I Am Not Number Seven (TUA/MHA Crossover)

19. Vanya: Flock Together

A/N: Vanya: wow... Hawks is like a brother to me :)
Hawks: *does his charming, carefree hero routine*
Vanya: Oh. He's annoying like my brothers too.
(PS: play the vid when Vanya starts playing the violin)
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Lunch went better after Sero got his breath back. He practically broke his back by bowing repeatedly to Hawks, saying how he was so embarrassed and did not mean to cause a scene.

Hawks, to his credit, did not tease the boy (much) once he realized that he was genuinely embarrassed by how he reacted. He simply clasped the dark-haired boy on his shoulder and called for the waitress to ask for a replacement for Vanya's water.

She gratefully accepted the replacement and gestured for the three of them to sit down. Drumming her fingers on the table, she nervously began, "So, Hawks, this is my friend I was telling you about. We're going to be going to school together for hero training."

The boy, who had switched from his side to sit next to Vanya because the thought of sitting next to a pro hero was too intimidating for him to deal with, bowed his head at Hawks and held out a hand to shake, "My name is Sero Hanta. Nice to meet you, sir."

Hawks smirked and grasped his hand, "Nice to meet you, kid. You obviously know who I am but lose the 'sir', any friend of Vanya's is a friend of mine. And god knows she doesn't talk to me formally at all ." He put a lot of stress on the last word.

The girl, who had been taking a sip of her newly replaced water, stopped and looked up with a flat stare, "You lost that privilege by being a bad neighbor and waking me up in the middle of the night."

"Hey, it's not my fault you've got ears like a bat. None of the other neighbors have complained." The pro gave a noncommittal shrug as he spoke. Vanya immediately opened her mouth to retort but stopped when she caught sight of her friend's face.

Sero stared bug-eyed at his friend and made a 'time-out' gesture with his hands, "Wait, sorry, I know you said you were neighbors before, Vanya, but it's just now sinking in. You guys actually live next to each other?"

She tilted her head to the man across the table, "Yes, his apartment is just to the left of mine. Unfortunately."

"Watch it." Hawks said without any actual heat in his words. He flicked a piece of green onion at her, which she batted away without looking before continuing to talk.

" Anyways," she said, stressing the word a bit too hard to be casual, "I wanted to surprise you because you're a big fan of pro heroes, however I am now seeing that a surprise with this one-" she jerked her head to the winged man, "-was more of a danger than a pleasant experience. I'm sorry." Not to mention the fact that Hawks' presence, while overall positive, always included a fair bit of teasing that Vanya thought she was getting away from when she left the Academy. Despite how used to it she was, she still felt the prickles of irritation underneath her skin. Perhaps the anger issues of her childhood weren't as dealt with as she previously thought.

The girl truly felt bad, she wanted this to be fun but seeing her friend panic and nearly choke made a pit grow in her stomach. Vanya felt like she ruined the lunch before their big first day of school and her thoughts began to spiral. What if Sero held animosity towards her after this? Though it was well-intentioned, ultimately, it was Vanya's fault that he got hurt. She pressed her hands tightly into her lap and bowed her head.

Vanya felt a hand touch her shoulder and looked up. Sero smiled down at her and for a second, the fondness in his eyes reminded her of her brothers, and spoke in an easy-going tone, "Hey, no harm no foul, right? Thanks for thinking of me and setting this up!"

A warm feeling spread in her chest at his words. This boy. Vanya thought. She had no idea that people who weren't her family would ever be this nice to her. The girl blinked and her eyes crinkled at the edges as she bumped his shoulder with her own, mumbling her thanks in embarrassment.