floating

quirk

it was the next day; after bao's anxiety attack and visual overstimulation, neither people wanted to have a serious conversation.

currently though, both hawks and bao sat near the edge of the building, their legs dangling off as bao stared at the ground, hawks at the sky. it was risky, sitting so close to the edge while both were aware of bao's mental state, but hakws trusted bao not to do anything. and, if they did, hawks would catch them.

"so," hawks broke the silence, "how come you're always so free?"

"the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"like, how come you're always able to hang out. youre never busy."

"i dunno, maybe its 'cause we meet at midnight everyday. not a usual time to be at work."

"well yeah but wouldn't you be tired after work? im not keeping you awake, am i?"

bao thought for a second, staring at hawks as their face scrunched up in confusion. until, they realized it. "oh! you think i have a job!"

"think?" hawks was, understandably, confused.

"yeah! no, i dont work. haven't since about 2 days before i jumped."

"how are you not homeless?"

"i dont know to be honest. havent paid rent this month. i have a feeling im going to be evicted." bao just turned their gaze back to the street, a lost look in their eyes as they watched the few cars drive by, the illuminated street otherwise silent.

"are you trying to find a job?"

"to be honest, no, i havent looked. id like to find one so im not fucking homeless though."

"why did you quit in the first place?"

"oh! i mean, i dunno kinda thought of be dead about 3 weeks ago."

bao just laughed lightly, it was clear to hawks that humor was a large coping mechanism to the adult in front of him. he on the other hand just worried, he couldn't just let bao become homeless.

"well, what are your skills?"

"none, basically. kinda just worked basic jobs. i can cook, but that's pretty much it."

"well, do you have a quirk? that could help find you a job?"

bao thought for a moment. they hated their quirk, hesitant to even tell hawks they had one.

"...yeah," they mumbled, not excited to show it off or explain it.

"well, what is it?"

"its so stupid, it doesnt matter."

hawks smirked, excited to see what this 'stupid' quirk was. "no, no, show me. im curious.

bao sighed, they knew hawks wouldnt give it up until they explained.

"fine. i can turn my body into a ball, made of almost any material of any conceivable size. so no, i cant be the size of earth. more like, a large boulder, or as small as a bouncy ball."

"that's not stupid, just a little, inconvenient."

"you don't say," bao sighed. they didnt want to talk anymore, keeping there eyes on the now empty street.

it was so tempting, being so close to an end they could almost feel it. and yet, hawks was holding them back. rather, holding them safe. keeping them stabilized.

hawks caught on, noticing how silent bao went. but, of course, his curiosity got the better of him.

"can i see you use your quirk?"

"you know what, why not," bao had a hint of sarcasm in their tone.

bao leaned back, standing up and walking a few feet away from the edge. hawks watched, full of childlike curiosity, just how bao had been when he showed off his wings.

"okay, how big?" bao asked, ready to deliver to hawks' request.

"hmm," he thought, tapping his chin with his index finger. "why not, a yoga ball." he stated, seemingly proud of his choice.

"by the way, unlike a real yoga ball, it won't be hollow or light. it'll be made of the same material, but i still need to go somewhere. it'll weigh my exact weight, which no i won't tell you. i will be essentially filling up the inside. it'll still be bouncy though, just like a normal yoga ball."

"okay, just show me, im intrigued."

hawks had turned around by this point, sitting criss-cross with his arms in front of him, elbows on his knees with his head in his hands.

"okay," bao held out their arms partially before taking a deep breath.

right before hawks' eyes, in less than a second, bao became a yoga ball. a face was no longer seen, just a navy blue ball sat in the middle of the roof.

"woah! i was not expecting that!" he moved his hands beside him, leaning slightly forward as his feathers fluffed up and ruffled in excitement.

bao quickly inactivated their quirk, going back into their human form where they stood with a blush on their face. bao didn't like showing people their quirk, it was weird and awkward because they could still hear what everyone was saying, but couldn't respond.

"its not that cool, i was just a ball," bao walked back to hawks, sitting with their legs crossed in front of him, about 5 feet away from the edge.

"it was! that's such a unique quirk, i've never seen that before!"

"yeah, its unique," bao said 'unique' in a mocking tone, "but its not cool. im just a fucking ball dude."

"whatever, i think its cool. but you're right, its not useful in most cases, other than maybe a stealth mission if you had to disguise yourself quickly. it could help in something like a demolition. if a building had to be destroyed, you could easily become a large boulder or something similar, to destroy it. but sadly, there's already machines for that."

"why don't i just find a job at some fast food place. that'd be easy, and it'd still pay rent. it's not expensive to live here, that's for sure." bao sighed, resting their elbow on their knee and their jaw in their palm, eyes half lidded as they looked at the man in front of them.

hawks sighed, recreating bao's position as he too looked at them, making loose eye contact. "well, you said you can cook, why dont you work in a kitchen? what are you best at cooking?"

bao thought for a second. they had grown up often cooking for themself, their mother wasn't present and their father was too busy at work for most of the day, then too tired to cook once he got home. so, almost every meal they ate was something they made.

"i mean im good at cooking meat, usually when i cook i don't use a recipe but it still turns out pretty good. i can make ramen, soba, yakitori, onigiri, i dunno."

"that sounds pretty good, you seem like you can make a lot. if you'd like, i can search around to see if any nearby kitchens are hiring," hawks offered. he was being very kind to bao, he could tell they were slightly overwhelmed and he didn't want to bombard them. all he wanted to do was help, so he tried in any way he knew how.

"no, you don't have to-"

"no, no, its no problem. it takes like, 30 minutes. i'd rather not have you be homeless, so let me do this for you." he smiled gently, the action reassuring to bao.

"that would be nice, thank you. a lot. i feel like i don't say that enough."

"trust me, you say it just enough. im happy to help whenever. now, its late, get some rest. oh!" hawks' face lit up, as though he got an idea. "dont bring a blanket tomorrow," he pointed at the soft blanket that bao had moved to sit in their lap, "i want to take you somewhere. it'll be nice, dont worry, just where something warm."

bao looked suspicious, but agreed anyway.

the pair parted, hawks flying off to his home as bao took the long elevator ride to floor number 4. as bao curled up in their warm bed, the caccoon of blankets surrounding them, they thought about where they could possibly be going with hawks.