The Reason| Hawks x OC

Chapter 11

The next morning, I got up and switched my television on. The news was reporting on the store break in again as I made my coffee. I stared blankly at the screen as I popped some pop-tarts into the toaster.

A female journalist sat at her desk as the intro music finally died down. "So far, there have been no leads to the break in or why the individuals responsible decided to destroy plushies, of all things. We are told clothing was stolen as well, but nothing else of value." The journalist sat up straighter in her chair and adjusted her glasses. "With the way the plushies were displayed, it appeared to be a clear message to at least one hero, if not several. We reached out to a few of those heroes for comment."

The screen flashed over to a reporter trying to interview Endeavor as he brushed them off. "It's probably a bunch of kids, but I'll still be on the lookout." He marched off the screen like he couldn't bother with the interview for even a second longer.

I rolled my eyes as he brushed it off like nothing. The screen then panned over to Mirko, who they caught on patrol. "Miss Mirko! How do you feel about the individuals breaking into a store downtown and gutting all of the hero plushies?"

Mirko grabbed the mic, looking straight into the camera. "I'll find them regardless of the fact that it's a lower petty crime and bring them to justice!"

I failed to hold in a snort as the last short ended up being someone that still made my heart hurt whenever I saw him. The reporter motioned to Hawks as he dutifully walked over to her. "Hawks, how do you feel about-"

I watched as he took the mic from her politely and stared straight into the camera. "If you have a problem with me, come to me directly. You can swing by my hero agency or somewhere else if you want to chat." He lifted his chin a tiny bit, continuing his level gaze at the camera lens. "Destroying property isn't the proper way to deal with whatever your issue is. That's all I have to say."

I watched him hand the mic back to the reporter as I glared at the screen. "Come to you directly? Psh.. No thanks, you've broken my heart into too many pieces already."

I changed into my hero outfit and finished my pop-tart and coffee as I headed into work. Not sure what was going on when I got there, but Mount Lady was in a rather foul mood. She stayed in her office most of the day. I was going to let her know about my involvement in the League today instead of keeping it from her like I had been. The web of lies was getting too intense. I eyed the office and took a deep breath. Everyone was stone silent because of the mood Mount Lady was radiating. I wearily decided to risk her wrath on a day when she was less likely to murder me on the spot for going against her orders.

~*~

In another part of town.. Hawks POV:

I landed at our usual meeting spot behind the tattoo shop. I waited for Cloak for only another minute before he stepped towards me from one of the shadows.

"Cloak, why did you need to set up this meeting so urgently? What's going on?" I asked.

Cloak gave an annoyed sigh and crossed his arms. He stayed in the shadowy area of the edge of the alleyway. "There's a ton of things that have happened since our last talk, so here's all of it: Iris was with the little group that broke into the store. She didn't steal anything, though. She didn't have any part in what went on inside. She did destroy the lock that let the others inside, though. She has also, with the help of another, stolen the serum that the research team in the hospital was working on. She did it to win the trust of The League of Villains. She's joined with them in hopes to provide information." I took a step closer to him because of his revelation, and he held up a hand to keep me quiet so he could continue. "Dabi also seems.. very interested in her right now, too."

I pressed the palm of my hand to my forehead and squeezed my eyes shut as that sunk in.