Archive of Our Own

Hero Galas were the bane of Hawks' experience and thus, also a nuisance for both Ryu and Dabi. 

Back when Hawks announced to the world he had a son, he actually did let Ryu accompany him to some galas, but not so often for two reasons: either because of the desperate photographers trying to catch the perfect picture of Ryu and Hawks, or because it just actually wasn't that entertaining for Ryu. 

He was a kid after all, and he tended to get bored pretty quickly at those events full of adult pro heroes. He'd much rather be watching his favorite cartoons with his cousin Hanako, or even staying home to watch a movie with his dad, since Dabi obviously wasn't allowed anywhere near the event if he didn't want to get arrested. 

So he only ever went to a couple before they all collectively decided Ryu was better off staying at home. 

This, however, only caused for Hawks' ever constant anxiety about Hero Galas to come back full force now that he didn't even have his son to distract him. So for years, it went like this: both Ryu and Dabi would say goodbye to Hawks at the door before he left for another gala, Dabi would give him a quick pep talk and a kiss before sending him off, Hawks would spend the night third wheeling for Miruko and Fuyumi or hovering next to the bar with a single almost full glass of champagne, and as soon as he could, Hawks would bolt out of the event to rush back home, the nightmare finally over. Only for it to repeat itself each season and for the cycle to start over. 

It was once Ryu was 17 and about to start his last year at UA that two things happened: one, he talked to his pops and they both decided he'd be coming along to the next Hero Gala in order to see how things actually were now, as a soon to be pro hero who would soon be forced to be there each time now, Hawks said it'd help him get the hang on it. 

(And by 'it' he meant eluding the nosy press, looking good for the cameras, and mingling with a bunch of other pros for a night. He made special emphasis on that last one, saying a Hero's first official gala was essential to define who could be an ally, who could be a potential jerk, and who could be a friend in the hero world, because even if you all work to save people, everyone had a different reason to devote themselves to that, some less honest than others, and as such, there was some Pro Heroes it was best not to mess with). 

The second thing that happened was that Dabi was finally fed up with watching his husband stress himself over the damn gala, and even if he was definitely more relaxed now that Ryu was coming, he decided to surprise both of them. 

And so the night of the gala came, and Hawks, although still nervous, managed to freak out way less now that his son was standing by his side. 

That didn't mean he wasn't anxious however, as it was clear to anyone who really knows him. So that's why when Miruko showed up, she immediately shaked her head and pushed Ryu away. 

"Hey, babyfeathers, go get your pops a drink from the table over there, I got it. I'll make sure he doesn't freak out that much while you're gone." 

She however turned to look at Ryu, an almost amused yet excited gleam in her eyes. Like she knew something he didn't. Ryu eyed her suspiciously, silently asking his aunt what she was up to, but she simply shrugged. "Aren't you the son of the fastest hero? Go on, why are you still here?" 

Deciding to let go of the subject for now, he obeyed, moving over to a corner to grab Hawks a glass of champagne. 

"I sure hope that's not for you." Ryu jumped a little, some of his feathers lightning up with blue fire and his wings proofing as he immediately tried to compose himself. 

He turned around, coming face to face with a white haired man wearing a black, raven-like mask with detailed feather pieces going around the eyes, a black beak pointing downwards and covering his nose. 

That's right, this time's theme for the gala was a masquerade, so everyone was wearing fancy masks for tonight, another reason why Hawks wanted him to come: the perfect chance for the reporters to not be able to get a good glimpse of what Ryu's face looked like now that he was a teenager. Not that it mattered much considering he'd won second place at the sports festival, but it was better than letting those nosy reporters and photographers get away with it. Ryu's own mask was white, with rows of small feather shaped pieces glued around the eyes and all around the mask that started out white towards the center and slowly went to blue towards the edges of the mask, like Ryu's own wings. At each side, it had actual soft blue feathers placed to resemble an owl. 

The man's voice, he knew that voice. But with the white hair and the mask it was definitely confusing. That is until the man lifted his mask, winking mischievously at Ryu, that it hit him:

"Dad!?" 

"Hey, little bird." he casually said, as if he wasn't a wanted criminal standing in a room full of heroes and he didn't look completely different with white hair and without… Scars? 

"What are you doing here!? How did you even…?" Ryu gestured in the general direction of his face. 

"Someone with an illusion Quirk owed me a favor, and your aunt Rumi is always up to help me almost give Kei a heart attack."

"So that's why she sent me over here."

Dabi shrugged. "She's distracting your pops so he won't see me yet. But hey, I may actually accept what Yumi offered for once and let her take a picture, look at us. You definitely look like my kid now."

Honestly, Ryu had been told he'd taken after his dad a lot all the time, but now he could definitely see it: the poofy white hair sticking in all different directions, the electric blue eyes and long bottom lashes, and the soft features of his face. You could put them side by side and the only difference would be Ryu's splash of soft freckles on his cheeks and nose, the markings around his eyes, the wings, and the fact he was slightly shorter than Dabi. 

"It's weird seeing you like this. Why are you here anyway? You know it's dangerous."

"And you know how Kei gets at this kind of event, even if this time you're here with him. So I decided to make it a family reunion, just to make him feel even better." 

Ryu hummed. "Well, you know what pops will say, but I'll say it anyway." Ryu cleared his throat, trying his best impression of his pop's voice. "'Touya, if you get yourself arrested, I swear to God I'm letting you rot in Tartarus for being an idiot'... How's that?" 

"Pretty good, but you missed the part where he probably will try to punch me."

"Shoot, you're right."

They both laughed, and Dabi finally slipped his mask back in place. 

"Pray he doesn't actually smack me in the head for this." 

"I want it on the record that I was not a part of this."

"Good try, but if I'm going down, I'm dragging you with me even if you're just finding out. He'll ground you until you're 25."

Ryu let out an offended gasp. "I'm already not allowed to date someone until I'm 25, and you want him to ground me too? You're evil." 

"Ex-villain." Dabi answered matter-of-factly. 

"Yeah, I noticed. Well, you better get this champagne to pops then. The alcohol will make him forget he's mad at you, trust me."

Dabi narrowed his eyes at Ryu. "And how would you know that?" 

Ryu sent him a deadpan look. "You witnessed one of my best friends down two bottles of sake on his own during Halloween, and you're wondering how I know? Please, Mori is smart, but let him near alcohol and he'll forget his own name."

"I'm still having second doubts about letting you hang out with him."

"Oh me too, but he's like a leech, even more so than Kendo. It's impossible to get rid of him."

Dabi hummed, grabbing the champagne glass off Ryu's hands. 

"Well, wish me good luck. I'll see you later, don't get in trouble, little dragon." 

"Funny coming from the one that will actually get himself in trouble with pops right now." 

Dabi shook his head. "Who allowed you to take after Keigo in personality? You know what, sure, I don't even know why I'm asking you to not get in trouble. You're our son, trouble finds you." Dabi scoffed, walking away. 

Ryu watched him approach his pops, who still seemed too distracted to notice him. 

He watched Hawks slowly realize it was Dabi and essentially ask the same questions he had. 

