Work Text:
“I’m not going.”
“Yes you are, Dad!”
Enji sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose. When Fuyumi had said she was visiting his office to have lunch with him … He hadn’t expected a confrontation.
His daughter pouts as she sits in front of her bento across from him. “Dad … You haven’t had a vacation in …” She trails off. “I’m not … Actually sure if you’ve ever had a vacation …”
If he’s completely honest, he’s not sure either.
“I’ve already bought the tickets for you and made sure that Burnin’ had your duties covered … It’s only five days! You deserve it.” Then, she hits him with the one-two finishing punch, offering up her best puppy dog eyes. “Please Dad? For me?”
He can’t say no to that.
“Fine. Fine … I’ll go,” He concedes, pointedly trying to ignore how his heart soared when she lit up. He supposes that the pain and annoyance of going on a cruise with other pro heroes is worth it if he’s able to make his daughter happy.
“Great!” Fuyumi says happily, digging around in her bag until she finds a thick envelope and hands it over. “Here is all the information. You don’t have to do anything except show up!”
Enji opens it before scanning the documents. As he looks at the itinerary, he frowns, “Fuyumi … What are these?”
She leans across the desk to see what he’s looking at before smiling brightly, “They’re excursions! Little adventures for you to take! There’s a really cool snorkeling trip that sounded like so much fun!”
Enji immediately shakes his head, “No.” If he is going on this trip, he is going to stay in his room and not be bothered. Not go on … trips.
Fuyumi’s smile fades, her entire body wilting, “But … Dad … I picked these out because they sounded like fun … I thought you might like them …” There’s a moment of hesitation before she continues, “I … Was hoping you’d send me photos? I’ve never been on a cruise before and it sounds like it’d be a lot of fun and--”
“I’ll go.”
He can’t stand seeing Fuyumi like that. He’s absolutely going to buy Fuyumi an all-expenses paid cruise to … somewhere … for her birthday. He’ll even buy a ticket for Miruko to go with her. The two hadn’t officially told him they are dating, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist.
Just like he knows Natsuo is secretly dating Burnin’ and Onima. They aren’t as sneaky as they think.
“Really?” Fuyumi asks tentatively. Once Enji nods, she practically launches herself at him, hugging him tightly. “Thanks, Dad! You’ve got to take lots of photos! I want to see a whole slideshow of them when you get back, okay?”
“Okay …”
Time for him to become more proficient at using his damn cell phone’s camera. Half the time his photos come out blurry; something Hawks had joked about one day when he’d tried to send Hawks a picture of some petty criminal they’d caught to ask if he was the bank robber Hawks had been looking for.
A month later, Enji stands in front of the door to his new home away from home for the next five days and glares at the wood paneling. Apparently he’d been given “the best suite possible” according to the perky, overenthusiastic cruise worker, Cindy.
“Like, anything for the Number One Pro Hero in Japan!” Cindy had said with such zeal, Enji had almost physically recoiled.
Enji would have been perfectly content with remaining in his room for the next five days, but Fuyumi’s choices in “activities” for him to participate in started that night and he’d promised he’d actually go to the things she’d picked out.
He only hopes that his neighbor will at least give him some sort of peace and quiet.
As if on cue, as he’s placing the key into his door, his neighbor’s door opens and Enji catches a familiar crimson sight out of the corner of his eye.
“Endeavor??”
Fuck.
“Hawks.”
“No way!” Hawks says, grinning as he moves over to lean against the wall just outside of Enji’s door. “I didn’t know you were coming on this trip! Though … I guess in hindsight it makes sense.”
“What exactly makes sense?”
“Oh! Fuyumi-chan told me about the cruise! She, I guess, heard about it from Miruko and said it was nice that they were holding a cruise for us hard working heroes and asked if I was going … I hadn’t planned on it but … I dunno, she convinced me that I deserved a break for once.”
“You take a break every day, Hawks.”
Hawks holds his hand up to his chest in faux offense, “Endeavor! Who’s going to make sure all the yakitori stalls in Fukuoka are safe from food poisoning except for me?!”
