POV HAWKS

"Your wings should grow back like usual," the nurse says, "but it's going to take much longer. Maybe a few months before they even start sprouting. The burns on your back are just too intense. We put in a request for Recovery Girl to make a visit later tonight, but we'll have to see how it plays out."

I don't respond. I just stare at the white wall, tasting vomit in the back of my throat. There's a small whisper in the back of my head telling me to fall asleep and never wake back up. It's tempting, but there's still so much of me that wants to see Touya at least one more time. I want to be held in his arms; I want it to be his voice that tells me everything will be alright.

"I'll be back with your dinner in about half an hour, Hawks," the nurse says. "Shoto will keep you company for now."

The peppermint haired boy sits in the chair beside my bed, his eyes dull. "My dad is a prick," he says monotonously. "I'm sorry that he hurt you. I didn't think he had the balls to attack anyone outside of our family."

"I should've been able to defend myself," I say weakly. "It's my fault it got this bad."

"He shouldn't have attacked you to begin with," Shoto replies. "It's not your fault at all. In fact, you contributed to the positives of this situation. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't know that my oldest brother is still alive. I've missed him tremendously."

"Yeah," I whisper. "Me too."

When the door opens again, I think it's the nurse back with my food, but it isn't. It's Touya. I jerk forward, but the burns on my back ache too much, so I stay where I am, laying on my side. Shoto stares at Touya, too, a small smile on his face. "Hello, Touya."

"Hey, Sho," Touya says, his voice cracking a bit. "How're you holding up, dipshit?"

"I'm alright," Shoto says. "How're you, Nugget?"

"I'm okay." Touya looks at me, and I can feel the tears working their way to my eyes already. "Mind giving us a moment?"

"Got it." Shoto stands up, giving me a small wave before leaving the room.

Touya crouches down beside my bed, looking straight into my eyes. He kisses me gently, placing his hands on each side of my face. He presses our foreheads together, and I can feel my breath hitch in my throat. "You came back," I choke out. "I thought you were going to leave me all over again. Thank you for coming back. I'm sorry, I couldn't be strong like you said–"

"No, pretty bird," Touya says, wiping my tears with his thumbs. "It's not your fault. I'm so, so sorry. I should've stayed with you, but I'm a fucking airhead and I believed Enji's lies. I'm so proud of you for staying strong. You hear me? You did an amazing job." He kisses my forehead, and I let out a soft chuckle.

A smile grows wide on my face. I kiss Touya's lips again, feeling butterflies erupt in my stomach. "So you'll marry me?"

"If it shuts you up," Touya teases. "I will. But first we have to sort this mess out. Are you able to tell me what happened?"

My entire body, besides my back, is consumed by a prickly coldness. I squeeze my eyes shut, taking deep, slow breaths. They're shakier than I want them to be, but Touya is proud of me, and that's all that matters. "After I shut off the security system, he locked me in the closet in his room," I whisper. Touya grabs my hands, rubbing circles on my palm. It keeps me in the moment. "I think I passed out there. Wh-when I woke up, I was tied up in the basement. He... he yelled at me about... h-how I'm weak and easy to... easy to hurt... He said that you weren't going to come and save me.... A-and you didn't. He burned my wings off, and he... he ra..." I can't get the sentence out. I'm sobbing, uncontrollably so, and every fiber in my body is screaming in agony. "I needed you!" I cry into Touya's shoulder. "I n-needed you and you weren't there for me! You told me he wouldn't do it again, but he did!"

"I'm so sorry," Touya whispers, hugging me closer to him. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Excuse me?" says the nurse, stepping inside the room. I wipe my tears, but I'm not able to steady my breathing. She just looks at us, completely puzzled. She places my dinner down on the side table, then takes out a small notepad and a pen from her pocket. "Did you say you were sexually assulted, Hawks?"

"Back the fuck up, bitch," Touya growls. "Don't eavesdrop on our conversation. Obviously he's having trouble communicating it with me, his fiance, so why would he even consider telling a random nobody like you?" The word fiance makes my heart flutter a bit, but not enough to make the pain in my chest dwindle. Now somebody else knows how weak I am...

"I'm fine," I choke out, trying to sit up. The pain is unbelievable, but I'm determined. I press my chest to Touya's back, wrapping my arms around his torso. He ruffles my hair, still glaring at the nurse.

"The young boy that was with you confirmed it was the pro hero Endeavor who burned your wings, and he's currently being detained," the nurse says. "If he also assaulted you, we can get a rape kit done and it could solidify his sentence. Because in all honesty, it's going to take a lot to get the number one hero behind bars."

