The Two Types of Wingmen [Bakawks] - Part 4

[Click for Ch3] 

As much as he wanted to deny it, to argue and complain and storm away, when the self-proclaimed Bakusquad began teasing, he knew they were… not wrong. He’d become softer, in the days he’d been texting with Hawks. Calmer, Kirishima had claimed, and yeah, he was… Right. There was no way around it, the asshole had hit the nail on the head.

“Blasty is in looooove,” Mina sang, elbowing him in the ribs lightly. “Is this why you’ve been hanging out with Todoroki so much?”

“God no, like I’d ever like that piece of shit.”

“Who is it, then? Midoriya? I called it in first year.”

“Haah? No, fuck off, we’re just friends.”

“Then who?”

Katsuki just shrugged it off, tucking his phone away again where they couldn’t snatch it away to read his messages. He’d gotten a brief summary of Hawks’s schedule just a few hours after they last parted, but in the days since, they’d been texting back and forth regularly. Nothing spectacular or ground-breaking, just general chatter, and to Katsuki it was oddly comfortable. He’d never been one for small talk, but Hawks didn’t bother talking about the weather or asking how he was, he got straight to the point, asking questions that had piqued his curiosity or telling stories that had come to mind that he thought Katsuki would enjoy.

Despite only meeting a few times, Katsuki thought he could almost call them… Friends.

When school finally ended, he found himself standing at the station, staring up at the board that was counting down the minutes until his train arrived. It would only take him a little over half an hour to get there, if everything went to plan, and while he knew it was kind of silly to make the trip when he could have hunted down somewhere more local, it all just fitted together too nicely. He didn’t have to be all kind and polite to someone as he begged to use their facilities, didn’t have to settle for second-rate equipment that wouldn’t withstand his quirk if he set it off by accident, and he was sure to be far away from the other extras who might be searching for somewhere to go.

Not to mention he got to hang out with Hawks in the process, that was a damn good bonus.

He found himself twitchy, once he’d found a seat on the train. His hands wouldn’t stop moving, rubbing together or squeezing at his knees, zipping and unzipping the bag in his lap. Even his legs jiggled, feet tapping incessantly on the ground. He knew he would be pissing off the people around him, but he just couldn’t seem to stop it.

So the moment he got out the station doors, he ran. If he couldn’t sit still, he was gonna have to do the opposite – he couldn’t twitch while he was running, after all. So despite his backpack thumping uncomfortably on his back, and his school shoes being not even remotely designed for running in, he wove through the throngs of people on the sidewalk. He didn’t stop until he was staring up at the shiny, modern building, Hawks’s face grinning at him from a billboard on the front.  

The smile was so fake, and Katsuki wasn’t quite sure when he’d figured out how to tell the difference.

He rang the buzzer, trying not to scowl too much as he looked straight at the security camera. He had nothing to hide, and he hoped they didn’t suspect otherwise.

“Ah, Mister Bakugou,” a disembodied voice answered from the intercom. “Mister Hawks is expecting you, please come in.”

He slipped his shoes off in the entryway, picking out a pair of slippers from the shelves that looked about his size, and by the time he stepped into the lobby, Hawks was already waiting.  

The lobby was wide and spacious, with little furniture to disturb the space, other than a few sofas and armchairs around the edges. Katsuki supposed it made sense, when he saw Hawks hovering a little off the ground, his wings gently pulsing to keep him elevated. Despite his apparently impeccable control of every one of those feathers, it wasn’t hard to envision him knocking over a chair – or a person, for that matter – if he wasn’t paying full attention.

“You made it!” he beamed, a few curious sidekicks glancing over to see what all the fuss was about. “You didn’t have any trouble finding the place?”

“Your ugly mug painted across the front of the building helped.”

“True!” Hawks laughed. “Alright, come this way, I’ll show you around!”

He gave Katsuki a brief rundown of the place as they walked, pointing out the cafeteria and lounge at the other end of the ground floor, then heading into the elevator as Hawks ran him through what was on the other floors. But below the surface, with walls so thick he couldn’t hear a peep from the rest of the building, lay Hawks’s agency gyms.

Because yeah, there were multiple. Not just an extensive cardio and weights set up, but different terrain simulations, sparring rooms, and even a spa and sauna to recover afterward. He practically had an entire underground city of gyms, and Katsuki was living for it.

“Luck,” he snorted, when Hawks shot him a little smile. “No hero gets into the top ten by luck, and if they did, they wouldn’t have this in their agency.”

“I get pretty weird jobs from the hero commission, sometimes. I needed facilities fit to prepare me and my sidekicks for whatever they throw at me.”

