Feather Bound

Chapter 9

Two weeks had passed since the incident at the movie theater, and Hawks was growing increasingly anxious. Why had nobody reached out to him? Had he really upset her to the point that she quit and no one even bothered to inform him? Even more perplexing was why he was so bothered by that thought. It was driving him fucking insane.

Even Haruki had noticed the shift in his mood, questioning him about what was happening until he had to firmly request she return to her job and let him handle his own affairs. He felt guilty afterward, but he was just so lost in his own turmoil. He allowed these conflicting emotions to fester and boil until he couldn't take it any longer.

In a fit of frustration, he snatched his phone, found his handler's contact information, and rapidly dialed the number.

"Hawks?" Mamoru's voice answered on the final ring, and he felt a surge of irritation. Why was he acting like nothing was wrong? Every other time, he'd been pestered, prodded, and disturbed until he'd agreed to follow through with their plans. Why was this one different?

"Why am I not being hounded about planning another date?" Hawks snapped, and a silence hung in the air until Mamoru finally let out a surprised chuckle.

"Are you upset?" Mamoru teased, his amusement evident in his tone, and Hawks scowled in response.

"No," he lied, gritting his teeth. "I just want to know when I need this shit planned by so I don't get yelled at again."

"Go ahead and draft one, and I'll get it approved," Mamoru said with a sigh. "I never thought I'd see the day you were calling me about setting one of these things up. You must like her."

Mamoru's words left him sputtering, quickly trying to deny them. "A-Absolutely not! I told you I just don't want to get in trouble again."

"Ha! Haven't heard you stutter like that in a long time," his handler teased, and Hawks gritted his teeth. "Well, you have perfect timing then because I was due to call you about it today. Get it to me ASAP so we can send the information over to her." With that, the phone call ended. He sighed, pressing his head to his desk, trying to soothe the ache that had started. The last thing he needed was Mamoru reporting to the President that he was actually asking about her, but it was too late now. He had at least gotten an answer about if she was still in the program, but he had to figure out their next date.

His plan seemed to be working okay so far. He knew he'd managed to upset her the last two times, but it hadn't been enough. Maybe it was finally time to do something that required them to talk. He needed to figure out what was driving her, and he might be able to help her without the Commission, convince her to quit the program while still getting what she wanted.

But what could he possibly do or take her to? The feeling their movie date had left him had been eating away at him, and he already knew he needed to do something to make up for it. Whatever he picked couldn't be too scary or outright horrible; he owed her something halfway decent. He bit his lip, suddenly struggling to come up with a decent idea, when he finally let out a long sigh. He was going to need help with this one.

"Haruki!" He called out, hoping she could hear him through his office door. It took a second, but she never failed him, quickly popping her head into his office.

"Yes, sir?" She asked, and he motioned for her to enter. She did so swiftly, closing the door before coming to stand across from him at his desk.

"I need a favor, and before I tell you, you cannot freak out. This is not what you think it is. It's just the Commission forcing me into something, okay?" He asked, eyeing her, and she nodded. She was one of the only people who were aware of just how much control the Commission had over him. She had been with since the day he debuted and since then, she'd been his number one support within the agency. "I need you to help me plan a date."