Chapter Text
Hawks eyed the Commissioner distrustfully.
It had seven years since Nezu-san had helped him get out from under the HPSC, and not long after his old overseer had been forced into retirement. This new Commissioner was not her, he played better with others, but Hawks didn’t trust anyone in the HPSC half as far as he could throw them on a good day.
He was not having a good day. Hell, Hawks wasn’t having a great month to be frank.
His wings bristled slightly at the Commissioner’s amused smile, each feather sharpening and Nezu-san’s gaze flicked to him for a quick moment. “You are correct in the fact that we may need to rely on our students more than ever before with this so called League of Villains running amok” the Principal conceded, “but you’ll forgive my hesitance to place any sort of true danger on the children in my care”. The Commissioner nodded in acknowledgment, “it is true that they are only children, but I think you and I both know that Class 1-A can’t be kept from this fight. That’s why we’re proposing a middle ground.”
Hawks strangled the warning hiss in his throat, his sharp talons flexing under his gloves. The HPSC made him file them down for years, he was only just learning how to let them grow and take care of them. The HPSC did that to a kid, he doesn’t want them anywhere near a class as diverse as 1-A. He hates the idea of the HPSC coming within a mile of his baby goth bird, or his partner’s cub. If he had his way, he’d have packed Fumikage, Dark Shadow, Marissa and Alicia off to America with his father until he sorted this mess out himself.
As far away from this shit storm as he could conceivably manage, but his family was much too stubborn for that.
“What sort of middle ground?” Nezu-san asked. The fact that Nezu-san was here was the only thing keeping Hawks from doing something stupid. Like stabbing this bitch. The Commissioner clicked a holo-watch, a projection of Nabu Island coming up. “As you may have heard, the Hero Skywatch has recently retired from his post on Nabu Island. Given the island’s small population and relatively isolated position, there is little to no police force on the island as one hero is enough to manage. Skywatch’s replacement won’t arrive until next month, they want their two children to finish out the school year at their schools before moving”.
Last Hawks heard, they were moving one of Sir Nighteye’s former sidekicks down there. Nice guy, terrible dad jokes.
“We propose to give the students a taste of real life work. The 1-A class will go to the island and serve as the interim Heroics Agency for the month. They can learn community work, running an agency and problem solving in a relatively safe environment, without having a teacher or mentor on hand to spoon feed them solutions”. Hawks scoffed, shaking his head. No one has ‘spoon fed’ class 1-A anything. Those kids had to figure it out themselves, all way too young. But, as much as it physically pained Hawks to agree with the HPSC, it wasn’t a bad idea. Nabu island had a basically net zero crime rate, and no serious villains in residence, it was basically a perfect training ground for some baby heroes. Nezu-san looked at him, his gaze a silent question and trusting Hawks’ opinion of the HPSC’s plan. He sighed unhappily, crossing his arms. “I would send a teacher or a teaching assistant along, just to be safe. But it’s a solid idea” he reluctantly admits.
He feels like he lost something when the Commissioner smirks at him, his wings flaring aggressively on instinct.
Nezu-san hums and nods. “Well then. I’ll call their home room teacher and set it up. And Commissioner? We will be the ones selecting their overseer” Nezu-san said firmly, taking a pointed sip from his teacup. The Commissioner’s smirk drops into a scowl, but he nods. “Hawks, I trust you can handle the rest of this investigation without The Mockingbird’s assistance?” Nezu-san asked, and Hawks let out a small sigh of relief that Nezu-san had caught on. It would be more work without his favourite semi-violent interrogator, but he could make it work. “I’m not the No. 2 hero for nothin’ Sir” he said, pulling his tinted visor down over his face as he headed for the door, his best press ready smile in place. “Excellent. I shall ensure Eraserhead has the paperwork by Monday” Nezu-san chirps, setting his porcelain teacup aside with a cheery expression.
Once he’s in the hallway, Hawks sighs, wings falling loosely to his side as he rubs his temples. This is turning into such a fucking headache.
