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1. Heroes in training (Oboro)
Hanging upside down on a branch, Oboro attempts to convince Shouta to listen to him, because he is right and if only he could find the right words to make him understand!
"Come on, Shouta! Pretty please?"
Shouta and Hizashi are sitting against the trunk, listening to him with varying degrees of patience and amusement.
"Again, the answer is no," Shouta mutters, sounding bored out of his mind. And yet a light pink dusts his cheeks. "It's not like I can control it anyway."
"But I can help!" Oboro sing-songs as his fingers touch the ground and he throws a bit of dirt into his boyfriend's face.
Unimpressed, Shouta dusts off his uniform, and their other boyfriend isn't helping either, laughing uncontrollably loudly. The sound attracts the attention of the other people in the park, two kids sitting on a tree stump on the other side of the path a bit further out. One sports really cool red wings. Oboro waves when they look their way and doesn't mind when they don't answer in kind because he's a man with a mission, here.
"Hizashiii I'm doing this for you! You should show me more support."
Hizashi wipes the tears off his eyes and puts an arm over Shouta's shoulder to bring him closer for a kiss, right on the forehead. Oboro's heart swells at the casual gesture. It had taken a lot of work to get the three of them together and this was worth everything. He drops off the branch and lands on a cloud that brings him closer so he can pull the both of them into a big hug.
Then he tickles Shouta's nose with a cloud.
"I'm not going to sneeze again!" Shouta says as he slaps the tiny cloud away.
"But it was such a cute sound," Oboro laments, "and Hizashi wasn't there to hear it! This is horribly unfair. You can't keep such cuteness away from him."
The teasing and laughter continues as Oboro settles comfortably on their laps and they keep on chatting. The atmosphere between them stays comfortable and light even when the topic turns to their upcoming internships, their shared excitement and some of their nervousness.
When a muffled cry echoes, they immediately stop talking and turn toward the kids from earlier. They're crouching and staring at the ground in horror and Oboro can't see what they're looking at except that the winged kid is covering his mouth with both hands.
The three of them walk over and Hizashi calls out, "What's wrong, kids?"
In the corner of his eye, Oboro spies something orange swiftly running away and into the bushes. "Did a fox bite you?"
The winged kid shakes his head while his white-haired friend stands up, clearly appraising the three teenagers who just appeared out of nowhere. His gaze lingers on their uniform.
"His cat is sick," the white-haired kid says. Shouta's posture straigthens on hearing this, keen eyes already boring into the thick bushes.
"It's not my cat," the winged boy answers. "He's free. But... he's my friend and he sounded hurt and I don't know what to do..."
The kid swallows back the most heartbreaking sniffle Oboro's ever heard in his life. As if that wasn't enough to melt his heart, the kid stands up and wipes the stray tears off with the back of his arm before raising his chin, resolve shining brightly in his golden eyes. "Do you know how to help?"
"You're in luck, kiddos! We have a cat expert with us here." Shouta's already squatting by the bush, making psst psst noises while waving a long blade of foxtail grass to draw the cat out. "What are your names? I'm Shirakumo, this is Yamada and the cat whisperer is Aizawa."
Said cat whisperer frowns like he wants to say something but decides against it to prioritise his current mission instead. Like a true hero.
"I'm Touya," the white-haired kid says haughtily. "And this is Kei. Keigo."
"Hawks," Keigo (Hawks?) corrects in a whisper, wriggling his hands as he stares at the bush. "My name is Hawks."
It doesn't take long for the cat to come out and lie on Shouta's lap, purring.
"You are magical!" Oboro enthusiastically exclaims, Hizashi eagerly nodding in agreement.
"I already know her, that's all. I don't see anything wrong with her, though."
Touya and Keigo look about ready to cry again, though, lips wobbling even though Touya's clearly trying to put on a brave front for Keigo's sake.
"It's okay, Kei," he says, voice slightly shaking. "They seem like they know what they're doing. Probably."
Like Oboro, Hizashi is frowning, looking between the kids and the cat. What are they seeing that the three of them aren't?
"What's wrong?" Hizashi asks.
"She's doing it again now," Keigo says, voice breaking.
Hizashi looks at Oboro. Oboro looks at Shouta. They all look at each other in dismay before Shouta speaks again.
"The purring?" he suggests.
"No. The engine noises. That can't be good."
"The purring."
