Tenko stood on the top of the podium, his right arm wrapped in a sling, his other hand also wrapped and useless. But BOY was he standing there with a PROUD smile on his face!

     You stood on the second place podium to the right of him, about eye level with your friend now. You scanned the chanting crowd with a confident smirk. "I'll get him next year for sure." You'd previously addressed the crowd shortly after losing. It was a little embarrassing walking away after only making second place, but what could be done?

     Taking third place was Tejinn, who, well.. he always wore a helmet, so no one really knew exactly how he was feeling, but he stood there confidently, hands on his hips.

     The current Number One hero, Endeavor, climbed the steps onto the platform to join the teachers and principle. You watched the hero closely, doing your best not to come off as suspicious in any way. The flame hero wasn't making that easy. He kept glancing harshly at you whenever he got the chance, as if he knew something you didn't. You held your breath when the large man of fire stood before you with the second place medal. He finally had his chance to get a fine look at you. The girl presumed to be responsible for his son's death. He hesitated. You bowed to the guy stiffly, hoping that would get the clue across that he was supposed to award you here. Not stand there like a statue.

     The top hero's stiff and shaky arms at last placed the medal around your neck, the words at last coming to him. "You fought well." Really had to force that compliment out. You stood straight again, standing about eye level with the hero. After another awkward glare, the hero tore his eyes off of you and stood before Tenko. The boy was absolutely beaming, a bright, pursed smile splitting his face in half. You watched fondly from the sidelines as Tenko was granted the golden medal.

     Your grin grew. He deserved it.

     Still totally shoulda been yours tho.

----------

     "I'm afraid if you keep injuring yourself like this, permanent damage might be done to your limbs. Might not even be able to use them if you injure them like this again." The doctor spoke solemnly but frankly with the teen standing beside you in the hospital waiting room to go. He still wore those bandages, legs so weak he was almost wheelchair bound as well.

     As the two of you watched the doctor leave with solemn expression, you snickered and rubbed the boy's head. "Maybe you shoulda listened to me when I told you to chill out."

     He pushed your hand off of his head, lightening up a little already. "Yeahh, maybe you're right.. this once."

     "What do you mean?! I'm right most of the time!"

     "I won by the way~ meaning you have to give up that kid's quirk~" Tenko placed his one decent hand on his hip, grinning up at you smugly.

     "Psshhh." You rolled your eyes. "You never agreed to those terms~"

     "Bruh!"

     Chuckling, "Don't worry. I'm gunna put it to good use, stopping the threats that need stopping the most."

     "Oh!" Tenko bounced suddenly. "That's right. All Might told me to give you this!"

     "Give me wha?--hmf!" The other teen wrapped his arms around you and squeezed you tightly. You stood there frozen with your arms up for a moment.

     A hug from...All Might..? Imagining the hero here now, wishing to give you this hug, made your eyes water. You embraced your friend, his hair soaking in a couple of your small tears. "...Thanks.."

----------

     Tenny limped beside you outside the hospital, both of you headed to the cars which would bring you to your respective homes. For you, your "home" was with Jin. Since that was in the paperwork. Speaking of which, your other self was continuing to live a rather peaceful life, now free from school and working with Jin after school hours to fake a normal life for your record.

     "Ay!! You're not leaving without me, are ya!?" Iguchi ran up from behind. He shuffled into place on the other side of Tenko. For a moment, there was just peace.

     "So..." You side eyed the dark haired one. "what's been bothering you all day, Tenny?"
               "Yeah!" Iguchi.

     "Hhhh.. Just more dad drama... As usual." Kicking at a rock he passed. The teen continued to scowl at the ground.

     You scoffed and rolled your eyes. "Ugh, I get what you mean. ..You know, my dad doesn't really want me to become a hero either."

     The boy's neck snapped your way, fear clear across his face, "How did you know it had to do with that?!"

