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Keigo will admit he’s a bit of a mess not even two days into his internship with Tokoyami. It’s nice to be back in the swing of things at his agency. It had run without him mostly and anything he needed to do could be sent electronically for the most part, but there’s something about patrolling his territory that sets something at ease in his mind.
Because Fukuoka is his territory. That instinctive part of himself that demands he carve out his own territory sees the city as his. That and seeing the smiles on the faces of those he keeps safe when they see him flying overhead. He’s worked hard to make them feel safe and it’s hard to be away sometimes, despite it being for a good cause.
Mostly though, he misses his boys. He keeps seeing things that make him think of them. He’s constantly snapping photos of random cats he finds on patrol or interesting new store displays that might interest them. Tokoyami indulges him and his random stops to snap photos. He’s at least helping the teen figure what kind of hero he wants to be.
It’s obvious he’s not necessarily suited for limelight heroics. Quirk aside, he’s too stiff and nervous in front of the cameras. Not to say he couldn’t be a limelight hero, but he seems like he would be more comfortable being an underground or perhaps a twilight hero. Whatever he chooses, Keigo will at least make sure he can keep up with the best of them. Thus, not slowing down for the teen. He needs to learn to think outside the box. His quirk is versatile and unique and judging from the notes Izuku had given him after studying it, it can do so much more than the teen realizes. Now to just get him to realize this.
He’s just about to send Tokoyami off to rest for the day after coming off of patrol when a message comes through his email. Sighing, seeing the marker for important, he opens it and quickly skims the email. His brow furrows at what he reads. He’s been ordered to report to the Commission Headquarters to debrief on the Stain case before being deployed along with a few other top heroes to Hosu to try and capture the elusive serial killer.
That’s not something he wants to see, mainly because he’s got an intern right now. This case will take up a few days at least and that’s not fair to Tokoyami who was expecting to train under Hawks for the five days of the internship. He could always leave him with his sidekicks, but it doesn’t feel right to just foist him on them. Besides, they’re good heroes, but they’ve never trained someone before…well, maybe Damselfly, but she’s in the middle of a big case with some of Mirko’s sidekicks.
Taking Tokoyami with him runs the risk of him getting caught up in the case if he does cross paths with Stain. He’s sure Tokoyami could handle himself. The teen’s got a good head on his shoulder and knows how to act in most situations. He doubts he needs to worry about him ignoring orders like some of his classmates might.
It’ll be good experience at least. Seeing how major cases like this are handled and issued out. Not just any case is issued to the number three and, judging by the other emails attached, the number two as well. They must really be desperate to catch him after he took down Ingenium. The hero had a big following, was an up and coming young hero with a bright future snuffed out. That’s a lot of bad press to contend with.
Sighing, Keigo closes out of the email after confirming his attendance and looks up to see Tokoyami looking out his office window where the sun has mostly set. “Tokoyami-kun,” he calls out, running a quick hand through his hair and the teen looks at him. “I’m being called into a major case tomorrow. However, I don’t want to skimp on your training and leave you dissatisfied with your internship. You will be joining me. However, you must do everything I say. This is not the kind of mission to question my orders or act out, is that understood?” he asks sharply.
“Of course, Hawks-sensei. When are we leaving?” he asks.
“In an hour. Go pack all your stuff. I suspect we’ll be there for a few days, so rather than come all the way back here, we’ll just send you back home from where we land,” Keigo instructs.
“I will be ready to go by then,” Tokoyami agrees easily and walks out of the office.
Sighing, Keigo sends a text to Damsel to come to his office. She arrives quietly, a few files under her arm. “You needed to see me?” she asks.
“Yeah. I’m being pulled in on Stain,” he informs her and she winces a bit at his annoyance. She knows he was hoping to not be involved with that case. “I’m heading to Tokyo and then Hosu right afterwards to start patrolling. I will be taking Tokoyami with me, though I’m a bit reluctant to do so.”
