phoenix ✦ k.takami (hawks)

Fifty Three

"Rome wasn't built in a day, but it burned in one."

Track 54; Beggin' by Måneskin

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Two days after your phone call with your husband, you switched the open sign on by your front door. Next to you, Fat Gum stretched his arms above his head with a yawn after he had finished his drink. You gave him a small smile and a friendly pat on the shoulder before moving around to your usual spot behind the bar. Yesterday you had been approved to go back to your regular hero duties. You were thankful for it, but decided to take one last night enjoying the safe space of running your bar. It was your comfort zone besides the penthouse, and recently you had felt like you needed to spend more time in it than elsewhere.

You had this underlying sense of anticipation that wasn't subsiding. You did your best to distract yourself from it by keeping yourself busy at the bar, which wasn't hard when your customers were high in quantity compared to the first one you'd taken over after your mom passed away. When you got behind the bar, you took Fat Gums empty glass and cleaned it. Sure enough, a wave of customers slowly began to file in one by one once the Pro Hero outside cleared them. You were always thankful for his assistance, he made you enjoy the job just a little bit more.

The hours blended together as the night went on. You made drinks, cleaned glasses, entertained your guests, managed the till, and more. Your legs and hands were numb and you were on autopilot when your six hour mark rolled around and you felt your phone buzzing in your back pocket. You almost missed it, and decided it was about time for a break anyway. Darting into the break room, you shut the door behind you and answered it, holding it up to your ear. Your free hand found the light switch and flipped it, exposing you to the familiar room with the small kitchenette and the round table sitting in the center of it.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Mrs. Takami."

Your heart stopped. You manually breathed, hearing it beat once in your ears. Your fingers ran cold and your wings stiffened against your will. "Who is this?"

"My name is Takagawa, and I work with the Hero Association, much like you."

You chewed on your lower lip, peering through the blinds of the window showing you the kitchen. Beyond the gap in the doorway you could see Fat Gum continuing to bounce your door like normal. "What can I do for you, Takagawa?"

"Are you aware of what your husband, Hawks, is up to?"

Your eyes narrow on the clock on a nearby wall, alerting you to the time: 11:14 PM. All you could hear besides the slight hum of your phone was the ceiling fan circling above your head. "I know enough. Why?"

Takagawa was silent for a moment. "We have a job for you."

That statement alone gave you enough insight to know what they wanted. "No." You were ignorant to your hand shaking when you began pacing the room. You saw somebody move through the blinds, seating themselves in the corner spot of your bar.

Aizawa.

You used your telekinesis before he could spot you and locked the door, knowing he would come searching for you if you didn't show yourself soon enough. Your heart was going fast enough you were sure it would beat out of your chest.

Takagawa sighed. "Mrs. Takami, I was told not to tell you this, but I have some information dire to you."

A cold chill crawled up your spine. "Well? Spit it out already?"