Me and the Devil

Bartender

Her green eyes blinked as she looked around the penthouse. It was nice, very nice. Three bedrooms and two bathrooms, accompanied by a large kitchen and living room. Hawks had bought this when he first signed on to be a public hero. It was at one point run down, but, he had worked on restoring it little by little.

He opened a bedroom door, "This is yours. It has a bathroom attached to it. The other room can use that one as well, but it's just you here."

She walked in and blinked, "This is lovely," she smiled at him, "Thank you, for doing this."

He winked, "Don't worry about it. It never gets used. I don't let anyone come here."

Her green eyes took in the soft sage sheets on the large bed. The furniture was a pale wood, pairing nicely with the white sheer curtains. The artwork on the wall consisted of hand painted, soft flowers.

"It's so pretty."

"I want your art to be in here someday," he looked at the paintings, "These are from a local artist I rescued during the earthquakes a few years ago."

"I'll make you something special," Chise sat on the soft bed, "Something just for you."

"I feel special," he smirked, "I'll let you get settled in."

She laid back on the bed and closed her eyes. It felt so peaceful here. Safe. Hawks had taken her phone. Once this was all said and done, he would provide her a new one. She sat up and unzipped her bag, forcing herself to continue in this new chapter.

Hawks laid back on his large couch, working from his phone on tomorrows plans. Stress was setting in. Hell, he might not even survive this. She would be safe, they both made sure of that.

A while later Chise emerged from her room. Her hair had in fact lightened to a soft rose gold. It suited her eyes and skin tone. She sat on the neighboring couch and rested against the arm, "You look stressed."

"Truthfully, I am. Getting heroes to agree on something is like herding cats towards water," he sighed, "Most of them as easy to work with, but, there's always the few."

"I'm assuming Endeavor is one."

He scoffed and sat up, tossing his phone on the table, "He's the main one."

Chise got an idea, "You got liquor?"

"I have a lot," he smirked, "You gonna play bartender?"

"If you'd like," she smiled, "You can relax a little."
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Chise sipped her drink and chuckled, "You have to shake it before you pour it."

A tipsy Hawks was attempting to learn how to make drinks. They had ordered take out, and were continuing their drinking. He shook the cups, "Okay, now what?"

She handed him the sugared rim, "Now, pour just the liquid in this."

He narrowed his golden eyes as he concentrated. The light blue liquid slowly poured into the glass. He smiled triumphantly and pushed the glass towards her, "Try it."

Chise raised the glass to her lips, "Wow, it's actually good. Here."

He raised the glass and sipped it, "That one's dangerous."

She chuckled and nodded, "Most mixed drinks are. They're tasty, but they sneak up on you."

He handed her the glass as he finished his beer, "What made you decide to be a bartender?"

"When I ran away from my parents and the yakuza, I wasn't good at anything other than slinging drugs. I was a dancer for a while, hated that. One of my regulars told me about bartending classes, he paid for me to take them."

"Did he like you," he leaned on his bar top.

"Not in that way. Funny enough, he was a happily married man. His wife would invite me to dinner sometimes," she downed the drink, licking the sugar from the rim, "He knew my past, and wanted me to learn a technical skill. The money was great, and I got to stay up all night."

"You don't like sleep?"

"The world is a lot quieter at night," she smiled, "A lot kinder, more gentle. Well, at least to me. Before I got Haru, I was going to apply to art school."

"You should go," he took the glass from her and set it in his sink, "I think you'd do well."

She bit her lip, "When the dust settles, I'll figure it out. Hawks," she looked at him, "Where will you be tomorrow?"

He leaned on the bar in front of her, "Why are you asking?"

"I know Dabi will be dealing with Endeavor...I just wasn't sure."

"I'll be on the frontline," he smirked, "Right where the action is."

"Isn't that where All for One will be," she frowned, "Hawks..."

"Chise," he rested his chin on his palm, "it's okay. I know what I'm signing up for, okay?"

"I just...don't wanna lost both of you on the same day," she leaned on the bar, "Is that selfish?"

He chuckled, "A little, but it's fair. Being a hero is similar to whatever the hell Dabi is. We know the risks, and we know the sacrifices."

She sat back against the barstool, "I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You don't have to like it at all," he walked around the bar, up to her, "Hell, you can curse it to hell and back. But, this is what's necessary to break the system that was built."

"Promise."

"Promise?"

She nodded, "Yes. Promise that you'll at least try not to die."

"I promise, Chise," he reached out and felt her soft waves, "I'll do my best to come back to you in one piece."

She smiled slightly, "That's all that I ask. I don't think I could handle three deaths."

Before he thought, he leaned forward and pressed their lips together. He had imagined how soft they were, it paled in comparison to the real thing. He come to his sense and pulled away from her, "I'm sorry, I don't know-"

"Hawks," she looked at him, "Relax. It's okay, I'm not mad. Both of our heads are all over the place."

"Mine feels better when I'm close to you," he nuzzled her cheek and let out a long breath, "It's late."

Her hand softly pet his hair, as he rested against her. The alcohol almost made her press for another kiss, just to escape the pain. That wasn't right. Nor would it be fair. He was running too. From the emotions of it all. She kissed his cheek, "You're trying to drown it out too, aren't you?"

He scoffed, "Yeah," he sat up, "I'm not good when it comes to deep things. I'm not wired that way."

"Me either," she sighed, "So I understand."

He stared at her for a moment before he spoke, "Let's drown it out, just tonight. Just this once."