As The Dust Settles (fem!Geten X Dabi)

Chapter 20: Hawks' Visit

Whoops. I forgot to update the fic here. Sorry guys. Here's the updates.

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"You...again?" Geten eyed the winged hero as he sauntered in, bearing a basket of fruits with a hovering feather. He was the first – and hopefully the last, unless it was the man who landed her in this bed – visitor on this Monday afternoon.

"I just came to check on you. I hope you're not a carnivore." With a cordial smile, he placed the gift on the bedside table.

"Don't you have...hero duties to attend to? To keep up appearances?" The shiny surfaces of the apples glinted at her. She found their presence less a gift of generosity and more a peace offering. After all, their last conversation hadn't ended on good terms. Her wariness of this hero-turned-villain lingered.

"Oh, I've done them. Not to brag, but I'm pretty fast. Efficient too." Hawks sheathed his wings and took a seat on the chair facing her.

"Were you sent by Shigaraki?"

"Nope, came here on my own. I can't say I like taking orders from the big guy. I prefer to spread my wings and be free, y'know?"

Free. The word rang differently in Geten's head now, after regurgitating up the words and lies she was fed by the Liberation Army, and she found them bitter. Disgusting. It made her want to retch. The man in front of her sounded genuine in that sense, in desiring liberation. It sounded entrancing, but she remembered their last encounter where that same smile threatened her position and life.

"The last time we talked..." Geten measured her words. "You said to find you when I've figured which side I'm on. And you've come to find me. Tell me, what does this gesture of yours mean?"

Hawks had the grace to look embarrassed. "All right, you got me. Sorry about our last conversation. I didn't trust you that much then, because of your – to put it nicely, questionable tactics, that I had uncovered. But I heard what you did from talking to the other lieutenants, I think you've changed, and that you're really a part of the PLF. So I'd like to make it up to you."

Admittedly, her arms felt less tense after hearing his rationale. There was a sincerity in his words.

"So you're saying you trust me?" Geten definitely did not reciprocate this notion.

"I believe I can trust you much more than a few days ago, at least. I'm guessing something happened within that span of time."

"If you talked to the rest about the briefing I missed, then there's no need to ask me what happened." Her ears felt hot imagining how that mission debrief went. But considering how Shigaraki's visit went, Dabi probably said something backing her up. She added that to the list of things to ask Dabi about.

Hawks raised his arms. "All right, I won't pry. Just came to apologize. If my being here is uncomfortable, I'll be out of your hair."

Geten's nerves were in overdrive, as if Sanctum were present, producing voltages from his quirk. Hawks gave off the same feeling, but she thought about the girl who looked at her with fear as she handed the book to her yesterday. If that perception of her remained, then Destro's clutches over her life would be too. She would always be seen as the cold lieutenant of the PLF, seeking liberation of her "meta-ability" over anything. And she came to the conclusion that she despised that idea.

"Wait," She sighed, as Hawks was getting out of his chair. "It's fine. I suppose I owe an apology for my behaviour as well."

"Ah. Not gonna lie, that was unexpected. What the hell happened – Actually, don't tell me. I don't need to know."