Top pic credit: unknown

"Ah, just as I thought!" I called out to Tokoyami, once we arrived at the downtown district area.

The space had been filled with panicked screams from civilians, all sprinting in the opposite direction of where Tokoyami and I were headed. Which can only mean the villains are still there.

"What was just as you thought?" Tokoyami called back to me, needing to raise his voice a bit over the loud chaos of the street.

"If people are this freaked out and crazy, it means Keigo's probably still fighting crime somewhere else. He's not here yet-which gives you a chance to strut your stuff, little Tsukuyomi. You ready?" I smirked, giving his shoulder a slight nudge of encouragement as we continued standing in the middle of the panicked street.

Tokoyami nodded hesitantly, clearly still having some type of reservation about this.

"Hey, Toko. What is it? Don't feel pressured to do this today. You tell me if you're really ready for this or not. Situations like these aren't something to mess around with." I called out to him firmly, suddenly feeling a little uneasy with his hesitation.

Sure, Tokoyami and I will be fighting some Class C villains today-villains with decent quirks, yet weak enough where it shouldn't require too much backup.

But, still...villains are villains, and I can't have Tokoyami going out there being insecure about his decision. He could end up getting hurt. It's not the first time Tokoyami and I have patrolled together, and fought crime. So, I can only assume his hesitation is stemming from Hawks.

And, turns out, I was right.

"It's just.....are you sure Hawks will be okay with this? He gave us a direct order to go have lunch, so he could handle this. Engaging in this fight would go against his rules, wouldn't it?" He asked me, his eyes starting to drift around curiously to get a look at the villains who were terrorizing the city.

I couldn't help but huff slightly at Tokoyami's words...

Damn. Even though Keigo hasn't been around much to help out, Tokoyami still really looks up to him.

Hearing the fearful shrieks of civilians getting louder as this casual conversation went on between me and bird jr., I decided it was time to act.

"Look, little birdie. Trust me when I say Kei-Hawks will be A-okay with this. So long as you don't die. So...don't die. Okay?" I smiled reassuringly, giving him a small pat on the shoulder as I began making my way to the center of the chaos.

I didn't force Tokoyami to follow behind me, only wanting him to come if he felt ready-

"So, what are your orders then, Ari? What should I do? How should we fight them?" Tokoyami suddenly said, surprising me slightly as I wasn't expecting him to follow me so quickly. I thought he'd hesitate for a moment, honestly.

Well, looks like he's ready.

Realizing bird boy jr. had asked me a question, regarding fight tactics, I begrudgingly began reflecting on my hero commission training....starting to weed through all of the corrupt bullshit that was yelled at me, so I could only tell Tokoyami the good parts.

The good parts. Hm. That's a bit difficult to recall.

"Well, let's see. Remember what I told you last time? Always assess your enemy. For starters, I'm counting about nine villains total on the street ahead. But, just because only nine villains are visible, doesn't mean there's not more lurking around. Always keep your guard up." I explained, as we began nearing the scene of the crime faster.

"Always keep my guard up. Got it. What else?" He asked, causing my shoulders to slump slightly as I tried to figure out what else I could say to him.

Sheesh, this mentoring stuff is hard work. Hawks, get your ass back here right now, and do your job.

I could have been on a date right now. Damn it. Why did I suggest this again?

"What else......oh! Quirk debilitation strategies are very important to the commissio-I mean, to hero fighting. For example, Dark Shadow has a weakness to light, so any villains who have a bright light, or fire quirk, probably won't match up well against you. Always remember that, in case a situation like this ever arises." I explained, spitting out my words faster now as the villains had officially caught sight of Tokoyami and I charging at them.

Alright, no more idle chit chat.

There's nine villains here. I can immobilize three things at a time for forty five seconds. The strongest quirks will be taken out first.

All that's left is to prioritize who's the strongest.

Villain number one wasted no time coming at Tokoyami and I with an attack, outing his quirk within the first five seconds of the fight.

A combination of sharp leaves and gravel began shooting out of his hands rapidly, causing Tokoyami and I to dodge the line of fire.

No bright lights.

