My Baby Bird

Ch 1

Hawks never told people about his classification, and no one ever questioned what it was. Most assumed he was a neutral, and he never corrected them. He never would. He would never tell them that it was a little, he would never even let them get that idea in their heads.

Hawks knew that there wasn't anything wrong with being a little. He didn't look at other littles and think that they were any less than anyone else. Other heroes were open with their little classification, and it didn't bother him. They were still strong heroes who were fighting for a better future. But when it came to himself the words of the commission would ring in his ears.

"A real hero wouldn't need to do such childish things."

"Heroes have no fear. If you want to be a real hero you'll keep quiet about such infantile emotions."

"A hero shouldn't need help with such simple tasks."

"How can you expect to be able to take care of others when you can't even take care of yourself?"

"Heroes aren't little, Hawks."

He couldn't be a little. He wasn't a little. He didn't regress. That's not how it's supposed to work.

Hawks' apartment was vacant of any little items. Nothing to suggest his classification, though it was on his legal records, his classification was not unknown to everyone. He took precautions to keep those in the know to a minimum. The other pros didn't know, the villains didn't know, the public didn't know, and Hawks intended to keep it that way.

Hawks had woken up to wet sheets again. It wasn't uncommon for him, it happened at least every other week that he'd wake up to find that he'd wet himself in his sleep. He mentally cursed himself for not being more careful and climbed out of the bed, stripping it of the dirty blankets and sheets. He placed them in a laundry basket and trudged to the bathroom, he could deal with laundry later.

Hawks pulled a bottle out of the medicine cabinet, the last suppressant in the small white bottle fell into his palm. He took the pill dry and made a mental note to check the delivery update on his refill. If his refill wasn't nearly there he'd have to avoid work for a few days. Hawks wasn't the only little who used suppressants, certainly not, most littles took them to prevent a slip during work, but most didn't use them to prevent regressing entirely.

Confident that he was safe from falling into little space Hawks stripped of his wet clothes and climbed into the shower. He scrubbed himself clean, trying to keep his wings as dry as possible. He didn't want to leave the warmth, but he had work to do, he couldn't avoid his responsibilities.

Hawks wasn't sure what had inspired him to walk to work instead of flying but there he was walking to work alone. It shouldn't bother him that he was walking alone, he almost always traveled to and from work alone. Today he couldn't help but feel jealous when he saw people walking by while holding hands with someone else. He wanted someone to be holding his hand too.

Hawks pushed the thought away. He didn't need to hold anyone's hand. He didn't need to be dependent on anyone else. But he wanted it. He wanted that simple comfort.

It wasn't an uncommon feeling. In fact, Hawks knew it all too well. He longed for simple comforts he knew he should not crave. Little comforts. Holding hands. Being fed. Playing games. Things he wasn't supposed to have, things he wasn't supposed to do. It wasn't his place to be small or to be treated as such no matter how much he wanted it.

Hawks stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of a storefront. A toy store. It was as though he lost control for a moment. One second he had been walking to work and the next a man was holding onto the back of his jacket. Hawks had tried to run across the street to the store. He hadn't even noticed.

"You've gotta be careful, kid." The man chuckled a bit, "Can't go running into traffic like that, it's not safe."

Hawks wanted to cry. Why did he want to cry? He was fine. He shouldn't need to cry, there was nothing wrong.

Hawks swallowed and held back the tears, "Sorry. Guess I just got a little distracted. Thanks."

It seemed that the man hadn't recognized him and Hawks was thankful for that. He didn't want to risk hanging around any longer and risk anything. The man was quick to stop him.

"Is your caregiver around here?" The man asked, "I don't want you running off into any more trouble."

Hawks willed himself not start sobbing. Why was he so emotional today? Maybe he needed a high dosage on his suppressants. It would explain a lot, it had been getting harder and harder to prevent slips over the weeks prior. He was fine he didn't need anything, he just needed to get to work. He had a meeting he didn't have time for all of this little nonsense.

"I-it's just me, but I promise I'm fine." Hawks replied, smiling to the man.

The man didn't seem to believe him at all but before he could say anything Hawks took off. He couldn't risk walking anymore. He opted to fly the rest of the way. Fewer distractions, fewer people, and he could make up for whatever time he'd wasted on that stupid toy store.

By the time Hawks reached his destination, he was nearly late, taking his seat at the table just before the meeting was supposed to begin. Other heroes were giving him strange looks. Had he done something wrong? He looked alright, didn't he? He was fine.

"Hawks, are you feeling alright?" Hawks wasn't sure who asked but it didn't matter.

Hawks forced a smile, "Yeah, I'm great."

I have no idea where I'm gonna go with this I just really wanted to write a little Hawks story. So if you have any ideas please leave a comment and help me out.