Enji gives a huff of a laugh in spite of himself. Honestly, they’d developed what, he assumes, most would call a friendship over time. He doesn’t despise being in Hawks’ presence any longer.
However, Hawks being here means he really won’t be able to hide in his suite.
Letting himself into his suite, Hawks follows behind without an invitation. Enji is just used to Hawks invading his personal space now; there is nothing of Enji’s that is safe.
Last winter, the two had encountered a particularly hard fight where Hawks had sacrificed almost all his feathers to create a fire tornado in a combination move with Enji. Afterwards, Hawks had helped himself to Enji’s large coat, burying himself in it for warmth, as they sat in Enji’s office to fill out paperwork.
From then on, it wasn’t uncommon to see Hawks helping himself to Enji’s things, especially his spare clothes. Hell, Hawks even had his own ‘nest’ in Enji’s office: some gaudy nest-shaped bean bag chair that Hawks occupied every time he stopped in, which was becoming far more frequent.
Enji’s sidekicks had learned to stop asking him about it.
Hawks lets out a low whistle, “How is your room better than mine?”
“It was ‘the best suite possible’, according to Cindy.”
Flopping down on Enji’s bed, Hawks wrinkles his nose. “Did she give you the creeps, too??”
“Hawks--”
“No way, Endeavor. You know certain people just have bad vibes!”
“The last time you said someone had ‘bad vibes’, it was the ice cream vendor who told you they were out of vanilla.”
Hawks flails his arms, “And who was caught an hour later smuggling drugs?! You can’t trust an ice cream vendor who runs out of vanilla, Endeavor.”
Enji knows it was a weird coincidence, but honestly, he’d have to go with Hawks’ assessment on this one. Running out of vanilla had been suspicious.
“Enji,” he says, earning a confused look from Hawks.
“Uh … Yeah, that’s your name.”
“No,” Enji says, rolling his eyes slightly. “I’ve told you before … We’re not in our hero gear, you can call me by my name.”
Hawks shifts awkwardly, “It’s just … So weird to call my number one hero that.”
Enji scoffs. He’d argue the point, but he’d seen Hawks’ Endeavor-themed stationary in his Fukuoka office and honestly, he hadn’t thought anyone had bought that merch. He’d promptly sent Hawks another entire box of it and gotten an enthusiastic thank you phone call the moment it was delivered.
He wasn’t going to bring up the Endeavor fan-created monstrosity that he’d been helpfully told was called a ‘Furby’.
Enji still had nightmares about it when he found out it talked.
“Anyways!” Hawks says to clear the air of the awkward tension rising while Enji begins to put away his clothes. “Are you going to the dinner tonight?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Wha-- Wait, what do you mean ‘unfortunately’?!” Hawks asks, scrunching his face.
Enji nods towards the folder he’d tossed on the bed. “Fuyumi signed me up for … Excursions … That I’m supposed to send her photos of. I don’t know why I can’t simply stay in my suite ...”
“The excursions are the best part, Enji!” Hawks says, snatching up the folder to look over the schedule. Before Enji can counter his comment, Hawks grins brightly, “Hey! I’ve got these booked too!”
“Why am I not surprised?”
Hawks pouts, “They sounded like the most interesting things … Besides … If there’s team activities--”
“No.”
“Enji! C’mon! I can’t be the last one picked for the team!”
“Hawks,” Enji says firmly. “I’m going to rest before I’m forced to go to dinner tonight … I’ll see you then.”
“I’ll pick you up at five thirty sharp!” Hawks says, hopping up happily. “See you then!”
Enji doesn’t bother to tell him to not pick him up, mostly because Hawks is out the door before Enji can say anything. He sighs heavily. This is going to be a long five days.
Surprisingly, the dinner ends up being not bad.
