Archive of Our Own

You turned yet another page from the file you were carefully examining, sighing when you saw the lines of information you still had to go though and input into your computer. Putting the file down, you opened an excel sheet to check if the information matched, bringing a hand to your temple and leaning your elbow on your desk once you realised the dataset was incomplete.

Your eyes scanned over the document, trying to measure the amount of damage done to your workload and to mentally calculate just how long you'd have to work overtime to fix everything. Frustrated, you took the file from next to your keyboard and slammed it further away, near the edge of your desk, almost knocking over the drink that was being placed on the surface right at that moment. The person holding it had good enough reflexes to pull back their hand just in time to dodge the paperwork.

"Whoa," a voice called out, the drink now placed at a safe distance from your huffing form, just barely enough to reach it comfortably without accidentally spilling it. "What's got you so worked up?"

You sighed heavily once again and threw your hands up. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with these?!" you started, indignant, and pointed towards your computer screen. "There's missing data, the names right here are spelled wrong and couldn't be recognised by the system, and the information in the report I was given was not triangulated properly, so now I have to spend time searching the archive for the correct information!"

"What a bother," the person beside you nonchalantly remarked before you heard them slurp their own drink unperturbed.

You turned your unamused face to stare at the hero beside you, who was looking at you from behind the rim of his hot drink, almost seemingly waiting for your retort.

"Did you just come here to annoy me, Hawks?"

He shrugged. "I happen to work here, too. And I have a coworker that is constantly on the verge of a work-induced coma, so I figured some coffee would keep you alive."

You slumped your shoulders, defeated, and reached out for your drink from beyond the files spread out in front of you, taking a sip of your own and allowing the warm liquid to calm you down before the caffeine kicked in.

You closed your eyes and relished in the bittersweet taste of your beverage, eternally grateful that Hawks would regularly come by your desk to visit you and occasionally bring you something to drink or snack on. In the time you'd been working for the Commission after finishing your studies, you'd grown quite close to the pro hero, considering him one of your best work friends. The feeling always seemed to be mutual, what with Hawks constantly hanging around you while at the office to cure his boredom and your stress through your little inside jokes and playful banter.

He was just as grateful for your relationship as you were. Despite often keeping it professional, his time with you at work felt like a breath of fresh air. A busy pro hero such as himself, who was constantly bombarded with attention from reporters and fans any time he was not on field, was thankful to have coworkers that knew to mind their own business like you. You were always too focused on your work to care about frivolous things such as being in close proximity to one of the country's most popular heroes, and he was always too laid-back for you to take seriously, so it wasn't long before any joke or comment he made bounced right back from you. Frankly, being in each others presence was as relaxing as it was entertaining.

But right now you felt like neither of those.

"I am at my fucking limit," you mused aloud while mindlessly staring at the paperwork you still had to go through.

"Alright!" the hero beside you exclaimed in a chipper voice and placed his cup down on your desk. "Sounds like what you need is a break."

"I can't take my break now, I'll have to work overtime so I'll take it later."

"When's your deadline?"

"Um, a week from now, I think?" you opened your calendar to check and sighed. "Yeah, I have a meeting with the big bosses in like eight days. I can't slack off now."

"You call that slacking off, I call it making sure you don't pass out from a lack of sleep. I'm willing to bet you slept only three hours last night - as usual, might I add - from how dead inside you look."

"Four, actually."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Oh, excuse me, you're right. That's definitely enough sleep to function normally."

You clicked your tongue at his sarcastic comment. "I am functioning normally, especially now that my best friend in this place was kind enough to bring me coffee."

You mustered up your most toothachingly sweet smile as you fluttered your lashes at the man before both of you chuckled.

"Well, your best friend is going to take you out of this place. Who else would entertain me here if you pass away from being overworked?"

"Don't you, like, have a super busy schedule, being a hero and all?" you moved the bottom of the cup around in a circular motion. "You're barely at the office. I'd assume you get enough entertainment on the field."

He scrunched his nose. "I wouldn't call that entertainment, but yeah, I'm not always around. But it's boring and depressing when you're not here, so I'd rather not have you take sick leave."

You smirked and leaned back in your chair, shrugging your shoulders. "What can I say, I'm just a treat to be around."

"Yeah, when you don't look like you'll kill anyone who approaches you when you work. I thought I was done for for a second there." You rolled your eyes and he laughed at your reaction, before placing his hand on your shoulder in a friendly gesture, patting it softly. "Then let's go already."

"Go where?"

"On your break!"

"I told you I can't-"

"And I told you I'm not going to let you overwork yourself. C'mon, pack your things."

