He released a soft sigh, his wings unfurling and stretching lazily behind him as he struggled to open his eyes. It felt like ages since he had slept so soundly through the night; even his phone had remained silent, devoid of any work emails or phone calls. He pulled the pillow he was holding closer, a childhood habit he had never seemed to kick—he always needed to grasp something while sleeping, whether it was his Endeavor doll, a pillow, or occasionally just a bundle of blankets. However, he couldn't figure out why the pillow in his arms this morning felt so fucking warm.
Releasing a small groan, he shifted slightly, finally blinking his eyes open. Furrowing his brows, he glanced down to solve the mystery when the events from the previous night rushed back, leaving him wide-eyed with horror. The supposed pillow he had been holding wasn't really a pillow at all; it was Y/N, her back pressed flush against his bare chest. His face burned, her scent overwhelming him and he could feel his morning wood straining against his pajama pants, making his heart race as he pondered his next move.
He held his breath, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest with some relief. She wasn't awake yet, which meant he could easily slip from bed and cool off before she ever noticed or knew what had happened. Inhaling sharply, he prepared himself to slip away when she suddenly shifted, her backside connecting fully with his groin. Biting his lip to suppress the groan that threatened to escape, he fought the urge to rut himself against her in response. Allowing her to settle fully, he finally managed to extract himself from the bed, heading for the bathroom. Swiftly closing the door, he leaned against it, sucking in air as glanced downward with a scowl.
Would waking up next to her always pose this problem? What the hell had transpired last night for him to be holding her like that? He distinctly remembered falling asleep with an actual pillow in his arms. He groaned, running through the possibilities and settling on a fairly solid theory. He must've gravitated towards her in his sleep, his stupid bird quirk seeking the extra warmth she provided—far more appealing than any ordinary pillow.
Sighing, he reached down, quickly squeezing himself through his pants. Two choices loomed before him. He could either wait it out, endure a cold shower and hope for relief, or take care of it now and get on with his day. Unsure of the time and with the nagging feeling that he was probably already late for patrol, either option had to be quick.
Tightening his jaw, he briskly turned on the shower, shedding his bottoms before entering the cold stream. He gritted his teeth, enduring the chill running over his head and through his wings. Typically, this would be enough, but today the persistent throbbing between his legs resisted, and after a few more minutes, he finally groaned in defeat.
Swiftly adjusting the water temperature, he shivered as warmth enveloped his chilled skin. Leaning against the shower tile, he reached an arm up, while his other hand ventured downward, engaging in a few deliberate strokes. Biting his lip, he looked at the pre already beading his tip, his thumb smearing it with a soft moan. At least this wouldn't take long; he already felt like he was going to bust, and he had hardly started.
Twisting his wrist, he focused, setting a steady pace. Biting down on his lip, he tried to stifle his subdued moans and groans, his toes curling as he rapidly approached his climax. The memory of their alleyway kiss flashed through his mind, and that seemed to be his undoing. A soft gasp escaped him, warmth pooling in his lower stomach as he tightened his grip.
"Oh, fuck," he moaned quietly, his hips jerking as he released into his hand, the water swiftly carrying most of it down the drain. He gave himself a few more gentle strokes, twitching from the overstimulation before finally releasing his grip. Taking a moment, his head pressed against the shower wall, he breathed heavily, riding out the last waves of pleasure.
"Keigo?" Her voice sliced through the silence, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. His wings flared out, his feathers smacking against the shower wall with a damp thud. He quickly shoved his hand under the water, washing away the last evidence of his morning activities before sucking in a deep breath.
"Y-yes?" he stuttered, clenching his teeth in frustration. As if this morning couldn't get any worse, she had him stuttering like an idiot. He heard her say something else, but he couldn't quite make it out between the sound of the water and his heart pounding in his ears. Hastily, he grabbed his soap, rushing through the remainder of his shower routine, opting to skip washing his wings. He'd just have to clean them thoroughly tonight when he got home. Just as he was finishing, turning off the water and stepping out of the shower, he heard the door click open, and his heart stopped.
"I heard you get up, and I thought you might have to work so I–oh." She stopped, his eyes widening as their gaze locked, and he watched as hers started slowly drifting downwards.
"Jesus fuck!" he cried out, his face burning as his wings puffed involuntarily, spraying water across the room as she gasped. He reached for a towel, swiftly covering himself before looking over at her with a grimace. The water from his wings had completely soaked her, her own face flushed as she wiped water from it before sucking in a breath. She looked back at him, her eyes wide, and for just a second, he thought she was going to cry.
