Top pic credit: unknown

"Oh my goodness, it's been so long since I've seen you!!!" I exclaimed happily, throwing my arms around Best Jeanist's neck without a care in the world that Diane was watching.

Ah, whoops. I probably just invaded his personal space. But, that's the Parker in me. We just love our obnoxious hugs.

He laughed softly, immediately returning my hug warmly.

"I know. I meant to come visit you sooner. But, things have been crazy at the agency. Anyways, you better believe I made it my priority to come see you today." Jeanist stated, the smile evident in his voice even if I couldn't see it, hidden under his turtleneck.

"Well, thank you for coming. I'm so happy you did." I remarked, giving him one more Parker squeeze before I finally decided to restrain myself a little.

I finally released Best Jeanist from my tight embrace. I probably could have hugged him forever, but with Diane watching this exchange go down, I quickly began feeling uncomfortable.

Taking a step back, I couldn't help but take in Best Jeanist's appearance before me, already feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over me at the sight of him.

I started interning with him, during my very first year at UA. And while my presence and impact at his agency were nowhere near as big as my role at the Hawks Agency, I have a lot of fond memories with Best Jeanist.

And yes, I did follow that ridiculous jean dress code for my entire first year, before I finally complained that I couldn't fight properly in them. The booty's gotta bend and breathe, you know. I much prefer spandex...

Anyways, he looked a little bit thinner, since I last saw him. Probably due to his injury, no doubt. But other than that, he looked the same. He looked well, and healthy.

And for that, I was so grateful.

"Best Jeanist, long time no see, man! How goes it, down at the agency?" Keigo called out happily, shooting the denim clad man a smile as he joined our sunshine group, consisting of Diane and Endeavor.

Jeanist gave a respectful nod to Diane and Endeavor, before turning to Keigo.

"Things are as well as can be expected. I've been recovering in the shadows, so I've been feeling a little...I guess you could say, helpless, lately. I'm more than ready to get back to serving the wonderful citizens of this country. Now, more than ever." He nodded, causing Keigo to chuckle softly.

"Ooo man, now more than ever, huh? Say, can I use that line next time I get injured? Heh. Seriously, it's no wonder you'd be first in fan service. I did say that, didn't I? You heard me say that, right? At the billboard chart awards?" Keigo asked innocently, causing Endeavor's face to sour in annoyance as he remembered that day.

He looks like an angry, little sun-

Best Jeanist softly shook his head in disapproval with Keigo, shooting him a light glare.

"Yes. It was a very unfortunate displeasure to witness. I expect better from you." He reprimanded, before shooting an apologetic look to Endeavor.

Keigo groaned loudly in response, throwing his head back towards the ceiling.

"Ah, c'mon, Jeanie. Don't be like that! I was only speaking the truth! Besides, don't worry about upsetting this ol' geezer. He's like 600 years old, he probably can't even hear us talkin' right now. Right, boomer?" He chuckled jovially, further popping Endeavor's personal space bubble when he draped a giant wing over his idol's shoulder.

I face palmed lightly, as Keigo's 'Hawks' self was going in full force right now.

But, hey, I couldn't say it wasn't entertaining watching Endeavor trying to decipher all of this...

"B-Boomer? What the hell does that mean-and get off me, ya little brat." Endeavor growled out, lightly pushing Keigo's wing off his body.

Best Jeanist let out an unsurprised sigh at the sight of Keigo laughing, while Endeavor's face started to flame with his growing irritation.

"Ah, yes. Good to see you're still the same, mister number two. And by that...I mean, Ari, I'm surprised you've actually stuck around with him for this long." Jeanist retorted with the utmost class, shooting his glance over at me now.

While his jean turtle neck covered the majority of his face, I could still see the corners of his eyes turning up into a smirk at his little joke.

Keigo found it just as amusing, clutching his chest in feigned hurt.

"Ah, man. The guy's not just number one in fan service, but also roasting me, as well. Right, Endeavor? Huh, right?" He chimed in once more, nudging Endeavor's shoulder repeatedly as he tried getting him to laugh, too.

He didn't. Obviously.

I shook my head in soft amusement, before turning my attention to Jeanist.

