"Damn, that looks like a lot of damage." I muttered, looking up at the smoking skyscraper building.

The civilians in the area continued sprinting away from the chaos, screaming and crying with fear.

"Eh. Not too bad." Hawks stated calmly over the screams of terror, starting to flap his wings lightly.

"Alright. Let's go. I'll give you a lift." He said, nodding me over to him.

A lift...

Like a lift in the air!??

This boy is crazy-

"What!? Like...you wanna fly me up there with you? All the way up there??!" I exclaimed, already feeling my extreme fear of heights taking over.

Hawks cocked his head to the side in confusion, not understanding what the problem was.

"Yeah! Now...c'mere, c'mere. I don't bite....heh, all the time." He grinned, laughing slightly at himself.

I stared at him in complete disbelief, as the building continued smoking.

"No fucking way, bird boy!!! I don't trust you that much!! What if you drop me!?" I countered in panic.

Hawks scratched his stubbled chin, pretending to be lost in thought.

"Hmm, what would happen if I dropped you...well, I suppose you'd splat to the ground like a piece of bird shit, huh?" He smiled, giving me a thumbs up as people continued screaming.

I glared at him, before glaring back up at the tall building.

"Wow. That's comforting. Thanks for the encouraging words, number two hero. As tempting as that sounds, I'll pass. I'm taking the stairs!" I called out, already running towards the building entrance.

I heard Hawks let out an exasperated groan, as he watched me run away.

"Ari, it's only thirty stories! That's nothin'! Come on, it will take three seconds!" He called out, the sound of his strong, flapping wings creating small gusts of wind in the area.

"Exactly! It's only thirty stories! It won't take me long, I'll be there in a second!" I dismissed, already entering the building.

I heard Hawks lift into the air now, realizing there was no convincing me to fly.

"Alrighty then! I'll see you in five hours, grandma!" He called out jokingly, before taking off into the sky at lightning speed.

Five hours, my ass. I'll be there in five minutes, you stupid fucking chicken.

.......

My lungs were burning. My heart felt like it was going to give out any second. Legs wobbly, breathing heavy.

Why did I ever think sprinting up thirty flights of stairs was a good idea?

And here I am, thinking I was in good shape or something.

"I'm here! I'm here!!!" I wheezed out, sloppily storming through the thirtieth floor of the building.

I looked around the room, seeing all seven villains knocked out. They were all being restrained by...

Feathers.

I directed my attention to the slow clapping that was happening in the corner of the room, seeing Hawks sitting at an empty office desk.

He was reading a "Business For Dummies" book, with his dirty boots kicked up on the table.

"Hey, neat! You're finally here. Thank god, too. I could really use some help, over here........ya see, this book is in English, not Japanese. So, I need you to translate it for me. You said ya spent some time in America, right?" Hawks grinned, already looking at my fuming face in pure contentment.

I felt my teeth grinding together in irritation, as I stormed over to the knocked out villains.

"This is all of them, I assume..." I mumbled, gesturing to the knocked out bad guys.

"Oh! No, I saved you one! He's over there in the corner." Hawks said, gesturing to the slumped over man a few feet away from me.

I casually walked over to the enemy, assessing him not so cautiously.

"He's already knocked out." I retorted, crossing my arms in annoyance.

"Yeah, but I didn't restrain him with my feathers. I saved him for you. Go ahead, and tie him up or something. He's all yours!" Hawks called out, lazily tossing the "Business For Dummies" book over his head.

"Ugh, go fuck yourself, Big Bird." I grumbled at him, watching the cops storm inside the room now, to grab the unconscious villains.

I immediately walked out, starting to make my way down the stairs.

"Man, you're really gonna take these things again, huh?" Hawks sighed, gesturing to the stairs as he followed me down them.

"Yes, I am!! And while we're on the subject, I don't appreciate you patronizing me for my fear of heights! You're the number two hero. It's your job to make people feel at ease, not like a dipshit." I explained calmly, continuing to stomp down the stairs.

"Huh?! Hey, I wasn't trying to make you feel like shit! You looked terrified when I mentioned the flying thing, so I was just trying to lighten your mood a little." He justified, running a gloved hand through his fluffy blonde locks.

"Well, you didn't." I simply muttered, trying to descend the stairway even quicker now.

Hawks easily matched my pace, practically running down the stairs with me.

"Hmm. Guess I didn't, did I? That's my bad." He uttered, sliding his aviators from his eyes, to the top of his head.

"Hey, hold on a second." He said to me softly, quickly grabbing my arm to stop me from walking.

He cleared his throat, before he spoke again. It was obvious that he was now deciding to drop the laidback attitude. I could tell he had something serious to say.

"Look, Ari....I'm sorry for being such a dick to you. Not just today, but....since the first day we've met..." he started out, pausing slightly to get his thoughts together.

I leaned against the railing of the stairs, patiently waiting for him to continue.

I hadn't really seen this side of him yet. The sensitive side of him, that lies underneath all of that obviously fake, happy go lucky bravado. It had me intrigued.

