ICARUS - Hawks x Reader

FORTY ONE: Talk

***(Y/N) POV***

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S MISSING?!"

Endeavor cringed at my volume, rubbing his ear from the outside.
"We've got every available man and woman on the case, (Y/N). Nobody has heard from him since last week." He sighed, looking a little grim. I could tell he was hiding some crucial information from me, but I didn't want to know.

"So that's why he didn't show up to lunch yesterday..." I murmured, sinking back down into the seat. I had just assumed he had been busy, but now I was more than worried.
"Take the day off. If you refuse, then go join patrol with Burnin uptown. Can't have you doing much with a clouded mind." Sure, he came off a little harsh, but I knew that was just the number one's way of showing he cared. "May I suggest changing first? Your new costume is too...flamboyant..."

Yeah, well...Jeanist designed it...so...it stays...

Frowning, I nodded, but I didn't stand up to leave right away. Eyeing the newton's cradle on his desk, I almost laughed when the man slowly reached for it, pulling it to his side so I couldn't set it off as I usually did.
"Yeah, guess I'll see how Burnin's going. She kind of gets on my nerves, but she isn't so bad. May as well make myself useful. As for the costume...fuck off. I look fabulous." Rising to my feet, I gave him a stiff salute, savouring his look of annoyance, as well as the way he glared in disgust at my new threads, which greatly resembled the colours of a blue and yellow macaw. "I'll work nice and hard, Boss man, Sir!"

Finally, a small smile crept onto my face when his upper lip ignited, raising the temperature instantly.
"(Y/N), don't make me scorch you." My hands came up in mock defence as I backed away, a bead of sweat drizzling down my temple thanks to the heat.
"I'll take a raincheck, Enj. Might swing by later to see how it's all going."

With that, I retreated to the safety of the hall, opting for the normal route to the outside rather than my usual window exit. The elevator music quickly drained my spirits, and once it dinged open, I almost had to drag myself out past reception.
"H..hey! Songbird..!" Still walking, I turned around, my brows raising as I spotted a head of snow white hair. Natsuo jogged over to me, waving, a smile on his face. "Fancy seeing you here! Cosplaying a parrot, too!"

Perplexed, I finally halted, tilting my head to the side and voicing the obvious, choosing to ignore his dig at my outfit.
"Natsuo, you hate your dad. Why are you here?" His reddening cheeks caused me to stifle a chuckle, and he reached to rub the back of his muscular neck.
"Ahhh, y'caught me..! Fuyumi told me you were working with the bastard, so I was hoping I'd run into you if I stopped by..."

Oh, honey...

"Oh really? Well, you found me, so what's up?" I motioned for him to walk with me, and he quickly fell into step.
"Well, I'm in the area for a while, so I was hopi-" He coughed into his hand, glancing away to a store window. "I was wondering if maybe you'd be up for grabbing a coffee or something with me? T..totally not like a date or anything! Unless...you want it to be? Ah, shit...I made this awkward in record time, didn't I?" It was kind of endearing, the way he laughed at himself. Definitely not his father's son.

Still, so soon? Of course, I wanted to hang out with the guy, but as for that time being considered a date, not so much.
"Sure, I'd be up for coffee...but we'll stick to it being a friend thing...for now." I kind of regretted my addition when he perked up, but he didn't seem to hang on it like I had worried about.
"Alright, sounds good! I know this really great cafe, just down the ro-"

"(Y/N)!" My jaw clenched as an all too familar voice cut straight through the elder Todoroki brother's, waiting a few moments before turning around. There was Hawks, several steps back, a plastic bag hanging from the bend of his elbow.
"Takami." I barely nodded to him, and he gulped, wings ticking at the tips.
"Hey..." He nodded back, also doing the same to Natsuo. "How's it goin', buddy?"

It seemed as though Natsuo either wasn't picking up on the tension, or he was just choosing to ignore it as he offered a smile.
"Not too bad! Yourself?" Shrugging, Hawks directed his attention back to me, quite obviously battling with nerves.
"(Y/N), I was wondering if maybe we could talk...No funny business, just...talk..."

I'm not sure if I want to hear what you have to say...

I only reacted when I was nudged in the shoulder, and I turned to Natsuo with a confused look.
"You should go. We can catch up some other time." There was that kind smile again, but I could see the disappointment hidden behind it. Glancing back to my future ex husband, I scowled, but it wasn't as harsh as I had intended it to be.
"Fine. You have half an hour."

Every inch of him seemed to relax a smidge, his wings flaring instead of drooping.
"That's more than enough. Uh, sorry for stealing her away, man..." Natsuo waved him off, his hand landing on my shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"No problem, bro. I'll catch you later, Songbird." I felt incredibly bad as he began to walk away, but I silently promised to make it up to him later. I had bigger fish, or rather, birds, to fry.

"So...rooftop? I have (F/Soda)..." Hawks awkwardly jiggled the plastic bag, and I felt my resentment towards him rise.
"Fine." Grunting, I activated my quirk and took off before him, hyper aware as he quickly closed the physical distance I had created.
"So...I like the new hero costume. Fits your name a lot more than what I gave you." He mused, staring into the side of my face as he flew along beside me.

I miss him...but...I can't change my mind now...He lied...and he...

I stumbled a little when I landed upon the rooftop, startling myself. Being so distracted, I hadn't visualised him guiding me, like I always had. Why did he have to have such a stifling presence in my life?
"You okay..?" Hawks reached out to me, but I pulled away in a harsh jerk, clutching my hand to my chest.
"Yeah...I'm fine..." I muttered, staring at the concrete below me. "Hurry up and spit out what you wanted to say to me, then. I have to go patrol with Burnin...then...I wanna help find Hakamata..."

Hawks frowned, but quickly turned towards the skyline, moving to sit himself down on the ledge after placing his bag of soda behind him.
"I don't think there's much anyone can do about that. You know him, Su...(Y/N). If he went anywhere, he went by choice." Oh, how I wanted to punch him in the back of the head, but I restrained myself. Instead, I opted for grinding my own teeth to dust.

"Tick tock, Takami." I warned him bitterly, refusing to look at him. I couldn't. It hurt too much.
"Natsuo, huh? He's a lot taller than I thought he'd be." Hawks hummed, completely ignoring me.
"Tick. Tock." This time I spoke through a snarl, and he realised I wasn't going to take any of his shit.

"Well, you wanted to know more about me, didn't you? Thought I'd finally share some of my demons..." He sounded tired, but I tried not to focus on that.
"Seriously? You know the divorce papers are being written up as we speak, right? Do you seriously think it isn't too late?"

Why? Why now? What makes now the right time?

Chuckling softly, Hawks kicked his heels against the side of the building, his wings catching the breeze and causing him to lean back a little.
"No, I know there's no changing things. Still, it doesn't mean it's too late to share, does it? If you don't want to hear it, then it's fine. Thought I'd just put it out there."

Heaving a sigh, I wrapped my arms around myself, staring at the black and white of my costumes chest area for a long while.
"I said you had half an hour, didn't I? Go ahead...Talk..." Lifting my head, our eyes met for a brief moment. That honeyed amber tore my heart in two. They were so sunken, and lacklustre. I didn't know what to make of it.

"Well...let's start from when the Hero Commission took me under their wing..."

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***BABY HAWKS DO DO DO DODO DOOO
Okay, but the second s4 ending made me simultaneously sob and screech.

I'll have an illustration ready for next chapter, so the new hero costume will be revealed. It's horrendous, but hey, I tried 🤷‍♀️

Also Coronavirus is freaking me out. I have a weak immune system as it is.

Next Time: Why Do You Think I Want to be Free? ***