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“Well, isn’t this an interesting sight?”
“Save the chit chat for later and untie me right now .”
“Look, they even tied your ankles together and everything,” he continues, head tilted to the side. “Looks like they did a number on you, damn.”
“Why the hell did they send chicken little to save me,” you mutter in defeat, shoulders slumping.
Hawks’ eyes glimmer with amusement, wings fluttering as he watches you struggle in your binds—he’s a sadistic asshole like that.
“Only if you say the magic word,” he says, because of course he’s having fun with this.
Sometimes, you wonder if he remembers he’s the No. 2 Pro Hero; he sure as hell isn’t acting like one right now. Then again, Hawks has always been something of an enigma. He’s no Pro Hero to you, but he definitely is Hawks , the man that infuriates you for fun.
“Are you serious?” You stare at him blankly, only making his grin widen. “Even here? If you cut these off with your dumb feathers we would be home already.”
“Aw, come on,” he drawls, leaning against the doorframe casually, as if he’s asking about the weather and not staring at his sidekick tied up on a chair in an abandoned warehouse. God, you can’t help but want to punch him every single day. “Where would be the fun in that?”
You scoff, twitching against the rope digging on your skin. “This isn’t supposed to be fun , boss. This is supposed to be us kicking villain ass,” you hiss, almost in a growl as his eyes crinkle up in a chuckle.
“I already kicked villain ass to save you, kid,” he reminds you, pushing himself off of the doorframe. “There’s no need to be fidgety.”
“Don’t call me kid .”
He quirks a brow. “Only if you stop calling me boss here.”
You groan, the back of your head hitting the chair, causing a loud thud! to echo around the room.
Hawks whistle lowly, stepping closer. “Don’t get yourself hurt before you can even capture a single enemy, now. That’d just be sad, even for you.”
The glare sent his way is enough to make anyone sweat, yet he only blinks. You offer him a sarcastic smile, irritation forming prominent veins all over your face. “I would if you even let us, boss .”
At this point, the name has lost its respect and is now used as a nickname of resentment—which is perfect for someone like Hawks.
He smiles, despite all the insults you throw his way. “Love it when you get like that. Feisty”
“I prefer the term ‘I am currently held hostage in a villain’s headquarters and the No. 2 Pro Hero is just standing there’, thanks,” you murmur, eyes wandering around to try and spot another way to get out of here.
“It is not that hard to say please , chickadee,” Hawks muses, dropping down with his knees as if trying to match your height.
“Don’t call me that here,” you say immediately, out of instinct. Your face burns under his gaze.
The twinkle in his eye says that he’s definitely calling you that.
“Ugh,” you wrinkle your nose at the man before you, who’s still grinning widely, still so playful even in this embarrassing moment. “You’re such an ass.”
That’s certainly not a new insult, that much you can tell. And judging by the glee in his eyes, he’s used to it, too, even when it’s coming from his own sidekick. You’re surprised he didn’t kick your ass out the moment you opened your mouth.
“That’s not helping yourself,” he sing-songs, slowly bringing himself to stand back up. “You know, I could just leave —”
“Can you please help me?”
Hawks stops, golden eyes snapping back on your figure. You stare back hesitantly, unsure why the atmosphere shifted so easily the moment the words fell from your mouth.
Then, he smiles, sending a feather your way to easily cut through the ropes. Although it’s fast, the slices are careful, making sure to only graze your skin so lightly that it feels like a gentle caress.
You breathe out in relief as you stand up, but it catches in your throat when your limbs feel too heavy that you start falling forward.
A feather doesn’t catch you, but instead, Hawks is holding you up by the waist in the blink of an eye. You nearly had a stroke with how fast it happened, yet isn’t that what Hawks is known for? Too fast for his own good.
Hawks is too nice for his own good.
“Careful,” he murmurs, shifting until he’s fully carrying you on his back, hands pressed against the back of your thighs. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said they did a number on you. Just hold on tight, alright?”
He cranes his neck until he meets your eyes over his shoulder, then, he smiles softly, different from the smug grins from earlier.
Hawks is also too fucking handsome for his own good.
WEEKS AGO :
“Please, be nice as this is Y/N’s first time here.” Everyone glances at a certain winged hero, who looks offended by the silent accusation. “Behave, Hawks..”
“ Why me? ” Hawks mouths at the rest of his sidekicks, a defeated look on his face.
They shrug in response.
You’re gently nudged forward by the kind lady that guided you around the building, introducing you to everyone to familiarize yourself with such an intimidating environment.
Though, that doesn’t mean you’re any less intimidated when you’re face-to-face with the hero you’ve seen in action on TV screens.
He looks even better when he’s standing right there, vermillion wings tucked nicely behind him. Hawks’ eyes seem to pierce everyone in this room, yet it only serves to make your heart race at a concerning pace. Are you perhaps having a heart attack? That wouldn’t make a good first impression.
You swallow air, hands raised to wave at everyone. “Good afternoon, everyone.” Then, you bow half of your body, half to show enthusiastic respect, and the other to hide your red face. “It’s an honor to be working with you all. I won’t let you down.”
Everyone greets you with welcoming smiles and words, some of them even giving you hugs. They even give you snacks or compliment your costume, gushing about your quirk. Everyone, that is, except for—
Hawks nods at you, and that’s all he ever did to notice you the day you got in the team.
That angered you, and rightfully so. Is he underestimating you? Are you not worthy enough for a word from him?
You tear your gaze away from him, fists clenched.
You’ll give him a reason to remember you .
The days spent in the agency were mostly days spent catching up to Hawks and whatever the hell Hawks does every day.
It’s tiring , sure. You run around town, using up all your energy to make sure everyone is safe and all villains are arrested and sent safely back to prison. Hawks does most of the fighting, as most Pro Heroes do, but you proudly say that you’ve had moments where you beat Hawks to the scene first.
