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The sky is cold.
And the higher he goes, the colder it gets.
And the higher you go, the lonelier it gets as well.
Top heroes can relate to that.
“Did you choose what to eat?” The current number one hero asked in a quite demanding tone. He is used to that.
“I thought you were ordering for the two of us.” Was the response.
He didn’t. He got distracted looking at the sky. Now the “too fast for his own good” hero had a menu on his hands he didn’t saw coming.
“You order for you.”
A pretty annoyed answer that reminded him of those few phrases that’s been on his mind lately.
The higher you go, the lonelier it gets.
Or another way to say it: "You are on your own".
He is used to that too.
It’s always been like that. Even in the little things.
But those little things feel just a little bit warmer and even a little bit less lonelier, here. On the ground.
The dim lights of the restaurant, the cheerful laughs surrounding their table, the delicious aroma of freshly cooked food. Every little thing in front of him is shaded in golden and earthy tones. Beautiful and warm colors. Colors that contrast with the big blue sky he encounters every single day, all by himself.
He has seen all kinds of blue during his entire life. All the shades of it. All the different shapes of clouds that come with them, and the cold winds that come with them. Sometimes, he can even predict the intensity of the winds by recognizing a specific shade of blue. At least, that’s what he likes to think.
There’s another kind of blue, though.
The bright and pure and saturated kind of blue. Sometimes turquoise . The one you would take a picture of and then feel the need to tell everyone that it wasn’t edited just in case they don’t believe it. The one that appears when any hint of gray clouds is gone and the sun shines strongly and powerful and more beautiful than ever. The one that makes you feel at peace and grateful at the fact that you got to live another day just to see it one more time.
That blue.
The same blue he could find in the eyes of the man in front of him.
“So, how long are you staying?” They make him feel uneasy. Those eyes.
“I’m going tomorrow morning”. And they aren’t even looking at him right now.
“So soon! Well, of course the number one hero would have everything under control in a day”. He likes that blue. Reminds him of summer skies. Warmer and clearer skies.
He can fly more comfortably on those.
“It was a mere formality. The villain came from this city, that’s all.” But he can’t control the weather and he can’t choose when to fly through those skies.
They just come and go.
“You could’ve stayed a few more days, you know? There’s plenty of room in my agency.” Even if he wishes for the clear sky to last longer and for the night to come a little bit later...
“Do you need help with a case?” He knows that blue will be gone as fast as it came.
“Not at all! Just saying that you could if you want to!”
He laughed.
There’s not much he can do.
He’ll just let it go.
But it’s "fine". Not everything is bad when that happens.
Sometimes, when the darker shades of blue threaten to take over the skies and swallow any glimpse of color in the air, a bunch of bright warm colors make a brief but stellar appearance. They look red and orange and yellow. Sometimes pink and purple, and then orange again.
The only downside is that it gets progressively cold. The sky looks warm, but is actually getting colder and colder.
Makes total sense, right? The sun is going away. It’s waving goodbye.
Nevertheless, he’ll enjoy every second of the warm colors while they are here. It’s cold, yes, but he can take it. The sun is not gone yet .
And the sky looks darn pretty.
After a few stories and casual laughs (all coming from him) the sky turned dark again before he noticed it.
The warm tones are now gone and the air is colder than it ever was.
Dinner was already over and the two men left the cozy building and started walking through a big central park. The number one hero was staying in a very nice hotel, a few blocks away from where they were. They talk, work stuff. It was mostly Hawks talking and Endeavor listening, with a couple of questions here and there. A little bit about the case he just flew to Kyushu for and some other bits about Shoto and his friends during their internships.
It gets colder, so he steps a little bit closer to the man walking next to him.
Not that cold now.
He looked at the sky.
“Endeavor, do you like winter?”
Funny how he longs for a clear blue sky, when grayish shades of blue are the only tones he’s seen this past month. Those are the ones that come with this type of weather, anyways.
“I don’t prefer it.”
There are days where you can’t even spot a single shade of blue. It’s just... gray .
“Me either. It gets pretty cold up there, you know?”
He catches himself talking about it. What was he thinking?
“You mean… the sky?”
Why would he complain about the sky? As if flying wasn’t something anyone wouldn’t kill to be able to do.