It's Oboro's turn to hide his mouth behind his hands and jump on a cloud to fly up so he can laugh his fill without scaring off the cat. That was... that was way too cute.
"You kids are too adorable," Hizashi's saying below. It's never hard to hear him and Oboro likes that he can always tell where the other boy is. It's comforting.
By the time Oboro's calmed down enough to return to the ground, Shouta's explaining to them that this is purring, and that it means they've earned the cat's trust. Sitting in seiza in front of him, Touya and Keigo wear extremely serious expressions as they listen to the cat lecture. Oboro considers launching himself into the sky again to coo at the top of his lungs, but he'd rather sit beside Hizashi and rest his head against the blond's shoulder instead.
"So," Oboro asks. "Happy to meet real heroes in training?"
"Your UA cosplay is very good," Keigo agrees and Touya's reluctantly acquiescing. That's not quite Oboro meant, though.
"Haha, we're for real! And one day we're gonna start an agency together!"
"Please," Touya says with a voice dripping with more sarcasm than a kid his age should know how to wield. Ouch! He's what, ten, eleven years old? "We've watched you try to make your friend sneeze for twenty minutes. You're no heroes."
"That's beside the point. It's not a cosplay!" Oboro insists, sitting upright. This is important! Hizashi and Shouta are snickering beside him; Shouta more quietly to avoid disturbing the cat.
"UA is a very good hero school," Keigo deflects with a polite nod. Then he seems to think about something. "Oh, but maybe I can help with the other thing."
Incredibly, a single feather detaches itself from a wing and goes to tickle Shouta's nose. Two seconds later, he lets out the cutest sneeze in the history of mankind and Oboro is whooping with both arms up while Hizashi screams, "Oh my god Shouta, how did you dare hide something like this from me for so long?!"
The cat runs away and Oboro feels a bit bad about it, but this was just too beautiful not to react. He tries to high-five Keigo who doesn't get it and spends the next few minutes teaching the kid about it instead.
2. Heroes on paper (Hizashi)
"No Hawks today?" Hizashi asks as he sits on the tree stump.
Using foxtail grass and unmotivated psst psst noises, Touya's vaguely trying to attract the cat again, brows furrowing deeper and deeper as no sign of cats whatsoever follows. Hizashi can sympathise. He tends to be loud and brisk and as much as he loves cats he can rarely stay still long enough for them to approach him. That's fine though; that's what he's got Shouta for.
"Nah," Touya answers as he abandons the fancy blade of grass to stand up and stretch. "He hasn't managed to escape in a few days. But he always finds a way in the end, he'll come soon."
"How did you guys meet?"
"I was training in the park and Keigo found me. I think maybe it was actually the first time he escaped."
This must be young people lingo for sneaking out of sight from strict parents or something. Seventeen and Hizashi already feels old and out of touch with the youth.
"What were you training for? Sports?"
Touya looks down on him with a scoff and Hizashi throws his head back laughing. The kid has no right to sound so casually superior, and seeing such a sarcastic expression on cheeks still round with baby fat is savagely adorable. Touya glares at him as he answers. "I'm going to be a hero. And I'm going to actually get into UA."
"Oooh we'll be your senpai!"
Touya rolls his eyes while Hizashi snickers then waves at Oboro and Shouta who are finally arriving, holding hands. Even after meeting them a few times now, neither of the kids believe they are training to be heroes. Hizashi thinks it's hilarious but Oboro's still taking it pretty hard.
As he approaches, Oboro points at Touya. "You! Today! Today I will irrefutably prove to you that we're real UA students."
Arms crossed and chin up, Touya dares him in silence. With dramatic exaggeration, Oboro puts his hand in his pocket to pull out... his provisional hero licence?
"Oooh!" Hizashi admires. "Very smart. We should have started with that!"
Touya takes the piece of paper and examines it carefully. Eventually he returns it with a shrug. "They make good toy ones these days. You should see the one Keigo's got. This is nothing special in comparison."
"But it's real!" Oboro insists.
A shadow passes over the four of them and they look up just as Keigo crashes into Touya and lifts him up into the air. He whirls a few times before putting him back onto the ground, Touya looking both happy and green around the edges. It's both cute and concerning.
"You made it," Touya says, unmistakable joy in his voice
"Yes!" Keigo answers.
After an hesitant glance at the three teenagers, he leans close to Touya to whisper something into his ear.
"Is that something about lockpicking I hear?" Oboro asks playfully.