     Your head leaned back, bombastic side eye plus large toothy grin forming something of a bratty look. "Because I know you, man! It's kinda the downside of having friends. They can read you a lot easier than you like to think."
         "Heh, yup!"

     "Hhfffff..." Squishing his chin a little more into his neck brace, "..Guess you're right... Does your dad threaten you or anything?"

     Scratching your chin, "Threatening.. isn't exactly his style... Your dad just do that or something?"

     "Hhhhh... Yeahhh...." Tenko was honestly surprised that the literal lord of the underworld wasn't as antagonistic toward (Y/n) becoming a hero as his own father.

     Iguchi gasped, all sassy like. "He didn't!"

     "...Well d###... What's he threatening to do? Take money? Custody? Literally hurt someone?" You.

     "Ghh.. money. He's been covering half our expenses ever since the divorce... Said if he saw me on TV today...he'd stop."

     "And you...." Iguchi's shoulders dropped, now staring at the ground, eyes full of shock and intense thinking.

     "Oh!.. Well that should be an easy fix!" You skipped.

     "Huh???"

     "I'm RICH!" °⁠▽⁠°

     "..." It took Tenko a minute to register what you meant by that. "Wait, WHAT?!" His cheeks flushed a bright pink, waving his hands around in front of himself, upper body turned to you fully. Iguchi was scratching his chin, too comedically deep in thought to even notice. "Th-th-tha-that's very nice of you! Bu-but I really don't want you to have to do something like that!" 

     "Awwh!" You wrapped your arm around the other's neck, pulling him in close. "What good is all the money sitting in my bank account if not for helping out a friend?! Not like I'm gunna be able to spend it all on my own!" You laughed, completely oblivious to the poor blushing boy trapped in a headlock, so terribly close to your chest. You let him go after the quick squeeze and shoved him away playfully, leading him to bump into Iguchi, which finally woke the animorph from his trance. Tenko was a stuttering mess, unable to collect his thoughts together into something coherent.

     He genuinely wasn't expecting your kindness. Didn't even know how to put his appreciation into words.

     You were staring ahead at the incoming sunset..when suddenly a soft kiss was placed on your cheek. You didn't even know what it was at first. The teenage boy stopped floating, dropped to the ground, and booked it down the sidewalk. Iguchi yelled after him. "WAIT, YOUR LEGS ARE STILL HEALING, D###IT!!" You rubbed your cheek, realizing only then it was his lips which had touched. Your eyes widened a little, blushing faintly.

     Oh... So he liked you like that...did he? ... M-maybe it was best not to think about it too much. Teenage boys can be nonsensical sometimes. So... Maybe he was just teasing you a little!

     Yeah!

     ...Like all friends do.

----------

One of my friends said she kisses her friends on the cheek, (I don't even kiss my mom on the cheek) so let's just say our Y/n here is more like my friend and is just really used to assuming that's what is going on, romance being the furthest thing from her mind.

Either that or she is just in a constant state of denial. Let's go with both.

----------

     You dropped onto the beach, cratering the sand around you. Coughing furiously, you regretted that. Brushing off all the sand, you looked around for the green haired boy who was supposed to be here any minute now to ask you how the Sports Festival went. Even after all the sand was gone from your clothes and hair, the kid still wasn't making an appearance.

     You started to worry a little. Did he get hurt???

     "(Y/n)..." The little voice cooed. You spun, spotting the small one crawling out from behind an old fridge. His eyes were large, rounded, and full of... some kind of fear.

     Your smile dropped. "What's wrong, Izuku?? -Uh?" Katsuki appeared from behind the other. Both emerged slowly. After the two were out in the open, the young Bakugo scraped his feet over the sand, shoving himself between you and his friend. He snarled up at you, big red eyes going unblinking.

     "Whatever you were going to do to Deku, leave him alone!! He can become a hero on his own!"  You retracted your hand that had risen a little, staring down at the two little boys with a soft, saddened look.

