It had been one week since we had found Akitsugu's body. It had also been one week of which I had fallen into an uncharacteristic realm of quiet. I refused to talk about him, and I refused to answer any questions regarding the dark side to my quirk; much to Hawks' dismay. Our training sessions had resumed as normal upon my request the day after the morbid discovery, and I was; according to him, excelling with my daytime abilities. But, that just didn't seem to be enough.

It was evening now; the time where I was the most silent. I sat in my own little bubble upon the couch, wrapped in a cocoon of patchwork blankets. They reeked of Hawks' musk, which both frustrated and calmed me at the same time. The pro himself was out on the balcony; propped on the guardrail with his legs dangling over the edge, and wings teasing the chilled breeze. It was entirely quiet.

*Pa-ting*

At first, I ignored the sound of my message tone, but I couldn't ignore the expectant eyes that stared at me through the spotless window pane. Groaning, I somehow managed to reach my phone; which was buried in my tomb of blankets, and opened the message.

From: Hawkward Lil Turd

- Nice night 4 a fly, don't u think?

I didn't. I knew the game he was playing, and I wasn't having it. Even if he didn't care about the hideous sight of my quirk, I still didn't want to acknowledge its existence.

To: Hawkward Lil Turd

- Go ahead.

I stole a quick glance at him from my place on the couch, and I could see his pouting lips; clear as day.

*Pa-ting*

From: Hawkward Lil Turd

- Ooooff
- #rejected
- Pretty plz Sunshine? I want my girl with me :c

There it was again. 'My girl'. It made the hollow of my chest buzz, even if it was just lines of black encapsulated in a default blue bubble.

To: Hawkward Lil Turd

- Sorry, I don't have the number for your favourite waitress. You're out of luck.
- Have fun.

My brow quirked upward as I heard a sharp metallic bang from outside; no doubt Hawks having clonked his heels against the steel railing in frustration.

*Pa-ting*
*Pa-ting*
*Pa-ting*

Good god, does he never give up?!

From: Hawkward Lil Turd

- U wound me 😢
- Hear that?
-The sound of my heart breaking 💔
- Plz plz plz???
-Just u, me n the moon ☀🐓🌙

His use of the chicken emoji almost made me snort. Almost. What got me though, was when I decided to sneak another peek in his direction. Nothing could have prepared me for seeing his cherub face being smooshed up against the once smuge-free glass; eyes pleading with my in a horrendously disturbing display. I couldn't help but chuckle. It came out less dry than I had expected, but it was still the first time I had laughed in seven whole days. I stood up; struggling against the binds of mismatched fabric which had been wrapped around me, and wandered over to the window. Looking down, I typed out a response before nodding towards the phone in his hands.

To: Hawkward Lil Turd

- You're single for a reason, you dumbass.
- Why is it so important that I use my quirk at night?

I watched carefully as his eyes scanned the message; looking for any hints of emotion. I saw slight offence, amusement, and then something I couldn't quite place. His fingers tapped his screen for a while before my phone chimed again, and he placed his own in his coat pocket; leaving his hands in the warmth of their depths.

From: Hawkward Lil Turd

- Then plz explain why I have a beautiful girl lazing round my place in her cute lil pjs?

Well, shit...Touché...

- I want u 2 b the best u can b. If u wanna pass the x-am, u gotta embrace it. I wanna help u. I wanna show u how gr8 u can b if u just accept urself☀

His poorly written pep talk was one thing, but the way he just watched me with those lazy, hooded eyes was a whole other story. I wanted to blame his nonchalance about my quirk on his age; his naivety, but I knew that wasn't the case. Jumping the gun was his speciality, but it seemed different when it came to me. He seemed focused, and somewhat patient. One last messaged spilled from my fingertips before I tossed my phone onto the couch behind me.

To: Hawkward Lil Turd

- Hand over the coat, then, you undercooked nugget.

I could feel his grin even when I wasn't watching; walking over to the balcony door and sliding it open. The air had a light chill, even though it was still in the heated months. Hawks had already removed his coat; swinging it on his finger as I moved towards him with a half-hearted scowl.
"Glad you could join me." He chuckled as he let me snatch it away and slip it on.
"Fuck you." I muttered in a sour return; activating my dastardly quirk before I had the chance to rethink my decision. The material of his coat didn't obstruct the winding shadows that twisted to life; the thick veins of their mold solidifying into something almost bat-like. Spider-like, even. Again, I kept my (E/C) glued to his face; seeking some sort of negative reaction. He didn't even bat a lid.
"At least let me take you on a few more dates, Sunshine." He teased; giving his vermilion wings a few practice flaps before offering me his hand. "Shall we?"
"Whatever..." I rolled my eyes and; completely ignoring his hand, took off into the night sky. The wind slashed across my face and tore through my hair like a broken-toothed comb, but it was a neutral feeling. I felt my mortality when I flew at night, unlike the burning fire of being untouchable during the daylight. A quick glance below gave me a view of Hawks, who was flying with his back to the earth beneath me with his arms resting behind his head.
"Now that I've finally gotten you out and about...mind giving me the rundown of your nighttime differences?" He asked expectantly with that charming, sluggish smile of his.

Of course this was your fucking plan...

"You know what a Banshee is, right? And a Harpy?" I questioned flatly; trying to avoid any and all eye contact.
"I guess so. Enlighten me?"