And, judging by the panicked way he's shooting the gravel and leaves from his hands...it's safe to assume that these are the only elements he can make with his quirk.

"Tokoyami, why don't you take care of that one. You and Dark Shadow, try out that new move we talked about last week." I instructed firmly, watching him nod and charge at the earth villain with Dark Shadow ready to go.

I barely even got the time to see him start his fight, before I heard an aggressive zipping sound coming up behind me.

I quickly rolled out of the way, feeling a whoosh of air hit the spot I had just been standing in.

Must be villain number two.

Quickly shuffling to my feet, I managed to turn around-only to dodge again as I saw a blur of a man whiz past me, with the same aggressive zipping sound following behind him.

Super speed? That's his quirk? Not very original. No wonder he's a Class C villain. Everyone's got a speed quirk, nowadays.

But, still...a guy can be in a lot of places at once with a speed quirk. Best to immobilize him as one of my three.

I began darting my eyes around the area, trying to find Speedy Shit-Head before he could try to sneak up on me again.

Hearing him before I saw him, I blindly shot my quirk effects out behind me, jumping slightly when I realized that I did, in fact, immobilize Speedy Shit-Head....but, he was only a few feet away from running right through me. Literally.

Damn. Looks like I'm a little rusty.

"What the hell? Why can't I move?" He hissed out in anger, desperately trying to move his immobilized limbs.

I walked up to him, stretching my punching arm as I shot him a small smirk.

"Ah, you know...it's not nice to run into people. I think you'll need to be put in timeout." I taunted, shooting a friendly heroic grin when I saw a group of scared civilians watching nearby.

Knowing there were more enemies, and that Tsukuyomi was here, I harshly jabbed my elbow into the head of Speedy Shit-Head to knock him out, so I could deactivate my quirk on him.

Good thing I did, too, because it was at that moment one of the villains, who apparently had a water quirk, shot a lethal spiraling wave into the large crowd of civilians nearby.

Inhaling sharply at the surprise attack on the innocent, I quickly activated my quirk on the wave, stopping it before it could harm anyone.

Attacking the citizens? What a cheap shot.

Not wanting to waste my quirk effects on multiple things unless I had to, I sprinted my way over to the water villain, who I'm now calling Wet Willie, trying to debilitate him with hand to hand combat before he could cause anymore damage with his quirk.

"Everyone, back up!!" I called out loudly, to make sure I had enough space to fight Wet Willie.

"Hey!! Isn't that the hero in training, Hourglass?! She's Hawks' sidekick! You go, Hourglass! Show him who's boss!!" I heard someone cheer excitedly, surprising me a little as I didn't realize I was starting to become well known in Kyushu.

Musutafu is usually the place where people recognize me, since UA is there. But, apparently, my name is starting to grow.

Diane will be happy to know.

Hey, maybe then she'll reward me with a five second break, so I can go visit my family.

Yes, I'm being petty.

I charged Wet Willie, watching his free arm getting ready for a big swing in my direction-no doubt intending to hit me with a heavy amount of water.

Only I was faster, landing a full force kick to his stomach.

I held back a laugh at the wheezing sound he made, knowing it wouldn't be very heroic to cackle at the people I've just beaten up.

Looks like I've been spending too much time around Dabi. That edgy, little bastard.

Wet Willie landed on his back, but to my surprise, quickly rolled back on his feet as he attempted to try another water hit on me.

About to go for a final kick to his face, I was forced to dodge instead as another villain came flying full force at my face.

Two on one? What a pain-

Oh. Spoke too soon. Another villain just popped into the mix, as well.

Three on one now? That's not very nice.

And I still need to make sure I don't accidentally get the bird child killed, too.

"Hey, Tsukuyomi, you doing alright?" I called out casually, hearing him and Dark Shadow still giving the leafy villain a beat down.

"I am! Do you need help?" He yelled stressfully, looking over at my current situation.

"Nope! All good, little birdie. Keep doing your thing." I smiled at him, watching Wet Willie shoot another powerful wave out into the giant crowd of people.

Shit. Another one.