     "...Izuku.. Who is this?-"

     "-You know who I am, wench! I told Deku already! You're the lady who stole my quirk! And Deku trusts me more than he trusts you!!"

     "Ah..." Your weight wavered. "I see."

     "We saw your fight in the Sports Festival too!! You're already really powerful! So, what do you want with my friend and why did you steal my quirk!?" The little blond boy wasn't giving you many options to work with here.

     So, you knelt low, down on one knee so you were about eye level with the two young boys. A gentleness in your eyes, you began to tell a story.

     "Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo were raised together to become best friends. However, Katsuki gaining his quirk created a divide between the two friends. Izuku grew up all alone, with no one to lean on but his mom and dead idol, All Might. Katsuki, meanwhile, hung out with the wrong people and grew sourer by the day. The two couldn't be any further from friends... Things started to finally change again, however, when the two boys entered UA. That year, villains attacked the school relentlessly, chasing after someone's secret quirk. So, it was vital then more than ever that the friends turned enemies finally join forces. Together, Katsuki and Izuku defeated the strongest villains in Japan, nay, the whole world. Together, they became the greatest heroes in the world." Katsuki growled and bared his teeth at the tale, however Izuku peeked out from behind him a little more, intrigued more than scared. You chuckled, chin dropping and shaking your head slowly. "..I understand if you don't believe me. I sound crazy, don't I? Two random, little kids growing up to become the world's finest heroes! I wouldn't believe it myself!?" Staring down, you inspected your gloved hand, then removed the glove. You held up your hand, showing them the indent in it. "My quirk lets me give, take, and use other people's quirks. One of the quirks I stole a long time ago lets me see into the future... Sorry I had to lie to you for so long, Izuku.. I'm really not a time traveler... But, what I am is someone who wants to help. Even if you boys don't need me, I still want to help you become the heroes I saw in my vision." You extended a hand to them both, boasting a smile so kind and genuine. "Let's all become heroes..together!"

     Izuku pushed past Katsuki, approaching you carefully at first. Confidently, he took your hand with both of his and shook it firmly. "I'm in!" Gasp. "And no wonder you know so much about quirks!! Yours must be SUPER cool! Does your dad have the same one!?"

     Chuckling, you closed your eyes and tilted your head again. "Yep!"

     "Wooahhh! Is that how I become a hero!? You give me a quirk?!"

     "Sorry, but I can't exactly answer that and risk changing the future."

     "Well if you weren't in the vision then you've probably changed the future already." Though he glared at you, Katsuki grabbed the tips of your fingers and shook them politely, showing at the very least his interest in your offer.

     You sigh/laughed. "Yeah, so true! I probably have... Probably best we not be too hasty though."

     "Ooo! Can I have more than one quirk?! Can I!? Can I!?"

     "Again, probably a little too early to be asking that."

     "Tch. She just wants to keep all the quirks to herself. "

     Gasp. "Do not!!"

----------

     Mid flight back to the Yakuza, you gagged on what you first thought might be a free spirited bug but in a twist of horror expanded out from your mouth as a black substance. It encompassed you completely. Next thing you knew you flew head first into a concrete wall. It was lights out for a second until your body had reconstructed your entire spinal cord.

     "Aowww..." Rubbing your neck, you stood up again, finding yourself in the very heart of your dad's current bunker. "Frickin...heck?"

     "Sorry, I assumed you'd be in your room by now." He sat in his chair, back turned toward you. Strange, you were usually at the center of his attention on these occasional visits to his place.

     "Ugh," the hand on your neck dropping, "even then... Could you at least do your equivalent of knocking?"

     "I suppose..." His eyes were trained on the screen ahead. An uncomfortable amount of silence followed, only broken by the clearing of your throat.

     "What's up?"

     "Come here." He urged you. You tiptoed over wires and cords, then leaned over the man's chair, resting your chin on his shoulder while you watched the video footage he replayed for you.