"But if I go then they will-"

"Then they'll know you're with me on a mission," he was dodging your protests with ease, already neatly closing the open folders from your desk and grabbing the coat that was hanging from the back of your chair.

"That's so stupid, I'm not a hero, I don't do field work!"

"Then we'll call it research." When you made no attempt to move from your seat as he turned to walk towards the exit, he halted his movements, looking at you and sighing. Your arms were crossed over your chest and the look in your eyes was almost admonishing. "You're entitled to your break, y'know? There's nothing they can do about it."

"If I stop now, I won't have any motivation to continue later."

"That's a poor excuse and you know it. Now let's go."

"Why do we need to go somewhere? I can take my break here."

His eyes narrowed. "Are you taking me for a fool? You know I'm technically your boss, right?"

You let out an amused huff and let your arms uncross, body moving forward so you could rest your elbows on the desk. "Don't give me that. If you're my boss, then give me a raise and I'll stop complaining."

Ultimately surrendering, you logged off from your computer and stood up, stretching the pain out of your lower back before you stepped towards the hero. As you were taking your coat from his arm, he brought his free hand to his chin in mock contemplation, an exaggerated deep in thought expression spreading on his face to your amusement.

"Hmm, I dunno," he mused, tapping his chin, "you don't seem to follow instructions from management very well. Maybe if you'd show a little respect and listened to me from time to time, I'd be generous enough to consider your request for a higher salary." You laughed shortly and playfully smacked his arm with the sleeve of your coat as you were putting it on. "Ow! Yet another display of insubordination added to the list. Keep it up and I might not give you that raise."

"Whatever, boss."

You both started walking towards the exit of your office, with you enjoying finally being out of the chair that was the cause for all your back and leg pains, and him enjoying your laughter at his antics. You didn't notice the way his eyes lingered on you as you smiled and softly leaned into him to bump your shoulder into his, nor the way his own grin widened at the contact. He was first to finally break the short-lived silence.

"So, where to?"

"I'm not sure. Somewhere peaceful and quiet would be really nice. I'm not in the mood to be around people right now."

"So... Where to?" he urged again.

You thought for a second, then turned towards the hero. "Where do you usually go when you want to relax?"

×

"I don't find this relaxing in the slightest, Hawks!"

Your panicked voice was only met with a carefree laugh. You would've turned towards the man to shoot a flaming glare at him, had you not been too preoccupied steadying your breathing and gripping Hawks' arm with enough force that he was sure you'd leave bruises on his skin.

Sitting on the ledge of a 30 story building was not what you had in mind when you thought of a quiet place away from people where you could spend your break, but now that you were here, looking at the view of the city in front of you - or rather, below you - you realised you asked the worst possible person to suggest a location.

The one who could fly.

Gripping the hero's arm close to your body, you registered his other arm was still snaked around your waist from where he placed it when he suddenly flew you both to the top of the building. But it did not ease your worries when the dizzying view of the far away ground seemed to keep on getting further and further away, your vision darkening and shapes and colours melding together into a kaleidoscope. Your hands started trembling, and soon the shiver crawled up your arms and cracked down your entire body like a thunderbolt. And even in such a state of panic, you didn't allow yourself to close your eyes to block the terrifying image, but instead you kept them wide open, senses forced into overdrive with only one thought flooding your mind.

Danger. Danger. Danger.

"Hey," the sound of his voice barely registered through the deafening sound of your blood thumping in your ears. A particularly heavy breeze brushed past you and made you yelp. Your entire body jolted when you felt yourself inching closer to what you thought was the imminent fall to your death, and his grip on you tightened when your breathing started coming out in heavy gasps. "Hey," he repeated, a bit more forcefully this time to get your attention. The hand you were holding onto carefully went up to your chin and moved it towards him softly so you could focus on him and not the view before you, causing you to press your body closer to his own in an attempt to maintain at least a semblance of stability. "It's okay, I'm here. I'm here. Breathe."

You listened to his soft command and mimicked his breathing pattern.

Inhale.

One, two, three...

Exhale.

Your shaky breaths mingled with his own from how close you were. After what felt like a few minutes, when your breathing evened out, you stared into his eyes, waiting for your heart to cease its restless thumping against your ribcage. He stared back at you, softly, his brows furrowed in worry. When he felt the shaking in your hands dissipate a bit and your eyes clear from the cloud of fear that was shadowing them, he pulled you over the ledge so you could sit comfortably on the flat roof of the building, never letting go of you.

"I won't let you fall," he reassured you.

You let out a half-hearted laugh. "I know, I'm sorry. I never reacted like this before. I don't know what happened."

