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Hawks stared at the man, looking back at him. He's changed in the last 2 years; his hair grew slightly longer, getting rid of any traces of dye that could have been still lingering. His face was covered in larger scars that connected from under his eyes to his jaw, his eyes standing out against the dark purple.
The hero, too, had changed. He decided to keep his undercut rather than grow it out; his wings were less grand and thick than they used to be. Even his demeanor had changed; he was no longer full of energy and giddy smiles; he was more natural. More serious, more of what the commission trained him into being.
As Hawks began to zone out, he suddenly remembered where he was. He wasn't sitting in some coffee shop or at home looking at the man he once loved, a villain. No, he was staring at a glass window in which the villain was behind. They hadn't seen each other since the beginning of the first war and hadn't said a word since Hawks betrayed him. Since Hawks betrayed and killed a member belonging to the largest villain organization known to Japan, The League of Villains.
"Take a picture; it will last longer," a rough voice grumbled.
The hero blinked, "What?"
Dabi, or Touya (he really didn't know how to address him anymore or if he was even allowed to), rolled his eyes.
"What the hell do you want, hero? You come here after, what, two years to do what?"
Past Hawks would have laughed it off, but he didn't have that in him anymore.
"I wanted to check on you, Touya. To see how you've been."
Touya scoffed. "Right, for what? To get some satisfaction that you did the right thing?!"
Silence filled the visitation room once more; only the whirling of the monitor in the room could be heard. Touya shifted in his chair as much as he could since his hands were handcuffed to one another and connected with a longer chain to the floor. Despite the restraints, Touya's eyes burned with anger as he glared at Hawks. Memories of their relationship crashed into Touya's brain like a wave. He loved it at that moment, but now? He hated every bit of it; he hated every bit of Hawks, or Keigo.
"I came here to see you, Touya. Understand that."
"And I don't fucking want you here! Why can't you-"
"Touya," Hawks said sternly, his voice rough with authority.
For a split second, he could see a flash of fear wash over Touya's face. Then he snapped back to his usual antics.
"No, just fucking NO! I don't want to see you, Takami. Take your bullshit and leave me the fuck alone! I'm done."
Dabi's eyes were furrowed, his jaw clenched, and his body was leaning close to the glass. The blonde took a breath before nodding.
"Okay. I-...I'm sorry. For what happened with Twice... But I had an order; someday I hope you can realize that."
Hawks got up from his seat and turned, making his way towards the door to let the guards know he was done, when he heard a low chuckle.
"And you call yourselves heroes, pft. I guess you heroes make these moral codes just to walk all over them, hm?"
Hawks' eyes widened slightly, and he turned back to the villain. "That's what I did, huh?"
Touya wasn't focusing on the man anymore, but rather staring at the ground, his head hanging low.
"Touya…"
"Hawks, just go do your job. There's nothing left for you to try and fix, birdie."
Hawks hesitated for a moment, the pet name striking a spot in his heart that had been locked away. He took a deep breath as he straightened his posture, his resolve strengthening.
"Like I said, I'm so sorry, Touya. I'm sorry for how this turned out. I'm sorry about the League. And… I'm sorry, I'm not gonna listen to you."
"Hawks-"
"My job as a hero is to protect and to save," the winged hero shrugged. "You need to save Touya, and I'm going to be the one to do it."
Touya's head raised slowly, his eyes narrowing.
"You just don't stop, do you?"
Hawks shook his head. "And you love me for it."
Touya's lips curled into a faint smile,"You're delusional."
Hawks chuckled, the sound filled with determination. He opened his mouth to respond when the sound of a door opening interrupted him.
"Uhm, Hawks? Time's up." A man with a dark shade of red called from the doorway.
Hawks nodded, then looked back at the man behind the glass.
"'Till next time."
Touya shrugged. "Don't make me wait another two years, asshole."
"Ha, ha. No promises." The blonde called as he exited the room, the heavy door slamming behind him.
As he stepped out, he noticed a sideways glance coming from one of the guards. The guard must have noticed he was caught because he looked fully at Hawks as he began to speak.
"I don't understand why you came to visit, him."
The hero smiled, hiding his growing annoyance and impatience. "Who knows what my reasoning is? Maybe I just missed his annoying face."
The guard raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "Well, whatever it is, just be careful. He's not someone to mess with."
Hawks chuckled softly, a hint of (sadness? No, that wasn't the word, maybe…) regret in his eyes.
"Trust me, I know better than anyone."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the guard with unanswered questions.
…
Hawks now found himself sitting in a room filled with heroes that all went through something together. They did this thing where they would all share what happened that day or just talk, ever since the war. Even Endeavor joined in.
Mirko's turn was finishing up about how she spent the day with her girlfriend, Endeavor's daughter, going into extra detail just to piss the big guy off, when it went to Hawks' turn.
"How 'bout you, feathers?" The bunny hero smirked.
Hawks looked around at the group before shrugging. He could feel their eyes on him.
"I uhm...visited someone..."
He looked up; Endeavor, Mirko, Eraserhead, Present Mic, and Best Jeanist all were looking at him then one another.
"Who, Hawks?" Eraserhead asked.
"I visited Touya."
Endeavor looked away while Mirko's face fell. She was the only one he dared to tell about their relationship too.
"I think...I think I'm gonna continue visiting, too."
"Hawks..." Mirko said softly placing a hand on his.
He looked up expecting to see a disappointed face but, ratherm he saw a face he loved. He saw his best friend smiling at him letting him know she was happy for him.
He was finally happy for himself.