     It was a clip from today's Sports Festival! Judging by the little bar of windows underneath, he had several recorded videos of the event... all of which in some way centered around Tenko. 

     ...Oh no...

     "I don't recall you ever giving your childhood friend any other quirks.."

     Your head jumped off his shoulder. "-Um, well, yeah! He told me it works kinda different now that he has trained with it s-so much!" You pointed over his shoulder at the screen, specifically at the boy's partially glowing fist as he reeled it back to punch at you. "Told me he figured out how to take control of his own body parts as well, meaning he can throw them around as fast and with as much force as he wants! His body obviously isn't made for that, though, so they shatter like any other arm would!"

     Using his mouse and keyboard, your dad scrolled-in on the boy's arm. "But his quirk doesn't seem to work on... living matter.."

     "It takes a lot of concentration, he says! Heheh. I'm honestly impressed too!"

     "And how strongly do you trust this.. Shimura Tenko..?"

     "Honestly.." Landing your chin on his shoulder again, this time leaning into the back of the chair a little more. "...Tenko could try to kill me and I'd trust it's for the best... Why do you ask?"

     "Hmmm.. nothing, I suppose..." His hand nearest you rose and cupped the left side of your head, holding it still for a moment so he could briefly kiss your right cheek. The same one Tenko coincidentally had smooched no more than an hour ago. "..Just a flicker of hope that my brother's quirk might still be salvageable... Mind looking into it for me..? Since the two of you are classmates."

     "...Sure. I don't see why not."

     "Whatever happened to your mother's quirk, by the way? I was wondering if you might be willing to allow me to borrow it... It's nearing her birthday again and there are times, believe it or not, that I miss her presence more than I'd like to."

     You sighed sadly, leaning your head against his. "...Gone." Your dad flinched. "M' sorry... I..gave it to someone to help them heal..and they vanished with it."

     "....-I'll help you find it." Determined, your dad leaned forward, opening a new browser to a wall of code. You placed your hand on his shoulder and squeezed it firmly.

     "It's no use. Trust me.. I tried."

. . .

     Your dad finally took the hint and fell back in his chair, leaning to the right side right arm propping his torso, right hand digging through his silver hair. "...So then... You really are all I have left.."

     "I'm...sorry."

     "...Hhhhhh... Don't be... It's probably for the best. Family life used to take up a large portion of my life. Now..I can be more constructive with my time."

     "But are you happy, though?" Head turning to his. It was a weird question you had to admit.

     "Tch.." The man smirked. "I can't say I've ever been 'happy' before in my life... At least not in the way it is most commonly described... Though.." Rubbing his chin, the man's eyes wandered around the darkness beyond the many monitors. "Guess there are some descriptions which mention a sort of peace which takes place when one is happy. Specifically the strange, purposeful kind that settles the soul. It is that which I admittedly can relate to. Any time I was around your mother and our children.. peace always followed. Hmh. Got to the point where it was almost addictive at times. Like that feeling was somehow necessary for my wellbeing... Huh." He placed his chin on your hand. "I assumed I always felt that same peace around you because you were carrying your mother's quirk.. but, no... No, guess that's just you."

     You blinked down at this monster of a man a couple times. It was honestly strange how open he was with you about his psychopathy; something you expected him to at least try to cover it up... Guess he had no reason to hide anything. He knew you weren't going anywhere. It wasn't like anything he said was going to change how you already saw him. Or how he treated you in the end. It just..made it a little harder to become emotionally attached.

     Which was favorable, of course. After all, that man was a monster and deserved to be treated as such. There was no hope for him to get any better, so why even try?

     After all, the past can never be changed.

----------

     The neighbor heard a loud, sudden gunshot from inside the other house while trimming his hedges. Fearing for the social recluse of a man who lived next door, he broke in with his trimmers and searched the other man's home, eventually finding him lying nearly dead on the bathroom floor. He'd fainted due to blood loss and most likely shock.

