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As they near the door, Chris starts fidgeting more and more. He wasn’t ready for this. He wasn’t ready to go back. But, no matter how much he tells himself he doesn’t, he knows he belongs there.
Hawks opens the door, revealing a small office with a hospital bed. A man, probably Dr. Akiyama, is sitting at a desk. He looks up, his bushy gray mustache showing just how old he was.
“Ah! Keigo!” He smiles brightly at the pair. “Come in, come in!”
Hawks walks in, though he stops when he feels a tug on his hand. He looks back at Chris. The boy is on the verge of tears, eyes pleading for something Hawks can’t understand.
“It’s okay, kid. C’mon.” Chris shakily nods, not wanting to make the two angry. He steps in, sitting on the bed.
“So, what seems to be the problem?” Akiyama sits in his office chair, a comforting smile on his face.
“Do you remember the quirk injection incident 15 years ago?” Akiyama nods. “I think this kid may have been the test subject those doctors were using.”
“Do you have any proof?” The doctor leans forward in his chair, his eyes wide.
“Only a little. I saw him using a quirk that was exactly like mine.” Chris shrinks back at the words. He felt unsafe. Run, his brain kept telling him to run. Run as fast as he can and- Oh, they were talking again?
“So you want me to run a DNA test?” Hawks nods, looking quite serious.
“We need to find out. If I’m right, the poor kid has been on his own for a while and probably has little control over his quirks.” Hawks glances down at the boy, finding he’s completely hidden himself in his torn hoodie. It was sad to see. Earlier, hawks had noticed how...different….the kid looked from everyone else. His hair, messy and black. His skin, not even really skin, he has fur, similar to a cheetah’s. And to add to the animalistic look, he has a snout. He was different.
Akiyama nods, turning to the boy, “What’s your name, son?”
The kid anxiously looks up, seemingly scared to speak, “C-Chloe. It’s Chloe…”
Well, it wasn’t his name. Not the one he wanted. He hates being a girl, hates the name. Though, it would be wrong to lie. Right? He’d been hiding his chest with a big hoodie. That’s the only way he could pass off as a guy.
Hawks notices Chris’s sad look and growing tears. Maybe they gave him a name? Maybe it brings back bad memories of the incident?
“Hey, if you don’t like the name, what do you want to be called?” He reaches out, softly placing a hand on Chris’s shoulder, only to have the boy flinch away.
“I want to be called Chris. That’s my name.” He looks down at his hands, shaking with fear.
The doctor nods slowly, starting to understand just how badly this kid was treated, “May I take a look at you? I want to check you for injuries.” He speaks softly with a kind smile. It comforts Chris. He nods.
The doctor stands and Chris takes off his sweatshirt. The doctor is shocked to see his body is covered with scars, some big, some small. He has scars on his face too. Big ones. He could only imagine how scarred the rest of the kid was. Chris seems to shrink back, trying to hide his chest.
Akiyama notices and promptly gives his hoodie back, “It seems most of your wounds are healed. That’s good. Who’s taking care of you?”
Hawks pulls him aside immediately, “He doesn’t have a home or parents. That’s why I’m concerned. He has no supervision and is so scared. It’s sad.”
“Hm, if that’s the case, we should do the DNA test. If he really is the victim, I’d hope you would take him in.”
Hawk’s eyes widen, “Why me?! I would be a terrible parent!”
“Well, you have experience with your quirk and a lot of connections. You could help him learn to control his powers. Furthermore, he needs a place to feel safe so he can start healing from his past. Someone similar to him, such as you, would be comforting.”
Hawks takes a minute to think, before sighing, “I guess that makes sense. Let’s get this test over with.”
They return and the doctor tries to take a sample of Chris’s blood. It takes a bit of thrashing and panicking but eventually he calms down, letting Akiyama proceed.
God, this was too much. If he had just ran, he wouldn’t be in this situation. He’s such a screw-up. A mistake of a child.
He eventually falls asleep, tears in the corners of his eyes as he rests his head on Hawk’s lap.