POV HAWKS

Touya promised me he'd free me from the hero program two days after we met. He was determined and optimistic, with a glimmer of pure hope in his blue eyes, and every night when we were sent to sleep, he'd sneak to my room to plan. We'd lay back on my hospital-like bed with stars in our eyes, dreaming about all the things we would do as soon as we broke free. We weren't going to be the world's heroes like the hero commission wanted. We were already heroes to each other, heroes that needed nothing else but the presence of one another.

I asked him if he would marry me. He said yes then called me a stupid bird when I caught him blushing.

He promised me. I won't let him break it.

"Proof?" I squeak out, my mind running a mile a minute. "Touya, I don't have any proof."

"Nothing?" Touya says, a bit annoyed. "No witnesses, time stamps, videos, pictures, or scars? There's got to be something, Keigo. Think."

"Smile for the camera." I try to push him away, but he holds me still. I would rather be dead. There's a flash, then darkness.

"Keigo?" Touya says, but his voice is echoy. I put my hand on the wall, steadying myself. "Keigo, if you can't do it, it's fine. Just get some fucking rest, stupid bird. You don't look great."

"I'm fine," I breathe out. "There's proof of what he did. I-It's a picture, probably more than one, on his phone."

Touya nods solemnly, guiding me over to the mattress. "Lay down, alright? Can't have your dumbass passing out on me."

My head is fuzzy again as the memories replay. I don't want to remember it. I want Touya to make it all better like he did when we were kids. I grab his arm and tug him down next to me, sinking into his scent. A gentle mix between cigarette smoke and cheap cologne. I bury my head in his chest, feeling my entire body start to tremble. Hesitantly, Touya's arms wrap around me. He places his hand on the back of my head, gently tangling his fingers through my hair. We lay there long enough for my eyelids to get heavy, maybe a few hours or so. I slowly start to drift off, but Touya's whisper keeps me awake.

"What did he do to you, my pretty bird?" he says. I tighten my grip on him, tears pooling in my eyes. I let them fall, soaking his shirt with my pathetic tears. Touya rubs my back and plants gentle kisses on my forehead. I keep crying, keep sobbing until my throat is sore. I scream into his chest, not bothering to censor myself. Touya watches me with a gentle look in his eyes. He kisses my lips just once, and I settle down. "I'm gonna fucking kill him," he tells me. "Nobody hurts my pretty bird."

#

When I wake up, I'm alone in Touya's room. There's a fuzzy blanket draped over me, and a soft pillow beneath my head. I sit up slowly, stretching my arms up to the ceiling and spreading my wings out. I grab my phone off the side table, immediately being attacked with thousands of notifications. I decide to call Mirko back since I've already got thirty two missed calls from her. "Hey bunny girl," I say. "What's up–"

"Hawks!" Mirko cries. "Dude, where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you in forever! You avoiding me or something?"

"No, nothing like that," I say with a gentle laugh. "Just, uh, work stuff."

"Are you still on that top secret mission people were rumoring about? What is it, anyway?" Mirko asks. She sounds like she's munching on something, but I can't tell what it is.

I scratch the back of my neck, feeling a weird twinge in my chest. "It wasn't anything big, but I think I'm gonna turn it down. I know Endeavor needs to do something big to boost his popularity."

"Who gives a damn about Endeavor?" Mirko laughs. "Take the job! What's the worst that can happen? You need the pay, bird brain. You've been living in the same musty apartment since you graduated high school. Popularity doesn't bring in the big bucks, birdie."

"I know," I say with a dramatic sigh. "But I'm exhausted. I think I'm overworked. I just want some free time. Fuck hero work."

"Don't let the big man hear you say that," Mirko chuckles. "Stay positive, Hawks! You're saving lives everyday. Want to have a movie night tonight?" Just as Mirko finishes her sentence, Touya strolls inside the room, a plate of food in his hands. I stare at him, unable to move past the fact that he's shirtless. "Hawks?" Mirko says. "Dude, are you paying attention? Movie night, yes or no?"

"Uh, I don't know," I say, unable to pry my eyes off of Touya. "I think I'm gonna be busy tonight. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure," Mirko says. "Well, I'll talk to you later, bird brain. Love you!"