Gritting my teeth harshly, I quickly immobilized the wave before it could harm anyone, now having activated my quirk on two waves.

I can only stop three things at once.

Alright, hero commission training. Do your magic.

Tsukuyomi's too busy to help me, and Keigo isn't here, so this will be a three on one fight.

Wet Willie's quirk is more powerful than I thought. Plus, I know his quirk, unlike the other two villains who have just entered the mix.

Deciding to use my last immobilization effect on Wet Willie, himself, I froze him in place....turning my attention to the other two villains in front of me.

I need to figure out their quirks so I can act accordingly.

Time to use another Diane Himura tactic. What a smart, irritating bitch.

"Hm. Your quirks must be pretty useless if you haven't used them yet. You know what? I think I'll just leave you two to the cops and focus on the ones who actually matter." I purposely taunted them, mockingly starting to walk away so the two bad guys would get angry enough to fight me.

And they did.

Villain number four charged at me first, immediately sharpening her arm into a steel blade as she tried to jab it right through my back.

I quickly sidestepped her stab, spinning on my heel and landing a kick to her head.

Watching her stumble to the side, villain number five followed quickly after, shooting out her fingernails at me like silly string, attempting to wrap me up in them.

That's kinda gross, dude.

Rolling to the side to dodge the nasty nails, my peripheral vision allowed me to see the feet of the steel bladed villain coming to attack me from behind.

I kicked my leg out, footsweeping the steel bladed villain's feet out from under her, before I felt Nasty Nails wrap her bad manicure around my ankle.

"Well, that's some outright bullshit." I groaned out, as I began getting dragged across the street floor by my wrapped up ankle-

"Hey! Heroes don't swear, you know!" Some whiny kid pouted at me nearby, casually watching me getting bitch dragged across the street.

Oh shit. You're right!

"Ah, I didn't swear! You're probably just scared, and hearing things now. Don't worry though! That's a completely normal reaction." I called out absentmindedly, grabbing onto the nearest streetlight so I'd stop being dragged.

"Yes, you did! I heard you. Heroes don't lie, either! Now, you're a liar and a potty mouth!" Another little girl complained, crossing her arms sassily as I clung onto the street pole with both hands.

I tightened my grip, calmly waiting for Nasty Nails to attempt to yank me harder towards her.

And she did.

I was hoping she would. I needed the momentum of her pull, after all.

"Fine then. I swore..." I sneered out playfully at the little girl, stalling time so I'd be able to have a little more momentum against Nasty Nails.

Ah, this should be enough.

"So. Aren't you going to apologize?" The little girl seethed at me, more concerned with the fact that I said a bad word, than the fact that I'm about to practically die in front of her.

Kids. I swear.

"My goodness, little one. You sure are ruthless, huh? Well, since I'm currently in the process of saving your life, I won't apologize. But, feel free to get the swear jar and put it on my tab." I winked at her, before abruptly releasing my grip on the light post.

Nasty Nails wasn't expecting my sudden lack of resistance as she continued yanking me by the leg as hard as she could.

Her eyes widened in panic as I began flying at her full force now, not seeing much except the bottom of my boot coming towards her face.

CRACK!

"Ohhh! That's gotta hurt!" I chuckled, hearing a bone crunching crack against my boot when it connected with her nose.

Luckily, Nasty Nails was incapacitated now as she gripped her nose in pain before falling to the ground.

Unfortunately for me, my momentum of flying through the air barely slowed down even after I kicked her, causing me to head straight for the lovely glass window of a coffee shop now.

I can't activate my quirk on myself.

"Fuck. Shit. Damn it." I groaned out, knowing that my swear jar dues would be enough to put that feisty little girl through college, by the time I was done with this fight.

Shielding my face with my hands, I waited for the painful impact that usually comes with crashing through a glass window.

Except, all I felt was a warm body and arms catch me instead.

Unexpected. But, very welcomed, compared to what I thought was gonna happen-

"Well, guess you could say I got myself a total catch, am I right? Heh, get it? Catch, cause I caught you? Damn, I'm funny." A certain bird boy snickered, making me immediately sigh in relief at the familiarity of his presence.

