Feather Bound

Chapter 25

"Now where the absolute fuck have you been!" He bellowed, and Hawks sighed heavily into the phone. This was obviously going to require a significant amount of patience.

"Hello to you too, Mamoru," he retorted, suppressing a groan. "I need to talk to you about–"

"Why the fuck you went missing before even delivering your speech?" he snapped angrily, finishing Hawks' sentence for him.

"There was a good–"

"Because the President is livid!" he continued, cutting him off completely. He threw his head back, biting his lip in frustration as he held the phone to his ear. "Between this and your behavior in the securement program, you'll be lucky if they don't send you away–"

"Mamoru,"

"And for you to blow off your responsibilities at a festival in your own hometown! Do you realize how bad that looks–"

"Mamoru," he hissed, his words falling on deaf ears as his handler continued his rant, causing Hawks to groan in frustration.

"And the fact that you refuse to take a partner?! Why?! Most people would kill to find a wife and settle down! Jesus Hawks, I just don't–"

"MAMORU," he snapped, finally running out of patience, breathing a sigh of relief as the other end of the phone finally went quiet. "I want her to move in with me."

"You want what?!" He said into the phone, and Hawks could almost imagine him sitting in his office chair with his mouth hung open. The mental image was almost enough to make him laugh, and in any other situation, he probably would have.

"I, uh, want her moved in–"

"Approved!" Mamoru cried out, causing him to wince and pull the phone away from his ear as the other man nearly screamed out in excitement. "Jesus fuck, absolutely! Yes, approved."

"Well then," Hawks said, sucking in a breath. "How soon can her stuff be moved over? I am taking her home with me in a second." Mamoru let out a low whistle in response before starting to laugh.

"Look at you, you fucking dog! Good for you! The President is going to lose her mind when I tell her," he said, causing Hawks to clench his jaw. Leave it to them to assume just because he was taking her home meant he was sleeping with her. He already knew this was just going to increase the Commission's pressure for a baby, but at the end of the day, he couldn't keep her safe if she wasn't close to him.

"Mamoru, please, just tell me when you can have her stuff moved in," he managed to say through clenched teeth, and the other man chuckled.

"By the end of the week. What brought about this change, not that anyone here is complaining. You've just ended several long standing office bets."

"Glad I could be of help," he snapped before letting out a long sigh. "We were attacked at the festival. Well, she was. We got separated from each other, and her ex-boyfriend had one of his thugs try to snatch her. I don't know much about him, but whatever he's into seems shady. Does the Commission have any background information on him?"

"Oh, um, I'm not sure," Mamoru said quickly, and Hawks frowned, narrowing his eyes. "I can have the Vice President call you about it later. I, uh, need to get back to work, I've got calls to make now."

Before Hawks could remind him that technically he was his work, the line went dead. He frowned, pulling his phone away from his face as he struggled to comprehend the sudden change in their conversation. He had worked with Mamoru long enough to know when he was lying to him; he had a horrible poker face. The Commission knew more than they were telling him, and he had a sneaking suspicion that he would have to figure this entire situation out on his own without their help.

Moreover, he now had the distinct pleasure of figuring out how to explain to Y/N that she would be living with him. He couldn't imagine her being totally mad about it; after all, this was the next step in the program anyway, he had simply sped up the process. Yet, that didn't help the nerves that twisted his stomach at the thought of her coming home with him today. Had he remembered to pick up his room before he left? What if he had left something embarrassing out, and she would find it?

He sighed, shaking his head to clear the negative thoughts. It didn't matter anymore; she was coming home with him today no matter what. After all, she was going to be his partner, right? He'd agreed to that part of the program at least. She was going to learn about his messes, about his imperfections, about all of it, especially if they were going to share a life together. There was no point in stressing about it now. Besides, they had several bigger things to talk about tonight, like who the hell was Himari and why Kuro was after her so badly.

He turned, grabbing the door to Haruki's apartment, swiftly entering and making his way into the kitchen where they both sat. They blinked up at him as he entered, and he gave them both a soft smile before heading to the freezer. He quickly pulled out a bag of frozen peas, laying them across his hand, letting out a soft hiss as the cold soothed the ache. He let out a soft sigh, turning to look at both girls, giving them a strained smile.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked her, his wings twitching nervously behind him as she looked at him in confusion.

"Where are we going?" She asked, the confusion obvious in her voice.

"Home," he managed to choke out, his stomach twisting sickly as she furrowed her brows, blinking at him in confusion. He let out a small nervous breath before giving her another small smile. "We're going home."

She stared at him, her eyes widening in realization before she let out a soft 'oh' in understanding, frowning slightly, and Haruki sucked in a breath, quickly jumping into action.

"Let me get you some spare clothes for tonight and some shower stuff; I'm sure you're going to want one later. How exciting!" She said with a smile, reaching over and wrapping Y/N into a hug before brushing past him, giving him a small reassuring squeeze on his arm in passing. He honestly didn't know what he would do without her help some days. He sighed, watching her go before taking her seat next to Y/N.

"I'm sorry, I know it's sudden; I just don't want you on your own. Not with that bastard out there trying to kidnap you. Are you upset?" he asked, running a hand through his hair, and she blinked at him before sighing.

"No, it makes sense. That was the next part of the program anyway, but I wish you would have told me." she said softly before sighing, reaching out hesitantly and cupping his cheek with her hand. "But, thank you for saving me." The sudden contact had his mind reeling, his heart pounding against his chest, causing him to suck in a breath. She frowned at the sound, moving to pull her hand away from his face. Before he could even process the action, his hand shot out, grasping her wrist and stopping her. He pulled it back, her fingers grazing his cheek, and he leaned into her touch with a soft sigh. It felt so warm, comforting in a way he didn't realize he needed until that second.

They stayed this way for he didn't even know how long, her thumb brushing his cheek gently until Haruki reentered the kitchen, causing them to jump apart. She chuckled as his face flushed, shaking her head. "Don't stop on my account," she teased, handing a small duffle bag to Y/N with a smile. "There's everything you should need for the night, and I can take you after work to pick up things from your apartment."

They quickly said their goodbyes, Hawks ignoring Haruki's subtle attempts to remind him of his gift from her, as if he could ever forget it. The flight to his apartment was spent in tense silence, his nerves continuing to get the best of him, every attempt to make any type of conversation dying in his throat. He landed, setting her down gently, handing her the duffle bag before escorting her up the stairs, finally stopping in front of his apartment door. She shifted next to him, and he sucked in a breath, grabbing the doorknob and twisting it open.

"Welcome home," he breathed, his heart hammering in his chest, the words not even sounding real coming from his own mouth. He watched her wide-eyed as she peeked inside, before finally stepping through the doorway. He could feel his chest tightening, his anxiety threatening to overwhelm him again. For the first time in his life, it was almost like he had a family. He had someone to come home to, someone to talk to at the end of the night, someone who seemed like she might even care about him too. She was depending on him.

And that thought scared him more than he would ever admit.