Not that Enji will ever admit it, but the fact they’d only offered smaller tables, allowing for Enji’s only company to be Hawks and Jeanist, makes things much easier. The two of them know him better than any of the other heroes there and understand that he isn’t big on conversation. Instead, the dinner is mostly spent listening to Hawks and Jeanist argue about whether the elbow patches on his favorite coat were fashionable.
The final consensus: they were only acceptable because they matched the collar of the jacket, but they could be improved if they were dark denim.
Successfully managing to escape Hawks for the night, as Hawks wanted to mingle with Fat Gum and Kamui Woods, Enji retreats to his suite. Just before sleeping, his phone pings with a text. Opening it, he sees he’s been added to a group chat that includes Hawks and Fuyumi. His fingers hover over the on-screen keyboard before a photo of Hawks, Jeanist, and Enji at dinner pops up from Hawks with the caption: ‘Wish you were here, Fuyumi-chan!’
Enji can’t help the small smile that spreads over his face as he sees Fuyumi excitedly texting back that she is happy they are all having fun, followed by strict orders that they aren’t allowed to spend their time working.
He has a feeling Hawks won’t let him work even if he tries.
The first excursion is some shopping trip on a nearby island.
Enji doesn’t understand why this is even something offered. He could shop back home, what difference did it make if he was on a different island??
Hawks, apparently, is overly excited about it. He’d happily knocked on Enji’s door that morning, cooing about getting breakfast then hitting the shops as soon as the ship docked. When Enji opened the door, Hawks had stared at him for a moment before his face dropped.
“... Is that what you’re wearing?”
Enji looks down at his outfit. It was far more casual than he normally wore, yes, but he can’t see what problem there is with a plain white shirt and jeans.
“What I’m wearing?” Enji asks, motioning towards Hawks. “Have you looked in a mirror?”
Hawks pauses, looking down at himself. “Yeah? It’s called a vacation, Enji …”
Enji just stares.
The Number Two Pro Hero is wearing a white t-shirt that Enji recognizes all too well: some Endeavor merch that features his flame mask and has clearly seen better days. Moving further down, Hawks wears a pair of gray sweats, ending in socks that had been pulled all the way up and flip flops (Fuyumi had told them once they were called “slides” now). Topping off the ensemble is a backwards cap, a few tendrils of Hawks’ bangs wildly protruding from the hole just above the adjustment strap.
“You look like an American frat boy.”
“Aw thanks, Enji! Maximum comfort,” Hawks hums happily.
Enji gives a long, suffering sigh before allowing himself to be dragged to breakfast, which signals how the rest of the day is going to go.
As soon as the ship is docked, Enji is reluctantly dragged from storefront to storefront, with the occasional pause at an outdoor kiosk. When Enji sees the other heroes joining them, he realizes that maybe Hawks had been correct about his outfit.
Jeanist is in some denim outfit that includes a button down shirt and jean shorts that Enji can’t figure out whether they’re supposed to be that short or if Jeanist’s legs are just far too long for them. Fat Gum is sporting his signature hoodie, but this time unzipped with a pair of black gym shorts. Mt. Lady is wearing a bikini top that … Enji genuinely wonders if it's even legal to wear in public.
Hawks had once described his style as “dad chic” and he’s starting to understand just what the hell he’d meant by that.
Enji manages to find a few presents for his kids, thanks to Hawks’ assistance, before Hawks excuses himself to do some last minute shopping before they disembark once again. Enji sees the chance to finally have some time to hide in his room and he seizes the opportunity at once.
As soon as dinner time rolls around and the ship heads back to open waters, Hawks once again drags him off to dinner. He’s hoping for a repeat of the easy going dinner that was the night before, except Hawks doesn’t warn him it’s dinner and a show.
It’s a dramatization of Endeavor’s attempts to pass All Might as Number One hero. The show is full of comedic misfortunes for the faux Endeavor that sends the audience into hysterical laughter. There’s even a faux Hawks who gushes over Endeavor like some sort of romance heroine, batting his eyelashes and shamelessly flirting as Endeavor on stage gets angrier and angrier.
Enji hates every second of it.
