Feather Bound

Chapter 20

He blinked in confusion, his hand still clutching the doorknob to his office door as he stood frozen in the doorway. He tilted his head, looking at the bento box and wrapped parcel currently sitting on his desk. Had he missed some type of event? Was it his birthday, and he had forgotten again? It's not like it was the first time he'd done that, but it wasn't his fault. The Commission kept him so busy all year; months seemed to blend into each other, and before he knew it, the new year had come and gone, his birthday passing mostly unnoticed with it.

He bit his tongue, shaking his head as he chastised himself. Of course, it wasn't his birthday; he should really start keeping better track of the year. It was the middle of summer, and he at least knew his birthday was sometime in December. He'd never paid attention to the specific day; the Commission had never told him what it was, and he was too young to remember if his mother had ever told him.

Besides, his birthday was unimportant. The Commission had never made a big deal about it before, and the only person who had ever tried was Haruki. Every year she would pick a random day in December and give him a small present and a cupcake to celebrate, yelling at him to finally figure out what day it was so they could celebrate properly.

So if it wasn't his birthday, what the hell was it? His curiosity got the better of him, sucking in a deep breath as he finally stepped into his office, approaching his desk with caution. Haruki hadn't said anything about it when he'd passed her desk this morning, so what if she didn't know about it? He swallowed, pausing again as anxiety gripped his chest. What if this was some type of trap, a setup from a villain? He was just about to spread his wings, send a couple of feathers ahead of him to investigate it further when a sudden voice behind him made him jump.

"What are you doing?" Haruki asked, startling him enough that he let out a shrill chirp, his wings flaring involuntarily behind him. It took a moment and a deep breath before he could even fold his wings back behind him. His face burned as he spun to face her, clearing his throat as they stared at each other. After a moment of silence, she chuckled, stepped into the office, and closed the door as he crossed his arms, grumbling in embarrassment.

"If the Commission ever heard that noise, you know I'd be in trouble," he grumbled, taking a deep breath, and she let out a sympathetic sigh in return.

"I know, but it's fucking ridiculous. It's not like you can help it; it's just a part of your quirk," she said with a nonchalant shrug.

"That's not what they want from me, and you know it," he replied, before turning his gaze back to the items sitting on his desk. "Do you know anything about this?" he added, and she let out a laugh as she peered past him.

"Is that what's got you so spooked? It's nothing scary, just something Y/N dropped off this morning for you," she said, walking past him toward her usual chair with a soft sigh. "Plus the report you asked for is here too. I had a hell of a time trying to get it from your handler, so many questions about why I needed it."

"And what did you tell him?" he asked, joining her at his desk as he settled into his own chair, eyeing the packages on it, his curiosity burning to just open them now.

"That I need more information on her so I could better assist them with their goals," she said, watching him with interest before letting out an annoyed sigh, shaking her head.

"Just open them," she said with a soft laugh, and he couldn't even help the small whine of excitement that left his throat as he grabbed the bento first. He opened it, nearly groaning at the contents, his mouth already starting to water as he looked at the food Y/N had prepared. His chest tightened again, suddenly finding it hard to swallow as he quickly popped the lid back onto the container.