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The distant ringing of your phone brings you to the surface of consciousness. You turn away from the noise, hoping it’ll stop soon, but it didn’t. Irritatedly, you open your drowsy eyes, reaching out to the nearby bedside table where the damn thing was ringing its little heart out.
“Am coming, am coming…” You groan as you sat up to read the caller’s ID. It was Hawks. Weird. He usually never calls in between work, you thought, not because he doesn’t want to or because it’s unprofessional bullshit, but because he was afraid of the commission getting close to you. He expressed this countless times before, and so you have debated on answering.
“Ah fuck it.” Grumbling, your worry overtakes your mind as you press the accept button on the screen.
“Ah. Y/N-san?” An unfamiliar but friendly voice answers the phone, making your eyebrows furrow.
“Yes..?”
“Ah, I’m glad you answered! I’m one of Hawks’ sidekicks,” he starts, and the relief was palpable on both sides of the line. “Forgive the sudden request but, can you make it to the agency immediately?”
Worry and panic settled in deep within you as you quickly made your way over the number two hero’s agency. The raging emotions within you continued to eat away at you as you made your way over to the information desk. They ushered you in just as quickly. Your finger drummed on your arm as the elevator made its way up the building, and the silence did nothing to quell your pretty little mind. You watch as the floor numbers lit up every time you pass a floor. The closer you got to his penthouse office, the more nervous you got. As the elevator dings and the doors open, you swallow the lump forming in your throat as you walk out. The reception desk outside was empty, but you could make out the figures beyond the frosted glass walls. You push the glass doors open as all the eyes in the room whip to you.
“Ah! You must be Y/N-san!” One of the sidekicks, you guessed, who was on the phone with you earlier, makes his way to you.
“Y-Yes.” You manage to mumble as you made small steps towards Hawks’ office table. It was neat compared to what you have imagined, but there was no one sitting on the chair behind the desk. Instead, you spy a small tuft of unruly golden hair in his arms. “Is that..?”
The little boy looks up at you. His golden eyes were rimmed red and cheeks dirty with grime and dust. His shirt was tattered, wing holes were inappropriately ripped to accommodate his tiny crimson wings protruding from his back. He looked confused, lost even, as he bit on his lip, holding what seemed was an Endeavor plushie.
“Hawks has been hit with a quirk of some sort. It made him regress to his childhood, or so it seems.” The sidekick was visibly confused. “It wasn’t a villain if we were being honest. A kid suddenly manifested her quirk in the nearby neighborhood, and we were called in to assist. Hawks told us that if worse comes to worst, we should call you.”
“I see...” You couldn’t take your eyes off of him. You guessed that he had a rough childhood, but you did not imagine it to be this bad. No one in the room expected the number one hero to come from such a background. “May I?”
“Ah, of course.” As you open your arms to him, you give him a warm smile.
“It’s okay. Can I take you home?” His eyes seemed to gleam for a moment before it reverts back to confusion. “Ah. You might be a little bit confused, but it’s your home, in a future you have built.”
“Home..?”
“Mhmm. Wanna go rest? Take a bubble bath? Then we can get some chicken after if you want.” You offer him, and it didn’t take long before to nod as his tiny hands reached out to you.
As a precaution, you told the sidekicks involved that they should keep a tight lip about the incident. They should wait until Hawks the quirk’s effects wear off until they report anything. For now, you told them to handle the agency as he recovers.
The little meeting of some sort didn’t last long. With a child in their midst, you all agreed that it wasn’t proper for people to discuss him like he wasn’t there. You were both allowed to leave the agency, and as you both drove over to his place, little Hawks only sat in silence. Eyes glued to the scenery outside as his eyes darted all over the place, admiring the tall buildings, shops, and throngs of people on the streets.
“Keigo.” You spoke gently, but he still flinched at the sound of his name. “Sorry about earlier. Future you wouldn’t have liked it if you were called by your real name in the office… or so I would like to think anyway.”
“Why…”
“Hm?”
“There’s… there’s nothing to apologize for. I am used to not being called by my name.” He mumbled the last part more to himself than anything. To say that it broke your heart was an understatement. This was a child, a tiny being that required love, care, and affection, and yet he seemed to be used to an adult’s harsh world at a young age.
“Well, we gotta change that, won’t we?” You say as you pull up to a more secluded neighborhood. Rows and rows of elegant houses lined the streets, and as you reach the largest one in the area, his eyes seemed to gleam and enlarge like discs.
“This is home.”
The small excited taps of his little feet against the wooden floors of the large modern Japanese flat was something you wouldn’t forget. He explored the first floor excitedly, but he remained silent except for the tiny little gasps that fell from his lips.
“Future-you worked hard, huh?” He gives you a small nod, golden eyes gleaming with excitement. Well, at least that’s better than before.
