A Touch of Force & Fire -- Hawks X OC // MHA X OC

Little Talks ⚠️

TW: This chapter has depictions of anxiety & panic attacks. There is some care and fluff afterward, with some mild deflection 😌

Those kind of memories were always the worst to get out of. Arya tried to come back down to Earth from the extreme high of adrenaline still coursing through her veins. She still felt like she was falling. Her skin felt cold and wind stricken, vocal chords sore from screaming and the feeling of her heart still lodged in her throat. At first, she almost didn't recognize where she was, the room had low light and there seemed to be a strange eerie silence. Only a ringing in her ear was an indication of sound, and as she tried to breathe, it kept getting caught in her throat.

A loud crash came not a second later, suddenly pulling her from the void she was in. The sound came from her left, there was the door that led into the bathroom, and on the other side....she wasn't alone.
She remembered where she was again, finding her voice, she couldn't stop herself.

"HAWKS!" She cried, sounding incredibly in distress, it was foreign.

Trying to scramble of bed, she found that she was she tangled up in the sheets and blanket, she must have been writhing in her sleep. And her legs felt so numb, she could barely move. It made her start to go into a panic again, and her vision blurred again.

"Arya!" Came from the other side of the door this time. She had never heard him call her name before, but hearing his voice was calming in itself, that he was there. A tear fell as he came crashing through the bathroom door.

It was actually kind of funny watching Hawks run through the door, trying to fight his way through all the feathers he had sent out first. Most of them were straight and sharp as knifes, ready to aim. Others combed through the room, then sliding under the bedroom door to survey the apartment for any threats. A few softer, more delicate feathers, went to Arya, combing over her face and body. She wasn't sure why at first, maybe checking for injuries, or missing limbs. All she knew was that they were soft, and it was an interesting sensation against her sensitive skin. While Hawks stood in the doorway, in battle stance, holding one of his longer feathers as a sword.

It felt like hours that he just stood there staring at her, seeing her terrified expression. But in no time, he had dropped the feather sword he held, and jumped out at the bed. He landed directly in front of her, kneeling. His expression filled with concern, and for the first time, he actually seemed unsure about touching her. He saw her hands squeezing the sheets, knuckles nearly white. His hands hovered over her shoulders, but he ultimately decided against it.

"Jeezus, kid, what happened? What's going on?" He waited for her to respond, and when she didn't, it seemed to worry him even more.

Her eyes wouldn't focus on his face, even as she so desperately wanted to. She felt one of those soft feathers rub until her chin, a shaky breath escaped from his lips. "It's okay, I'm right here." He sounded far away, even though she knew he was directly in front of her. The tears were threatening to fall again, but she did not dare squeeze her eyes shut. Worried that another memory may try to pull her in, taking her or him away. She forced the words out, to try and ground herself.

"Dream." The word came out shaky, just like her breathing. "Falling."

"Hey, it's okay, I'm right here, okay." He repeated. "Look at me." She tried to focus her eyes on his face again. "Look around you, what do you see?"

"You."

"That's right." He reached for her hand this time, and grabbed it. She pulled away at first, but ultimately let Hawks do what he wanted to do. He took her hand, and touched it to his cheek. Her fingers brushed against the stubble on his chin. Closing his eyes, he shivered for a second at the touch, she wasn't sure if her hands were just so cold, or being touch starved.