"No, I should apologize, I didn't realise you were this scared of heights," you could see the guilt swirl in his eyes. "I just... Your office is on the top floor and I always see you at the window looking at the city. I assumed you'd be comfortable."

It was your turn to reassure the man. With a smile and a pat on his shoulder, you spoke: "It's okay, Hawks, really. You couldn't have known. I mean, when I said peaceful and quiet, I expected a secluded garden or something. I should've expected this to be a relaxing place for someone who can fly, so it's partly my fault."

"I'll take you back down," he moved to stand up but you caught his sleeve, half out of panic and the other out of impulse.

"No no, it's okay! We can stay here. Now that I'm not looking down, it really is peaceful."

He hesitated, eyes focused on you, searching for any hint of discomfort. But when he saw you lay down and stare at the sky calmly, he sunk slowly to the floor beside you. You stood in silence for a few moments before you got uncomfortable with how his eyes were seemingly boring holes into you, so you turned your head to the side to meet his stare.

"You seem more scared than I am," you said with a smirk. "I'm really fine. I'm with the one hero who can save me if I ever fall, after all."

"Your hands are still shaking."

Amusement disappeared from your face when you realised he could see right through you. Before you could come up with a good enough excuse, his hand slipped into yours, holding onto it tight and gazing at you with a serious look. You became acutely aware of how your hands were indeed still shaking in his grip, your heart pounding against your chest, and you were unsure if it was a remnant of your fear still surging through your body like an undercurrent or a result of his touch and intense stare.

Swallowing a lump in your throat, you willed yourself to look away, back at the clouds on the sky.

"Why are you forcing yourself to stay here if you're uncomfortable?" he spoke again. "We can always go to a different place for your break."

You laughed awkwardly. "This is going to sound weird, but um... I actually like heights, even though I'm scared of them." When you were met with silence, you turned your head towards him again, only to find him frowning in confusion, his eyes quietly asking if you're being serious. You sighed. "I know it sounds stupid, but heights are a lot less intimidating when there's some surface separating me from a free fall. Like the windows at the office."

"So you're telling me," he gestured in your general direction with his free hand, "you're just a walking paradox?"

"Sort of, yeah," you shrugged. You were silent for a few seconds before you let out another awkward laugh. "It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I've always dreamed of having a quirk that allows me to fly."

"Really? With your fear of heights?"

You bashfully covered your face for a second before letting it fall next to your head. "Yeah. As a kid, I was always jealous of others who have quirks like that, especially since... well, I have no quirk. I used to fly kites as a kid and imagine what it would be like to be so high up instead," you stared up at the sky, a calm smile stretching on your lips. You followed the movement of the billowing clouds floating in the sky and the way the rays of sun fell through their openings. The shadows and colours casted on their surface made them seem like mountains of smoke, and for a moment you imagined what it would be like to fly through them and touch them. Would they be cold? Would the water in them make your clothes wet? Would the air be too thin to breathe?

Would you feel as free as you imagined?

Hawks never moved his eyes from your face. The dreamy look you had made his lips turn up at the corners in a phantom smile, barely there but still enough for the warmth to reach his eyes. His thumb unconsciously rubbed the back of your hand and made you look at him, still beaming.

"I can take you flying."

Your expression slowly morphed into a surprised one, and Hawks caught himself after realising he spoke without thinking first. This time, he finally broke eye contact and looked up at the sky.

"I mean, I know you're scared and all, I don't want to make that worse. But y'know, in the future, if you ever feel comfortable, I could..."

He trailed off, worried that if he kept talking he'd end up spouting something stupid. You smiled softly and squeezed his hand.

"Thank you, but I wouldn't wanna use you as my personal jetpack. Besides, you don't have to deal with my fear of heights or anything. I'd be the worst passenger ever."

"I wouldn't mind."

He turned his head towards you and the way he looked at you, so tender and honest, had your breath catch in your throat. Had he ever looked at you like this before? You weren't sure, but you couldn't deny the way it made your heart flutter just a bit faster.

You swallowed thickly. "I'm sure you're too busy for that."

"I'm never too busy for you."

The warmth forming in your chest spread throughout your body and you felt your hand twitch in his grip. His sharp eyes never left yours and you suddenly felt self-conscious under his scrutiny. You stared back at how the gentle wind blew through his hair and feathers, entranced with the way he looked when the sun casted a warm ray on his face, making his golden eyes glow in the light.

With rationality steadily slipping from you, you settled for the simplest answer.

"Okay."

His eyes softened and his face lit up with a boyish grin. "Great! Don't worry, we'll start slow and get over your fear of heights together."

"Thank you, Hawks," you smiled back at him.

