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𝑳𝑰𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬 𝑯𝑨𝑾𝑲𝑺
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You wonder if it would be cheesy enough to say that last night felt like a dream. You would have actually thought it was not real if not for the glass pendant you're still wearing when you woke up that morning.
When you turned around, you half expected Hawks to still be sleeping beside you, but his space was already empty and you found yourself putting your hand on the spot of the bed where he slept on, feeling that it's still a bit warm so you realized it hasn't been that long since he got up.
You decided to get up as well before stopping in front of the full body mirror and your eyes landed on the pendant. You touched the glass and then found yourself smiling.
"It's really pretty," you said, taking it off before looking at the window where the drapes are half drawn. You stepped towards it, where the sunlight seeped through the window, you lifted the pendant and the sunlight reflected on the glass, making it look like a diamond with a ruby feather.
"That guy really knows how to flutter his woman."
You closed your eyes when your mind suddenly played a voice in your head from the suppressed memories you had altered. It was your voice saying the same thing. 'You really do know how to flutter your woman.'
Your eyes remained close, racking your brain to see more into that memory. It was a few years ago, even before you married him. It was when you were still in the Underground and you had made it clear for the very first time that you are his woman.
You wanted to remember more, if you could actually remember, when you suddenly heard a knock on the door and you opened your eyes, turning around just as the door slowly opened and you expected Hawks to walk inside.
But instead, it's the mini version of him.
"Mama, are you up?" Keita said in a careful tone, as if he doesn't want to wake you up if you were still sleeping.
You put the pendant on the vanity table before walking up to the little boy who finally saw you and his face lit up with a smile.
"Mama, good morning!"
"Good morning," you greeted back with a smile.
"Papa said breakfast is ready."
You took Keita's hand as you two headed downstairs while the little boy decided to tell you why he was the one who went to get you. Apparently Hawks told them to tell you that breakfast is ready, but Keita and Keishi started to squabble on who will come to the room. They ended up doing rock-paper-scissors and Keita won.
"Now Shi-chan is helping papa in the kitchen. He was really grumpy when he lost."
"Has he ever lost before?" you asked out of curiosity, because you couldn't help but notice how between the twins, Keishi seems to always be the one leading while Keita only follows his lead, sometimes even unsure of what to do until Keishi does it himself.
"No?" Keita said, but the word sounded more of a question than an answer. "I always let Shi-chan win because he gets grumpy when he loses. He doesn't like losing, even to papa."
"Really?" you asked with a slight chuckle. He's young but already competitive, though you wonder if that will prove to be a good or bad trait. Right now, you wanted to look on the positive side, considering that he's still a kid and it's not that bad being competitive instead of being weak-kneed.
"But I really wanted to win this time. So I could come and wake mama up. So I could see her first."
"You really like mama, huh?" you muttered but he heard it and he stopped.
"Ta-chan likes mama a lot!" he said, letting go of your hand to show just how much is a lot with his arms.
"Alright," you said, the smile stretching your lips as he held your hand again.
When you two got to the kitchen, Hawks had just finished setting the table. You noticed Keishi with his arms folded over his chest and a pout decorating his lips as he looked at you and Keita before turning his head to the side with his eyes closed.
"Shi-chan," Keita said, walking up to him. "Shi-chan, are you still grumpy?"
"I'm not grumpy," he said in a clearly grumpy way.
"Next time we play rock-paper-scissors, I'll let Shi-chan win."
"Hmp," Keishi huffed, climbing up his chair.
When Hawks saw you, he walked up to you.
"Looking good in that," you complimented sarcastically, seeing that he's wearing an apron.
"Thank you very much," he retorted with a mischievous smile on his lips, taking the apron off before snaking his arm around your waist and then leaning towards you so only you could hear what he's going to say. "There's another one of this for you. I bet it'd look really sexy on you provided that you aren't wearing anything underneath."
You lifted your hand and pushed him back, looking at the kids behind before looking back at Hawks and then leaning towards him, whispering back.
"Shut your horny mouth."
You walked past him when Hawks took your hand, making you stop. "Hey, where's the pendant?"
"I took it off."
"Why?" he asked. "I told you to always keep it with you."
"I'll put it on when I go out. What's the point of putting it on when you're here?"
You walked past him and sat on the chair. The twins seem to have already made up with each other. You noticed Keita putting two of his chicken nuggets on Keishi's plate who took it happily before putting two of his own chicken nuggets on Keita's plate, when you think about it, they just exchanged chicken nuggets. But for them to share food with each other must have meant that they are already on good terms and Keishi is back to his energetic self again.
"Speaking of going out," Hawks said when he joined you on the table. "Are you guys ready to go out for your first flying lesson?"
"Flying lesson?!" the twins asked in unison and Keishi gulped down the chicken nuggets in his mouth before speaking.
"Papa's gonna teach us how to fly?!"
"Yep," Hawks answered. "Papa keeps his promise."
"You hear that Ta-chan? We finally get to fly!"
"Fly..." Keita said, trailing off and when you looked at him, he seemed to be in a daze looking at the magnificent vermilion wings of Hawks, the same color of wings Keita has on his back, albeit a lot smaller. "Ta-chan wants to fly."
"Shi-chan too!"
"Go and finish your food first. Then we'll go out."