     The man's life was spared by his own poor aim, missing his brain and instead just fracturing his jaw and skull in several areas. He nearly died twice on the trip to the emergency room as well. Even with healing quirk users available, it was a full three days before he was well and conscious enough for anyone to bother visiting.

     The biggest dilemma, however, was that there was no one he wanted to see. Not his inlaws, not his wife, his daughter...his son.

     His.... son.

.   .   .

     Four days after the incident. After the Sports Festival and the fun.. Tenko pried open the hospital door. His father lay in bed, half awake, a sort of dead look in his half open eyes as they stared blankly up at the ceiling. In a haze, the dark haired man didn't even register anyone was here until Tenko's meek voice broke the silence.

     "Um... Hi, Dad..." He knew he shouldn't blame himself for something like this. Tenko knew it. But, that nagging thought in his brain told the teen that his father would still be alright if only he hadn't involved himself in that Sports Festival.

     Mr. Shimura's entire jaw and left half of his face were completely bandaged, save for his eyes, which were fine but inexpressive. Safe to say, the man couldn't talk right now. Tenko gently clicked the door closed behind him. After only a glance at his son, the man grabbed the remote beside his bed and turned on the TV, cranking up the volume so that it would drown out anything else his son had to say.

     He had let Tenko's mother and sister visit earlier...but he explicitly asked that his son not do the same.

     Tenko sighed and dropped his bag by the door, fresh out of UA in his school uniform still. He stood leaning beside the hospital door for a while, simply listening and watching as the man flipped through channels in a desperate attempt to distract himself from his thoughts.

     Tenko crossed his arms and growled at himself. He didn't have to be here! This was nothing but a stupid waste of his time! He'd prefer study than this! Hey, wait, he could actually do that here, since he brought his homework along with him.

     Tenko picked up his bag and strolled across the room, sitting just a little closer to his dad at a small table and chair in the corner of the room. He pulled out all his school supplies and started with the easiest sheet of homework he had. ... He was making no progress. The whole setting was too depressing for him to focus on anything! Still, he had to sit there and at least try.

     After about half an hour, he pulled together his remaining three braincells and finished the English assignment, then slipped that piece of homework away into his bag again. His dad had given up and turned off the TV by then, bored out of his mind but unable to go back to sleep.

     Tenko dragged the chair behind him over to the man's bed and sat down in it, taking this moment to study all the bandages it took to hold his old man's face together. His dad avoided eye contact at all costs. After another awkward moment of silence, he turned on the TV again, volume blasting through the room. Tenko sighed again, staring at the TV for a moment as a commercial about cheese sticks played.

     The teen scooted his chair forward and leaned in, laying his crossed arms on the man's bed and resting his chin within them. The lower half of his face hidden, Tenko stared with puppy eyes through his long, black bangs. His dad kept glancing down at his kid, each time with less and less time between until he just had to do it. Mr. Shimura placed his hand on Tenko's head and pet the boy's hair for a little while, each stroke shakier and shakier. The teen liked the warmth more than he expected. It was a familiar, soft touch. Calming. Tenko looked back up at his dad's face, worried as the other's hand trembled. The elder's eyes were overflowing with tears. Tenko's own eyes burnt and filled with moisture from the spectacle. The man withdrew his hand and turned away as he broke down into an ugly cry, which was drowned out again by meaningless TV ads.

     Tenko's heart ached. He was so torn about what he should do. He remembered the beatings, the nights he was forced to sleep outside alone. (Y/n) tried her best, but she couldn't save him from it all. No doubt this man was not a good father, and Tenko wasn't about to go pretending like he was...

     ...But, what would a hero do in this situation? What would Nana do?

     Well, guess he kinda knew that... His grandma's vestige was crying as well, clinging to the fourth for support and crying into his shoulder. She cared. She wanted Tenko to comfort her son.