The second the curtain comes down, there’s an outbreak of applause and whistling from the heroes in attendance, Enji makes his move to get up, but is stopped by Hawks’ hand on his arm.
“Don’t, Enji.”
“Hawks.”
Hawks gives him his best laissez-faire smile and leans his chin against the hand not holding Enji’s arm. “It’s all just in good fun, Enji. You’re not the same person you once were … And it’s okay to laugh at the past.” He lets go of Enji’s arm and motions towards the other heroes in the room. “They know that person up there isn’t you. They’re not laughing at you … They’re laughing because they know that could have been any one of them.”
Enji’s quiet for a moment. “And what about you?”
Hawks laughs, sitting back in his chair with a shrug. “Oh they nailed my character,” he says, batting his eyes at Enji.
There’s a moment of hesitation before Enji huffs and decides to focus on eating his food instead.
Enji dreads the next day’s excursion.
Somehow Fuyumi hadn’t thought that maybe someone with a fire quirk wouldn’t want to go snorkeling.
It was fine. He’d just sit on the beach and do nothing.
Before he can get too far into those thoughts, there’s a banging at his door and he sighs. He’s surprised Hawks hasn’t asked Cindy for a damn room key for his room yet. He opens the door and doesn’t have the chance to say anything as Hawks simply barrels into the room, dumping bags onto Enji’s bed.
“Okay, I’m sure you were about to wear boring ol’ dad chic again–-”
“Hawks.”
“--So yesterday, I took it upon myself to upgrade your wardrobe and–-”
“Hawks.”
“--Fuyumi’s gonna murder me if you don’t wear this so just–-”
“HAWKS.”
“Hm?” Hawks asks, finally pausing long enough to turn his attention. “Yeah?”
“Good morning.”
Hawks pauses as if his brain is resetting before lighting up. “Awh … Good mornin’, big guy!”
“Now slowly explain to me what you were trying to say?” Enji says, walking over to the bed to investigate the bags Hawks had offloaded.
“Huh? Oh!” Hawks says, grinning. “Okay, I couldn’t let you just go out in dad chic again–-”
“Please stop calling it that.”
“We all know that’s what it is, Enji,” Hawks says, hands on his hips before he digs out a pair of clothes. “So, I did some shopping yesterday to upgrade your vacation wear!”
Enji hesitates as he looks at the fabrics in Hawks’ hands. The swim shorts aren’t terrible. Some form of yellow that wasn’t necessarily his “style”, but they were passable.
The shirt on the other hand …
“Hawks, I’m not wearing that shirt.”
“What?! Why not! It's great!” Hawks says pouting as he looks at the tiger striped Hawaiian shirt. “We’ll look so good together!”
Enji frowns before he fully takes in Hawks’ outfit. The swim shorts are the same cut and style, but instead of the yellow, they’re vertical pink and white stripes. Enji prefers the pair that Hawks picked out for him; he can’t imagine wearing the pink and white. The shirt is, once again, the same cut and style as Enji’s; however, the orange and black tiger stripes had been traded in for large pink flowers and green leaves on a blue background. It’s so busy, especially paired with the shorts, that Enji finds himself grateful that Hawks had gone easy on him.
Hawks gives his best puppy dog eyes and Enji grumbles in annoyance as he snatches the clothes and locks himself in the bathroom. When he comes out, Hawks snaps a few pictures before holding up his phone.
“For Fuyumi.”
“Lets just … Go.”
Once they’re on the beach, they strip their shirts off, placing them in a pile with their backpack of snacks (that Hawks had insisted they bring) and retrieve their snorkels from the tour guide. As soon as they get further than their calves, Hawks chuckles nervously.
“I uh … Didn’t realize we were going so far out … Thought this was one of those little wading pool jobs.”
Enji quirks a brow. “They’re only up to their hips,” he says, nodding towards the rest of the group spread out across the water.
“Yeah but uh …” Hawks pauses, glancing behind him. Enji takes a moment to notice Hawks holding his wings as best as he’s able to above the water. “I don’t wanna get them wet …”
“So … You … Signed up for a snorkeling excursion?”
