Almost. “Oh yeah,” he sounded genuinely surprised, as if he’d completely forgotten. “Right. Jeez, I’m practically a fossil now,” he put a hand on the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

    That got the smallest snort from Shinsou. 

    “Oh, yes,” Tokoyami turned to his friends. “I know you and Todoroki have met, right?”

    “Briefly, yes,” Hawks nodded. 

    “And this is Shinsou,” Tokoyami gestured at the purple-haired boy. Shinsou was watching Hawks, honestly seeming a bit starstruck. Todoroki was able to conceal it well enough. 

    “And I’m Hawks,” the hero said as if they didn’t already know that. 

    Shinsou nodded respectfully, and Todoroki mimicked him. 

    “You guys are too polite,” Hawks smirked. “Loosen up.”

    He watched their shoulders fall on command. They really were just like Fumikage. What was UA teaching these kids?

    “How is Eraser adjusting?” Tokoyami asked. 

    “Oh he and Ishida are best friends. The entirety of my staff adores him,” Hawks rolled his eyes, but the scorn in his voice was playful. 

    On cue, the black cat wandered into the room, and Shinsou’s eyes lit up with just a little more life. He was already veering away from the small group to pet the cat. Eraser nuzzled into him immediately, and Shinsou scooped him up in his arms. He brought him back to stand among the others. 

    “What’s his name again?” Shinsou asked as Todoroki scratched the cat under its chin.

    “Eraser,” Tokoyami and Hawks said at the same time. 

    Shinsou raised an eyebrow. “...Why?”

    “Look at his face and tell me he doesn’t look like Aizawa,” Hawks snickered. 

    Shinsou looked at the tired black cat. Then he smirked. “You know, I do see it.”

    Todoroki exhaled softly, a sound that almost sounded like a laugh. His expression was amused. “It’s a fitting name.”

    “Hey, Tsukuyomi, can I have a word?” Hawks asked, steering his student away from his friends while they continued to pet Eraser. 

    “What is it?” Tokoyami tensed, as if ready for danger. 

    “You don’t have to come here every day, you know that, right?” Hawks spoke gently. “Just a few times a week is fine. I don’t have training planned for every day anyway. Besides, I don’t want you falling behind in class.”

    Tokoyami lowered his eyes. “I… I’m sorry.”

    “No, no, that’s not what I’m saying,” Hawks said quickly. “I definitely want you here. Just… school comes first right now, okay?”

    Tokoyami wouldn’t look up. There was something more to this. Something he wouldn’t say. Hawks wanted desperately to press for information, as he’d been conditioned to do, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

    “If anything is bugging you, you can tell me,” Hawks said gently.

    Tokoyami opened his mouth just in time for Ishida to bolt up to Hawks. “You’d best get ready for your commission conference, sir. The monthly report is due in an hour, I hope you’ve finished it by now.”

    Hawks groaned. “I finished that yesterday,” he gave Tokoyami an apologetic look. “Like I said, heroes don’t take breaks. Hold that thought. You guys head down to the rec room a while, I’ll be down in about thirty minutes.”

    Tokoyami nodded.

Chapter Text

    The rec room did look a little more recreational with the sidekicks being back. There were two people there already, one a man in a bird mask that Tokoyami recognized from his internship, and the other a pretty woman who looked to be around Hawks’s age. The two of them were sitting in the corner playing an American card game that involved creating sets of ten. Tokoyami sat down rigidly on the couch and waited for his friends to join him. 

    “This place is a bit more casual than my father’s agency,” Todoroki observed. 

    Shinsou- who still had Eraser bundled tightly in his arms- scoffed. “To be fair, your old man is a bit of a hard-ass, isn’t he?”

    Todoroki shrugged as he sat down next to Tokoyami. None of them said anything for a bit, sitting in the comfortable silence that had come to define their friendship. 

    “So,” Shinsou finally broke it. He busied himself with petting the cat on his lap. “About those villains who were after Hawks and Endeavor,” he was addressing Tokoyami. “Do you think they’ll come back?”

    It was as if his words struck a chord in the shorter avian boy. Tokoyami stiffened. “It is a possibility I’ve been considering.”

    “They wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack Hawks here,” Todoroki reasoned. “Besides, it seemed they wanted my father more than anything.”

    Tokoyami felt instantly guilty. Here he was, spending all of his time thinking only of his mentor when Todoroki’s own father had come very, very close to being disintegrated by the leader of a villain organization. They’d barely touched Hawks, just did enough to keep him down. Granted, they’d done the same to Endeavor, but Shigaraki…

    “I’m sorry, Shouto,” Tokoyami said, so quietly it was almost inaudible.

    “For what?” Todoroki’s voice was not raised much louder.

    “Your father was nearly taken out by those villains. I’ve been selfish, thinking of myself and the loss I’d almost endured. You came even closer.”

    Todoroki cocked an eyebrow. “My father is the most stubborn man I know. Even if we hadn’t shown up, it’s not an easy task to kill the number one hero. I’d assumed he was conserving his energy as the paralysis wore off to make a move. When he’s unable to move his body, even tensing his muscles could strike up a blaze. I wasn’t worried. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

    Tokoyami’s eyes shifted downward. 

    “Is there something else on your mind?” Shinsou asked. Eraser rolled over onto his back, exposing his stomach. Tokoyami gave it a gentle scratch.

    “It’s like you mentioned,” he answered with a low voice, so the sidekicks couldn’t hear. “I am not certain if those villains will return. More than ever, I feel I must protect Hawks. But I feel foolish thinking that. He is exceptional, and far tougher than myself. I can do nothing to protect him at all. And yet I want to try.”

    Shinsou and Todoroki exchanged a look. But it was Todoroki who spoke first. “Hawks can take care of himself. But that’s not to say you can’t offer him anything at all. I’m sure he appreciates all you’ve done.”

    Tokoyami nodded. “Of course he does. But what I’ve done pales in comparison to all he’s done for me.”

    “It’s not a competition,” Todoroki pointed out. “I think that’s what friendship- family- is supposed to mean, isn’t it? Being there for one another, unconditionally?”

    Tokoyami was silent. Family. That was a concept he’d played with in his head. He still felt as if he didn’t deserve this much. How could someone like Hawks care so much for someone like him? And sometimes, he thought about his mother and her fake love. Sometimes, he feared what he got from Hawks was fake too. 

    “Here’s a question for you,” Shinsou said, rubbing his thumb down the bridge of Eraser’s nose. “Do you respect Hawks?”

    “Of course.”

    “Then you need to stop worrying about how much he’s done for you versus how much you’ve done for him and focus more on your self worth. Hawks tells you you’re doing amazing things, and if you have an ounce of trust in his opinion, then you should believe him,” it was more sincere than Shinsou usually was, but Tokoyami appreciated it more than he could voice in the moment. 

    He nodded and leaned back as Eraser kneaded his leg. The cat had been purring nonstop since they’d started talking. Tokoyami sat with his friends in comfortable silence once more, thankful for the support they offered. 

    “Eraserhead said the next exam is going to be hell,” Shinsou commented, changing the subject. Todoroki looked up at that.
“Mr. Aizawa tends to over exaggerate these things,” he answered. 

    “Either way, the next few weeks are going to be brutal between training and studying,” Shinsou was absently petting Eraser’s ear. “I might even ask Yaoyorozu or Bakugou for help. Unless you think you would be up to tutor, Shouto?”

    “I will do my best. I myself may need to ask Yaoyorozu. She tends to rank first in all of these things.”

    “I wish you luck asking Bakugou,” Tokoyami chimed in with a bit of a huff. “I hope the bloodshed is not too severe.”

    Both Shinsou and Todoroki smirked at their friend’s joke. He didn’t make them too often, but the dry sarcasm was hysterical when he did. 

    “Did I hear something about bloodshed?” Hawks staggered into the room. His wings were a bit ruffled, and his expression was nothing more than a forced grin. Tokoyami wondered what the commission had spoken to him about. “Violence is always exciting, fill me in.”

    Todoroki’s eyebrows shot up, and Shinsou coughed loudly, as if he was choking back laughter. 

    “A joke, a joke,” Hawks amended. “Anyway, let’s make this ancient bird’s birthday one to remember. Hey, Aizawa Jr.-” he was addressing Shinsou, of course. “Plug this cord into the outlet next to you.”

    Shinsou did as was asked of him. 

    “Thanks, kiddo. Now. We are about to indulge in a western cinematic masterpiece. A piece of filmography that is so revolutionary, so utterly groundbreaking in both its heart-wrenching drama and lighthearted comedy that it, years and years ago, was widely regarded as the greatest film of all time,” Hawks put a hand over his heart dramatically. 

    “Please tell me it’s not the first American hero documentary again- the one they mention Endeavor in for a split second?” one of the sidekicks who’d been eavesdropping dropped his two cents into the conversation. 

    “A fantastic choice, but not this time,” Hawks turned back to his kids. “Any guesses? How about the half and half fellow in the middle?”

    “I’m not overly familiar with western media.”

    Shinsou shrugged. 

    Tokoyami shrugged as well. 

    “Is it The Princess Bride?” Ishida poked his head into the room. 

    Hawks’s proud demeanor dropped. “No,” this was clearly a lie.

    All the sidekicks snickered. 

    “That movie is from before the quirk phenomenon, isn’t it?” Shinsou racked his brain. “Honestly I thought it was lost to time.”

    “Can’t lose the classics,” Hawks answered. “I have two hours before my next patrol, that should give us time.”

    The four of them found their spots scattered among the room- Hawks and Tokoyami on the couch with Shinsou and Todoroki on the floor at their feet. Hawks kept his wings mostly unfurled, lavishing the extra space while he kicked up his feet. Tokoyami sat at the other end, as tall and polite as he could. And they watched the film as a group, all the while Hawks was a courteous theater guest and kept his phone on silent.

Chapter Text

    Todoroki and Shinsou went back to the school almost as soon as the movie was over. Hawks was proud to admit they weren’t completely stone-faced the entire time. Shinsou had even chuckled when Westley used the phrase ‘vomitous mass.’ Tokoyami decided to stay the extra half hour before Hawks’s patrol. 

    He and Hawks were in the training room after a soft ten-minute workout when Hawks finally decided to check his phone.

    Oh boy. 

    Two missed calls from the president of the commission and a text message from Dabi. That was probably bad. On both accounts.

    “I’ll be right back,” he said, walking out into the hallway without giving his student a chance to reply. Tokoyami watched him go.

    The hero called the commission first. 

    “Hawks,” her voice was barren of any inflection at all, making it all the more unsettling. 

    “Last I checked.”

    “Where were you when we called the first two times?”

    “Working out,” it wasn’t technically a lie. He and Tokoyami had been training at the time of her second call. 

    “And why did you not answer your phone? If there’d been a disaster, citizens would be dead right now. All because you were too busy to do your job.”

    Hawks winced. Though they could have easily notified the agency and had a sidekick come and get him, the words stung. Immediate communication with the hero assigned to a task would definitely be faster than passing it through a sidekick. 

    Hawks prided himself on speed and efficiency… And the thought of an innocent death on his shoulders… It was enough to make him shiver. Enough to make him disregard the fact that any emergencies he was assigned to came through in non-silenceable alerts on his phone. They were instantaneous, unlike the commission’s call. But still. The president’s words got to him, more than he wanted to let on. “I-”

    “Regardless of your irresponsibility, there is another purpose to this call.”

    “And what’s that?” 

    “We had briefly discussed it at our last meeting, as I’m sure you recall. But we need information on Tomura Shigaraki and his location, and we need it soon. The commission is discussing how we’re going to make a move against him to stop the league from gaining further ground with its allies. When are you meeting with Dabi?”

    “Probably tonight,” Hawks thought about his unread text.

    “You will get information from Dabi about the League of Villains’ leader. If you do not, your internship with Fumikage Tokoyami will be as good as terminated. Do I make myself clear?” the president’s cold voice rang in Hawks’s ear. Another slight shiver.

    “Yes,” Hawks said dryly. He hated that they’d found something. Something to use against him. Before, it’d been cold threats of nothing more than simple punishments and occasional suspensions and restrictions. Things that would have been irritating or painful, but that wouldn’t affect him much. But now they had Tokoyami as their bargaining chip.

    “Excellent,” she hung up without another word on the matter.

    “Goodbye to you too,” he muttered as he opened his text messages. Dabi had sent a time and location for tonight. No context at all. Of course. 

    Hawks ran a hand over his eyes. Never in his life had he been quite this exhausted. Not mentally, anyway. Even during the most brutal training the commission had to offer, a younger Hawks kept his spirits up and kept his will unbreakable. But now, he was apathetic. Tired. He wanted nothing more than to forget all of it for one night and sleep peacefully. The truth was, Hawks sort of forgot what that felt like. 

    He returned to the room they’d been training in and smiled at his intern. “About time for you to head back to the school, bird bro. Do you want me to walk you back?”

    Tokoyami was watching him in silence. There it was again. Hawks was positive something was wrong. Even though the boy’s facial expression barely changed, the hero had been picking up on how his body language would betray him. Right now, Tokoyami’s shoulders were tense, his jaw set.

    “Who were you talking to, if I can ask?” Tokoyami asked shortly. 

    Hawks shrugged. “The commission. Discussing a top secret assignment and hero stuff. I’m afraid I can’t talk about it,” it wasn’t a lie. But somehow it felt like one. “Hey, kid. Before you go, I asked earlier but we didn’t really talk. Is something bugging you?”

    Tokoyami paused. He was sick of lying when asked this question. “Yes.”

    “What is it?”

    Not wishing his mentor any more cause to worry, Tokoyami lowered his shoulders. “I promise to discuss it in detail with you at a later date. For now, it’s not to be a concern.”

    Hawks hated how quickly he agreed with his student. But frankly, his head was too full for him to stack another problem on top of it. After he sorted everything out with Dabi and the commission’s orders, then he and Fumikage could talk. Right now, the world was starting to catch up with him, and Hawks didn’t like it at all. 

    After the boy took his leave, mentioning that Hawks would see him again in two days to spend the weekend, Hawks immediately flew to the location where Dabi was waiting. His wings ached, as he hadn’t had a chance to groom them out properly, and his landing was very shaky, illustrating just how distracted he was. 

    “Hi, chicken wings,” Dabi was standing on a rickety old staircase leading to an abandoned apartment building. “You got anything for me about the new job?”

    “That depends on what you have for me,” Hawks answered smoothly. He grinned, almost appearing to enjoy riling the flame-user up. The cremation villain. A force to be reckoned with, and here Hawks was… purposely pissing him off for fun. If Hawks were in a position to be watching this, he’d be laughing at the poor bastard in his shoes.

    “What do you want now, bird?”

    “It’s Shigaraki. I need something on where he is. You tell me that, I can tell you the president’s daily schedule and the location of her quarters.”

    “Deal.”

    As Tokoyami made his way back to the dorms, he couldn’t stop thinking about everything. Hawks was mysterious. He was complicated. But he was the only person in the entire world that seemed to understand exactly what Fumikage was. Even Shinsou, a boy who suffered being called a villain his entire life, was wary of Dark Shadow. He’d even seemed surprised that though he could control Tokoyami, the quirk’s sentience was a road block he couldn’t get around. It almost seemed to frighten him. 

    When Tokoyami made it back, Shoji was the only one who hadn’t yet turned in for the night. The taller boy worked away at his math homework, only looking up long enough to give his friend a respectful nod. 

    “A late night, hasn’t it been?” He asked softly. 

    Tokoyami frowned a bit. “It typically is for someone like myself. Dark Shadow grows restless in the night.”

    “You haven’t studied this week, have you?”

    “Why are you asking?”

    “I know you worry for Hawks. But he’s the number two hero.  He can take care of himself, Tokoyami. You must not neglect your own responsibilities to look after his.”

    Tokoyami looked away. “I won’t. Is that all?”

    “You should get some rest. The English exam tomorrow will be… difficult.”

    The shorter boy nodded as he started towards the stairs. “I will. Farewell, Shoji. May the night serve you well.”