“Alright. I’ll let the others know and rearrange the patrol roster so your patrols are covered. Do you need anything from me?” she asks softly.
“Just don’t let this place burn down while I’m gone,” he says with a small huff of laughter and she just sends him an amused look. “I’m probably going to be heading back to Yuuei from there, so if anything needs my attention, just send it through email,” he adds.
“I will, and Hawks,” she adds as she starts to leave. “Stay safe, for your boys’ sake,” she reminds him.
“I will,” he nods and then she’s gone. Sighing, Keigo spends a few minutes sending off a few quick emails and then heads for his room in the Aerie. Rather than go back to their apartment in Fukuoka which has been closed up while they’re in Musutafu, he’d just taken the small room he has off his main office. It’s quick work to pack up his things and his spare uniform before coming back to his office.
The few emails he sent have answers and he responds one last time before pulling out his phone. Thankfully, it’s still early enough that they can catch the bullet train from here to Tokyo. It will at least give them a few hours to rest and catch some sleep before the meeting tomorrow.
By the time the hour rolls around, Tokoyami is in his office again with his bag of clothes and his costume case. Sighing, he nods for Tokoyami to grab his things and follow him out of the agency. A car is waiting for them in the parking garage.
Inside, Keigo trades out his costume jacket for a black hoodie, putting most of his feathers into the duffle at his feet. A beanie over his distinctive blonde hair and a pair of shades and for the most part, Hawks disappears. Tokoyami sends him a look. “Trust me, it will make things quicker if we’re not being stopped by my fans every five feet,” Keigo informs him and he gets an understanding look on his face.
Because this is not a daylight mission. Stain works from the shadows ambushing unsuspecting heroes in back alleys. Hawks is a daylight hero. So they need to go in under the radar. Endeavor being in Hosu will be the play, the bait. That man doesn’t have a subtle bone in his body, nor will he try to hide. And like a moth to a flame, Stain will be drawn in to be taken out.
Now they just have to get to him before he finds a different target.
Settling back in the car, he watches Fukuoka go by on the way to the train station. His phone chirps and he sees a few messages in their group chat. Apparently Izuku will be heading to Hitoshi tomorrow for some fun. At least his chicks are doing okay.
~*~
Their arrival in Tokyo is uneventful, though horribly late at night. He’d booked a hotel on the train ride and checked in digitally not long before they got to their stop, so it’s quick work to get to the hotel and just head up. He tells Tokoyami to get some rest before they have to head out to catch the meeting at eight.
Keigo rests, but he doesn’t sleep well. His thoughts are too restless and he’s too wound up to rest peacefully. At least he won’t be exhausted, but he hopes this case won’t take too long. He’d rather not let this tension drag on and burn him out.
Morning arrives with breakfast delivered to their room. Keigo does a rundown of what the teen should expect at the meeting and how he should act. He doubts anyone will question him for bringing his intern, but just in case, he doesn’t want to give anyone a reason to kick the teen from the meeting.
Soon enough, a car from the HPSC pulls up outside the hotel and they get in, already checked out of their room. Tokoyami is a silent shadow next to him, not one to chatter and Keigo appreciates it as he pulls his Hawks persona around him. He’s mostly ignored his Hawks persona while at Yuuei. He didn’t need it there and he never really liked wearing it, but here, at the HPSC headquarters, he needs it. There are too many memories to not need it.
The car drops them off in the parking garage and they head for the elevator to head up. The security is fairly tight around the room, not uncommon with so many high ranked heroes and Commission officials in one room. Keigo had sent ahead that he was bringing his intern so they don’t even act surprised to see the teen, just check his ID before letting him through.
The temperature subtly increases as he steps inside and Keigo sighs, because of course Endeavor wouldn’t turn his quirk down while in an enclosed room. At least it’s not hot enough to set off the sprinkler system. No doubt he’s had that happen at least once in his lifetime.