Those are moments where Hawks would stare at you, eyes unreadable. Maybe it’s because it’s under his visor, but you don’t know if he’s proud or annoyed by you.
You don’t let that ruin the excitement you feel when everyone in your team successfully wins an attack, especially if no one’s wounded and there’s barely any damage to the city.
Now, the day’s over and everyone is either walking back home or back to the agency.
You end up doing neither when Hawks calls for you.
“Yo, H/N!”
You freeze, almost tripping mid-air at the sound of your boss calling your hero name.
Quickly, as if nothing happened, you whirl around and beam at him—you can only hope he doesn’t see through the fake smile. “What’s up, boss?”
“Drop the formality, will you?” he laughs, gesturing for you to come closer. “C’mere, beside me.”
You stare at him, reluctant. It’s not new to have Hawks call for someone to stay with him and chat, but you’re still unsure if Hawks even likes you or not, so this is certainly nerve-wracking.
“Hellooo? You still with me?” Hawks waves both his hands, even snapping his fingers.
Startled, you blink back to reality, and trudge over to him. He grins, handing you one of his chicken wings, which you take rather hesitantly.
He seems to notice your tense posture and chuckles. “I didn’t poison it, in case you were wondering.”
You furrow your brows, feeling the freshly-cooked chicken warm up your fingers. “I’d be concerned if a Pro hero would do such a thing.”
Hawks laughs brightly, and it’s enough to make you relax ever-so-slightly beside him.
The sun’s setting and Hawks is asking you to eat the rest of the bucket full of chicken with him, refusing when you tell him that ‘it’s really okay’ and ‘he doesn’t have to’. He says he insists. And also because he can’t eat all of it so it would be a waste if you don’t help him.
It’s when you learned that he can be a nuisance when he wants to.
Golden rays illuminate his eyes, serving to make your heart flutter whenever he looks your way. It’s unfair how someone as charming as him has such good looks. It’s a deadly combo. Instant kill.
Nothing much happened that afternoon.
It still felt like something nonetheless.
Ever since then, he’d insist on staying by your side whenever he can.
He’s your boss, so perhaps it would’ve been normal if it wasn’t for the fact that he asked to do so in such a blatant manner in front of everyone else—and he doesn’t even realize that people can take it the wrong way.
“Is there something going on between you and Hawks?” One of your dear friends who also works in the agency asks, his eyes bright with excitement at the thought of his boss finally getting close with someone so intimately.
This is not the first time someone has asked you this, unfortunately.
Of course, even for a heartthrob like Hawks, it’s hard to find a date. Not because he can’t find anyone who wants to date him ( because literally, everyone falls to their knees whenever he even looks their way ), but because he simply can’t find the time to commit to something like that—not when he’s already dedicated his life to serving the country and the people.
And even then, it’s hard to find the right person when everyone seems like a blur of “good” and “bad”.
The same goes for you.
Which is why even though Hawks is acting like he has romantic intentions, both of you know your limits.
“No,” you snort, cracking your knuckles until they produce a disgusting sound. “He just asked me to assist him in buying dinner.”
“That’s literally a date!” he exclaims. You roll your eyes in response. “You’re the only one here who he allows to get away with calling him insulting names, and you’re the only one here who stays behind after patrols because he wants you to .”
“Don’t be silly,” you smile at him, patting his shoulder. “Our quirks are compatible so it’s inevitable that he would see my potential.”
“Potential in being his lover —?”
“Oh? Am I interrupting something here?”
Both you and your friend flinch, startled by the presence that came out of nowhere.
Hawks stands before you two, head cocked to the side curiously as he blinks. “What? Don’t let me interrupt you!”
“Ah, sorry, Hawks!” your friend cries out, bowing multiple times.
But you’ve been staring at Hawks the entire time, not missing the way he’s looking at him with disinterest before it melts into a practiced grin when your friend stands back up to see his face.
“Thank you for the hard work,” Hawks says, still smiling. Then, he gently tugs you by the wrist until you’re pressed against his side. “But do you mind if I steal Y/N for possibly the entire afternoon?”
“Not at all, sir.”
You frown. “I’m right here, you dumbasses.” But no one listens, because your co-worker is already scurrying away until you’re left alone with the culmination of everything you hate and love personified.
Hawks’ grin is more genuine now that he turns to you. “Now, where were we?”
PRESENT DAY
“You really have to be careful, you know?” Keigo chides quietly as he makes sure the bandage is secure around your leg. “You scared me to death when I heard that they took you hostage.”
You scoff, poking his forehead. His wings flutter in response. “They’re starting to catch up on the fact that No. 2 is a little too fond for that one specific sidekick of his.”
He smiles, but it’s weak. He’s still afraid . “That’s not good. I have to figure out how to keep you all to myself somehow, huh?”
It’s hard to find love when you’re a hero and you aren’t your own priority.
But neither you nor Keigo seem to mind.
“We’ll be okay,” you whisper, pulling him close until you’re hugging him. After a beat, he gives in and nestles closer to your warm embrace. “I have a great boss, you know.”
He chuckles, and you feel it throughout your entire body. “Oh yeah? What’s he like?” Carefully, he searches for your hand and then wraps it around his.
When you laugh against his ear, his wings curl around the both of you in response, a red shield. “He’s cool, I guess. Has a really weird obsession with chicken. But he’s really cool.”
Keigo stares into your eyes. “Sounds familiar, doesn’t he?.”
“What can I say? I have a thing for insufferable pricks like you.”
“You wound me, sweetheart!”
“Don’t call me that.”
You certainly gave him a reason to remember you, you just didn’t think it’d be because he’s in love with you.