Chapter Text
Chimera (noun)
chi-me-ra
- capitalized : a fire-breathing she-monster in Greek mythology having a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail
- an imaginary monster compounded of incongruous parts
- an illusion or fabrication of the mind
- an individual, organ, or part consisting of tissues of diverse genetic constitution
When his phone started to vibrate incessantly in his pants pocket during the middle of what was already proving to be a draining night patrol, Hawks instantly felt the urge to take a nose-dive into the nearest building. It may have seemed like an extreme reaction, but this was an extreme -though unfortunately not uncommon- situation.
After all, he had already been busy with Commission bullshit since the middle of the afternoon where they had -for all intents in purposes- held him in their offices and demanded a ‘full and thorough’ report on the League’s activities. That in itself had been a headache since he wasn’t sure how to explain that there wasn’t much to tell; the Commission wasn’t exactly going to accept that the reason for his lack of information was the result of a paranoid patchwork pyromaniac with a penchant for making Hawks’ blood pressure sky-rocket with every interaction that they had.
So, he had done what they had trained him for; given them half-truths and danced around the information he didn’t have to give. He was a master as misdirection…Okay, he was no Compress but he still wasn’t half bad at it.
After that shit show of an interrogation -which lasted four fucking hours-, he had been sent out on his scheduled night patrol. Normally Hawks looked forward to his nightly patrol. The opportunity to soar through star spotted skies, largely uninterrupted and just be. Being the Number 2 hero wasn’t all bad; after all, that’s what he had wanted and been trained for since his childhood, and it had its perks but it definitely had some massive cons too. The constant hum of people that surrounded him in almost every waking moment of his days left him drained. Come to think of it, Hawks couldn’t remember a time in the past month that he hadn’t returned to the sparsely decorated and clinically cold apartment the Commission had provided for him and all but collapsed into his bed and drifted into a weirdly dreamless sleep. That was basically all he had the apartment for anyway; a place to crash at the end of day when he had no more to give to the people of Mustafu. He gave so much of himself to others throughout every hour of his day that he had little to no time to just be Keigo.
Which was why he looked forward to his night patrols. He could drift on the heated air from the streets below, and almost forget the many roles he had to play. Spy for the Commission, Number 2 Hero to his co-workers and the people of Japan, comrade in arms for the League. He could just be Keigo and enjoy the sleepy rumble of Mustafu.
Not this time though.
Hawks surged upwards in the cloudy twilight sky until he reached a safe cruising altitude where he was sure he wasn’t going to be hit by a rogue drone or fellow avian enjoying the night air -in his defence that had only happened once, and he was sure the seagull had looked as shocked by the incident as he had- before taking his phone out to check just who was bothering him. Before he even looked at the screen, he knew who it would be. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t spend his nights having bootycalls with his adoring public; a fact that made him feel a little bit more boring than the version of himself that the press portrayed him to be. Jeez, speaking of, when was the last time had gotten laid?
Shaking the thought from his head, remembering why he had been checking his phone in the first place. At the sight of the familiar notification, he groaned. Only one person contacted him this late at night and expected him to be at his beck and call while the city slept. And of course he picked tonight to meet.
Message received from ‘staples’
It was always on days like this, that when all he wanted to do was face plant his bed that Dabi popped up like a stubborn dandelion that just would not let up. Cursing whatever war crimes he must have committed in a past life to have been saddled with Dabi’s ass at that time of night? Morning? Fuck if he knew, Hawks was too bone-tired, emotionally wrung dry and just fed the fuck up to care about exact details in that particular moment.
But of course, that was when Dabi decided to grace him with his presence.
The universe sure had a sick sense of humour.
‘staples’:
get to the base pigeon.
crusty wants you here. asap.
Hawks’ eyebrows hit his hairline as he read, and re-read the text. This was the break he had been waiting for. Sure, he had met Shigaraki and the motley crew that called themselves the League of Villains on few occasions. He had exchanged a few words with the leader of the League the first time Dabi had introduced them, but the man had seemed more interested in the game level he had been playing at the time. They hadn’t exactly been best buddies since then. So this made this out of the blue request all the more strange.
Shigaraki had never requested him specifically.
It was usually Dabi calling the shots by dangling the promise of Shigaraki being at the base at Hawks like a carrot. Or more accurately a piece of fried chicken; obligate carnivore related Quirk and all. And every time, Hawks responded to that siren song; for the hope, or promise that he would even a crumb of information about the League or their activities.
Yet every time, he was greeted to the flakey man-child the League called their leader crushed up on their ratty couch, thumbs smashing the buttons on his Switch as he muscled his way through a game level while paying no interest to Hawks’ presence whatsoever.
The rest of the League were not so disenthralled with Hawks’ being there; Hawks had had his nails painted by Twice and hair braided by Toga more times than he could count after Toga preaching self-care. Which always struck him as odd considering he was surprised she even knew what the concept of self-care meant. And if he felt a little called out that a member of the League of Villians had lectured him on the importance of self care more than once, that was his business.
Twice always provided Hawks with a source of entertainment, usually with his contradicting speeches and actions which had confused him the first few times they had interacted but he was now starting to get the hang of. Always listen to the first statement, ignore the second when it came to Twice.
Spinner would be more than happy to see him every time that he turned up to the base, more than likely happy to have an ally in another mutant Quirk type user in him. It was actually refreshing to talk to Spinner when he was at the base, having someone who understood the intricacies of having an animal related quirk and the sometimes less than desirable instincts and traits that came with it.
And Compress, clearly enjoyed having someone to try out his new illusions on which always confused and enthralled Hawks as he could never seem to figure them out. Every single time he asked Compress to show him how he managed to do what he did, he always got the same answer: “A magician never reveals his secrets, dear boy.”
A small smile crossed Hawks’ face at the thought of the League and their strange found family dynamic. It warmed his heart in a way that should worry him, but that was a thought for another time. That smile fell off his face as he was reminded of the League’s resident arsonist by an insistent buzz from the phone in his hand.
Dabi tolerated him and regarded him with unguarded suspicion which was an improvement considering he wasn’t trying to actively cremate him. As much, anyway. Which was all the more reason to try and not piss off the fire user any more than usual.
Golden eyes flicked down to the screen where the chat with Dabi was still opened.
‘staples’:
if you’re going to ignore me, at least turn your read receipts off bird brain.
no excuses. get your feathery ass to the base. now.
shiggys got a doctors appointment that just cant wait.
Hawks blinked, absentmindedly setting a course for the League base as he typed out a reply.
Doctor, huh? Why would Shigaraki need to see a doctor? Well, apart from the blatant and almost worrying level of crust that he had. To Hawks, that was more an esthetician or dermatologist visit kind of thing rather than a doctor.
He cleared the thought from his head from his head with a firm shake before hitting send on the message.
‘Hawks’:
omw.
Hawks pocketed his phone before taking off at speed to the base. He was interested in just what the fuck Shigaraki was planning.