"Yeah, well....someone's gotta babysit him. Can't you tell?" I smirked, joining in on the game of roasting Keigo.

Endeavor scoffed in agreement, shooting me a knowing look of 'why are you dating this lunatic again?'

"Ouch!! The betrayal! I wasn't expecting that from you, Miss Parker. You're fired." Keigo teased, shooting me a sly smile, before someone else decided to dissipate the happy atmosphere in the room.

"Good. Then maybe Best Jeanist will take Ari back. Not quite sure why you let her go, in the first place." Diane chimed in sternly, immediately putting a damper on this happy reunion.

Everyone, including Endeavor, automatically slumped their shoulders at Diane's abrasive tone. The vibe in the room has now already been ruined by her mere presence.

"It's a joke, boss. No need to go rufflin' up everybody's feathers over it." Keigo shrugged, causing Endeavor to shake his head hopelessly at another one of Keigo's indecipherable sayings.

Best Jeanist softly cleared his throat, obviously wanting to say something before Diane could cut in again.

"Ah, yes, of course, Miss Himura. All joking aside, Ari....I really do believe I owe you an apology for the way things went down between us. I should have asked you how you felt about going rogue, without an agency, before I put the plan into action. I handled the situation with the utmost distaste. I'm sorry." Best Jeanist stated softly, his tone becoming serious now. The guilt was obvious in his voice.

Diane crossed her arms, subtly narrowing her eyes at Best Jeanist in silence.

Wonder what she's thinking...

Not wanting her to give Jeanist any more of a hard time, I decided to step in first.

"Hm? Oh, don't worry about it! It's not like there's any bad blood between us, you know. It's always been good. Plus, I'm happy with my position at the Hawks Agency. It all worked out in the end." I smiled warmly, watching him smooth his, already sleeked, blonde hair across his forehead.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I guess I should be thanking you too, Hawks. You were quick on the uptake in ensuring Ari landed on her feet. You grabbed her faster than I really even had a chance to take her back." Jeanist chuckled softly, gesturing to Keigo, who was still planted in his spot next to Endeavor.

Obviously, his comment was a stab in the dark to diffuse the tension that had arisen from Diane's rude attitude.

But, unbeknownst to Jeanist....a comment like that only added fuel to the fire, that's been silently raging between Keigo, Diane, and I for seven months.

The permanent glare on Diane's face was only becoming deeper and more prominent as this conversation went on.

Keigo chuckled sheepishly, running a hand through his hair as he subtly glanced over at Diane. Clearly, he was getting uncomfortable with this, and so was I.

To make matters even worse, dense Endeavor had finally started to pick up on the strange dynamic Keigo and I had with Diane, as his blue eyes continued darting between the three of us...trying to figure everything out for himself.

Damn. I liked you better when you were stupid, Endeavor.

Not being able to enjoy Jeanist's words, or even this little reunion, with this horrible woman breathing down our necks, I quickly began trying to steer the conversation away from Keigo and I.

"Heh. Y-Yeah. Well, Hawks' reputation is being the man who's too fast for his own good right-so, anyways....when do you think you'll be back out in the spotlight?" I asked Jeanist, tugging at my collar uncomfortably as I felt Diane's eyes on me.

"That's a good question, Ari. I've been thinking I'll make my reappearance next month. I've been building up my strength again-"

"I think the better question, is are you able to head back out into the spotlight? You know...with your.....sickness." Diane cut in, almost shooting Best Jeanist a subtle look of....disgust...?

Jeanist looked at Diane dubiously, clearly trying to gage what the hell that meant.

Awkward silence filled the air space now, as no one quite knew what to say.

"Um-yes....well....people can go on living with one lung, Miss Himura. It's not so uncommon that it will debilitate me from completing my missions. I know myself well enough to know what my body can handle. I can assure you, my injury won't be an issue." Best Jeanist stated politely, giving her a formal nod.

Diane nodded in agreement with him, yet I could see she was completely unconvinced.

"That's responsible of you to say, Tsunagu. But the threats of the world are much bigger now, compared to when you were on active duty." She started off, causing Endeavor to scoff in annoyance with her.