"Is that a horrible, cheesy pick up line, I hear? Must be Keigo." I smirked, hearing him gasp in fake offense at my words.

"Wha-Wow, chicky. Just wow. Is that any way to thank your sexy savior? I just stopped you from chewing on glass, y'know. The least you could do is swoon over my totally clever pickup lines." Keigo teased, adjusting me in his arms to ensure he had a good grip on me.

"Aren't totally clever pickup lines that make me swoon a complete violation of the professional work place? A little scandalous there, if you ask me." I countered playfully, causing Keigo to hum in amusement.

"Speaking of...why is it that whenever I tell you to do something, you always have to go and do the exact opposite?" He said to me smugly, giving my side a playful squeeze as he held me tightly against him.

I removed my hands from my face, looking up to see a pretty bird already grinning down at me as we flew through the air.

I was slightly disappointed that his flirty, avian eyes weren't visible, due to the heavy sun reflection from his aviators. But, his bright, toothy smile was more than enough for me.

Chuckling softly, I couldn't help but grab onto the material of his flight jacket....not too focused on how high up he was currently flying us.

"Well, because it's devious to disobey my boss, and aren't you the one who said being devious is more fun?" I grinned happily, nuzzling my head against his chest to butter him up a little.

He laughed at my antics, giving his lip a soft bite as he focused on quickly flying us back down to the city ground.

"Heh. You still remember when I said that, huh? Y'know, chicky, at the time, that comment was meant to make you think I was sexy and mysterious. Did it ever work?" Keigo asked, grazing his lips against the top of my head too quickly for the civilians to notice.

He carefully adjusted my bridal style position in his arms, now letting my feet dangle in the air as he was clearly intending on having me land to the ground. Once we were a safe distance near it, of course.

"You'd like to think so, wouldn't you." I smirked, watching Keigo's flight direct us in the direction of the steel bladed villain I had been fighting a few seconds ago.

She was still awake, starting to shuffle to her feet so she could cause more trouble.

"Mmm, so feisty. You were supposed to stroke my ego there and say yes, cutie!" Keigo laughed out playfully over the wind.

He suddenly gripped my wrists more securely, quickly swinging my swaying body to the side so my feet would kick down a villain as we flew by.

Strike.

"I don't think that Hawks ego of yours needs any more stroking, Mr. Takami!" I called back, enjoying the flight breeze as it flowed through my hair.

I actually felt free, too. Even though, a lot of my current fearlessness is just me, being hyped up on adrenaline...I'm starting to see why Keigo likes the flying thing so much.

"Ah!! Mr. Takami?! Finally, showing me some boss respect, chicky?! Took ya awhile to get there, but I always knew you'd come around!" He practically yelled, the pure excitement in his voice causing me to start cracking up with the absolute ridiculousness.

Apparently, he really wanted me to call him boss.

Keigo quickly swung my legs out to the other side now, causing my feet to connect with another random villain-who now went flying into the glass window of the coffee shop that was meant for me, a few minutes earlier.

"What, are you playing baseball or something?" I called out to him as we began closing in on the steel bladed villain.

"Eh. Kinda. But, really, I just wanted an excuse to hold your hands. I'm still gutted that you declined our date today." Keigo said, giving my wrists a squeeze in a way that silently told me to "get ready for the drop."

"Okay. Well, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Who wants to know?"

"I have absolutely no idea. I'm just casually asking what you're up to tomorrow."

"Hm. Well, I'll be taking you out." Keigo replied cooly, causing me to shake my head in amusement.

"Wow. Pretty smooth, Keigs. Pretty smooth." I laughed, getting eyes on Tsukuyomi who was still fighting the leaf villain a few feet away.

"So, that a yes, then? Y'know, I've never been turned down for a date, so I don't take rejection well. I'll drop you if ya say no." He smirked, floating a feather down on Tsukuyomi's shoulder to let him know he's here to help now.

"You're gonna drop me, anyways!" I countered, as Keigo's flight level finally reached a point where I could be dropped safely.

"That's beside the point!"

I smiled softly as Keigo and I flew through the air, realizing how much fun I had with him.