“Little bird thinks he’s a big shot, huh?” a slimy voice says behind him. Hawks smothers an aggressive hiss building in his chest and has to physically resist the urge to slam his head into the wall as he turns to face Nishinoya, his old ‘trainer’ from his days under the HPSC’s thumb, before Alicia and Eraser helped him get back to his dad and some degree of freedom. A consummate asshole, his career had mostly fizzled out after Hawks left the care (and by care he means abusive training camp for emotionally repressed dicks) of the HPSC. Hawks was kinda hoping he had died.
No such luck apparently, he thinks blandly as the green-eyed giant slouches closer. He always hated this guy.
(His hands too big for hollow bones, his snear too cruel for an eight your old’s heart. Bruises, blood, stop stop stop-)
His breath always smelled like garlic, of all things.
“No, Endeavour’s the big shot” he replied smoothly. “I’m the speedster, remember?”. Oof, Nishinoya did NOT like that one Hawks thought to himself as the jolly red-faced giant snarled and stormed over, one hand reaching out for the front of his jacket. Hawks’ kept the bland smile on his face, chewing mildly on a toothpick even as his feathers sharpened and bristled, his heart jack rabbiting in his chest with fear (why is he afraid? He could kill him with a single wing swipe. Why is he still so fucking scared?)
“Nishinoya” the Commissioner’s voice snapped, angry and harsh across the hallway, like lightning through the empty air. Nishinoya stopped dead in his tracks, paling rapidly. “Do you really think that attacking the No. 2 Hero in Japan with the principal of UA next door will go over well?” The Commissioner all but snarled.
“No, no, I wasn’t-“ Nishinoya stuttered out, backing away and turning to face the voice.
Hawks had to smother a wheezing laugh.
Leaning casually against the wall was not the Commissioner, but The Mockingbird. She was still in her uniform, the loose charcoal colored cargo pants tucked into heavy duty steel toes boots. Her utility belt still had suppressor cuffs, so she had a slow patrol tonight. Her pale arms were crossed over her chest, torso covered by a sleeveless, high necked spandex top in the same color. It had veins of cobalt blue following the meridian lines of her body that gleamed and winked as her Quirk moved pheromones around the specialized and unique veins of her body. The Mockingbird had her Persona Chords on, the sleek black and silver mask fitted tight. She’d tucked her goggles into her pocket, along with her wrist gauntlets as her eyes gleamed cobalt on black on her snow pale face, the effect eerie and predatory as it was alluring. Like belladonna flowers or a swaying cobra, she was a blend of both her Mentors. (Personally, Hawks felt that a Hero trained by Eraserhead and Midnight was bound to be a badass)
It always threw Hawks off to see her voice modulator at work as she twisted a dial on the mask, Nishinoya’s own voice coming from her as she told him to “leave. Before someone gets the wrong idea about how the HPSC treats their employees”.
With a snarl, his face an unflattering shade of red, Nishinoya stalked off. Mockingbird watched him go, the cobalt on black leeching from her eyes until they were their normal shade of pretty amber and whisky on white. She unhooked the mask, letting it hang around her neck as she pushed off the wall to come join him, flicking a long dark brown curl over her shoulder. “You know, you could always walk away, Hawks” she pointed out, the two of them falling in easy step as they headed for the exit. Hawks shrugged, wings fluttering playfully, half curling around her shoulders as he notices the faint goosebumps on her arms. The downside of pheromone-based quirks are the need for exposed skin, he supposed. “Where’s the fun in that?” he teased back. Mockingbird let out a soft hum, waiting for him to speak. She does that a lot, letting him fill the silences when he’s ready, or happy to wait.
“Any luck with finding the head of all this?” Hawks asked. The Mockingbird had been chasing a lead in southern Miyagi while Hawks went after a conspirator in Eastern Chugoku. She shook her head, “no. Everyone is either dead by the time we get there, or don’t know anything beyond their job”.
He nodded. The group was highly divided, each person fulfilling a singular task for the cause, and nothing else. It made the entire organization impossible to track back to its source.