    Shoji dipped his head in respect once more, but his worried gaze followed Tokoyami all the way up the stairs. Tokoyami seemed so preoccupied, he only hoped his friend was remembering his own journey. It sometimes seemed he was focusing far too much on someone else.

Chapter Text

    It’d been a surprisingly quiet two days. Hawks spent most of his time patrolling. He hadn’t heard word from Dabi, though the commission hadn’t left him in peace. The president called nearly every day with something else to complain about. By the time Friday evening rolled around, Hawks’s two days of simple hero work had left him feeling a lot less overwhelmed by all the things he had to think about. 

    Tokoyami was prompt as usual. Hawks saw instantly that his demeanor was sagging. Dark Shadow was nowhere to be seen, and the boy walked in slowly, hesitantly. He set his bag down in the lobby without a word. A few papers spilled out onto the floor, and Tokoyami quickly gathered them up, not without the help of a few of Hawks’s feathers.

    “Hey, kid,” Hawks greeted, weary. “What’s up?”

    “Nothing of interest,” Tokoyami answered shortly. 

    And there it was again. The clipped response, the lack of eye contact. Hawks put down his phone and turned the screen off from the article he’d been reading about UA budget cuts to the business program. It was nice to have schools focused on preparing kids for being heroes, but Hawks hated how unfair they were. If Shinsou wasn’t proof enough- having only gotten into the class because Aizawa fought for him- now the business kids were getting the short end of the stick. 

    “Hey, Fumikage, come with me. You and I need to talk,” Hawks made his way to the rec room and didn’t stop to make sure he was being followed. The only other person there was Ishida, who was rapidly pecking away at his keyboard. 

    Hawks sat down on the leather couch and absently ran his hand over the smooth material. He gestured for his student to join him, and a moment later, the boy did as he was asked, stiffly taking a seat. But everything was off. 

    Tokoyami seemed nervous, gaze shifting. His beak was clamped shut hard enough that Hawks could see the muscles in his jaw straining. His unruly plumage was not uniformly spiked- instead randomly sticking up with no rhyme or reason, and though the dark circles under his eyes were invisible given his jet black coloring, Hawks could tell they were there. Alrighty. It was time to do that dad thing he saw Aizawa do when one of the kids did something wrong.

    “If I did anything wrong to warrant this meeting, it’s my apologies and it will not happen again,” Tokoyami ducked his head as if in shame. 

    “Let’s get one thing straight, kiddo,” Hawks began, and forcing his tone to be unnaturally stern felt awkward. He wasn’t cut out for this. Tokoyami seemed to notice, because he arched a brow at his mentor. “You aren’t in trouble, but I do want to talk to you.”

    Silence. Eraser had crawled onto Tokoyami’s lap. 

    Okay, yeah this wasn’t working. Hawks dropped his facade, knowing that the only way he could give Tokoyami real guidance was through honesty. “You know what, I’ll cut to the chase. Never been one for beating around the bush. With the heavy amount of time you’ve been spending at the agency since you’ve returned to class, aren’t you at all concerned about your grades slipping?”

    Tokoyami flinched before he told his lie. “I am keeping up with classwork.”

    Hawks sighed. Fine. If the kid was gonna lie to him, he’d have to do this the hard way. A pair of crimson feathers floated around to land in his lap, a small packet of papers stuck between them. “This is your English exam from yesterday, right?” On the front paper was Tokoyami’s name and a large red 45% in Present Mic’s huge, scrawling handwriting. Hawks hated doing this, but he reminded himself that it was for the kid’s own good.

    “How did you-”

    “When you spilled your stuff in the lobby. With eyes like mine it’s hard to miss writing like this,” Hawks felt like he’d crossed some personal boundary. He hoped not. “So are you gonna tell me the truth or not? What’s going on?”

    Tokoyami looked away, shifting Eraser against his chest. The black cat blinked slowly at Hawks, content. That made one of them. 

    “I’m sorry. I’ve been seeking a way to study at night, as Dark Shadow prefers being awake at that time. But with coming here after class, we both find ourselves exhausted and unable to concentrate before we turn in,” Tokoyami spoke softly. He actually seemed to be flinching, as if he expected Hawks to blow up on him. 

    The hero cocked an eyebrow. “Why have you been coming by so much though? I’m glad you wanna hang out with your favorite hero and all, but… that’s not it, is it?”

    A numb shake of the head.

    Hawks softened his tone and lowered his voice. “What’s going on? I need the truth.”

    Tokoyami swallowed before he spoke. “The night you and Endeavor were attacked by villains, I was so certain I’d be too late. So certain I’d arrive to find you injured… or worse. That thought terrified me. So now I can’t seem to sleep at night unless I know there are no villains hunting you. The darkness refuses to provide solace if I can’t protect you.”

    Hawks could hardly believe  what he was hearing. He tugged the hem of his t-shirt down and twisted his legs out from underneath him as if preparing to stand up. “ Protect me? Tokoyami, I’m the number two hero. I don’t need you to protect me.”

    Tokoyami bit the bottom of his beak as if he hated to argue, but he pressed forward. “I’m sorry, but it seems you do. That night… if not for Mr. Aizawa you would be dead . Knowing that there are people hunting you, you simply can’t expect me to focus on my academics.”

   “That’s my concern!” Hawks snapped, then instantly felt bad for it. “You need to focus on school right now, kid. This is the most important thing you can do to become a hero. Do you know how shitty I’d feel if you couldn’t achieve your dream because you abandoned your studies for me?”

    “It would be my choice. Those villains aren’t finished with you. I simply won’t be able to prioritize an English exam if I’m aware that your life is in danger.”

    “My life is always in danger! That’s what being a hero is. That’s why I want you to be absolutely sure it’s the life for you. Trust me, it won’t bring me comfort either, knowing you’re out there risking it every day. But your schooling is more important than this delusion you have that I need protected. You’re not a hero yet. School comes first, kid.”

    Tokoyami tensed. “Not all heroes have graduated UA, Hawks. You know that.”

    “Yeah, kid, but not all heroes have their freedom, do they?” Hawks was growing more and more frustrated.

    “I didn’t mean it that way-”

    “I know. But you have to look me in the eye and promise me you’ll stop feeling obligated to stop the villains from getting to me. That’s my job.”

    “I cannot promise that. I can only promise to try harder in class. I apologize that I’m not up to the standards of the others, but I will do better.”

    “God’s sake, you’re missing the point.”

    “As are you!”

    "The point is that you need to get your classes together and stop worrying about me. I'm a big bird, I can take care of myself."

    "I'm trying to help you!"

    “Forgive me if I don’t feel wholly protected by a kid who can’t even pass a test after I spell the whole thing out for him!”  As soon as it rolled off his tongue, Hawks slammed his hand over his mouth. But it'd already been said. “Wait, no. That- that came out wrong.”

    Tokoyami’s beak trembled, eyes wide. Hawks might as well have struck him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, putting Eraser down and grabbing his bag to leave. 

    “Fumikage, wait,” Hawks put a hand out towards his student.

    “I’ll be back Monday afternoon for our scheduled training,” Tokoyami said quietly. “I apologize for wasting your time.”

    “Hold on, kid, it-”

    “Goodbye, Hawks,” he walked out the door without giving the hero a chance.

    Hawks was left sitting on his couch. Eraser looked at him with wide, confused eyes, disappointed that he was no longer being pet. Hawks reached out a hand to him, but the cat pounced onto the floor and walked away. 

    Hawks leaned back with a sigh. “I don’t blame you.”

    Ishida had pretended not to listen to the conversation, but he spoke now. He didn’t look up from his computer. “That was… harsh.”

    “I know, I was just so frustrated. I’m not worth the kid tossing his future out the window,” Hawks answered. 

    “He seems to think you are. You should probably just accept that rather than fight it.”

     Hawks’s wings fell, and he ran a hand through his hair as he got up. The wing hero walked into the lobby and phoned an old friend. “Hey, Tsunagu. I need some of that sage advice of yours. When can I come by?”

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami didn’t stop, bolting through the front door of the dorms and brushing past Shoji, who put up one of his arms to stop his shorter friend, but Tokoyami didn’t stop. He shouldered by Shoji and didn’t stop until he reached his dorm, where he swung inside and shut the door, twisting the lock until it clicked. He pressed his head back against the door, breathing heavily and trying not to give into the sobs threatening to overtake his chest. 

    It was only a few moments before someone rapped politely on his door. “Tokoyami?” Midoriya’s voice came through. He spoke gently, per usual. “May I come in?”

    The student took a drawn out breath before he sighed and begrudgingly pulled open his door. Dark Shadow had come out to try and comfort his partner, but it wasn’t going over well. When he saw Midoriya enter, the shadow drew back a bit, knowing that Deku was wary of it, whether the green-haired boy would admit it or not.

    “Are you okay?” Midoriya folded his hands in front of him, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. 

    Tokoyami considered lying, but he winced as he remembered how that had gone. “Hawks and I had a small argument.”

    Midoriya cocked his head at that. “You and Hawks? Really? What about?”

    Tokoyami looked away. “I failed our last English exam even though Hawks spent his time helping me.”

    “He got mad about that?”

    “Not exactly… It was more that I was neglecting my studies in favor of spending so much time with him… in an attempt to protect him. In the end, I suppose he’s right about that. Alas, I couldn’t bring myself to study peacefully with the fear of villains attacking him again.”

    “Don’t you trust him to take care of himself?”

    “That’s what everyone has been saying. And I know he’s strong, but if I can do anything to help him, I feel that I should.”

     Midoriya nodded. “I understand. When All Might lost his power, Kacchan and I couldn’t sleep for weeks. We were afraid it was going to happen again. It’s tough to let something like that go. But you know what? You can do both! You just have to find a balance.”

    Tokoyami was taken aback by the advice. So far, those he’d spoken to- Shoji, Hawks, even Dark Shadow- had advised him to stop trying to protect Hawks altogether. So Midoriya’s ultimatum made sense to him. Sure, he’d considered it, but hearing someone tell him that he could do both shifted his perspective. 

    “I see.”

    “Is there anything else bugging you?”

     Tokoyami considered the question. “It’s just. Hawks grew irritated towards the end of the argument. And he said something that I haven’t stopped thinking about...  I can’t help but feel that those words weren’t entirely his own.”

     Midoriya’s concerned expression softened. It was just like Tokoyami to be less hurt by someone’s words and more worried for what lay beneath them, meanings that no one else could pick out. He was perceptive that way. “I’m sure they weren’t. Hawks cares about you, he would never say anything to intentionally hurt you.”

    “I’m aware of it,” Tokoyami sank down onto his bed and gestured at the chair at his desk, and his friend obediently took a seat. Tokoyami sighed deeply. “I’m grateful you came by, Midoriya. I think I see what I must do more clearly.”

    The green-haired hero beamed. “I’m so glad to hear it. Would you like to study for the history exam with Todoroki, Uraraka, Iida, and I? The fifth place was going to be Jirou, but she decided to join Kacchan’s group. So if you’d like to join us, you’re welcome to.”

    “I’d be honored,” Tokoyami dipped his head, and Dark Shadow shyly ducked behind him.The entity seemed to be timid around those he liked… except for Hawks of course. With Hawks, Dark Shadow was more than happy to be present. Tokoyami understood precisely why that was, of course, but it was nice to see. 

    “Great! We’re starting in two hours! I’ll see you then, Tokoyami! And bye Dark Shadow!”

    Dark Shadow tilted his head in surprise. “Fumikage, are you really feeling better?” he asked after Deku had gone. 

    Tokoyami nodded. “I am.”

    The next morning, Hawks met Best Jeanist bright and early at a lousy cafe between their cities. The fiber hero had already claimed them a booth, having ordered Hawks an espresso. Hawks appreciated his old friend’s gesture, but he didn’t hesitate to use every sugar packet on the table to sweeten the cup. 

    “That is… unhealthy,” Jeanist prodded, playful more than anything. 

    Hawks grinned. He and the fiber hero had a very unfortunate meeting, one where a rookie Hawks had accidentally demolished Jeanist’s car. They had a rocky start to their friendship, with Jeanist often calling Hawks a reckless kid who shouldn’t have been a pro hero. And Hawks thought of him as a stick in the mud with no personality. But everything changed with one mission, and from there, Hawks had grown on him and vice versa.

    “Oh, please. That coming from the guy ordering a half-whole milk, half-non-fat, no foam, vanilla latte with split quad shots or whatever?”

    Jeanist snorted. “That wasn’t even close.”

    “Yeah well I’m sure the barista just loves you, Jeanist.”

    “Did you want my advice or not, Hawks?”

    “Right, right, right. So… long story short, Fumika- er, my intern and I had a bit of a spat. I know your intern is a fireball so I was wondering how you deal with that kind of thing. Do I tell him I’m sorry or wait or what?”

    Jeanist chuckled. “The bird kid? He got into it with you? Huh. I’d never take him as the confrontational type.”

    “He’s opened up a lot since I met him. But you’re missing the point here, Hakamata. What am I supposed to do?”

    “Why are you asking me? Why haven’t you done whatever you think you should do? You’re not one to typically ask for advice, Hawks.”

    “I know, I know. I just- I’ve been thinking. This kid doesn’t have real parents. And I- I’m way too young to be the type of figure he deserves. It’s not like what you can do for Bakugou. For me, it’s more… I don’t know. I just don’t think I’m experienced enough to give him what someone else could.”

    Jeanist raised an eyebrow as he pulled his collar down enough to take a drink from whatever concoction resided in his cup. “Hawks. Age has nothing to do with being a good role model. You’ve already taught the boy so much. You need not be insecure about what you have to offer him.”

    “I knew you’d say something like that.”

    “So why’d you call?”

    “I guess ‘cause I needed to hear it.”

    “I mean that, though. You are a fantastic role model for Tokoyami. You’re skilled, you’re honest, and you’ve taught him so much about control.”

    “So do you think I should tell the kid I’m sorry?”

    “I think you already know the answer.”

    “Right. Okay, thanks Jeanist.”

    “It was no trouble.”

    When the two heroes departed, Hawks took a deep breath before he began the flight home. Jeanist hadn’t said anything earth-shattering, but something kept bothering Hawks. Tsunagu had called him honest. Thinking of the things he’d had to do to gain the trust of the league, he knew that wasn’t true. But he wanted it to be true. 

    He texted Tokoyami. 

Chapter Text

Tokoyami was prompt in his arrival, per usual. Hawks had been thinking a lot about what Jeanist had said, about being a role model and being honest. He’d resolved right then that if he could trust Tokoyami with his name, he could trust him with the knowledge of what he was doing. He had to come clean about the dirty work he’d been doing for the league. And after he made sure their attempt to do the president in were failures, he was going to call this entire infiltration mission off. It was going nowhere anyway. 

All of this had been sitting in his mind since his talk with Hakamata. The potential consequences loomed over this decision like a malevolent phantom. So when Tokoyami entered the lobby, where Hawks stood uncomfortably, waiting for him, Hawks was surprised to feel his mouth refuse to come clean. He hated hiding the fact that he was a traitor, but for some reason, this didn’t feel like the right time to say it. 

“I’ve come to apologize,” Tokoyami dipped his head in shame. “It was wrong of me, both to neglect my studies and to snap at you.”

Hawks froze. And for a few seconds, he stared in silence at his student, who trembled and kept his eyes down. Hawks, not for the first time, wondered to himself how many times Tokoyami had been forced to apologize to his family for things he shouldn’t be apologizing for. Too many, was his guess. 

On impulse, Hawks pulled Tokoyami into a hug. Dark Shadow instantly emerged to join the embrace, and the hero put an arm around the entity as well. 

“You need to stop apologizing for everything, kid,” Hawks spoke gently, a fond tone in his voice. Keeping his arm around his intern’s shoulder, he pulled out of the hug. “Listen. I’m the one who’s sorry here. I’m the one who blew up on you, said what I did. I’m sorry.”

Tokoyami turned a wide-eyed gaze on his mentor, shocked that he was apologizing at all. Every moment of this only succeeded to make Hawks angrier at Tokoyami’s family. But he did what he did best: Hawks smiled. 