Well, he didn't actually smack his dad in the head, but judging by the amused little smirk on Dabi's face, he'd actually probably said Ryu's almost exact words. 

At one point Hawks even turned to send an accusing glare at Ryu. He immediately raised his hands in the air, claiming he was innocent. Hawks looked skeptical, but even from this far away and with his red and golden hawk mask on, Ryu could tell: he was actually incredibly relieved that Dabi was there. 

Ryu was happy he seemed like he'd actually enjoy a Hero Gala for once. 

He decided to not interrupt his parents then. Besides, it's not like they'd notice he was even there, considering Dabi was already pulling Hawks into the dance floor to slow dance with him. That could only mean one thing: they were about to go into full on infatuated mode, completely unaware of anything around them that wasn't each other. 

So Ryu decided to stay where he was, next to the overly fancy and now half empty table of champagne glasses and snacks. 

"You seem too young to be a hero already." 

For the second time that night, a sudden voice startled him, repeating the previous incident with his wings and feathers. People should really stop sneaking up on him.

This time, he turned to see who seemed to be another teenager, with light blue hair and chocolate eyes that were looking at him with amusement behind a very simple gray mask. He was carrying a silver platter with him, full of more champagne glasses. 

"I'm going to assume that means I scared you. Sorry, that wasn't my intention. Cool Quirk though. I think I've seen something similar before… wait!" Oh, there it was. Apparently even with the mask on, Ryu was still recognizable as Hawks' son. "You're the one who got second place at UA's sport festival this last year!" 

… That-wasn't what Ryu was expecting. He stared at the stranger, surprised. "I- yeah that's me."

"Cool! So that answers my question, you are a hero student, not a pro, right?" 

"Yeah…" Ryu answered, still confused by the fact the statement about him winning second place at the sports festival wasn't followed by a statement about who one of his parents is. 

"Interesting. Why are you here then?" he asked, casually placing some of the champagne glasses into the table, apparently re-stocking it. 

"Um- someone invited me. Hey, that's all you recognized me for? The sports festival?" 

"Yeah?" the stranger tilted their head, confused. "Should I recognize you for something else?" 

"Well, um…" Ryu pulled his mask off, revealing his whole face to the stranger. Okay maybe the wings weren't a dead giveaway, so maybe the markings around his eyes? The stranger blinked, apparently still confused. 

"All I'm getting here is that you're cute." 

Ryu choked, harshly pushing his mask down again as his cheeks heated up. "Forget it."

The stranger chuckled. "I'm sorry! I'm just saying, you are. Oh, sorry I haven't introduced myself by the way, I'm Alex Rodríguez, but you can just call me Alex."

"Um… Takami Ryu. I'm guessing you're not from around here."

Alex shrugged, smirking a little. "What gave me away, the accent or the name?"

"Accent? Your Japanese is very good."

"Come on, don't flatter me. I'm from Mexico, actually. My family moved here 4 years ago though."

"Oh. Well, nice meeting you. I probably should let you do your thing though, it looks like you're working. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Meh, don't worry about it. My parents own this place, and for some reason every Hero Gala is always hosted here, so one night, 4 times a year, my siblings and I are stuck having to help out the servers, so I don't think I'll actually get in trouble for taking a break. At least I'm lucky I don't get called to help every time an event is hosted here."

"Sounds like you've had your share of putting up with Hero Galas then."

"Yeah. It was exciting at first, to be able to stand in a room with so many pros. But after about 20+ times here, it lost its charm. Made me realize that pros are… Well, people. Never was that much into heroes but I guess I'm even less now. Not that interested in following up into their careers when I've had to witness them getting black out drunk and puking their guts out into the bathroom floor."

Ryu cringed. 

"I can see how that would make you lose interest in heroes."

Before Alex could answer anything, a girl marched right up to him, holding another silver platter and wearing a mask as simple as Alex's. She proceeded to hit Alex over the head with the silver platter. 

"Alejandro, ¿¡me quieres decir por qué estás cogiéndote con la mirada a alguien en lugar de trabajar!?" 

"PERO-Lucy, ¡estoy descansando!" Alex protested, putting their arms up to block any more attacks from the girl. 

"Ajá, porque no te vi comiéndote al pajarito desde allá. Mamá te pidió más copas, ve."

"... ¿Al menos me dejas darle mi número?" 

The girl rolled her eyes, taking a step back. "You explain to mom why it's taken you so long to restock here and drop off the glasses with her, then. I ain't covering for you." she started walking away then. 

"Que increíble regalo de la vida tenerte de hermana. No sé qué hice para merecerte. Tantos carros y ninguno te atropella." Alex mumbled under his breath, sarcasm lacing his tone. 

Ryu blinked, taken back. Alex laid eyes on him again, taking in his confused expression. 

"I gotta go for now, that was my sister. As you can see, she's a delight. My mom needs me, but um I meant that about you being cute. So what about I give you my number and you can call me so we can go on a date sometime?" 

Ryu almost choked on air. "Really?" 

"Yeah. Only if you want to and you're single, of course." 

"I-Yes. Sure." he almost immediately answered. 

Alex smiled, pulling out a pen from one of his pockets and grabbing a napkin from the table, quickly scribbling their number on it before handing it to Ryu. 

"Cool. I'll be waiting for you to text me then. I should really get going now though."

And just like that, they scurried away, blue hair quickly getting lost in the mass of people. Ryu watched Alex leave, the napkin with the number still in hand, and mostly just staring ahead in awe that someone had asked him for his number. Someone who didn't do it only because of who his pops was. Someone who actually didn't even recognize him at all and actually just asked because they genuinely thought he was cute. 

"Who was that?" the slightly teasing voice of his aunt Fuyumi quickly brought him back to earth. He turned to face her, shoving the napkin into his pocket. Luckily, this time although startled, he managed to keep his wings from lightning up. 

"No one!" 

Calculating eyes studied him from behind an elegant white and red striped mask, but she seemed willing to let Ryu off the hook. For now. 

"If you say so… Now come with me, whether he likes it or not, I am taking at least one picture of you and Touya side by side. I can't believe how uncanny the resemblance is."

Ryu chuckled. "Good luck dragging him away from pops. They are in full on infatuated mode dancing right now." he said, throwing a side glance to his parents, who were now slow dancing and apparently unaware of anything else going on around them. 

Just then, a thought struck Ryu. 

"I wouldn't worry too much about not getting a picture, I'm sure the news and the internet will find a way to get a picture of them right now."

Fuyumi hummed. 

"True, this is probably your dad's first public appearance like this. There's no way to deny he is your dad, the hair alone is a dead giveaway, but I think the way they're just completely lost in each other really sells it. Oh boy, every gossip program is going to have a field day tomorrow… " 

Ryu hummed. "Well, maybe that way everyone will forget I was here too."

"Maybe. But I still want a picture, whether the press gets one or not." Fuyumi said, dragging Ryu into the dance floor to grab his parents. 

He sighed, resigned to let his aunt get away with it. 

