***17 YEARS AGO - HAWKS POV***

"Mrs. Takami, I assure you, your son will be in great hands." I didn't like that guy's face. It was all pinched, like the old plasticine at kindergarten. "It's not forever, you know that. Keigo has an amazing gift. Not once has there ever been a child who has saved that many people so young."

My mother chewed on her lip, something she often did when she was nervous, I had discovered. I was nervous too. There were too many creepy looking guys in suits.
"I know...it's just that he's so young...It's going to be so quiet around the house without him..."

Wait, without me..?

I squeezed my plush Endeavor close to my chest, shuffling my feet around. The only reason I hadn't whined and complained about coming to this meeting was because my mother had said it might give me a chance to meet the amazing flame hero. I was still confused as to why she had insisted I pack a bag, though.

"Look at it this way, Mrs. Takami...Keigo will save hundreds, if not thousands of people one day, all thanks to this program. We can help him become the next symbol of peace, just like All Might. Don't you want that for your boy? You seemed to when you signed the contract last week." The words they were speaking didn't make sense to me, and my wings began to curl over my shoulders.

"Mama...I wanna go home now...I'm gonna miss Sven and Rimpy..." I whimpered, tugging on her skirt. When she looked down at me, I wasn't sure why I got worried. Her hazel eyes were big and sad, and her lip seemed to wobble.
"Uh...honey...I'm sorry...but...You're not...You'll be..."

"Keigo, my boy. You will be staying with us for a while. Say goodbye to your mother, and we can get you started." One of the other men in the room cut her off, and my blood ran cold. Whatever they were going on about, the only part I could understand was the word goodbye and mother. Immediately I latched onto her leg, my ragged, stuffed Endeavor being squashed against her inner thigh.

"Mama, I don't wanna! They're scary! If I'm too loud I'll shut up! I'll get better at my counting, too! I'll even stop flying onto the roof, just please don't leave me with them!" Hot tears began to stream down my cheeks, dampening her periwinkle skirt, but what frightened me the most was the fact that she was trying to pry me off.

"S..sweetheart...GoGo, honey, please! Don't make a scene..!" Biting her lip, she fought against me, winning easily and spinning me around to face the group of men. "You'll understand when you're older! This is the best, for both of us! You can be just like Mr. Endeavor, and mama will be able to pay all the bills without having to work day and night! Isn't that great?"

No! It isn't! I don't care about money!

Shaking my head wildly, I tried to whirl back around, but all my strength was being sapped by my hiccuping sobs.
"No! No no no! I'll get a job too, then! Just like you and daddy! I'll make twelveteenst as much as you both do, then you won't stop loving me and I can stay with you forever!" My mother nudged me forward, and I stumbled before two firm hands came down on my shoulders.

"He'll be fine, Mrs. Takami. You're free to visit once a month. Can't have too many distractions, you know. I assure you, we'll look after him." Panic completely overtook me when she turned away, and my quirk activated on its own. A red flurry burst from my wings, and in seconds there was a feathered barricade at the door.
"Mama, no! Whatever I did, I'll stop doing it! W..was it when I tipped the juice all over the floor last week?! Was it wh..when I called Daddy a butt?! I'll never do it again! Mama, please, don't go away..!"

Don't...

A soft, shaky sigh left my mother's lips, but she didn't turn around. Her long, ashy hair streamed down to the middle of her back, but it kind of waved a little with minor movements. Shudders.
"Gogo, be a good boy and let me through, please. What did I tell you about being rude?"

Violently, I struggled against the man holding me, choking and drowning under the blanket of salty snot and tears that covered almost the entirity of my face. His grip hurt, but something else hurt more.
"WHAT DID I DO?! WHAT DID I DO, MAMA?!" I screamed, kicked, punched and flailed, but it was no use. I just wanted my mother.

"Takami Keigo, you stop that, this instant." She didn't yell. She didn't even raise her voice, but from my reaction, anyone would have thought she had slapped me square across the face. Slowly, one by one, my feathers retreated back to my wings, which shook just as much as the rest of my body. My mother didn't even wait for them all to return, hurriedly walking out the door, not even uttering a goodbye as the click of her heels faded down the hall.