“You know what, kiddo? We’re skimping on training tonight. You and I are gonna find something to do.”

“What is it?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Head to your room and get dressed,” Hawks hoped that Tokoyami could simply learn to just be a kid, before it was too late. That felt like a higher priority than teaching him to be a hero. Between training and a childhood, Hawks had only gotten one of the two, and he wasn’t about to let Tokoyami become like him. 

Tokoyami emerged wearing black jeans and an oversized black hoodie. Along with his red choker, he wore two bracelets, one on each wrist, to match. His plumage had been spiked up further than usual, and he wore a pair of black combat boots with silver buckles where the laces should have been. 

Hawks, on the other hand, had donned a gray t-shirt under a jean jacket, which had, of course, been a gift from none other than the fiber hero himself. The wing hero thought it was pretty funny, even if the jacket wasn’t his personal style. He’d tried to groom his wild hair back, but it refused to do as he wanted. Even Jeanist had given up on that front. 

“Hey, bird bro,” he greeted. Dark Shadow had come over his host’s shoulder, moving up toward Hawks until he got a pat on the head. “Yes, hey to you too, Dark Shadow,” Hawks said with a smile. 

Tokoyami started to follow Hawks out the door, but Dark Shadow tried to push ahead of him, and both of them ended up in a heap in the doorway. “Abysmal fiend!” Tokoyami snarled from the floor. 

Hawks laughed out loud as he circled back to pull his student and his student’s quirk off the ground. “You know, kid, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you cuss. You always just kinda say something related to the abyss.”

“I don’t typically swear.”

“We’re gonna have to fix that,” Hawks searched his pockets and pulled out a thousand yen. “Would you curse if I gave you money?”

“Hell yeah!” Dark Shadow shouted immediately. 

Tokoyami facepalmed. “Dark Shadow!” He was obviously ashamed of his partner’s willingness. And he was about to apologize, but Hawks was laughing again. 

“Okay okay, here you go,” he handed the bill to Dark Shadow, who stuffed the money into Tokoyami’s oversized pocket. “Don’t spend it all in one place.”

Tokoyami rolled his eyes. “Have you decided what it is we’ll be doing, Hawks?”

“Not yet.”

Tokoyami didn’t argue. He merely shrugged and took to the sky after Hawks. They flew for a while, before Hawks banked to the right and landed on top of a building. Tokoyami landed beside him, remembering the first night he’d flown with the number two hero. It’d been a chilly night, much like this one. The stars hadn’t been out. Much like tonight, the sky had been one vast dark blanket covering the earth.

Hawks looked out over the city in silence, and Tokoyami could tell he was thinking. “Remember how I told you I was never really interested in training some next generation?”

Tokoyami nodded. He thought about it more often than he’d like. 

“I can’t say you’ve brought me some world-shattering epiphany. I’m still not overly concerned about it,” Hawks still wasn’t looking at him. His gaze was trained elsewhere, somewhere distant, like he was looking through the city rather than at it. 

Tokoyami lowered his head, trying to hide the sting of that remark. 

“But,” Hawks continued without missing a beat. “That doesn’t mean I’m not sticking with you until you become exactly what you want to be, you know? I’m here, kid, and that’s not gonna change anytime soon. Even if we butt heads on occasion, or if I don’t make it out of some big fight unscathed. I’m still gonna be here. You have enough on your plate without worrying about losing me. So I want you to stop worrying about me, because this is me making a promise that no matter what, I’ll be here. If that means I have to dodge death by a hairline, then I’ll do it. But I’m not going anywhere no matter what the universe decides to throw my way.”

Tokoyami watched his mentor. Hawks had literally just promised not to die. “I fear that may not be in your control.”

“Oh come on now,” Hawks flashed him a playful smile. “Do you know anyone with more control than me?”

“I don’t,” Tokoyami said honestly, and the sincerity caught Hawks off guard. 

“I was being sarcastic, but thanks.”

Tokoyami merely nodded.

“Alright, enough sulking,” Hawks stood up and stepped backwards off the roof. “Follow me!” He ordered just before he fell. 

Tokoyami, as always, joined him in the air, and the two birds flew across the sky. It was getting dark, but the student felt perfectly in control. 

Hawks didn’t slow down for once. He would gain distance, then circle back, then gain more distance, then circle back again. Finally, however, his pace matched Tokoyami as he looked down on the lake below them. They’d come to a park that was particularly beautiful at night. The lights, the fountains dancing back and forth, it was all breathtaking, even if you’d seen it a hundred times. And it was so much more beautiful from the sky. 

Hawks smiled down at it, the light reflecting in his eyes. “It feels nice, doesn’t it?” He called over the rush of air. “Nothing like the view from up here.”

Tokoyami followed his gaze. “Yes,” he said, the word eaten up by the roaring air. 

The wing hero smiled again before he landed on the roof of the gazebo on the edge of the lake. Tokoyami joined him. “Sorry to drag you out here. I just needed an excuse for a flight. It’s been a little while since I just flew for the fun of it.”

“How long is a little while?”

Hawks hesitated. “I don’t know. It’s always about moving fast, always about getting somewhere. It’s never about just living in the moment. I do love it, obviously. But the hero stuff is always there in the back of my mind. That’s why I want you to take advantage of these years. You don’t have to spend your life working hard. I want heroes to have free time, and I want to make that happen before you reach the top ten- and I know you will.

“You’re a kid first and a hero second. Remember that before you let this time go, okay?”

Tokoyami nodded. Hawks was particularly full of advice tonight. He wondered if maybe there was something more on the hero’s mind. “I will.”

Hawks let his gaze drift skyward. “There’s one more thing I wanted to tell you.”

A curious look in his student’s eyes. 

“Thank you,” Hawks said earnestly. “For having my back, I mean.”

Silence settled between them before Tokoyami looked out to the water. “You’re welcome.”

Chapter Text

Hawks and Tokoyami had returned to the agency late. So Hawks advised his young intern to turn in, and Tokoyami had shocked him by agreeing. Normally the boy would fight for any reason to stay up during the night, though to be honest, he did appear exhausted. There was a level of weariness in those eyes that made him appear several years older. Acknowledging it caused a familiar pit of dread to burrow into Hawks’s stomach. He’d been the same way. The last thing the hero wanted was Tokoyami to turn out like him. 

Nevertheless, the wing hero wished his intern a peaceful night before he returned to his office to work. For some reason, his mind had been focused more than ever on Akushedo Tokoyami, thinking about how the villain had said his own turned on him. Certainly, his arrest had been long before the league was established… but maybe they knew something. As always, Hawks’s curiosity got the better of him. He had to know more. 

He pulled out his phone and squinted as the bright blue light shined back at him. Turning the brightness down, Hawks brought up Dabi’s contact information and sent him a text. 

Hawks: Hey sparky, can I ask you something?

A few minutes of silence passed before his phone lit up with the responding notification. 

Dabi: What the fuck do you want, feathers, it’s like 3 AM. 

Hawks: It’s midnight.

Dead silence. Hawks almost assumed Dabi was going to ignore him. After a few minutes, however, he got his response. 

Dabi: Screw off, chicken wing. What do you want?

Hawks: I need you to do some digging for me. Do this, and you have my full cooperation for the plan against the commission president. 

He could practically feel Dabi’s eyes light up. Hawks hated lying with a passion, even if he was fantastic at doing so. Even lying to a villain felt wrong. 

Dabi: Who is it?

Hawks looked around as if he were telling a secret in a crowded cafeteria. As if someone was watching him. Who knows, with the commission, someone probably was. 

Hawks: A villain, around sixteen years ago. Nightshade, I think he went by. 

A beat of silence. 

Dabi: Is this about your baby bird?

Hawks froze. He didn’t want to give Dabi- or any villain- anything on Tokoyami. But if Dabi had done the digging anyway, he’d have found out. There was no point keeping it secret from him. So the hero sighed. 

Hawks: Yes. 

Hawks: Don’t tell anyone else about this.

Dabi: Or what?

Hawks: It’s not a threat- just a request.

A few minutes of silence again. 

Dabi: Whatever. I’ll see what I come up with. Now go the fuck to sleep, dumbass bird.

Hawks smirked. 

Hawks: Thanks, sparky. I knew there was a heart of gold under all that sarcasm and spite. 

Dabi sent him the emoji with the middle finger and Hawks snorted. Putting his phone down, he looked up to the ceiling. He knew letting a villain in on this little investigation of his was a risky move, but there was something bigger going on. He could feel it. And if somehow, Akushedo Tokoyami was connected to the commission or the league of villains, that could put Fumikage at risk, and Hawks wouldn’t sit around and twiddle his thumbs. 

His line of thinking was cut off by a shrill screech from the sidekick’s quarters. He didn’t need to be a genius to recognize Dark Shadow’s racket. The hero was on his feet in the very same instant, trudging back to that hallway and to Tokoyami’s room. 

Without knocking, Hawks  burst in. And he froze. 

Tokoyami was sitting on the edge of his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest, eyes squeezed shut, while Dark Shadow furiously rampaged around him, sweeping things off shelves and knocking furniture upside down. 

----

Tokoyami buried his face in his arms, trying to slow his heartbeat. If he couldn’t calm down, neither would Dark Shadow. But instead, he felt his heart rate spike when his door clicked open. Hawks appeared, dressed like he’d just crawled out of bed with sweats and a loose white t-shirt, wings tense behind him. Tokoyami caught the gleam of a few sharp feathers. 

Hawks began to approach him, slowly, hands spread wide in front of him to show he meant no threat to the wild entity. 

Now, if there was only one thing that both Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had always appreciated, it was how Hawks had never feared Dark Shadow. Hawks would pet the creature, talk to him, even feed him sometimes. Second only to Tokoyami, the number two hero was Dark Shadow’s closest friend, and Tokoyami knew it. So if anyone had the chance of calming him down when Tokoyami couldn’t, it was Hawks. And yet, the boy was worried. If Hawks couldn’t do it, Dark Shadow wouldn’t hold back against someone else the way he did with Tokoyami.

To his surprise, Hawks didn’t address him. Instead, he went straight to Dark Shadow. “Hey, DS, relax. Calm down,” he spoke gently. “You’re freakin your bro out. It’s okay.” 

Tokoyami’s head snapped up at the word ‘bro.’ He’d honestly never seen Dark Shadow as anything short of a sibling he just so happened to be permanently stuck to, but the rest of the world never saw it that way. Once again, something else to be grateful to Hawks for. 

Dark Shadow screeched and lashed out with outstretched claws. Hawks didn’t make a sudden move by dodging. Instead, he allowed those claws to swipe his shoulder, and while he wobbled on his feet, it didn’t knock him down. 

“Dark Shadow, stop,” he spoke more sternly, reaching out to pet the shadow on the head. 

He backed away, but didn’t lunge. Instead of speaking to him any more, Hawks merely walked past the outraged entity and sat down on the bed next to Tokoyami. Dark Shadow seemed utterly confused by the move, before he went back to rampaging around the room. 

“Tokoyami? You okay?” Hawks put an arm around him. 

“It was just a dream,” Tokoyami shook his head. “But my heart rate jumped and woke Dark Shadow up. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Maybe if you calm down, he will too?”

Tokoyami nodded numbly.

“So stop thinking about losing control, stop thinking about Dark Shadow. Think about something else. Think about… hm. I got it, think about the first time we flew.”

“You dropped me.”

“No, not that time. I mean the first time you and I flew, when you were on your own and we were flying around the time of the sunset. We saw it over the water, remember?”

“Yeah.”

“Just think about that feeling, that freedom. And take deep breaths.”

Tokoyami did as he was told, picturing the blending pink and purple of the sky and breathing as deeply as he could manage. 

From there it took only a few minutes for Dark Shadow to relax. Hawks put his arm around Tokoyami while Dark Shadow placed his head in the student’s lap, suddenly exhausted. They stayed that way for a long time while Hawks absently scratched Dark Shadow’s head. 

Eventually, Tokoyami’s head dropped onto Hawks’s shoulder, fast asleep. The hero nearly froze in shock. Dark Shadow dissipated back into his host’s body. Eraser wandered into the room and hopped up on Hawks’s lap, purring as he fell asleep. All the while, Hawks dared not move, so as not to wake up his intern or his intern’s cat.

Chapter Text

Eventually, the sun began to creep up from the horizon, and the number two hero realized he’d been sitting there for a few more hours than he’d meant to. He checked his phone for the time. The movement of retrieving the phone from his back pocket caused Eraser to shift in his sleep before he lazily got up, stretched, and bounded out of the room. Hawks smiled in spite of himself and began to scroll through the news. He always did his best to keep up with as many current events as possible. 

His phone startled him just then by going on a tirade of vibrations. Dabi was calling him. The hero declined the call and sent a text instead. 

Hawks: I’ll call you back in a sec.

He didn’t get a response, so he gently slipped his arms around Tokoyami, who'd collapsed against him, easing the student back onto the bed. Thankfully, he didn’t wake up. Hawks moved out of the room and into his own, following up Dabi’s call. 

“What’s up?” He asked casually. 

“Meet me in twenty minutes.”

“What?”

“Twenty minutes, usual meeting place. No excuses, boss’s orders.”

Hawks frowned when Dabi hung up on him without another word. Boss’s orders? Did that mean Shigaraki would be there? He felt his wings sharpen involuntarily at the thought of seeing that man again. No one succeeded in sending shudders up his spine quite as well as Shigaraki. The incident with Endeavor had left Hawks with a primal fear of the guy that he simply couldn’t shake, nor could he place the origin of. 

He supposed he didn’t have a choice. He left a note for Tokoyami, explaining he had some brief hero work to do, before he donned his costume and took to the sky. The flight to the old warehouse was pleasant, but as soon as his boots hit the ground, a hole was gnawed into his stomach by his own nerves. It was nowhere near the level of fright he felt upon entering the commission’s headquarters, but it was still startling to Hawks, who typically felt no fear when facing off with any sort of villain. 

The hero took a deep breath and made sure his feathers had all gone slack before he walked into the warehouse. 

“Dabi?” He called when it appeared empty. 

After a few beats of silence, he heard a soft girly voice. “Oooh, he’s here!”

He recognized her by her voice alone. Himiko Toga. His research on her hadn’t come back with much, though that could be said for the entirety of the league. The only two he hadn’t been able to get anything on at all were Shigaraki and Dabi. Every time he thought about Toga or Twice, however, he felt a twinge of pity. She was so young, and Twice was so earnest. Hawks often found himself wishing he could help them. Maybe one day soon, he’d try.

When Hawks rounded the corner, he froze. The entire league of villains was gathered there, and he recognized each one from what he’d found in the database. Spinner, the lizard quirked Stain disciple. Kurogiri, who had a story Hawks dreaded telling, especially to Eraserhead. Mr. Compress, the theatrical son of a thief. Toga and Twice. Dabi. And Shigaraki. 

Each of the villains were perched on various crates, except Dabi and Shigaraki, who stood in the center of it all. Hawks tried not to freeze, but all of his feathers were trembling. He took a breath and tried to look as if he belonged there. 

“Wow, what did I do wrong to get you all together?” He said lazily, jumping into the air and landing on one of the crates stacked almost to the ceiling. Somehow, he landed right next to Twice, who’d also gotten up there. 

“Shut it,” Shigaraki hissed. “Dabi, give the hero what he asked for.”

Dabi sneered and tossed a small manila folder up into the air, which Hawks sent out a few feathers to retrieve. He leafed through it a few times, and his shoulders fell. It was a file on Akushedo Tokoyami, but it wasn’t laid out well. It was clearly printed and typed unofficially. This was someone’s personal research.

“I did the digging for you. Don’t worry though, none of these idiots know what it is,” Dabi addressed Hawks. “But that’s what your precious commission tried to cover up. You’re welcome.”

Hawks had a growing bad feeling about all of this. “What’s the catch, or do I even want to ask?”

“Just following up on our deal. Shig and the rest of us were talking at our last meeting… I mentioned how you thought it would take someone special to get to the president. And our boss here, he had a wonderful idea.”