About two days had gone by, and Ryu was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He hadn't told a soul about the cute boy whose number he had saved on his phone now, not Mori or Yurei, because Mori would tease him about finally getting someone's number unless Yurei stopped him, and he definitely couldn't tell his parents or Kendo. 

Kendo especially—there was a reason everyone in school seemed to think they were dating. Kendo was clingy, and more often than not, Ryu would oblige and let him just lay on his lap or hug him. He didn't mind, but as clingy as Kendo was, he was also incredibly annoying and a teasing bastard. So the moment Ryu let out anything about Alex, Kendo would go on a rampage, claiming Ryu had replaced him while also mocking him endlessly about it. 

He'd rather save it, especially considering it wasn't even anything serious. He hadn't even texted Alex yet, which was the other reason he was freaking out. When was it too soon to text them? Or maybe two days have been too long? 

So, still freaking out, he finally did it. He sent the text, a simple 'Hi, it's me, uh the guy from the gala?' Ryu cringed internally at how awkward that was, but sent it anyway and put his phone away. 

He was not gonna just be the kind to grow anxious about getting a response, absolutely not—

His phone rang, and Ryu immediately rushed to grab it again, growing slightly excited upon confirming it was from Alex. 

'Took you long enough, pajarito :)' 

Pajarito? What does that mean? Ryu frowned slightly, doing a quick search on his phone and— Oh . Birdie. He'd call him birdie. 

It was the same nickname his dad would often use with his pops, besides of 'angel', which seemed to be his favorite name to call Keigo by, but knowing Alex had called him that made Ryu's brain shortcut for a moment. 

His face went completely red, and he buried his face in his pillow, letting out a sound between a sigh and a scream. Definitely, neither his parents nor his best friends could know about this. 

And Alex had to stop being so stupidly smooth when they were just starting to text or otherwise Ryu would definitely die. 

Before he could answer though, another text came.

'So, about that date… How does tomorrow at 7 sound?'

Ryu buried his face deeper into his pillow, taking a deep breath before being capable of answering. 'Sounds great.'

'Cool, text u the location later. See you there, pajarito.'

This time, knowing what that meant, it hit him even harder that Alex called him that, and Ryu squeaked, almost falling off his bed.

Almost at the same time, his pops opened the door to his bedroom and stared at Ryu, one eyebrow raised.

"Are you okay?"

Ryu scrambled to stand up, shoving his phone in his pocket. "Yes! I'm fine."

Hawks examined him, calculating eyes drifting to his wings, where his feathers were all ruffled and puffed up from the previous embarrassment, and then returned to Ryu’s face, where he still could feel a pink hue on his cheeks.

"... Uh-huh. Sure you are. Well, come on, we’ve been calling you over for dinner for a while now."

"Right! Yeah, I guess I just didn't hear you. Coming, pops."

Hawks eyed him suspiciously again before shrugging and turning to leave. "Don't take too long."

The day of the date arrived way too soon, and Ryu was incredibly nervous. He simply told his parents he was going out. Hawks again threw him a suspicious glance, but only said for him to take care and be home soon, and immediately Ryu was off. 

He briefly considered his options, he was early, so he could walk to the point Alex had told him to meet at, but he was so anxious he decided to just go for a fly instead, to both kill some time and also to relax. Besides, he already had his provisional license, and the new head of the HPSC had managed for Quirk lawks to slowly but surely back off a little, partly thanks to his pops, who had become an avid speaker against mutant type discrimination, especially bird-related quirks or people with any type of wing mutation. 

For people like them, flying was second nature. It was instinct. You couldn't keep someone with wings tied now, but sadly many people were prohibited from giving into their instincts because unless they were pros or had a provisional license, flying was still considered illegal Quirk usage. 

Thankfully, it had been listed as a necessity now for people with wing-type quirks to actually fly, and there were even some parks that were suited specifically for people to practice at. 

So even if he didn't have his provisional license with him, it would still be fine if anyone saw him flying around. 

Checking the time, Ryu suddenly realized that instead of being early, he was now almost 5 minutes late. Cursing under his breath, he quickly sped up and around two more minutes later he spotted Alex's blue hair where he told him to meet, diving down and landing in front of them, his cheeks and nose a little bit red due to the chilly wind and his hair more messy than usual. 

He gave Alex a sheepish smile. 

"I'm sorry, I must have lost track of time!" 

Alex shrugged. "It's alright, I haven't been waiting here for that long, so don't worry, pajarito."

Ryu's wings suddenly fluffed up and his cheeks felt even more red now, but not only because of the wind. Reading the nickname Alex had apparently now decided to always refer to him as was one thing, but it was different to actually hear the word coming from his mouth. 

Besides, now without the mask, Ryu got a full view of Alex's face and-okay, they were attractive. They had a very cute round nose, and his eyes were big and bright, light blue curls framing his face perfectly. 

Alex seemed to find his reaction amusing, as a small smile made it into their face. 

"Alright, ready for the best date ever?" 

Ryu chuckled, the embarrassment dying down a little. "Sure."

"Great! First destination, the ice cream place around the corner." 

Alex winked at him and offered him their hand, and Ryu somehow just shook his head in amusement this time and accepted the offer. 

Alex immediately grasped his hand firmly, practically dragging him towards the direction of the ice cream shop. 

Although it was a relatively warm day, there didn't seem to be a lot of people around, so they ordered and sat down at a small table. 

"So," Alex started, once they were both sitting down. "What was that earlier?" 

"What do you mean?" Ryu asked, tilting his head to the side and trying his ice cream for the first time, finding it was actually really good. 

"That, when I called you pajarito." Alex specified, and Ryu almost choked on his ice cream. 

Alex gave a small laugh. "You see? That!" 

Ryu cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks burning again. "Um, it's just… That means 'birdie', right?" 

Alex took a scoop off his ice cream before answering. 

"Oh, someone did his homework. Yes, that's what it means. Why?" 

Ryu shrugged, pointedly looking at his ice cream instead of at Alex. 

"Nothing, just that no one had ever really called… me that."

Alex hummed. 

"Well, do you mind? I just did it because it's basically second nature for me to call people nicknames. It was sort of like my way of adapting when we first moved here, because back where I'm from, it's normal to call people by only their first names, but my brain got all mixed up here because people would take it personally if we weren't closed and I called them by their first name so, yeah. Nicknames. Some still didn’t like it but eh, not as bad as before at least."

Ryu looked up, biting his lip nervously. 

"I… Guess I don't mind. It's just kind of weird hearing anyone calling me that."

"Well, you better get used to it then, pajarito, cause now that you said it's fine I'm never calling you anything else."

Ryu tried to hide his smile by eating another scoop of his ice cream. Maybe he could get used to it. 

"So, pajarito, your quirk is really cool." Alex said, casually taking another scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

"Thanks. By the way, what is your quirk? I don't think you've told me that yet."