Smiling cheerfully at those gathered so far, Keigo sits a little down from the flaming hero to reduce the heat and gets Tokoyami settled before taking his own seat. He can’t help, but eye Endeavor. He’d always idolized the man, as a child and even when he was older. There was nothing false about Endeavor. No mask, no grandstanding. He is blunt, arrogant and ruthless and he doesn’t try to hide it. As someone trained by the Commission to do the opposite, it is refreshing.
But after overhearing this man’s youngest son tell his side of Endeavor, the idolization is dimmed. Now, that arrogance and ruthlessness is more. It’s worse. It’s a man hell-bent on getting his way no matter who he harms in the process, including his own family apparently. Nedzu had already shared a little of what he’d found before he left for the internship and so far, it’s damning. Apparently, the old Commission had covered up a lot of things done by the number two hero and the new Commission hasn’t tried to fix the issue yet, as far as he knows.
The rest of the people attending arrive and Keigo listens quietly as they go over the plan. It’s exactly what he guessed. Use Endeavor to draw out Stain and engage him. Have the flame hero in the center of the city while Hawks and the other three heroes patrol around him, ready to come to his aid if need be.
They have a while before they need to head out since the plan won’t start until that evening, so Keigo shows Tokoyami around the building a bit and grabs them some food while they while away the hours. They’re standing in a waiting area after eating looking out at the view afforded from the skyscraper when Tokoyami speaks up.
“Hawks-sensei, may I ask you a question?” he asks softly, shifting slightly to side-eye Keigo.
“Shoot,” Keigo says with a nod.
“You didn’t want to take this case, did you?” he asks softly.
“That noticeable, huh,” Keigo says with a faint huff.
“Not to others probably. I just noticed your body language,” he admits and Keigo nods. The teen may not have wings, but he has the instincts it seems. “May I ask why?” he asks.
Keigo sighs, thinking over the case as a whole. “Mainly Stain’s whole ideals,” Keigo admits. “He’s right to say the system is corrupt. Hero society has been corrupt for a long time. I and Izuku are evidence of that, along with countless others. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t approve of his methods, but it seems a bit much to silence someone who is only pointing out the truth,” Keigo says with a shrug.
“Isn’t the new Commission working on fixing it?” he asks.
“This isn’t something to fix over night or even over a few years. There is a lot of ingrained prejudice in the populace still. You can change laws and policies, create systems to help and improve, but at the end of the day, you can’t change how people think. If someone thinks you’re lesser simply because they don’t like something about you, a new law won’t change their mind. Maybe it’s ignorance or maybe they’re just like that. It’s hard to say, but I doubt things will change as quickly as Stain wants them to. That type of change is destructive and it doesn’t recognize the innocent, only that change must happen. It’s that kind of change I want to avoid. The world will burn if that type of change is allowed to flourish,” Keigo says softly.
“Quite a dark thing to consider,” Tokoyami agrees softly. “I would like to help however I can to change things for the better,” he admits.
Keigo turns to look at Tokoyami, really look at him, and sees a bit of kinship there. This is someone who has suffered, maybe not at the hands of a corrupt government, but certainly at the hands of society. Keigo doubts the teen’s peers and teachers were very forgiving for his rather unique and ‘villainous’ quirk. Hopefully he had family to support him.
“Keep doing what you’re doing,” Keigo says with a small smile. “We can’t change everyone’s minds, but those few we can change are all the more important. Every person counts when creating change for the good. One becomes two becomes four and so on until eventually, the haters are outnumbered,” Keigo says.
Glancing at the time, Keigo realizes how late it is. They’ll need to catch the train to Hosu soon. He plans to get off a few stops outside of town and come in under the radar. He needs to plant his feathers as far as he can with his range to listen for any sign of Stain to flush the serial killer out. He doesn’t like being called in on this case, but he’ll do what he must. That man is a danger to his colleagues, himself and the teens he is teaching to become future heroes.
“Come along, Tsukuyomi. We’ve got work to do,” Keigo says and Tokoyami nods as he turns to follow him towards the elevator.
