The Two Types of Wingmen [Bakawks] - Part 13

[Click for Ch12] 

Katsuki woke with a pair of strong arms wrapped around him tightly and a bladder that was ready to burst. He was so warm, so cosy, but he knew if he didn’t free himself soon there was going to be urine all through Hawks’s wicker, and he was pretty sure neither of them would appreciate that.

“No,” Hawks grumbled, when Katsuki started to wiggle himself free. “Stay.”

“Gotta get up.”

“Nope.”

“I need to pee, you bushtit.”

“Do you have to?”

“Yes, urgently.”

“Fine.” Hawks huffed, releasing him from his snuggly confines. “Be quick.”

Katsuki crawled his way out of the nest quickly, resisting the urge to sprint out of the room to get there a little bit quicker. Honestly, if it hadn’t been his still-pretty-new boyfriend’s house that he didn’t particularly want to blow up, he might have considered using his quirk. He barely took the time to throw the bathroom door closed behind him, flinging the lid up and dragging his borrowed boxers down before it was too late.

A long sigh came out of his lungs as he finally relieved himself, feeling the tension seep out of every muscle in his body. Only then did the gravity of his night finally hit him – he had spent the night with Hawks. Had slept in the same bed, all curled up together like a couple of sappy idiots. And he hadn’t even made one dumb joke to save face.

He washed his hands and headed back to the bedroom, pausing in the doorway, a stupid smile taking over his face as he looked down at the cosy nest.

“You’re such a dork,” he whispered. “Who even are you.”

“Come back to bed,” Hawks grumbled, pulling his head out from under his wing to pout at Katsuki. “S’cold.”

“It’s not cold,” Katsuki snorted, relenting all the same. “Move over you big baby.”

He carefully navigated his way back into the nest, sliding in under warm, soft blankets, and Hawks immediately absorbed him back into a hug, wrapping them both up in his surprisingly soft wing.

“You’re lucky I like warmth,” Katsuki grumbled, smiling faintly all the same. “Gonna make me overheat.”

“Sorry.”

“S’fine.”

“You feeling better today?”

Katsuki nodded against Hawks’s shoulder, peeking up at his sleepy face.

“I think so,” he said quietly. “Mostly just felt tired anyway, so sleep helped.”

“Mm. Good. I told Eraser Head you probably won’t be in class today, so you can take naps if you need them.”

“I can probably go to class. You’d have to drop me off though, wouldn’t get to the train on time.”

“Don’t be silly, rest.”

Hawks held him a little tighter, and despite the grumbles he forced out, Katsuki didn’t bother to argue or pull away.

“You have work,” he pointed out after a minute. “When do you need to leave?”

“Told them I wouldn’t be in this morning,” Hawks informed him, smiling to himself. “Called them last night, said something came up. I never take time off, so they don’t care if I do it just this once.”

“You’re a hero, you can’t just take days off for no reason.”

“There are plenty of heroes. I’ve trained my sidekicks well enough to cover me every once in a while. We can have a nice breakfast, eat it in bed together, then chill and watch bad movies or something.”

“You’re gonna make me breakfast?” Katsuki hummed. “Acceptable.”

“Later.”

“Okay,” Katsuki chuckled, nuzzling into Hawks’s neck. “I’ll wait.”

A flash of orange caught his eye, and he turned his head slightly to investigate, shifting a little to reach for it. Tucked behind a pillow – a normal pillow, thank god, unlike the weird eggs – he found a little Endeavour plushie, faded and worn by what had to be years of love.

“You make me feel things,” Hawks murmured, already half asleep again. “Thanks.”

“What kind of things?”

“Happy.”

Katsuki’s chest ached at that, his grip tightening on Hawks’s back, but Hawks didn’t seem to notice.

“I’m glad I make you happy,” he choked out finally. “You know I care about you. A lot.”

“Mmm,” Hawks hummed. “Me too.”

Compared to the easy-going hero he saw on TV, tired Hawks was like a whole different man. There was no carefully-carefree smile, were no laid-back words like nothing ever bothered him, he was surprisingly vulnerable and Katsuki still wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about that. Knowing what little information he’d gleaned about Hawks’s parents, about the way he grew up under the hero commission, Katsuki couldn’t help but ache for him.

“Meet my parents,” he said quietly.

“Huh?”

“Meet my parents,” Katsuki repeated. “You’ll like them, and I’m sure they’ll want to meet you.”

Hawks’s eyes cracked back open, blinking at him sleepily, and Katsuki felt his face flush.

“I know you don’t talk about yours, but it sounds like they were assholes,” he continued awkwardly. “So you… May as well meet mine, instead. Unless it’s too soon, or whatever.”