There aren't many times we get to just be ourselves, hang out, and joke around with each other like this.

Wanting to say something nice, I lost my focus a little bit.

"Alright, Keigo. Fine. I'll go on a date with you tomorrow. It's a ye-"

DROP.

I never got a chance to finish my sentence as Keigo released my wrists, so I'd land on the ground and finish my fight.

"Huh? Wait-What was that? Did you say somethin' just now? Whoops, I think you did." Keigo called out cluelessly as I began plummeting to the ground.

How romantic.

"HAWKS, YOU BASTARD! I WASN'T READY-"

"You never are though! C'mon, baby, I'm mentoring you! We've been working on your landing for eight months. Stick that landing this time! I know you can do it! You're gonna do it!" Keigo happily encouraged out to me from above, doing a showy flip in the air as he dodged an attack from one of the villains.

Well, it's not as if I have a choice now.

Come on, Ari.

You've never landed on your feet once.

Eight months.

Do it this time.

Almost there.

So close-

The moment my feet hit the ground....I celebrated too early and immediately began stumbling around in front of hundreds of civilians-and the villain I'm supposed to fight.

As uncool as possible, my feet tangled up in each other, causing me to crash to the ground face first.

I didn't miss the sound of condescending, slow clapping coming from the air.

"Wow. Eight months later and you've actually managed to become worse than when you started. But hey, Hourglass, that should be a talent in itself!" Hawks cackled from the air, using his feather blades to fight one of the airborne villains now.

This little shit just loves to embarrass me.

"Ari! Are you alright?!" Tokoyami called out a few feet away, being the only bird to show concern for my well being at the moment.

Thank you, little Toko. You won't be getting fried today, unlike someone else.

Watching the steel bladed villain already charging at me, I quickly shuffled to my feet to get into attack mode.

"Yes, Tsukuyomi! At least someone has a heart!" I called out in loud petty, hearing Keigo give out a loud, 'offended' yell of disagreement from the sky.

More villains had come out of the woodwork. But, now that Keigo's here, I wasn't as worried about exhausting my quirk as I knew this fight would go by quicker with our teamwork.

One guy has a fire quirk. He's definitely gonna be immobilized first.

I felt a fluffy tickle on my shoulder now, looking down and seeing one of Keigo's red feathers resting comfortably on me.

Tokoyami's got one, too. It's how Keigo can communicate with us from the sky a little easier.

We can't hear him. But, he can hear us.

"Keigs, guy on the left has a fire quirk. He's immobilized and waiting for you." I uttered into the feather, picking two other random villains to immobilize before charging at the steel bladed villain.

Hand to hand combat it is.

Another thing Diane taught me, surprisingly.

She's very good at it...

I let the steel bladed bitch charge straight at me, watching her go for a jab to my face.

Keigo's feathers quickly swirled around the fire villain I immobilized, flying him backwards into a wall to knock him out.

I quickly began dodging the stabby punches from Blade Bitch, hearing Keigo's voice a few feet away from me.

He's close now. Practically grounded. Which means he's probably already taken care of the villain in the sky.

But, hearing Keigo's voice so close isn't what surprised me.

It's what he was saying. And who he was talking to.

"Tsukuyomi! Fall back on your right if you wanna get rid of those leaves he's shootin' at ya! Dark Shadow's better on the other side. Utilize it!" Keigo called out, not using his feathers to interfere with Tokoyami's fight and end it lazily, but rather fly around him and instruct him on the best way to beat the villain.

What? No way...

Keigo's....actually mentoring now?!

I guess being up in the sky and fighting some villains ended up taking the pressure OFF of him, so he'd be able to communicate more naturally with Tokoyami.

Plus, if Keigo sees that Tokoyami is having trouble, it's just in his hero nature to help him.

But, he's helping him by instructing him. He's finally trying to step up to the plate and make an effort to teach him something.

And I'm proud. This is a big step for him.

"How did he know Dark Shadow was better on the left side? Did you tell him, Ari?" Tokoyami asked me a few feet away, causing me to smile and shake my head.