~*~
Despite wanting to leave a bit early, it takes time to arrange things and to grab a car to the train station. Normally, he’d fly, but Hawks can’t be seen away from Fukuoka right now or else it might tip off Stain. So the slow method it is.
The sun is setting by the time they actually get off the train right before Hosu. He’d spent the time helping Tokoyami improve his control of Dark Shadow. Normally, he’d have liked the teen to figure things out on his own and feel the accomplishment for himself, but Keigo’s working on a timetable and he needs Tokoyami to be able to keep up with him. So instead he points out what the teen has overlooked with his quirk.
It’s not a perfect transition. Tokoyami hasn’t had time to practice it aside from hovering in a private train car nor used it at full speed, but Keigo will just have to work with what he’s got. As they step off the train, he calls one of his feathers from his duffle and hands it over to Tokoyami. “Keep this on you. I’ll be able to track it if I must and if I’m close enough, I’ll be able to hear what you say. If you get caught up in something you need help with, snap it and I’ll get there as quickly as I can, understand?” Keigo asks.
“I do,” Tokoyami agrees easily and attaches it to a necklace before tucking it under his shirt.
“This is not a normal patrol. This is a major case. You will not involve yourself in any way aside from directing civilians and watching my back. Stain is a dangerous criminal who has taken down seasoned heroes. Do not use your quirk for anything, but keeping up with me and if, for some reason, you get into a situation that is life or death, you have my permission to protect yourself. Don’t seek to attack, only to defend and to get away, got it?” he asks.
“Understood, Hawks-sensei,” Tokoyami agrees.
“Good, now, let’s head off,” Keigo says, rolling his shoulders. He hates hiding his wings like this. It feels weird to not have their familiar weight. For now though, he can’t be seen. Once it’s dark enough, he’ll be better able to get about.
It doesn’t take too long to reach the edge of Hosu through side roads and back streets, areas that don’t have a lot of foot traffic or vehicle traffic. Keigo keeps an eye out for cameras and quickly realizes these areas are probably why Stain hasn’t been caught yet. Very few cameras and so many twisting paths, it’s no wonder he’s been able to move about so freely unseen.
He’s nearly to their predetermined area for him to start searching when the ground rumbles slightly. Keigo frowns, concentrating on the vibrations. “That wasn’t an earthquake,” he murmurs, glancing at Tokoyami.
The teen nods and Keigo’s feathers explode out of the duffle to reattach to his wings and they both fly to the nearest tall roof to see what the hell happened. With the last few streaks of color in the sky fading fast, it’s easy to see the beginning of the fire engulfing a distant building. He can also make out the ragged and broken stump of the base of the building that must have collapse, the source of the vibration.
“What the hell is going on?” Keigo growls out. This isn’t Stain. Fires and collapsing buildings are not his forte. This has to be some powerful quirks. “What are the odds of a major villain incursion on the same night as so many upper ranking heroes being in the city?” Keigo asks softly, not really expecting an answer. In the distance, he notices something dark flying through the air and the small dots of flame being thrown at it. “Endeavor’s already engaged with whoever is responsible. Tsukuyomi, right now our job is to keep an eye out for Stain while aiding civilian in evacuating. Do nothing without my permission and use the feather to get my attention if you see Stain, got it?” Keigo orders.
“Yes, Hawks-sensei,” Tokoyami nods and they quickly set off. It doesn’t take long to close the distance between them and the evacuating civilians. He sets Tokoyami to helping an older pair of civilians struggling against the crowd as he goes further and quickly finds chaos.
A growl sounds out beside him and Keigo quickly ducks under an attack as he pulls a feather from his wing, hardening it and striking back. Even hardened as it is and as sharp as it is, it barely cuts through the thing’s thick hide. As it turns to face him, he feels a horrid sense of déjà vu come over himself as he stares at something similar to the creature from the USJ attack.
