Beautiful Disasters- Hawks x OC

Chapter 7

After being told he'd been living in front of Mariko for four years without ever noticing, Hawks had made sure to be much more attentive to his surroundings, subconsciously hoping that he would catch a glimpse of the familiar brunette. On the days that he did, he made sure to always fly by or wave hello to her from afar. Most of the time, she would return the gesture with a nod, smile, or a small wave.

He waved wildly at her as she exited to through the front doors of the Hospital building. With his enhanced eyesight he saw Mariko look up at him, her lips twitched into what would've been a smile when she seemed to notice something behind him. Her expression morphed into one of horror- like she had just seen something incredibly gruesome. Her greeting was completely forgotten as she turned around and started walking to her apartment.

Seeing the wild change in attitude, the hero looked around the crossroads. He scanned the crowd, trying to determine the presence that had made Mariko uncomfortable. He couldn't tell who it was though. Flying in the air, he followed the brunette.

She was taking a different route this time, but she was still traveling in the direction of their building. He sent her a message, hoping that she would read it and tell him what happened.

Mariko however was on the verge of a panic attack and didn't notice her phone buzzing with incoming messages. She knew the dark-haired woman she had seen standing across the street from her was just a hallucination. It had to be. That didn't make seeing her any less terrifying though. Mariko's life was plagued with demons, and the woman she'd imagined was the worst one of all. Mineko Shimizu- the woman who had tried to become God and killed her friends to do it. A chill ran down her spine causing her to shiver.

By now, Hawks had not only sent her three messages but had called her and she still wasn't answering. She just continued to wander home. Having no other option, the hero flew down from the sky and landed in front of her.

"Hey Kid," he greeted.

Mariko looked up at him in acknowledgment but didn't react otherwise.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She was pale and had a grave expression. She looked like she had just seen a ghost.

"Nothing," she answered weakly.

Hawks gave her a disbelieving look. If she was going to lie she should at least try to be convincing. "No, seriously. What's wrong?"

There was no answer this time.

He sighed and stepped towards her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, freezing when he saw her eyes well with unshed tears. "You can tell me," he promised. If something were bothering her, the least he could do was listen to her the way she had listened to him.

His words snapped her out of her daze.  She blinked rapidly until her face no longer felt hot and her vision was no longer blurry. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. "What am I doing breaking down like this in front of him? Of course, he'd get worried and of course, I can't tell him anything" thought. She gave him a half-hearted smile, "I'm fine, just a rough day at work. We lost someone," she said trying not to cringe at her own pathetic lie.

He smiled sadly, pretending to believe her. He couldn't force her to tell him anything after all. He knew all too well there were some things that shouldn't be talked about. "It happens sometimes. It's no one's fault. You can't save everyone," he reminded her.

Mariko sighed, she knew that better than anyone "Yeah, I know."

"Why don't I walk you home?" the blonde offered.

               Mariko nodded; she didn't want to be alone if she could help it.

As they walked, Hawks noticed the brunette wasn't walking with him so much as she was trailing behind him like a lost puppy. The sighed made him uncomfortable. Where was the strong and serious woman he'd come to know her as? In the blink of an eye, she'd become frail and weak. He was honestly debating whether he should just carry her home. "She definitely wouldn't appreciate that though," he thought. Rather than sweep her off her feet, he stopped in the middle of the deserted sidewalk and used his wing to gently nudge her forward until she was standing next to him. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and nestled her in his side. "You know you can tell me whatever's going on. Right Kid?" he asked softly. "I mean, it's not like I'm gonna judge ya or anything."

She nodded numbly, "Thanks."

Hawks offered her a small, but reassuring smile, "Of course, what are friends for?" he asked.

Mariko looked up at him, "friends?" she wondered out loud. Had they become close enough for that? Though she would never admit it, she had become a bit attached to the blonde over the past month and a half. Friends sounded nice.

He chuckled slightly, masking the nervousness he felt after asking the question, "Yeah, I'd say we're friends, wouldn't you?" he asked.

Mariko stopped walking causing the male to look down at her concernedly. Slowly, one of the most beautiful smiles Hawks had ever seen graced her features. It was blindingly radiant and if he hadn't known better, he would've thought he was staring at the sun. It filled him with a light, warm feeling.

"Yeah, I'd say so," she said.

Hawks nodded slightly and turned away. He fixed his gaze on the sidewalk and popped his collar, trying to hide the evident blush that had crept onto his cheeks.