Keigo flushes and freezes. Without seeming to realise it, Touya takes a step forward and stretches an arm in front of Keigo as if to protect him.
The sudden tension is impossible to ignore but Oboro pretends not to notice it, keeping a bright and beautiful smile on as he continues to talk.
"Your feathers are amazing! Such agility, that's incredible."
Golden and blue gazes study them carefully before the kids seem to relax.
"Thank you," Keigo says shyly.
Crisis averted, Touya doesn't waste a minute to become self-assured again. "Keigo, can you show your 'hero licence'?"
"Oh, okay."
He takes a card out of his pocket and even from where he's sitting, Hizashi can tell that it's an incredibly realistic one that looks exactly like theirs. He starts laughing, he just can't help himself. Oboro will never manage to convince them and that's actually hilarious. And now he's pouting.
"You're gonna look like a wrinkly old man if you frown this much," Hizashi snickers as he leans forward to kiss the frown off Oboro's forehead.
Oboro immediately breaks into a grin again and catches his lips quickly for a short peck. Meanwhile, Shouta looks absolutely crestfallen as he pulls his own licence out for comparison.
"I worked really hard for this," he mutters. "They look exactly the same."
Out of respect for his boyfriend's crisis, Hizashi tries not to laugh. Instead, he gives him a huge smooch on the cheek, making the most obnoxious noise possible. With gusto and passion, Oboro does the same to his other cheek.
"I'm sorry, Shou-chan," Hizashi coos, then quickly realises two pairs of eyes are fixed on them intently.
Head to the side, he looks questioningly at the kids.
"Are you three, like. A couple?" Touya asks, sounding confused.
"Damn right!" Oboro cheerfully answers, one arm sliding around Shouta's waist while the other does the same to Hizashi to pull them both closer. "The happiest in the world!"
Touya's frowning like he's thinking very hard, before he throws a calculating glance at Keigo who also seems lost in thought. When he notices the attention, Keigo smiles back at him. Then he glances at Hizashi, Oboro and Shouta before leaning over and closing his hands around Touya's ear to whisper something in secret.
Eyes widening, Touya listens then nods and observes the three teenagers more sharply. This seems a lot more serious than the discussion warrants, which might be why no one breaks the silence just yet.
"Does that mean you fight a lot?" he asks Oboro.
"Like, during hero training?"
Touya actually recoils.
"Does that mean you have to hit each other too," Keigo clarifies, expression serious. "Like real couples do."
Hizashi's rarely out of words. This is one of these rare occasions, and Shouta's too taken aback to even make fun of him for it. Damn. This puts his suspicions of a strict upbringing for Keigo under a different light.
"No," Oboro eventually answers, gently breaking the silence. "It means we love each other very much, and there's nothing we hate more than seeing each other sad or hurt."
Open mouthed, the two kids seem to be drinking in every word like they've been parched all their life and Oboro is offering them an oasis. Hizashi searches for Shouta's hand behind Oboro's back and squeezes it.
Touya and Keigo turn to look at each other at the same time and flush when their gazes meet. They immediately turn away, cheeks bright pink, Touya kicking at the grass while Keigo crouches to select the longest foxtail grass he can find.
Damn. Even when they're sad, they're still super cute. Shouta goes with Keigo to try and find the cat again while Oboro and Hizashi stay with Touya who's still lost in thought, hand on his chin. Hizashi hopes it's Keigo he's thinking about.
3. Heroic reconnaissance (Shouta)
Their plan to bring Touya and Keigo to UA to prove they are real students has backfired splendidly, Shouta thinks as the five of them hide behind a school building in one of the few corners that don't have cameras. Sure, they managed to smuggle the two kids in, but now they have to avoid the staff and teachers or risk getting caught.
"You're clearly not students here," Touya asserts.
"We sure are," Oboro says then calls to Kayama when she briefly walks past on the other side of the courtyard. "Hi Kayama-senpai!"
Kayama winks and waves back but keeps on walking, probably too busy to chat.
"She probably just feels bad for not remembering who you are," Touya says with a shrug. "True heroes wouldn't sneak around like this."
"Underground heroes might!" Oboro counters.
"You're still not very good at it," Keigo says. "You missed three cameras on the way here."
Blankly, Shouta stares at him and tries to figure out where that would even have happened.
"Don't worry, I blocked them with my feathers."
Touya is looking up at the building. "Is there an alumni wall or something in here?"