“Okay! I promised you a bath and a snack.” You remark as you peek at the time. “It’s a little bit after lunch, but I think I can still make you a bento if you’d like? Then prepare a warm bath after. Would you like that?”
“Yes… please.”
You dutifully prepare a lunch box for him. You sat him at the breakfast counter, legs dangling and playfully swinging as he watched silently. It made you troubled that this was the same man that is full of charisma and confidence. The way he caved in on himself speaks for itself. Something must have happened to him during his adolescence that changed him.
As you continued to cook, he lets out a satisfied hum as the delectable aroma wafts in the kitchen.
“Won’t be long now.” You tell him as you place it in a small bento box. The little treat box was full of what a kid would love, octopus sausages, little nuggets in different shapes, and a bit of veggie on the side. “Here you go. Lunch is served!”
The excitement in his eyes was evident, and funnily, you’d think this was the first time he’d seen such a bento… but with the state that he was in, tattered shirts, dirty hands, and dust-covered face, it wouldn’t surprise you if it was.
“Alrighty, I’ll go run a bath while you eat, okay? I’ll be back in a moment—” The almost immediate tug on your sleeve came to you as a surprise. He didn’t look up at you, but he bit down on his lip. It was the same expression he wore when you first met him, and your heart immediately melts. “... or maybe not. Hmm… I’m a little hungry. I might munch on some of the leftover nuggies with you then.” You give him a wink, and his little frown reverts back to a small smile.
You sat with him, silently eating as he ate his food enthusiastically. You ate slowly, noticing the small details about the boy before you. He looked so different from the man you knew and fell in love with. It was hard to believe this little bird would grow up to be such a reliable hero, or maybe it’s because of his background that he became one of the most reliable heroes in Japan. Conflicting thoughts swirled in your mind. You knew Keigo always had a hidden past, and this wasn’t a fair way to ask about it. You watch as he slowly finished off the remaining of the nuggets you prepared. Hm. I guess he likes the same stuff too. You smile as he clasps his palms together.
“Thank you for the food.” He gives you a shy smile.
“You’re welcome, darling.” You remark as you take the bento box and place it on the sink. “Now, would you like a bath?”
His little wings seemed to shiver as he slowly dipped himself into the warm waters of the tub. You had helped him wash the dirt off of him in the shower before ushering him into the tub. The little boy stared blankly at the ceiling of the bathroom, fully relaxed and comfortable as his angry honey-hued locks stuck to his forehead, their usual fluff nowhere to be seen. You set aside a towel on the nearby rack.
“Comfy?” You ask him, pointing to the bubbles as he nodded with a soft smile. “Good. You can stay here for a bit until the water cools off if you want to.” You tell him as you walk towards the door.
“Where are you going?” His voice sounded uncertain, eyes widening with worry.
“Nowhere. I’ll be outside, I promise. And I’m waiting for one of future you’s sidekicks to bring you some clothes because whatever we have here would be too big, yeah?” You tell him as you ruffle his hair. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
It didn’t take long before the said sidekick arrives with a bag of clothes. You thank him for the assistance and walk back to the bathroom. Surprisingly, you see small shoulders hunched on the doorway in a bundle of a wet towel, shivering from the cold.
“Keigo, didn’t I tell you to call me if you needed anything?”
“I… I heard the door open, and I thought you left.” The sad smile you gave him made him bite his lip. You pat his head before taking him to your arms before you made your way towards his bedroom.
“I’m not going anywhere.” You tell him as you set him down on the side of the bed. You take another towel from the drawers to dry his hair with. The grime and dust seemed to have melted away in the bath, but you couldn’t say it was the same with the uncertainty that lingered in his eyes. His golden orbs seemed so innocent yet so tired. They seemed to have seen so many unpleasant things despite being so young. You dressed him up in the small PJs that the sidekick has brought you. He yawns, eyes drooping as you finished combing his hair and preening his little wings.
“Sleepy?”
“... a little.” He admits as he yawns again.
“C’mere.” You call as he reaches out to your arms. His immediate response to lean his pretty little head on the nook of your neck warmed your heart as you wondered when was the last time he was shown love and affection like this. His tiny hand gripped at your shirt while the other clung to your back like he has no intention of letting you go. His slow yet rhythmic breathing hinted that the tiny bird in your arms must have fallen asleep, and you decide to tuck him into the bed. Slowly but surely, you unclasp the hand that gripped your shirt, but as you set him down, his tiny eyes peek up at you, eyes pleading and glassy as if he was on the verge of crying again.
“Don’t leave..?”
Your heart broke then and there. His longing eyes looked so lost, so alone, and so afraid all at once. You fought hard against the tears threatening to fall from your eyes as you mustered a smile before you tucked yourself beside him.
“I’m here.” You whisper into his hair as his instinctive need to curl up against you kicked in.