Vigilante Songbird (Hawks x Reader)

Chapter Seveteen

This is a long one, so settle in! Thank you so so much for all the support and love for my story! I'm grateful for the positive response it's had. Don't forget to click the star and vote for chapters that you enjoy. It helps me out!

!!I'm including a TRIGGER WARNING here for this chapter: references to scenarios involving sexual assault. Stay safe, stay healthy. I love you. <3

You spent the next couple of days canvassing your new target. You studied each interview with his victims and you had even managed to infiltrate the local police station and read their files. They didn't have much, but you noticed some similarities in the incidents. He seemed to have a preference for women that were intoxicated...sick bastard. You also noticed a trend in the area he hunted for these women. In fact, you were familiar with the area. It was close to a circuit of venues you had played with the band.

It was Wednesday. You had a show in the area tomorrow night. Hawks wouldn't be there because of patrol responsibilities and something about a meeting with the hero commission before The Hero Gala on Friday. Seemed like the perfect opportunity to catch him, or at least turn him into the prey.

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Showtime had arrived and you were helping the band get set up on stage. You had worn something comfortable that matched the aesthetic of your band and looked good, but you dressed with being able to fight in mind. Your phone buzzed in your back pocket while you were adjusting your microphone.

Hero: Knock 'em dead, songbird! And I'll be enjoying that sweet voice. Sorry I couldn't be there, but I'll make it up to you tomorrow night. Promise. ;)

His text made you smile and you placed your hand over the fabric of your shirt as his feather fluttered underneath on your chest. You had thought about changing his name in your phone, but you liked the memories it held. It had become a little inside joke between you and Keigo.

You played through the first two sets with the band and the crowd was loving the performance you were putting on. All the while, you were scouting the crowd for a man who matched the description of the assault victims. You couldn't help but feel worried for every woman in the crowd you saw tossing back drinks. Any one of them could become a target for him...

Casha and your bandmates were laughing over by the bar. You turned to them and she waved you over with shots in hand. You took yours and raised the glass to them before taking them in unison. But this was an important night...you needed your wits about you. They went back to their conversation and you walked to the bathroom. You spit the alcohol into the sink and wiped your mouth. Your reflection in the mirror stared back at you. For the first time in a long time, you didn't want to turn away from what you saw.

There had been so many times you were repulsed by the person you saw in the mirror. Self-loathing and alone...angry and unapproachable, marred by years of emotional neglect from everyone you had ever loved. And they had all taken a piece of you and shattered it while you watched. But now...your eyes were brighter. Your skin was smooth instead of furrowed with wrinkles that pushed out anyone who would dare speak to you. You were happy...

A warmth radiated in you and you blinked away tears from your eyes. You pulled out your phone and snapped a quick selfie. You sent it to Keigo and attached a caption in the text: Missing my number one fan. Love you. You left the bathroom and joined the band back on stage for the final set. The first song was Golden Gaze - the one you had wrote about Keigo. A smile spread across your face and you felt the feather flutter underneath your shirt again. While you sang, it gently caressed your skin and you swore you could feel his love through the singular feather from his crimson wings.