"Nope. I told you...he cares about you, more than you think." I chuckled, watching bird boy jr.'s eyes light up with a newfound motivation.

Tokoyami nodded in eager agreement to Hawks' instruction now, quickly sidestepping left and letting Dark Shadow shoot out with a great amount of power.

Wow.

Dark Shadow really is better on his left. That's not something I noticed!

Sliding under Blade Bitch's high kick, I jabbed my elbow into her back, going for a left hook to her head.

Which she dodged.

Keigo continued flying low near Tokoyami, simultaneously taking down villains and watching the progress of his student.

"Don't focus so much on close combat, buddy. It's not bad to branch out sometimes, but it's also okay to stick with what you know. Move freely-there you go. Just like that! See your opponent! Study his movements-yes! atta boy, Tsukuyomi!" Keigo encouraged, using the power of his wings to bat a random villain across the city.

"Will ya shut up?!?" Tokoyami's opponent screamed at Hawks in irritation, just as Dark Shadow landed a clean hit to his face.

"Yeah, I will in a sec! But first, I'm gonna let him beat your ass! Tsukuyomi's pretty cool, right?" Keigo laughed out to the villain jovially.

Okay, so HE can swear?!

Too focused on Tokoyami and Hawks, Blade Bitch landed a non lethal kick to my stomach, causing me to stumble back into the crowd and eat shit in front of the same bossy little girl from before.

I looked up at her from the floor, seeing she had her arms crossed, looking down at me in annoyance.

"Hey! Did you hear him? Hawks said a bad word, too. So, looks like it's not just me who owes money in the swear jar, right?" I smirked, quickly rolling to the side to dodge Blade Bitch's stab.

"Wrong! He's Hawks, so he can do whatever he wants. Come talk to me when you're the number two hero, sweetie." The little girl called out to me boldly, causing my jaw to drop in shook amusement.

Heh. I kinda like this kid.

"Damn! She told you, huh?" Hawks smirked at me as he zoomed by, quickly circling back around to talk with Tokoyami again.

"Yeah, I guess she did!" I laughed, quickly hopping back up on my feet so I could end this battle with Blade Bitch.

Deciding to go for a different tactic, I charged straight at her, paying careful attention to the movement of her bladed arm.

Studying her body language, I knew she was going for a left jab, causing me to immediately side step in the opposite direction and get a hold on the soft part of her bladed arm.

"Hawks! Your instruction!" Tokoyami called out from a few feet away, clearly starting to get stressed that his target wasn't going down so easily.

"Don't panic. That's the first step. Sometimes these things take time. Don't let your frustration get in the way of your goal. Keep attackin' the way you are, Tsukuyomi. Have confidence in it. Have patience, and let your tactics work their magic." Keigo instructed, making me want to cry happy tears at the words of wisdom that were coming out of my bird boy's mouth.

He's really changed from the first day I met him. And I mean that in a very good way.

Tokoyami nodded, drinking in his teacher's words wholeheartedly as he took a deep calming breath.

Dark Shadow went for another attack on the opponent, with Keigo giving instructions every step of the way for his mentee.

Still having my hold on Blade Bitch's sharp arm, I quickly twisted it behind her back, hooking my leg around her waist and taking her down to the ground.

"There you go, Hourglass!! That's my girl!" Keigo called out proudly, shooting me a cheeky smile as he turned his attention back to Tsukuyomi.

I quickly knocked Blade Bitch's temple with my elbow, watching her eyes roll back in her head unconsciously to signal the end of the fight.

Damn. She was a good fighter.

"You've got 'em now, Tsukuyomi. Now, take him down." Keigo instructed, watching his mentee land the knock out blow on his opponent.

The Leafy Loser fell to the ground with ease now, completely spent from the beating Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had given him.

I sighed out in relief as I looked around the city, seeing nothing but feather restrained villains and excited civilians scattered across the street.

Phew. What a day.

Tokoyami ran over to me first, quickly extending his hand out to help me off the ground.

And while his face was still his usual, stoic self, I couldn't help but smile as I noticed the excited glimmer in his eyes. Excitement that he finally got to work with Hawks-no, with Keigo.