     So, Tenny was stuck between two extremes. Either hate and act coldly toward this man, distancing himself from the guy for good.. or embrace him warmly and apologize for things he couldn't control.

     Neither sounded preferable.

     Tenko sat there patiently. He laid his head down on his arms, already half asleep by the time his dad was done crying and choking on his crying. The man sat back against his pillows and exhaled loudly out his nose. Next thing Tenko knew, his dad was fishing for one of his hands to hold. The teen offered up one, which the man held onto tightly. An iron grip that threatened to never let go.

     "A-a-aow!" Tenko's little plea was immediately followed by his dad's loosening grip. But Mr. Shimura still held on firmly. Scarily tight. His eyes filled again with moisture. When he thought he had no more tears left to cry. Again, they came. He held onto his son's hand, even as it got all clammy and gross. He held his boy's hand closely and just...stayed there like that... Never did let go until sleep overtook the man. Only then in his stillness dis he release the boy's hand.

     Tenko carefully withdrew his hand and wiped the sweat off on his pants. He tiptoed away, grabbed his things, and left just as quietly as he came.

     That was the first time he'd even seen his dad face-to-face in over two years... What a wreck he turned out to be in that time.

     Guess it wasn't the hardest thing to imagine. As far as Tenko knew, his father had no hobbies, no friends...and no family either. And though for a little moment in his life he lived happily with a wife and kids.. in the grand scheme of things...his life was rough. From being abandoned by his mom to bouncing around between abusive or neglectful foster homes, he never really had a break, did he?

     ...Though it was hard to imagine his old man ever changing..Tenko was willing to be patient. Be patient and wait. Maybe watch and see what he did from here.

     This was probably just wishful thinking...but, maybe the two could actually get along some day. Be a family again...

     ...Maybe...

     For now, he was sad enough hearing the voice of his grandmother.. quietly crying over the state of her son...wishing she had made a better choice than to leave him behind.

     But the past can never be changed.

-----------

     "The f### are you doing on my bed?" Kai's eyes narrowed, that new bird mask still on as he glared at the large cat curled on his bed. "Out."

     You turned into a human, and sprawled out over his queen size mattress. "Guhh! But your room smells so much better than mine!"

     Growling, "Exactly. Get your filthy a## out of my room or I'll tell Pops." You made pathetic whimpering noises as you hoisted yourself off of the man's bed and waddled out the door. Kai repossessed his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind himself. You huffed and ambled into the living space.

     "Wuh! A girl lives here!?" Some blondie with long side swept hair shrieked. You fixed him with a glare.

     "Who are you?"

     "Nobody important, I can assure you!" The tall lean blond bowed flamboyantly. In one arm he held a trash bag full of what was left of his personal belongings. His clothes were a little torn and ragged. Fresh off the streets, looks like.

     "That's Toya Setsuno." Kai approached from behind, hands in his pockets. "Found him on the streets just like you."

     "Oh! So you're one of the Bullets?!"

     "The what?" Sounded familiar..

     "Technically, no." Addressing his new follower. "This is Death Angel." Gesturing loosely to his left at you. "She's on a rank of her own. Above the Bullets but under me. Don't mess with her or she will kill you." You smirked smugly. "-But you don't have to treat her as a superior or anything. She's just my fiance." You frowned.

     "Your fiance??" Disguised, the blond fell a step back. "Isn't she like forty years older than you or something? Or am I misreading the ugly wrinkles?"

     "He-hey!" You stomped angrily. "I was born with the white hair and the wrinkles have to do with my quirk!!"

     "Hmf, he's kinda right though.." Kai turned back toward his room, stopping only a moment to look you in the eyes. "..they are pretty ugly." You gasped silently, but your mind was too full of words to speak a single one. The glint of bright blue slowly faded away. Your face started to itch.

     ...He was right. These were the physical downsides to your quirk.

