Beautiful Disasters- Hawks x OC

Chapter 3

            As the weeks passed, Mariko and Hawks realized how similar their schedules were. Before spending the night at her place, the male couldn't ever recall seeing the brunette except for the rare times they crossed paths in the building. Maybe it was because he'd never had a reason to notice her before, but now that she was on his radar he was seeing her all the time. He'd pass by her almost daily when he was doing patrols, and even though he'd get home at random times each night she would usually be arriving or leaving her apartment too.

            Of course, he always made a point to say hello, and if time permitted he would stay and make small talk with her for a minute or two. Though he had decided to reject her offer of venting to her about the League; the fact that he had someone to go to if he ever did need it was reassuring.

            Mariko however found their short interactions rather awkward. She couldn't say they were friends since she'd never had a proper conversation with the hero before then; but, now she was privy to personal information that wasn't usually shared with those outside of an intimate circle. Labels weren't all that important really since it wasn't like she wanted to be his friend, but they did make knowing where they stood with each other easier. At least then she'd know whether she should find Hawks's casual friendliness weird or not.

            This past week though, they hadn't interacted with each other. Not just that, but he hadn't seen the brunette anywhere- not even once. After becoming accustomed to seeing her everywhere, her sudden disappearance was a bit disconcerting. The blonde had entertained the idea of knocking on her door and ask if she was alright, but between hero work and the League of Villains, not even he was fast enough to get all of his work done and have the time to check up on his neighbor.

            Now it was Saturday- the only day Mariko had off that week. Those days were always dedicated to taking care of household chores. If she got done fast enough, sometimes she would go out and drink or have dinner with her friends and co-workers- sometimes.

            Coincidentally, Saturdays were the days Hawks went on morning patrol. From his bird's eye view of the crossroads, he saw the familiar brunette walking back towards their apartment building. Her arms were full of plastic bags and although she wasn't exactly struggling to carry them all, moving around with all that weight wasn't exactly comfortable. Quickly, the hero swept down onto the sidewalk to help. His sudden appearance startled her causing her to jump and nearly drop all of her bags.

            His hands shot out to steady her, "Woah there kid, you okay?" he asked.

            Mariko huffed in annoyance, realizing that she was about a second away from dropping her eggs and milk which would've been an absolute disaster.

            "Yeah, I'm fine. What is it?" she shifted slightly to adjust the weight on her arms.

            The blonde nodded up to the sky, "Saw you from up there, you looked like you could use a hand," he said offering a beaming smile.

            She looked around for a moment. She didn't really need his help; she'd always managed to get her groceries home just fine on her own. Her eyes met his and she was slightly taken aback to find him already staring at her. His expression was almost eager- he wanted to help.

            "Yeah, some help would be nice," she resigned.

            The hero nodded and took half the bags from her arms. Mariko raised an eyebrow. When he'd offered to help, she had thought he was just going to send some feathers to help her carry the items home. Before she could suggest just that though, he called out to her. He was already standing several feet ahead of her, looking at her expectantly.