"Uh yeah, guess I haven't. It's nothing that special, I can basically do…" Alex paused, looking down at his ice cream and moving his hand around. A small ball of ice cream seemed to answer to his command, levitating up until it was in front of him. With another movement, the ball seemingly turned into a liquid, still levitating. "That. I can basically somewhat control water and the likes, so ice and I guess steam too. Ice cream is just hard because it's not really all icey or liquid and there's other stuff in it, but…" 

Alex paused, focusing on the single piece of ice cream in front of them, and suddenly it started to slowly change until it somewhat resembled a rose. Alex gave him a cheeky grin. 

"I've been practicing that, what do you think? I'd offer it to you, but it will eventually melt and you'd end up all sticky." and with a final movement, the ice cream turned into its original form and softly landed back down with the rest of Alex's ice cream. 

"That's actually amazing!" Ryu complimented. "That's a great quirk."

"Yeah, ma always said I could become a hero if I learned how to use my quirk to save people. I see her point, I mean, there's that one hero that uses fire and ice, right? But I wasn't all that interested in that."

"What were you interested in then?" 

"I've always liked to draw, so I guess that."

"That's also really cool!"

"Glad you think so, because I may ask you to be my muse one day, pajarito." Alex winked at him, making Ryu almost choke with his ice cream again. 

The date wasn't at all bad. After they both finished their ice cream, they had both taken a walk around the park nearby as they kept talking. Ryu quickly discovered he found Alex's culture fascinating and interesting, and perhaps some of it had to do with how excited Alex would get talking about it, waving his hands around (or at least the hand that wasn't firmly grasping Ryu's) and talking so fast sometimes a cute accent would come through, but Ryu liked hearing them talk about it nonetheless. 

Besides that, they also found they had some things in common, like the fact they were both apparently obsessed over the same video game and liked just about the same shows and movies the other did. At one point Alex also asked Ryu about how it was like being a hero student. 

Then it was Alex's turn to listen intently as Ryu rambled about how he was excited to become a hero because then he could actually make a difference in the world and do something that was very important for him and his parents. 

Overall it was a pretty good first date, but eventually it reached its end. They both stopped walking, knowing it was getting late and they needed to be home soon. 

"Not bad for a first date. So, what do you say, did I earn a second one?" 

Ryu hummed, pretending he was thinking about it. "I don't know…" 

"Will this clear your mind?" Alex asked, suddenly getting closer and leaving a quick kiss on Ryu's cheek. 

"... I think it did." Ryu said, his cheeks burning for the hundredth time that day. 

"So?" 

"I'd say you did earn a second one."

Alex smiled. 

"Great, then. Text you later, pajarito."

"Right. Later." Ryu awkwardly said as Alex gave one last squeeze to his hand before letting it go and turning to leave, not before waving him goodbye. 

Ryu waved back, and stared at Alex's retreating form long enough to catch him turning slightly to send a wink in Ryu's direction. 

Ryu immediately took off, and even when he landed on the balcony of his home and entered the living room, he still felt as if he was still flying, subtly walking amongst the clouds. 

His parents seemed to be in the middle of watching a movie. His dad was nowhere to be seen, and the movie was paused, but there was some noise coming from the kitchen. Which meant his pops had surely reached the point where he sent his dad to fetch more snacks. 

And sure enough, still laying on the couch was Hawks. Again, he eyed Ryu carefully once he came in through the balcony door. 

"Had fun?" he asked, a little bit of a teasing tone leaking into the question inevitably once he noticed Ryu's not so subtle smile. 

"Very. What are you and dad watching?" 

Hawks shrugged. "Some supposed horror movie, but it's kind of boring. Want to stay and watch the rest?"

Ryu was about to answer when he got interrupted by his phone. He pulled it out, noticing it was a text from Alex. 

'So, I know it's hardly been like, an hour but. Can't wait for that second date :)' 

Ryu smiled again, and looked up to see his pops staring intently at him. "Uh-no thanks, I'm kind of tired. I think I'll go straight to bed."

Hawks hummed, still giving the same odd look. 

"Alright then, goodnight." 

"Goodnight." Ryu said, quickly dashing to his room. He said a quick "Dad, I'm home. I'm going to bed now, goodnight!" when he rushed by the kitchen. 

He heard Dabi saving goodnight back before he went into his room and went to lay on his bed, answering Alex's text.

'Same, definitely one of the best first dates I've had, you were right. Although tbf there's not a lot to compare it to so the bar was kinda low from the beginning'

'Haven’t been to a lot of good dates?'

'Yeah, met some pretty shitty people when trying to go on a date before'

'That sucks, but tbf me too. Apparently sum people are rlly into the idea of dating a foreigner'

'Can’t say I dont get it now considering its really cute hearing you talk about your culture'

'Oh so you think im cute!' was Alex’s immediate response. Ryu groaned, a small smile making its way into his face.

'Maybe. Can’t say until that second date...'

'Well, you better hurry up planning that second date then. It's only fair after I planned our first one don't you think?' 

Ryu bit his lip. 'I guess.'

So, he had a date to plan now. 

The thing is, about three weeks went by with them texting daily, and Ryu admitted he still didn't exactly know what to do for that second date. Alex didn't push him and assured him anything he would come up with was okay. 

During those three weeks, Ryu had caught his pops giving him more and more odd looks. 

And it's not like Hawks hadn't noticed the odd changes in Ryu either. Please, he'd been basically trained to be observant and read people like a book, and as it turns out, that skill comes quite in handy when you have a teenage son. 

It's not like it was so hard to figure it out either. The way Ryu spent way more time on his phone now, texting away with someone. The giggles, the constant smiles, the faint blushes—it was painfully obvious. 

Today, Ryu had hurriedly returned to his room after dinner instead of staying a while to chat with his parents like he often did, this time saying he had homework to finish before going to bed, but judging by the faint giggle Hawks heard coming from Ryu's room, he was doing anything but homework. 

Today had been Hawks' turn to make dinner, which meant it was Dabi's turn to do the dishes. 

Hawks approached him, leaning into the kitchen counter next to the sink, eyes still glued in the direction of the hallway leading to Ryu's room. 

"Tou." he called him. Dabi hummed, signaling he was listening, but didn't turn and kept on scrubbing at the dishes. 

Hawks let out a dramatic sigh, finally turning to look at Dabi. 

"Our baby has a crush. Either that or he's already seeing someone."

That caused Dabi to abruptly stop, turning to look at his husband as if he'd grown a second pair of wings.

"... Where's that coming from all of a sudden?" 

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed! He spends half his time texting someone now, and he's always all—" Hawks stopped, seemingly looking for the right word. "Whipped! He's already very cheerful but he's just always smiling down at his phone and laughing and blushing. I'm telling you, there's someone!" 

Dabi stared at Hawks for a couple more seconds before returning to his previous task of doing the dishes. "Alright."

"That's all you're gonna say!? Aren't you curious about who it is or something?" 

Dabi hummed. "Well, if I'm being honest, angel, I think both of us know who it is."

Hawks narrowed his eyes at Dabi, suddenly looking deep in thought. 

"You don't think…?" 

"Don't you?" Dabi said. "Please, I'd actually be surprised if it wasn't Kendo. If anything, I'm glad it finally happened. It's been a long time coming. But still, we should wait for him to tell us."

