Chapter Text
In all his relatively few years of being a hero, there’s never been a vigilante as annoying as Rapture.
Hawks has been trying to catch him for months now. Imprisoning vigilantes isn’t really his thing in the first place, but Raptor is a special case. Reportedly, the man possesses an avian quirk and is capable of flight. In theory, that makes Hawks the best candidate to capture him. There’s one thing to be said about this in practice:
He hasn’t even caught sight of Raptor for the entirety of this case.
The elusive man can’t even be bothered to show his face on camera. He’s like an urban legend, stopping crime and disappearing before the real pros can arrive. They only have eye witness accounts to even prove that Raptor exists, that and the infuriating pranks he pulls on local police forces and hero agencies. Hawks Agency included, of course. There’s still faint paint stains on Hawks’ desk despite hours of scrubbing.
Frankly, it’s humiliating. There’s been a nuisance of a winged vigilante operating in the same city as Wing Hero: Hawks himself, but said hero can’t even catch sight of him. He can envision the looks his fellow pros would give him if this story ever left Kyushu. He wouldn’t be able to live it down.
Reports say that the vigilante is imposing at first sight. He analyzes criminals and seems to discover their greatest weaknesses within seconds. Dark and broad wings, sharp claws, powerful talons in place of feet. The whole nine yards. Everything that Hawks should be able to handle with ease, but Raptor still manages to escape the scene with nothing but defeated criminals and grateful civilians in his wake.
All of this is spilled to his current companion, Mirko, because he’s frustrated and humiliated and so very done with this vigilante. Unfortunately, she’s no help at all.
“Seems like just the man you secretly don’t want to catch,” she cackles, grinning widely at his baffled expression. “How long has it been since he first appeared?”
With Mirko, it’s always the same. Ever since she found out that he doesn’t care to find a romantic partner, the Rabbit Hero finds it necessary to try and set him up with anyone and everyone before getting back to business. He can’t even properly call her out on it if they actually want to stay on track and get things done.
Hawks slumps in his seat. He should’ve known better than to ask her to help with this one. Of course she would crack jokes about a potential relationship with Raptor instead of focusing on the case against the man. Mirko has always been trying to get Hawks to make a move on someone, and a vigilante with avian traits seems to be the perfect target this time around. “He’s been active for years in Fukuoka, but it’s been five months since I’ve been on the case.” His feathers fluff up against his will, reacting to his agitation over the situation.
“I’ve never seen you so worked up over a vigilante like this.” She’s calmer now, but still has a faint smirk as she looks at his unruly state. “Makes me wonder how he manages to have that strong of an effect on you. Any ideas on how he’s escaping law enforcement?”
Hawks gives her a long, warning glance before responding, “None. The most we have to go off of is his quirk, but even that’s a bust. The quirk registry has plenty of avian quirks listed in Japan. There’s still nobody with the combination of traits he exhibits.”
Mirko leans closer over the table. She’s serious now. “That’s not what I meant,” she says, popping a piece of her meal into her mouth. She points her fork at Hawks and continues, “How do you think an unknown person with presumably no training is managing to escape both the police and yourself without issue? Solve how to capture him before you do all that boring research.”
“I have nothing else to do! Raptor leaves no traces of himself at any place he’s ever been seen at. How am I supposed to catch a ghost?”
He’s lucky the restaurant is crowded. The public isn’t supposed to know about how difficult catching one measly vigilante is for him.
Mirko takes his rising emotions as their cue to leave this place. She stands, nose and ears twitching wildly as she stretches. “Stop trying to catch the ghost. Focus on the person,” Mirko states, eyes narrowed. She throws a wad of yen on the table to cover their meal. It’s probably enough to cover the restaurant’s bills for a month, but both of them can’t be bothered to waste time verifying prices. Hawks can tell the case is making Mirko restless just as much as it is him.
“What do you mean by that?” Hawks asks instead of calling her out for it. “I’ve been trying to catch the guy for months. Cryptic advice like that hasn’t helped any.”
She hums, starting to walk towards the door. He follows. They’re getting stares, but nobody approaches. “You got me there. Try starting with a new approach. What about Raptor makes him able to escape that quickly? Any instances where he was caught but mysteriously let go by his secret partner that I should know of?”
“We only have witness testimonies to analyze. No hero or law enforcement sees anything but disturbed air by the time they arrive, myself included. Nothing really stands out for now he does it, but he’s got quite the fan base nowadays. Did you know that a kid stopped me on the street just to beg me to leave Raptor alone? And I thought I was the hero around here.” Hawks is very aware that he’s being whiny about this whole thing, but he quite honestly couldn’t care less. It’s only fair if Mirko is going to annoy him with comments of their supposed secret romancing.
