The morning sun had barely started its slow crawl up the horizon when my phone buzzed with a familiar name on the screen: Kaito.

I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I swiped to answer. "What do you want this early?"

"Run," he said, his voice chipper and annoyingly awake.

"Run?" I muttered, still half-asleep.

"Yeah, a parkour run. You, me, and rooftops. First one to UA wins. Unless, of course, you're scared I'll leave you in the dust." His grin was practically audible.

I sat up, my mind catching up. "First of all, you're never leaving me in the dust. Second, you're already at my house, aren't you?"

There was a pause, then a knock at my window.

Of course he was.

Ten minutes later, I was lacing up my sneakers, my bag slung over one shoulder. Kaito was already bouncing on the balls of his feet, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Ready?" he asked, grinning ear to ear.

"Always," I replied, matching his energy.

We hit the streets, and the city became our playground. Alleyways, fences, low rooftops—nothing was off-limits. I darted ahead, vaulting over a trash can before scaling the side of a building with practiced ease. The burn in my muscles was familiar and exhilarating, the wind in my hair as I leaped from one rooftop to another making me feel alive.

Kaito wasn't far behind, his style rougher but still effective. He relied more on brute force, slamming into walls to grab onto ledges and pulling himself up, while I took a more fluid approach.

"Is that all you got, Kaito?" I called back, laughing as I jumped across a narrow gap.

"You wish, Deku!" he shot back, huffing but determined.

The streets below blurred into a patchwork of movement—cars, people, morning routines. To them, we were just flashes of color above their heads, shadows leaping between buildings.

But then, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A blur of red and gold.

"Uh, Kaito," I said, glancing back at him. "We might have company."

"What are you—"

His words died as a gust of wind swept past us, feathers scattering in the air.

"Hawks," Kaito whispered, his eyes wide.

"Yep," I said, my stomach twisting into knots.

Hawks, the Number 2 Pro Hero, wasn't exactly someone you could just outrun. And yet, that's exactly what we tried to do.

We picked up the pace, Kaito and I darting across rooftops like our lives depended on it. My heart was pounding as I zigzagged between chimneys and vents, Kaito not far behind.

"You really think you can outrun a guy with wings?" Hawks' voice called out, his tone almost amused.

I didn't bother responding. Instead, I leaped onto the next rooftop, rolling on the landing and pushing forward.

"You know this is technically illegal, right?" he added, now directly above us. "Rooftops aren't meant for morning jogs, kids."

Kaito glanced at me, his grin gone but his determination intact. "What do we do?"

"Keep moving," I said, my mind racing.

It didn't last long.

In one swift motion, Hawks swooped down, his wings kicking up a gust of wind that nearly knocked me off my feet. Before I could react, he had grabbed both of us by the backs of our shirts, lifting us off the ground like two misbehaving cats.

"Alright, enough with the jokes," Hawks said, holding us effortlessly in the air. "That was more than dangerous."

I struggled, trying to explain. "We weren't—"

"Don't even try," Hawks interrupted, his tone light but firm. "You're lucky I spotted you before something worse happened. What were you thinking, running across rooftops like that?"

Kaito, ever the bold one, crossed his arms. "We were just training."

"Training?" Hawks repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"For school," I added quickly, though I could feel my face heating up.

"Yeah, well, maybe next time, stick to the ground like normal people," Hawks said, rolling his eyes. "What are you, parkour enthusiasts?"

Kaito smirked. "Actually, yes."

Hawks let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "You kids are something else.... UA is getting weird with their students nowadays...."

He set us down gently in a nearby alley, folding his wings behind him. "Alright, listen. I get it—adrenaline's fun, and parkour's cool. But this? This is reckless. Don't let me catch you doing it again this early in the morning.... the police might want to get you, got it?"

We both nodded, though I could tell Kaito was holding back a snarky comment.

"Good," Hawks said, giving us a once-over before turning to leave. "Now get to school before you're late."

We made it to UA just in time, Kaito still grinning like an idiot as we walked through the gates.

"Did you see his face when I said we were parkour enthusiasts?" he said, nudging me.

"I saw him almost dropping you on purpose," I replied, rolling my eyes.

Kaito just laughed, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Totally worth it, though. Admit it—you had fun."

I couldn't help but smile. "Maybe a little."

"Alright, next time, I pick the route," he declared, already planning our next adventure.

"Next time?" I groaned.

But even as I complained, I couldn't deny it. Running, jumping, moving like that—it was freedom. It was life. And even with Hawks nearly grounding us for good, I wouldn't trade it for anything.