Beautiful Disasters- Hawks x OC

Chapter 115

        It had been months since Sakura had heard from Hawks. She hadn't seen or heard from him since the funeral; he didn't answer her calls, and visits to his apartment were ignored. She'd made a promise to take care of him, but she'd never thought she'd actually have to fulfill it. She and Hawks weren't that close, their only connection had been Mariko and now that she was gone there was nothing really tying them together. She didn't know what the right thing to do was. Was she supposed to give him space and let him heal on his own? Should she be making more of an effort for her late best friend's sake? Would he accept the support she offered, or would she be rejected? Sakura was at a loss, and it was tearing her up inside.

       It wasn't like she was in the best headspace to take of someone else either, Mariko's death had left her broken too. The brunette had been her best friend, she'd seen her as an older sister that always looked out for her. Suddenly not having that kind of guidance left her feeling lost. How could she fix someone when she was still healing herself? "The difference between Hawks and I thought is that I'm not alone," she thought. That was true, unlike the hero, the blonde had a support system- people who would pick her up when she needed it and help her take the first steps when she found it hard to move forward. For Hawks, that system began and ended with Mariko. Whether he'd known it at the time or not, she'd become his foundation and now that she was gone he was left crumbling. "There's no way he's okay," she thought.

       It was that realization that led Sakura to make the executive decision to break into his apartment. Getting to the door was easy enough, she was on the allowed visitor's list from when Mariko was the tenant. Though it played to her favor at the moment, the brunette still felt a pang of sadness. It connected her to a person who no longer existed like a red string of fate that wasn't attached to anyone. She brushed the feeling off quickly enough, she was on a mission, and nothing was supposed to distract her from it.

So, armed with a lock picking kit and a Tupperware of leftovers, the brunette took the elevator up to Hawk's floor. The hallway was completely deserted, and as she approached his door, the air seemed to get colder and colder. Staring at the door with the nameplate Saito still hung on the wall next to it, a pit began to form in Sakura's stomach. For some reason, she felt like there was nothing waiting for her on the other side, and it terrified her.

     Giving Hawks one last chance to meet her halfway, she knocked on the door a few times. Part of her knew he wouldn't open though, and when he didn't she wasted no time in taking the small lock picking kit out of her purse and unlocking the door herself.

       When she entered, the first thing that hit her was the scent. It was the scent of decaying wood and stale surroundings. The kind of scents houses got after they had been abandoned for some time. As she looked around the apartment, Sakura felt as though she were frozen in time. All the lights in the apartment were off, but nothing had been moved seemingly since she had been there at the beginning of the year. Mariko's stuff hadn't been moved or packed away either. Her coat was still hanging on the hook by the door, and her purse was still on the kitchen counter- the same place she always put it when she got back from work. She felt like she was staring at a cruel and twisted version of what should've been. A dream left in the shadows to collect dust. It was heartbreaking.

       Wiping the tears that had gathered in her eyes, Sakura shook her head. She was here for Hawks. "Hawks?" she called, starting to wander around the house. "It's Sakura, sorry I let myself in... but you haven't been answering any of my calls and-" she gasped when she walked into the bedroom and found the male lying face down on the mattress. He smelled horrible- the scent of dried blood, booze, and vomit lingered around him and the rest of the room. "Oh God," she thought rushing towards him. "Hawks?" she asked frantically shaking him.

      Her heart seemed to crawl into her throat as he remained unresponsive. "This can't be happening. This can't be happening...please," she thought pressing her fingers to his neck to check for a pulse. She nearly sobbed in relief when she felt a heartbeat. It was fainter than it should've been, nor was it even, but it was there. watching his breathing, she realized that his breaths were shaky like he was struggling to do it on his own. He'd been cold and clammy when she touched him. Looking around the room, she saw the bottle of liquor scattered on the nightstand and on the floor and immediately recognized the symptoms as signs of alcohol poisoning. Immediately, she whipped out her phone and dialed emergency services for Division 1. They would get here in minutes and have access to private military hospitals. Hawks was the number two hero still, and if word about this got out then the hero world would be thrown into chaos.

      Her call was answered immediately and before the operator could start talking, Sakura launched into a frantic tangent.

      "This is Agent A-274803274. I need EMS to 738 Kamigawa way right now. It's an emergency."

      "Alright agent, EMS has been dispatched to your location and are on their way. Can you tell me what happened?" The operator's voice asked calmly.

      Sakura hiccupped as she tried to remain calm. "Alcohol poisoning, I think," she said. "Male- early twenties. I don't know I walked into the apartment, and he was lying there. He was unresponsive when I tried to wake him. His body temperature is low, he's got an arrhythmia, and he's struggling to breathe."

       "Okay, a unit should be there shortly, please stay on the line until they get here."

       "Understood," she choked out.

       Tilting the blonde on his side to make sure he wouldn't choke on his own vomit and wrapped him in a blanket to keep him warm. As she waited for EMS to get there, Sakura felt the tears drip down her face. "I failed," she thought.