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He was free falling into a downward spiral towards the pulsing neon lights of towering, glass city skyscrapers—crisp evening air whipping his face raw until he could no longer feel his own cheeks; with lithe back towards the skyline, the young man found his arms reaching towards Ursa Majors, Orions, and Lyras as he continued to plummet. Not even light pollution could dim the freckled skies from that height. He closed his eyes.
Tightly tucking in wings to his back, the hero reveled in the silence of his noise-canceling ear muffs. He let his senses drown him; the deafening roars of blood coursing through his veins, the freezing pricks of numbness, the tangy, citrus taste of summer nights… he was untouchable.
And yet, it was… lonely. While deciding whether or not the isolation he was feeling this particular evening was either comforting or depressing, his thoughts were soon interrupted with his senses being bombarded with the low vibrations of rumbling cars, lively nightclubs, and the footsteps of tired pedestrians—with the occasional burst of shouts and laughter from businessmen who had one too many drinks.
It was practically a routine by now. He was approaching the fragile line between life and death—adrenaline, fear, and exhilaration coming to a climax as he would have to make a split-second decision to either continue to fall or open his wings; his fate rested in the fraction of millisecond if he was too late.
He could feel the vibrations of the bustling street life quickly approaching beneath him grow stronger and stronger, overpowering everything.
But, come on, he’s never too late.
Piercing, gold eyes shot open, and in an instant, great crimson wings unfurled and jutted out, making one large sweep to push his body upwards until he was soaring across the street just mere inches above traffic as he flew in the opposite direction.
Heads from the night sea of people snapped towards the hero in both surprise and awe.
“Hawks! Is that Hawks?!”
After quickly adjusting his goggles, the young hero couldn’t help but give his signature flashy smirk towards a flushed-face woman while passing by overhead.
“The one and only at your service!”
He continued on his path and was met with ecstatic fangirls (and boys) despite the late hour.
“Yo, Hawks! What are you doing this late?”
“Oh, the usual “hero-stuff,” I guess—you know how it is”
Staying low, he swiftly maneuvered his way through the crowd, entertaining his fans with a charismatic smile while exhausted eyes hid behind yellow-tinted goggles.
“Hey, can I get your number?!”
“Yeah, “Number 2” right here—coming through, ‘scuse me—just passing by”
Despite the carefree and nonchalant persona being put on display, his scarlet feathers and their heightened senses were no less dull as he scouted the surrounding area for potential danger, especially given he was away from his own turf.
Eyes scanning around, he noticed an older man struggling to walk straight as he swayed and stumbled over his own feet. Shooting out feathers to catch the gentleman before he fell, Hawks waived down a cab which immediately responded to the number two hero.
“You good?” He patted the man’s shoulder and guided him into the yellow car, scrunching his nose at the pungent smell of alcohol as the man grumbled.
He slammed the car door shut after signing his autograph for the cabbie to give to his son and wasted no time to get back into the air.
Flying past cars and buildings which soon became a hazy blur, the young hero soon found himself perching atop a sleek high-rise building, adorned with a decorative “E ,” as he peered below into the abyss of blinding lights like a gothic gargoyle.
The old geezer couldn’t have been anymore discrete with the logo, huh? He thought to himself.
While patrolling from above for any lurking villains, he was abruptly interrupted by a buzzing vibration against his leg as his phone went off.
Hawks swiftly took off his ear muff and, without even looking at the caller’s name, promptly picked up to answer,
“H—“
“What the hell are you doing here?” A rather intimidating voice interrogated on the other side of the line.
Quirking his eyebrows up in amusement, the blonde simply chuckled, which only caused him to further anger the older man.
“Now, now, Mr. Todoroki, am I not allowed to offer my humble heroic services wherever I please?” He replied in a playfully sarcastic tone.
“Tsk, you know what I mean,” the number one hero could feel his irritation growing, “why are you seemingly on top of my agency… at 2am in the morning?”
“Ah, I’m glad you received my message.”