Hawks sighed. "Yeah, you're right… I guess a part of me just really can't believe it. He's so grown up now, he's even got a provisional license already!" 

Dabi finished up the last of the dishes, drying his hands and turning to Hawks. "I know. But it had to happen eventually."

Hawks pouted. 

"You know, sometimes I regret the fact we didn't have more kids. I kind of miss the times we didn't have to worry about him growing up too fast now."

Dabi chuckled, leaning in to kiss Hawks' cheek. 

"You know why we didn't, we already had our hands full with keeping Ryu alone a secret. Besides, Ryu never seemed to feel alone, if anything he also had his hands full with being cousins with the wrecking ball that is Hanako Shimura, and he had Eri too, so technically he does have two older sisters. Now come on, we should head to bed."

"Fine, but only because I'm tired and you did promise me some extra cuddles today."

Much to Hawks' surprise, just the next day Ryu approached him, looking troubled. 

"What's wrong, little bird?" 

Ryu sighed, sitting next to Hawks. 

"What do you and dad usually do when you go on dates?" 

Hawks blinked, not expecting that. 

"Why do you want to know?" 

"Because the other day I went on an amazing date, but for our second date apparently we decided I'm the one in charge of planning it, but I have no idea of where to take him."

Ryu said, frowning slightly. 

Hawks hummed, a knowing smile making its way into his face. At least he was glad Ryu was talking about it with him now. 

"Well, you can really go anywhere. If he likes you, he won't mind where you take him. But, if you really want an idea… The UA's cultural festival is coming up, right? You should take him there. It could be fun." 

Ryu's face lit up and he immediately moved to get up, already pulling out his phone. 

"That is a great idea! Thanks, pops!" and then he just vanished into his room again, already typing something on his phone. 

"The cultural festival?" Dabi asked, having overheard some of the conversation from the kitchen. 

"Well, it's someplace already familiar for the both of them. That way Ryu won't be as nervous, don't you think?" 

Dabi shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Maybe we should go on a date of our own, don't you think?" 

Hawks smiled. 

"Absolutely." 

The idea of taking Alex had been good in essence, because the only flaw in the plan was that this possibly meant having to introduce Alex to his best friends. Fuck. 

Okay, honestly, that first date and the now constant texts and calls with Alex had actually made Ryu realize he really, really liked them. And if Alex's behavior towards him was any indication, he actually felt the same. So sure, why not take the hit already and get it over with? 

But first…

"I'm telling you, it was terrifying!" Alex kept saying, furiously waving one of their hands around at the other side of the small screen of Ryu's phone. 

"I'm sure it was." Ryu answered, an amused smile on his face. 

"It was staring at me with its dead, cold eyes. I don’t think you understand how terrifying it is to be in the comfort of your room and find that not even there it’s safe, for there is a demon in a cage staring at you the whole time."

Ryu chuckled. "Fine, yeah, I guess that does sound terrifying. But changing the subject… About that second date…" 

"Oh, has the time finally come? Did I finally get enough XP to unlock the second date?" 

Ryu rolled his eyes, clearly amused. "So it seems. The UA's cultural festival is coming up, and my class will be putting together a play, so what do you say?" 

Alex hummed. 

"Mm, I dunno, it depends on who you're casted as. Does my pajarito have a big role?" 

Ryu tried to ignore the way his stomach did a backflip upon hearing him being referred to as Alex's pajarito. 

"The lead, actually. But let me tell you something: I suck at acting."

"I guess I'll be the judge of that."

"It's a date then."

"Can't wait."

"I feel like I should warn you though, if you're coming, that means you're probably meeting my best friends and they can be… A lot. Just don't believe anything Kendo says." 

Alex chuckled. 

"Alright, noted."

"Oh, and don't get jealous if I have to kiss Kendo on scene. My other best friend who wrote the play apparently thought it hilarious to torment me by making us love interests in the play."

"Well, that's just unfair now. I haven't gotten to kiss you yet!" 

"Hmm, a shame. Who knows, a lot can happen during that second date."

"Now I'm even more excited!" 

"Great, see you, Lexy."

"Lexy?! Ryu, you slick bastard, hold on-" 

Ryu hung up, immediately giggling like a maniac when his phone started vibrating, indicating Alex was calling him again. 

He contemplated actually answering, but before he could, a knock came at this door and his pops proceeded to poke his head into his room, a knowing look crossing his face upon seeing the grin on Ryu's face, but he didn't say anything. 

"Come on, your dad just finished making dinner."

Ryu obliged, getting up and following his pops into the dining room and helping him set the table while his dad started to serve dinner. 

Soon enough they were all sitting and eating, idly talking about nothing in particular until Dabi said: "So Ryu, heard you asked your pops something about a date the other day. What's that about?" 

"Oh yeah, I just asked him where you guys usually go when you have dates because I'm not great at planning and I owed someone a second date."

"So you are seeing someone." Hawks said. 

Ryu's face went a little red, and he cleared his throat, looking down at his plate. 

"Yeah… didn't really tell you guys before because well, I didn't think it was that serious."

"But you think it's serious now?" Hawks asked, a small knowing smile on his face. 

"Well… I guess I know for sure now I'm really, really into Alex."

"Alex?" Hawks repeated, now frowning slightly. 

"Uh-yeah? That's their name, Alex. Alex Rodríguez. We met like more than a month ago, at the past Hero Gala. His parents own the place where they host it, so he was there helping around with the servers and stuff."

Dabi also frowned slightly, until his face lit up with understanding. "That's why Rumi said she saw you hanging around with someone!" 

"Wait—so you're not dating Kendo?" 

Ryu almost choked with his chicken. 

"Wha-... Kendo!? Ew, pops, no! Never!" 

"... Huh. I mean with the way you two always are cuddling and hugging and such we figured it was him." Dabi cut in now. 

"Oh absolutely not. Kendo is just my best friend, and he's only really clingy. If anything, he's a pain."

"I already had a speech ready for when I saw Kendo during the cultural festival!" Hawks whined. 

"Pops, please don't give Alex the shovel talk."

"I can't make any promises."

Ryu sent a pleading look at Dabi. 

"I'll keep him in check."

"Dad, I love you."

Hawks whined again. "That's unfair! I'm your dad too!" 

Ryu rolled his eyes, deciding to change the subject. "So you're coming to the cultural festival? It hasn't even been two months since the press got obsessed over finding out who dad is again when they saw him at the gala."

"There's no reason there should be any press at the cultural festival, and besides, everyone's used to seeing me around UA by now. And your dad can just wear a disguise again, we'll be fine."

Hawks said, apparently forgetting about his whining for now. 

"Besides," Dabi cut in. "We wouldn't want to miss out on your big debut. Last time your friends were over it was all Mori could talk about."

Ryu cringed. 

"Don't remind me…" 

"I bet he'll do great. After all, he will try his best just because Alex will be watching." Hawks said, a teasing smile on his face. 

"... Oh no, Alex will not let me live this down. I didn't think this through! Ugh, they distracted me with the 'pajarito' again!" 