Keigo gracefully flew over to Tokoyami and I, gently drifting his flight all the way to the ground.

"Look! It's Hawks!!" Someone exclaimed, completely ignoring Tokoyami and I as the fans started to go crazy.

Keigo gave a polite, dismissive smile to them, quickly walking over to Tokoyami and I.

He slung his arms over our shoulders, causing Tokoyami and I to let out a simultaneous groan as he pulled us close to his chest.

"Can't take much of the credit for this one today, everybody! I didn't get here till the end. Your real heroes are right here, Hourglass and Tsukuyomi." Keigo smiled at the crowd, extending his wings for emphasis to Tokoyami and I.

Because it was Hawks who said it, the fans began going crazy for me and bird boy jr., cheering and screaming for a selfie.

I chuckled softly at the ridiculous amount of effect Hawks had on the people, involuntarily feeling my body leaning into Keigo's chest a little more.

He turned his attention to me at my body language, stopping himself from leaning in any closer. There were hundreds of eyes on us, after all.

"Hey." He whispered to me softly, his aviators and flight jacket covering his face.

But, it didn't matter. I could tell, just from his demeanor, that right now he was Keigo.

"What's up?" I asked, giving him a small, tired smile.

"Good job today, chicky. I'm really proud of you." He uttered quietly, the curve of a genuine smile barely being seen above the collar of his jacket.

I laughed softly, cursing the heat that began to make its way to my cheeks.

Fuck.

Don't notice, Keigo. Don't notice, Kei-

"Wait a sec. Are you blushing?! Ah, you are blushing!-no, don't look away from me! Lemme see it! Yes!! I love it when you blush! It was somethin' I said, huh? Or, was it my charming smile?-no wait, I know. Maybe my good looks? Heh, do I just make you swoon?-Don't answer that, because you'll probably say something sarcastic and mean, and you can't take it back now, y'know. Cause I saw it." Keigo blurted out a mile a minute, keeping his attention on my face to get a very good look at the pink tint that dusted my cheeks.

He's so annoying.

I love him.

"J-Just....be quiet." I stuttered, not able to form a comeback this time from the flustered fog in my brain.

Keigo smirked at my embarrassment, clearly trying to prolong it as long as he could.

"C'mon, Ari. You should have learned by now that I can never be quiet." He retorted, clicking his tongue cheekily.

I rolled my eyes in amusement at his antics, not wanting to leave the warmth of his arms.

"Hey." I uttered quietly, my genuine tone of voice instantly grabbing his attention.

He remained silent in question, waiting for me to continue.

"Do you wanna go out tonight? Do something fun?" I asked contently, giving another wave to the crowd of civilians.

"Of course I wanna go out with you tonight, chicky. I've been tryin' to take you on a date for eight months...." Keigo started out with a soft chuckle, clearly having more to say.

"But?"

Keigo's gaze trailed over to Tokoyami for a moment, before looking back at me.

"But, I think I owe my mentee some time to talk. I...I know I can't be there for him all the time...with everything going on. But....maybe...for today...I can." He uttered quietly, shooting me a gentle smile.

I felt my heart warm at Keigo's words, happy he seemed to finally come out of his shell a little with Tokoyami. Sure, he can't tell bird boy jr. all of his inner demons and darkest secrets. But, now he feels as if he can actually talk to him like a normal guy.

And maybe even give him some advice.

I nodded warmly in agreement to Keigo's words, not being able to stop myself from looking over at him again.

"You know how you said you're proud of me? Well, I'm proud of you too, bird boy." I said, giving him a soft nudge as I directed my attention back to the crowd now.

Keigo hummed in content at my words, the corners of his lips turning up into a small smirk now.

"You tryin' to make me blush now, little dove? Cause....it's working." He admitted teasingly, causing me to giggle at his honesty.

"Good. Then my job here is done." I winked, reluctantly walking out of his arms as a reporter was waving me over for an interview.

But, I was still able to hear Keigo's words to Tokoyami as I was walking away, not being able to stop myself from smiling as he said...

"Hey, Tokoyami. Why don't you stay a little later today. How 'bout a nice night flight?"