BNHA Oneshots + Imagines

Icarus (Keigo Takami x Tsunagu Hakamata)

Hawks is in love with Best Jeanist.

Admittedly, it's an awkward sort of love that he feels like isn't proper. Best Jeanist is a hero just like him, who is constantly in danger just like him, and who is under a lot of stress just like him. Yet, having been working with him to subdue Nomus and infiltrate the Paranormal Liberation Front for the past few months... Hawks has developed feelings that he can't get rid of. He does, however, choose to ignore them, not wanting to risk any more rejection than he's already faced in his lifetime.

After the raid, he ends up in the hospital with third degree burns on his back. His wings are a fragment of what they used to be, crumpled little red feathers that aren't useful for anything scattered around scarred and raw pink skin that needs to have ointment applied onto it every few hours. One of his arms is broken and stuck in a sling, and he's still hooked up to an IV to be pumped full of fluids and pain meds.

He didn't expect anyone to visit. He fully expected to stay in the hospital by himself, recover, and go back out to the public all laughs and smiles like he normally would after a rough assignment. This time, however, there's one man who won't leave his hospital room...

"Hawks... You all managed to retrieve and revive me," Best Jeanist speaks, sitting in a chair by Hawks's hospital bed and facing the younger hero, who's wrapped head to toe in bandages. "But at what cost..."

"Heh," Hawks offers the best chuckle he can muster, trying to pretend that this isn't as severe as he is. He doesn't know if his wings will ever grow back and some of the injuries he sustained from Dabi will surely affect him for the rest of his life. Worst of all, he knows that the second he's discharged from the hospital, they're probably going to do it all over again. "Don't worry about it, Jeanist. You're the one who did me a favor in the first place by agreeing to go through with this."

"I did you no favors here," Jeanist says, almost as if him agreeing to be 'killed' by Hawks and given to Dabi was no big deal. Hawks still can't believe the older man went through with something so risky- he himself would never trust anyone like that- not Jeanist, not Endeavor, not anyone. After the fact, Jeanist has been in Hawks's hospital room 24/7, helping him get around, spoon feeding him the few things he's allowed to eat, putting his burn ointment on and changing his bandages, bringing flowers, and watching Hawks's favorite shows with him on the cheap hospital television that hangs on the wall. The fact that Jeanist has been here at all is surprising, but for him to have gone so above and beyond... Hawks is unable to fathom it. "You look... Unwound."

"I'm a little ruffled, sure, but I'm fine," Hawks tries to brush off his friend- comrade - whatever they are -'s concern, but it doesn't work.

"Stop it," Jeanist hisses with a sharp glare. "Stop lying to me."

"Huh?"

"We're not at a press conference, nor are we in front of the media right now," Jeanist scolds. "Be honest with yourself and with me; you're suffering."

The fake smile that Hawks plastered on moments before falls. He stares down into his lap, unable to meet Jeanist's intense stare. He offers a weak shrug with the arm that isn't dislocated, broken, and stuck in a sling.

"My wings will grow back."

"But that doesn't matter if you keep getting them burned off," Jeanist softly argues and reaches out to place a hand between Hawks's wings, so gently that Hawks barely feels it.

Hawks shudders.

"Why do you care, anyway?"

"You're my comrade," Jeanist answers. It's clear that there's something else hiding behind that answer, and that's when it clicks for Hawks. While his feelings have been there for months, Jeanist has either felt the same way the entire time or started to recently. Why else would he be here doing this? "A fellow hero... A friend. As a fellow pro hero, I hate to see you unraveling like this."

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think just 'friends' would do what we do," Hawks bluntly answers before he can think better of it.

"Then who does do what we do?" Jeanist retorts.

Underneath Jeanist's scrutinizing stare, Hawks suddenly shrivels up. He regrets bringing anything up in the first place.

"Ah... This got a little serious, didn't it? That's my bad," Hawks nervously laughs. "We shouldn't be stressing ourselves out right now, you know? Let's change the subject."

"Let's not ," Jeanist insists. "You decided to bring this up, so let's have a discussion. Tell me what's on your mind. Now ."

"Fine. Let's drop the act," Hawks acquiesces, but is sure to choose his words carefully so he can gauge Jeanist's feelings without revealing his own right off the bat. "A friend wouldn't just allow me to put them into a death state no matter what good it could've done for society, and a friend wouldn't be coming to rub burn ointment on me or to put fresh cut flowers in my room. Tsunagu, you..."

"Yes, it's true," Jeanist nods, knowing what Hawks was getting at. The hand on Hawks's back moves to hold one of Hawks's hands. "And as someone who loves you dearly, I refuse to let you continue down the path you've been walking. Accept the help that other heroes offer to you. What were you thinking, going and handling Jin Bubaigawara by yourself when you know damn well that the rest of the former league was always close to him? You should've asked for back up. Touya Todoroki's quirk-"

"I know about his quirk, Tsunagu," Hawks interjects, shivering at the memory; Dabi breaking his arm, standing on top of him, charring is wings to nothing- poor Tokoyami having to come and rescue him- the hospital treatments, the surgeries he had to have to reverse some of the severe injuries he sustained from Dabi's flames. "Trust me... I know. If I didn't before, I certainly did now."

"I'm not going to trust you to go off by yourself for a long time after this... Look at you."

"Do I really look that bad?"

"No," Jeanist answers with a shake of his head. "But you look broken."

"You're so dramatic," Hawks huffs with a roll of his golden eyes.

"I'm going to take it you don't reciprocate. I'll get out of your hair," Jeanist starts to stand up, only for Hawks to grab him by the wrist and yank him back down into his chair.

"Stop," Hawks whispers. "Look, I'm sorry about how I've acted today- and in general. I know I've been worrying you and that I've been more distant than I should be, but... I do feel the same way, you know. I just can't help but try to take everything on by myself. I've lived my entire life that way, and usually, when people offer help, it's not because they have good intentions. So, I don't know exactly how to respond to..."

"Respond to what?"

"To someone genuinely caring this much about me."

"Well," The blond sighs and stands up from his bedside chair. When he reaches for Hawks, the younger man flinches, only to find that he's been enveloped in a tight, loving hug. He blinks in surprise and tenses under the unexpected touch. "You'll just have to get used to it from now on."

"Yeah," Hawks sighs and allows his eyes to flutter shut. They have a lot to worry about and a lot to do, but for now, he chooses to focus on the feeling of Jeanist's warm arms wrapped around him, holding him close and comforting him in a way he's never experienced before. "I guess I will."