"You said something, back there. Something that really got my attention. You said you don't trust me that much. Well, as of right now, for this entire year, you're supposed to be my right hand man. If you don't trust me, it's gonna cause some issues when we fight crime together. It could get us both killed. A hero and a sidekick are supposed to trust each other, fully. They put their lives in each other's hands, and trust each other to get the job done. Once you become a pro hero, this is the way of thinking you'll need to have towards your fellow comrades. You'll have to think this way towards heroes you may barely know, simply because you're both fighting something together." He said, keeping those warm, golden orbs locked on my features.

"I know that's tough. But, that's part of the job. And right now, I need you. I asked you to come to my agency, because I know how capable you are. I know you have a big heart, and I know you'll make a great hero. I also know you don't exactly see me as a mentor. And hey, that's fine with me. I mean, I'm not much older than you are, and I'm not one to care about titles or status. But....I'd like if you could maybe see me as a friend. Look, I'm not pressuring you to trust me, or anything like that. I hope you know, I'd never want to force something that's not there. But, I guess all I'm saying is......at least give me a chance." Hawks stated firmly, surprising me with the amount of professionalism in his words.

I took in his speech silently, starting to realize the misunderstanding that's been going on between Hawks and I, this whole time.

As much as I try not to hold grudges against people, I went into this whole thing, with a preconceived notion about Hawks already in my head. I figured he was just another pretty boy asshole, who thinks the world revolves around him.

But, I've had a chance to see him. Sure, I don't know all of his deepest, darkest secrets. I don't know his dreams, or his favorite memories, or even his fears. I haven't known the guy long enough for that. But I've seen the little things. The things he obviously tries to hide from everyone else.....the way he tenses up slightly when a giant crowd of fans surround him. The way he nudges me with his wings, because he knows I find it funny. The way his eyes scrunched up slightly in anger, at the mention of Diane Himura. The fact that he even heard me tell him I didn't trust him, the fact that those words I said, meant something to him. The way he's trying to fix it right now. He didn't have to apologize to me, or even acknowledge my annoyance with him. He could have easily blown me off and told me to get over it. But, he didn't.

Hawks is much more observant, than he lets on. Even though he pretends he doesn't, he pays attention. Even though he pretends he doesn't care, he does. Why he tries to constantly mask his true emotions and feelings is something I don't understand yet. Maybe, I'll never understand. But, what kind of a person would I be if I didn't give myself the opportunity to try? What kind of a hero would I be?

I'll answer that right now....not a very good one.

I sighed softly, looking up at him contently.

"Look....you're not the only one who's been a douche. I'm also sorry for the way I've been acting. I'm sure I've been a nightmare to work with, nagging you and insulting you all the time. How about we just......start over?" I mumbled, giving him a small, hopeful smile.

Hawks immediately smiled back at me. It wasn't that usual, cocky mug I've become accustomed with.

No. This was the first time he gave me an actual smile. A real, genuine, smile. And that's when I realized, I wasn't talking to the Number Two Pro Hero of Japan right now.

I was just talking to....him. Keigo Takami.

"No. You haven't been a nightmare to work with, at all. I actually really like having you around, Ari. It's....nice to have someone to talk to. Sure, I love my fans and everything. But, I don't...um, I don't have a lot of....friends who will tell me the truth and be up front. You're not afraid to tell me how you feel, and I think it's great." Hawks said, keeping this soft, somewhat quiet, demeanor.

While it might not seem like it, being in a dirty cramped stairwell and all, Hawks and I were sharing a real, intimate moment here. Not intimate in that way. But...intimate, in the way of finally getting to really know each other. It was nice.

"Well then....to friendship." I grinned, holding my gloved hand out for him to shake.

He looked down at it in amusement, before laughing lightly.

"To friendship." He stated, shaking my hand.

"Cool. Now, let's get out of here. It's starting to get dark outside." I called out, watching him immediately continue his descent down the stairs.

"Right-" he started saying, before I placed my hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking.

He turned around, looking at me in question.

I felt my heart racing at what I was about to suggest, thinking I might shit my pants from fear.

"Why don't we.......take a different way." I uttered, unsurely, gesturing to the roof.

Hawks raised his brow in surprise, hesitatingly slightly.

"Are you sure!? Like I said, I don't want you to feel pressured to trust me. Don't force yourself. We can always try the flying thing another time-"

"No. It's best to do it now, so I don't have time to overthink it. You're right. It's time for me to trust. It's all part of being a hero, right?" I smiled at him, feeling a little more confident.

Hawks looked at me in question one more time, before a giant grin spread across his face.

Okay. This grin was a cocky one.

"Alright then, chicky. Get ready to have the time of your life!" He exclaimed, dragging me up the stairs to get to the roof.

"Oh and by the way..." he called out to me, before continuing.

"Just cause we're friends now, doesn't mean we can't still joke around with each other, right?" He asked, gaining back some of that Hawks exterior I'm starting to become familiar with.

"Course we can still joke around. We may be friends, but I still hate you." I smirked, playfully shoving his back.

Hawks chuckled at my words, lightly tapping my head with his wings, as he spoke.

"Good. Cause I hate you, too."