Chapter Text
“Hawks, I need you to watch Eri for ten minutes.”
“What?" Hawks swiveled around, facing Eraserhead and a little white-haired kid. The little girl looked rather lost in the crowd of Pro Heroes and police. Why the girl was even here in the aftermath of a villain attack was beyond him, but what startled him was the fact that Eraserhead trusted his ward to him of all heroes. There was literally a dozen others around.
Not to mention, Eraserhead wasn't even in his hero outfit. He was dressed as a civilian, despite having his signature goggles and a capture scarf. Hawks honestly wouldn't have noticed, if it weren't for the fact that those were gray jeans instead of black joggers and a sleeved button-down. "Um, me?"
"Seriously, just ten minutes. I have to give a statement to the police." The unspoken, I don't want her to listen to all the details , hit the young hero. He folded his wings, giving him a more approachable appearance. He was already approachable for most, his charisma lending him that easy persona. Best to be extra cautious, just in case.
"Yeah, alright. Ten minutes, I'm counting, Eraser."
"Mr. 'Zawa, he said yes! Mr. Angel said yes!" She visibly relaxed and stopped hiding from behind Eraserhead's legs. She scampered over to his side, beaming up at him with a sparkle in her red eyes. Hawks controlled his face, but couldn't stop a little blush on his cheeks. He was used to kids calling him an angel, the wings making it all too easy, but to be called one in front of other Pro Heroes? Embarrassing.
He even heard others giggling behind him. Gang Orca was chortling, though he couldn't tell if it were because of the kid situation, or if one of his sidekicks had something funny to say. He didn't miss the amused smirk on Eraser's damned, smug face. "Okay, Eri, I know you'll be good for Mr. Angel." Hawks would have to find a way to get back at the underground hero, when he wasn't so busy with his own underground work.
"Of course, Mr. 'Zawa!" Eri bowed, just like a student would to their teacher, or a child to their parent. "I'll be good for Mr. Angel!" Someone behind Hawks could not hold down their laughter, and he felt his ears burn.
Eraserhead let a fond smile break that smirk for just half a second, and even that was enough for Hawks to memorize it. There was no way he would forget something so rare. The man turned away, heading towards the calls from a police officer who was getting a bit too annoying. He had half a mind to tease the man, but instead turned to look down upon the girl. "So kid, what are you even doing here?"
"Me and Mr. 'Zawa were at the cat coffee place." Hawks would have outright laughed at the thought, but he held it in. The young girl looked so incredibly happy about it, there was no way he'd make fun of it, unless it was to Eraser's face. "There's a kitty there—her name was Puff— and she was so fluffy." Her gentle enthusiasm was adorable, despite her talking about an animal that would regularly terrorize him. "I'm not allowed to drink coffee yet, Mr. 'Zawa says it'll stop me from growing. I want to be as tall as you, or as tall as him if I can!"
Hawks couldn't help but chuckle. He was not considered tall by any means, not next to giants like Endeavor, or menacing figures like Eraserhead. He was hardly taller than some of the students at U.A., not that it really mattered. This kid thought he was tall, and he'd roll with it. "Well, coffee doesn't taste that good anyways. What did you get instead?" He looked around, noticing reporters and civilians starting to swarm the crime scene. The police had a harder time pushing them back, and Pro Heroes were doing their best to keep people at bay. He spread his wings, shielding the girl from the flashing lights.
"I got apple juice. It's my favorite," she said, but her focus was on the expanse of his wings. He heard her murmur soft, but clear, "pretty." He was used to those kinds of comments too, but her earnest admiration hit harder.
"Hawks, can we get a few words?" a reporter shouted, only to be drowned out by the crowd of others behind them.
"Hawks, who is the child? Did they get lost during the incident?"
"Hawks, do you have a moment to discuss the League of Villains?"
He noticed the bubbling distress in the girl, as more people attempted to approach him. Eraserhead had three minutes left, but there was no way he would stay here that long. She was getting uncomfortable, and what kind of hero would he be to keep her in this mess? "Miss Eri," he offered his warmest smile. "Is it okay to pick you up?"
"Y-yes." She was scared of the ruckus around her, and he wouldn't have that. Hawks scooped her up, mindful of her dress and hair bow, and flashed her a dazzling smile. He spread his wings wide, blocking the camera view, shielding her from the crowd. He rubbed the back of his neck, then adjusted his headphones, accidentally brushing a button along the way.
"Sorry, everyone, I've got places to be." In a lower voice, one much softer than the public would ever know, "hang on tight." One beat of his wings, and they were already high up in the air. The girl shrieked, but wasn't scared here. She clung tight to him, like a princess holding onto a knight in storybooks. Giggles erupted from her, as she looked over the city landscape.
"It's so pretty up here!" Hawks couldn't help but wonder if Eraserhead was ever a little reckless like this. He could swing from rooftops with his capture weapon, and grapple through the streets with ease—had he ever done this for her before? Why did Hawks even care to think that? Maybe because she was a little too calm with being flung into the air like this. "Ura and Deku and Lemillion play this game, where they throw me high up in the air and catch me—but I never get to be this high up."
"No wonder you're so calm about this. Most people don't like heights like this." He tried to avoid making so many mental notes. The HPSC would obviously want all of this information, how could he ignore the fact that this child was connected to the Hero Who Lost His Quirk, and to the hero that was suspiciously being trained by All Might personally. Not to mention the bigger elephant in the room, she was tied to Eraserhead and to the incident relating to the Shie Hassaikai and the quirk-eliminating drug. Next to nothing came out of the report besides the fact that she needed to be under his care, to train her quirk safely—whatever her quirk was.