Hawks didn’t like the sound of that. 

“Who in the entire world is close to the president? Who does she trust? Who does she look at as a subordinate when in reality, that person could slit her throat with her being none the wiser?”

Shigaraki moved slightly in front of Dabi to assume command of the conversation, which Dabi surprisingly conceded. “This is your chance to redeem yourself within the league, Hawks. Surely, you won’t disappoint us a second time.”

Hawks forced a smile and a lazy chuckle, slipping off the crate down to Shigaraki, using his wings to slow the fall. “I’m a little confused, boss. What is it you’re asking me to do?” He feared he already knew the answer to that. 

“Your next meeting with the commission. When is it?”

“Wednesday morning.”

“Excellent. Ask the president to speak with you privately, tell her you found my location. She won’t refuse, she knows you would never turn on them, after all. And when you have her alone…” Shigaraki’s hand gently embraced one of Hawks’s feathers, using two fingers to give it a good jerk so it came dislodged. Hawks barely winced. 

The feather sharpened involuntarily, but Shigaraki brought all of his fingers down onto it, and Hawks watched as his feather crumbled into dust. It was an odd sensation, numb and painful all at once. But the hero gritted his teeth and merely assumed a bored expression. 

“You’ll have to dumb it down a bit more than that,” he said, his voice condescending. 

Shigaraki glared, and his hand lurched out so four fingers clamped around Hawks’s throat. The hero had seen it coming, but to his dismay, he’d froze. Shigaraki’s pinkie hovered threateningly over the hero’s throat, while all the other league members gasped in shock. 

“Sure,” he said darkly. “Let me make it simple. You off the president when you get her alone, or your little brat gets the treatment instead.”

Mentioning Tokoyami sent Hawks into a rage, but he could do no more than tense. He wasn’t sure if Shigaraki was bluffing, but he’d gamble that he was. It wasn’t the league’s style to kill kids. But… that didn’t mean they wouldn’t use Tokoyami against him. 

Hawks thought back to his promise to himself to tell Fumikage the truth, to stop playing double agent. And he knew what his answer would be. In a bolt of speed, he tore free from Shigaraki’s grasp and paused just before he took off out the window. “No.”

Chapter Text

The entire flight back to the agency consisted of Hawks arguing with himself. 

Shigaraki is going to kill you. Dabi is gonna hide your body. 

I can’t turn on the commission. 

And you couldn’t lie again?

They fell for it once, they wouldn’t fall for it a second time. Besides, I’m done playing spy. 

You do realize Tokoyami is gonna be the one to suffer for this. 

No. I’ll protect him.

And the president? And the commission? And the public? That’s more time than you have.

I can handle it. 

This is gonna come crashing down on you. 

… I know. 

By the end of his internal conflict, Hawks was very irritated with his conscience. Obviously Shigaraki and the rest of the league would be gunning for him now. He hadn’t exactly handled that the right way, but staying any longer would have given more to them regarding his treachery than he could afford to spare. He felt the file Dabi had given him tucked in his jacket, searing with guilt. He’d gone back on their deal, as if Dabi didn’t already have enough of a reason to slaughter him. 

The hero’s head was full, and flying wasn’t helping. In fact, it was only giving him more time alone with his thoughts, the last thing he wanted. 

Hawks made it back to the agency, staggering into the lobby. Ishida was already there with his clipboard, rattling off the thousand and one things the number two hero was supposed to do today. Hawks flinched when his sidekick mentioned checking in with the commission. The last thing he wanted to do was hear the president reprimanding him for something that wasn’t even connected to him. 

“Thanks, Ishida,” he replied without inflection. 

“Are you alright?” The blank-featured man cocked his head, his voice softening. 

Hawks took a long breath before he chose his next words. “Yep,” that forced smile. “Just a little tired is all. Turns out being number two is even more work than being number three.”

More observant than he was given cutting credit for, Ishida shook his head. “Hawks, you seem exhausted. And overwhelmed. And frustrated. What’s going on with you? If it’s something I can help you with…?”

“No, no,” Hawks cut him off, placing his hands up in a gesture that normally meant for the other to slow down. “Really, I’m okay.”

“Please let me do my job. I know you’re fast, Hawks. I know you want to save the world alone. But I’m your sidekick, just like all the others. We’re here to help you, if you’d just take it.”

Hawks felt a prick of irritation, the frustration finally overtaking him. “Trust me, Ishida. This is something you don’t want to be part of. It’s dangerous.”

“Then it must be more dangerous to go it alone. Why can’t you let us in, just this once?”

“Because you’ll slow me down!” Hawks snapped, raising his voice for the first time in a while. He never really shouted at any of the sidekicks, so Ishida was shocked into stepping backwards. “You’ll all just slow me down and get yourselves killed.”

The sidekick spoke again, but his voice was subdued. “We all care, Hawks. We do. But we’re all equally tired of this lone wolf act of yours. If you wanna end up a martyr in all this, there’s nothing I can do to stop you. You have my number, if you change your mind.” 

And with that, Polychrome turned his back and simply left the agency. Hawks knew he’d stick to his word and come back when he was needed, but in the moment, the wing hero was exasperated, too much so to mourn the loss.

Hawks sighed, but something in the hallway caught his eye. His head jerked up to see Tokoyami standing there watching him.

“Hey, bud,” he said softly, offering his plastic smile. “How long have you been awake?”

Tokoyami didn’t answer right away. Instead, he walked closer to Hawks so the two of them were toe to toe. And when he did speak, his voice was cracked. It’d dropped the deep ‘edgy’ tone that Tokoyami always took on. “You won’t end up a martyr like he said, right?”

Hawks sighed and pulled the student against him. His wings curled around them both, a shield. A cocoon from the outside world. It was as if for one moment, he could block it all out. They were safe. But it couldn’t last. 

“Listen, Fumikage,” Hawks released his student so Tokoyami could look up at him. “I don’t plan on dying any time soon. I’m always gonna try to make it through. I told you before, I don’t want you worrying about me.”

“How can I not, if even your sidekicks think you are going too far?”

“Look, I’m sorry you had to hear that. But it’s always been this way."

"Perhaps it shouldn't be."

"You're right. It's not always this bad. I never have to lie this much or shut them out all the time. But right now I don't have a choice. The commission set me up on an assignment that I couldn’t tell them about.”

“What assignment?”

Hawks took a breath. If he was going to come clean, now was the only time to do it. “They asked me to-”

He was mercifully cut off by a loud text tone, resembling a hollow church bell. Tokoyami frowned as he produced his phone from his hoodie pocket. His frown only deepened when he read the message. 

“What’s going on?” Hawks asked, gentle as always. 

“It’s… from my mother….” Tokoyami stared at the phone as if it’d betrayed him.

“And?”

“And she’s asking me to come see her. Alone.”

Chapter Text

“I’ve got a few choice words for that woman if she expects you to just walk in like it’s no big deal,” Hawks snarled. His wings had sharpened without him noticing. Just the idea of Tokoyami going up to that mansion by himself and opening the door to her face… It was infuriating.

“I’ll be back,” Tokoyami was already slinging his bag over his shoulder. 

“What?” The wing hero was stunned, sure he’d heard wrong. “You’re not seriously gonna go talk to that-”

“It’s likely nothing to be concerned about. Perhaps I just left something there.”

“Then why ask you to go alone?”

Tokoyami paused, then shrugged. “We all know she isn’t fond of you. There’s no surprise that she wouldn’t want you to accompany me.”

“Yeah, no way. If you’re going, I’m coming with you,” Hawks recalled their last visit with those people. How they’d spoken down to their son right in front of him, like he wasn’t even there. Just thinking of it made him sick, but to think of it happening again with no one to jump in… He gritted his teeth. 

“Mother said to come alone. She won’t have an audience with me if I don’t respect that. I’m sorry, Hawks. I’ll be back.”

“No. You’re not going there by yourself.”

For the first time, irritation clouded Tokoyami’s eyes as he snapped them up to look at Hawks. He folded his arms over his chest. “While it’s comforting to know you don’t believe I can handle talking to my own mother without a security guard, I don’t think this decision falls to you.”

Hawks sensed an argument rising and backpedaled. “No, it’s not that. I just. I can’t imagine why you’d want to go at all.”

“I don’t want to. But sometimes us little people have to do things we would prefer not to do. Like it or not, in the end, she is still my mother. Like it or not, she was right when she said I am who I am because of her,” his gaze flickered off to the side. “There was a time when we were very close, after all,” he said this in a forlorn tone, and Hawks’s heart broke for him. 

“I know how it must feel, but leaving was the best thing you could have done. You shouldn’t have to go back ever again.”

Tokoyami looked up. “Is it so hard to understand that if I can salvage any time with my mother that isn’t drenched in remorse, I would do anything for it?”

Hawks was silent. He’d never been able to compare himself to Tokoyami’s situation. Because Hawks had never in his life had a good relationship with his family. Had never really desired to, not the way they were. But Tokoyami’s early years had been good to him. Hawks looked away. “I don’t want you going there alone. Not after last time,” he repeated it more firmly this time. “If not me, take someone else. Please, kid, listen to me on this.”

Tokoyami watched him in silence for a long moment. He seemed almost… sad, when he spoke. “Do you truly trust my resolve so little, after everything?”

The hero hesitated. “It’s not about you, Fumikage. It’s about what I know that woman will say. What she’ll do. I just want to protect you…”

“I’m tired of needing your protection! I can’t be the hero I want to be if I’m attached to your hip, you said so yourself. If you want me to stop trying to protect you all the time, then you need to do the same,” Tokoyami folded his arms. 

Irritated, Hawks’s wings bristled. “You’re not a hero yet, kid. How many times do I have to say that?”

“You’ve said it enough,” Tokoyami snapped, voice sharp. Without waiting another second, he turned his back on Hawks and walked for the door. 

The wing hero lunged forward and grabbed his shoulder to stop him. On cue, Dark Shadow appeared, lurching out to snap at Hawks. Immediately, he drew his hand back, shocked. But Tokoyami didn’t turn around, didn’t seem fazed at all.

“We are done talking, Hawks. I’ll see you for training this week,” he spoke with such finality that Hawks finally realized how badly he’d messed this up. 

This time, however, he didn’t try to stop the boy as he walked out the front doors of the agency and took to the air, his quirk nestled tightly around him. 

Hawks watched his student disappear into the skyline, and per usual, he was at a loss, but remained outwardly composed. He took a deep breath, then left the agency as well. But when he spread his wings and took to the sky, he banked sharply in the opposite direction Tokoyami had gone. He needed someone to talk to, otherwise his own conscience would consume him. Frankly, the number two hero wasn't sure he could handle that right then. 

Only a few minutes later, Hawks arrived at Odds ‘N Ends. The little thrift store was just opening for the day, and Seichi was unlocking the door right as Hawks’s boots hit the pavement. The owner brightened at the sight of his old friend, and he happily pulled open the door. 

“Kei! What’s up? No kid today?”

Without a word, Hawks collapsed into a hug. Seichi tensed in surprise, but he eventually folded into the hug as well. After Hawks finally found it in himself to pull away, the hero noticed how tired Seichi looked. And… there was a large bruise on his cheek. It was definitely an old one, the skin discolored. But. Seichi didn’t get into fights. 

“What happened to your face?” Hawks demanded, eyes narrowed in suspicion. 

Seichi’s hand flew up to the bruise. “Oh, uh… it’s not a big deal. I think the question should be, what’s going on with you? Are you okay?”

“Seichi. What. Happened,” Hawks’s voice had fallen deadly serious. 

“Well… some punk kid with a lizard quirk came in about a week ago asking me some stuff. I wasn’t gonna tell him anything, and he didn’t like that. Don’t worry about it, Kei, he went easy on me.”

“I’m sorry,” Hawks was apologizing for not being there more than the incident itself. “What did he want from you?”

Seichi just looked at him for a long moment. “The League of Villains wanted to know more about your kid, Hawks.”

Chapter Text

Hawks froze in place. “What?”

“They wanted to know anything I knew about him. Anything at all. If I’d ever met him, if I knew anything about his family- which I don’t, and I told them as much. So not that I had much to give the guy anyway, but still.” Seichi glanced at his boots as if confessing something. “I would have called…. But, they told me not to breathe a word of it to you, and I didn’t wanna find out what they were planning otherwise.”

Hawks immediately took out his phone and texted Tokoyami. 

Hawks: Kid, go back to the agency. Now. 

When he inevitably didn’t get a response, he looked up at Seichi. “Okay, okay. Listen. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Stay here, don’t open the store today.” He looked towards the other side of town… the better side. This area, where he and Seichi had grown up, wasn’t a good one. “I’ve gotta run,” his wings stretched out to full length behind him. 

Seichi’s concern was visible. “What do you think is happening?”

Hawks frowned. Tokoyami’s mother had asked him to come alone. But- that didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t. Even someone like her wouldn’t… sell out her own son. Hawks looked toward the sky. His sky. The sky he’d been surprised he wanted to share when Tokoyami had first set out to prove himself. “Call it instinct, but I think the kid’s in danger.” 

Seichi reached out to place a hand on Hawks’s shoulder before the hero took flight. “If there’s anything I can help with, you have my contact.”

Hawks nodded. “Thanks. And Seichi?”

The man tilted his chin up to acknowledge the question. 

“Thank you. For not telling them anything.”

“Hey, I’m no snitch,” Seichi shrugged before he smiled playfully. “Besides, the worst that punk did was knock me down. This little mishap was honestly my fault,” he rubbed his cheek with a sheepish chuckle. 

Hawks smiled at his old friend. “Take care.”

“You too.”

With that, Hawks took to the sky and headed straight for the Nakajima estate. On most days, it was a long flight. Forty minutes. But Hawks was full speed today, and he made it in ten. He flew across the city and landed directly in front of the large building, pounding on the door with no restraint.

In only a moment, Hanahi Nakajima opened the door and folded her hands in front of her. Her face was, as usual, contorted with disgust when she saw her unexpected guest was Hawks. “Ah. What can I do for you today?”

“Is Fumikage here?” Hawks demanded. 

“I’m afraid not. Do you mean to tell me that you’ve lost my son?” She glared at the hero. 

“Not exactly,” Hawks glared right back. But his gaze was accusatory. “You called him here today, isn’t that right? You told him to come alone?”

“Yes,” a nod. “Please do make this visit brief, Hawks. I have urgent business to attend.”

Frustrated by how little she was giving away, Hawks jumped right into it. “But he hasn’t arrived, has he?”

“Obviously not, if he isn’t here.”

“He left a half hour ago. Even on the late bus, he should be  here by now.”

A shake of the head. “I had assumed he changed his mind.”

“You’re lying.”

The woman cocked her eyebrow. “What is it you're accusing me of?”

“What is it you’ve done?” Hawks raised his wings, appearing several feet taller than he really was. His golden eyes flashed with something almost feral as his hands curled into fists at his sides. He was trembling. 

She walked out onto the porch so she was toe to toe with Hawks, and she pulled the large door shut behind her, absently rubbing a hand over her stomach as she did so.  Her pregnancy was showing a great deal more than it had been the last time Hawks had seen her. 

“I was promised my son will not be harmed. As long as you do as you’re told.”

“You sold him out!” Hawks shouted in disbelief.

“Yes. I was promised that all records of Akushedo Tokoyami will be deleted and untraceable to my family. It was the perfect opportunity to save Fumikage’s reputation. And as I said, he will not be harmed if you do as you’re told. I know it’s difficult for you, but my son’s wellbeing is at stake so I ask you to try your best,” as always, she kept her chin up, and the bitterness never left her voice.

Hawks wasn’t sure why he felt so hurt that Dabi had betrayed him by sharing the information he’d found with the rest of the league. He gritted his teeth. “Where is he?”

“The man who contacted me instructed me to tell you that he took Fumikage to the league headquarters. They only want you. As long as you comply with their orders, Fumikage will be safe. If he gets hurt, it’s on your hands.”

“Yeah, full offense here, lady. You’re the worst mom ever.”

