𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 | 𝘵. 𝘬𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘰 [𝘩𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘴]

𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 : it's better outside

I was speechless. I spent forty precious minutes of my life waiting for Dabi to show up, but instead, I get the Pro Hero I'm supposed to be conning. My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Hawks seated himself in front of me, a puzzled look fixing his features.

"What's up with you?" He asked nonchalantly, as if he was totally meant to meet me for dinner. His face exuded a blissfulness that made me almost angry, but my shock paralyzed me from acting upon it.

The hostess came up behind me and whispered in my ear with a concerned expression. "You do know that he doesn't have dark hair, right?"

"Oh, um, yeah, I probably meant to say dark blonde," I quietly lied on the spot with a fake laugh. "It's been a long day."

She nodded slowly, letting her stare linger on Hawks for a little longer, then returned to her post at the podium towards the entrance of the restaurant. As I watched her go, I let out a deep breathe I had unconsciously sucked in earlier.

"So," Hawks rested his elbows on the table, "what're you gonna get? I usually go for California rolls; they're a safe bet anywhere."

A wave of despondency crashed over me yet again. Was I guilty? Partially. Distraught? Beyond belief. My attention was on the menu, looking at nothing in particular. I gave Hawks absolutely no reason to give me his time like this. Dabi should've been here. Dabi should've been better.

No, I should have known better.

"[Y/N]?" My eyes widened, startled, as I lifted my head to observe a soft pair of honey eyes carefully examining me. "Are you alright?"

I didn't even register the pools of tears threatening to spill from my tired eyelids until Hawks spoke up. I blinked a few times to clear my vision and gave a weak smile.

"Y-yeah. It's just," I heaved a sigh, "it's no fun to be stood up."

He gave a gentle, knowing smile. "Hey, this place is kind of a drag. Let's get some fresh air." He shot up from his chair and waited for me to follow him out of the restaurant. With a lump in my throat, I only nodded and slowly joined him, and we both headed towards the main entrance. Hawks set some money on the podium in front of the hostess before leaving.

"Thanks for doing what you do, have a good rest of your night!" She called out as he continued towards the door. I trailed behind him, noticing how the hostess giddily followed him with her eyes. I gave a pathetic 'thanks' smile as my act of gratitude and slipped out into the cold night.

"Sheesh! It's chilly," Hawks muttered, looking up towards the light polluted sky. I stayed silent, my arms wrapping around my body to preserve heat. My nose was already beginning to run, and my jaw clenched to prevent my teeth from chattering.

I looked up at the sky with him, trying to make out any specs of stars. The large, waning moon dangled in the deep navy of the night, illuminating what the streetlights couldn't reach. I wondered where Dabi was. What was so important that he couldn't even send a text?

A nudge on my arm pulled me away from my thoughts. "Hey, can I show you something?"

"...Sure," I squeaked out.

Hawks reached out to take hold of my arm, a classic grin turning his lips upward. Vermillion wings unfurled and stretched out.

"Hope you aren't afraid of heights."

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