“I’m moving in.”

“With me or the gym?” Hawks teased. “Not that either isn’t fine.”

“Shut up,” Katsuki huffed, blushing. “But seriously, holy shit dude.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s good to see someone appreciate it, I guess I’ve gotten complacent.”

“I’ll appreciate it every damn day for the rest of my life.”

“Deal,” Hawks grinned. “I’ll start writing up your contract for after you graduate.”

“Very funny.”

“Who said I was joking? If you really are faster than me, I clearly need you in my agency.”

“You’re never gonna shut up about that, are you?”

“God no.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, but he didn’t bother to argue, instead glancing around until he spotted a bathroom to change in. He headed for it without a word, and thankfully Hawks waited outside, still hovering comfortably as he waited for Katsuki’s return.  

“How’s the ankle?” Katsuki mumbled, glancing down at the bandages he was pretty sure hadn’t been changed since he did them. “Any better?”

“It’s okay,” Hawks shrugged. “I’ve been confined to desk duty for a week, so it’s been a nice vacation.”

“Oh, you’re gonna go back to work while I’m here?”

“Don’t be silly,” Hawks grinned. “I’m all yours.”

“Don’t say it like that,” Katsuki huffed, blushing bright red. “You don’t have to babysit me.”

“Just because you’re a baby doesn’t mean I’m babysitting.”

“Shut up.”

Despite himself, he couldn’t find it in him to actually be annoyed at the banter. Hawks was just too easy to get along with, even for Katsuki. He did, however, suddenly feel a little awkward about the gym uniform he’d changed into. Even though he was close to graduation, he really did feel like Hawks saw him as a child. He was already eighteen, legally an adult for most intents and purposes, but Hawks was an established pro-hero – in fact, he’d been an established pro-hero when he was eighteen. Katsuki must have looked so young and immature, in his eyes.

“What do you wanna do first? Some cardio to warm up?”

“Ah… Yeah. I usually just run on the treadmill for ten minutes.”

“Cool, go for it. Want me to turn the TV on? Put music on? Shout encouragement?”

“Not the last one,” Katsuki glared. “Music is good.”

“On it.”

He stepped away to turn on the fancy sound system, speakers installed all around the room, and Katsuki picked out a treadmill to get started. It didn’t take long for the music to start, and Katsuki raised an eyebrow when Hawks returned, getting a slightly awkward smile back.

“It’s pretty much just my stuff in there,” he explained. “The others use their headphones, they’re too afraid of being disruptive. You can send me a playlist later and I’ll download your music to the system for next time.”

“It’s fine,” Katsuki assured him. “I uh, I actually like this song. Maybe we have similar taste.”

“Yeah?! Oh man, no one ever likes my music. Everyone else blasts top-forty pop songs while they’re working, other than the few who like rap stuff. No one understands the glory of classic rock anymore.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki smiled faintly, glancing down to turn up the treadmill speed. “My Dad introduced me to it when I was a kid, and I never got into anything else.”

“What, like last week?”

“Shut the hell up.”

“Sorry,” Hawks laughed brightly. “I couldn’t resist! If you’re gonna keep driving it home that I’m old, I’m gonna turn it on you, too!”

“You’re not old.”

“What?”

“Not even close,” Katsuki huffed, hoping his blush could feasibly pass as just warmth from the exercise. “I know you think I’m a kid or whatever, but I don’t think you’re old.”

“I don’t think you’re a kid,” Hawks frowned, eyebrows knitting together. “I know I made jokes but-”

“I’m still in high school.”

“Barely,” Hawks scoffed. “Did you miss the bit where I said I was preparing your contract already? You’re what, six or seven years younger than me? That’s nothing. I spend half my time with Endeavor, Katsuki.”

“I guess.”

“I like hanging out with someone close to my age. I thought I told you that. Did you think I was teasing or something?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, I’m not. I mean, I am, like, constantly, but not about that. If you think I’m some creepy old man then I get it, but-”

“I don’t.”

“Good.”

Katsuki turned up the speed on his treadmill again, and Hawks’s concern melted away, back to the little smile he always wore. In a way, it was kind of nice to see him concerned – he was so used to that careful mask Hawks always wore, always acting laid back and unaffected.  

Katsuki may not have known him long, but he still knew better than to believe the casual act.

“Wanna do some lifting?” Hawks suggested, right as Katsuki decided he was sufficiently warm. “You should probably stretch a bit first, though. You have a dynamic stretch routine to go through, I assume?”

“Lazy and lucky,” Katsuki snorted. “The more you talk, the less I believe that shit.”