“I’ll thank you to leave. Go save my son, hero,” she spat. “It will be the last you see of him if I have to pull him from UA’s registry myself.”

Hawks snarled as she slammed the door behind her. “Yeah over my dead body.” Without hesitation, the wing hero spread his wings and took off.

Chapter Text

Hawks flew as fast as he ever had, his wings beating more forcefully than even he thought he could manage. In a rush of newfound desperation, he was sure he was topping his record. The wing hero soared over every building until he reached the run-down old bar his comrades called home. Though every fiber of his being screamed at him to rush in, grab Tokoyami, and duck out before they could see him, he knew the only reason they’d taken the kid was to get to Hawks.

So he needed a plan.

Hawks was not a ‘plan’ kind of guy. He moved around the building next to the bar so he couldn’t be seen or heard by anyone on the inside. Pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket, he pressed the dial button next to Dabi’s hidden number.

“Oh, hey, birdie!” Dabi greeted, and his voice was so falsely surprised that Hawks wanted to reach through the phone and throttle him. “How’s it going?”

“Let the kid go, then we can talk about whatever it is you want from me.”

“Actually, about that. Birdnapping your kid wasn’t my idea. Shig thought it would be the best way to get through to you at this point. And let’s be real. He’s absolutely right. You got a real soft spot for him,” something in Dabi’s tone sounded bitter.

“Then give the phone to Shigaraki.”

“Not so sure that’s a good idea. Boss isn’t too pleased with you right now. Listen, we aren’t gonna kill your brat. In fact, if you bring your feathered ass in here right now and agree to our plans, your kid walks completely untouched. But. And this is straight from the top. If you aren't here in the next five minutes, bad things are coming his way.”

Hawks cursed. “Tell him to keep his dusty hands away from Fumikage.”

“Look, feathers. You know I like you.”

Hawks cocked an eyebrow.

“So I’ll stall for you. I might even be able to get you an extra five minutes. But think very carefully about how you’re going to handle this, Hawks. If you do something stupid, someone innocent is in the way.”

Dabi hung up, and Hawks exhaled deeply. He knew the flame villain was being honest when he said he’d stall. But this whole plan thing was on crunch time. And Hawks couldn’t do it alone. For the first time in a long time, he knew that he needed help.

He called Aizawa first. “Eraserhead.”

“Hawks? What is it?” Aizawa deadpanned, sounding just as exhausted as he always did.

“The league got Fumikage.”

“What?” This came out in an outraged bark. Anyone messing with Aizawa’s kids knew that tone of voice well.

“Yeah, they took him and they’re holding him until I agree to… do something for them. I don’t want him getting hurt, but I can’t do what they’re asking. I don’t want to corrupt myself anymore than I already have. I… I’ve been working undercover with them. I’ve been trying to tell Fumikage. I’ve been trying to quit. But, they got impatient. I can’t help him alone. I’m sure they have a plan if I try.”

A short period of silence. “What can I do?”

“Keep it quiet for now. I have some… others I need to call. I just need you to come here,” Hawks texted a location. “Keep watch and make sure Fumikage is okay while I make a quick trip to Ashihari Prison. If they try anything, let me know and I’ll be there.”

Another pause. “Alright. I’ll follow your lead on this one.”

“Thank you.”

“I know you probably don’t hear this too much. But hurry up, Hawks,” his voice was somewhere between challenging and urgent. The line went silent as soon as he finished speaking, and Hawks was reassured that Eraserhead would be there in no time.

He sent Ishida a message as well, asking him to be ready, that he’d be stopping by in just a few minutes to pick him up. He would need his closest sidekick’s help on this as well. Another call, this time to Seichi.

“Hawks!” His friend spoke quickly. “Are you okay?”

“Sort of. The league took Fumikage to their headquarters.”

“What can I do?”

Hawks knew Seichi was great with computers and better at hacking than most people he’d met in his life. The only person who could break the villains’ security cameras. “I’m sending you an address. Get there as fast as you can. I’m gonna be one step ahead of them. I need you to access their computers and knock out their cameras. I’m having a few friends stopping by there, and it’s best they don’t see us.”
“Finally some hero stuff I can do,” Seichi sounded pleased. “I’m on it.”
Hawks took a breath. One more thing. He made the flight to the outskirts of the city and the prison housing Akushedo Tokoyami. He breezed past the front desk, briefly flashing his license at the front desk attendant, an older gentleman who simply waved him by. Hawks was down the aisles of prisoners who cursed at him and insulted him in no time. The hyena-quirked guy from last time started his laughing as soon as he noticed the hero.

“Akushedo Tokoyami!” Hawks addressed sharply.

From the shadows, the bird-quirked man appeared. His burnt orange gaze glowed with something angry, and Hawks could see darkened bruises on the skin beneath his gray feathers. Several cuts along his cheeks and neck as well. He looked terrible.

“Hey, hero,” the villain raised a brow. “I’m a little surprised to see you again so soon.”

“I don’t have time to talk, sorry. Fumikage needs our help. Will you come with me?”

The villain’s eyes darkened when Hawks mentioned that his son was in danger. “Yes.”

Hawks sent one of his smallest feathers out and into the lock, working the mechanism free and opening the cell door. He repeated the same procedure on the cuffs around Akushedo’s wrists to allow the man to use his shadow manipulation quirk. It was a lot of trust to place in the villain, but Hawks truly suspected that Akushedo had been telling the truth about trying to get straight, to be part of his family.
As soon as the cuffs were released, a massive shadow appeared on the wall behind Akushedo. The villain shook out his wrists. “You’re pretty trusting, for a hero.”

“We have a common goal,” Hawks said quickly.

A text from Eraserhead made him jump.

Aizawa: Hawks it’s too late. I’m going in.

Hawks: On our way.

It’d been eleven minutes since Dabi had hung up. Hawks was pushing his luck. He sent the address to Ishida, apologizing that he couldn’t pick him up after all. “You’re not afraid of heights are you?” He asked.

“No…”

Without warning, the hero grabbed Akushedo under his arms and launched them both into the sky. The larger man stiffened at first, but he quickly relaxed when he realized that Hawks was stronger than he looked and not going to drop him.

Hawks didn’t slow down, not the entire way to the headquarters. By the time he reached the bar, Ishida was pulling up in his car, Seichi was already there, and Aizawa was probably already inside the building.

“Alright. Team Hawks, here we go,” Hawks dropped Akushedo to the pavement just below. The man landed gracefully on his feet, his shadow seeming to catch him. Hawks raised an eyebrow at that. “Seichi, are the cameras out?”

“Yep. No audio, no video.”

“Good. Polychrome,” Hawks addressed his sidekick. “You’re going to stop the warp gate villain. You’re the only one who can, and he’s our biggest threat. Nightshade and I,” Hawks turned his head to Akushedo. “We’re going to get Fumikage and hopefully get Aizawa out of whatever he walked into. You’re all clear on the plan?”

“It’s a bit of a loose idea at this point, but yes, I get the message,” Akushedo confirmed.

“Alright. Let’s go,” Hawks tucked his wings close at his back and trekked around to the rear of the building to its employee entrance.

Chapter Text

     Polychrome was known for his odd quirk. That much was indisputable. When the number two hero had selected him among dozens of possible recruits to be his primary sidekick, Ishida had been shocked. It seemed the public shared the sentiment, as they always commented on what a peculiar choice it’d been for someone like Hawks. Nonetheless, he was flattered and grateful for the opportunity. 

     Ishida was, by appearance, intimidating. The plain white and gray mask he wore concealed his features… or lack thereof. He didn’t have human eyes, and he didn’t see quite like they did. It was the reason he’d suspected Hawks was mocking him when the hero had said he needed someone like Ishida to be an extra set of eyes. But joining up with the wing hero’s agency, though difficult and chaotic, was not one of Polychrome’s regrets. 

     So when Hawks asked him for his help, he was happy to offer it. He recalled the details he’d been given about the warp gate villain. Kurogiri. A threat, to be certain. A villain without a visible form, able to move as nothing more than a dark cloud. 

     Ishida’s quirk allowed him to see in heat signatures and manipulate those temperatures. Lock in on movement using the neon array of colors he saw in. It’d been debilitating, not being able to see naturally, but the quirk more than made up for it. It was very useful in both combat and utility-oriented missions, as well as clean-up, which was what he was often left to do. No one could find survivors quite like he could.

     In this particular case, he would find Kurogiri, and since he was the only one who could lock onto his temperature and find his body, he was the only one who could fight him. So he went ahead while Hawks stayed with the villain he’d broken out of prison. Ishida was not eager for that commission phone call. The president would have Hawks’s head if his sidekick couldn’t think of a way to talk him out of it. He wasn’t entirely sure why the wing hero thought it was necessary anyway.

     Polychrome was broken out of thought by a bright red heat signature through the wall, a bit closer than the others. He saw the heat signatures of the villains, and of Hawks’s kid. He bristled. The entirety of Hawks’s agency adored Tokoyami, and Ishida was no exception. To think that these villains thought they could use him against Hawks.

     One heat signature was drifting closer. A body. Seemingly of a normal human, but there was a cold blue cloud of mist swirling around it. The color hero ducked low and spoke into his comm. “I found the warping villain. I’ll keep him engaged.”

     Hawks’s voice came back to him instantly. “Thanks, Ishida.”

     Polychrome took a deep breath as he slipped into the room by himself, instantly heating up the misty form in front of him. It would take a few minutes to make the temperature change dangerous, and in the meantime, all Ishida could do was dodge and hope that Hawks made this rescue operation a quick one.

     At his sidekick’s confirmation, Hawks turned his eyes on Akushedo. “Polychrome has Kurogiri engaged. Now is our chance. You’ll be taking the leader of the league. Shigaraki, he’s got a decay quirk. But he can’t disintegrate your shadow, so you’re safe against him. You also have a better chance than I do against Himiko Toga and Spinner. Both are close range fighters for the most part. Just don’t let Toga cut you. I’m taking Twice and Compress…” and Dabi , his mind supplemented for him. 

     Hawks was no pessimist. But even with the playfully bitter ‘friendship’ he’d formed with Dabi, he knew that flame villain would absolutely decimate him in a fight to the death. The most he could hope for was that Dabi would hold back. Unlikely. But Akushedo wouldn’t fare much better against that cremation quirk. Which left him up to Hawks.

     “Questions?” Hawks cocked an eyebrow. 

     “I have several,” the taller man raised a brow, those orange eyes of his burning. Like his son, he wore an expression that constantly made him look furious. “Namely, why you thought it was a bright idea to bring me along and not one of your hero friends.”

     “Easy,” Hawks was already moving into the first hallway. He kept his voice hushed so it wouldn’t carry. “Your quirk is the key to holding back Shigaraki, one of the greatest threats here. And… to be honest, I’m a little short in the hero friend department. Actually, most of the old timers aren’t big fans of mine. Shocking, right?”

     “I am truly astonished,” Akushedo answered sarcastically. 

     Hawks was instantly reminded of Tokoyami and his rare dry humor. It made him smile just a bit. “Anyway. Polychrome should be engaging Kurogiri now. So we have to hurry. The rest of the league is likely closing in.”

     Without warning, the wing hero burst through the door to the main room, and Akushedo kept close behind him. Hawks was already brandishing a sharp primary feather, fully ready to be attacked. But when no blows landed, he stood straight to look around. 

     In the main room next to the bar, Polychrome merely stood alone, using his quirk against a struggling Kurogiri. “They’re in the next room,” his voice was strained. “I’ll join you as soon as I’ve got this one unconscious.”

     Hawks nodded. The high body temperature would certainly cause the villain to pass out sooner or later, but Kurogiri was advancing slowly towards Polychrome, so there was a chance his sidekick wouldn’t make it out unscathed. His quirk was certainly making it difficult for the villain to attack, however, so Hawks knew he didn’t need to worry too much.

     The next room over was chaos. As Hawks pushed open the door, his eyes widened in surprise. In the center of the room was a simple metal chair, and Tokoyami was bound to it, thick black straps pinning his arms and legs to it. Around his wrists were quirk suppressant cuffs. At a second glance, it was very clear he wasn’t unharmed. His face was scuffed, hands and arms banged up and bruised, a long scratch on his cheek, just below his eye. 

     Just seeing him that way had Hawks’s wings sharpening in outrage. The hero looked between the chaos. In the center of everything was Aizawa, doing his best to fend off six villains at once. The UA teacher looked as if he’d been through hell and back, and Hawks found himself shocked that Eraserhead was still standing. 

     Spinner seemed to be on guard, not attacking, but standing back as if watching for intruders. As a result, it was he who noticed the duo of birds step in first. Shigaraki was the quirk that Aizawa was holding back, but he couldn’t do so forever. Dabi seemed the most unengaged in the fight, hanging back and releasing a few bolts of blue fire as if he couldn’t be bothered to try and do real damage. Aizawa was blocking attacks, using his arm to block a hit from Twice while he kicked out at Toga to try and get her to drop the knife.

     Tokoyami was struggling against his restraints to reach Aizawa, but he froze when he saw Hawks and Akushedo enter the room. His eyes lingered on his father for a moment before they settled on Hawks. He looked startled to see his mentor there. “... Hawks?”

     Hawks gave him a brief nod before he radioed in to Seichi. “We’re in. Cut the power.”

     Instantly, everything went pitch black, and the villains, startled by the new development, fell silent. Hawks, as a bird of prey, had excellent night vision. Akushedo also had night vision, according to his profile. Tokoyami was also safe and able to see. Polychrome fared the best in the dark, but Aizawa was not so lucky. Hawks was at the erasure hero’s side in an instant to offer his support and protection.

     All was still for a moment. Shigaraki’s voice broke it. His tone was lethal, threatening.. “Are you sure you want to play the game this way, Hawks?”

     Hawks kept close to Tokoyami and Aizawa and swallowed before he spoke. “I’m done with the league, Shigaraki. Let the kid go, then you can settle your business with me.”

     “You don’t make demands, hero,” Shigaraki spat. “I knew letting you in was a mistake,” a brief pause. “But if you’re sure you want to betray my cause, fine. Dabi, now.”

     The entire room was lit up in a bright blue glow as Dabi’s hands ignited. Hawks’s feathers twitched as he sensed something coming toward him. He jumped back just in time to see Shigaraki reaching through the darkness for his wings. Out of nowhere, a massive black shadow passed in front of him and knocked Shigaraki’s hand away. 

     “Thanks,” he said to Akushedo. The villain nodded before he started to use his shadow and its various forms to attack the three villains left for him. 

     Hawks was prepared to deal with Twice, incapacitate him before he could begin making clones, but a cobalt-colored flame shot between the wing hero and his target before the former could make a move. He whirled to face his attacker, bringing his sharpened feather up on instinct, and he found the end of it at Dabi’s throat and well as the question in the back of his mind: How far would he go?

Chapter Text

For the brief moment they held eye contact, Hawks was reminded of all the things he’d done to gain the league’s favor. All the ways in which he’d let himself be corrupted. He’d known deep down that getting attached to any of them would be a mistake. This teasing rivalry he’d established with Dabi, the genuine connection he’d gained with Twice, even the begrudging respect he’d been earning with Shigaraki, he’d always known it couldn’t last. And why should it? Nothing was made to last if you were only born to keep moving.

But. That didn’t change anything. Hawks didn’t want to kill anyone here. And yet he’d stormed in without any plan to negotiate. And for what? Some kid, a kid that- like the league of villains themselves- Hawks wasn’t supposed to get attached to. Look at how that turned out.

Dabi’s drawling voice ripped Hawks out of his own head. “You know, I kinda figured it would go this way… but still I’m disappointed, Keigo .”

Hawks didn’t have time to question how the villain knew his name before Dabi unleashed another round of blue fire. Hawks beat his wings and twisted to try to dissipate and avoid it, but his wings were singed nonetheless. The pro hero was running out of options, and Twice was already moving to activate his quirk. Hawks’s sharpened feather burned in his hand. It was do or die, but… he couldn’t let himself die.

