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"You were specifically briefed to not adopt a heteromorph child, and you did exactly the opposite?!" His handler, Musashi, screamed. Hawks took it all in stride, not even flinching at the burst of spit flying towards his face.
Tokoyami, though? Not so good. The kid was hiding behind a sofa, initially intrigued to know of the guest that had dropped by and instantly hiding from sight once he learned that not only was the guest a mean adult, but he was angry at him for having a bird head. A physical feature that he had no control of since birth.
Hawks sighed, taking a deep breath to calm his rage, keeping his temper at bay. It would do no good for Tokoyami if he lost his cool too— it was better if a stranger did so compared to your guardian. Hawks— no, Takami Keigo, an identity long tossed away for the life of a spy —knew all too well of guardians that showed their anger without any restraints, instilling fear with it instead. Has the faded scars all over his body as a reminder to not be like them— be it for this mission, as a pretend father to obtain world peace, or in a faraway feature, where he could reclaim his old identity and build a family of his own.
"Yes. I heard you clearly when you said so, and I remembered reading that specific order bolded and highlighted in my missile," Hawks replied through gritted teeth, "but I picked Tokoyami because I'm aware of his potential. Eden Academy may discriminate against mutants, but would they be stupid enough to ignore a child that could get a perfect score in their written test and interview, even if they're a mutant? I don't think that's likely, handler. They discriminate, but they never turn a blind eye to spears that could raise their national score and honor even further."
Smoke escaped from Musashi's nose— a part of his quirk, which was influenced solely by anger. "Don't joke with me, Agent Hawks," He spat, "You could've picked the second smartest student from that orphanage and whipped the child into shape instead of adopting a mutant one and jeopardizing our mission. Plus, your speculation is only a gamble— Eden has never accepted mutants ever since the advent of quirks! We can't gamble about world peace here! Remember that you're the best agent in HPSC, Hawks. You could've gone with literally any child and you'd be able to prepare them to pass the test!"
His feathers could feel it, the way Tokoyami's heart rate increased, the anxious clicking of his beak, and the tiny sniffs that would otherwise be missed by normal human senses.
This conversation was grating on his nerves the further it dragged on, anger festering and pouring out, showing in his cracked composure; his lips were pulled tight, feathers ruffling along. Hawks needed to kick his handler out, calm himself down, and be at Tokoyami's side, giving him the comfort that the kid deserved. God knows that these past two days have been rough on Tokoyami— being nearly abducted by Hawks’ nemesis yesterday and having to hear his tactless handler today.
"I'm confident that Tokoyami could do better than any of the kids there. I saw his potential myself, and I believe in the kid with all my heart," Hawks declared, standing his ground. Perhaps his words were too emotional, bordering on personal for an agent that could never afford that luxury, but they were the truth. And if anything, Tokoyami deserved to know that.
Judging from the gasp of awe Hawks heard from behind the cough, Tokoyami heard that loud and clear.
The same could not be said for his handler, though.
Musashi huffed, the thick tang of smoke hitting Hawks square in the face, purposely doing so to test if he would cough and betray his stealth training. He was displeased, that much was obvious, and it was never good if his handlers did not get what they wanted.
"You've gone soft, Agent Hawks," Musashi accused, "as a punishment for disobeying, I'll send one of our agents to dispose of your precious kid. That'll teach you a lesson about being attached—"
Before Musashi could finish his sentence, the boiling rage within Hawks made itself known.
Red feathers sharpened on instinct at the mention of a threat, flying across the room to zoom towards his handler. Musashi had no time to evade as his body was forcefully dragged towards the wall behind him, the feathers pinning him onto the flower-patterned wallpaper as if he was a target in a knife-throwing contest.
And he was just that, in Hawks' rage-fueled vision. Detaching all of his feathers, Hawks kept a third of them floating by his side. The others flew behind him to shield Tokoyami's eyes from the event that would unfold. Wearily, Hawks glanced back at the cocoon of red, knowing full well that he would need to apologize later for losing his cool; as much as he wanted to rattle his handler, he should have never lost his cool in front of a child.
Back to the living target in question, Musashi fought back against his restraints, his suit ripping with the force, his fearful voice begging for Hawks to spare him. Not like Hawks would ever do anything to harm his handlers' life that badly. What he was doing to Musashi was to give him a taste of his own medicine, the brand of fear he tried to spook Hawks with. A short session to remind him to never harm anyone other than Hawks when it comes to their mission.
"You said that I'm your best agent, handler," Hawks tutted, voice eerily calm yet full of ice-cold anger. Picking one feather up, Hawks held it like a dart and threw it at Musashi, only missing the top of his head by a few centimeters. A few strands of black hair fell to the ground. "I thought you would have trusted me more if you knew that I'm your best agent."
Another feather blew past, this time landing too close for comfort next to Musashi's right ear. "Oh, I do! I do trust you!" Musashi started to beg, "It's just that, we have to follow the plan for the mission—"
Hawks' eyes turned into slits, showing more gold than black. Musashi screeched at the sight— he knew Hawks only looked like that if he was overcome by fury, tossing away logical thinking to act by pure rage alone. "Not all missions have to follow the plan. I've deviated from our agreements countless times before, and I have never once failed my mission. You know that, handler."
"I know! I know that, but this mission—" Hawks threw another feather, heading straight to Musashi's throat before turning at breakneck speed, nearly grazing his neck and tearing his white collars along the way. The close call for his life was what made Musashi cave in, the terror on his face making him look pathetic. "Okay! Okay, fine! Do whatever you want with the kid, and I'll tell everyone at HPSC to turn a blind eye to this! We'll let you handle this mission however you see fit, agent!"
Satisfied, the rage in Hawks' heart was quelled. With the same set of feathers jammed onto his handler's no-longer-pristine suit, Hawks opened the door and bid goodbye to a floating Musashi, making sure his feathers threw his handler with enough strength so his land on the carpeted floor would hurt.
Once he closed the door, Hawks was met with a teary-eyed Tokoyami, staring at him with hope, only a little bit confused at the situation.
No rage could last that long in his heart when faced with such a cute face. Using one hand to pick Tokoyami up, Hawks used the other to brush the tears that have trickled down towards his chin, letting his feathers fly around the flat to deliver him a tissue box.
There was pressure near his heart, and when Hawks looked down, it was only Tokoyami— nuzzling his small beak against his left chest, hands fisted tight on his cashmere sweater. Broken chirps were heard in the air, equally sad and scared.
"Will I have to leave?" Tokoyami tentatively asked. His little body tensed, preparing himself to hear the answer.
With a gentle pat on his head, Hawks replied, "Nope. It'd be harder to get rid of you when you're my child, Fumikage-kun."
Tokoyami scrambled in his hold, letting go of the hold on his sweater and almost hitting his beak square on Hawks' chin just to stare eye-to-eye with him, gentle black ones meeting with fond gold.
"Really?!" Tokoyami squealed, delightful chirps escaping from his lips that made him all the more adorable.
Perhaps Hawks might have gotten soft. That he has lost his edge, the line between professionalism and personal blurring.
But just like how Hawks has never failed his missions before, he would not fail this one. For the peace of this world, he would raise Tokoyami to grow not only as an intelligent student that could join the Imperial Scholar, but as his child, too. Showered with all the love he could offer.
"Birds of a feather have to stick together, right?" Hawks asked. The coo from Tokoyami was the only answer that he needed.