Celebrity Skin- Hawks x Reader

Self Care

THEN. NYC. 2 YEARS PRIOR

The subway station was a nightmare, with chaos erupting as people tripped over each other in a desperate attempt to exit the subway cars. You found yourself pinned against the far wall of the cab as it emptied out, bracing yourself for whatever emergency was about to unfold. The monotone voice of the announcement was no match for the panicked screams of the citizens, creating a cacophony of sound that made your heart race. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, centering yourself before springing into action.

As soon as you heard the familiar creak of the doors closing, you began to walk purposefully towards the door on the other side.

Your sidekick radioed in with the intel, 'Assailant is two cars in front of you'.

Without missing a beat, you responded, 'Have the conductor go straight to Grand Central, as fast as he can', your voice low and commanding. You kicked open the door between carts, ready for whatever lay ahead. And that's when you saw him – a large figure barreling towards you, ready to take you down.

In an instant, the scene in front of you slowed to a crawl, and you couldn't help but marvel at the strange beauty of it all. You had activated your quirk, accelerating your atoms to near-light speeds and effectively slowing time for yourself. With a small sidestep, you avoided the incoming attack and watched in slow-motion as the villain crashed into the metal wall with a resounding thud.

To the average person, it would appear as though you had teleported, but the truth was much more complex. Your quirk allowed you to turn your atoms into a type of high vibrational energy, granting you incredible speed and reflexes for a short period of time. In this state, you could see colors invisible to the human eye and had heightened sensitivity to your surroundings.

However, there were numerous drawbacks to using your quirk. Working with others was often a challenge, as they couldn't keep up with your lightning-fast movements. On a personal level, using your quirk too much could wreak havoc on your body, causing nausea and memory issues. You had to be careful to not phase through objects and get stuck, for fear that you would lose an arm or rearrange your internal organs. That's why you were meticulous about counting the seconds you used your quirk, limiting yourself to short bursts to avoid overexertion.

A loud, guttural growl erupted from the man's throat, interrupting your counting. His muscles twitched and convulsed in unnatural ways, as if there was something crawling under his skin. He cracked his neck, turning to face you with bloodshot eyes that bore into yours. For a moment, a look of panic flickered across his face before it was replaced by a hateful glare.

Realization dawned on you. This man was after you, specifically.

His words confirmed your suspicions. "You're that girl...on TV," he spat through clenched teeth.

Your heart pounded in your chest. Something was severely wrong about this situation. He pushed off from the wall, lunging at you with a horrendous scream that rocked the train violently. You dodged his grasping hands, barely managing to avoid being caught. With each sway of the train, the sound of screeching metal grew louder, threatening to derail the entire train.

You had to lead him to Grand Central, three stops away, where your backup would be waiting to take him down. But first, you had to survive. You grabbed onto the ceiling rail, your heart pounding in your chest. Just as you thought you were in the clear, he grabbed hold of your foot.

Panic rose in your throat as you held on for dear life. Thinking quickly, you slammed your foot into his nose repeatedly until he finally released his grip, allowing you to breathe a sigh of relief. The train jolted to a stop, and you knew that you had to move quickly.