“Tokoyami!” He was addressing the elder of the two. The shadow-quirked villain was using ranged attacks, his shadow morphing and bending in the fire’s light, to keep Shigaraki and Toga at bay. Spinner was already on the ground, trying in vain to get up. Hawks would have felt a twinge of guilt for the kid if not recalling what he did to Seichi. “Forget what I said. I’ll handle them, just get Fumikage and Eraserhead out of here.”

“Are you insane?” the villain growled as he left Shigaraki sprawling and moved to deal with Toga. Hawks sent a stray feather to slice at Twice’s ankle, taking out that vital Achilles’ tendon. After a few tries, he made contact, and Twice’s wail of pain rang in his ears. The villain dropped to his knees with a hand on his ankle to quell the blood flow. “You’ll be dead in a second.”

Hawks shook his head. “Just get your kid out of here, Tokoyami. I’ll deal with this. Please.”

Dabi’s blue fire washed over Hawks then, and he felt sharp, searing pain through most of his body. Unable to remain standing, his knees buckled, and Hawks landed hard on all fours. His wings were little more than ragged messes of feathers. Compress was standing above him with a marble in hand. Hawks knew then that this fight would not last much longer.

Tokoyami seemed to be struggling still, and his eyes went wide when he heard his mentor’s plan, wider when he saw Dabi’s attack make contact. “No!”

“I’ll distract them,” Hawks said, more quietly. “Go! Now!”

Akushedo did not need to be told twice. Hawks sent out his remaining feathers to keep each of the villains busy while the villain’s shadow quirk slid over Aizawa and Tokoyami, enveloping them. In one swift motion, he was gone. 

Hawks’s wings were little more than memories at this point, and Shigaraki, Toga, Dabi, and Compress were all closing in around him. He stumbled to his feet, though doing so lit up every single nerve in his body. His vision went black, then white, but he managed to stay standing. A cold hand lurched out to clamp around his throat. Shigaraki, its owner, stood across from the hero with bloodlust in his expression. Hawks squeezed his eyes shut and waited for it to be over.

“Go back! Now!” Tokoyami ordered, struggling against the black mass that restrained him. “Hawks! He’s not going to win! Please, you have to let me go!”

Akushedo gritted his teeth and kept moving. He landed beside Seichi when he reached the outside, gently helping Aizawa stand up on his own and then attempting to offer his son the same service. Tokoyami merely shoved him away. Akushedo helped the kid work the quirk suppressant cuffs off his wrists, manipulating his own shadow to act as a key. All the same, Dark Shadow was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m going back in there,” the boy was already walking for the door.

A large black shadow materialized in front of him, blocking his path. Akushedo folded his arms and took a breath. He was much taller than Tokoyami. Taller than Hawks. More built as well. But Fumikage had no fear in his eyes as he went to stand toe to toe with the villain. “You are him, aren’t you? My father.”

“Yes,” it was all the villain could say. 

Tokoyami’s gaze drifted back to the building. He heard crashing sounds from the inside, and he looked desperately back to Akushedo. His tone abandoned all command as his voice cracked. He sounded so much more like a child, actually sounded his age, when he finally found it in himself to speak. “I forgive you for not being there. I do, even if I don’t understand. But if you do nothing while the one person who has been there dies, that’s something I will. Never. Forgive.”

Akushedo took a very deep breath for the second time. “Fumikage, I-” He looked away. “You’re in no shape to fight, and I’m not sure there’s much I can do for him now.”

Tokoyami was desperate. Tears pricked in his eyes as he balled his father’s shirt- an orange prison uniform- up in his shaking hands. His voice was ragged and broken. “Please. Please, I’ll do anything. Don’t- don’t let the last thing he and I…” He didn’t finish, and he didn’t have to. 

Akushedo placed two firm hands on his son’s shoulders. “I will do what I can.” He looked up at Seichi, who was staring at the two of them in concern. “Keep him here.”

Seichi nodded, slipping down from his laptop to put an arm around Tokoyami's trembling shoulders. He nodded at Akushedo. “Go help Keigo.”

Like that, the villain was gone, as if he’d never been there at all. 

Dabi had spoken first. “Maybe we should keep him alive. He still knows things we need.”

Shigaraki shot him a look, then turned his lethal gaze back on Hawks, who’d long since stopped struggling against the villain’s hand, which was still snapped tight around his throat. Dabi held his arms twisted up behind his back. “I’m done keeping your idiotic project alive with no profit in doing so. It’s clear where his loyalties lie, and I have no room for traitors.”

The flame villain merely shrugged, pretending he was unaffected by the news. Hawks waited to be killed, but instead, the hand around his throat began to turn warmer, and he opened his eyes. Ishida had entered the room. “Let him go,” he said softly, using his quirk to continuously raise Shigaraki’s body temperature.

After only a few more seconds, Shigaraki stumbled on his feet. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Hawks to break free. He tried to make a run for it, but Compress’s hand shot out to clamp down on his shoulder- right on his burned wing. Hawks yelped as his legs gave out on him. He was only vaguely aware of what was happening by that point, but aware enough to see Akushedo Tokoyami appear above him. 

The villain placed himself between Hawks and the standing members of the league. “This is my repayment. Thanks for taking care of him.” His shadow grew to an impossible size to knock all the villains back, as well as barricade them from the door.

Before Hawks could think of a way to respond, Ishida had gathered the hero up into his arms and was making a break for the back door. Hawks peered over his sidekick’s shoulder as blue flames lit up the room, engulfing Akushedo and his shadow. Try though he did, he couldn’t cling to consciousness any longer.

Chapter Text

     Hawks experienced little to no surprise at all when he woke up in a hospital bed with Tokoyami sitting right next to him, headphones on and scrolling through his phone. As soon as the young hero noticed his mentor, however, he dropped the headphones to dangle around his neck and placed his phone on the empty chair beside him. 

     “Hawks, you’re awake,” his words came out in a breath of relief. 

     “‘Course I am,” Hawks offered a tired but fond smile, a look that seemed to ease his student’s troubled mind, at least for a moment. “What, did you think I’d up and die on you?”

     Tokoyami hesitated. “I wasn’t quite sure… The fear was certainly present.”

     Hawks winced. His entire body stung and ached, and his wings were sore with the tension of growing back in. Small pin feathers started to pierce through the membrane of his wings, and it was going to be a long and painful process to reform. Several days of inability to fly left him vulnerable. Not an ideal state for the number two hero.

     Thankfully, Tokoyami appeared unharmed. A few scuffs and bruises, and a small bandage on his cheek, but he was okay.

     “You should know me better than that by now,” the pro chided. His teasing was light-hearted, gentle. “I told you before, I’m sticking around.”

     A beat of silence passed between them before Tokoyami dipped his head in shame. “I apologize. I should have listened to you when you told me not to go alone. This is my fault.”

     Hawks sat up, not without a hiss of pain from the burns, but he ignored it to bring a hand down on his student’s shoulder. “Don’t you dare apologize for this. If I hadn’t gotten in deep with the villains, this wouldn’t have been a problem in the first place.”

     “So why did you?”

     “Commission’s orders,” the hero answered shortly. He wasn’t going to elaborate.

     Another small span of silence. Tokoyami used the time to text Polychrome, Mr. Aizawa, and Seichi that Hawks was awake. Hawks caught the names through his side vision and stole a glance at his intern’s message.

     “How’s Eraserhead?”

     “He’s well. Still in recovery, but able to move around just fine.”

     “And the others?”

     “Seichi is completely unharmed but currently placed under commission supervision. They claim they’re protecting him from the villains, but their method makes little sense to any of us. Polychrome is back at the agency, taking care of things there. He, too, was unhurt.”

     “... And… the villain I brought with me?” Hawks hated asking. He hated it almost as much as he hated not knowing.

     Tokoyami looked down again. “He… The police searched the bar. They didn’t find any bodies. I think- I think that perhaps he escaped.”

     “Hope so,” Hawks said softly. 

     “I know he’s my father, Hawks,” Tokoyami spoke very softly… and his words were slow as if he were trying not to spook an animal. “I only wish I would have gotten the chance to speak with him for even just another moment.”

     A nod from the hero. “I know. I’m sorry, kid.”

     Tokoyami fell very quiet. 

     “How long has it been?”

     “Only about twenty hours. But the commission president has been in touch with Polychrome all day in an attempt to get answers and hear from you.”

     “Of course she has,” Hawks’s shoulders fell as he leaned back. The pin feathers in his back poked at his muscles, causing him to tense up a bit. He sighed deeply. The commission would be livid with him for the destroyed mission and the damage to his wings, no doubt. Even after all this, it seemed he wasn’t able to rest just yet. 

     “Hawks?”

     “Hm?”

     Tokoyami hesitated. He was shaking a little, trying to find the right words. “I don’t know that I’ve ever been so frightened to lose someone as I was yesterday. I-” The lower part of his beak trembled, and Hawks didn’t give him a chance to finish. The hero slowly extended his less-injured arm, which was still blistered and burned, particularly on the back of his hand, and wrapped it around Tokoyami. The boy was stiff, eyes glistening as though holding back tears. 

     “Kid, c’mon,” he gently pulled his intern against his chest and forced himself to sit up a bit in spite of the pain. “Hey. It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m not going anywhere. You don’t need to be afraid of losing me.”

     “You would have died yesterday if not for my father. You would have died that night with Endeavor and the villains if not for Mr. Aizawa. I can’t believe you when you tell me not to worry if things like this are going to continue happening,” Tokoyami practically burrowed into his teacher’s chest, seeming much smaller than usual. 

     Hawks winced, but this time it wasn’t from pain. “I-” He wasn’t sure what he wanted to say until it came out of his mouth. “I’m sorry.” He was so accustomed to the near-death experiences of being a hero that he’d stopped thinking about how a kid would react to it. Sure, Tokoyami was lined up to be a great hero, but right now, he was sixteen. Hawks forgot that fact sometimes. 

     Hawks took a long breath and gently tipped Tokoyami’s chin up to look at him. “Fumikage, listen to me. I’ll have scrapes every now and again. I’ll have close calls. But that’s part of being a hero. Other heroes have done the same thing since school started, right?”

     A numb nod.

     “Just. Trust me, I’ll stay.”

     Eventually, Tokoyami sighed. “Things are still as complicated as ever, aren’t they?”

     “Unfortunately,” Hawks nodded. “The villains are taken care of for at least a little while, but I can’t say the same about the commission. The president will have my head.” Though he tried to keep it lighthearted, the weight behind that statement made it clear it was no joke. He was not looking forward to getting into contact with her. 

     Both heroes fell silent for a few moments. Eventually, Tokoyami cleared his throat. “I… I have to return to UA soon. All Might gave me permission to stay until you woke up, but I really must go back to the dorms.”

     “You got a ride back?” Hawks cocked an eyebrow.

     A nod. “Shinsou and Todoroki are here to check in with Mr. Aizawa as well. Endeavor has offered all of us transportation.”

     Hawks tipped his head up, put at ease by that. “Got it. Thank the number one for me, will you?” He winked.

     “I will,” Tokoyami dipped his head.

     “Now get out of here, kiddo. Go back to UA, get some sleep. You look like you could use it,” Hawks grinned, keeping his tone playful. He was serious, though. Tokoyami didn’t look good, his eyes tired and red, his hair ruffled. Hawks had to wonder if Tokoyami had been sitting here awake with him since he’d arrived. He was willing to bet the answer was yes.

     The student nodded numbly. He slowly pulled away from Hawks and wandered toward the door. Before he slipped through it, the boy glanced back over his shoulder. 

     “Thank you. For coming after me. I was wrong to trust my mother… even for a moment. I’m sor-”

     Hawks cut him off. “Don’t. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I’m sorry,” he smiled softly. “I’ll see you later, Fumikage.”

     Tokoyami looked surprised by his mentor’s apology, but he settled on a nod before he left entirely. As soon as he was gone, Hawks sighed and leaned back against the hospital bed, ignoring the sharp spikes of pain. 

     It wouldn’t be long before the commission president wore Ishida down to get him to come and talk to Hawks. The hero wondered to himself what the consequences of this would look like. He wasn’t far into his head before his phone, which rested on the bedside table next to him, began its vibrating and hushed ringtone. 

     “Hawks here,” Hawks answered, fully expecting Ishida to be whining about the commission on the other end. 

     “What were you thinking, Hawks?” The president’s voice was rough, but her tone was level. Which made her all the more terrifying. 

     “Listen, it was-”

     “I’m not going to hear you try and talk your way out of this. As soon as you’re released, you will report to the commission headquarters to receive whatever disciplinary action we deem fit,” she spoke with finality. 

     “Do I get any insight as to what that may look like?”

     “You get nothing. You’re lucky to be keeping your hero license. You’ve shown your insolence for the last time.”

     The line clicked when she hung up on him.

Chapter Text

    Tokoyami was, as he expected, swarmed with questions from worried classmates. Another student from UA had gone missing, and that sort of thing was no longer overlooked. And since Mr. Aizawa wasn’t around to dispel any rumors, Mic had let a few things slip. Tokoyami being captured, Hawks being the one to save him, the league of villains. Thankfully, it seemed nothing about his father or Hawks’s injuries had gotten around. 

    He tried his best to answer simply, without giving away much. He wasn’t yet sure what Hawks was okay with the world learning. Shoji was the one to grant Tokoyami an excuse to get away from that conversation by bringing up some homework he’d been confused about. The jet black hero was grateful for the distraction. 

    Even as he tried to focus, his mind wandered. The villains taken care of for now… Hawks under the commission’s scrutiny… and his father. Akushedo Tokoyami. A villain. Now that Tokoyami could pair a name, he knew exactly what to look for. He was certain Hawks had already been doing the very same research. He’d make a point to ask his mentor about it as soon as Hawks was in the clear with the commission. 

    “Hey, bird brain,” a rough voice wrenched him out of his own mind. The rest of the students had grown bored of their unanswered questions and concerns and dispersed. In their place was only one: Bakugo leaned with his back against the door frame to the common room, arms folded tightly across his chest. 

    “Hello, Bakugo,” Tokoyami returned. His eyes dropped down to the paper he’d been working on. He must have spaced out because Shoji had also gone at some point in the last fifteen minutes. 

    There was a long period of silence. “It sucks, doesn’t it?” Bakugo’s voice was softer than Tokoyami had ever heard, but that edge was still there. Tokoyami wasn’t sure Bakugo could speak gently even if he put his entire being into it. Not that he minded much. He himself had worked on deepening his own voice for years. 

    “What?”

    “Being used by those bastards just to get at the damn heroes. It sucks.”

    A nod was all Tokoyami could manage. When Bakugo glared at him expectantly, he realized the explosion hero was waiting for an answer. That had been Bakugo’s way of asking him if he was okay. Tokoyami cleared his throat. “I’m alright, however. Simply concerned for my mentor, more than anything else.”

    “That’s bullshit,” Bakugo said sharply. His shift in tone startled Tokoyami, who looked up in surprise. “Trust me, I know better than anybody it isn’t that simple. Look, just. I know you’re thinkin’ it’s cause of you that the stupid bird got himself messed up. It’s not, okay? That’s stupid.”

    In his own way, it was the kindest thing Tokoyami’s classmate had ever said to him. He was reminded of the time when Bakugo reassured Kirishima of his strength, and he felt a newfound surge of respect for Bakugo. He lifted his chin in acknowledgement. “Thank you, Bakugo.”

    “Whatever,” the other student was already making his way for the door. 

    “When the villains took you,” Tokoyami said suddenly, causing Bakugo to pause. “And you fought back… did they use quirk-suppressant cuffs?”

    “They started with that, dumbass.”

    “And the day after… did your quirk feel weaker?”

    “Yeah, actually.”

    “How long did it take to get back to normal?”

    Bakugo’s eyes turned skyward. “Like four days. Why?”

    That explained Dark Shadow’s resistance to show himself. He was feeling weakened by those cuffs they’d been using. Tokoyami bit the bottom of his beak, as he always did when he was troubled. Four days was a long time to be in a vulnerable place. “I was only wondering.”