He opened his mouth to apologize, stopping when she suddenly started to laugh. He stared at her dumbstruck for a second before he felt the corners of his own mouth twitching upwards, his laughter quickly joining hers. Even he had to admit the absurdity of the situation was pretty funny.
"I'm so sorry," she finally said, sucking in a breath as her giggles subsided. "I don't even know what I was thinking walking in here like that. I don't know why I assumed that you'd be covered. I, uh, just wanted to tell you that I packed your lunch, but I'll let you finish getting dressed."
"No, it's okay. You might as well get your shower since you're already wet," he said with a chuckle. She narrowed her eyes at him in response, crossing her arms with a smirk.
"You know, for someone who models, you're awfully shy about it all."
"I don't model naked," he shot back defensively, tightening his grip on his towel and brushing his wet hair away from his face before huffing. It was true for the most part; the closest he'd gotten was an underwear gig, and he'd absolutely loathed that entire process. It had been invasive, and he was fairly certain most of the female staff involved in the shoot were trying to get a rise out of him, literally.
"But you definitely should; it's quite the view," she giggled, causing him to swallow nervously, tightening his jaw.
"Just take your shower," he huffed, pushing past her out of the bathroom, ignoring the sound of her giggles, and retreating to his bedroom. He shut the door, this time making sure he locked it before taking a deep breath. That had been dangerously close; if she had just walked in any earlier, she would've quite literally caught him with his dick in hand, and he was sure he would have died from embarrassment then and there.
He glanced at the clock, swearing under his breath as he noted the time. Nearly an hour late for patrol, and yet, his phone remained conspicuously silent. Confirming that it was switched on, he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that the lack of calls wasn't a positive sign. Something was amiss, and he needed to check in at the office to ensure everything was in order. In a swift motion, he sent his feathers to retrieve his clothes from the closet, dressing quickly and grabbing his boots.
Rushing out of the bedroom and down the hallway, he paused outside the bathroom door, the sound of the shower still audible. Should he say goodbye? Leaving abruptly seemed impolite, and he didn't want to be perceived as rude.
"Hey, uh, I'm late for work. I'm leaving," he called out.
"Don't forget your lunch!" she replied, and a chuckle escaped him. However, a sudden realization struck him. Was it really okay to leave her alone? It was her home now too, but what if she had plans or work, especially considering her job at the coffee shop? The recent events at the festival added an extra layer of concern. If Kuro attempted anything, he wouldn't be around to help. Yet, abandoning his work wasn't a viable solution either.
He pondered a solution, and suddenly an idea struck him: they didn't have each other's numbers. Leaving his on a note would suffice, and if she needed him, she could easily reach out. "I don't really know what your work schedule is, but I want you to be careful. I'll leave my number on the counter for you. Call if you need anything," he said quickly.
"Sounds good," she responded, before returning to humming something. He smiled at the sound, swiftly making his way into the kitchen to grab the bento she'd put into the fridge and scribbling his number down for her. With one last glance down the hallway, he headed for the front door and quickly flew off to figure out why nobody was demanding his presence somewhere.
Upon his arrival, everything seemed normal. His sidekicks must've already gone out without him, their desks both empty. The other office staff were hard at work, the sounds of printers and phones ringing filling the air. He turned his attention toward his office, checking to see if Haruki was at her desk outside it or occupied elsewhere. Fortunately, she was there, engrossed in work with the phone held up to her ear as she jotted down notes on a pad in front of her.
"Yes, Mamoru, I will make sure to inform him when he comes in," he heard her say as he approached. She paused for a second, listening to whatever Mamoru was saying before she suddenly groaned, rolling her eyes before letting out a long sigh, "Mamoru, I am telling you I know for a fact he will be in here at some point."
He paused, eager to hear the rest of this conversation before she noticed he was watching. She rolled her eyes again, her jaw clenching at whatever Mamoru had said before speaking again. "Yes, I am well aware the Commission doesn't want him bothered today, but the man doesn't know how to stop working." Ah, that would explain why his phone had remained radio silent last night and this morning; they wanted him undistracted by work so that he could focus on their stupid goal. They were planning on paying him to sit at home and have sex all day? Was that even physically possible?
"That is entirely the Commission's fault, so you've got nobody to blame for that but yourselves," she continued, and he nearly chuckled as he watched her pinch the bridge of her nose, her exasperation evident even across the office. "He's already an hour late; take your victories where you can get them."
He was just about to interrupt when she sucked in a breath, her eyes narrowing in annoyance. "Now, how the hell am I supposed to know that? I'm not his sex tracker! He's my boss; I highly doubt he's going to come in here and tell me if he started trying for a baby." She hissed quietly, her volume almost nonexistent. His face burned at her words, embarrassment flooding through him. At least she wasn't screaming it for the entire office to hear, but this conversation needed to end and it needed to end immediately. "No, Mamoru, this conversation is over; the Commission is just going to have to wait for the answer like everyone else."