"Well, of course I'm calm. I'm safe with you, Mr. Angel." Of course, Hawks had heard this a lot. He was a hero after all, but something about this kid's blunt honesty gnawed at the walls around his heart. "Mr. 'Zawa wouldn't have let me pick you, if he didn't think you were safe." The sun reflected off his visor, and she couldn't read his eyes very well. What Eri could understand though was that he was frowning and it reminded her of when her 'Zawa was deep in thought over something. "Are you okay, Mr. Angel?"
"Ah, kid, you should really stop calling me that." He snapped out of his spiraling thoughts, and took a mental dive like he's never done in a while. "Call me Keigo, okay?" Physically, he did a little loop, which drew the loveliest laugh from her.
"Mr. Keigo!"
"Ah, no, that would be Mr. Takami. Keigo, just Keigo," he said, as he scanned the surrounding area. Perfect, he thought, finding one of his favorite rooftop cafes. "Let's get you some dessert."
Eraserhead was ready to go about his day. He and Eri had grocery shopping to do and find lunch, now that their cat cafe trip got cut short. He returned to the exact location that Hawks had been at, and he was there exactly ten minutes after handing over his ward. His eyes scanned the slowly dispersing crowd. No Eri. No Hawks. "Gang Orca, where are they?" The whale man turned, his imposing stature not affecting the teacher in the slightest. Maybe he was a little more aggressive than he should have been, but he wouldn't apologize for it.
"Reporters ganged up on Hawks and she got scared, so they ran off. What else did you expect would happen when you left him in charge of your kid?" Correcting the hero on his wording wasn't worth the effort. He started looking around.
Eraserhead had anticipated this, but he didn't think the Winged Hero would just leave without leaving any sort of—Oh. Aizawa smirked. A small, single feather laid on the ground, just where Hawks had been standing. It jostled, not due to the wind. The man picked it up, smirking at the unassuming thing. "Wanted to get me riled up because you vanished, huh?"
The feather slipped from his fingers and started floating away, heading uptown towards high class venues. The man suppressed a groan, wishing he picked his joggers instead of the jeans that Eri picked out. He gripped his capture scarf, and replaced his goggles over his eyes. He calculated his route before setting off, having to adjust for traffic patterns. He wasn't a hero that worked in daylight, not usually anyways. Most civilians saw him and didn't look twice, not knowing of his deeds compared to the spotlight heroes. They questioned who that stranger was, flinging themselves overhead, but not gaped or awed in his presence. Just as he liked it.
The feather kept at a slow enough pace for him to follow, as if meandering. Just like Hawks, he grumbled. He didn't think ill of the winged hero, besides the fact that he carried lazy youth with him. He was efficient, of course, as he wasn't in the top ten for nothing. His work was astounding, and his demeanor enamored a crowd like nothing. He was hard to look away from, Aizawa hated to admit.
It was one thing to swing through the city, but scaling buildings in broad daylight was frowned upon, when there wasn't active criminal activity. Aizawa saw the feather shoot up to the top floor of the building, and he took note that it was a grandiose restaurant that he would have never gone to on his own. His tastes were typically coffee and jelly pouches, but he's gotten better because of Eri. They had practical meals, nutritionally balanced to give her everything that she didn't have growing up. This was... out of his depth. He approached the entrance where a concierge of all things greeted him. He couldn't even go through the door without the blatant wealth of this district getting rubbed into his face.
The worker gave Aizawa a cursory once-over before asking, "sir, do you have a... reservation with us?" Aizawa was a man of rational thought and logical means to get what he wanted. Punching his way through here would be unsightly. Satisfying, but unsightly.
"Ah, excuse me!" Another server came outside, looking between him and the concierge. Their whispered words didn't go unheard, "the grumpy man with the goggles is with Hawks! Be nice!"
Eraserhead would have a few words with Hawks, and show him just how grumpy he could be.
The man was escorted to the elevator, and directed to the private, outdoor seating area. There were few tables, each divided by trellises covered in vines and flowers. Despite the obviously high-end seating, it was actually kind of nice, he considered. Hawks was perched in his chair, angled in such a way to pay attention to the door and the ledge. He made it seem like he was relaxed, eating a cake in front of him, not to alarm the girl. Eri, on the other hand, had her back to the door, and was merrily chatting about her big brothers and big sisters that was Class 1-A...with a deliriously large parfait in front of her.
"Eraser, glad you could join us!" Hawks stood, an easy smile on his face. "What took you so long?"
Aizawa was not going to pop a blood vessel over this. He refused to let this hero get under his skin. "The police had a lot of questions." He took the seat next to his ward, melting his expression into something softer. "Are you having a good time with Hawks?"
"Yes!" She sat up properly, and went to scoop some yogurt and fruit onto the long spoon. "Here, please try this. I think you will like this one." She offered the bite, and Aizawa couldn't decide what course of action to take. Them sharing food like this was normal in his apartment, away from prying eyes. It was a sign of trust from her, to share things when she previously had nothing to call hers. Yet, there was Hawks, smirking, withholding a laugh probably.
"Alright, thank you," he said, accepting her offer. Eri watched his face intently. It was something he noticed her doing, watching carefully for signs of anger or disappointment. He hoped that by now, it was because she was waiting for a different reaction. He let a little smile break through his usually neutral facade, and offered a soft hum of approval. The tart apple with the vanilla yogurt, and just the right amount of caramel, it all blended well together. "You're right, I do like it." A grin broke out over her face, and he was relieved to find her so relaxed.
"See, Keigo? I told you he has a sweet tooth!" Eri’s laughter distracted the older man, causing a less restrained smile to cross his lips.
"I suppose I owe you an apple tart, Miss Eri," the young hero said with relative ease. "Hope you don't mind, Mr. 'Zawa."