----------

     Standing a foot shorter than usual was weird. You were now only an inch above average here in Japan, meaning that crowds seemed that much more daunting all of a sudden. The guys' shoulders were all about eye level, the other women no longer tiny pipsqueaks so tempting to head-pat. Because of the sudden change, all your own clothes were now too big for you to wear. Good thing that was fashionable around here.

     Large, boxy sunglasses hid your eyes and all the dryness around them. Your hair now dyed a dark brown so you fit even easier into the crowd.

     Walking along the bustling city sidewalk, you neared a cafe, spotting somebody familiar already seated at a table for two outside. You pretended not to notice or care about the new hero in his casual clothes, entering the small gated area of the shop. Walking by the guy, you lightly pinched one of his feathers. The young man tugged his wing back, eyes on the menu until you plopped into the chair across from him.

     "Sorry, that seat's already taken."

     "Relax, man, it's me." You smirked. Keigo's head jerked up at once, squinting at you for a moment.

     "(Y/n)?... You.. shrunk!"

     "Ahah.. yeahh." You touched the back of your neck, eyes wandering away. "My dad doesn't really use this quirk anymore, so he let me keep it."

     "Must be really weird being able to share quirks so casually like that." Keigo kept looking up and down, between you and the menu in his hands.

     "Eheh. Well, I got pretty used to it growing up. It's just like trading cards or forms of currency. We even made a game out of it called Go Hero!"

     "How's my quirk been doing for ya, by the way?"

     "Beyond useful! I use them to travel everywhere!"

     "Niiiice.." A waitress stopped by and asked the two of you for your orders. Hawks got a very complicated drink I don't care enough to write, and you just ordered some water. "So, you're still in contact with your dad then?"

     "Yeh. Don't wanna risk telling you guys where he is right now, though. That could jeopardize a lot of things."

     "Oh really~?" The young man leaned over the table, both his elbows propping up the woven hands which held his chin. You rolled your eyes. He couldn't see it.

     "Yeah. He likes to base in really densely populated areas. That way he either has a lot of easy hostages should the heroes attack him, or an easy warning call by noting the crowds being cleared away. He's been doing this for more than a hundred years now, so I wouldn't recommend attacking him where he is most comfortable."

     "Then what would you suggest?" The lady came by with your drinks. You both thanked her kindly.

     Stabbing at the ice with a straw, "Dunno really. Still trying to figure out that part myself. There aren't really that many times when he crawls out of his hole--" You stopped, mind racing for a moment. "...By holy bajeebus, I think I have a plan!"

     Hawks dropped his hands on the table. "Pray tell~"

     "There's an animorph outside of the city somewhere that's chained up like an animal. He's not trusting enough to let us free him or anything, so every night my dad has me bring the poor guy some food to eat, since his parents are actively trying to starve him to death."

     "Oh snap."

     "There's a third party involved. Kurogiri. His quirk lets him create portals, which is also how we are able to reach the animorph so easily." You leaned back in your chair, smiling at how smoothly all of this was sliding into place. You rested a hand against your chin. "If I'm too busy to feed Machia, then my dad usually fills in for me. So then imagine him stepping through that portal, finding an army of heroes waiting for him. He tries to escape, but by then I've already stolen Kurogiri's quirk. If we arrested the Doctor by then, he'd have no one to teleport to in order to escape~" An evil grin played. This was almost too good. The plan might need some tweaking, but..

     "Hm..." Hawks' head bobbed some. "Solid plan."

     "Best part is it isn't really complicated either; less room for human error."

     "Hah! Yeah, you're right about that."

     "Of course I am. I'm Princess of The F-ing Underworld."

     "Pf--!" Hawks nearly choked on his drink. You laughed as he slapped a hand over his mouth and swallowed carefully. "Geez, you need to warn me next time you make a joke like that!" You laughed even harder, almost tipping over in your chair.