"Bye Bunny Girl, Love you." I hang up the phone and toss it to the side as Touya sits beside me on the mattress with a breakfast plate. Perfectly cooked french toast with powdered sugar and chocolate syrup. "Is this for me?" I beam, drool pooling in my mouth.

"Don't be annoying about it," Touya grumbles. "But yeah, I thought you would like some breakfast. Hurry up and eat because we have a lot of work to do." I nod quickly, taking the fork and plate. Touya continues talking as I shove my face. "I don't know how, but we're gonna have to find a way to steal Endeavor's phone. We're gonna need that picture to tie everything back together and prove that not only is Enji Todoroki evil, but the pro hero Endeavor is, too."

"Mhm," I say with a mouthful of french toast. "Mmm, this is super good, Touya!"

"Did you hear me, feathers?" Touya asks, flicking me on the forehead. I squeak, but I don't stop eating. I haven't had anything besides chicken nuggets for months. "You've got to steal Endeavor's phone. There's no way I can get close to him without getting arrested."

I pause, thinking about what Touya is asking me to do. "I can't," I say, my voice wavering. "I don't want to go near him. He hurt me, Touya. I can't let that happen again."

Touya sighs, running his fingers through his hair. He stands up and assesses the evidence on his desk. I can feel the guilt washing over me as I stare at Touya's back. If I was stronger, I could help... Why am I so fucking pathetic? Tears work their way into my eyes, but I just brush them away and take another bite of food. I melt into the chocolate and ignore the dark thoughts. "It's alright," Touya says. "We can find another way to do this."

"I can give Toga some of my blood," I offer. "And she can get his phone. I know she's good at infiltration, too."

"Absolutely not," Touya snaps.

"I wouldn't mind," I say. "It's fine, really."

"It's not that," Touya says. "If Endeavor has a history of raping people, I don't want Himiko anywhere near him. I don't want to risk getting her hurt, especially in that way."

"R-right." I put my plate on the floor in front of me, tasting vomit in my mouth. That's right. I was raped... How weak is that? What kind of hero gets raped? I decide I don't want to eat anymore.

"It's fine," Touya says with a sigh, running his hands through his pitch black hair. "I can find a way to get it by myself."

"I'll just get it," I say lightly, trying not to let my voice waver. "Endeavor's not that scary. He can't hurt me any more than he has before. The worst has already been done, and I'm over it."

"Keigo." Touya turns back to face me, his eyes narrowed into a scowl. He pulls me to my feet by the front of my shirt, glaring into my soul. "You stupid bird. If you devalue the shit that bastard put you through one more time, I'm going to rip out each and every one of those damn feathers and burn them to ashes. Sure, you're a hero with responsibilities and shit. But before all that, you're a fucking human. Humans get to decide whose dick is in them, if any at all. You didn't want to have sex with that fucking prick, and I'm not gonna let you 'get over it' until we burn his life to fucking ashes!"

There's blood dripping from the scars beneath his eyes, and he doesn't bother to brush it away. He just stares at me with this deep intensity–this raging fire. I decide, in this moment, that I'm going to put all my trust in him, all because of this look. His grip on my shirt loosens, and his head falls onto my collarbone. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, still speechless. I'm going to make Endeavor pay for his crimes. No human being should ever have this much weight on their shoulders. "It's okay," I whisper to Touya. "You want to ruin him? Let's do it. I'll help any way that I can."

"I want him dead," Touya snarls, stepping back to wipe his eyes. "I want to watch his body rot."

My Adam's apple bobs in my throat, but I nod. I'm not a killer, but I will be for Touya. "Okay. Let's do it together."

"Nugget!" Toga sings from the other side of the door. She knocks a few times, giggling to herself. "Nugget, Shiggy wants you out here to explain why you've got a hero in your room. I told him you guys were screwing each other, so unless you want Mamagiri to ground your burnt ass, you better get out here!"

"DAMN IT, GOLDIE!" Touya screams, throwing his door open. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU, HIMIKO!" Touya races down the hall, and I follow him, my wings twitching with anticipation. Who would've thought I'd feel so comfortable at the League of Villain's home base? Honestly, I could get used to it here.