“I didn’t think we’d go so deep!”
“Then leave your feathers on the beach with the rest of our things.” Hawks immediately looks uncomfortable with the idea and Enji almost regrets it. Enji sighs, “We could just … Look here?”
He looks around the clear water seeing nothing more than a few tiny fish swimming here and there. He knows its stupid and apparently all the “good stuff”, if Mt. Lady’s reactions are anything to go by, is further out.
“It’s fine … Yeah this uh … This’ll work!”
“One moment,” Enji says. Trudging back to the beach, he empties the snack backpack and brings it out into the water with them. “You can put your feathers in here.”
Hawks raises a brow, “Ah, thanks big guy, but y’know … They’ll still get wet in there … My waist isn’t that much lower than where the backpack lays.”
“I know,” Enji says. “Which is why I’ll wear it.”
It’s not often that Enji has the pleasure of stunning Hawks into silence. The bird sits, gaping with his mouth open, before Enji motions to the bag once again. “Are you going to … Put them in?”
“U-Uh … Yeah … Yeah! Enji, seriously … You’re the best …” Hawks says as he directs his feathers into the bag, barely fitting all of them.
As soon as the bag is filled, Enji puts it on and motions for Hawks to continue leading the way.
The rest of the excursion goes over better than Enji expects it to. He actually has fun. He’s careful to keep the backpack far away from the water while watching Hawks excitedly talk about this or that creature he sees just under the water’s surface.
The fun ends when Hawks oohs and ahhs over an octopus that the group spots. Enji is about to take a picture to show Fuyumi when the octopus makes a beeline for his feet. As he backs away, it chases him and quickly wraps its arms around his leg. The tour guide makes a joke that the octopus “must really like him”, to which Enji shoots them a death glare as Hawks barks out laughter. It takes Enji heating up the water around them before the octopus finally retreats, leaving Hawks practically crying of laughter in its wake.
Enji refuses to get in the water ever again.
The next day is thankfully nothing more than a fishing trip.
Enji ends up wearing another of Hawks’ choices: a pair of khaki shorts and another Hawaiian shirt (this time, large pink flowers and yellow-green leaves on a coral background). He even wears the large shades that Hawks insisted he put on.
The trip itself is … Surprisingly fun. Hawks sacrifices one feather to be used as a lure, dipping it in and out of the water until it becomes too heavy, drawing over several fish. As they wait for tugs on their fishing lines, the two chat amicably.
Hawks even manages to get a chuckle out of Enji when the fish he catches manages to flip flop out of his arms, no matter how hard Hawks tried to keep a hold of it, and launches itself back into the water.
By the end of the day, Enji catches a tuna that’s almost the size of himself. Hawks snaps a photograph before they release it and Enji feels … Lighter than he’s felt in years.
Even at dinner that night, Jeanist comments on it.
“It’s nice to see you in such a relaxed fit, Endeavor.”
Enji huffs and pretends that he didn’t hear Jeanist’s denim pun. “I suppose a vacation was … Needed.”
“I’m gonna start making sure you take vacations, Enji,” Hawks says, grinning.
“You should be more concerned about yourself.”
“Huh?” Hawks questions. “I always take breaks.”
“I mean-–” Enji starts before nodding towards the food on his plate. “Your fish doesn’t smell … Right.”
“I have to agree with Endeavor,” Jeanist chimes in. “It’s as though a pair of good jeans were left damp for too long.”
Hawks eyes his meal for a moment, sniffing. “I think you two should check your nose … I don’t smell anything. Besides, I’m almost done eating it …”
“I wouldn’t eat anymore, if I were you …” Enji says cautiously.
Groaning, he pushes the plate away, “Fine, fine … But I’m perfectly fine!”
When Enji isn’t interrupted the next morning by Hawks, he grows concerned.
Stepping to the door next to his, he knocks softly. Silence. When he tries again, a bit louder, he hears a groan and a faint “come in”. Enji slips into the room and looks around until he finds Hawks practically curled around the toilet.
