Flying Free: My Hero Evolution Wings of Change (X-Men/My hero crossover)

Chapter 33: Wrap Up

"Hawks? Can you hear me?"

Hawks marinates in the sweetness of Jean's voice, a welcome contrast to the immense pain shooting through his body. She grabs his hand and continues.

"Hawks, please, PLEASE just open your eyes." She sobs.

"Sensei," Tokoyami says, "the police are here."

Hawks' eyes open slowly. After many reorienting blinks, Tokoyami and Jean come into focus. Hawks pauses for a moment to take in his loyal companions' care.

His body shivers against the cold floor as Jean places her hands under his pounding head. Hawks closes his eyes again with a deep sigh.

"ARGH!"

The deep roar towards Hawks feet shoots him to a seated position. Bison is lying with his feet facing Hawks' feet, seemingly feeling about as terribly as Hawks.

Hawks raises his head to see Logan talking to the police while taking the final villains into custody. The sound of Bison's grunt sends Logan and a husky police officer running towards them.

"Good to have you back, Feathers. I thought you birds would have learned by now that you can't fly through windows." Logan teases.

"Geez, thanks for the sympathy, Silver Claws." Hawks smirks.

Hawks peers around the warehouse filled with mounds of broken loot. Nearby Deku and Kurt are tending to Kitty's injured leg.

Hawks shakily stands as Logan and the officer approach. "Not so fast, Feathers. You need to rest. Red, you and Blackbird get Feathers out of here. The med kit is in the X-Jet. We'll finish up here and meet you there soon."

"But I need to-"

"Rest. We've got this, Feathers."

Jean and Tokoyami stand on either side of Hawks as he drapes his arms around their shoulders to use them as crutches. As they step outside, Hawks looks back one more time around the warehouse before they close the door. His eyes land on Kitty. Go home Hawks, he remembers reading Rogue's edit to his letter from the infirmary bed. You're going to get yourself hurt.

His heart sinks at the thought of another loyal friend injured. Right before turning his head back forward, Kitty makes eye contact with him from across the room.

"I've never seen bad-assery like that, Hawks. Thanks for saving my life." She shouts to him.

Scott, sulking in the background, scoffs as Hawks turns back to the door.

The smell of the fresh air outside is intoxicating. Hawks relaxes into the sturdiness of Jean and Tokoyami's support. Despite his excruciating pain,he is overcome with a calm unfamiliar to him. Time freezes, and, for just a moment, he feels like a child with his two best friends on a summer afternoon. A dream unrealized at the most unexpected time. Friends. Hawks thinks, as they continue into the sunset.

Dabi's eyes glow from the shadows watching as Jean and Tokoyami lead away the injured hero. "Well, well, looks like that bitch saved his sorry ass. Too bad. It looks like I have a mess to clean up, but that shouldn't be too hard. He looks horrible." Dabi turns, walking down the alley smirking. "After all, no one crosses the league and lives." He says as he begins trailing the trio.

**********

"Kei what's wrong-?" Jean asks as she opens the door to the X-Jet. "I know that was a long walk. You'll get some rest soon-"

"Shh! We're being watched." Hawks peers  behind him through his wings as he pulls Jean and Tokoyami closely into him.

Jean pulls out of Hawks' embrace to face him. Touching his cheek, she sighs. "Hawks, nobody is out there. You're still on alert from a hell of a fight. We are safe. Please, just come into the jet and get some rest. You aren't looking too hot-"

"Wha.. come on I'm dashing devil." Hawks says, turning to scan the surrounding area again.

"Hawks, your smooth talk doesn't fool me. Inside the jet." Jean teases, stomping her foot and pointing.

Hawks chuckles, too tired to fight her. I hope she's right. He thinks, looking one more time behind him as they enter the jet.

"How did you guys find us?" Hawks asks as Jean guides him to the floor in the back of the X-Jet and Tokoyami fetches the medical kit from the cockpit.

"We can talk about all that later, Keigo. Relax."

Jean sits on the floor next to Hawks and cuts his shirt off him to examine his back.

"That feels so..."

"Shhhh" Jean responds softly as she pulls his head into her lap and begins running her hands through his hair.

"You're an angel, Chickadee." Hawks says through long, mostly unconscious blinks. "I love -" Hawks begins, then falls asleep.

***********
As Hawks sleeps, Jean and Tokoyami continue mending his wounds.

Buzzing from Hawks' pocket cuts through Jean and Tokoyami's quiet chatter. Jean telekeneticly fishes Hawks' phone out of his pocket.

"Speaking of the devil." She says to Tokoyami as she moves the phone to her face. Against the nonverbal warnings from Tokoyami, Jean answers the phone.

"Hello?" She starts as innocently as she can fake. "Oh, I'm sorry. He's a little... he just finished a mission you sent him on and... well... with all due respect, what the fuck is wrong with you people?!"

***********

Still shaking from her conversation with the HPSC, Jean sits on the floor with Tokoyami trying to console her. Suddenly the door opens and Logan walks in with the rest of X-Men trailing behind him.

"How is he?" Logan asks, looking over to where Hawks rests against Jean's hand, gently combing through his feathery hair. "It's bad, Logan. His whole back is reopened."  Jean's eyes stayed glued to Hawks sleeping peacefully on her lap.

As the X-men take their seats Logan walks towards the cockpit but is unintentionally blocked by Scott, who is staring stone-faced at Jean with Hawks.

"Something wrong?" Logan asks him.

"What? No." he says, turning back around. "Let's go home. We got what we came for." Scott replies as he leads Logan to the cockpit.

Logan sighs. Kids, why can't they just admit it already?

*********

Hawks jolts awake, frantically searching his surroundings. 'Where am I- AGH?" Hawks doubles over in pain. "Keigo, hey lay back down." Jean voice rings in his ears as her arms gently grasp his shoulders. Hawks glances up to meet her emerald eyes. "Jean" he blinks as she pushes him gently back down. "How- how long have I been out?"

"6 hours. We're back in the US. Its around 5:30 PM, you slept the whole trip back here." Hawks turns his head to see Logan and his father in the room as well. Jean sits back down in the chair next to his bedside. "Chickadee?" Jean asks, smirking.

Heat rises to his cheeks, "you- you weren't supposed to hear that." He stutters, partially hiding his reddening face in the sheets.

"I think we'll leave you two alone," Professor X gestures to the door.

Logan glances from him to the two young adults smirking. "Good call Chuck. Catch later Red, Feathers."

"I can deal with Chickadee." Jean says, leaning closer to Hawks.

"You- wha?"

"I was hoping someday I would get promoted to a nickname from you. It's cute... and so are you."