    “Just stay away from the shitty number two hero until then and you have nothing to worry about,” Bakugo said as he turned away once more. “They’re only targeting you because of him anyway. So really it’s his fault.”

    Tokoyami was left to contemplate that. It was technically true. But. He wasn’t without blame, that was no longer an anxiety but instead a hard fact.

    It had been two days since his last communication with the commission president. Hawks had recovered enough to finally be released from the hospital. However, he was in no shape for any hero work and had received a week-long pardon from his duties. Ishida was already at his side while giving the number two hero a ride back to the agency, going over everything he’d been doing to keep the agency running. 

    “Thanks,” Hawks said, but his eyes were blank and his voice absent.

    “Hawks? Something wrong?”

    The hero took a deep breath as his eyes wandered out the car window. “Not a thing.”

    Before Ishida could press for more information, Hawks’s phone sounded off. Exhausted, he ran a hand over his eyes before answering it. “Hawks here.”

    “People are frightened, Hawks. They know of the incident and are demanding explanations as well as plans moving forward,” the president’s voice was instantly recognizable, and Hawks rolled his eyes, thankful she couldn’t see him. 

    “Sounds like another Tuesday,” the hero muttered. 

    “You and your intern will be attending a brief press conference this afternoon when his classes let out. I will send you a transcript of what you and he are to say. Am I understood?”

    Hawks snorted. “You ask like I could possibly refuse.”

    “At least you get the picture, then.”

    Hawks tipped his head back so he was looking out the sunroof of the car. “Copy that.” 

    “Good,” the line went dead.

    The wing hero took a long, drawn out breath. Ishida’s head was turned slightly toward him. “Is everything okay?”

    “She wants Fumikage and I to do a press conference…” Hawks was silent a moment. “I don’t know why she wants him involved.”

    “To remind you he’s part of her bargaining chip, perhaps?”

    Hawks groaned. “I’m too tired for this. A brush with death and I’m not even out of the hospital for an hour before the commission is on my tail.”

    Ishida sighed as he continued the drive to the agency.

    “A press conference?” Tokoyami echoed. “What for?”

    “Your guess is as good as mine, kiddo,” came the reply from his mentor. “But we don’t have a choice. The commission prez sent me this entire spiel I’m supposed to go on about how it happened and the league and how I’m gonna stop them. There’s one for you too. I wish I didn’t have to ask you to do this, I’m sorry. I’ll be there in ten to pick you up.”

    When Hawks arrived- Ishida once again in the driver’s seat of a shiny black car which Tokoyami wondered whether it belonged to him- he pushed open the door for his student. Tokoyami gave UA one long look before he climbed into the car. He kept thinking about Bakugo’s warning. To stay away from Hawks for a while. Was it a warning of caution? So Hawks wouldn’t meet the same fate as All Might? 

     Tokoyami sat down across from his mentor in the back of the large car. It wasn’t quite a limousine, but it had rear and forward facing seats as one might. Hawks sat facing the rear.

    “You’re not gonna wear that, are you?” Hawks eyed Tokoyami’s school uniform. 

    “Do I have time to change at the agency?”

    “Sure.”

    They arrived at the agency only a short time later, where Tokoyami immediately started to shed his jacket for the suit he kept tucked away. It was a simple gray thing, designed for affairs that could just barely be considered formal. In true Tokoyami fashion, however, two small x’s were embroidered on each sleeve. Hawks was willing to bet he’d done it himself. 

    Hawks was wearing a nice black and white suit with a long navy blue tie. As his wings were barely more than tufts of feathers, the jacket hadn’t been fitted with its usual slits. He offered his student a comforting smile. 

    “Lookin’ good,” he turned toward the door. “The cameras are meeting us in the main lobby. Are you sure you’re okay to do this?”

    Tokoyami nodded. Dark Shadow had appeared behind him, but the entity’s form was smaller than ever before.

    “Oh, right. What suit is complete without one of these?” Hawks held up a black clip-on bow tie and held it under Tokoyami’s chin. 

    “I think it’s a bit much for the occasion,” Tokoyami gingerly pushed the hero’s hand away.

    “Well, then, maybe your combat partner wouldn’t mind. You should both be dressed for the occasion,” Hawks’s attempt to joke was amusing, and he got that trademark snort from Tokoyami. But the hero wasn’t done yet. “Dark Shadow, c’mere.” Obediently, the entity crept a little closer, and Hawks pushed the tie against his chest so it secured. Tokoyami nearly chuckled at the sight of Dark Shadow wearing a bow. 

    Dark Shadow grabbed it in his talons and threw it back at Hawks with a hiss of disdain. He retreated to cower behind Tokoyami. “No way! Fumikage, make him get that thing away,” he protested. 

    And that did it. Seeing Dark Shadow duck behind him in fear of a tie, of all things they’d been through, it was enough. Hawks caught the corner of Tokoyami’s mouth turn up in a genuine smile, right before a tiny laugh escaped his beak. 

    Hawks would have lost it right there if not for Ishida running in to tell them the reporters had arrived.

Chapter Text

    The press conference was a worthless endeavor, as Tokoyami and his mentor alike had predicted. Stupid questions about the league, about how they’d gotten their hands on yet another class 1-A student. Questions that irritated and infuriated Tokoyami, but that Hawks simply brushed aside with logical defenses. He was clearly trained very well for this sort of thing. Tokoyami found himself wondering just who’d taught his mentor to lie so well. 

    How many lies had he failed to catch because Hawks was so talented in spinning them?

    He felt guilty with the thought alone and stepped back a bit, allowing Hawks to take center stage at the podium. While not fully hidden, Tokoyami tried to stay out of most camera shots, and he was put at ease when Hawks slightly opened his wings to conceal his student even further. 

    “One more question for Tsukuyomi!” One of the reporters held out a boom mic toward him, and Tokoyami went tense. 

    Hawks hesitated, waiting for his student’s nod of affirmation. When he got it, the wing hero visibly relaxed and moved aside to give Tokoyami the floor. 

    “Tsukuyomi!” The woman stepped forward. “I think the world is dying to know. What is it that both you and Katsuki Bakugou have in common that made you prime targets for the League of Villains? What is it about the two of you that these villains have latched onto, convinced you can be turned to their side?”

    Tokoyami was more shocked by the question than he thought he would be. And as a result, he couldn’t seem to find his words. Was it… he and Bakugou both seemed… dangerous? Angry? Evil? What had the villains seen in them that made them good candidates for kidnapping. Tokoyami remembered, after all. The night Bakugou was taken, he was meant to be taken alongside his classmate. It was only by chance that he’d been the one rescued beforehand. 

    Hawks spoke then, more sternly than throughout any of this meaningless interview. “You ask why them?” He narrowed his eyes. “Why two students from 1-A, the shining hero class of the year, two students who have been publicly demonized on several occasions? Answer your own question, ma’am. It’s quite likely the League had the same incorrect perceptions as you,” his smile was nothing more than bared canines, daring anyone to speak against him. 

    And with that, Hawks turned around, declaring this conference over. As he and Tokoyami were on their way out, Hawks murmured into his student’s ear. “I texted Eraserhead. Since it’s a weekend night, you can stay here at the agency with me. These vultures will be gone by tomorrow and then you’ll get a peaceful trip back to the school. Sound okay?”

    A nod was the only response he got, but it was enough. Tokoyami paused before he found the words. “Thanks… Hawks.”

    As Hawks rounded a corner and slipped the door closed behind him, he smirked. “All this time, after I told you my big secret, and you still won’t use my name, kiddo?”

    Tokoyami shyly ducked his head, and his mentor slapped a hand on his shoulder. “Kidding. Don’t feel like you gotta. Anyway, get some rest, bird bro. My wings are killing me.”

    As Hawks retreated toward his room, Tokoyami didn’t miss the falter in his step, the grimace under his smile. The pro was still in a great deal of pain from their ordeal. And yet, as always, Hawks put Tokoyami first. Again, Tokoyami smiled, but this time, it was just to himself. 

    Hawks grunted and gazed blearily at his phone through the darkness. Anonymous number. 

    Outside. Now. Or I burn this whole place to the ground.

    Hawks took a long, deep breath. He wasn’t surprised. Dabi certainly wasn’t the type to let things go so easily. He’d known this confrontation was coming, but so soon after his injury? If Dabi came for a fight, it would be over quickly. But Hawks couldn’t refuse. He only hoped that the cremation villain had come alone. 

    It’d been a long day, and the nights weren’t getting any easier with his injuries. He practically limped down the hallway and out toward the lobby. Hiding that limp and the occasional flinch had been hard enough, and Keigo just didn’t have the energy to do it anymore.

    And who knows? Maybe Dabi would see what a pathetic, half-debilitated mess he was and decide he wasn’t worth killing?

    Ah, his youthful optimism. Hawks snickered at the thought. 

    He went outside and traced the smell of smoke and burning flesh all the way to the alley branching off the agency. As far as creepy back alleys went, this one was relatively crime-free, being next to a hero agency and all. But tonight, it still gave him chills. 

    “Dabi,” he called, keeping his voice monotone. 

    “Hey, hero,” a scornful voice replied through the shadows. Dabi held up a hand, coated in bright blue flames. It put a gentle cobalt glow over everything. “Figured it’s high time you and I have a little talk.”

    “Look, if you’re here to fight, can we just skip to that? I’m not really feelin’ the witty banter tonight,” Keigo dropped his easy going facade to show his tension. 

    Dabi’s eyes lit up at that. “Really? That’s all you have to say for yourself, stupid bird? Guess I should have known. You never changed… did you?” The tone was so spiteful, so accusatory, it felt more personal than any insult Dabi had thrown his way. 

    “What?”

    Dabi’s blue eyes were blazing with hatred. It was so intense, it was almost unlike him. Hawks couldn’t help but feel that he’d missed a bit of information. “Even back then...” Dabi snarled. “Even when you were just idiotic Keigo Takami, you were nothing but a liar and a rat.”

    Stunned, Hawks took a step back. “How did you know-”

    “Told the commission what I said, didn’t you? That I wanted to burn it down, and I’d use what they taught me to get there? You got me killed , Keigo. After we’d been such close pals.”

    And it clicked. An entire history Keigo had tried to forget. A story not even Tokoyami could know. 

    God, he'd wished so many times he could forget.

    And now it'd all come back for its revenge.

    “Touya?” Hawks’s voice was small, pathetic. Disbelieving even though the true was staring him down with cobalt blue eyes.

    “And now he catches on. For the fastest man alive, you’re awfully slow on the uptake, birdbrain,” Dabi’s face split in that signature grin of his, but now Hawks noticed blood trailing from the corners of his mouth, and under the staples beneath his eyes… “Once a traitor, always a traitor. And to think I gave you a second chance.”

    Hawks closed his eyes, contemplating what he should say. There wasn’t much. Yes, he’d betrayed the league and blown his cover, but he’d do it all again if it meant protecting Tokoyami. But to know that Touya, his once best friend was alive... all this time. Becoming the husk of person he saw standing in front of him now. It ached, a deep primal pain within his chest that he couldn't place the origin of. “I’m sorry, Touya." It felt so strange saying that name again. "But the kid is more important to me than my job.”

    “And more important to you than I ever was, evidently. Why wasn’t I more important than your job back then, old friend?” Dabi spoke the last part mockingly. Hawks watched him in stunned silence. Everything he thought he could say sounded so foolish. Too little, too late. 

    Damn it, why hadn’t he seen this coming?

    He had to try. 

    “I’m sorry-”

    “Don’t you dare apologize now!” Dabi raised his hand and prepared to unleash his quirk at Hawks, who tensed as if to counter. It would be worthless if he tried of course.

Chapter Text

    Out of nowhere, a small black shape hurtled in front of the winged hero. It was Tokoyami. He wore a dark gray hoodie with a red lightning bolt on its front paired with black sleeper pants. He spread his arms out wide as he stood protectively in front of Hawks. 

    “Don’t!” he said desperately. His voice cracked, sounding so much smaller and childlike than Hawks had ever heard it before. “Please...”

    “Out of the way, stupid kid,” Dabi answered. “There’s no need for me to kill you too.”

    “Tokoyami, listen to him,” Hawks warned. 

    “No!” Tokoyami shouted as Dark Shadow reared his head in defense, his form shaking and warping as Tokoyami fought to keep him under control. “I won’t let him! I can’t lose you, Hawks... You’re the closest thing to family I have!”

    Hawks froze, stunned at the admission. Sure, he’d known that Tokoyami felt that way, but to hear him voice it so strongly, so passionately... It was so much more than he deserved. 

    Dabi seemed even more enraged by the student’s words and let loose a bolt of blue flames at Tokoyami. Hawks was faster. He forced his way in front of the kid and took the brunt of the fire as he pushed his student out of its path. He fell down hard after the flames enveloped him. Fierce burns covered the surface of his face, arms, and shoulders, attacking the wounds from their previous fight. 

    “Hawks!” Tokoyami rushed to the hero’s side. 

    Hawks was trying to push himself up, his arms repeatedly giving out on him. “Run, kid!” he screamed, his voice hoarse from the smoke. “Please!”

    “I can’t leave you!” Tokoyami threw his arms around Hawks’s shoulders, careful to support his neck with his upper arm, as it seemed the hero was losing the strength to hold himself upright. Tokoyami eased the struggle by lifting him up against him. “I won’t!” 

    Dabi was coming closer, and Tokoyami held Hawks close to him, turned his back so it was at least somewhat shielding the wounded hero. 

    “Please, don’t,” Tokoyami whispered toward the villain. “Leave him alone.”

    “I’ll kill you, too, kid. Unless you fly away now and leave the hero to me,” Dabi warned. “A little tacky of me to kill a baby bird, don’t you think?”

    “I’ll do anything,” Tokoyami begged. “I can’t lose him.”

    “It’s not like you mean anything to him. He told me, when he first picked you up, that you were just an informant for him. Keep him updated and all. He doesn’t care about you, it’s never been personal. You’re just a side project the hero commission ordered him to take on.”

    “They… ordered him?” Tokoyami was shocked, if not a little hurt. 

    “That’s what I said kid. And I’m quoting it straight from the raptor’s beak. They wanted intel that UA staff wouldn’t give them. How’s it feel, knowing you helped every move we made against your stupid school?” Dabi sneered.

    Tokoyami’s shoulders fell. He turned glazed-over red eyes down to the hero who leaned so heavily on him. “It’s not- It’s not true, is it, Hawks? You weren’t forced to take on a student for the work studies, were you? You called me back because you wanted to, right?”

    Hawks sighed against his student and turned golden eyes up on him. “When I called you back to my agency… yes, it was because the commission wanted me to. But then, all this happened and I- I found myself caring about someone, getting attached. The very thing I was always told not to do. But the fact of the matter, Fumikage Tokoyami, is that I love you. You’re my family, and I’ll protect you until my last breath.”

    “And that last breath is now,” Dabi interjected, sending another shot of fire towards the avian duo without giving them any time to react. It brushed the air just above them, clearly a warning. 

    “Tokoyami, please. Don’t die for me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Run.”

    Tokoyami closed his eyes and let himself shed a tear as the fire missed them again. “You mean too much to me to let him kill you. I’d like to do this for you, Keigo.”

    Hawks didn’t wait. He wrapped his little brother up in a hug, holding him close for just a few seconds. A few seconds of one last goodbye to the student who’d taught him so much. Who’d opened him up and reminded him that being a real hero was so much more than just following the brass’s orders. Then he sent out a cluster of his feathers to drag Tokoyami away from him. 

    “I’m sorry, kid,” he whispered before Tokoyami was out of earshot. “Goodbye.”

    “Hawks!” Tokoyami screamed, struggling in vain as he was dragged toward the bright lights outside the hero agency. 

    Dabi was staring at Hawks in shock. Then some sort of forced, twisted glee. Hawks had to wonder how Touya had come to this after the ‘accident’. “It’s not like the commission to teach you compassion, now is it, Hawks? It was certainly never a priority when they were training us. So tell me. Where did this newfound love of yours come from?”