“Hawks?”
“Ugh … Enji …” He groans. “You were right … So right …”
“I'm often right about many things … What was I right about?”
“Cheeky lil’ shit …” Hawks grumbles. “The fish … It was bad …”
“Do you need to go to medical?”
“Unless they can … Can get rid of food poisoning … I think I–-ugh-–gotta just … Let this run its course …” Hawks whines. “Go on without me …”
“You’re not dying, Hawks.”
“Feels like it,” he groans, turning his attention to Enji before pausing. “You’re wearing th’ clothes I picked …”
Enji looks down to check on his outfit. It had been a simple pair of darker khaki shorts and another Hawaiian shirt; his instant favorite of the ones Hawks had bought with its flame pattern along the bottom hem.
“I like the shirt,” Enji says simply.
“So on brand,” Hawks says with a tired grin. Before Enji can ask, Hawks waves him off. “Go have fun … Take lots of pictures …”
“... Are you sure? I can stay–”
“Enji … As sweet as that is … You really shouldn’t miss out on having fun ‘cause I was a dumbass,” Hawks says. “And Fuyumi really wanted pictures of the place too, right? Nngh-– … Go on and have fun.”
Enji looks conflicted before he sighs, “Fine … But as soon as I get back, I’m checking in on you.”
“Gonna make me s-swoon, Enji,” Hawks coos as best as he can. “There’s a spare key on my uh … My nightstand. You should … You should go. It’s about to … Not be too pretty.”
He hesitates a moment before nodding to give Hawks privacy. Grabbing the spare key, he finally heads out to catch the ferry to the mainland. Enji feels a little guilty about going on the trip by himself. Hawks had seemed excited to go onto the aquarium trip the previous day.
Enji will just have to take lots of photographs.
The building is massive and he can really understand just why this is one of the excursions when they are surrounded by sea life. He spends a little time at each habitat, reading up on the creature inside. He takes the best photos he’s able to (his finger only manages to be in three of them!) at each habitat before moving on to the next.
When Enji gets to an enclosure with a flying fish inside, he turns to his side, ready to make a joke.
“Hawks–- …”
The joke dies on his lips as he realizes Hawks isn’t there.
With that realization comes another: he misses Hawks.
Sure, the aquarium is nice, but it isn’t fun. He feels as though he is going through the exhibits in a very robotic way. See animal. Take picture. Move on. There’s no playful commentary from Hawks. No jokes about what hero looks like what fish. There’s even the missed opportunity when Enji gets to the octopus exhibit where Hawks definitely would have teased him about earlier in the week.
Enji realizes belatedly that the cruise has been fun because of Hawks.
He cruises through the rest of the exhibits, spending long enough to take photographs, before venturing to the gift shop. He finds presents for his children and is almost ready to leave when he finds the perfect gift for Hawks. As soon as he makes his purchases, he hops on the first ferry back to the ship.
Offloading the presents in his room, he uses the spare key to enter Hawks’ room.
“Hawks?” He calls out quietly.
There’s no response from the other and when Enji looks into the bathroom, he finds out why. Hawks had fallen asleep on the bathroom floor, curled around the toilet. He gives a quiet sigh before carefully scooping him up.
“Nngh?” Hawks murmurs, eyes fluttering tiredly.
“Shh … It’s just me,” Enji says quietly. “I’m just moving you to the bed … Go back to sleep …”
“Mnn … ‘kay …” Hawks says, shifting in Enji’s arms enough to snuggle into his chest. “Warm …”
Enji huffs out a soft laugh before carrying Hawks to his bed. He gets the other under the covers before wetting a rag to carefully wash Hawks’ face. By the time he’s cleaned Hawks’ hotel room and is ready to leave, Hawks whines from under the covers.
“Come back, Enji …” He pouts from under the blankets. “Warm …”
Enji sighs as he moves back to the bed. “You want a personal heater.”