“Yes! I mean, winter is pretty cold down here, but… it’s even colder when you fly. Can you imagine?”
Of course not.
“Not really.”
“Of course you don’t!”
Keigo didn’t seriously resent the cold air from the gray skies or the dark skies. Or even the higher skies. That’s just one of the many things that comes with being able to fly. A little prize to pay, he thinks. A few layers and he was good to go, anyways. But, no matter how many layers of cloth he wears, it would never feel warm.
Maybe not cold, but not warm either.
Here, on the contrary, on the ground… there’s warmth. Even though it’s winter.
He took another step closer a few seconds ago.
Without noticing.
“And you have to fly back to your place tonight?”
He wishes not.
“Wait, did I just come out like I was complaining about flying? I didn’t mean to. It's fine!”
But it isn’t.
And a lot of things went through his mind.
Why does he have to say goodbye and fly through the cold winter sky, just to land to an equally cold place? Is the perfect amount of warmth right here, right now. He knows the day is over and the sun is already gone, but he is still here, right? Right? Why can’t he stay a little longer? He can’t control the weather or stop time, but...
“You were complaining about the cold... which I understand.”
Do you?
Well…
The higher you go, the colder it gets.
And the higher you go, the lonelier it gets as well.
Top heroes can relate to that.
Especially the number one hero.
“With your quirk, anyone would think you wouldn’t mind it.”
He knew.
A big sigh escaped from the oldest mouth as he looked up to the gigantic building they just arrived at. His expression turned softer as he appeared like reminiscing about something. O r someone . Hawks would imply it was about his family. He heard about the incident with one of his sons and a villain just a few weeks ago. He even heard that a deep conversation between Endeavor and said son took place after that encounter. But, he couldn’t tell for sure.
Maybe it was something else.
“I don’t like the cold. My quirk work better with another type of weather. But…”
He sighed once again, this time looking at the sky.
“I need it when the heat gets too strong. Just as you need warmth”.
Right.
Hawks would always look at the man in front of him as if he met him several years ago. Like he has always been there. And in a way he was. He feels he knows him, but in reality, he doesn’t know a thing. Maybe he knows everything about the flame hero Endeavor but, Enji Todoroki, the real man behind the name, is a whole other story.
Even right now, without those flames covering his eyes, that blue looks brighter.
And they aren’t even looking at him. Those eyes.
“You can stay here if you want”.
Yeah…
He didn’t hear that right.
“It’s too cold to fly, right? There’s a wide sofa in the room I’m staying in. I can even ask for an individual room for you.”
Seriously?
Hawks couldn’t believe his ears, but those words came as soft and thoughtful as they could. A tone he never expected to hear from that tough man known as the number one hero. And at the same time, those words sounded like they were carrying an enormous weight that no one else could see, not even him.
And it’s not like he couldn’t pay himself a room to avoid flying tonight. No. A hotel room can be as cold as the sky, maybe even colder. And Endeavor probably knows that. This, on the other hand…
“Th- the sofa is alright! I don’t want you to spend more money on me.”
As a reflex, he was about to tease the man about being nicer than expected, as he has done it before. But this time, it was gonna be to try and cover up the overwhelming feeling growing in his chest. To trick himself . But he could easily tell how this behavior was a consequence of something that’s been going on in the flame hero’s life. Probably. He wouldn’t mock that right now.
He could see it in those eyes.
“Anyway, thank you, Endeavor. Sounds good to me!”.
He smiled.
Thankfully.
And now they are finally looking at him. Those eyes.
That blue.
That turquoise.
That sky.
That warm sky that once came as a gift and would go the next day. The one thing he can’t control. He has the opportunity to chase after it. To chase after the sun, escaping from the night. Escaping the cold of the highest clouds. From the cold of this winter. From the cold of being one of the top heroes, so far away from everyone else, on their own. Maybe it isn’t that lonely here. Maybe.
The sky is turning from cold to warm colors right now, but the atmosphere isn’t getting colder this time. It just gets warmer and warmer. He’ll enjoy these very last moments. These nicely painted colors.
This is more than enough for him. One night. One more day. Is more than enough.
He’ll sleep with a smile on his lips knowing that the second he wakes up tomorrow, it’ll be there for him.
In the middle of winter.
That summer sky.