“Hawks, when did you get here?” a voice calls out and he glances to see a couple of heroes frantically trying to put out a fire nearby.
“Oh, you know me. Just passing on by and I thought I’d offer a hand,” Hawks says casually as he darts forward to slash away at the creature. Its hide is thick, but it’s not healing like the other one did. Calling more feathers, they surround the creature, darting around to slash away at it and keep it distracted.
He’s just about to turn to ask the heroes what happened before now when his visor flashes an alert and he watches a text pop up…an SOS from Izuku. There’s a location attached and Keigo feels himself pale as he looks at the coordinates and the city name next to it: Hosu. Why is Izuku here in Hosu? He’s supposed to be safely with Hitoshi enjoying his night. Right on the heels of Izuku’s text comes a frantic phone call from Hitoshi.
Keigo answers it. “Hitoshi, why isn’t Izuku with you?” he demands, ducking under another attack and leading the thing away from the two putting out the fire.
“He was on his way. He’s not answering my calls, Keigo. What’s going on?” he asks.
“There’s a major attack in Hosu going on right now. I’ll tell you more later, but right now it’s chaos. I’ll find him, Hitoshi, but keep trying to get ahold of him, okay? I’m mixed up in the thick of things, but I’ll look for him, okay?” he orders.
“Y-yeah, okay,” Hitoshi agrees.
“He’s going to be okay,” Keigo tries to reassure him, but it feels false even in his own ears.
“Yeah,” Hitoshi whispers and then the line cuts off.
Cursing, Keigo lunges forward, all his feathers coming at once and runs the creature through on his blade, feathers following to stab through various parts to pin it to the side of a building. Even then, it keeps struggling, slowly pulling itself off his feathers. He hears the crackle of flame and darts aside as a flaming fist comes forward to grip the thing’s head and engulf it in flames. “It’s no use. They won’t stop coming,” Endeavor growls.
“Yeah,” Keigo says with a nod. “Something has happened and I need to check it out,” he says quickly, already calling his feathers back to his wings.
Endeavor huffs, but nods. “Keep an eye out for Shouto. He’s run off somewhere, something about sending help somewhere by some alley,” Endeavor huffs.
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Izuku probably sent that SOS text to his contact list if he and Hitoshi received it together. Nodding, Keigo takes to the air. He spies Tokoyami still helping civilians and darts down. “Izuku’s in Hosu and just sent off an SOS. Keep directing civilians and stay out of trouble. I think most of the attackers have been taken care of,” Keigo explains quickly.
“I’ll find you once things settle down,” Tokoyami agrees and Keigo nods one more time before shooting into the air and flying towards the coordinates. He flies hard and fast, arrowing like a rocket towards the coordinates and watches as the flying thing he saw earlier appear from between two buildings and dives down.
His heart lurches as the familiar scream of fear echoes from below and Keigo watches as it snatches Izuku up in its claws. Beating his wings faster, he shoots towards it, needing to get to Izuku and watches as Izuku manages to get away, ruining the thing’s wings to leave it to fall to its death.
He’s not close enough though as Izuku hovers, beats his wings once, twice, three times before they give out and he starts to plummet. Locking his own wings, Keigo goes into a steep dive, chasing his fledgling. He watches in horror as a familiar dark portal opens below and with a last burst of speed, Keigo barrels into Izuku, wrapping him in his arms and knocking him off his path to the warp portal.
Back flapping, he slows their descent and looks back to see the portal is gone and that a crowd of people are heading his way, Endeavor among them, along with Iida and Shouto and a handful of heroes. Breathing shakily, Keigo glances at Izuku and finds him passed out. He also sees how much blood is all over him.
The others have closed the distance enough that he shouts out, “I’m taking him to the hospital. Tell Tsukuyomi that that’s where I’ve gone,” he orders and Iida and Shouto nod, recognizing the name. Darting into the air, he aims straight for the nearest hospital.