Hawks and Dabi exchanged looks, silently agreeing that they were both thrilled to be meeting Alex soon. 

The day of the cultural festival finally rolled around, and Mori was absolutely ready to whack Ryu over the head. 

"I will actually make a plant choke you right now unless you pay attention." he snapped. 

Ryu cringed, knowing the threat was serious. 

"Sorry!"

Mori took a deep breath, taking a look around. 

"Alright, five minute break. Kendo, Yurei, Ryu, with me."

Their classmates obeyed, walking off and breaking into different conversations as they got away from them. 

Kendo, who was about to hop onto the stage for his and Ryu's rehearsal scene, approached immediately. Yurei literally materialized out of nowhere next to Mori. 

Mori was dressed in his own costume for the play, which was that of a king, but considering he wrote and directed the play and he was the class president either way, everyone was used to him barking out orders. 

Yurei had been in charge of moving around the props while using his quirk so no one would see him, because Mori would never actually put Yurei under the pressure of playing a role unless he wanted to. 

"Okay, just spill it." Mori said once the four of them were standing together, looking at Ryu. 

He shifted uncomfortably, resting his weight from one foot to the other. 

"Spill what?" 

"Whatever it is that's got you so distracted." Kendo said now. "And I'd suggest you do it before Mori makes some plants swallow you and feed off of you."

Honestly, it was a miracle Ryu had managed to keep Alex a secret so far, even from Mori, who was the most observant of them all. 

He supposed it had to do with the fact Alex told him he never texted in the mornings because he had school, which Ryu had as well, so they really never texted each other while they were in school. So the fact his friends didn't yet see him blushing and giggling at Alex's texts definitely had to do with the fact he didn't text with him during school hours. 

Suddenly, Kendo just stared at him, and then something seemed to click on his brain, his face shifting into an incredulous scowl. 

"You asshole! You're dating someone, aren't you? And you didn't tell me!? You cheating bastard!" 

Because as much as Mori was the observant one, Kendo was the Ryu expert. 

"We're not dating!... Yet. This is only our second date…" 

Kendo stepped back, apparently shocked. 

"So I'm right? You're seeing someone!? How!? Last I checked, you suck at flirting, so either they did all the work or…" 

Ryu frowned. "Fuck you, I don't suck at flirting."

"... Right, sure, whatever you say." Kendo said, patting Ryu in the shoulder. 

Ryu shrugged off his hand, glaring at Kendo.

"So? Are you going to tell us anything about them or…?" Mori interrupted. 

"Yes, actually. I'm going to tell you that you guys better stay away from Alex because I don't want you scaring him off."

Although to be fair, Alex could be very… unique at times too, but better to prevent a catastrophe before it happened. 

"What, so I don’t get to meet the future significant other? I’m the ex!" Kendo whined.

"You’re not the ex, if anything, you’re about to become the ex best friend. Just keep your shit to yourself, I don’t want Alex to think I’m actually with you, especially considering the entire school already thinks so. Even my parents thought I meant I was going on a date with you."

Kendo immediately started laughing then.

"Shit, I was already a part of the family, why did you have to get an actual date?! You know I’m a Goldigger! Where will I get another Romeo with as much fame and money as your family?"

Ryu rolled his eyes. "You will manage."

Mori sighed. "Fine then, we’re scrapping the final kiss. We’ll just have you act like you will kiss at the end and then close the curtain before you do."

"Good, because I was dreading having to kiss Kendo."

Kendo hit Ryu over the head with his rolled up script.

"Fuck you, I’m a great kisser, and you know that!"

"Yeah but not when I have to kiss your ugly face in front of Alex, dipshit. I haven’t even kissed him yet."

"Ryu I thought I taught you better than that."

Mori made a gagging noise. "Not even gonna ask how you know about Kendo's supposed kissing skills, but that's disgusting."

"Mori, you can't say anything weird to Alex either, understood?" 

"Can't make any promises."

Ryu turned to Yurei, who simply nodded. 

"I'll make sure he doesn't."

"Yurei, you're the only one with common sense here and I love you for it."

For the sake of not getting eaten alive by plants and not embarrassing himself in front of Alex, Ryu had actually done somewhat good with the play. Or so Mori had said once they were done, nodding somewhat approvingly while also saying something under his breath about talent not running in the family. 

Ryu was about to protest about Mori picking him as the lead in the first place for the hundredth time in the past weeks when suddenly, from somewhere behind him, he heard:

"That was great, pajarito."

Ryu let out a chirp, his cheeks heating up and his wings puffing up in embarrassment at being called that in front of his friends, even if they probably didn't know what it meant. 

Kendo, who was standing next to him, started laughing at that. Ryu used one of his feathers to harshly shove him, making him fall into a bunch of boxes that were piled to the side, the fucker still laughing even after that, some muffled sounds of 'Shit, you're down bad!' coming from under a pile of cardboard boxes. 

Ryu turned, giving Alex a tiny smile before realizing-fuck, they looked so good today with that damn leather jacket Alex had said was his favorite. 

"Alex! Hey, good to see you."

"Good to see you too." Alex said, clearly amused by Ryu's reaction. "Hey, I thought it was Lexy now."

"That might be decided after this date." Ryu answered, a teasing smile on his face. Alex fake pouted, but before he could say anything, Mori cut in. 

"So you're Alex! Ryu has told us so much about you." Mori said, suddenly standing next to Ryu. "And by that I mean be kept you a secret and only spilled the tea like three hours ago during rehearsal because he couldn't focus, apparently he was too busy having a fantasy about you two finally kiss-" 

"Yurei!" Ryu hurriedly called, Yurei immediately materializing next to Mori, giving him a look. 

Mori pouted like a child getting caught doing something he shouldn't, but complied and didn't finish his sentence, instead saying. "Fine. I'm Hana Mori, this is my boyfriend Yami Yurei, and that idiot…" Mori pointed towards the pile of boxes, where the laughter had died down and suddenly a green vine coming from the ground pushed Kendo to his feet so harshly he stumbled. "Is Katsoryoku Kendo."

"Jackass, I could stand up on my own." Kendo said, apparently still catching his breath from his previous fit of laughter. 

"Sorry for trying to be nice." Mori deadpanned, the vine speeding towards Kendo again, but this time a shield made out of rainbow-like energy stopped it before it could touch Kendo. 

"Sadly, these are my best friends." Ryu said to Alex. "We should probably go now that they're distracted." 

Alex seemed equal parts amused and intrigued, but nodded as Mori and Kendo started an impromptu game of push and pull to see who could win, Mori's vine or Kendo's shield. 

"Yurei, you should stop them before Kendo gets his ass kicked. Just do it after we're gone." 

Yurei silently nodded, eyes fixed on Mori and Kendo, Ryu and Alex slipping away as another vine wrapped around Kendo's ankle,  quickly lifting him up and leaving him dangling in the air. 

"That's cheating! Mori put me down!"

"Mmm, no, not sure I feel like it. And it's not cheating if there were no rules to being with. Yurei, come on, let's find Sora and have him see Alex and Ryu. I need to rub in his face that I won and he owes me money now."

