Assassins Can Be Heroes Too || Todoroki Shoto

|80| The Hero's Comforting Red Wings

There was a light breeze, a winged Hero soaring through the sky, adjusting his golden visor as his bronze eyes scanned the city line below, his feathers vibrating gently in the wind, saluting to the citizens below as they waved up, continuing about their day. Gazing back ahead of him, his grin slowly morphed into one of neutrality, running a gloved hand through his dishevelled hair.

Sheesh... the lengths I go to for her...

He continued gliding through the air until a familiar manor loomed into view. He let his bronze eyes wander down and onto the lawn where a familiar face was patrolling the gate, a bored expression on their face.

"Yo~" he greeted, floating down. It took a moment for the male's presence to settle in for the servant, as his eyes widened drastically. "Been a while, huh, Itona?"

"Oh, you're..." he noted, cocking his head, "why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he mirrored the teenager's action, "I wanna speak to Rie."

He didn't miss how the silver-haired male's face darkened before glancing around him tentatively.

"You... do remember the rules of the house, right?" he questioned slowly, almost in disbelief.

"Yup!" he flashed him a confident grin, only to be responded with a deadpan glare.

"So..." The Hero sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and gazing directly at the female's window.

"C'mon... she needs someone with her now, more than ever," he stated quietly, "and what with the new rules they've put in place..."

The servant remained silent, the male thinking that he had gone a step too far. He opened his mouth to backtrack, only to clamp his lips shut as he slid the door open, his hair covering his eyes.

"Fine. I'll let you in..." he opened his phone, pulling up a screen, "Ritsu, you online?"

A pink-haired girl popped up, yawning as she stretched, flashing the male a sleepy wink.

"Itona, how can I help you?" she beamed.

"Disable the security cameras and all of the measurements they've taken into place until morning," he spoke calmly, ushering the male in and sliding the gate back shut, "he's here."

"I'm not All Might..."

"Be quiet," he sighed, pocketing his phone after confirming that she had indeed completed her job, "just... go in, I guess..."

"Thanks, kid!" he beamed, his wings flapping ecstatically as he began taking off, though a small cough from below made him falter. He let out a low hum, raising a brow at the servant.

"Um... thank you," he muttered.

"No problem, kid," he grinned, flying off as he waved.

Rie... you've got some interesting friends... please, accept their help... we all want to help you, but...

He shook his head, yawning as he took another bite of his chocolate bar.

Ah, well...

Only time would tell what happened during his visit.

~TIMESKIP~

"Her room hasn't changed one bit..." he murmured, carefully unlocking the window and flinching as it made a loud squeak, groaning as he stepped inside, making sure to close the window once again. He peered through the curtains, his bronze eyes sharp as he landed soundlessly, the female stirring slightly as he released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Ok..." he walked up to the female's bed, silently leaning over with a wide smirk, his hands on his hips, "wake up, lil' feather~"

She let out a small 'ngh', stretching as she shifted, turning over as her eyes opened sleepily, shooting wide open as her mouth opened to scream.

"Shh!" he hissed, clasping his hands over her mouth, "it's me."

He watched as her startled expression morphed into one of relief, then one of disapproval, then back to relief, only to return to disapproval - and finally confusion.

"How did you-"

"Itona and Ritsu let me in~" he held up a peace sign, smirking down at the deadpanning female, dropping his act and crossing his arms, "but enough about that-"

"Why are you here?" She was now fully awake.

"You fucked up big time, kid," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, cutting straight to the point. Watching her deadpan expression, he quickly calmed her down. "Listen, I'll make this quick-"

"You know I could kill you, right here and right now, right?" she snapped, summoning a dagger with a raised eyebrow, "nobody's going to know."

"Woah, calm down there, Rie-" he laughed nervously.

"I won't calm down until you get out."

"I'll get out once I finish, I promise," he stated hurriedly, not wanting to worsen her mood, "okay, just listen..."

He watched as she contemplated it, sighing as she got rid of the dagger, gazing at him with her expectant golden orbs.

"Okay... you're now the No. 1 Villain in Japan, and the commission and U.A.'s been really busy with everything going on," he explained rapidly, "and I just wanted to ask you, when you're going back to U.A.-"

"Who said anything about going back there?" she raised a brow mockingly, "I'm not going back there."

His jaw hung open.

"I-why?"

And that's when she snapped.

"Because of everything that's happened! I can't do a single thing without being watched 24/7, I'm being watched daily! This is all my fault, I'm the reason everything's been going on, I'm the reason Ace died, I'm the reason All Might retired, I'm-"

Hawks was very glad that the rooms were soundproof.

"Rie," he cut in, his wings circling around her and pulling her in, the girl's eyes widening, "how long have you been strong for?"

She stopped struggling in confusion, glancing back up at him.

Her eyes were wide and innocent.

"What do you mean?"

"Rie... it's okay to cry, sometimes."

There was silence, though he swore he heard her breath hitch, her stature freezing momentarily as she gazed down, her fists clenched. He waited patiently, letting his wings gently brush over her back as comfort, the tears streaking down her face as she clutched his shirt. He stood there with a neutral expression, letting his wings continue to embrace around her, shielding her from the rest of the world.

"You're okay, Rie."

Did she believe him?

Absolutely not.

But... she would admit...

Maybe Hawks was right.

Maybe everything would be alright.