You two stared at each other, beaming, for a long moment, before your alarm suddenly startled you. You pulled your phone out of your pocket and stopped it, sighing as you let your hand rest against your chest.

"That's my cue to get back to work."

He pushed himself up from the ground and pulled you to him, his arm back around your waist securely. It was a way to reassure you that you were safe, but to you it felt a lot more intimate than that.

"I'll take you back to the office," he stated, then paused for a second. "I think it's safer if we take the stairs this time."

×

It had been three and a half months since you started "training" with Hawks.

Three and a half months of the hero visiting you daily, either on your breaks or after your shift finished and he was not on patrol. In this time, he'd somehow managed to find a way to fit - in his already tight schedule - at least 10 minutes of meeting you daily to slowly help you overcome your fear. Each day that passed, the altitude at which he'd take you got higher and higher, keeping up with his promise of not pushing your boundaries too hard and constantly reassuring you that you were in safe hands. He was always a calm and laid back presence on the backdrop of a stressful situation, which constantly reminded you why he was a pro hero.

You, on the other hand, were positively losing your mind.

Not because each day you were facing small doses of your fear, anticipating the ground to move from under your feet as you rose into the air - after the first few weeks, you'd gotten accustomed to the feeling.

But because each day you were anticipating meeting him, holding him, listening to his soft words of reassurance whispered so close to your ear that you could feel his breath fan the side of your face from the proximity. Your bodies were always pressed so close together once you took off from the ground, his arms wrapped tightly around you to keep you safe.

It was becoming too much to handle. At this point, you didn't even know if the adrenaline pumping through your veins was from being exposed to your biggest fear daily, or from getting to spend even more time with Hawks than you normally would. Be even closer to him than you normally would.

Alas, today you had no time to ruminate over your crush on your coworker/boss. Because...

"Today is the day!"

You were back on the roof of the tallest building in the city. Except this time, you had a lot more control over your feelings, to the point that you were able to stand on your own two feet on the edge of the roof without having a mental breakdown, albeit still holding onto Hawks.

The man next to you definitely seemed a lot more excited about the situation than you were. He looked at you with a beaming smile and you almost felt your knees go weak, before your muscles tensed. You were too high up to fall now.

"Yeah, I guess so..." you answered, adjusting the visor Hawks gave you to sit comfortably on the bridge of your nose.

His smile faltered for a second. "Do you want to stop?"

"Hell no, we didn't work so hard for this to stop now."

"I don't know, you seem unsure..."

His eyebrows knitted together in a concerned look. He suddenly felt very selfish in the way he had been handling your fear of heights and, most importantly, your curiosity towards flying. Part of him jumped for joy the moment that you told him you had a passion for flying, excited that he had the opportunity not only to get closer to you and spend more time with you, but also to share a part of himself with you without compromising his professional life or yours.

But now, another part of him wanted to slap the first one upside the head for getting ahead of himself.

Sensing his restlessness in the way his hand gripped yours a little tighter, you turned towards him fully, a determined look on your face.

"Hawks, you've helped me a lot these past few months. I'm not letting it go to waste. I've dreamt of this for too long to back out now just because I'm scared." You squeezed his hand back and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm a lot braver than I look, especially with you by my side."

Relieved, the corners of his mouth lifted back up into a smirk, his eyes narrowing and the arm snaked around you pulling you even closer to his body.

"Then you better hold on tight, dove."

You had no time to even comprehend the name he called you before his wings raised then dropped quickly, catching enough wind to push both of you off the edge of the building. You let out a small scream of surprise, your arms moving to lock tightly around his neck as his beating wings brought you higher into the sky.

Your eyes were screwed shut, unable to force yourself to open them for fear that the control you had over yourself would slip out of your fingers and undo months worth of progress. Your mind was racing, muscles tense and hands clenching so tight the skin on your knuckles started to hurt as your nails dug into your palm.

Before your thoughts could slip into panic, you felt Hawks slow down his ascend and press his cheek into the side of your head.

"It's alright, I got you. I won't let you fall."

You gulped down the worry that was blocking your throat, his reassurance and the grip he had on you finally enough to urge you to open your eyes. You didn't look around. Instead, you moved to focus on his face and the soft smile he sent your way when you looked at him. The way his eyes lit up with warmth almost seemed like he was proud of how brave you were in that moment.

"There you are," he cooed. You gave him a smile in return. "How're you feeling?"

"A little cold, to be honest," you answered.

"I'd give you my jacket but it's hard to maneuver it off while flying," he moved one hand carefully to pull you closer into him, burying you in his chest so he could drape the sides of his jacket over you as much as possible. You felt how he started moving again, a slow stride through the air to get you accustomed. "Do you wanna look down?"