"Ooh," Hizashi coos. "Want to see All Might's trophy wall?"
Vigorously, Touya shakes his head but the intensity of his stare doesn't drop. The kid always looks too serious in a funny way but there's a different kind of edge in his gaze right now; this seems important to him.
"The alumni wall is probably too public," Shouta thinks aloud as he stares at the central building. "The alumni room might be a possibility, no one really goes there..."
"Getting to it would be tough," Hizashi hums pensively.
Hope and annoyance flicker and war on Touya's expression. Keigo looks at him and seems to come to the same conclusion as Shouta: for whatever reason, Touya would really like to see the trophy wall. Eyes narrowed, he follows Hizashi's gaze toward the central building and the room location, and studies it for a minute.
"I can do it," Keigo declares after a moment, lifting his chin. "It's good practice for me."
"UA's security is very good, kid."
"Then it's even better practice. And we got this far already, so maybe it's not that special."
For the next twenty minutes, Keigo follows their directions to the room but is the one to guide them through the building, always a few steps ahead. Feathers constantly flutter everywhere to obstruct cameras (including a few that Shouta hadn't noticed before) or rush onwards into rooms and corridors to check for vibrations that would indicate someone's presence (how sensitive are these feathers?!). When Keigo runs ahead to check something by himself, his wings flap gently so that his feet barely touch the floor and he moves in near silence.
It's fascinating and slightly horrifying, how much he knows. As much as he doesn't want to believe it, Shouta is also learning things.
Beside them, Touya looks smug as a king as Keigo's skill wows them all. They don't even have time to worry about the alumni room being locked that a feather slides into the mechanism to work it open.
"That was incredible, Keigo!!" Oboro exclaims.
Feathers are already covering the cameras inside the room. They step inside and Shouta wonders how long they have before someone comes to investigate.
"I have good teachers," Keigo answers shyly. "And one of them told me the best proof I've mastered a skill is to actually use it, so I try."
"Do you want to be a hero too, Keigo?" Shouta asks, curious.
"Yes."
With a quirk like this and a face that'll likely help him shoot up the popularity charts in no time, he'll do well. Shouta wishes his skills were that well rounded and versatile.
"You'll make a great one."
Keigo smiles, wide and warm. "Thank you."
Behind them, Touya's already walked past the entire wall devoted to All Might to stand in front of the corner dedicated to Endeavor. Keigo joins him there and grabs his hand, a wing protectively wrapping around Touya's shoulder with the feathers looking softer than ever. Touya squeezes his hand back as they both look up.
They make for quite a sight, the two of them. So small and looking up at the awards of a hero so large, postures screaming determination.
"I want to adopt them," Oboro whispers to him although not very quietly. "And then at least five more."
Shouta hums and starts to nod in agreement then catches himself and makes a strangled noise instead. For a moment, he can't believe how much he'd like that too. Especially with his two idiots by his side.
"At least!" Hizashi agrees loudly and laughs.
+1. Heroes (Touya & Keigo)
Touya likes a lot of things about Keigo, but perhaps the thing he likes the most is that when a giant villain looking vaguely like a frog starts destroying the city right in front of them he runs toward it, just like Touya. A chance to see heroes work from up close! Maybe help, even if they aren't supposed to do that without a licence, no matter how realistic Keigo's toy one might appear. Touya has yet to ask his father to buy him one too; he wants to get accepted into UA using his own strengths first so he can show him a real licence one day.
"Touya, look!"
At the foot of the approaching villain, two of their UA cosplayer friends are fiercely trying to protect a group of school children.
"We gotta help," Keigo says then flies ahead in a flash, leaving Touya behind with his mouth hanging open.
It's not the first time he watches as Keigo rushes ahead to save someone, although until now this usually involved a cat or other small animal, and a lot less destruction. That single-minded determination to help and unyielding will to save fascinate Touya. Back when his father still loved him, his training was all about increasing firepower, about building up the strength to overwhelm enemies so that people didn't have to worry anymore. But Keigo focuses on saving first and doesn't hesitate to jump in even when winning looks absolutely hopeless.
Touya starts running to catch up as fast as he can. Sure they aren't heroes, they don't have a licence and they aren't allowed to use their quirks, but that doesn't mean they can't help in other ways. Maybe getting the little children out of the way so that Aizawa and Shirakumo can keep on fighting... because... they look pretty serious fighting right now? Acting like real heroes, with very realistic costumes? The hero His Purple Highness even seems to be giving them actual orders.