Before landing on the building’s rooftop, Hawks had made sure to take a mental note of where each security camera was located. Noticing a rather well-hidden one, he decided to make a quick stop mid-flight to record a message that contained rather lewd jokes, flirtatious winks, and wild rumors; he even blew a kiss at the end for good measure and as a good luck charm.
“My whole security and pr team was in total chaos before calling me.”
He couldn’t help but imagine the tired, poor bloke that had to endure through watching Hawks’ stunt live; that definitely had to wake some people up.
“I’m more surprised at how high tech your security has gotten,” Hawks whistled, “You sure an old man like you can manage—”
“Boy!” Endeavor exclaimed loudly.
Hawks could practically feel the heat of flames licking through his phone.
Remembering how late it was, Endeavor continued in a more hushed tone, “It’s 2am in the bloody morning, and I know for a fact you weren’t placed to patrol here—“ the older hero’s voice trailed off, as if he was deeply contemplating, but Hawks waited for him to continue, “—now or anytime soon.”
The young man sheepishly combed through tasseled, blonde hair with his fingers and sighed, shoulders sagging, “Okay, you got me. I just…” Hawks thought for a second as his mind grappled for an excuse, “... felt like dropping by.”
“...”
With the lack of a response from the other line, he continued, “You know how it gets—I just wanted to see how everyone’s doing...”
“At 2am?!” Endeavor snapped and breathed out, feeling even more exhausted—it was too early for such shenanigans—and rubbed his face, “I know you’re young, but doesn’t the Hero Public Safety Commission have their “poster boy’s” schedule jam packed?”
Uncharacteristically feeling flustered, Hawks felt a sudden rush to explain himself, “I just—I—I wanted to know what it felt like…” he paused, gripped his phone tighter, and said more quietly “... to have time to kill … find out what I’d do if I was ever bored …”
Being taken aback from the change in the other’s typically aloof tone, the flame hero debated with himself before deciding it was much too late to head back to sleep anyway, so he’d entertain the topic.
“I know, I know. It’s stupid. Ignore everything I just said.” The younger man began to ramble as he felt a growing state of panic and embarrassment from the awkward silence wash over him like a broken dam during a monsoon, “You need your beauty sleep, right? I should leave—“
“So what did it feel like?“
“...huh?”
Processing the question like a GPS recalculating its route, Hawks immediately burst out into a rather obnoxious bout of laughter which startled the older man.
“Aaahhh— it wasn’t anything special.” He felt a droplet of water kiss his nose.
Noticing the lie, Endeavor simply waited for the other to expand on that note.
Realizing he had trapped himself into a corner like a rabbit tripping over its own tail, and tossing away his feelings to the side just for the moment, Hawks decided there would never be another chance to talk like this to his idol, so he spilled, continuing in an even softer voice.
“It was scary.” Another droplet from the heavens pecked his cheek this time. “Do you know how fast it takes me to open my wings?” He asked in a more serious tone.
The number one hero pondered the answer; his eyebrows bunched together into a scowl after not being able to find one, “...No.”
“Well, don’t fret too much about it, big guy; I’m the fastest and even I don’t know.” He released a nervous laugh, “...but wouldn’t it be nice to know the exact millisecond of what would be ”too late?”” his feathers twitched before a low rumble of thunder sung off in the distance.
“So, you’ve been testing your limits,” Endeavor voiced out loud, reminiscing over his own stubborn days back when he was younger.
Rain began to pour down in a light, refreshing drizzle, “You could say that—figuring out the line between these feathers beating gravity versus becoming useless and me becoming nothing more than a scrambled egg on the sidewalk on a sunny afternoon.”
The other’s scowl deepened at the graphic imagery.
“It’s… scary, in all honesty... but… it’s also exciting. Is that weird?”
What once was a light drizzle a minute ago was now becoming a heavy shower—quickly drenching the winged hero as he remained seated on the rooftop; water seeped through his tan aviator jacket as red feathers became sleek yet ruffled. Raindrops cascaded down his sun-kissed face before either melting into his skin or splattering between his boots.
“Come down.”
Hawks blinked at the command before he peered over the rooftop and noticed a flicker of flames dancing in the harsh, pelting rain.