The out that Hawks was talking about turned out to be just outside his house in his yard. There is a treehouse in the backyard that you only noticed now that you're outside. It was a clear day with barely any clouds in the sky. It wasn't that hot either, considering that summer is almost over.
"Now, who will go first?" Hawks asked, looking at the twins.
"Shi-chan," Keita said, turning to his twin brother, his hand lifted up. "Let's play rock-paper-scissors to see who will go first."
"Sure!"
You remember Keita saying that the next time they play rock-paper-scissors, Keita will let Keishi win. You wonder how he'll let Keishi actually win when it's this kind of game. But when the twins started to play, surprisingly, Keishi won.
"Yes, I won!" Keishi said, jumping in excitement. "I'd be the first one to learn how to fly. Don't worry Ta-chan, I'll cheer you on when it's your turn."
"I'll cheer you on too, Shi-chan!"
Hawks and Keishi went up the treehouse while you and Keita stood there. You looked at the little boy who is now looking up at the treehouse.
"Did you let your brother win this time?" you asked and Keita nodded his head. "How?"
"I know Shi-chan will go rock," he said, eyes still looking up. "He has a habit of going rock first whenever we play rock-paper-scissors."
"I see," you said, looking up as well to see that Hawks and Keita were already there at the edge.
Hawks kneeled down in front of Keishi and told him some things you really couldn't hear from down there. And then after a while Hawks jumped down and stood beside you.
"Shi-chan, just remember what I told you!" Hawks yelled and Keishi nodded his head. "I'll catch you, don't worry! Just spread your wings!"
The little boy nodded his head firmly, his hands form in a fist and the look of determination made his little face even cuter, especially when his eyebrows are furrowed like that. Keita looked up, a mixture of excitement and anxiety on his face.
"Y-You can do it, Shi-chan!" he said, his hands in a fist as well.
Keishi took several steps back, disappearing from view before he came running back and then jumping from the treehouse with his arms outstretched but he must have forgotten to spread his wings as he started plummeting to the ground, closing his eyes in the process.
"Keigo!" you found yourself calling Hawks' real name before you saw a flash of red swoosh past your peripheral vision and then Hawks flew up, catching Keishi.
"Gotchu," he said, holding his son who still has his eyes shut close, his hands instinctively gripping Hawks' shirt tightly while his wings started to tremble.
You felt your heart beating so fast you thought you're going to pass out. It was the first time you ever felt like that towards someone who was so close in danger.
"Mama..." Keita said, hearing him whimper beside you. His little hand is also gripping the hem of your shirt and his eyes are starting to get teary. "T-That looks scary."
As Hawks slowly went back on the ground, he carefully set Keishi down, his eyes now open. Then Keita came running towards him, his arms outstretched.
"Shi-chan!" he yelled before throwing his arms around Keishi. "That was sca–"
"That was fun!" Keishi said before Keita could finish what he was saying and Keita leaned back, looking at his twin who is now grinning. "I'm alright, Ta-chan."
"R-Really?" Keita asked, looking at Keishi from head to toe.
"Papa, I wanna try again. This time I'm sure I can do it right!"
Keishi went back up the treehouse again while you and Keita along with Hawks stood there, staring at Keishi. You started to feel your heart beating faster again as you watched the little boy at the edge of the treehouse. He spread his wings before taking a few steps back again and then he was running at full speed before jumping from the edge of the treehouse.
Your hand instinctively held Hawks' hand a little bit tightly and you realized you had also closed your eyes, your head hanging low until you heard Hawks' voice.
"Y/n," he called. "It's alright."
"Woah," Keita said in amazement as you slowly opened your eyes and looked up. "Shi-chan's flying."
"Papa, look!" Keishi said, hovering in midair. "I'm flying!"
He started to move but wobbled a bit, still unable to control his flight but it looks like he's doing just fine. Slowly he descended until his feet touched the ground and then he was jumping up and down.
"Papa, I wanna go again!" Keishi said.
"Sure, but after Keita." Hawks look at Keita who is still beside you, holding the end of your shirt a little tighter.
"Keita," you called before taking his hand and moving him in front of you. "Are you scared?"
Keita looked down before slowly nodding his head. "When Shi-chan almost fell, it was scary."
"But papa caught me, Ta-chan!" Keishi said, running up to his twin brother who looked up at him. "And it's really fun flying. The wind feels refreshing."
"Your dad's here to catch you, don't worry," you said and Keita looked back at you before he nodded firmly, a look of determination starting to make its way on his face.
"T-Then, I'll give it a try!"
Keita went up the treehouse with Hawks and just like with Keishi, Hawks told him the same things and reminders which Keita made sure to remember as Hawks went back down and stood beside you.
"You can do it, Ta-chan!" Keishi yelled, waving his arms. "And then we'll fly together!"
"Sure!" Keita said, nodding his head before he took several steps back.
"Hey, make sure to catch him if he starts hurtling down." You told Hawks who leaned closer to you.
"Was it my imagination? I clearly heard you saying my real name earlier. It's not 'hey'," he said with a teasing tone and you looked at him briefly before looking up to see Keita running ahead and then jumping down.
Surprisingly, for a first-timer, Keita must have done a better job than Keishi did on his first try. Because Keita was already hovering in midair even without trying. While one brother is determined and fearless, making up for his lack of enough knack, the other brother may be timid and reserved but he's naturally exceptional, which made them the perfect tag-team.
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