He barely slows as he comes towards the emergency entrance, stumbling in his landing, as he rushes through the doors. “I need help now!” he yells out and people freeze for a second at his sudden appearance before they rush into action.
A gurney is brought forward and Keigo gently lays Izuku on it, his fledgling so pale right now. “He’s lost a lot of blood. He’s O type. His quirk uses a lot of electrolytes as well, so he might be low,” he rattles off quickly.
“Of course, Hawks. We’ll take care of him,” a nurse says as they start to cart Izuku away at a hurried pace. He goes to follow and is stopped by the same nurse. “You need to stay here, Hawks,” she says sympathetically and Keigo clinches his fists before nodding and heading for the waiting area.
He paces for a few minutes, needing to move. Blood stains his uniform, he notes absently and it makes him pause. He mind keeps going back to that last frantic moment when the portal opened up below Izuku. Did they know he was here or was it a coincidence that they took advantage of?
He sits for a moment, staring at his blood stained gloves. Pulling them off, he tucks them in his pocket and pulls out his phone as his visor shows another call from Hitoshi. “Keigo,” Hitoshi says sounding panicked. “He’s still not answering and I don’t know what to do.”
“I’ve got him Hitoshi,” Keigo says and the silence on the other end lasts long enough for Keigo to think the line disconnected before a heavy sigh rushes out. “I don’t know how he got caught up in everything happening here, but he’s safe,” Keigo reassures the teen.
“Is it bad?” Hitoshi asks, already expecting the worst and Keigo hates that this keeps happening.
“He’s pretty badly hurt, but the hospital staff is looking after him. I’ve not heard anything yet, but I’ll call as soon as I do,” Keigo tells him.
“I’ll come there,” Hitoshi declares, the sounds of him getting up from somewhere sounding out.
“No chick,” Keigo gets out quickly and Hitoshi stops what he’s doing. “I know you need to be here for him, but right now there is nothing you or I can do. Stay at your internship, okay? I need to make sure you’re safe and away from whatever happened here. Besides, I don’t think the trains are running right now in Hosu after everything, so you wouldn’t get far.”
“You’ll call as soon as you know more?” Hitoshi asks, sounding worried.
“I promise,” Keigo agrees.
“Alright, I’ll stay,” Hitoshi agrees reluctantly.
“Good, stay safe chick and I’ll call soon,” Keigo says softly and then the line cuts out as Hitoshi closes out his end. Tucking his phone away, Keigo braces his elbows on his knees and braces his head in his hands, his visor pushed back on his head.
There’s a commotion at the entrance as two ambulances pull up and Keigo watches as a gurney holding Native is rushed in. Another goes by holding Iida, though the teen looks relatively okay, despite the blood on his armor. Shouto follows on foot and is forced into a wheelchair by staff and wheeled into the back.
Keigo sees someone slip through the doors quietly and recognized Tokoyami, who must have come with them. “Hawks-sensei,” he greets softly, taking in the blood on Keigo’s costume and the slump of his wings. “How is Midoriya-san?” he asks.
“Hurt,” Keigo admits. “I’m still waiting for someone to come back and tell me what’s going on,” he adds.
“Ah,” Tokoyami hums softly. “I will wait with you then,” he decides and takes the seat next to Keigo, the hero pulling his wing aside to give the teen the chair. They wait in silence before someone finally comes back out.
“Hawks,” she calls softly and Keigo shoots up to rush towards her.
“How is he?” he asks quickly.
“Stable,” she starts off with and Keigo sighs softly. “We’re giving him a transfusion and have closed up his various wounds, the worst being a deep puncture on his side from some sort of claw. The electrolytes actually helped us as we would have been unaware and his body was desperately low on them,” she explains and Keigo sighs in relief again.
“Can I see him?” he asks.
“Not quite yet. We need to monitor him for a bit longer before he can be given a room. As well, we need you to fill out his paperwork so we can get him in the system,” she explains, holding out a clipboard.
“Yes, of course,” Keigo agrees easily.