“I’d like that,” Hawks smiled, surprisingly genuine. “Thank you.”

“It’s whatever,” Katsuki huffed, cheeks glowing brighter. “You… Deserve a family and shit. The Todorokis are fucked up.”

“They’re a little dysfunctional,” Hawks admitted. “They’re trying. What’s your family like?”

“Just me and my parents. The old hag yells and complains a lot, the old man cries.”

“And that’s not dysfunctional?” Hawks teased.

Katsuki pulled a face, contemplating, and glanced at the plushie still held in his grip.

“Dad got me one of these too, when I was a kid.” He squeezed it, cracking a tiny smile when he felt the speaker box inside, but no sound came out. “I was an ungrateful little shit and just asked why he didn’t get me All Might. I still feel like an ass just thinking about it.”

“You were a kid, kids make mistakes.”

“I’ve never apologised to them for being such a shitty son.”

“I’m sure you weren’t as bad as you think. You didn’t… I don’t know, drop out of school and do drugs? Get arrested? You were just a bit of a brat sometimes. You still are.”

“Shut up, you damn emu.”

Hawks cracked a smile again, but Katsuki couldn’t help but feel like it was a little less genuine than its predecessors.

“I love them,” he admitted awkwardly. “And they love me. That’s the most important, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, for sure. I uh, don’t think mine did.”

“At all?”

“Not my father, at least. Maybe my mother did, a little. She lived a decent life after I became a hero.”

“Thanks for telling me about them. I um, always wanna listen, if you wanna share.”

“You’re such a sap,” Hawks teased, hugging him closer and kissing his cheek sloppily. “I’ll keep sharing.”

“Cool. Um, thanks. K-Keigo.”

Hawks’s lips quirked up, some emotion flooding into his smile, and Katsuki couldn’t help but just lie there and stare at him in awe. He really was so much more handsome when he was happy.

From that moment on, Katsuki vowed to himself, he was gonna keep him that way.

─────

By the time Hawks – Keigo – set him down at the school gates, Katsuki was feeling a thousand times better. Apparently a day in bed with his boyfriend was some kind of magical cure for an oncoming illness – he’d have to keep that in mind for the future.

“Thanks for taking care of me,” he mumbled, when Keigo released him from the death grip they flew with. “Um, are you free this weekend? I’ll call my parents?”

“That sounds great,” Keigo grinned. “If you’re feeling better you can come by the agency tomorrow, I’ll set you up on a patrol.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, you can make me dinner after.”

“I knew there was an ulterior motive,” Katsuki chuckled. “But yes. To both.”

“Good. Now make sure you rest, don’t go wearing yourself out because you’re stubborn!”

“I’m not stubborn.”

“Yeah right,” Keigo snorted. “Alright, go get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Katsuki slid his arms around Keigo’s waist awkwardly, stepping in to hug him, and Keigo just smiled as he wrapped Katsuki up in his arms, holding him close.

“G’night,” Katsuki mumbled, kissing Keigo’s cheek lightly. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Keigo assured him, smiling softly. “Take care, ‘Tsuki.”

He let go reluctantly, stepping through the school gates, and with a last little wave Hawks rose into the air. He flew backwards for a minute, still waving, and Katsuki couldn’t help but smile as he waved back once more, turning around pointedly to let Keigo fly away. He’d quickly learned that Keigo hated to be the one to turn first, so he’d had to get used to doing it himself, to letting Keigo stare at his back for a few minutes before they finally parted ways.

And then, after it had been a safe amount of time, he glanced back over his shoulder to watch the bright red wings disappear into the clouds – but Keigo didn’t need to know that.

“Hey! There you are, Kacchan!” Deku called, jogging over to walk with him. “We were worried about you! Aizawa-sensei said you weren’t feeling well? But you weren’t in your room, did you go home to stay with your parents?”

Katsuki grimaced, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening in, but Deku just waited patiently, that dumb smile still on his face.

“Was with Hawks,” he mumbled finally, feeling his face grow warm. “He wanted to keep an eye on me, make sure I rested and shit.”

“Oh! That’s so nice of him! I guess it makes sense – he’s a top hero after all, he’d have to be nice, but that’s so considerate! Did you see his house? Is it super fancy? I bet it’s huge, he must be so well off, with his career. But he must have-”

“It’s not,” Katsuki interrupted, frowning. “It’s not some huge mansion or whatever you’re thinking.”