Damn. Touya swears to himself to never, ever let his father know idiots like these attended UA, or Endeavor might think the standards have dropped so much he won't let Touya go.
A building starts to crumble close to the group and everything happens very fast after that.
Touya is too far, too damn far. But a cloud appears over the school children just before the debris can reach them, yet he doesn't even have time to feel relieved because more debris falls on Shirakumo who doesn't have anything up to protect himself anymore. A brick hits his head and he collapses, unconscious.
Bright red feathers flash ahead and pull him out of the way just as more rubble falls right where he was standing a moment ago. Touya's heart feels like it's going to explode out of his chest. One second's difference and their friend would have most likely died.
"What are you doing here?" Aizawa asks but the villain attacks again and no one can answer.
Out of range of the debris, Keigo lays Shirakumo against a wall while Touya points the school children and their teacher in the direction the two of them came from. The path still looks safe and easy to navigate, for now.
Aizawa is doing something that blocks or reduces the impact of most attacks. This buys them time. Up on top of a mountain of debris, Keigo is crouching and studying the fight, smart eyes assessing every detail.
Quirk laws are a nuisance. Touya lights a fire in his hands. He might not have the stamina to use his flames for long but he's sure he can handle them long enough to dry out this old frog.
"Don't," Aizawa says, jumping close to him then away again to attract the villain's attention elsewhere. "He absorbs quirk attacks and returns them with even more force."
"How do we help?" Keigo asks.
"You don't. Get yourself away and somewhere safe."
"I have my licence, too!" Keigo insists. "You're countering his attacks but that won't stop his advance."
"I can see that," Aizawa grunts.
Keigo flies up just as the villain lets out a soundwave pitched high enough to break glass. It sounds like Yamada's voice except painful. Keigo would have taken the brunt of the attack but Aizawa's strange bandages pull him out of the way just in time.
"Leave!"
"I think inside his mouth looks different. Weaker," Keigo says. "Touya, do you think you could aim your fire at it?"
"Only if he opens it where I can see inside..."
"Okay, I will fly you there. Aizawa-san, please help us by countering the attacks."
"Wait–" Aizawa starts, but Keigo's already sweeping Touya off his feet and flying off.
Keigo knows Touya gets motion sickness but hopes his friend can fight it long enough to defeat this villain. Aizawa seems to have a very strong cancelling quirk. Combined with Touya's incredibly powerful flames, they should be able to defeat the villain together. Keigo just needs to bring Touya where he needs to be, first.
Thanks to Aizawa's quick reflexes, none of the attacks hit them on the way up and Keigo's speed is good enough to avoid the physical ones. He tries to send a few sharp feathers but they do nothing against the gigantic body; he truly is powerless. Perhaps that's why the Commission told him never to use his newly acquired licence without approval yet. He has the desire to help but still lacks the skills to handle most threats.
Thankfully, he isn't alone.
The villain opens his mouth and Touya immediately throws into it the largest, brightest, hottest flames Keigo has ever seen him use. And it works! With a roar, the villain thrashes and tries to swat them out of the sky. It's easy for Keigo to evade his big lumpy moves, though in his head he apologies to Touya for the choppy motions.
As they go on, Touya's body grows hotter and hotter, and Keigo starts to worry he will get hurt before they can fully defeat the villain.
"Arrrh!" Touya yells as he pushes another barrage of blue flames down the villain's throat.
The giant frog falls backward, just as Touya himself catches fire.
It burns! It hurts! His feathers are bursting into flames! But if he lets go, Touya will fall and die.
With all his strength he tries to ignore the pain and holds onto his friend as they tailspin toward the ground.
Just as suddenly as they started, the flames stop. Touya looks just as confused as Keigo, face scrunched up in pain. Then Keigo spots Aizawa staring at them from behind his goggles.
But it's too late.
Too many feathers burned.
His wings are too small.
He doesn't have enough strength to carry the two of them.
Keigo curls around Touya, hoping to cushion his fall with his body and regretting never being brave enough to kiss his cheek with as much gusto as their three UA friends do. He leaves a light peck on the burnt skin under Touya's closed eyes and shuts his own as well, bracing himself for the impact.
Their descent abruptly stops and the shock isn't quite what Keigo expected. It's much softer. He tentatively opens an eye. Soft like a cloud. He blinks his eyes and looks around.
