Hawks was lazily gliding back toward his agency after a long morning patrol, the weight of the city pressing on his shoulders more than usual. The sun was still climbing, its heat radiating against his wings as he landed on the roof of a tall building, stretching out his arms with a yawn. He stood there for a moment, just savoring the pause.

  Then his phone started buzzing.

  He glanced down at it, his posture dropping the second he saw the caller ID. HPSC. He exhaled through his nose, answering without his usual grin.

  "Its me, what do you need?"

  The president’s voice carried no warmth, only clipped authority.

  "You have a new mission. There’s been a possible leak in our office. We need it silenced."

  No hesitation. Hawks didn’t even blink.

  "M'kay, send me the details and I'll get on it."

  The call ended, leaving the rooftop quiet again except for the faint hum of traffic far below. Hawks slipped the phone back into his pocket with a sigh, stepping off the ledge. His wings flared wide, catching the air and pulling him into a steady glide.

  It only took a few seconds to cross the gap to his agency’s building, but in those seconds he remembered why today was supposed to be different. He’d scouted two U.A. students. Originally it had been about information, sniffing around the U.S.J. incident. But both of them had caught his eye. Two completely different reasons.

  He landed on the balcony of his personal office on the 30th floor. Instead of bursting inside like usual, he let himself settle. He folded his wings neatly against his back, lingered with his hand on the sliding door. His boots clicked softly on the floor as he walked in.

  He drifted down a floor and pushed the door open with his shoulder, poking his head into the office. The space was quiet except for the steady rhythm of pens scratching against paper. His sidekicks were hunched over their desks, sleeves rolled up, drowning in stacks of reports. None of them even glanced up, too focused, or maybe too used to Hawks coming and going without warning.

  He scanned the room, wings shifting idly at his back. No students. Just the usual smell of ink and burnt coffee. Hawks raised an eyebrow, a half-smile tugging at his mouth, and pulled his head back out into the hallway and started down the stairwell. For once, he didn’t hurry. He let the stillness of the building sink in, the hum of distant elevators, the muted voices of sidekicks talking shop one floor down.

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  He stopped outside the dormitory doors and gave each a knock, knuckles tapping lightly against the wood. The sound echoed down the quiet hall, but only one door stirred.

  Tokoyami cracked his open, feathers ruffling as he leaned out. His expression shifted the instant he realized who stood there. Instead of a sidekick with another round of advice, he found himself face-to-face with the Number 3 hero. He froze and stumbled half a step back.

  "H-Hawks!?"

  He caught himself quickly, dragging composure back into place with visible effort. His shoulders squared, his posture sharpened, and his voice dropped into something stiff and formal.

  "It is an honor to meet you, sir."

  Hawks grinned, leaning against the doorframe like this kind of reaction was his favorite perk of the job. Kids always scrambled to look professional around him, and it never stopped being funny.

  "Nice to meet you too, Tsukuyomi."

  He flicked his gaze toward the other door, half-expecting it to creak open as well. Nothing. No shuffle of movement, no delayed answer. Just silence. His eyebrow ticked up, but his grin didn’t falter.

  "So uh, where’s the other one? I got two of you, didn’t I? What was her hero name again?" Hawks scratched his chin, pretending like he couldn’t remember, though his eyes were sharp enough to suggest otherwise.

  Tokoyami stiffened even more, as if the weight of responsibility had suddenly doubled. His words came out clipped.

  "Yes, there are two of us. Robinn’s hero name is 'Robin.' She said she was going to find the gym."

  "Robin’s at the gym, huh?" Hawks tilted his head, amused at the simplicity of the explanation. He pushed off the doorframe with a lazy stretch and waved his hand casually, already heading for the elevator.

  "C’mon, let’s go pay her a visit."

  They rode the elevator in silence. It was spacious enough, but Tokoyami still felt cramped, wings brushing against him, Hawks’ presence filling the space like a second atmosphere.

  When the doors opened on the 27th floor, the gym lights spilled out across the polished floor. The air smelled of rubber mats and faint sweat. It wasn’t anything fancy, just weights, treadmills, and a couple machines, but it was enough.

  And there she was.

  Robinn was sprawled across a bench, arms loose at her sides, fast asleep. Tokoyami’s eyes widened. It was rare to see her without her guard up.

  Hawks just chuckled, smiling for real this time.

  "Should we let her sleep a bit longer?" he whispered, leaning closer.

  Tokoyami looked at him like he’d lost his mind.

  "...You’re asking me?" he whispered back.

  Another laugh, light and careless. Then a feather slipped from Hawks’ wing, floating across the room to brush against Robinn’s nose. She wrinkled it, swatted once, then jolted awake, fists up, eyes sharp but hazy with sleep.

  The shift from fighter to student was quick. She stood, bowed slightly, words stumbling out.

  "Hawks, sir! I’m sorry for my behavior, it won’t happen again."

  He waved her apology away, stepping closer with a dismissive flick of his hand.

  "Nah, don’t worry about it. I find it amusing to see the real you behind the hero mask."

  Robinn just stared back at him, face empty, unreadable.

  "Right," Hawks said after a beat, turning on his heel. He gestured over his shoulder with a crooked grin.

  "Let’s go out on our first patrol. Try to keep up, okay?"