“Maybe I care a little,” Hawks admitted, smiling a little more genuinely. “I can’t help save the world if I don’t even take care of myself.”

“I know, I saw through it from the start.”

“I know,” Hawks chuckled. “I saw you seeing through me.”

“And you liked it, huh?”

“Yeah, I did. I don’t get to be honest with many people.”

“You can always be honest with me. I won’t repeat shit, I mean.”

“Thank you.”

“Alright,” he sighed, turning off the treadmill and stepping off carefully – he would never live it down if he faceplanted because he was distracted by his celebrity crush. “Give me five minutes to stretch, then, and then you can spot me on the bench press.”

“Gladly,” Hawks grinned. “Show me what you’re made of, Katsuki.”

“Damn right I will.”  

─────

Hawks had been surprisingly helpful as Katsuki worked out, chatting about his goals or giving him the occasional tip, only the occasional little compliment thrown in to make him blush. Katsuki had known it couldn’t last forever, though.  

“Let’s use the sauna,” Hawks suggested, already walking toward it. “Don’t want you sore in the morning, I’ll feel guilty if you don’t kick butt in class.”

A small part of Katsuki wanted to object. He’d never really felt self-conscious about his body before, didn’t think he had a reason to be, with how much muscle he wore, but something about the idea of Hawks seeing him practically naked was... Kind of terrifying.

Hawks was already stripping down, though, letting his feathers fall into a basket and hanging his clothes on the wall hooks, then wrapping a towel around his waist – thank God.

So Katsuki joined him, turning his back while he stripped off his sweaty gym uniform, and hanging his uniform to put back on afterward – he didn’t need to go back on the train smelling like ass, after all.  

Hawks had the room steaming by the time Katsuki joined him, clutching nervously at his towel as he took a seat on one of the little wooden benches. He had to admit, the heat felt good – the sweat that would come out of him wasn’t exactly great for quirk accidents, but as long as he didn’t get riled up, he trusted himself to keep it under control.

Then again...

“You know my quirk is sweat-based, right?” he asked, leaning back against the wall with a sigh. “So if you tease and shit I might blow this place up by accident.”

“Consider it a test of your self-control, then.”

“Real funny. I’m serious.”

“I know,” Hawks grinned. “But I don’t think I can avoid teasing you, it’s way too difficult.”

“Consider it a test of your self-control, then.”

“Ouch. Fair.”

Katsuki smirked, and Hawks softened when he saw it, his typical grin falling away into something much more genuine.  

Those smiles were the ones that turned Katsuki into a bumbling idiot. He had to look away, for fear of getting flustered all over again, quickly closing his eyes as if he were just settling in to relax.

“You always want to know stuff about me,” he mumbled. “Tell me something about you, this time.”

“What do you want to know?”

Katsuki sighed, taking a moment to stop and consider it. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, going in – probably some half-assed joke answer to cover up that he wasn’t comfortable sharing. He knew there were things Hawks didn’t want to talk about, after all. His name, his family, his childhood. Things he didn’t bring up, even if Katsuki mentioned his own parents or hometown. He didn’t want to ask about things like that, things Hawks might feel bad for not answering.

“What kind of hero do you want to be?”

Hawks was silent, and Katsuki cracked an eye open to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep or something in the time it took Katsuki to think of it.

“I’m already number two, isn’t it a bit late for that?”

“No. I know what kind of hero you are. What do you want to be?”

“I want to be...” he began, voice quickly trailing off, surprisingly quiet. “Someone people can rely on.”

“Rely on to what, save their ass? Be there when shit goes down? Beat the assholes down?”

“To do the right thing.”

His voice caught on the words, hesitant, and Katsuki saw what was coming from a mile away; Hawks was going to laugh it off, slap that big smile back on his face like it was no big deal – but if Katsuki was anything, he was a loudmouth. He knew how to get his words in before it was too late.

“That’s a good goal,” he nodded quickly. “It’s not always easy to do what’s right, no matter how strongly you feel about it.”

“Yeah. Sometimes you don’t really get a choice.”

Katsuki was no idiot, he’d come across plenty of theories and old photos in his Hawks-stalking days. He knew all the conspiracy theories that quickly got deleted and hidden away.

“You always have a choice,” Katsuki corrected him, refusing to look up. “But sometimes all the options are shit, and you just have to take the less-shit one. To work your way toward having a good option, one day.”

“Yeah,” Hawks sighed. “Maybe one day.”

“I’ll help you find one.”

“A better option?”

“Yeah. As soon as I’m officially a pro-hero, I’ll help you fight for it.”

“I’d like that.”

[Click for Ch5]