I..is he really the up and coming hero prodigy..?

I sat in the silent living area. I'd been awake since the sun peaked over the horizon; painting the sky with a stunning, almost bloody, crimson hue. Now, everything was a stark blue, and the clock read 11:27am.

Hawks was still asleep.

I'd already had a shower, gotten dressed and paced the house a million times over, and still, the hero was dead to the world.

Maybe...I could just write him a note and slip away unnoticed?

No, I knew I couldn't do such a thing after what he had done for me. As counterproductive as he may be, he was a kind man. Stupid and annoying, but kind. I had to keep my side of the deal. As my (E/C) eyes did their umpteenth sweep of the room, they settled upon something sneaking silently across the floor. Something bright and matching the colour of the rising sun.
"I can see you, Hawks..." I deadpanned; watching the feather twitch before it retreated back to its owner.

Sly bastard...

With a roll of my eyes, I stood up and followed it to the closed door of his room; hesitant to knock. From there, I could hear the dull droning of the shower in his ensuite bathroom; telling me he was finally awake.

Maybe I should try to be nice to him? I was kind of a bitch last night...

"Oi." I nudged the stray feather with my foot, as it hadn't slipped under the door yet. It stood to attention and I kind of smiled at it. "I'll make breakfast. Could you please show me where the food is?"  Excitedly, it swooped up behind my back and began pushing me towards the kitchen with haste; vibrating against my skin. Once it had forced me to the fridge, it began slamming itself into the ivory doors urgently.

He must be hungry, then...

I wasn't exactly sure what I had expected when I opened the refrigerator, but it certainly wasn't just chicken and eggs. Just chicken and eggs. This really made my idea difficult to carry out.
"How are you alive..?" I asked in disbelief; shaking my head as I grabbed out a bag of raw chicken and a carton of free-range eggs. "Well, I guess I could make omelettes...I'm not too familiar with cooking...but it's something...Could you find me some salt, pepper and whatever else you have that could go in it?" My little vermilion helper zoomed off as I searched for a bowl, spoon, spatula and a frying pan, which were pretty easy to locate. By the time I'd gathered my equipment, Feather had retrieved some cheese, along with the seasonings I'd requested.

Chicken and cheese omelettes don't sound half bad.

"Thank you." I said with a smile in my voice, and began to put everything together. The feather just sat still on the bench; rotating whenever I moved around. It finally came back to life as I began to cook; coming to land on my shoulder when I poured the mixture into the pan. "You know what would be pretty fucking great with breakfast?" I asked, and my little friend immediately zoomed over to the coffee maker; beginning to do exactly what I had planned on requesting.

His quirk really is cool...This is actually...fun...

By the time Feather and I had finished breakfast and made coffee, a lethargic step and drag began to sound from the hallway. Hawks entered; hair dripping onto the towel around his neck and wings curled into his back. He looked absolutely wrecked.
"Did you sneak out to a party last night or what? You look like a barfed up dogs dinner..." I chuckled; sitting down across from him. He just grunted in response, and I smirked; realising that he was likely putting all the energy he had into keeping my little feather friend moving about. "Well, thanks for helping me." I said a little louder; giving it a little tickle.
"Ah! Qu..quit it!" He giggled boyishly; squirming with his forehead still planted beside his plate. "F..foul play!"

Note to self...he's super ticklish...

"Thanks for the meal, Sunshine." He forced himself to sit up; leaning his chin on his palm as he reached for his food. We ate in comfortable silence; his feather returning to his wing at one point. I kind of liked it.
"So...what are we up to today?" I asked after a while; clinking my fork against my empty coffee cup as he slurped up what was left on his plate.
"Patrol...Keeping watch for villains and such...boring things." He replied with a yawn; setting me off as well.
"So...regular hero work...nothing..." I sighed; standing up to clear the table.
"Nah, let me." Hawks motioned for me to sit back down as he used his quirk to carry the dishes to the sink. I really wished that I had such a useful quirk. "Hero work isn't nothing...It's just a lotta effort..." He stood up and stretched; his toned midriff making me quickly avert my eyes.

Whoa there, girl...

