who's afraid of little old me? | mha x oc

chapter fourteen

It wasn't long after I had found texted Hawks that I had gotten in that I got a message from him.

Hawks

congrads kid! how have you been doing?

Great! I've been meaning to ask you, 

do you think we meet up? the 

letter recommended I talk to a 

hero about the school and what to expect, 

and I'm not sure if I wanna do that with my Dad.

He responded quickly, saying that he would love to. We agreed to meet a local coffee shop, and he told me it will be the best coffee I have ever had. I had never tried coffee before, but I didn't have the heart to tell him that because he seemed excited.

I put on black leggings and a creme hoodie. I still was getting used to fashion, but after I had downloaded Pinterest I had quickly fallen in love with the minimalist aesthetic. Fuyumi joked it was because the asylum was so bare that I had grown to like the style.

I didn't think it was that funny, but she found it hilarious.

Unfortunately, my relationship between Shoto and Natsuo was still tense. It wasn't as awkward with Natsuo, because he was at college, but Shoto had claimed the living room as his area, and he usually glared at me whenever I was nearby.

I was starting to get annoyed.

It was strange, each of us had everything that the other wanted. He given a strong quirk that could make him a phenomenal hero, yet he didn't want it. Even when we were little, he had seemed opposed to the idea.

I had always wanted with every fiber of my being to be a hero. I wanted to feel as if I was making a difference in the world, no matter how big or small it had seemed. For the longest time, Enji had made comments like, "You can save many lives as a nurse too!" For little me, it wasn't the time. I wanted to be 'epic.'

I was starting to despise him as much as he despised me. There had been a couple times whenever I had tried to talk to him, but he had answered in as little words as possible. I eventually got the hint.

Fuyumi offered to drive me to the coffee shop, since she was already super overprotective. She had given me many lectures about how it was unsafe. Apparently villain activities were starting to rise.

Hawks was already there whenever I got out of the car, and he quickly gave me a hug. "Himari! It's so good to see you!"

Hugs were the one thing that I was still adjusting to. It felt strange, and I didn't like the way that I felt trapped whenever it occurred, but I knew he meant no harm, and it was over quick. Fuyumi was the worst about it, anything over five seconds made me annoyed.

We sat down, and upon Hawk's recommendation, I ordered a latte with vanilla syrup. He assured me it was a gentle introduction to the world of coffee and I trusted his judgment. As we waited for our drinks, Hawks chatted animatedly about his recent missions and the amusing antics of his colleagues. His energy was infectious, and I found myself smiling more than I had in a long time.

Our drinks arrived, and I hesitated, staring at the cup. Hawks noticed and encouraged me with a warm smile. "Go on, give it a try. I promise, you'll love it."

I took a tentative sip, the warmth of the coffee blending with the sweetness of the vanilla. It was... pleasant. Different, but not bad. "It's good," I said, feeling a sense of relief that I didn't have to pretend.

Hawks beamed, "I knew you'd like it. Soon, you'll be a coffeeholic like me." He chuckled, "Coffee's one of those things that grows on you."

I rolled my eyes, laughing a little bit.

He set his cup down, "So, what would you like to know about UA?"

I took out my phone, I had written most of my questions in my notes app. I read down the list before finally settling on one. "What did you think about the hero course?"

Hawks took a moment to think for a second,"I won't lie, the Hero Course is intense. You've got combat training, rescue exercises, and even internships with pro heroes. It's all about preparing you for the real world, so expect to be pushed to your limits. It is going to be both the hardest and most rewarding thing that you will do. There was many in my class that simply didn't make it."

I nodded, I had expected an answer like that. I wouldn't expect UA to send heroes that weren't ready into the world. 

"Also, as someone who's behind in my academics, will I have lots of support there?" A huge fear of mine has always been academics. I had tried my best to keep up with the old textbooks I was sometimes given in the asylum, but I was still behind.

Hawks nodded, "Definitely. UA has counselors and support staff to help with academic and personal issues. There is even a program in which older students tutor you to help as volunteer work."

I relaxed a little bit. I had already reached out to Principal Nezu and informed him of my situation, but I wasn't sure if he realized just how behind I was. It felt reassuring to know that there would be help.

I scanned my phone again, he had answered some of my questions indirectly without me having to ask specifically. "What are some things you learned at UA that you still use in your hero career today?"

Hawk's eyes lit up, "Oh I could talk about everything I learned for awhile. I would say the main ones are quick decision-making, staying calm under pressure, and the importance of teamwork. These are all things drilled into us at UA that I use every day in the field."

"How do you handle failure, Hawks? Have you ever had a mission go wrong?" In the Todoroki household, failure simply wasn't an option. However, all of us except Shoto had failed the moment we were born.

"I've had my share of failures, Himari. It's part of the job. The important thing is to learn from them. Each failure is a lesson in disguise. I analyze what went wrong, figure out how to improve, and move forward. Dwelling on it won't help anyone.

I had already asked all of the easy ones. The next few ones were personal and it was hard. I took a deep breath."Did you ever feel like you don't have what it takes?" I asked slowly.

Hawks sighed, ""There were definitely times when I felt like an outsider, even after making it to UA. Growing up the way I did, with a lot of pressure and expectations, sometimes I doubted if I really had what it takes."

He paused for a second, "Himari, why do you want to be a hero?"

It took some thinking, but he gave my time.

My answer had always been because I wanted to help people, but I wanted it to be a little deeper than that. It was deeper than that.

"I think..." I said slowly, pausing to make sure I was wording it correctly. "Sometimes while I was in the asylum, I felt terrified. It was as if I was in an unending nightmare. Villains are no joke, and I want to protect others from that."

Hawks smiled, "That is very noble of you. Whenever you feel like you don't have what it takes, I want you to remember this reason. I wanted to help people, to make a difference. Focusing on that goal and finding friends who believed in me made all the difference. It's okay to have doubts; it's how you push through them that really defines you. And trust me, you've got the heart of a hero already."

I smiled, "Thank you Hawks."

Thank you wasn't enough. His words had shown me that even Hawks, who seemed to be the most carefree hero out there, had struggled with similar feelings as me.