     Things settled down. You both smiled passively now, watching the passers-bye.

     Killing the silence, "How'd you know my real name anyway?"

     "Hm?" Mouth releasing the straw.

     "You know.. That time at the fair."

     "You remember that? Heh, not even I do."

     "Well, of course I do. That name has since been erased from every possible record. That life, that me, it should all be dead." The young man sat back in his chair, tilting his head back a little. That smirk twisted into something a little more serious. Almost a grimace, but not exactly.

     You removed the temptation of sipping on your straw again by sliding the glass away, staring ahead at the guy now. You shrugged. "Can I just say I'm good at guessing?"

     "That'sss.. not exactly how it works. You explicitly used that information as a threat, hinting you may know a lot more than you need to."

     Crossing your legs and clasping your hands together, "If it makes ya feel any better, I can't recall your last name, I no longer have access to that window of information, and I was the only person who possessed that information in the first place. And no, I didn't share it with anyone else."

     "Then how much do you know about the HPSC?" The moment Hawks leaned forward with those gold eyes of his prying at you for information, you recognized the truth. This was all just an interrogation disguised as a cute meet-and-greet.

     You sighed, rubbing your forehead. "I... don't exactly know how to answer that." Hawks' left brow lifted. You chuckled nervously. "Genuinely, I don't know how to answer that."

     The shap tip of one of the hero's smaller feathers pressed against your throat. Your eyes widened slightly, breath seizing. Not so much because you were genuinely scared, but because this only proved how serious Hawks was about this. And...guess that makes sense.

     You should have never uttered that boy's name.

     You delicately plucked the feather and disintegrated it, frowning as all that ash fell down your shirt... Ugh, serves you right for wearing the one v-neck shirt you own today. You'd have to clean up that mess later. For now, you just pulled your sunglasses down, revealing to the eighteen year old the very 'bruh' look in your eyes.

     You pulled out your phone and glanced at the time. "Meh, it's about time for me to leave anyways. Thanks for meeting me here. If you need anything else~ you'll have to set up another time."

     Just like that, Hawks' serious attitude slipped away, replaced with something much more playful. He stood up at the same time as you did. "It was fun. How about next time we go shopping or something?"

     You faked a grin, kind of trapped standing there since he stood in the middle of the isle. "Hehe, yeah, but I'm not paying for everything like last time!"

     "Oh don't worry. I got'cha covered!" He laughed, but it was hollow and cold. Now... now you understood. Everything from the direct questions, the distracting grins, and even the tiny ear-piece you never saw but knew was there just because of how many times he subconsciously tilted his head a certain way or hovered a hand around near it, you had the clear picture now.

     This young man was acting. Playing his part. Doing what he was raised to do by and for the HPSC.

     ...You weren't looking at a person. You were looking at the mask of an entire organization. One which, if you recalled correctly, was doing hanus things behind the scenes and sweeping all of it under the rug.

     ...Hawks wasn't your friend. He wasn't trying to become your friend.

     He was just a puppet doing his masters' bidding, which so happened to involve you.

     The following played out like a practiced performance. Your guard had lifted and he could see it plain as day. Your smile was fake. His was fake. Your laughter was forced... His as well.

     The two of you briefly exchanged ideas for where to meet up next. In a little bit of a rush, you agreed to make your final decisions over text. Then, together you left the cafe, turning down the sidewalks and blending into the crowd going opposite ways.

     The moment your backs turned to each other, all the smiling and giggling ceased, knowing the other person did the same.

     Hawks rolled his eyes, sighed, and touched the device in his ear. "Yeah, she's definitely aware... But.." he glanced over his shoulder, spotting only the tippy top of your head in the crowd. "...I think she's willing to play along."

     If this was what it took to get involved in the mission aiming to take down your father, you were fine with it. But you wouldn't get emotionally invested in this hero. Nah, you didn't have the mental energy for emotions on top of all these mind games soon to come.