"You'll come patrol with me and get a feel for things...you can't actually do anything, but I'll show you the ropes...then we train. The provisional licence exam is, like, soon." He pulled out his phone as he began to stroll off.  "That reminds me...I gotta order you a costume..."
"W..wait...hold the fuck up, Chicken Little..." I scrambled after him; shocked by his sudden announcements.
"Oh, yeah...I already designed you and outfit...and entered you in the licence exam. Apparently it's the same arena as the UA kids, too! Isn't that gonna be fun?" He didn't seem at all phased by the death glare I was giving him, and I yanked him backwards by his wrist.
"You do realise how low the fucking success rates for those exams are, right?! They're in...what? Three months?! There's no way I'll be prepared for that!" His eyes searched mine for a few silent moments before a small, genuine smile etched across his face.
"You'll be right, Sunshine. You've got one thing that the others don't have."
"And that would be..?" I narrowed my eyes and waited for his response.
"Duh! Me!" He thumbed himself before slipping his hand down into mine and pulling me off with him. "Now, you gotta think of hero names and shit, too. May I suggest Sunshine? Angel? Aphrodite, perhaps?" He rattled on about names as I tugged against him; helpless against his strength.
"H..hang on! I...I kinda gotta do something first...s..so, I can meet you at the office or something!" I grabbed hold of the doorframe with my free hand; planting my feet firmly to the ground. He cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips.
"What kind of something? Can I come too?"

You're a bird...not a dog...stop following me around!

"No. I just gotta go check on someone..." I murmured; suddenly becoming hyper aware of how warm his hand felt around mine right before he released me.
"Aw, come on, Sunshine! I wanna know more about you, and who knows? I could maybe help out some of your other friends, too! I am a hero, after all!" He winked with his dark eyes, and I felt my annoyance creep up on me again.
"You're not gonna take no for an answer...are you?" I slumped; brow creasing with my frown as he shook his head.
"Nope! So just let me get my shit together and we can head out, 'Kay?" He began to confidently strut along towards his room, and I leaned into the hall to stick my tongue out at him.
"I'll be old and grey before you get your fucking shit together, you dwarf!" I called; inwardly smirking as he returned my tongue poke.
"Sticks and stones, Sunshine! Sticks and stones!"

-------------------------------------------------------

*Hawks POV*

She's literally the sun...

I could tell she felt uncomfortable as I stared at her glowing wings; gliding along over the city. I just couldn't help myself. The way her (H/C) hair whipped along around her face, and the way she slightly squinted her unprotected eyes.

She was a vision.

"Oi, Bird brain...quit gawking." She snapped; still pissed at me for tagging along. I liked that too. She had spunk.
"I'm just observing..." I hummed quietly; eyeing the shopping bags she was holding tightly. "So, why'd we stop at the supermarket again?" She'd insisted upon stopping before we set off to our unknown location; using what I assumed was her club pay to purchase bread, ham, bottles of water, some fruit and a ridiculous array of vitamins. I was even carrying a large, thick blanket that she picked out.

I wonder who this is for..?

All of a sudden, I was caught off guard as she began to swoop downward; quite recklessly, towards one of the parks a few blocks away from where I had found her the night before.
"A maiden on a mission! I love it!" I called out with a laugh; following her down to the ground and overtaking her at the last second. I knew what was about to happen, as she obviously wasn't too good with her landings. I hooked my hands around (Y/N)'s middle as she stumbled forward and used my quirk to rescue the plastic bags that we're accidentally thrown from her hands.
"F..fuck...uh..." She squirmed out of my hold; letting her (H/C) hair fall over her face a little to hide the red in her cheeks. "..s..sorry...thanks..." I considered myself lucky for two reasons. One; she had already disabled her quirk, so I wasn't burnt like my fingers had been the day before, and two...

She fits so well in my arms...hmm...interesting...

"No sweat! Now I know our first lesson for the day!" I chuckled; ruffling her hair before she snatched the bags away and raced off in another direction. I stayed a fair distance behind, as I was simply curious as to why she was in such a rush; the blanket now tossed over my shoulder.
"Ojiisan!" (Y/N) called out; a new cheerfulness in her voice. An elderly man waved back to her with an aged smile.
"Ah, Songbird, I was beginning to get worried about you!"

Songbird? That's a little bit fucking cute...