“Oh, he’s not that type? That makes sense too.” Deku nodded, fingers twitching as he itched for a pen to write it all down. “He seems pretty down to earth, I should have known he’d be more modest than that! He probably doesn’t want to stand out, either. And after how long he spent down in Kyushu, it’s probably so weird for him up here! I was surprised he wanted to move closer to all the action, he always talks about wishing there was less work, but I guess he’s a hero, after all! He wants to help more people!”

“He picked out a bunch of good sidekicks he trusted to take over in Kyushu,” Katsuki informed him. “With all the shit going on up here and in Tokyo, he probably figured we could use the help.”

“It’s cool of him to move closer just to help out! He must have had a whole life down there, it can’t have been easy to leave!”

Katsuki just shrugged slightly, brushing it off, and Izuku seemed to sense the tension in him, moving the conversation along in a hurry.

“I was thinking about talking to Endeavour.” Deku changed the subject easily. “About work studies. I wanted to go somewhere new for my last few months, but everyone is so stingy with their offers! I mean, I can’t blame them – it’s not like I have the best reputation with the heroes – but I’m sad I couldn’t find anywhere cool to go. I think I could talk Endeavour into taking me back though, Todoroki says he’s had a lot of work so I know he’s busy, but he might like having an extra pair of hands who has worked there before? So I can at least try to convince him! Have you talked to anyone yet? Or gotten offers?”

“Hawks.”

“Oh! He did?! That’s great! Especially since you know your way around the agency, it’ll be easy to settle in!”

“It’ll be cool,” Katsuki agreed, sparing him a glance that made him light up again. “Aizawa okayed it, I’ve just gotta talk to him about hours and stuff. With graduation so soon he might not want to let me out much.”

“I’m sure he will! You’ve always had great grades, and this is important for graduation too!”

“We’ll see, I guess.”

“But for now you should get some rest! You’ve been under the weather, after all. Are you hungry?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Alright, well, you know where to find me if you want anything!” Deku reminded him, pulling open the door to the dorms and waving Katsuki in first. “I can make you dinner, or bring you tea!”

Katsuki paused in the doorway, glancing back at him before he nodded faintly.

“Um, thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”

He tried his best to move through the common area quietly, to avoid being dragged into conversations with a dozen people about his whereabouts, and for a moment he almost thought he’d gotten away with it. He was almost at the elevator doors, his hand already lifting to press the button, when the excited squeal threatened to burst his eardrums.

“Blastyyyyyy!” Mina leapt up from her seat, rushing over to snatch him in a hug. “Have you seen it?!”

“Seen what?” he grunted, shoving her off. “I’m going to bed.”

“The news.”

“What news?”

“Oh my god you haven’t seen it.”

She grabbed her phone from her pocket, thumb moving at record speed as she unlocked it and found something to show him – Katsuki almost managed to sneak away while she was distracted, but her fingers wrapped around his wrist before he could manage.

“You’re famous. Again.”

“Haah?”

She turned her screen for him to look, and he groaned when he saw himself on it, arms and legs wrapped tight around Keigo’s frame as they took off outside his agency. It could have looked totally innocent, could have just been a lift, if not for the looks on both their faces – the way they looked at each other was the sappiest thing Katsuki had ever seen, and a small part of him wanted to punch himself for it.

“You two are so cute!” Mina beamed. “I can’t believe that’s you!”

“Where the hell did you get this?”

“It’s all over the internet! Someone posted it last night and it blew up!”

“Oh god,” Katsuki groaned, leaning back against the elevator doors. “I’d better go call him.”

“And your PR manager?”

“Shit. Yeah, her too.”

“Good luck buddy! I’m glad you’re happy!”

She dragged him into another hug, and Katsuki whined as he shoved her off again, thumping the elevator button frantically to call his escape hatch down to meet him.

“Love you too,” Mina teased. “Hope you’re feeling better.”

“Whatever, asshole.”

─────

Katsuki shifted his weight in his seat, gnawing on his lower lip as he stared up at the ticking clock. He had his backpack open at his feet, ready to sweep his books into at a moment’s notice, but still Ectoplasm droned on and on, scratching numbers on the board with a piece of chalk that Katsuki thought was way too small – it was weirdly irritating to watch him try to write with it.

The moment he turned around, despite being mid-sentence, Katsuki shot his hand up in the air, staring him down insistently. Ectoplasm halted, staring at him for a moment, and as every other eye in the classroom turned to look, Ectoplasm finally looked up at the wall.

“You can go,” he said, without waiting for Katsuki to ask the question. “Finish the chapter in your own time.”

Katsuki was out of his seat before anyone could even blink, books away and bag swung onto his back as he just about sprinted out the door. He called his thanks back over his shoulder as an afterthought, hoping Ectoplasm heard it even though he was sure no one would believe he really said it.