He moved swiftly, reaching her desk in seconds and promptly pressing the switchhook on the receiver to end the call. Haruki sucked in a breath, looking up at him nervously as he clenched his jaw. "My office, now," he said through his teeth, quickly pushing past her desk to enter his office. Putting his bento on his desk, he sank into his chair with a groan. She quickly followed him inside, shutting the door before taking her usual seat across from him.
They sat in silence, just blinking at each other until Haruki finally seemed to break, a large smile spreading across her face as she glanced down at the bento before looking back at him. "So, how was it?"
"How was what?" he asked, sucking in a breath and pushing down his annoyance. He should've known he'd get a million and a half questions from her.
"Everything! Having someone to stay with you, sharing a bed, the sex, all of it!" she said excitedly, leaning forward with wide eyes. She looked like a kid on Christmas morning, and it took everything in him not to groan. He already expected her line of questions, but they had better things to talk about, like getting Y/N finally a lawyer so they could work on getting that poor little girl away from her sperm donor. Instead of answering, he just blinked at her blankly, watching her excitement slowly melt into confusion before she frowned. "So, you didn't sleep together?"
"I mean, we shared a bed, we slept. If you're referring to something else than I'm afraid the answer is no." he said with a small shrug before sucking in a deep breath. "But I learned everything I needed to yesterday. When we got home, we sat down and talked. But, before I tell you, what did Mamoru want?"
"Ah, what a fucking bust. I thought for sure when you were late this morning-"
"Haruki, please," he groaned, and she sighed, leaning back into her seat.
"The Commission wants you to start making big appearances together. Make her your official girlfriend with the press. Obviously, the rumors have been flying, the pictures fans have been posting of you both on your dates, but they want to finally confirm it. Your first stop is the Hero Gala, which is about two weeks away. Mamoru is going to send you the dress code; you're expected to match." He sighed; of course, the Commission was all about looks, and now that she had moved in, now that he had accepted a match, they needed to make it look good.
"Fine," he said before sighing. "I'll deal with all that later. I have bigger issues to solve right now. So, are you ready to hear this shit?" he asked her, and Haruki nodded eagerly. He quickly told her everything, recounting all the things that Y/N had told him about her past, everything he had learned about Kuro, and finally telling her about Himari. The more he thought about the situation, the more it really pissed him off. If he could, he would gladly charge into a fight with him if it meant reuniting Y/N with her daughter. But that would complicate things; this wasn't a fight he could win with his quirk. This was a legal matter and was going to require more patience than he normally had.
"Oh my god," she exclaimed at the end of his story, her hand coming to cover her mouth in horror. "That poor girl. So that is the real reason her medical history is missing for that year? She was so young; I would never have guessed that she had a child. I can't imagine what she must be going through. If that was Chiyo, I don't know what I'd do. They're about the same age, they could've been friends..."
"Exactly and I can tell she's hurting. So, we need a lawyer," he said, the determination obvious in his voice. "That's why she joined this stupid program in the first place. She needed the money, and she was willing to have another child just to get her firstborn back. It bothers me that she was driven to that point, and the fact that bastard is allowed to keep her after the things he has done and said is just...infuriating," he trailed off, clenching his fist before taking a breath. "I need you to find someone to take the case under the table, pro bono if possible. If not, we need to find a way to move money around the agency without tipping off the Commission. I don't think they know yet; otherwise, they would've said or done something by now, and the last thing I need is them doing something before I can handle it myself."
"Alright there, Papa Bird. Taking your new role as a daddy in stride I see," she remarked with a smug smile, and he glared at her as she just chuckled. It was a foreign concept, the idea of being a parent. It wasn't a role he had planned on taking, but he couldn't imagine letting Y/N go over it. He liked her, enjoyed the time he was getting to spend with her. Plus, Himari wasn't his, which meant the Commission would have no interest in trying to use her for their goals. So yeah, he would gladly take on that role. He would try his best anyway; he at least wouldn't repeat his parents' mistakes with him, that was for sure.
"I'm just teasing, relax. I'll make a few calls and see what I can do. We will get her back, Hawks, I swear," she said earnestly, and he sighed, leaning back in his chair as silence stretched between them again, Haruki shifting slightly as she looked at him.
"So...you shared a bed?" she asked with a smirk, raising her eyebrows. He groaned, throwing his head back before sighing.
It was going to be a very long day.