Although Hawks could somewhat hear the other’s voice despite the distance, Endeavor held his phone closely to his ear and continued to speak, “If you fall, I’ll try to catch you… but that’s no promise.”
Despite the warning, both of them knew that the larger man could catch him with his eyes closed.
“Ha, that’s a pleasant surprise—my own chaperone… but I’ll save you having a heart attack for another day.” He hung up the phone.
The young hero spread out his wings, shook them like a wet dog, and glided down to the flame.
He was greeted by a signature frown and the number one hero holding a black umbrella which appeared comically tiny over the other’s bulky body. There was no possible way for Hawks to fit underneath.
He smiled a toothy grin, “Good morning!”
Endeavor stared at the other before he absentmindedly reached his arm out and brushed golden hair now dampened by the rain that stuck to the man’s forehead.
Hawks felt himself holding his breath.
Realizing his actions, the redhead awkwardly coughed, feeling his face grow hotter, and roughly patted the other’s head before dropping his arm down to his side.
“Well, it’s good to see you too, Hot Stuff .” The younger stood on his toes to playfully pat the other’s head as well, earning him a light shove of annoyance; Endeavor refused to acknowledge the small token of appreciation he felt for Hawks' attempt to waive away the suffocating awkwardness.
“Let’s go.” Endeavor began to briskly walk away without stating exactly where until he was suddenly pushed to the side by Hawks who was trying to fit himself under the umbrella, making a rather humorous scene while he was at it.
Honey eyes looked up to meet a fuming glare, “You’re not gonna just leave me in the rain, are you?”
“Can’t you use your feathers as a form of cover?” The older man huffed as the younger continued to press himself against his chest.
“It’s funner this way,” he gleamed, “besides, you should’ve parked closer if you knew how hard it was going to rain.”
Endeavor clicked his tongue at the comment, “Just shut it.”
He tilted the umbrella over the petite man, ignoring his own shoulder that was becoming soaked.
The two’s casual banter died out as exhaustion was beginning to blanket over them, causing both to settle for a comforting silence for the remainder of the walk.
Nearing the car, and to both of their surprise, Endeavor was the first to break the silence—not meaning to voice out loud his personal observations, “... a fox.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re like a… a fox,” even he knew it was a random statement that didn’t make any sense.
“Uhm—“ not knowing how to reply, Hawks ruffled out his wings and looked up to meet teal eyes, “I don’t know if you got the memo, but most people call me “Hawks” for a pretty obvious reason—“
Ignoring him, Endeavor pulled out his car keys, “you’re… curious, mischievous and always finding yourself in some sort of scheme,” he opened the car door and continued as the two men settled in— Hawks shedding his feathers so he could fit more comfortably inside the vehicle, “...you’re full of tricks and secrets… as soon as I feel like I know you, you reveal another part of yourself and become a stranger.”
He started the engine, letting the vehicle come to life as he waited for a reply he knew wouldn’t come.
As Endeavor began to drive, Hawks simply stared outside his window, watching fat droplets race down the condensed glass, and thought about the other’s words while stealing a few glances.
If his strict upbringing had taught him anything, it was to never let his guard down around others—let alone be vulnerable like he just was with Endeavor, yet here he was breaking all the rules he’d learned; his instincts were screaming in bold red as his feelings constantly challenged the twitch in his feathers.
He could never get enough of the addicting high he felt from submitting to gravity—the freedom of his fate resting in his own hands, but as he sat in the leather seat with his head resting against the foggy window, he felt his heart loudly palpitating, as if wanting to escape, and knew he was falling in a different way…
He couldn’t help but feel his eyes grow heavier as he struggled to stay awake. With the car’s heater, as well as Endeavor’s own body, on blast helping to dry wet clothes, with the scent of perspiration mixed with the notes of summer carried on their bodies, with the soft breathing next to him from a man stronger than he could ever become, and with the bittersweet taste of promises lingering in the air… promises for more … Hawks felt himself starting to drift away.
After finally caving in, he closed his eyes for the second time that night…
He thought of two red foxes prancing in glistening snow with nothing better to do, and like God kissing the skies after a downpour, he felt soft lips on his own.