He made it to the train with moments to spare, finally breathing a sigh of relief when he fell into a seat. Waiting for the next train would have lost him a solid fifteen minutes – not long enough to miss the afternoon patrol, but long enough that he’d almost have considered changing into his costume on the train just to make sure he’d be ready.

As it was, he jogged up to the agency with almost twenty minutes until the patrol would depart, hurrying down to the gym area and finding it surprisingly full – he supposed it made sense, the empty periods Katsuki spent there usually happened during patrols, so it stood to reason that it would be full between patrols, but it was still a weird sight to see. He changed into his costume, snagged a locker to ditch his school gear, and got back to the lobby just as the patrol duo for the day met to head out.

“You and the boss, eh?” the older man grinned, ruffling Katsuki’s hair. “No wonder he’s been in such a good mood lately.”

“It’s not like that,” Katsuki grumbled half-heartedly. “He was just giving me a lift.”

“Uh-huh, okay,” the young woman smirked. “Hawks never smiles like that, but sure, just a lift.”

“He’s still in high school,” the man pointed out. “He’s pretty much obligated to deny it until graduation, right?”

Katsuki shrugged awkwardly, and both of them lit up as they laughed, the man clapping him on the back fondly.

“Our lips are sealed,” he assured him. “What should we call you?”

“My hero name, I guess? Dynamite. Um, what should I call you?”

“I’m Skylark when we’re working!”

“And I’m Harpy,” the woman added.

“Okay. Uh, thanks. For taking me along today.”

“You’ve been getting a lot of lectures about behaving, huh?” Harpy grinned. “I remember those days. Relax, Hawks picked us especially for you.”

“He did? Why?”

“Because we don’t give a shit about your language and attitude,” Skylark laughed, lacing up a heavy pair of boots. “You ready to head out?”

“Oh. Yeah, I am.”

“Come on, then.”

He stepped into his own boots at the door, following Skylark outside, though Harpy remained barefoot with her thick, clawed talons. Katsuki had a feeling he might be the only person in the building who didn’t have a bird-related quirk, but he tried to put that thought aside – no need to dwell on whether or not Keigo had invited him purely out of pity or obligation toward his boyfriend.

The pair had a leisurely chat as they began their patrol route, but Katsuki hung behind them a little, quiet. He’d met them both once or twice before, when they’d hung out in various communal areas of the agency, but he wasn’t sure he knew a single thing about either of their quirks. If a fight broke out, he was either going to be flying solo, completely unhelpful, or in the worst case, getting in their way. He should have been more proactive, should have asked for a list of the people he might be patrolling with, or at least their names so he could have sent Deku into a cyberstalking frenzy on his behalf.

“You okay back there?” Skylark asked, glancing back over his shoulder. “You know you’re allowed to walk with us. Talk, ask questions, all that shit.”

“Don’t force him,” Harpy frowned, shoving him lightly. “He doesn’t have to be chatty if he doesn’t want to.”

“His last work study was with Endeavor, someone’s gotta let him know we’re not cranky old men.”

“I interned with Best Jeanist once, too,” Katsuki offered.

“Oh you poor thing,” Harpy groaned, slinging an arm around his shoulders. “No wonder you’re so traumatised.”

“I’m what?”

“I’m teasing!” she laughed, dragging him up to walk between them. “Relax, we’re all friends here! You don’t have to make small talk if you don’t want to, but I promise we’re less uptight than your previous experiences.”

“Exactly, so talk to us,” Skylark reiterated, laughing. “This’ll be a really boring patrol if you just follow along like a lost puppy.”

Katsuki grumbled a little, but he stayed between them, and Harpy shot him a grin.

“So tell us, you been in the boss’s house yet?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it super fancy? Does he live in a mansion? Or a penthouse apartment maybe? What’s it like?”

“Modest.”

“Really? The agency has always been so modern, I thought his house would be the same.”

“He cares about the agency more.” Katsuki shrugged.

“Yeah, I guess he does. That’s super cool of him. So what, it’s like a tiny little apartment with a mattress on the floor?”

“I said modest, not broke.” Katsuki snorted, cracking a smile when they laughed. “It’s just a nice house, nothing fancy or showy.”

He felt himself relax a little as their patrol wore on, getting used to their easy-going nature. He’d gotten so used to the other agencies he’d been to, with heroes who were super uptight or just plain old-fashioned, it was really kind of refreshing to be around heroes from his own generation – or at least close to it.