"Oh yeah, Miss? With all due respect, what the hell would you know about that? It's not as if you're out there on the front lines, fighting these threats yoursel-"

Diane quickly spoke again, not giving Endeavor the opportunity to finish his smart ass remark.

"Other pro heroes have been fine tuning their skills and capabilities for the past endless months, while you've simply let everyone else surpass you. Of course, it's not your fault. Your recovery is our top priority, here at the commission. But, surely it would be tragic if you came back to the spotlight as the number three hero, and you failed to meet the rising expectations and standards of the hero society. What would that do to your massive fan base? How would that make the hero commission look?" She asked in fake politeness, planting some type of seed in everyone's heads about Jeanist's capabilities.

The flapping of Keigo's wings was heard, before he pursed his lips in fake thought.

"Huh. What a wasted conversation this is, considering you already know Jeanist is a massive hit with the people." Keigo blurted out in careless disrespect, stroking the stubble on his chin.

Diane was quiet for a moment, keeping her eyes locked on Keigo in thought, before deciding to play off his words to her benefit.

"Exactly, Hawks. You hit the nail on the head. Who knows right? I'm just talking logistics, is all. Tsunagu, I know you are more than capable of making your own decisions. You're an amazing hero. I've always known that...and if you say the time is right, well, then so be it. We've got nothing but time, after all." Diane smiled, barely shooting her gaze over to Keigo once more.

His eyes widened slightly upon hearing the last part of her sentence, causing him to barely look up and meet her gaze. He knew she was talking to him when she said those last words.

I knew what she was doing.

She was subtly reminding him of his double agent mission.

"We've got nothing but time" is her way of telling Keigo...

"We have absolutely no time, so you better hurry up and get the jump on Shigaraki."

The bird boy's jaw tensed in familiar stress, before he gave her a very subtle nod of serious understanding.

Maybe I wouldn't have noticed exchanges such as these before, but now I'm able to see things differently. I finally know the truth.

And yet...Diane doesn't know this.

Why, Keigo? Why don't you want to tell her? Not that I'm complaining.

"Yes, well. My reinstatement is still a month away. I suppose brushing up on my skills a little more wouldn't hurt." Best Jeanist sighed softly, clearly trying to hide the anxiety he felt from Diane's words.

How is it that this woman manages to make everyone feel so powerless against her?

I saw the corners of her mouth twitch up in success at Jeanist's obvious unease, before she shot him a sickly sweet smile.

"Perfect. A month is more than enough time." She simply said. Her eyes locked on Keigo, before she quickly spoke again.

"Anyways. Hawks, now that you're officially back from wherever you were this past weekend, it's time for our weekly meeting. You have a lot to catch me up on, concerning your whereabouts and adventures for the last few days. Please, follow me, number two. The rest of you, there are refreshments in the celebration ceremony room. Please enjoy yourselves-"

"Now, hold on just a damn second, Miss." Endeavor started off, as Keigo began trailing behind Diane.

Diane continued walking, before she noticed that Keigo had stopped his walk immediately, at Endeavor's words.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Diane mechanically turned around, not wanting to make a scene in front of the top three heroes of Japan.

"Yes, Enji. Even though I feel like we've exhausted each other's company long enough, what is it I can do for you?" Diane uttered out plainly, the slight waver in her voice signaling she was on the verge of losing her shit.

"Whatever business you're talking to the kid about, I want to sit in on it, too. I deserve to know what the hell is going on." Endeavor spat, crossing his arms in irritation.

Already knowing there was no way Diane was going to tell Endeavor about Keigo's double agent mission, Keigo stepped in to end this.

"Hey, Endeavor-san. Trust me, it's nothing amazing. Just some routine stuff for the Hawks Agency. You don't wanna sit in on boring stuff like that, do ya?" Keigo asked innocently, rocking back and forth on his heels.

While he tried to hold his Hawks facade, I could tell he was fading slightly with the help of Diane's presence.

She was obviously draining him.

His voice came out slightly weaker than usual, a small tired sigh barely slipped past his mouth.

Endeavor narrowed his eyes at Hawks, studying his very subtle change of behavior silently, before Keigo immediately straightened up and shot him another forced smile...trying to say...

"Please, just drop it already, Endeavor. For your own good."

