Chapter Text
Hawks had always taken pride in his measured cool and his ability to project a carefree front no matter what was going on inside him. But today he couldn’t pull it off — he was wiggly and giddy and couldn’t stand still. He could recall very few times in his life where he felt this way. Maybe when he was a child and he got his Endeavor plush? Either way, standing here outside of passport control waiting for Zak to emerge on the other side was an unbearable delight.
As soon as Zak got his new passport, they’d planned a trip for him to visit Hawks in Japan, and neither could stop squealing about it on their video calls. They were ecstatic to soon be together again, but also Zak had never traveled very far, so he was extremely excited about visiting a new country for the first time. Hawks couldn’t wait to show him Japan, and for the past couple of days he’d had phantom sensations in his back, like his absent wings were trying to puff. He felt them now, in fact, and a tinge of longing may have worked into a deeper sadness if Zak had not appeared right at that moment.
Zak closed the distance in a few wing flaps and they collided, and Hawks hoisted him up and spun him around. Their greeting kiss was divine, but kept getting interrupted by their mutual laughter. Eventually, they calmed down enough to have a longer, deeper kiss, and Zak wrapped his wings around Hawks and squeezed him tight. When they broke apart, Hawks gazed into the smiling red of eyes of his lover. He put a hand on Zak’s cheek, just to feel him, just to make sure he was really there.
Then came the typical arrivals gate rituals.
“How was your flight?”
“Long,” laughed Zak. Then he perked up, “but I made a friend!!”
“Yeah?”
Zak then looked over Hawks’s shoulder and waved enthusiastically. When Hawks turned around, he saw an extremely tall figure standing near them, crossing his arms and smirking. He had tan skin and long black hair, but more interestingly, sported a huge pair of black bat wings. He looked at Zak and raised his eyes.
“You didn’t tell me your boyfriend was the former Number 2 Pro Hero of Japan.” He said, with a touch of an accent that seemed a bit familiar, but which Hawks couldn’t quite place.
“Oh yeah!” said Zak. “I forgot that was a thing. Isn’t he cute, though? Hawks, this is Marshall, he was my seatmate!”
Marshall nodded at him, then Zak leaned over and kissed Hawks on the cheek. Hawks rolled his eyes, but was still smiling like a fool. The man just laughed.
“Well, enjoy your visit, and stay in touch, yes?”
“Of course!”
Then the man spoke in what Hawks finally recognized as Spanish. He remembered it from his time in the States among Zak’s peers — that’s what the accent was. Zak replied in an extremely stilted sentence, then the two of them laughed.
As Marshall turned to walk away, he reached out and touched Zak’s shoulder with his wing, and Zak did the same with his own. It was a simple goodbye gesture, barely half a moment, but it struck Hawks with such intense longing in his heart that he almost choked.
He missed his wings.
He missed all those tiny gestures and interactions that he had shared with Zak, and the longing pushed his heart up into his throat in a huge lump. Before his trip, Zak decided that he was going to leave his feather necklace behind, just in case, in spite of Hawks insisting that he was fine now. Hadn’t they worked through all that on Hawks’s last visit to the States? But now Hawks was glad of it, knowing that if he’d even caught a glimpse of the necklace at this moment he would likely break down. Even thinking about it sent Hawks’s heart further up into his throat. Then Zak pounced him and kissed him again, and Hawks’s heart settled back to where it belonged.
“What are the odds of you getting seated next to another bat heteromorph?” Hawks asked, grabbing Zak’s bag for him.
“Not only that,” Zak beamed, “Marshall is also transmasc!”
“AND you both can speak Spanish…I think…can you speak it much?” Hawks asked.
“Estoy aprendiendo asi que hablame despacio.” Zak said with a smile.
Hawks waited for him to explain, but he didn’t. He just winked at Hawks and kissed him on the cheek again.
As they walked to the train, Zak couldn’t stop chattering, and he darted his eyes around and pointed out little details that fascinated him already. Hawks just watched him and smiled, taking him in. He was so fucking cute in his oversized hoodie with “Decent” written on the front, and his tail was swishing up a storm. Hawks reached out and took his hand, and Zak squeezed it, not interrupting his continuous observations.
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On the train, fans mostly left them alone, though the younger girls among them would whisper and giggle, and one did come up and ask for Hawks’s autograph. Hawks obliged — his popularity hadn’t waned much since his retirement, but it was less overwhelming than before, if only by a little bit. Zak spent almost the whole train ride with his face up against the window, absorbing everything. Eventually, Hawks noticed that his tail had finally calmed down, and Zak had folded his wings into cape mode.
