HotWings

Your Coat

Tokoyami was apparently the one who had saved Hawks.
The young bird boy had been in and out of the hospital all week, checking in on his previous mentor.
Every time anyone came to check on him, Hawks would put on the biggest grin, talking about how he was sad to have missed out on the rest of the fight but was grateful he'd played a part.
Every time he asked about what happened to the League, no one ever answered.
They'd conveniently have to leave directly after being asked.
So when Endeavor came to visit on a cold Saturday night, he wasn't expecting the news he would hear.
"I won't sugarcoat it," the man mumbled, taking a seat across from Hawks's hospital bed.
"All our efforts, were in vain."
No.
No.

NO.

Best Jeanist...

Twice..

They couldn't have died for nothing!

Dabi's heart couldn't have been broken for nothing...

"What do you mean, Endeavor-san?" The winged hero's voice was dangerously calm, barely a whisper.
"We arrested the vast majority of the crowd, including All For One's doctor." He rubbed his neck. "Do you remember what happened?"
"What?"
"What Dabi said to you?"

Just like that, Hawks felt memories swirl around him.

He watched like a movie as the scene unrolled before his eyes.

He was on the ground, Dabi towering over him.

"Takami, Keigo," the villain hissed.

Hawks watched his memory self scrunch his face in disbelief.

"Who are you?"

His question was met by a sharp laugh.

"Who the hell are you?" He spat, more force behind it this time.

Dabi smiled.

"My name is-"

Hawks was snapped out his memories from Endeavor speaking again.
"That being said-"
Wait... What being said?
Hawks hadn't been paying attention-
Oh well.
"The League escaped."

Hawks was released from the hospital a few days later.
His burns were still bad despite having lots of help from countless doctors, with or without quirks.
It was no use.
He would always have a reminder of what he had destroyed.
So now he sat at his empty desk, tears trailing down his face.
They had managed to save his left eye, but it's coloration was distorted.
Instead of golden, it was now a sickly milky yellow.
The left half of his face was wrinkled and tainted pink from burns.
He deserved it though.
His wings weren't back yet, though, some feathers had finally started sprouting back in.
When he had returned to his apartment, it was cold.
It felt foreign.
Nothing seemed touched though, so that was good.
He glanced up at the photo framed on the wall.
He was met back with the smiling faces of the League.
Another tear slithered out.
He grabbed Dabi's letter, crinkling the paper in his shaking hands.

"I love you. I always will."

Stared back up at him hauntingly.
He reached behind his back, yanking out a feather.
It was only the length of his thumb, but it would do.
He glanced down at his bare arm, it was almost flawless aside from the slight burns.
It was time to fix that.

The next day...

Hawks stumbled up to the front gates surrounding the Todoroki household.
He wasn't sure why Endeavor had wanted him to come here, but he had taken a taxi as soon as he could.
He jumped at every little sound on the way over, thinking everyone could see through him.

Thinking everyone knew what he had done to himself the previous night...

He tugged his sleeve, making sure it was in place as he buzzed the buzzer.
Before he could speak, the gate swung open, and there was no running now.
He walked along the path to the house, dragging his feet behind him.
It was too much work.
When he reached the front door, it opened wide.
Hawks blinked up at Endeavor who was dressed in a simple T-Shirt and shorts.
He stepped aside as the smaller man entered.
The door shut with a click.
Hawks swallowed nervously.
"May I take your coat?"
Hawks wrapped it tighter around himself. "No thanks!"
He and Endeavor made their way down a hall and into a spacey living room.
The larger man plopped down in  a wide recliner and Hawks sat on the couch in front of him.
"I don't mean to be rude but," Hawks looked up at his idol, but couldn't hold his gaze and quickly looked away. "What did you need from me?"
"Nothing particularly. Just thought you'd want company."
The wing hero laughed half-heartedly. "Becoming soft, eh Endeavor?"
There was a short burst of flame. "No."
Hawks leaned back, welcoming the couch's squishy and all consuming embrace.
They sat in silence for a long while until Endeavor finally asked if Hawks wanted to watch a movie.
Not wanting to go home and be all alone again, he had said yes.
Now he was following the bigger man up to a large room.
There was a bed in the center, the sheets rustled on one side while the other side looked like it hadn't been touched in years.
There was a nightstand on either side of the bed.
The left nightstand had a book on it, dust coated it's cover.
The other nightstand was empty, save for a framed photo of a white haired woman smiling as she cradled a red headed boy.
The room itself was a cool gray tone, making the dark oak floors stand out.
"Nice place," Hawks observed.
Endeavor grunted, crouching before a long dresser that sat opposite of the bed.
He stood a moment later, a stack of disks in hand.
"Anything in particular you want to watch?"
Hawks shook his head, feeling uncomfortable.
Endeavor had those same blue eyes as Dabi and it was started to unnerve him.
The bigger man plopped a disk into the DVD player, clicking the TV on.
"Make yourself at home."
Hawks removed his shoes before sitting awkwardly on the untouched left side of the bed.
Neither one said a word as the other man sat down on the opposite side of the bed, leaving a decent amount of space between them.
The movie playing was Love Kennedy.

Movie summary:
A girl who had some disease or another that basically ate her life away
It claimed her sight and then took her hearing and ability to move.
By the end of the movie (it's a Christian movie) the daughter was so ruined that the dad finally held her one last time and asked God to take her home.
She then passed away.

At the point in the movie where the dad was crying, holding his daughter tight, Hawks looked over at Endeavor.
Endeavor's face was red, and there were tears in his eyes.
Catching the smaller man looking at him, he promptly shut off the movie, wiping his face on his shirt.
Hawks cast his eyes to the floor, not sure what to say.
That poor girl.
That Kennedy girl from the movie had had rotten luck all her life but smiled through it all.
But her hope wasn't enough to save her in the end.
Life wasn't fair, was it?
Hawks wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead.
It was hot in here.
It was probably because of Endeavor.
He tugged the armpits off his jacket away from where the clung to his body.
"You don't have to wear your coat indoors if you're hot." Endeavor shot him a concerned glance.
Fuck.
He totally knew.
Hawks had literally cried admitting to him that he had struggled with self harm in the past.
He could probably see right through him.
He stood, grabbing his shoes and making his way to the door.
"This was all fun and dandy but I really should be going," he called over his shoulder.
Endeavor followed him downstairs, which only made his anxiety heighten.
He slipped his shoes on, watching the bigger man out of the corner of his eye.
His sleeve pulled up and he was grateful his gloves covered his wrist.
Just as he thought he was in the clear-
"One thing before you go."
Shit.
He knows.
Hawks turned to face him. "Yeah, big guy?"
In response, he was wrapped in arms, his face smooshing against a rather large peck.
He felt his face redden.
Sure he wasn't in love with Endeavor but he totally had a kiddish man crush on him.
Pulling away, he averted his gaze.
"You are loved, Hawks. Don't forget it."
He nodded, and with that, began his walk home.