(Un)cautiously Optimistic | Hawks x Reader

Chapter 2: Fly with you? Hell nah.

"Holy sh-" Hawks cut himself off. He practically hit the ceiling with how high he jumped. "Uh... I think you broke it."

"Astute observation, detective," you retorted sarcastically. He leaned in to see what you were doing.

"The inside felt cold, but the outside was room temperature," you explained, holding the wrist part of one of the gauntlets to the light, a short hum coming from the back of your throat. "The gauntlet wasn't messed up, the design was just stupid. It cooled the inside, and left the outside to heat up, which made the cooling system act up and fail."

His golden eyes glowed slightly. You weren't spitting venom at him this time. This was the first time he had seen a neutral or nearly content look on your face, and it was just because you were distracted by your work. He rested his head on his hand, just enjoying listening for now.

You fumbled with a small tool as you tried to repair the left gauntlet, quietly cussing the piece of support gear out. He had to keep from snorting as he saw you glaring daggers at it.

"Just take your gloves off. It'll be easier."

"Shut up," you shot a dirty look at him, your eyebrows pinching together in concentration.

"What? I'm just saying the truth." He snorted, picking up one of the pieces that broke off. "Why are you so against doing that?"

"...what's under my gloves is none of your business..." You replied, snatching the piece away from him. "Stop messing with my work or I'll pluck you and roast you up for Endeavor."

"Maybe I'd like that." He smirked teasingly, wiggling his eyebrows.

You flushed a pale shade of red, and he wasn't sure if you were embarrassed or angry. He was just glad he got a reaction. Heh... it's easy to fluster them...

"Go away..." you muttered, turning to work while looking the other direction. He chuckled once again.

"What, can't handle a bit of teasing?" Hawks snorted, flicking the back of your head with his index finger.

"Go away!"

Your sudden turning and raising of tone caught him off guard, making him jump. You seemed genuinely annoyed now, even more than before. He felt...bad?

"I'm sorry I-"

"Sorry you what? Distract me while I'm trying to work? Got me in trouble yesterday?" You slammed your hand on the table, making him jump again. "I need this job. Not everyone is as perfect or heroic as you."

He bit his tongue. He had nothing he could say to that.

"...I really didn't mean to upset you... I... just thought this was all playful banter... I guess I didn't realize that... this is your life that I'm messing with, not just your reactions." He reached over, gently putting his own gloved hand on top of your gloved one. "I'm... truly sorry, Tekina."

He noticed a slight shift in your expression. Anger, confusion, deep thought, further puzzlement, and finally a neutral look. Your lips were pressed into a thin, thoughtful line.

"...just don't screw up my job. Go away and leave me alone." Your eyes were unblinking, unwavering.

"Alright." He sighed, standing up and stretching. He didn't even realize that he had been crouched down next to the table that whole time until he stood up. Hawks shot you a playful wink and a faint smile before turning, his wings bobbing behind him. His boots softly thudded against the floor as he walked away. He couldn't help but glance back before he was fully gone, hoping to see you watching him as you left.

You weren't.

---

Your POV

It had been a couple days since that... weird interaction you had with that feathery gremlin. You had only talked a couple times, but you saw a noticeable difference in the way he talked to you than how other people talked to you.

For one, he looked at you with this piercing look whenever you spoke, as if he was fully ingesting every word you said. It was a small change that happened, compared to that carefree and lazy gaze he usually had.

Second of all, he seemed to actually be pleased every time you got annoyed or made a rude comeback. That was just... weird.

And third, he actually wanted to talk to you. Most people, except Giran, usually ignored or avoided you. It wasn't your fault you had a resting villain face.

Speaking of villains, Giran wasn't at the apartment that night when you got home. You searched around, a bit uneasy like you were everytime he wasn't asleep on the couch, like usual. You saw a note on the table which read:

Sorry, Y/N! Busy tonight with League, leftover lasagna in the fridge.
Love ya kiddo

You smiled slightly at the note before ripping it to shreds. It wouldn't be smart to leave incriminating evidence like that to connect them to the League.

Sometimes it caught you off guard when Giran said he loved you. It was in a fatherly way, of course, but you weren't entirely used to sweet little things like that.

Speaking of sweet little things...

...what was that weird hand-touch thing the other day? Was Hawks usually that touchy? Did he really mean that apology?

You sighed, flopping onto the couch and taking Giran's spot on it. The hero was just some playboy guy who was pretty much a stranger to you. He was just trying to charm you, to manipulate you into becoming his fan.

Yeah. It was all just manipulation.

That's all it could be.

---

It had been a week, and you hadn't seen Hawks again. You almost felt bad for being so rude to him- you quickly pushed that feeling down.

Giran had been extra busy lately, so in the little free-time you did have, you sat around. Alone.

You weren't clingy most of the time, but you started to miss Giran. Of course, you could go over to the League if you wanted to see him, but you absolutely didn't want to be around a certain man-baby.

Shigaraki was one of the most creepy and obnoxious people you've met. He even made Hawks seem palatable. At least Hawks didn't whine whenever things didn't go his way.

You heard a rustle at the window. A flap.

Your heart rate increased exponentially. Is he here...? Did he find me? It can't be, it can't be... please please please no...

You warily started to walk towards the window, the adrenaline making your legs shake. You could see spots or darkness swarm around the edges of your vision, threatening either a panic attack or just iron deficiency.

The flapper grew a bit more intense for a moment, and you gripped onto a chair to keep your balance. Please please please no...

As you finally stumbled your way to the window, you used one hand to grip the windowsill for balance, and the other hand to slide the window up.

There was a small tit outside the window. It chirped cheerfully, before flapping away. You let out a low, disbelieving chuckle, before sinking to your knees, your hands instinctively moving to pull at your hair.

You hated birds so much.