“You’re gonna crash in about 30 minutes,” said Hawks, “I’d bet money on it.”
“No way!” said Zak, “I’m wired as hell!”
“Yeah, and you’ve never experienced jetlag before, it’s gonna kick your ass.”
Zak smacked Hawks in the arm with his tail. Hawks smiled and reached out to rub his back.
“Everything here is so FUCKING CUTE!” said Zak as they slowed down near some construction on the road, complete with its little cutout of a cartoon man waving a flag. Hawks grinned. This visit was going to be SO much fun.
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When they finally got back to Hawks’s apartment, the jetlag was already starting to kick in. Zak’s tail was dragging and he kept yawning, but he was briefly revitalized by exploring all the little Japanese details in the living quarters. Hawks said nothing, just leaned his shoulder against a door frame and watched him, smiling. Just having Zak in the same space as him again filled him with a calm contentedness that he hadn’t realized he was craving until it hit him. Eventually, Zak gave another huge yawn, then took off his hoodie. He was wearing a pink halter crop top underneath, tied loosely around his neck with plenty of room in the back for his wings. When Zak stretched his arms over his head, Hawks’s smile deepened with pride.
Zak was doing so well with progress on his disordered eating, and it was reflected in his body. The muscles in his arms were no longer corded and stringy, but filled out and strong. His ribs didn’t stick out any more and his hip bones weren’t as sharp. He no longer had “hunger abs,” though he still had some tone, and there was a slight curve to his tummy that Hawks was finding barely resistible. In fact, he was fantasizing about tackling Zak to the floor and shoving his face in said tummy when Zak turned to him with a sleepy smile.
“You’re all fluffed up,” he said, rubbing his eyes.
Hawks was confused, and felt that familiar phantom sensation run through his back. It was so strong that he could almost feel the layers of feathers lifting in neat rows — so strong that Hawks glanced over his shoulder involuntarily, like he had to check that his wings were still gone. Zak giggled at him.
“I can see it in your face,” he said, walking towards Hawks and reaching out to him. Hawks slid his hands around Zak’s hips and onto his back. He was so soft. Hawks had missed the feel of Zak’s soft, near-velvety skin so much. He ran his hands up Zak’s back, around his wings, and untied the strap of his top at the back of his neck. In response, Zak worked his hands up under Hawks’s shirt, running them slowly up his sides and then over his chest. The fire in Hawks’s core flared up so bright and so hot that it startled him, and he let Zak lift his shirt off before returning to remove Zak’s.
“You’re beautiful,” Hawks said, taking him in.
“I’m gross from being on a plane for 13 hours.” Said Zak.
Hawks pulled him into a gentle hug, and the skin contact from their chests and bellies pressing together woke up primal desires in Hawk’s brain.
“I said what I said.” Hawks murmured, resting his head on Zak’s shoulder. “But you’re so sleepy.”
“Nuh uh,” said Zak. But Hawks could feel the tension leave his body as he leaned in and draped his wings over Hawks’s shoulders.
He lifted Zak up and walked him to the bedroom, then lay him gently on the bed. God he was so beautiful. Zak stretched out his wings, then looked up at Hawks with a doofy smile.
“You look like you want to devour me,” he said.
“Maybe,” Hawks said, leaning down, “but you’re tired.”
Zak ran a hand through Hawks’s hair.
“Feast, Angel Wings,” he said, “I miss you.”
Hawks kissed him, then nuzzled his neck and began to kiss down Zak’s chest. When he reached Zak’s stomach, he indulged in his earlier fantasy and shoved his face into it. After a few long moments, he felt Zak giggle.
“Don’t smother yourself!”
Hawks gave his tummy a smooch, then turned his head and rested his cheek against Zak. He ran his hands down Zak’s sides. He was so warm. And soft. Impossibly soft. When he reached Zak’s hips, he pressed his thumbs into the divots next to his hip bones. Hawks’s insides were raging…but Zak was jetlagged as hell. He didn’t want to overdo it.
Then he felt Zak’s hands on his own, curling Hawks’s thumbs until they were hooked around Zak’s waistband. Hawks obeyed, and slowly pulled his pants down. He gave Zak an intent look, then proceeded to devour him.