    Hawks gritted his teeth, trying to keep himself up on his arms and knees, repeatedly failing. “I know what you think of me, Dabi. And I know you won’t believe it. But I never wanted to hurt you back then. They… you know the commission… there was no way I could refuse.”

    “And yet you went against direct orders for some dumb kid?”

    “That I can’t really explain. I just know that I was ready to take the commission’s punishment for blowing my cover if it meant Fumikage was safe. I’ll live my life blinded and bound before I see any harm come to him.”

    “Why?” Dabi pressed, growing desperate. “What makes him so special that you wouldn’t do the same for your ‘ best friend’?”

    “Touya-”

    “Answer me, Keigo. Why was I never good enough for you to break the rules?”

    “I was afraid!” Hawks finally shouted, remembering the nights he’d laid awake in tears because he’d been pushed too far that day. Knowing the other kids were suffering just as much, that only one of them could be chosen, that he could do nothing for any of them. He remembered every nightmare he’d ever had of those awful years. “I’m sorry, I know it’s a shitty excuse. But I was afraid. But now that fear is gone. I can help you if you’ll just give me the chance.”

    “It’s too late for that,” Dabi raised his hand toward Hawks. 

    Hawks closed his eyes, accepting. He’d known what Dabi’s answer would be before he’d made the offer. So now there was only one thing left on his mind through all of this. One loose end that needed to be taken care of. “Just promise me one thing.”

    “What?” The word was sharp, harsh, more a snarl than a real word. 

    “Don’t let the commission get to him the way they got to me. I’d rather see him under villains than them, if it came down to that. At least he’d keep his mind.”

    Dabi gritted his teeth, but some of the anger had faded. There was something new there now. Something defeated. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll keep them away from him.”

    “Oh, and Touya?”

    Silence.

    “I really am sorry. You would have been a much better hero than me. I hope the world realizes that one day.”

    Keigo closed his eyes, having said all he needed to say. Now, he’d made peace with himself. He only hoped Dabi and Tokoyami would go on to do the same.

Chapter Text

    To his shock, the blow never came. Hawks waited in silence for a few moments before he opened his eyes. Dabi stood over him, hand still up to strike, but his eyes were closed. Eventually, his hand dropped limply to his side, and the villain took a step back. He let himself fall backwards to sit on the asphalt and put his hands over his mouth and nose, sucking in a long breath. 

    “Stupid bird,” he snarled under his breath. 

    “Touya?”

    “Don’t call me that,” it wasn’t as angry as Dabi had been moments ago. If anything, the cremation villain merely seemed exhausted. “I’m going home,” Dabi stood up and brushed the soot off his jacket pointedly, as if the mere fact he’d had to use his quirk at all was Hawks’s fault. He turned on his heel and moved toward the open alley. 

    “Wait,” Hawks stood up and addressed his back. He hadn’t had much time to think about all he wanted to say, but after all both of them had been through, he couldn’t leave it here. “C’mon, sparky. You overused your quirk, you look like shit. At least come in and get those burns patched up… as long as you aren’t gonna waste me while I’m not looking.”

    “You aren’t worth my time,” Dabi answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

    Hawks smirked. Whatever hatred Dabi was harboring, it was all still there. Whatever had convinced him to choose this path, Hawks needed to find out. When the league had captured Fumikage, the wing hero had been sure it was too late to help any of the villains choose recovery in place of violence on the innocent. But… knowing what he knew about Dabi now... Maybe he could be saved. Maybe Keigo was an idiot.

    But Keigo had to try. He was a hero, after all. And he wasn’t keen on destroying his record for saving everyone who needed help. 

    Dabi was already walking away, and he smacked right into Fumikage, who’d been rushing around the corner the moment Hawks’s feathers had released him. Dabi staggered back a step, and the collision had been enough to knock Fumikage down. 

    Hawks moved to them in an instant, pulling his student to his feet. “You alright, kiddo?”

    A nod. Tokoyami turned his angered, defensive gaze onto Dabi, who was still shaking off the blow. “You…” Dark Shadow hissed, claws out, ready to strike if the villain dared to make a move. 

    Hawks inhaled deeply. “There’s definitely a talk that needs to be had here. But it’s cold as anything out here, and I’m starving. C’mon, Fumikage, we’re going inside… Dabi? Will you come with us? Please? Just give me a chance.”

    “No,” Dabi was, again, walking away. Hawks didn’t miss his limp as he did so. He wondered if, like him, Dabi was recovering from wounds that’d happened on the day he’d rescued Fumikage. 

    Hawks chuckled, but it was half hearted.  "Don't make me drag you.”

    “Try it,” Dabi’s eyes flashed as he turned back to the bird heroes. 

    “Touya, come on,” Hawks began, and he saw Tokoyami’s eyes widen in shock at the name. “Your other option is die on the street on your way back.”

    Dabi looked at Hawks for a long, silent moment. Then, with a frustrated sigh, he turned to walk back toward the heroes. Hawks found himself grinning as he led Fumikage and Dabi back into the agency and into the infirmary. The nurse wasn’t on duty, so Keigo got to work. He produced cooling salve, gauze, gloves, and a few other tools and started patching up the more severe burns along his arms and cheeks. 

    Without waiting for a cue, Dabi snagged the tools and began doing the same. He worked so smoothly and so surely that it seemed he’d done this a thousand times before. Thinking about it, Keigo supposed that it made sense. 

    Fumikage was silent, ever cautious, glaring at Dabi. He trusted Hawks enough to hold Dark Shadow back from making a move, but there were so many questions in his eyes. 

    No one spoke, however, until Hawks broke the silence. “Kitchen, I’m starving.”

    Dabi rolled his eyes but both he and Tokoyami followed the wing hero into the kitchen, where Hawks took out some instant ramen and began heating it up. Quiet between the three of them, the only sound being the running stove. Again, Keigo was the first to speak. 

    “So. How do we fix this?”

    Dabi scoffed. “As if you could.”

    “There has to be something. But if you want me to help you, you have to tell me everything,” Keigo insisted. 

    A head shake in reply. “Who ever said I wanted your help?”

    Tokoyami couldn’t hold himself back anymore. “Forgive me for interrupting,” he spoke quietly. “But I would like answers if possible.”

    Hawks glanced back at him and sighed. “Right.” His eyes slipped upward, as always chasing some invisible explanation for everything. “Your classmate, Shoto Todoroki, the half n’ half kid, right? He’s mentioned having a… deceased brother, Touya?”

    Dabi tensed at the name.

    Tokoyami’s eyes darted between the villain and Hawks, unsure until Hawks nodded to confirm the jet black hero’s suspicions. “I was told there was an accident.”

    “Yes. Touya was thought dead. And as you can probably guess, he isn’t. But… there’s more to it,” Hawks hesitated. Tokoyami deserved the truth. All of it. Now that the past had come back to bite him, Hawks couldn’t hide it anymore. 

    “When the commission took me in to train for them, I wasn’t the only one. I was never the only one. There were at least a dozen others, but I was the first success. Those kids were the closest thing we had to family, Touya and I. He was one of the kids the commission decided to train. I didn’t know you were Endeavor’s son, at the time.”

    Dabi watched Hawks in silence. 

    “But the… training was too much for most of them. They didn’t make it. And soon, Touya and I were the only ones left. But he wasn’t as complacent as I was… told me how he planned to burn the commission to the ground. They grew suspicious of him, questioned me, threatened rather, and I-” Hawks looked up at his old friend with so much remorse in his eyes. “I told them the truth about what he’d said. The next day, I was told Touya had been killed in a training accident.”

    “I wasn’t,” Dabi said spitefully. “But that’s what they were aiming for. Your hero ratted me out, his best friend, and got me killed. Is that really the guy you wanted to risk your damn life for?”

    Fumikage was staring at the countertop, expression unreadable. “Why did you tell them the truth, Hawks?”

    Hawks’s shoulders sank. “I was scared. I knew what they would do if I lied and they found out. I like to think every day of my life that if I’d known what was going to happen to you, Touya, I would’ve done it differently.”

    “But you didn’t.”

    Hawks shook his head. “No. You’re right. I didn’t.”

    Dabi rolled his eyes as  he stood up. “Well this conversation has been absolutely enlightening. I’m going home.”

    “Where are you going? The league?”

    Dabi paused, turning a glare back on the hero. “Where else?”

    “I-” Hawks managed to cut himself off, keep from saying anything else he might regret. “Nothing. If you need me, you know where to find me.”

    “I won’t be needing a rat anymore, but thanks. I’ll send you a postcard,” the villain was already halfway to the door by the time Tokoyami caught up with him. He stood in front of him, looking down at the silver pieces on Dabi’s boots. 

    “You’re both victims, don't you see?” he managed softly. “Villain is a title I’ve been unfairly given at times as well… I know what it’s like. If Hawks says he can help you, I would believe him… he’s not the same as he was then.”

    Dabi pushed past him. “Real touching, kid.”

    Tokoyami wasn’t finished. “I can assist too. I would like to understand how you became… this.”

    The villain continued out the door without turning to look back. 

    Hawks was silent for a long beat of time. “Well. He’s got our number, anyway.”

    Tokoyami turned back to look at his mentor for a moment. Then, without warning, lunged forward and fell into a hug. But he didn’t say a word. Neither did Hawks, slowly wrapping his wings around the latter. 

    After a long time, Hawks spoke softly. “We’ll figure things out, kiddo. I promise.”

Chapter Text

TWO MONTHS LATER

    Tokoyami was walking back to the agency one night after a particularly dull patrol. Hawks had already gotten back from his meeting with the commission. They’d eased up on the number two hero a bit after the league had gone silent. 

    And it had. 

    It had gone silent.

    Ever since Dabi left the agency that night, it seemed the league was operating in the shadows. Underground. No public stunts. Hell, no public appearances at all. It left other villains a little terrified, so everything had been quiet. Too quiet. Seemed Hawks was getting exactly what he wanted out of all this though. Free time. 

    During the walk, Tokoyami was reflecting on it all. He hadn’t stopped thinking about the confrontation with Dabi that night. But neither he nor Hawks had been able to get ahold of him. Eventually Keigo had stopped trying altogether. But the whole situation still ate at Tokoyami’s mind like a venomous parasite. What had Dabi been through that’d gotten him to that point? And what was his real goal with the League of Villains?

    Nothing was adding up, and quite frankly, Tokoyami had been too swamped with schoolwork to care. He’d been keeping up on his promise to focus on his classes and still come to visit Hawks whenever he could. 

    He was only about five minutes from the agency when he heard a slight commotion. And like the jet black hero he was, Tokoyami slipped into the shadows to investigate. He narrowed his gaze to get a better look. And what he saw left him stunned. 

    “Surrender now, villain!” 

    Enji Todoroki. The terrifying, blazing visage of Endeavor. He wasn’t wearing his hero costume, suggesting he’d been caught off guard during a casual encounter. But what was he doing in this city? This was Hawks’s turf…

    Tokoyami ignored the question for now, because what interested him more was the shape Endeavor seemed to be fighting. 

    A scrawny, scraggly villain with spiky black hair, covered in a patchwork of scars.

    Dabi. 

    But. Something was very, very wrong.

    The cremation villain was barely standing. He swayed back and forth on his feet before he leaned heavily against the brick wall of the alley. His clothes were torn and singed, his face and arms covered in sleek crimson blood as well as crusted dried blood. And the smell. 

    God, the smell. Burning, melted flesh. It made Tokoyami sick to his stomach. 

    But even in his state of visible agony, Dabi wore a wild, gleeful expression. He lifted a pale, shaking hand toward Endeavor, ready to let loose one of his signature bolts of cobalt blue fire. Tokoyami, for the first time in a long time, found himself frozen. Uncertain. Who should he even help right then?

    Endeavor was in no danger. He looked fine. He only glared at Dabi with this searing, unnatural hatred that just had to be personal. So maybe he knew Dabi’s true identity then. 

    But on the other hand, Dabi was a villain. He’d almost gotten Keigo killed multiple times. And now he was trying to waste another hero, one who was clearly not prepared for combat. 

    But when Tokoyami thought back to that night. The hatred, the numbness radiating from Dabi as he and Hawks recalled a childhood stolen from them. It wasn’t fair. Dabi hadn’t really chosen to become this. Tokoyami knew that. 

    But. Reasons or no, a villain was a villain. 

    Right?

    Fumikage set his jaw. This wasn’t about heroes and villains. This was about who needed his help and who didn’t.

    He closed his eyes and let Dark Shadow engulf his entire body. He was able to remain hidden in the dark as he swept through the alley, snagging Dabi by his arm before he could make his strike. Tokoyami called Black Fallen Angel and dragged the startled villain up into the sky at a speed that even Hawks would be proud of. A speed that left Endeavor scratching his head and trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. He wouldn’t of course. Tokoyami had been next to invisible.

    The jet black hero managed to get himself and Dabi up onto a roof, where he set the cremation villain down on his feet. 

    “Dabi…?” Tokoyami cocked his head, questioning. “What… is going on??

    Before Dabi could even open his mouth to speak, he collapsed forward onto his hands and knees, coughing. Blood spattered the concrete in front of him right before his strength gave out entirely and he fell forward. 

    “Dabi!” Tokoyami knelt beside him, trying to get the villain’s attention. Nothing. He’d lost consciousness already. 

    O…K… This was definitely a Hawks problem. Tokoyami did not have the medical skills nor the people skills to deal with something like this.

    So he gently slipped his arms under Dabi’s shoulders and legs and picked him up. He was shocked to feel that Dabi barely weighed more than Hawks. He was so damn skinny, it felt like Tokoyami had taken the weight of an actual human skeleton. As Tokoyami flew toward the agency, he took the time to get a good look at Dabi. 

    The villain’s face was several shades paler than usual. His scars had grown and expanded into one another, and some of the staples were torn out. The ones that weren’t absent were bloodied and red. Likely infected. His cheekbones were sunken in and he’d barely had the strength to hold his head up to look at Tokoyami when he was conscious. It’d only been two months… How bad had it gotten for him since then?

    Tokoyami landed outside the agency, exhausted from carrying so much deadweight, and gently laid Dabi down on one of the long benches outside the lobby. He dialed Hawks as quickly as possible, and in no time, the number two hero arrived at the door. 

    There was a look perfectly blending disgust, disbelief, shock, and horror in his eyes when he got a good look at the villain they’d dealt with only eight weeks before. 

    “I knew it was gonna be a long night,” Hawks said with a deep breath, picking up Dabi himself and carrying him in to lay him down on one of the couches in the lobby. He laid a hand on the villain’s forehead. “God he’s burning up. Like more than usual. What the hell happened?”

    “He was fighting Endeavor,” Tokoyami replied. “I saw he was looking… well, like this. So I grabbed him and slipped by unnoticed. But a lot of these burns and wounds are old. At least two weeks. And infected. I don’t understand how this happened…”

    Hawks stared down at the unconscious villain on his couch. “Go grab some stuff from the infirmary for me. Even if he’s gonna be a real bastard about it when he wakes up, we gotta do something. Or he’s not waking up at all.”

    As Tokoyami scurried off to do as he was told, Hawks stared at Dabi. Burns. And not like the normal kind that consumed his body after he used too much of his fire. Severe burns from an outside source. But Fumikage was right, most of these wounds were old. 

    “What the hell happened to you, sparky?” Hawks muttered. Two months, and it looked like Dabi had genuinely walked through hell and come out swinging. 

    Fumikage came back with everything Hawks would need, and the latter immediately got to work. He disinfected the open wounds, cleaned those that were already infected, and provided fever medication via liquid. 

    “Well. I’m sure he’s gonna have quite the story for us when he wakes up, huh, Tsukuyomi?” Hawks nudged his student with a smile. 

    “If he tells us,” Tokoyami nodded. 

    “He better. I’m not stitching this fiery bastard up again if he’s gonna keep trying to turn me into a rotisserie,” Keigo grinned, and it was as good-natured as he could manage. Tokoyami appreciated the effort and tried to offer a slight smile back. 

    “Well,” he said quietly. “At least these last few weeks were peaceful?”

    Keigo laughed. “Peaceful and us don’t really go together nowadays do they?”