“So you guys are public now?” Harpy asked, when they neared the end of their route. “Everyone is talking about it, but you guys haven’t said anything yet.”

“Our PR people are talking,” Katsuki mumbled, grimacing. “It’s taking forever, I don’t know what’s going on.”

“I get that you want your privacy and all, but it seems like it would be simpler to just say ‘yeah we’re dating’ and be done with it, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. He doesn’t want to?”

“His PR people originally said he should wait until I graduate.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s older?”

“Barely,” Skylark snorted, stopping to wave to some kids on a playground. “What, five years?”

“Sevenish.”

“Pffft. No big deal, I’ve seen worse.”

“Yeah, that’s nothing.” Harpy shrugged. “My parents were twelve years apart and no one bats an eye at it.”

“They probably weren’t still in high school.”

“Mom was barely out,” she chuckled. “You’re eighteen, aren’t you? Old enough to make a sensible decision. As long as he isn’t, like, a creep. But I hope I would know already if he was. And hell, I’ve never seen him half as happy as he’s been since you two started hanging out, he’s acting like a lovesick teenager anyway.”

Katsuki cracked a tiny smile at that – it was always nice to hear that Keigo was just as sappy and gross when he wasn’t around to see it.

“Anyone who complains can catch these hands,” Skylark agreed. “Hawks deserves some happiness, for once.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Katsuki chuckled, squirming when Skylark slung an arm around his shoulders. “I’ll direct all the shitheads your way.”

“Bring it on!”

He nudged Katsuki ahead as they approached the doors of the agency, letting him step inside first, and Katsuki couldn’t help but smile again when he saw the massive pair of red wings waiting inside. It took a moment for Keigo to turn, but when he heard the familiar voices he whirled around in a hurry, breaking into a grin when he saw Katsuki smiling at him.

“There they are! How was your first patrol? Any problems?”

“It was a boring one,” Harpy lamented, sighing. “Not even a shoplifter to beat up.”

“Really? Lame.” Keigo pouted. “I’m sure ‘Tsuki would have appreciated some action.”

“You’ll have to take care of that instead,” Skylark teased, winking. “Gonna go log the paperwork, see you again soon Dynamite!”

“Yeah. Um, thanks. For having me.”

“Our pleasure!”

Keigo reached for him as the pair headed off to do the reports, and Katsuki let himself be dragged closer, his shirt riding up a little as Keigo pulled on it. A warm finger brushed across his bare skin, and Katsuki blushed, quickly tugging his shirt back down and ignoring Keigo’s little smirk.

“Got a call from PR,” he said quietly. “Sounded positive.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I invited them over to my place, figured it was a bit more private that way. You happy to come along?”

“Obviously. I need groceries though, still gotta cook for you.”

“All good, we have a couple of hours. I got an email from Eraser Head too, apparently you were very polite about asking to be excused today.”

“Shut up,” Katsuki groaned, face burning red under Keigo’s grin. “They were really vague about when I could leave!”

“Well they seemed to appreciate it, Eraser Head says it shows just how committed you are to your work experience or something like that. He says you can come every afternoon for the patrol shift, as long as you don’t fall behind on your classwork. You can leave before your last class, which should get you here in time for a double?”

“Yeah, that’d be awesome. I should be here around quarter to four.”

“Sounds good. I usually do that four to five shift, scout out any signs of villain activity before rush hour starts, so you can hang out with me.”

“You gonna teach me shit or just be a fluffy-backed tit-babbler?”

“Have you been looking up dumb bird names on the train again?”

“Maybe.”

Keigo chuckled, ruffling Katsuki’s hair fondly, and despite being in the middle of the lobby, Katsuki didn’t pull away.

“It’s all business when we’re on patrol,” Keigo assured him. “Then I’ll come back and do my paperwork while you join the last group.”

“And then dinner?”

“Obviously,” Keigo grinned. “And I’ll drop you back at the dorms in time for a good night’s sleep so you can keep up with your classes. But if you start to fall behind, you need to let me know. Work studies and social time are important, but so are your classes.”

“I’ll be fine, halfie and the nerd will give me their notes and I can read them on the train or between classes.”

“But you’ll tell me. If you’re struggling.”

“Yeah, I will.”

“Good boy.”

Katsuki’s stomach swirled a little at the words, but he refused to let it show on his face, grumbling to himself instead.

“Alright, you wanna get changed before we head home?” Keigo asked. “I’m looking forward to this amazing dinner you’ve been promising me.”

“So you should be,” Katsuki preened, standing a little taller. “It’s gonna be the best thing you’ve ever eaten.”

“Yeah,” Keigo smiled softly. “I’m sure it is.”