Shirakumo is still sitting against the wall Keigo left him at, in the exact same position and with the exact same trail of blood on his face, but he's got enough energy to wink and give a thumb up to Keigo.
Keigo's veins fill with relief. On their other side, the villain is still down. The police is here now, applying the anti-quirk restraints while Aizawa hurries to check on them. In the background, another group of heroes that includes Yamada shows up and he's already running toward Shirakumo to help him up.
The cloud slowly dissipates under Keigo and Touya, leaving them gently on the ground and Keigo turns his attention back to his friend in his arms. His eyes are still closed and he isn't moving.
"Touya?" he asks, a wobble in his voice.
Touya looks so pale around the red of the burns.
"Touya?" he tries again, more urgently.
With a frown and wince, Touya finally stirs and Keigo takes his hand to squeeze it hard.
"Ow," Touya says. "Did we win?"
"We did." Keigo looks up and searches for the school children and their teacher who are still watching from afar, a safe distance away. "We saved everyone."
"You did really good," Aizawa agrees. "But you shouldn't have put your lives at risk like that. You could have been a liability."
Keigo nods politely, just like when he was trying not to offend what he thought was three very dedicated cosplayers.
"You were really cool!" Shirakumo says as he approaches, leaning heavily on Yamada. "Shouta, that was so great. But more importantly. Kiddos. Do you believe us, now?!"
"Yes," Keigo says quietly. "You're the coolest heroes-in-training I've ever met."
Under his breath, Touya also mutters something. Shirakumo grins brightly and this time Keigo is ready when he puts his hand up and they exchange a high-five. He feels a bit self-conscious about it, but there's something satisfying about a strong clap of hands after a shared victory. The paramedics start buzzing around them and Keigo gladly surrenders Touya so they can help him. He doesn't understand at first why they're fussing over him too until he notices the burns on his arms.
Surprised, he lets himself be guided to the back of an ambulance where his Commission handler is already waiting for him, not doubt having seen his stunt on TV. The man seems at his wit's end. He'd once suggested Keigo should use the skills he was learning to break out of the facility and prove his lessons were effective. Apparently that had been a joke, but Keigo had developed a taste for it and now the poor man had been assigned as his handler in punishment for making everybody else's life hell.
Keigo schools his expression into something neutral as he listens to the lecture, his gaze meeting Touya who's looking right back at him and seems to be doing okay. Shirakumo, Yamada and Aizawa are fussing over each other not far, and Keigo's glad he met them. It's the first time he works with other people, and what they achieved together he couldn't have done on his own. He's beginning to rethink the Commission's plan to have him start his own agency as soon as he turns eighteen.
His gaze turns to Touya again. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to work with someone as a team, day after day.
In the corner of his eye, he sees Aizawa trying to push Shirakumo away from his dirt-streaked cheeks while the other makes exaggerated kissy faces to try and get closer.
Maybe he and Touya could even do an internship somewhere together, first. Turned out one could learn a lot about heroics from all kinds of people.
Epilogue
Ten years later
Shouta sighs but doesn't stop working on the paperwork even as Hawks flies in through the window, despite being told to cut it off multiple times. He listens at first in case this is an emergency but no, he's just sharing his latest restaurant discovery with Oboro. More chicken, to no one's surprise.
"You didn't use to yap this much," he eventually grumbles.
"Aww," Hawks coos as he sits on the corner of his desk. "Is that why you refused to take me on as an intern?"
Shouta rolls his eyes, still working on the stupid paperwork. "Please. You had the backing of the Commission and of the Number Two Pro Hero. It would have been a waste of your time and talent not to start your joint agency with Touya."
"I didn't know you cared! Wait. I did know. Does that mean you don't want to adopt me anymore either?"
Shouta's hand stills. Slowly, he raises his eyes to the cheeky, cheeky fledgling he's been mentoring for the last decade for god knows what reason.
"You heard that."
The grin stretches and goes from cheeky right into shit-eating, and both Oboro and Hizashi start laughing uncontrollably.
"Just go back to your husband if you're done wasting our time."
"Ah!" Hawks says as he stands up. "Laugh while you can. When I pop Touya the question and he says yes, I'll be asking you to be my best man."
Shouta smirks, a mean grin that has Hawks frowning. Calmly, he returns to his paperwork.
"What makes you think he hasn't asked me already?"
Hawks' face falls. "No. He hasn't? Right? Right????!”