𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐃𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

32

Y/N's POV:

Hawks stepped back into the car just a second before you'd been prepared to take over the driver's side and drive back to the city yourself. The hero folded his wings behind his back and lowered himself onto the seat. "Alright, I won't waste any more time. We'll head straight back." 

"What did you need to talk to him about?" You asked as the car began moving forward. Looking back once more, you tried to catch a glimpse of Touya, but you were too far to see him through the trees. 

Rain pattered on the windshield as Hawks increased the car's speed. "I had a few questions for him."

Normally, you would have pried further into the matter. You couldn't think of anything Hawks would have needed to ask Touya about, but you were too distracted by thoughts of Aya that you couldn't spare the effort. Hawks stared straight ahead, not taking his eyes off of the road. "So, how'd you find out the truth about him?"

It took you a second to pinpoint what he meant. "Oh, it's... a long story." In other words, you didn't want to talk about it. You didn't even fully understand the situation yourself. Trying to explain it would be a hassle. 

"Ah," he nodded in understanding. "Did you at least manage to get something out of the lead you two were following?"

You shook your head. "It was a dead end." Maybe it was uncool of you to lie, especially since dishonesty had gotten you into this mess in the first place, but your relationship with Hawks was much different from what you had with Touya. There'd never been a complete sense of trust between the two of you, what with his complex ties to both the League and the Commission. And even if that wasn't the case, how were you supposed to tell him what you'd learned without sounding crazy? Shifting the focus off of you, you asked, "Did you and Aya manage to find anything before..."

"Not really," he answered solemnly. "I mean, we only had a few hours together before the attack happened."

A few hours. Aya had been hurt the same day that you and Touya had left, then. Meaning that she'd been in this state for over two days now. Alone. Anger clawed its way up your spine. The League had kept you from being there for her. Whatever pity you'd felt for them dissipated. 

"We need to figure out who the hell is leading those people," you said tightly. "It was stupid to ignore them like this." That would be your only goal for now. Once you saw Aya and made sure she would be ok, you would take down the group that had caused so much pain. They'd taken Ami from you, and killed others who were completely innocent. It was time for them to be dealt with.

"We'll find them," Hawks assured you. 

You rode in silence for the next few minutes, trying to keep your anxiety from making you impatient. Glancing over, you studied the man beside you. Hawks hadn't looked at you once throughout this entire drive. Now, that could easily be because it was pouring rain and he wanted to focus on the road, but would rain be enough to cause such tension in his upper body? "Why did you leave her alone?" You asked quietly. "I told you not to leave her side, you promised that you would keep her safe. So why did you let her out of your sight?"

It was guilt, you realized. Overwhelming culpability was keeping him so rigid. "I was right outside," he said. "It was two minutes. I didn't think that anything could happen. It was stupid of me, I know."

You blinked. "I'm surprised they had the balls to show up while the Number-Two hero was right outside." They'd never attempted to make a move while Hawks had been watching over her before. Why had they chosen such a high-risk night to do it when they would have had many easier opportunities in the weeks prior? "Have you been able to get in touch with her parents?"