𝗙 𝗔 𝗟 𝗟 𝗜 𝗡 𝗚 （ｔｏｇｅｔｈｅｒ）

02. 𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙮

His place was filthy. Absolutely filthy.

Takeout boxes and bags strewn all through the kitchen and living room, and little bundles of blankets littered the floor. From what I could  see the kitchen was barren, consisting of a microwave. Just a microwave, nothing else, except for maybe a spoon and a fork or two. The oven looked to be used for storage, apparent that he had no idea how to use it, and no intention to learn how to do so. You'd think with an apartment this fancy he'd take care of it, but no.

"Great, right? It's home sweet home!" The blond announced, hands proudly on his hips as his wings fluffed up in excitement.

"Yeah... and what exactly am I doing here?" I questioned him, the situation still not fully processed in my mind.

"You're staying with me! You won't let me take you home and keep insisting you don't have family, which I know you do, so-" I cut him off.

"Okay clearly your mind doesn't work correctly so I need to spell it out for you." Hawks turned to face me, being snapped out of his carefree world, vermillion wings rising in sync with his confused eyebrows. "Let's see, there's a girl who you suspect just tried to jump off a building, so you won't leave her alone. She also really really doesn't want you to take her home, for some reason, and have you tell all her family about said incident. Let's think for a moment hm..." Hawks raised a finger, and opened his mouth slightly, probably to say something, but I was quick to silence his attempt. "Maybe! Just maybe, her family is the problem, and you running off and telling them about this incident would make her situation worse? Ever think of that, birdbrain?"

"Well actually I-" Shut down again.

"And even if you did think of that, your second solution to the problem is to force her to stay at your unbelievably dirty apartment until she eventually gives in to your will to tell you where she lives? Huh?"

He groaned and sighed, flapping himself over to the kitchen to lazily sit on one of the barstools that's lined the island. A tired hand propping up his equally as tired head as he prepared a response.

"Okay look kid," he started, a single finger in the air and very clear confused look spread across his face, as I could tell it was taking most of his brainpower to put together this sentence. "I'm not good with this kinda stuff... but I figure if we just hang out for a couple days and talk a little bit, I can send you home all better! Problem solved!"

"Right... since me as I am now is a problem." I deduced. The wings poofed up even more, as he started shaking his head and waving his hands in panic, now having jumped up from his seat.

"No! No no no, I didn't mean it like that... I just think, being a hero and all, I could help you out. That's kinda what I do ya know... help people." He nervously shoved his hands into his pockets, now rocking on his heels. "Maybe not being around the world so much and staying here instead could do you some good... I'm not here half the time anyways, because of work, so you can take some time to relax."

"Ah, right right, because making me stay here alone all day is gonna help." Another sigh from the winged hero, as he began to shove stuff off of his kitchen counters and onto the floor to make space. "Look, I'm not some leisurely rich hero like you, okay?" I continued, not minding his activities. "I have a job, which is kind of my only source of income, and if I don't show up to that job for a couple days out of the blue, guess what? Fired. No job, no money, no way to live."

"Alllllllright then I'll just pay for all youre stuff till we're done here! Problem solved!" He concluded, now mindlessly searching through the cabinets.

"Do you honestly think I want some rando off the street to start paying my way through life?"

Another sigh. He shut each of the cabinets which he had flung open, and closed the drawers which I hadn't even noticed he was shuffling through. He finally settled, both hands on the counter in front of him as he finally looked me in the eyes, a serious tone emanating through the entire room.

"I want to help you. It's just that simple."

"I don't need help." I laughed, not being able to take the intensity of his eyes any longer.

"Everyone needs help at one point or another, whether you want it or not..." he took a few steps closer, and our eyes were forced together again.

"I don't need it from you. And you don't get a damn thing from helping me anyways." I backed away from him, a sneer across my lips.

"I can get plenty of things from helping you."

"Oh yeah you're right, I forgot that you're a hero. They're all about the glory, aren't they? Is that it? You wanna 'save' me somehow so that you can announce to the public the good deed you did?" I crossed my arms across my chest. I barely knew him, he had no right to barge into my life and decide I needed to be fixed like some sort of broken toy.

"God, why are you so difficult? In just trying to help! Can't you see that?" The look on his face just verified what I already thought.

"So that's it?! You want me to suffer so that you can fix me and be some kind of savior?! And for what? Do you want a trophy?! Thats what you're really after, huh!? Oooooh everyone look at Hawks he's so kind! So giving! He saved that helpless little girl from killing herself! What an angel! Is that what you wanna hear?!" He doesn't know a thing about me. I've gone this long without help, and I don't need it. I don't want it, especially not from this pretentious asshole.

"No! Jesus fucking Christ... just..." he palmed his face with his hands, now mindlessly wandering through the kitchen searching for what words to say, occasionally looking up towards the sky and groaning. "It's because... you.." he paused for another moment, sitting on his countertop and looking at me again. "You remind me of myself."

"Right... and how is that."

"Ugh," he rolled his eyes. Brat. "It's... when I was little. I used to think exactly how you're thinking now... that no one can possibly know how I feel, and that I'm the only one in the situation I was in. That no one else could help me except me, and I was the only person I could depend on..." he's right. That's exactly how I think. "I know I'm still really really bad at talking to people like you, let alone helping people in situations like this... but I wanna get better, and if you'll let me, I figured I could learn through you, and we can both leave a little better than we came."

I needed a moment to think. Maybe the screaming at him and assuming that he was pretentious little asshole was a bit much... and I could tell from he voice he probably knew exactly what I was going through.

I stayed silent for a moment. "Did you, uhm," I cleared my throat, staring down at the floor. "did you have a rough childhood?"

He laughed, sliding his tacky yellow visor to sit upon his head. "More like no childhood if you ask me. I spend it all training for this... for being a hero. It was horrible, but I figure if it means I can help people like you... it's worth it." Oh.. I really shouldn't have assumed. He jumped down from the counter, walking over to me and placing his gloved hands firmly on my shoulders. "So! Whaddya say?"

"I-" he sounded like someone I could trust. But I still wasn't sure "Two days. I'll take whatever help you can give for two days without complaining. But then I'm gone." God I really hope my boss won't hate me for calling in sick on such short notice...

"Perfect! I'll make it worth your while!" He bounced excitingly, hands drawing away from my shoulders as he headed towards the balcony. "I'm gonna go get dinner, but Franklin here will show you to your room!"

"Franklin..?"

"Yeah! That feather I left on your shoulder! His names Franklin but he's sensitive so don't call him any names..." he pouted momentarily. "I'll be back in 20! See ya!" And away he went with the wind, crimson red disappearing in the distance.

Maybe he's not as bad as I thought