How would I know that? Because Keigo has given me that same exact smile so many times before. It's a smile he gave me any time I made unknowing advances in finding out his dark secrets.

It's his way of protecting the people he cares about.

It's not something he likes doing. I know that. Endeavor's his idol. He doesn't want to lie to him.

I was surprised when Endeavor, very reluctantly, backed off...simply letting out a gruff "hmph" in reply to Keigo-and not Diane.

Keigo subtly nodded him a thank you, before clearing his throat and gaining back his exterior.

"Well, everyone. This has been fun, as always. Jeanist, buddy...lookin' forward to kicking it with ya again, once you're officially out of retirement. Endeavor-san, I'll give you a call tomorrow, just to say hi-"

"Please don't-"

"And Ari, my lovely, lovely intern. I'll see you tomorrow at work, sweetheart. Bright and early. Get ready to drown in paperwork. Yay!" Keigo cheered casually, shooting me a stupid thumbs up before he forced himself to walk down the hallway with Diane.

His eyes softened ever so slightly as he was turning around, allowing me to barely catch the genuine Keigo smile he threw my way.

Wordlessly, I watched him follow Diane's path towards the exit.

His majestic, vermillion wings were already fluttering behind him in stress, trying to figure out how he was gonna spin his suspicious disappearance story, once he and Diane were back at the hero commission headquarters.

She's not going to go easy on him once they're alone. Especially, with the way he's been acting today. I already know it, and it hurts me. I wish I could go with him. But alas, I know this is something he needs to do on his own.

This is the part I agreed to last night when I kissed him. His baggage. His job.

He was kind and patient. Understanding and trusting, as he allowed me to make the first move, so I knew I was sure. He knows this is a big decision for me. I know this is a big part of his life.

And I am sure.

So now, I will return the favor and wait for Keigo to come back. I will let him make the first move and tell me what Diane and him talked about today. I will let him make the first move in telling me the truth, I'm not gonna force him to anymore.

I'm just going to trust that he will.

And I'll be there to fix any pieces of his wonderful heart that Diane tries to destroy.

Because, I won't let her take his good.

Endeavor's irritated grunt interrupted my train of thought, causing me to look over at him.

My heart jumped in stress when I saw he was already looking at me, giving me a firm, questioning glare of...

"What the hell is going on here?"

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, realizing the only thing keeping Endeavor from flat out interrogating me right now, was the presence of Best Jeanist.

But even so, being the blunt guy that he is, I'm surprised Endeavor didn't come out with his questions, anyways. I didn't think he was one to hold back when something was on his mind.

Guess I was wrong.

But even so, Keigo's secret isn't mine to tell. Even if Endeavor is his idol, he chose not to tell him, and I will respect that, too.

So long as I know Keigo is okay....I will respect that boundary.

For now...

"S-So...refreshments, anyone?" I croaked out weakly, shooting Endeavor and Jeanist a sheepish smile.

Endeavor didn't break his sour glare on me, starting to lose the subtleness of his accusing curiosity, and look more like the Endeavor I know.

Jeanist isn't a dense man. I have no doubt he was picking up on the vibe between Endeavor and I. But, being the classy man he is, he chose not to get involved in something that wasn't his business.

"You know, I could really go for a boba right now." Jeanist shrugged casually, smoothing over his hair once more.

Gotta love Best Jeanist.

I couldn't help but chuckle at his laxness, thankful that he's always been able to adapt to pretty much any situation.

Guess Keigo is right in saying that Jeanist would be number one in fan service. Sorry, not sorry, Endeavor.

"I didn't know you drink boba....and of course, I would know since I was the crappy intern going on coffee runs for you, every hour." I smirked, trying to ignore sunshine Enji, who was still glaring at me in the corner of my eye.

Jeanist chuckled, slowly starting to walk towards the exit to get Endeavor and I moving.

"Yeah, well, I've changed, Ari. I'm not the same man I was seven months ago. For example, I'm only thirty-five years old, but now I have grey hairs. I thank mister Katsuki Bakugou for those additions." Jeanist sighed tiredly, causing me to laugh.

I felt my phone ding in my pocket with a text message, making a mental note to check it later.

For now, I just wanted to catch up with my old boss, turned friend.