“I don’t know how Present Mic does it” Mockingbird muttered, stretching her arms out above her head. He winced in sympathy as he heard the vertebrae in her spine pop. “I mean, he’s a full time English teacher, runs the most popular radio show in Japan, and is a full time hero while raising two, basically three kids. I’m 22, and I can barely stay on top of my regular patrols with being a TA at UA, training Shinsou and this investigation. My paperwork is a mess” she grumbled. Hawks hid a wince as her scent pooled with exhaustion and her proud shoulders slumped. Without her gear on, he can see the dark shadows under her eyes, the abnormally pale tone of her skin. His sense of smell can pick up the dirty alleyways and old coffee in her scent. His ears can pick up the rumble in her stomach. He forgets, sometimes, that his speed is an advantage that not many have. When you live at a normal pace, the hours must speed by at a blur trying to fit everything into a single day.
She’s barely out of UA, barely in the Hero scene, and he has her running around the country chasing ghosts. She’s not him.
(Part of him whispers that he’s only 24, he’s barely on the scene, and chasing ghosts too. He ignores that voice like he always does)
“Stop Keigo” she says, elbowing him, the padded material of her elbow guard jabbing into his ribs. He yelps, wings flaring in surprise. The Mockingbird glares at him, her expression unimpressed. “You know I can feel your guilt, stop it” she says, but her expression softens as she runs the back of her hand gently over his ruffled wing. “You’re my partner Keigo, and my friend before you’re the No. 2 hero. I’m happy to help you however I can”. He runs a hand through his hair to hide the flush of his cheeks as they walk into the cool air of the streets. “You need a break” he says, thinking of the rattled way Fumikage jumps at shadows and how Marissa spams him with texts after she sees him on the news fighting the latest villain of the week. They all do, or they’re gonna snap in two.
The Mockingbird laughs, swinging a leg over the parked classic Triumph and tugging on a cropped racer style jacket in black and cobalt blue. “Pot, kettle, black” she points out in a lilting sing-song.
“Do as I say, my dear Birdie, not as I do” he sniped, a red feather tucking into her sleeve at his command. “But seriously, Nezu has a new program and they need a TA to oversee. He wants you to go. It’ll be good for you and the kids, and I’ll keep up with things here”. It would be a little more work, but he’d figure it out like he always does. Nabu island is a great spot, and she could catch up on her paperwork and sleep, Fumikage could take a break and practice some flying and Marissa could nap in the sun on the beach. It would be good for them to get away. “And if you’re out with the kids, Eraserhead can keep an eye on Shinsou-kun. It’ll be good for them too” he pointed out. After the Aizawa-Yamada’s had adopted Shinsou Hitoshi and Eri, The Mockingbird took over some of the more official aspects of Shinsou’s training so no one could claim a conflict of interest, and so Aizawa wouldn’t have to deal with the obvious terror of having his adopted child following him on patrols one day. Not that that would stop his from being involved, he knew Aizawa was way too protective and supportive to ever do that (he had basically been chased off with a knife when he started taking her on as a partner, and Keigo had seen a familiar white scarf trailing after their patrols for at least the first year).
He knew it was also because she saw so much of herself in the stubborn kid with a supposedly ‘villainous’ quirk. She’d fought tooth and nail to get where she is, he knew as soon as he saw Shinsou on tv that The Mockingbird had found her successor at long last.
Maybe he could take Shinsou-kun out for a bit too while they were away. While Marissa and Eri had warmed up to him pretty quickly, Shinsou (justifiably) was more cautious by nature. But he was essentially Alicia’s little brother and Marissa’s adopted twin. He wanted Shinsou to like him damn it (and preferably not try to murder him like his adoptive father had. Twice).
The Mockingbird eyed him worriedly, but revved the bike and pulled out of her parking spot. “If they want me to go, I’ll go. But if there’s any problems, Keigo, call me. You don’t have to do everything alone”.
He smiled, his elongated, predator’s canine teeth flashing silver in the night air. “Aww, Birdie, don’t you know Hawks are solo hunters?”