You asked for it, buster...

"Fine..." I would have been lying if I said I didn't enjoy what I did next. Sucking in a deep breath, I let loose a rather disruptive side to my quirk. The thundering shriek that tore from my lungs sent the young hero tumbling downwards towards the street below; a startled yelp escaping his mouth and giving me a sense of accomplishment. I followed him quickly; finding that he had caught himself on a conveniently placed telegraph pole and was swinging off it with a mop of hair that made his usual windswept style look neat and tidy.
"You sure pack a punch, Sunshine." He strained a laugh; adjusting his visor with the hand that was literally clawing at the wooden pole.
"I don't get how you can keep calling me that when I look like..." I gestured to myself with a disgusted grimace. "...this..." He regained his sense of balance and flew over to me with that typical smile of his. It made me feel discombobulated and weak, yet I still wasn't sure if I hated that feeling entirely.
"I call you Sunshine because of these, stupid." He laughed as he proceeded to lightly poke me in the left eye. Batting him away, I blinked the slight sting out; screwing up my face to show my annoyance.
"Why the hell do I put up with you?" I growled; mostly to myself, but it elicited one of his little half-shrugs nonetheless.
"Maybe because I'm so unbelievably charming?" He cooed as we began to fly onward. The click of my tongue echoed through the low rumble of life below, and if I had rolled my eyes any harder, they may have changed my course entirely.
"Nah...I think it's because you're special..." I hummed; pausing for effect to make sure he was waiting for a compliment he'd never receive. "I've never met a dwarf as tall as you, before." His indignant huff was music to my ears as he zoomed ahead of me; turning to glare at me with annoyance that wasn't entirely genuine.
"I'm not that short!" He whined; his age showing through the tone of his voice. I flew closer; so close, that he had to lean back before our noses tapped together.
"You're not that charming, either." I purred; smirking proudly as I lifted myself higher into the star-spangled sky. The air was thin, and it gave me a deliciously numbing headrush that quenched my need for mental freedom. Up here; so high, I didn't have to think of the world as I knew it. Dark, foreboding and cruel. Up here, it was just the wind that chipped against my consciousness. It was just the stars that stared down at me with eyes more forgiving than those of my past. The wind, the stars...and Hawks.

"You ready to make me proud next week?" He asked as he hovered in front of me; looking so natural in the silver speckled sky. I looked up; the dulcet glow of the gibbous moon reflecting off my glazed eyes.
"I'm not doing it for you..." I murmured quietly. I was doing it for Akitsugu. I wanted to make him proud. Hawks was always going to be there; I knew that now. But the man I had relied on since childhood was no longer standing by my side. I was doing it all for him, now. To help the lost people who everybody forgot by letting them slip into the cracks of modern society. I only noticed the tickling sensation of a tear drizzling down my cheek when a glove-clad finger brushed it away, and Hawks' shining eyes met mine in a soft, comfortable silence. I could see the reflection of myself in his visor, and for the first time in my life, I didn't think I looked like a monster. The black mist of my wings were a haze in the amber lense; framing my body like some gothic Victorian painting. I wasn't beautiful. I wasn't pretty or picturesque. But, I wasn't hideous.

How do you see beauty, you dumb bird..?

"Hawks..." His name was as haunting as the moon itself, and it tingled against my tongue upon release. Somehow, I knew that his true name; if I ever got to know it, would be twice as addictive. Ten times as perfect. I moved closer to him; the slight up and down of our hovering bodies syncing perfectly. He laid a hand against my waist; so softly that it just felt like another wisp of the wind, and guided me just a fraction closer. Toe to toe, I could feel his breath against my cheeks, and it was warmer than anything I had ever felt before. I could have easily counted each stubbly strand of hair upon his face, or each deep fleck inside his glossy iris; lined with elegant black. I wanted to. I wanted to take the time to inspect every inch of him, but it was becoming harder to concentrate as our faces edged nearer. A stray scrap of his ashen blond hair brushed against my forehead, and it was electrifying. I would have been happy to be shrouded in him; encased within his vermilion wings in the dead of the night. I didn't have to think when I was with him.
"(Y/N)..." My name drifting from his lips; so close and so surreal, seemed to knock me out of my spellbound state. Carefully; almost tenderly, I pushed away from his chest.
"W..we should get back..." I mumbled; battling against the knot in my tongue that wanted to send my words tumbling around like clothes in a dryer. Hawks' lips parted to speak, but nothing came out. Not a whisper or a peep. Instead, he just closed it and nodded; following at my heels once I started back towards the apartment.

What...was that just now? It felt...like a lucid dream...but...it was all real...

I berated myself for stealing glances at the young hero every now and again. He was such a graceful creature; a seemingly magical puzzle piece, blessed with the ability to fit anywhere.

Or...is that a curse?

Either way, I didn't mind. All I could focus on was the light gushes of air blown in my direction from his wings; causing the spectral smoke of my own to jostle and distort. Everything he did had an effect on me, and I had come to that realisation long ago. What I hadn't bet on, though, were the feelings that were snaking up through my ribs into the cavity of my chest; twining mercilessly around my frosted heart.

You dumbass chicken strip...Why am I falling for you?

***I think my rib is broken so I wrote this to take my mind off it lmao***