"Now, Keigo, don't you worry. You're going to thank us all, one day." The man holding me smiled, releasing me and letting me drop to the ground in a heap. All I could do was try to breathe as I stared at that empty space where my mother had once stood, wondering why. Internally screaming that question over and over again until it was just a shrill, steady noise in my mind.

"B..but...but...she...didn't even ki..kiss me goodbye..."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

"She just...left you there?"

I glanced back to (Y/N) and nodded, blowing into the hole of my soda can.
"Yeah, never came back to visit, either. Still send her cheques every few months, though. I think she's got a couple of new kids, new hubby, that kind of thing. Good on her." It may have sounded bitter, but it wasn't my intention. I truly couldn't care less about that.

"Shit...I'm sorry..." My soon-to-be ex wife murmured, looking down at her boots with a frown. "What was the program? How long was it?" I was hyperaware of every movement she made, and the favt that she was actively trying to keep her distance. I was honestly surprised that she was asking questions.
"Grooming me to become one hell of a hero, really. Ten years of 'round the clock training. Most days I'd be pushed for however long I could cope before I threw up or passed out."

Ah, memory lane...

Her face fell even more, and I wanted to make it stop, but I knew that if I got too close she'd push me away. I had to be careful. Everything about our relationship, if it could still even be called that, was fragile.
"It's kind of hard to believe, considering your personality, but I think you're telling me the truth this time." (Y/N) nodded to herself, tapping her fingers against her outer thigh.

Guilt was one of the main emotions plaguing me in that moment. Some poor pedestrian below could have been in thr splash zone if I hadn't had as much control over my nausea.
"So, that's part one of the Keigo saga. I wanted you to know, that's all...Sorry for interrupting your time with Bufforoki." That was another thing that was digging at me. Jealousy. I had no idea why she had been with Natsuo, but the thought made my guts twist.

"It's fine. Coffee isn't exactly important." She replied quietly, dragging her foggy (E/C) eyes to meet mine again in an act I truly appreciated. "Uh, thanks. For, y'know, getting me some time with my brother..." Waving her off, I smiled, ignoring the way my flyaway hair blew into my face.
"No problem. You two needed it."

A silence grew between us. Not awkward, but not at all comfortable. The sounds of the street below were white noise beneath the screaming of my body, begging for her touch. Even a smile would have sufficed. Just something.
"I don't hate you, Keigo."

Her words struck me deep in the chest, and I couldn't stop my wings from giving away my shock as they perked up.
"Y..you don't..?" She shook her head, toying with the trio of colourful feathers that stuck out of her (H/C) hair.
"No. I resent you, and I feel sick around you, but I don't hate you. Just wanted to make sure you knew that..."

I...

"I love you, Sunshine..." My mouth moved before I had the chance to think about what I was saying, despite it being the truth. "I..I don't want any of this. I miss you. I can't function without you...I need you back..." Oh boy, was I shaking. The number two hero, a quivering wreck on the edge of the world, with one person behind me, who had the power to push me right off.

Her silence hurt me, but it was expected. Why would I have expected anything else? I really was a selfish piece of shit.
"I...need to go...Burnin needs me...I'll...see you around, I guess..." I flinched as (Y/N) stepped up to the ledge beside me, her quirk almost blinding me as her wings glew bright. "Thanks for...sharing..."

I hated to see her go, but I despised watching her leave. My tongue was being torn to ribbons inside my mouth as I tried to hold it together, scolding myself for ever thinking that things could be fixed so easily. There was no way I could return to Deika City with red-rimmed eyes. They were too perceptive. Still, as I watched her soar off into the distance, the blue of her costume blending in perfectly with the sky, I couldn't help but whisper one thing.

"Please don't go away..."

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***Dedicated to pseudo_eternity, because she helped me make sure this chapter was painful enough to post 💖

As for the costume pic I promised last chapter...I didn't expect to finish this one so soon, so I'll upload it tomorrow.

Next Time: Put the past behind you***