Jeanist and I were almost out the door, when I noticed Endeavor was no longer walking next to me.

I turned around, seeing him standing and scowling at the floor in thought.

"Comin', Endeavor-san?" I smirked, using Keigo's lingo just to push his buttons.

What? It's fun to push Endeavor's buttons. Keigo's got the right idea there.

Endeavor's blue eyes snapped up to me now, shooting me the same glare he always gives Keigo.

"And spend another minute with you? No thanks. Between you and the bird, it's just double the stupid." Endeavor scoffed lightly, waving a dismissive hand at me before walking in the opposite direction.

I blankly watched Endeavor walk down the hallway, noting his abrupt departure.

Best Jeanist softly cleared his throat to get my attention, causing me to immediately turn back towards him.

"Ready?" He asked, opening the door for me.

I felt my phone ding again, reminding me of the text message I received a few minutes ago.

I still need to check that later.

"As ready as I'll ever be. I'm looking forward to catching up with you. But first things first, how is it working with Katsuki Bakugou?" I smirked, already knowing the reputation that explodey, little porcupine had with everyone at UA.

Jeanist groaned lightly, and I could have sworn I saw a new grey hair pop up on his head at the mere mention of the explosion boy, when he said...

"Well. How much time do you have?"

.............

Jeanist and I literally talked the day away, before I finally entered the UA dormitory building for bed time.

We talked about pretty much anything and everything that's been happening over the past seven months.

His internee, Bakugou Katsuki, my internship with Hawks, his health, family things, our personal lives outside of hero work.

Of course, I still conveniently left out the part about me and Keigo dating.

It's not that I don't trust Jeanist to keep the secret. It's just not something I want to start telling everyone.

As cool as Jeanist may be...the fact is, interns and bosses are not allowed to be romantically involved with each other....and he's very set on rules.

I can just hear him now.

"Ari, you know that's inappropriate."

"You shouldn't be getting involved with players, such as him."

"You're not at an internship to find a boyfriend. You're there to find real world experience."

Ugh. Not something I want to deal with. Especially, after everything Keigo and I have been through.

On top of that, my boss is the number two hero who is currently trying to infiltrate the deadliest organization in the country.

It's best to keep as many secrets as possible from everyone else. For his safety and mine. I recognize this.

The only ones who know about my relationship with Keigo are Nejire, my family....and Endeavor, accidentally.

Although, I wouldn't mind changing that one day...

After all, my internship at the Hawks agency will be up in less than half a year. Once that's all said and done, my relationship with Keigo won't be considered....scandalous, I guess you'd call it.

That would mean the only thing left standing in our way of being publicly happy would be his double agent mission.

I can only hope that ends soon.

And that he makes it out of this alive-

Ring! Ring!

The sound of my phone ringing pulled me out of my thoughts, as I continued walking down the dark, empty hallway of the dormitories.

I sighed tiredly, pulling it out of my pocket and blindly answering it. I assumed it was Keigo.

I felt my stresses and worries melting away as I answered. I was looking forward to speaking with my bird.

"Hey." I uttered into the phone softly, tracing my fingertips along the walls of the hallway as I walked.

I halted my steps at the sound of an unexpected, low chuckle on the other end of the line.

My blood curdled, my heart stopped, I felt my entire body tense in survival mode as I immediately recognized the familiar voice coming through the phone.

Oh shit.

You've gotta be kidding me with this.

"Hey? Well, gotta say....that wasn't quite the greeting I was expecting from you. Especially, not after you've been ignoring my text messages all day. But, it was adorable, nevertheless. Something I could definitely get used to." The person said, their tone dripping with malicious mockery.

I didn't even realize how nervous I'd become in such a short amount of time, until I felt a bead of sweat already rolling down my forehead.

It's all starting now, I guess. I knew it would come to this, eventually. Keigo warned me this is how things would proceed from now on. But, I didn't think it would happen so soon. I only just got back a day ago.

I've been caught off guard. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say.

I looked around the pitch black hallway once more, ensuring it was completely empty before answering.

"What....What do you want....Dabi?" I asked lowly, hearing him hum smoothly at my cooperation.

"I'm glad you asked, Ari Parker. What do I want? I want the world. And you're the one who's going to give it to me."