“Someone will come get you once we’ve got him settled in a room,” she explains and Keigo nods before she disappears back through the door. Taking the clipboard and the pen attached to it, Keigo sits and rapidly writes out Izuku’s info. He hands it off to the receptionist who thanks him and then he settles back in his spot.
Pulling out his phone, he pulls up a different text chat.
H: The League was involved at Hosu. They tried to take Izuku.
N: That is worrying indeed. Was anyone else involved?
H: Iida and Todoroki. They’re not as badly hurt, but I don’t know their condition.
N: I will call their mentors then. Aizawa will be on his way soon, though he may be some time due to traffic. Any idea on what they were involved in?
H: No.
N: Ah, well, I will know soon enough. I hope for your fledgling’s speedy recovery.
H: Thanks.
Keigo tucks the phone away and settles in to wait. Half an hour later, a different nurse comes out and informs him that Izuku is in a room so he can go back now. He has to fight rushing ahead, mainly because he doesn’t know what room Izuku is in.
The nurse shows him to a private room, the blinds closed and the room dimly lit. Izuku is a pale shadow on the bed, bandages wrapped around his arm and his torso. A bit of gauze is taped over his cheek as well. An IV and a blood bag are attached to his arm while an oxygen line is set under his nose. He looks so small.
Keigo settles in a chair after dragging it closer to the side of the bed, Tokoyami settling on the other side in another chair. Reaching out, Keigo grips Izuku’s hand and frowns at how cool it is. How much blood did he lose?
He desperately wants his fledgling to wake up and chirp at him. To sit him down and groom the teen’s wings which have blood streaked across them still, despite attempts to clean them. The reddish brown stands out against the white and golden feathers of the underside of his wings.
“Hey fledgling,” Keigo murmurs. “You need to stop doing this. You’re going to give me grey hairs and Hawks can’t have grey hair,” Keigo whispers. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do once you wake up. You gave Hitoshi and me a heart attack with that text. So wake up soon, okay.” Izuku just breathes slowly and Keigo sighs softly.
~*~
Keigo must have dozed off, which is not something he usually does, when someone shakes his shoulder. Old reactive instincts rear up and before he realizes who is shaking him, his feathers whirl around to sharpen and point at them in a bid to protect his hurt fledgling.
Only, his connection is abruptly cut off from them and they fall to the floor in lazy spirals. Blinking in surprise, Keigo finally looks at who is next to him and sees bright red eyes staring at him as Aizawa frowns down at him. The man blinks and Keigo can feel his feathers again.
“Sorry,” he murmurs sheepishly, calling them back to his wings. Looking around, he realizes it’s a lot later than he expected, the sun starting to peak from behind the curtains. How long did he sleep? He remembers calling Hitoshi last night again to reassure him that Izuku is fine and then after that sending Tokoyami to a nearby hotel to get some rest, paying for it over the phone. It was pretty late he recalls.
“It’s fine,” Aizawa says simply, not judging. “I got in a few hours ago. You’re needed in a meeting with Chief Tsuragamae,” he murmurs.
Keigo glances at Izuku, but the teen is still asleep. The doctor had warned him that he might sleep a while, exhausted from the blood loss and quirk overuse. “I…yeah,” Keigo says and has to force himself to step away from Izuku and out of the room.
They find the man in question in a small conference room in the hospital, along with Manual and a woman who appears to be a doctor from the outfit. “Thank you for coming, Hawks. I know you are a busy man, so we’ll try to keep this short,” Tsuragamae says with a soft woof.
“What is this about?” Keigo asks with a frown.
“It is in regards to the three teen’s activities last night,” the dog quirked man says.
“Apparently, they took down Stain,” Aizawa comments mildly, seeing Keigo’s confusion.
“What?” Keigo whispers.
“From the stories gathered, it would seem Iida went after Stain for what he did to Ingenium,” Tsuragamae says evenly. “We are not sure how Midoriya-san got involved, but he soon joined in and not long after, Todoroki-san arrived. The criminal is badly injured,” he adds.