“Tummy’s still upset …”
Rolling his eyes, he pauses for a brief moment before climbing into the bed. Almost instantly, Hawks is plastered against him worse than the octopus had been. Enji wraps his arm around Hawks, absentmindedly rubbing the other’s back.
Maybe the day wasn’t completely bad.
Enji wakes up in Hawks’ bed the next morning, with the bird practically on top of him, snoring away. He gives a quiet snort before grabbing the bedside menu. One very quiet phone call later, he’s ordered room service for the two of them.
“Mmn …” Hawks murmurs, nuzzling Enji’s chest before his body goes rigid. Slowly pulling away, he blanches as he realizes who he’s laying on. “Uh … Hey … Big guy …”
“Good morning.”
“I am in my room … Right?”
“Yes. You didn’t sleepwalk into mine.”
“But … You’re in my room.”
“Yes.”
Hawks pauses, trying to figure out what he missed. “... Not that I’m complaining. Believe me, complete opposite. Just uh … What’re you doing in here?”
“I came to check on you after I returned from the aquarium … You were asleep on the bathroom floor, so I put you in bed. I was about to leave but you wanted warmth … Asked me to stay … So I did.”
“I–- … Okay, wow … And you … Did?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“This is a little more intimate than just friends,” Hawks says, motioning towards his position on top of Enji.
“I’m aware.”
“And you’re … Okay with this?”
Enji gives a small sigh. “When I … Was at the aquarium yesterday … I realized that I didn’t enjoy it.”
Hawks scrunches his face, “That boring?”
“You weren’t there.”
The sincerity seems to smack Hawks dumbfounded. He opens his mouth several times before closing it, unsure what to say.
“I realized that I had fun on the other excursions because you were there … You made it fun.”
“Enji …”
“And …” Enji starts. “If you made those things fun … I wondered if there were other things you could make fun as well. More mundane things.”
“... Enji … Are you-–”
“Hawks, when we get back … Would you join me on a date?”
“I-I– …” Hawks starts, unable to look away from Enji, but is interrupted by a knock at the door. He drops his forehead on Enji’s chest. “I’m going to stab whoever that is.”
Enji chuckles, coaxing Hawks off of him. “I ordered breakfast.”
Creating a small nest of blankets while he waits, Hawks tries to run through everything in his head. He’d been relatively sure that Enji liked him, whether he realized it or not, by the way they’d grown closer over time. Sure, he’d hoped that this little cruise would give him more one-on-one time with Enji, so he could really see, but he’d never expected a date out of it.
When Enji returns with a porridge for him, he feels his bottom lip wobble some.
“I thought you might want something easy on your stomach to eat …” Enji says.
“Yes …”
“There’s also some fruit, if you think you’re able to handle it.”
“No, Enji … Yes …”
Enji’s brows scrunch in confusion. “No … Yes?”
“I–- … Yes … Yes to the date …” Hawks says. “And … The food, I guess …”
“... Alright,” Enji says. “Then … It’s a date.” He pauses. “I got you a present yesterday … From the aquarium.”
“You did?”
Enji nods and holds up a finger. He disappears into his room before returning with a large bag, holding it out for Hawks.
“This is a huge bag, Enji …” He says, warily.
“It’s just because it’s a large thing … It doesn’t reflect its price.”
It takes a moment for Hawks to wrangle the present out of the bag before he bursts into laughter, trying to speak between fits. “It’s–- … Its a-– ...”
“An octopus … Yes,” Enji says. “And you’re able to wrap the arms around something for it to hold on to …”
“Oh my god, Enji … This is … This is so perfect, seriously.” He responds. “Thank you …”
“You’re welcome. Now … Let’s eat.”
When Enji returns to the Todoroki Estate, he invites Hawks over with him. As the two approach the front, Fuyumi waves at them from a beach chair where she’d been sunbathing, a piña colada in hand and a mischievous look on her face.
“Welcome home! Did you guys have fun?”
If Hawks treats her to ice cream for a month for telling him what excursions to pick when he’d planned his cruise package in order to match Enji's excursions, well … Enji didn’t have to know.