You turned your head to the side and realised just how high up you were. A shaky breath fell through your lips as you looked around. Worried, Hawks watched your expressions carefully, searching for any sign of fear. But when your mouth curled into an excited grin at how close you were to the clouds, it boosted his confidence enough to start drifting through the air more comfortably, his wings spread out to their full span as he took in your awestruck expression. He couldn't help but feel his heart warm up at the sight, how adorable you looked enjoying something so fundamental for him. He was glad he could share a piece of himself with you that you welcomed with open arms despite your fear, happy to make your dream come true and to have you enter a space that was once just his own little bubble, his own escape, the place he went to when he needed to get away from everything and just exist. Up here, soaring through the sky, the world seemed so far away and insignificant. Here, there was no hero, no Hawks, no celebrity that gets recognised at every street corner, no crisis he had to deal with.

There was just him.

And now, the picture was complete with you.

Your smile was brighter than the sunrays diving through the clouds, your laughter sweet like honey, and he couldn't help but echo your giggles with his own. You made every shade of colour pop out and every sound the wind brought to him become melodious.

"We are flying!" you yelled out in child-like glee, and despite the strong hold you still had on him out of anxiety, your worries started to melt away and flow into the wind like tiny droplets of rain on a spring day. You heard Hawks laugh from next to your ear and it only fuelled your joy even more.

The feeling of freedom coursing through you was unlike any other. No amount of closing your eyes while sitting on a park bench when a breeze hits you just right, imagining what soaring through the sky would be like, could ever compare to the real thing.

Like a child in a candy store, you started pointing out what you found most interesting: the way a cloud looked like a giant dragon ascending from a mountain, the way some birds would pass by you or fly alongside you, the way you could make out your office building and how tiny the cars looked. Up here, away from the world, everything seemed magical.

After a while, your joy settled into silent wonder, opting to listen to the wind blow through Hawks' feathers while admiring the view of the city below you. Although still buzzing with excitement and unrest, the comfortable silence between you was calming, soothing your worries. Without realising, you leaned your head on his and sighed in content, his heart jumping in his chest at how close your face was to his.

Much too soon, the sun began to set and Hawks returned you to the spot atop the building where you left from. Once your feet touched the ground and Hawks let you go, your knees turned to jelly from the adrenaline now draining from your body and the hero hooked an arm around you to stop you from stumbling.

"Are you okay?" he asked in worry, but his concern was silenced when you dug your hands into his collar and pulled him in for a kiss, your lips pressing into his like it was both the first and the last time you'd ever have a chance to kiss him.

You pushed yourself off of him too soon for his liking, a look of surprise dawning on your face at your actions. You opened your mouth to speak, but any word of apology and excuse that begged to leave your chest died behind the lump rapidly forming in your throat.

His eyes were on you, focused on the way your lips parted, and before you could even begin to formulate an intelligible sentence, the arm that was still hooked around you pulled you flush against him, his free hand climbing up to rest on the side of your face as he leaned in for another kiss, this time slower, savouring every breath you'd take in and every movement of your lips against his. He let himself go, wings unfurling and moving to rest around you as he poured into your lungs every last drop of yearning he'd been bottling up since you became friends.

Friends. How he'd come to hate that word and adore it at the same time. It meant he could be close to you, hear you sprinkle little details about yourself and your mundane life in between sips of coffee on your break, see the way your stressed and tired expression lit up when he'd bring you a snack and try to sneak you away on an extra break, hear the way you laugh at one of his jokes and softly slap his shoulder in amusement.

But it was never enough to pacify the urge to get even closer, to burrow in your bones and your soul and hide there for the rest of his life. Instead, he settled for a limbo that was also his own personal haven when everything else got overwhelming.

But this time, you didn't pull away. Instead you melted into him, revelling in his warmth, the smell of the crisp wind still fresh on his clothes and the softness of his lips making you feel like your head was spinning and your body caught fire. After what felt like minutes, you both pulled away just enough to catch your breaths, noses and lips still touching. He smiled, soft eyes looking at you like you were the only person in the world.

He rubbed his nose softly against yours. "Guess I should take you flying more often, huh?"

You gave him an dazed smile and chuckled. "I'd love that. It was the coolest thing that ever happened." You leaned back to look at him fully, excitement once again evident on your face as you started ranting about everything you liked about what you just experienced. Hawks smiled and laughed alongside you. He loved seeing you this happy, and in that moment he made a promise to himself to do anything to keep that beautiful smile on your face.

After all, he promised he wouldn't let you fall.

He never promised he wouldn't fall for you instead.