Touya turns around to look at me, waiting for my answers. "I'm not making your choices for you, birdie," he says. "It's whatever you want to do."

I shake my head, pressing my face against his chest. My body is hollowed out, empty besides my heart. That stupid thing is still beating, echoing in my stomach. The dread is returning, even though Touya is right here with me. I don't know what else to do.

"Give him some time," Touya tells the nurse. "I'll get back to you. What's your name?"

"Nurse Diane," the nurse says. "If he changes his mind, pull the red string beside the bed. You're still a wanted criminal, Dabi. I know better than to call the police, but you never know what kind of people are in a hospital."

"Thanks for the heads up," Touya grumbles. Before Diane leaves, Touya screams at her to turn off the light. We're alone to bask in the realness of the situation, and I bury myself deeper in Touya's embrace. I feel like a child again, cowering from my fear of the real world. I can't close my eyes without seeing Endeavor's face, so instead I stare at the staples on Touya's hand. I don't like all the attention because I know that he's hurting too, but if it weren't for Touya, I'd certainly be dead. He strokes my hair, cupping my face with one hand. "How're you feeling, pretty bird?"

"I'm not okay," I whisper, snuggling into his hand. I've cried all the tears I had, and now the feeling of dread lingers with no way out.

Touya nods, pulling the blanket up. We both crawl under, careful not to hurt my burns. When we're comfortable, he kisses my lips once more, and as if it was the first time, I melt into him. "I didn't get to kill him," Touya says, "so I hope today's outcome didn't disappoint."

"You got to be with your siblings," I say softly. "Didn't that make you happy?"

"I guess so," Touya whispers. "But at the same time... not really. They're just reminders of how awful my life was before I became a villain."

"You mean before you met me," I chuckle.

Touya smirks, pulling me closer to his chest. "Whatever, you stupid bird. Shut up and get some sleep for me."

"Okay. Goodnight Touya."

"Goodnight, Keigo."

3rd Person

It takes three days before Endeavor is interrogated. "It's getting late, isn't it, Endeavor?" Detective Suzuki says as he sits down in the chair across from the number one hero. Endeavor, like any other suspected criminal, has had his quirk deactivated for the next four hours by a government-owned drug. That means, for four hours, Enji Todoroki has no choice but to cooperate. Thankfully, beside him is one of the best lawyers in Japan. Never before has he been so glad to be rich.

"Yes," Endeavor says. He tries to keep his voice level, tries not to act on all the violent impulses his brain is sputtering up. He needs to play the game right; how bad would it look if the number one hero was found guilty for such treacherous crimes? Endeavor can't afford that, not after he's sacrificed too much to get where he is.

"I assume you know why you're here," Suzuki says, folding his hands together on the table. "I have to say, I'm surprised. Kidnapping and torturing the pro hero Hawks? I used to call myself a fan of yours, Endeavor."

"Bold accusations," Endeavor's lawyer chimes in. "What proof do you have that it was Endeavor that did such things?"

"It was his basement Hawks crawled out of," Suzuki shoots back. "Hanging onto dear life by just a strand. But you're right. It's only fair of me to hear your side of the story. That's why you're here, correct?" The detective leans back in his chair, twisting his face into one of curiosity and confidence. Endeavor and his lawyer exchange glances and give a nod.

"I was out on patrol the night before Hawks was found in my house," Endeavor says. "The only person present was my daughter, Fuyumi, who was house-sitting for me. She was in her childhood bedroom working on paperwork from her job. It's my belief that the villain, Dabi, broke into my house with Hawks to frame me for the crime."

"A valid theory," the detective says, "but there are holes. Why would Dabi want to frame you for a crime that he could boast about all by himself?"

"In order to take down the number one hero, I presume," Endeavor says. "I'm sure he knows he can't beat me in hand-to-hand combat, so he resorted to using the justice system against me. And also taking out the number two hero as well."

Detective Suzuki nods, pushing his chair back and standing up. "Let me converse with my partner and I'll get back to you." When the door to the conference closes, and Endeavor and his lawyer are alone, the pro hero lets out a long sigh.

"You think they'll buy it?" he asks his lawyer.

"As long as they don't dig up any more evidence," the lawyer says, "and that bird hero stays quiet, you'll be just fine. They can't hold you here for much longer, so as soon as you're out, you'll need to confront Hawks and make sure he stays quiet. Kill that first born son of yours while you're at it."

"I've been planning on it."