The night air is cool and refreshing on his face. Mirko hops onto a nearby rooftop immediately upon leaving and starts jumping across buildings. Hawks glides above her with leisure wingbeats, spreading dozens of his feathers around to search the vicinity for any suspicious activity.
They travel in comfortable silence until they reach the balcony of Mirko’s hotel room. She’s staying on the island to help with the case for a week at Hawks’ insistence. Perhaps it’s overboard to have two top ten heroes on a mission to arrest a vigilante, but it’s gone on for long enough. Hawks would really appreciate her assistance despite her questionable humor.
“What time should I get to your agency in the morning?” Mirko says, yawning into one hand and opening the door with the other.
“5:30.”
“Hell no.”
“Seven?”
“See you at eight, Birdbrain.”
She’s already inside before Hawks can complain. It’s a good thing, too, because no one should be allowed to hear the indignant squawk that he might’ve let slip out.
The return to his apartment is achingly silent without Mirko to accompany him. He flies quickly, eager to return to his empty apartment. He doesn’t need anyone to fill it, especially not a date. Hawks is also not bitter about the fact that he, the Number Three hero, cannot find someone to love. It’s not an important part of his life. He’s just fine without a partner, despite all of Mirko’s efforts to set him up with heroes, villains, and vigilantes alike.
In all his relatively few years of being a vigilante, there’s never been a hero as persistent as Hawks.
Raptor sees him at nearly every scene he flees from. The man moves with a grace that he can’t help but admire. He spreads his feathers out like a blanket over the night sky, trying fruitlessly to locate him.
They’ve been in a routine like this for months. Every time Raptor allows himself to be spotted, Hawks flies out to start a search for him. His determination would be admirable if it wasn’t directed at imprisoning him. With their current strategy, it’s unlikely that they ever will.
It’s not arrogance that makes him say that, of course. The heroes just simply aren’t looking for the right thing. They’re trying to catch a winged man, but Raptor isn’t a winged man at all. It’s what makes him so elusive, so free. He’s untouchable.
That’s also what gives him the courage to live the life of a vigilante right under the nose of Hawks himself. He knows the hero is frustrated despite his efforts to hide it from the public. Raptor knows it from the tense movements of his feathers, the short dismissals of his assistants. Raptor knows it very well. In fact, he experiences it every day.
“Do you need anything else?” he asks carefully, politely. The act is very familiar by now. Although Hawks doesn’t care for formalities as much as other heroes would, it’s still good to keep things professional. Raptor can’t afford to be suspected in a position like this.
Hawks smiles tersely from behind his desk, nearly overrun by papers at this point. Raptor can see the carefree hero persona trying to flicker past the stress, but it’s no use. His wings give him away each time. “Nah, I’m good, Midoriya. Has Mirko shown up yet?”
Izuku smiles back at him. “Just now, sir,” he says in return, stepping aside to let the Rabbit Hero bound inside the private office. She’s been anxiously waiting there for several minutes as Izuku delivered new documents to Hawks on the other cases he’s working on.
“Morning, Birdie!” Mirko greets loudly. “Any luck with this mysterious vigilante since last night?”
It’s pleasing to confirm the lack of suspicion placed on Hawks’ own assistant. After all, who would or even could suspect the quirkless helper of being involved? Still, the added manpower of the Rabbit Hero might complicate things. It’s worrying to have two of the top ten after him. Eventually, something might slip and ruin his whole cover.
It’s a matter to analyze later. Unlike Izuku, the tension gradually bleeds out of Hawks’ form at the sight of the other hero. He dismisses Izuku quietly to continue his dealings with Mirko, but his enhanced hearing keys him into the following conversation regardless.
“Two sightings of Raptor capturing a few members of a minor gang, but of course, nothing further than that. Any ideas?”
A thump is heard, likely Mirko plopping onto a couch and making herself comfortable. There’s a pause where she considers her answer. “He’s good, but nobody’s invincible. Is there any evidence to his avian features being fake?” A creak. She’s leaning forward. Izuku can practically taste the comment she’s about to drop. “You could just have a fanboy on your hands, Hawks. All the easier to get your hands on him then, huh?”
Perhaps not. That was wholly unexpected, but apparently not for Hawks. He can hear a weary sigh before the winged pro says, “I thought I already told you I’m not interested in romance right now, especially not for mysterious vigilantes. Not quite my type anyway.”
There’s barely any time to process that before another employee of the Hawks Agency turns down the hallway. Izuku quickly pretends like he was just passing by as well instead of eavesdropping. The other employee passes him and knocks on Hawks’ door. He hurries down the rest of the hallway and back to his desk. For now, the smartest move is to just lay low. Portray the perfect assistant. And then at night, become the elusive vigilante that his boss will never one day capture.