The woman next to him nods with a frown. “Broken bones, a concussion, slash marks from a serrated blade, burns and claw marks, he’s pretty badly hurt,” she explains simply.
“I don’t know about Iida, but the other two were simply acting to protect and defend,” Aizawa points out.
“Two unlicensed first year hero students and a civilian, that doesn’t look good,” Tsuragamae points out. “The charges, if pressed, wouldn’t look good. It might result in marks on the two student’s records and Midoriya…well, who can say,” he murmurs. “It might be best to claim this was accomplished by one of the higher ranked heroes. Endeavor could explain the burns and broken bones.”
Keigo can’t help, but snort at this man’s attempt to get them to sweep this under the rug and give credit to a hero that wasn’t there. It’s laughable and they all turn to look at Keigo like he’s lost is mind. Shaking his head, he reaches for his wallet. “That’s the thing, Chief, you assume a lot,” Keigo says, quickly finding the right ID and pulls it out. “Izuku is not a civilian.”
Holding it out, he shows the teen’s license. It’s a step under a full hero license, allowing the teen to act in defense of himself and others and to authorize others in use of their quirk in a dangerous situation. Aizawa actually looks surprised. “When did he get this?” he asks.
Keigo tucks it away after the Chief gets a good look at it to confirm its authenticity. “It’s leftover from before. It’s standard practice for the Commission to issue these out to all their operatives,” Keigo explains.
“In case they get involved with local authorities,” Aizawa finishes for him. “Ah,” he hums. “Does Izuku know about it?” he asks.
“I think he’s forgotten he still has it. I keep it up-to-date, just in case,” Keigo explains with a shrug. He looks back at the Chief. “Izuku had full authority to act in defense of Iida and Native and to give Todoroki and Iida the okay to use their quirks as well. It doesn’t brush away Iida’s actions, but it can be assumed if the teen hadn’t intervened, you would have another dead hero on your hands and a serial killer on the loose still,” Keigo points out.
“I’d rather not have their names out there though,” Aizawa points out and Keigo nods in agreement.
“Just say a task force comprised of Commission officials and local heroes were involved in Stain’s takedown. Isn’t that the standard line used when underground heroes and commission operatives are involved?” Keigo asks.
“That will work,” Tsuragamae admits. “What of Iida? Will Yuuei be handling his punishment?” he asks.
“We will and it will not be discussed here,” Aizawa explains simply.
“Of course,” Tsuragamae says evenly. “I will still need to speak with you Manual and Endeavor about the two being under your command,” he adds.
“We’ll give you the room, though I don’t have a clue where Endeavor’s at right now,” Keigo says and he and Aizawa step out.
They walk silently down the hall before Keigo huffs out in annoyance,” The nerve of that man,” he growls out.
“He was just trying to save face. It looks bad when the police are shown up by three teens,” Aizawa huffs out. “That was smart, keeping that license,” he adds.
“I’m glad I did,” Keigo murmurs.
“How are you holding up?” Aizawa asks softly.
“He’s going to drive me into an early grave, but we’re okay. The doctor says he’ll make a full recovery and be ready to be discharged once he’s woken up and been checked over,” Keigo explains.
“Glad to hear,” Aizawa says and runs a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. “I’m going to go dole out some harsh words and some punishment to the two.”
“Have fun,” Keigo says and Aizawa flips him off before disappearing around a corner. Keigo continues to Izuku’s room and nearly sprints in when he sees the teen’s eyes open. “Fledgling,” Keigo says softly, snagging his chair to sit once more. “Can you hear me?” he asks.
A soft chirp and Keigo sighs. “You’re okay,” Keigo whispers. “You’re pretty banged up, but you’ll recover. Just rest, okay?” Keigo orders, and Izuku nods groggily before his eyes close and he falls back asleep. Keigo feels relief swoop through him and takes a moment to just breathe and calm down.
They’re okay.