"Fuck you, Mom."

~3~

Finding a pet friendly hotel was a pain in the ass, but worth it. It was about 6 pm by the time he'd gotten everything arranged and he was out on the streets again. Sure he could look things up, but he thought he'd much rather try to contact an actual hero so he was sure he was getting correct information. He was pretty sure he'd know one when he saw one, especially the one with the blonde hair and perpetual smile that was plastered everywhere. As he was walking, something strange caught his eye. A feather flew through the air, however that in itself wasn't odd. What made it odd, was the fact that it was flying against the wind.

Killua's eyes traced its flight pattern, it most certainly wasn't normal. Almost as if it had a mind of its own. Possibly someone's quirk, I should find who it belongs to if I follow it. Killua activated Zetsu as he stalked the feather back to its host. He followed it on top of a building, where a man was crouched and surveying the street below. He had massive red feathered wings, messy ash blonde hair, and a yellow tinted visor. I think I found my first hero. He thought, as he silently scaled the building. The hero was oblivious to his presence, which kind of disappointed him. Although he was using Zetsu, so maybe he had an unfair advantage.

He leaned against a wall and deactivated zetsu, wondering how long it would take the hero to notice him. Almost immediately he saw the hero's wings tense up, and he turned his head to look at Killua. He hid his surprise pretty well, keeping a chill air about him. "Oh, hey kid. Didn't hear you coming. I'm in the middle of some important hero stuff though, sorry." Killua walked over to where the winged hero was crouched and leaned his elbows on the ridge. "Oh that's alright, can I watch?" The hero seemed to be confused with his request. "I mean....sure, usually kids like you ask me for autographs, or pictures. Just don't get in the way." Killua's eyebrows raised. "Oh, your famous?" Honestly he should've guessed by the way this man carried himself.

 The winged hero just stared at him for a few more moments, so Killua continued. "I mean that's cool I guess, but I don't need a photo. I'm new around here and just wanted to observe some field work." The man let out an amused bark of laughter. "Man, your something aren't you? I take it you want to be a hero?" killua gave him a slight nod, noticing that the hero was acutely aware of his surroundings despite his eyes being solely focused on Killua. "it must take insane control to move all of those independently." He mentioned offhandedly, deciding to start some small talk.

"You've got a sharp eye kid, most people don't understand that right off the get go." He said, then grinned. "now be quiet will ya? I'm still working." Killua didn't reply to that, but he obliged and quieted himself as the hero worked. A few moments later, the pro hero took to the air and started soaring with incredible speed. Killua whistled, then gathered himself and leapt across to another building. He managed to keep up with the hero as he went, Killua was looking forward to watching a hero fight. I wonder if he has some sort of weapon. I didn't see any on him, but maybe...

It wasn't long after that Killua smelled smoke. He leapt off the roof he was currently perched on to watch as the winged hero effortlessly used his feathers to tug people out of the flames. It wasn't a fight after all. "hey kid, stay back. You could get hurt. Let Hawks do his job." a tall man who was obviously also a hero stated. Killua rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, I'm just here to watch." So his name is Hawks, fitting. He thought, as he watched Hawks take control of the situation. The second hero started putting out the fires, shouting at people to remain calm. Killua's eyes wandered after a while to the surroundings. There was one guy who just seemed...off, to him.

He was hovering around the victims of the fire, his eyes darting around nervously. He's suspicious as fuck, wonder what he's up to. Since Hawks and the other hero were occupied he decided to keep an eye on the guy himself. Upon closer inspection he saw a bottle in his hands that was wrapped up in duct tape in an attempt to conceal what it was. Now, it was indeed a good attempt but Killua knew a bottle of tequila when he saw one. While Hawks was distracted, he saw the male suddenly rush forward as he stuck a rag in the bottle, raising his arm as well as a lighter.

Hawk's head turned and he tensed, preparing to counter attack that was a bit too slow. However before Hawks could react, Killua was at the man's side in an instant. He plucked the crudely taped bottle from his hands and removed the rag from it with a cheeky grin. "Why thank you." He said, with much sass as he swirled the bottle of alcohol around quickly and tilted it upwards as he put it to his lips. The man froze in shock as he watched Killua quite literally swallow his weapon. He could've sworn a slightly impressed look flashed through the winged hero's eyes before swiftly being concealed. Killua finished the tequila and wiped his lips, then placed the bottle back into the man's hands to throw him off even more.

There was an awkward beat of silence at the unexpected turn of events, everyone was staring at him. Most likely they wondered why he wasn't wasted off his ass or dead from that much alcohol in his system, however Killua wasn't worried. He was practically immune to poisons, so the tequila didn't even make him tipsy. In short order the man was arrested, and several reporters flocked to the scene and started filming. Hawks took all the spotlight while Killua snacked on some chocolate, he could tell the hero wanted to speak to him but couldn't find space.

After the paparazzi had finally cleared off, Hawks shot a look at him with raised eyebrows. "was that bottle full?" Killua was a bit surprised that his first question had been that, but he chuckled. "Sadly not, the rag displaced quite a bit of it. What a shame." He joked, smirking catlike once more. Hawks hummed softly. "you said you wanted to be a hero right? Well, I suppose I could get you into the top hero school in Japan. I'd say you got plenty of potential." Killua placed his hands behind his head as he started walking with Hawks. "sounds great, when do I start?"

Hawks tapped his chin thoughtfully. "in about a month, if I sign you up for recommendations you'll be competing against a smaller pool of more skilled applicants who were also recommended. There will be a written test, practical test, and an interview." Killua contemplated that. "What's the normal process to get in then?" Hawks waved at some fangirls a bit before turning back to Killua to reply. "it's written exam with hundreds of applicants and a mock battle, not-" Killua grinned. "Ah, I'd love to take you up on that recommendation offer but that mock battle sounds like way too much fun for me to miss out on." Hawks let out a soft chuckle. "if you say so kid. Say, what's your name?" Killua removed his hands from behind his head to slip them in his pockets. "It's Killua." Hawks folded his wings behind his back. "Say, Killua. Why don't you stop by my agency tomorrow? I could get you set up for U.A in no time."

"Sounds great."

1318 words

To be continued...