"You had a bet with him?" 

"Course, the idiot bet me you two would actually end up a couple. He's gotta pay up now."

"... You know what? Take me with, he owes me money too now that I think about it, he never gave me back what I lent him for lunch one day. Besides, we're totally gonna go follow Ryu and Alex, right?"

"Kendo, this is the first official date we've seen Ryu go in a while, you know he stopped dating once he realized most people just wanted to date him because of who his parents are. Of course we're following them, we have to make sure Alex is not like the others."

Yurei grimaced. "I don't like that much the idea of following them…" 

"They won't even know, and besides, it's for Ryu's own good. I can tell he already really likes Alex, so if he turns out to be like the others… It's going to be worse than the last few times." Kendo said, shaking his head as he slowly but steadily sucked the energy from the vine holding him captive, forming a green ball of it on his hand. "We're the Dragon Squad, and we have to make sure our dragon is in good hands. Besides, what kind of friends would we be if we didn’t at least terrorize them a little?"

Mori nodded solemnly, making no move to help Kendo when he sucked enough energy that the vine turned a nasty brown and gave up, letting him fall on his face. Yurei sighed, offering to go fetch Miss Eri. Kendo managed to whine out something that sounded like a no, still face first on the floor.

"Told you they were… A lot." Alex shrugged, following Ryu as he guided them towards the changing rooms in the gym so Ryu could change out of his costume and into something more comfortable.

"You know, compared to my friends back home, I don’t think this is that bad. Once my best friend shoved my entire face into my birthday cake to the point half of it ended up my nose. I was cleaning my nose for a full 20 minutes after and I swear there’s some cake in there to this day."

Ryu chuckled. "Why did he do that?!"

"As I’ve come to find out, shoving someone’s face into a birthday cake may be a tradition in Latino America, but not anywhere else."

"Huh, sounds fun."

"It is! Except when it’s your face getting full of cake."

Ryu stopped once they reached the changing rooms, turning to look at Alex. 

"Well, you can wait for me here. I’ll go finally change out of this."

"Damn, and here I was, digging you into a prince outfit."

Ryu snorted. "If you like it so much, I can always ask my cousin to make you one too. She’d be delighted."

"Eh, I don’t think I can pull it off as well as you do. Go now, my prince, for your loyal servant will await you here."

Ryu ducked into the changing rooms, a small smile on his face as he playfully shoved Alex’s shoulder before disappearing inside.

New thing Alex knew, Ryu’s friends were standing in front of them, one holding a green glowing orb up to his scraped nose.

"So, Alex… " the short, pink haired one started. Mori, that was his name. "We don’t have much time, so I’ll be blunt: what do you want with Ryu?"

Alex blinked, startled. "What?"

"Let me just break it to you, pal." Kendo, the one holding up a glowing green orb to his nose, said. "Ryu looks like he’s serious about this, and we haven’t seen him so interested in anyone in ages because he’s had some rather shitty experiences with dates in the past."

"Everyone was always just trying to date him because of who one of his dads is and not for who he is, so if you’re one of those too, we will make sure to break every bone in your body, and then convince the school nurse to fix it just so we can do it again."

"And trust us, that wouldn’t be so hard, we’re heroes in training and Miss Eri is practically Ryu’s older sister, so the choice is yours." Kendo finished, him and Mori looking at Alex expectantly, Yurei sending nervous glances from them, to the changing rooms behind them and back.

"Okay, first of all—what's that about people dating him because of who his dad is?" 

Kendo and Mori exchanged looks. 

"What do you mean?" Mori asked. 

"I mean exactly that. Who's his dad?" 

Kendo blinked, the green orb of energy blinking out of existence too, his nose now looking better. "Either you're playing us or you actually don't know."

"I definitely don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay, wait—how did you and Ryu meet?" Mori asked again. 

"Uh, at the latest Hero Gala. I was helping my parents, they own the place where they always host it." 

"And you didn't think it was weird that Ryu, a student, was present at an all pro heroes event?" Mori insisted, frowning slightly. 

"I just assumed he was there as someone's intern or something, didn't think too much about it because then I recognized him as the one who got second place at the sports festival. Either way, it's like I told Ryu, after attending so many Hero Galas I'm not particularly interested in following up in any hero's career."

"Well, shit." Kendo said, suddenly looking surprised. "You actually don't know!" 

"Don't know what?" Alex insisted, already getting tired of this. 

"Ryu is Hawks' son." Mori was the one to go ahead and finally clear it up for them. 

Alex blinked, surprised. Then he figured he should have definitely known, considering just about everyone knew Hawks had a son, and Ryu did have some clear similarities with him. Instead, all they said out loud was: "Huh. Yeah, that tracks. Well, that's cool I guess, but that's definitely not the reason I asked him out."

"I guess that answers our question…" Kendo mumbled. 

Then Yurei yelped, turning half invisible just as Ryu's voice cut in. 

"Kendo, Mori, I thought I was very clear earlier." he said through gritted teeth, the fakest possible smile on his face. 

"Shit—okay we got what we came for, scatter!" Kendo squealed, immediately taking off. Mori and Yurei followed him immediately, Yurei letting out a quick 'Sorry, I couldn't stop them!' to Ryu before he went completely invisible, the three of them no doubt fearing for their lives now. 

Because when Takami Ryu was pissed, you better get out of the way. 

He turned to Alex, deciding to slowly torture his friends later (except for Yurei, he was sure Yurei had simply been dragged into it as Yurei had done nothing wrong, ever). 

"Please tell me they didn't tell you anything weird."

"Actually, I'd say they told me something interesting. And I guess they tried to give me the shovel talk."

Ryu groaned, before realizing what Alex had said. "Wait, they did what?" 

"Yeah, apparently they were worried I only asked you out because you're Hawks' son. Even threatened to 'break every bone in my body, fix it, and do it again' which you know, I guess it's cute they worry about you so much. Oh and by the way, thinking back, it makes sense you were confused about why I didn't know who you were when we met."

"... Huh." 

Okay, so maybe his friends didn't deserve such a slow death after all. The fact they had done that for him was actually pretty cute in a way. 

"Well, now that that's out of the way—I gotta admit, I loved the prince outfit, but that definitely suits you too." 

Ryu smiled. "You're not looking bad yourself. Let's head out before we miss most of the festival. Oh and by the way, my parents are here too, so we'll definitely run into them at some point."

"I'd say I'm excited to meet them, but I guess technically and after so many Hero Galas, I already know one of them." 

"You know, it's actually nice to go on a date with someone who didn't ask to meet my pops as soon as we met." Ryu said, taking Alex's hand to start to guide them back into the main area of the festival. 

Alex hummed, following Ryu. "I can imagine. Also, just considering how much I know about you already, I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't the only famous person you either know or are related to."

"Well, about that…" Ryu gave a nervous chuckle. Alex dramatically sighed. 

"Honestly, just drop it already, I'd rather it now that I'm prepared to learn about your family tree. And you know I'm not asking you out just because of that either way so, go." 