"Sorry, Ojiisan...I, uh..." She paused; rubbing the back of her neck once she came to a stop in front of him. He craned his neck to peer around her from where he sat on the bench; a slight smirk appearing once we made eye contact.
"Met a man, I see?" He snickered, and I could feel her tense up even from my distance.
"N..no! I mean...well...yeah...but...like...not like that! He's...um..."
"Her new boss!" I had rushed over to her aid; not wishing to cop any second hand embarrassment. The man's face fell for a moment before he looked back to (Y/N).
"Boss? Please don't tell me this is another pi-"
"NO!" Her arms flailed about and I hadto duck out of the way; confused and mildly concerned by what he was about to suggest. "He's a pro hero! He kinda guilted me into being his intern or some shit!" The man's creased eyes brightened, and he slowly stood up. Each creak and crack of his bones made me wince, but his hand was soon holding mine; shaking it briskly.
"My apologies, young man! Please, call me Akitsugu, or Ojiisan, Gramps, whatever you'd like!" He really looked like he had been possessed by a joyous entity. "You better look after my Songbird, ya hear? She's a handful...kinda stubborn and reckless, but she's one of a kind!" (Y/N) looked overly embarrassed; almost like he was her parent making a scene at a school function.
"O..Ojiisan...cool it...It's just a test run...but...I'll be able to look after you now! See?! I even brought you food and stuff! I'll come by every day!" She all but shoved the bags towards him, and I held out the blanket that had been warming my shoulder.
"I've said it a million times...you don't have to look after me, Songbird...You need to live your life! I'm old and ragged, and I do just fine!" As if on cue, the old man began to cough and splutter; (Y/N) rushing to help him to sit down.

He's...not gonna be fine...

"Gramps," I began; scratching my chin in thought. "why don't you come stay with us, aye? There's plenty of room..."

What am I even doing? (Y/N) was one thing, but a dirty homeless man, too? He seems really important to her, though...

"Y..yes! Please, Ojiisan! Just for a little while! Then, once I get my own place, I can take care of you!" The girl pleaded; kneeling down in front of him and clutching his hand tightly.

I already knew his answer by the way he gazed at her. He hated that she worried so much. It wasn't that she didn't have anything to fear, but she wasn't doing anything for her own sake. It was painfully obvious.
"Songbird, my dear...I love you, I really do...and I appreciate your concern...both of you...but I must decline. Just come visit me every once in a while and I'll be as happy as a clam!"
"B..but..."
"No buts! Respect your elders! Now, off you go! You have work to do!" He shooed her off; a weak, tired smile on his wrinkled face. I had never had a strong sense of empathy, but seeing that made my guts churn a little. (Y/N) heaved a long sigh as she stood up; leaning down to peck a kiss to his wiry cheek.
"I'll come visit you tomorrow...okay? And the day after that...and the day after that...and all the days after that! I love you!" She insisted; voice strained and a little frustrated.

This girl...

"Love your guts, Songbird." Akitsugu said softly; his hand lingering on hers before he let go and turned to me. "And you, boy. Take care of her. I may be old, but I've spent enough time dealing with the park pigeons to know how to get revenge on the likes of you. Keep my Songbird safe." There was such a serious message behind that jesting tone that it made my feathers bristle, but I kept my casual compose as I nodded once; smiling at him with the charm I always carried.
"Cross my heart and hope to die, pluck my feathers till I cry. She's safe with me, pops. You can count on it."

This feels more like a goodbye than a see you later...

"Good. I'll hold you to it. Now, off with you youngsters! This sack of shit needs a nap..." He leant back against the bench and I waited for (Y/N) to make the first move. She hesitated, but eventually turned and left; rather quickly, in my opinion. I wanted until Akitsugu was out of sight before I jogged to catch up with her. Her pretty face was plagued with such dejection, and I wasn't having that. I went to speak up; perhaps crack a joke or steer her mind elsewhere, but she beat me to it.
"Thank you..." She murmured; eyes still trained to her feet as she trudged along.
"For what?" I queried; adjusting my headgear.
"For...caring enough to try and help him...you're the one and only...for both of us...so...thanks..." There was that little flicker of a smile; like a lone firefly in the dark. For some reason, felt pretty great when she smiled.
"That. Do that more." I said without thinking; like most of the times I decided to speak. She narrowed her (E/C) eyes and tilted her head towards me as we strolled along.
"Do what? Thank you? Believe me, I won't make a habit of it..." She grunted; making me roll my eyes and swing a heavy, lazy arm over her shoulders, even though I knew it was uninvited.
"I mean smile, Sunshine! It's a good look on you!"

"Take it off before I break it off."

"Duly noted!"

***My toddler is sick and I'm so very, very tired. Save me***