"Ok, so my dad's father was a pro too, two of my uncles are pros, same with my aunt, and I'm not technically related to Eri but we used to hang out at UA a lot as kids so, she's kind of like my older sister in a way. She debuted as a pro not too long ago and is now the school nurse, and my cousin Hanako who's also like my sister isn't a hero but she's really starting to get big into the costume designer world. Actually she already put an actual threat over my head and said only she's ever allowed to make me new hero suits or otherwise she'll kill me. Oh and I guess both my pops and my dad are famous? My dad's story is complicated tho… "

Alex blinked, startled. 

"That is… Yeah that's a lot. Not sure I even want the specifics of who some of those people are."

"You'll get the full details one day, maybe. If we make it to any more dates."

"Mm, that sounds like a challenge to me." 

"What if it is?" 

"Then I'll gladly take it."

"Good, then it's on, Lexy."

"Oh, so now it's Lexy? You know how to play your cards, pajarito."

Ryu chuckled, staring directly at Alex, almost in a trance. 

"Oh my God, is that actually what we would look like sometimes?" the sudden voice of Hawks cut in. Ryu yelped, startled, and jumped away from Alex, his feathers all ruffled and cheeks burning red. 

"Pops!"

Hawks stared at him, clearly trying to hold back laughter. Dabi, who was standing next to him, seemed to have gone under the quirk from before, as his hair was white like Ryu's again and there were no signs of scars on the visible part of his neck, considering half his face was blocked by a mask. By the glint on his eyes though, he was also clearly amused. 

"We just wanted to meet Alex, but I guess you guys were in the middle of something…" 

Ryu cleared his throat. "Uh, no. We were just talking."

"Looked a whole lot like flirting to me." Hawks answered. Dabi snickered. "Kei, come on, stop before our poor son dies of embarrassment."

Ryu whined. 

Alex took a step forward, his cheeks also slightly red, but they gave a kind smile to Hawks and Dabi. "Well, I'm Alex. Pleasure to meet you." 

"We can say the same. So, Alex, what…?" 

"Don't." Dabi cut off Hawks mid sentence. He frowned. 

"You don't even know what I was gonna say!" 

"I do, and I promised Ryu I'd keep you in line, so you're not going to give Alex the shovel talk."

"You're late for that either way. Mori and Kendo already did it for you."

"I don't know if I should thank them or hate them for getting ahead of me."

Dabi chuckled. "Come on Kei, best we leave them to it. We're crashing their date, and we have a date of our own ahead of us."

Hawks sighed. "Fine. Ryu, your dad and I will probably only stay for a little while, so we’ll text you when we leave. Be home early." 

"Yes, pops."

"Alright. Good meeting you Alex, we hope to see you again soon." Dabi said. 

"Good meeting you both too. And I hope so too…" Alex trailed off, looking at Ryu. Ryu cleared his throat and looked away. 

Hawks snickered, waving them goodbye as he and Dabi went back into the crowd. 

"I don't think I've ever seen him this flustered…" Hawks mumbled with an amused smile on his face. 

"I know, it's actually both amusing and also makes me realize again how much he's grown up. Seems like yesterday when Eri told us Ryu asked her what it felt like when you liked someone."

Hawks hummed. "Well, even if you didn't let me give Alex the shovel talk, Alex seems like a good kid. I don't think we have to worry."

"Yeah…" 

"Well, we should be enjoying our date. You’re the expert, so where to now?" Alex asked, turning to look at Ryu.

Ryu smiled. "Are you hungry? I think one of the business classes opened a food stall around here."

"After you then." 

Ryu noticed how most of his classmates that immediately recognized him just stared at him and Alex any time they saw them. Because apparently it was a surprise to see Ryu on a date with someone who clearly wasn't Kendo. 

Ryu was used to having people's eyes on him since he was a child, and he was too busy enjoying his date to pay them any mind though. Alex either didn't notice or didn't care too. 

The festival slowly started to slow down as the sun started to go down. But for the last event, one of the support classes had put together a fireworks show. 

"I know a good spot." Ryu had said, before dragging Alex away from the thinner crowd and the fewer prying eyes. 

One advantage of being allowed to use his Quirk inside school grounds was that from up there, it was really easy to immediately spot the most quiet, nicer spots of the place. 

He led Alex all the way to a small, retired hill inside the forest-like scenery of the school, near the main building. It was high enough to get a decent view of the remains of the cultural festival down below, and definitely perfect to see the fireworks in all their glory. 

They sat down, and the moment they did so, an explosion of colors started to happen in the sky above them. 

It was beautiful, the fireworks exploding into different shapes and with different colors. 

Alex slightly bumped Ryu's shoulder with his. 

"You know, this should be the moment when we kiss." Alex's smile was teasing and if anything, eager too.

Ryu turned away from the fireworks to look at Alex, his smile equally as giddy and amused. 

"Then maybe we should do that."

Alex turned to Ryu as well, the lights from the fireworks illuminating both their faces briefly before they faded into slight darkness, waiting for the next set of fireworks to come through. 

They did soon enough, bathing their faces in multi-colored light again. 

"Really?" Alex asked in a whisper, eyes traveling down to Ryu's lips for a second. Ryu licked his hips, eyes traveling down to Alex's too. "Yeah…" he answered. Behind him, his wings twitched anxiously. 

They both moved. There was a brief second of darkness just as their lips touched before more fireworks went off. 

To Ryu, it felt like the fireworks were in his chest, all going off at once and taking his breath away. Then, for a moment, there was no noise from the fireworks or quiet rumble of the festival down below. There was only Alex. 

They slowly broke apart, dopey smiles on their faces as they looked at each other. 

Alex thought Ryu looked so cute under the lights of the last fireworks, his wings a fluffy mess and his cheeks dusted pink. Ryu could only say the same about Alex, his blue hair slightly messed up by the wind, cheeks as pink as Ryu's. 

"So…" Alex said, biting their lip. "Does that mean I'm officially the significant other?" 

Ryu chuckled, leaning in to kiss Alex's cheek. 

"Yeah… I guess you are."

Alex smiled somewhat playfully as the fireworks officially ended. "My, what an honor, my prince. I am just a peasant."

Ryu rolled his eyes. "Something told me you wouldn't let that go so easily."

Alex chuckled, moving their hand behind their back for a moment. "Well, you're officially stuck with me for the time being, so you better believe I won't let it go any time soon, pajarito. You're not only my pajarito now, ahora también eres mi príncipe."

Alex pulled his hand from behind his back, offering Ryu a rose that seemed made out of glass. No, it wasn't glass—it was ice. 

Ryu chirped, his brain already formulating a hypothesis about what Alex had said as he carefully took the flower. It looked fragile, and surprisingly it wasn't cold. It was actually really beautiful. 

"What… What does that mean?" 

Alex smiled. "Means now you're my prince too."

Ryu whined, leaning his head on Alex' shoulder. "I hate you sometimes, you know?" 

"Too late!" Alex answered cheerfully. 

Ryu smiled, admiring the rose again. It was already starting to melt slightly where Ryu was touching it, at the base. 

He found he didn't mind being Alex's 'prince' that much…