Chapter Text
By the time Class 1-A had settled into their seats, the room was buzzing with quiet conversation. Guest lectures weren't exactly uncommon at U.A., but the rumors about who today's speaker was and the fact that they were going to go to a camp with said speaker had everyone just a little more excited than usual.
"I heard it’s one of the top five heroes," Mina whispered.
"Me too," Midoriya said. "Who do you think it will be?... The number 5 Rabbit Hero: Mirko? She's strong but aggressive so probably not. Number 4 Edgeshot: The Ninja Hero? Maybe though I'm not sure what he would talk about. Best Jeanist then number 3 Fiber Hero who's number 1 in popularity? He's probably too busy though-"
"We know, nerd," Bakugou said from behind him. “You can stop your muttering now" Midoriya jumped, nearly dropping his pencil. "S-sorry!"
Aizawa, who had been silently grading papers at the front of the classroom, looked up just long enough to sigh. "He should be here any minute now." Almost as if on cue, something tapped gently against the classroom window.
The students closest to it turned their heads. Midoriya noticed the flash of crimson hovering just outside the glass. "...Is that a feather?" Before anyone could answer, the window slid open. A rush of cool winter air swept into the classroom.
A pair of bright red wings appeared first, catching the sunlight as their owner flew effortlessly through the opening. For a brief second, it looked impossible that wings so large could fit inside a classroom, but with practiced ease they folded neatly against the hero's back the instant his boots touched the floor.
He straightened his jacket, glanced around the room with an easy smile, and lifted one hand in greeting. "Morning."
Silence.
Then Kaminari blurted out the question everyone else had apparently been thinking. "...Why didn't you use the door?"
Hawks looked toward the still-closed classroom door before shrugging. "...Flying was faster."
Aizawa didn't even blink. "You're 5 minutes late."
"And?" The hero grinned, slipping his hands into his jacket pockets as if entering classrooms through second-story windows was something he did every day. "I figured I'd make an entrance." Bakugou mumbled, “Show-off.”
—
Hawks wasn't at all what Midoriya had expected. He was... less formal.
Instead of standing behind the podium, he wandered around the room while he talked, occasionally leaning against a desk or resting one hip against the teacher's podium. His wings moved almost constantly, feathers adjusting themselves every few moments as though they had minds of their own.
Midoriya's pencil flew across the page.
Wing movement appears almost subconscious... feathers react independently even while speaking... incredible fine motor control…
The lecture itself was fascinating. Hawks spoke less about flashy hero work and more about rescue operations.
"You can beat the bad guy in thirty seconds," he explained, absentmindedly twirling one detached feather between his fingers, "but if you ignore the civilians while you're doing it, you've already failed." Several students nodded. Even Bakugou listened without interrupting.
Questions came one after another.
"How fast can you fly?" Mina asked, "Fast enough to beat traffic." Was Hawks’ answer.
"What's the highest you've ever flown?" Sero asked, "Higher than the clouds." That earned a few stunned looks.
“How big are your wings?" Ojiro asked, "I would have to say probably about 1.5 meters" (roughly 5 feet for my fellow Americans lol)
"Do your wings ever get tired?" Sero asked, "Oh, 100%."
"What happens if you lose all your feathers?" Momo asked, "It gets a bit harder to fly and I look ridiculous for a while." That made the class laugh a bit.
By the time the questions began slowing down, even Aizawa seemed content to let the discussion continue.
Hawks glanced around the room. "One last question." Nearly every hand shot into the air. He pointed toward Kirishima. "You've been patient." Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck. "...Okay, this is gonna sound kinda weird."
"The weird ones are usually the fun questions."
"...Can I touch one of your wings?" The room fell silent. Kirishima's face immediately reddened. "I-I mean, you can totally say no! I was just wondering what they felt like."
Hawks looked at him for a second before giving an easy shrug. "Sure." This time the silence somehow became even louder. "Seriously?"
"Yeah." He unfolded one wing, extending it slightly toward Kirishima. "Just don't pull any feathers."
Kirishima approached carefully, like he was afraid the hero might change his mind. He hesitated before gently brushing his fingertips across the outer feathers. "They're... way softer than I expected."
The class leaned forward in their seats. Even Bakugo looked up. Kirishima smiled before pulling his hand away. Only… One feather near the middle of the wing sat just a little out of place.
Without thinking, he reached back. "Oh, uh..." His fingers carefully smoothed the feather back into line with the rest.
It took barely a second. The effect was immediate.
Hawks' shoulders visibly relaxed. His wings puffed ever so slightly. His head dipped just enough that his chin nearly brushed his shoulder. "...Mm." The tiny sound escaped before he could stop it.
Complete silence. Twenty students stared. Hawks blinked. "... Nobody heard that."
Kaminari raised a hand. "I definitely heard that."
"So did I," Mina added.
"I made a perfectly normal human noise."
"No," Jirou said with a grin. "No, you didn't." Hawks opened his mouth to argue but he couldn't think of anything to say. The classroom dissolved into laughter. Even Aizawa looked suspiciously close to smiling.
Kirishima looked between Hawks and the wing he'd just touched. "... Wait… Did fixing your feather do that?"
"No."
"It kinda looked like it."
"It absolutely did not."
"It really did," Sero chimed in.
Midoriya had stopped laughing entirely. His notebook was already open again. His pencil moved almost faster than anyone could read.
1 Hawks appears to experience an involuntary state of relaxation when another person straightens misplaced feathers. Initial hypothesis: instinctive preening behavior.
He paused. Then, after a moment's thought, added one final line beneath it.
Further observation recommended.
Across the room, Mina slowly raised her hand. "...Hypothetically..." Hawks pointed at her without missing a beat. "No."
"But—"
"No."
"I didn't even finish!"
"I know exactly where that question was going."
The bell rang. Hawks let out the most relieved sigh anyone had ever heard. "Saved by the bell." As the students gathered their things, conversations immediately shifted from internships and hero work to one very specific topic. "...Did he really make that noise?"
Bakugou shoved his hands into his pockets as he headed for the door. "...You guys were petting a grown man." The room fell quiet for a beat. "...He's got a point," Sero admitted. Mina frowned. "...It was educational?" Bakugo just shook his head. "...Weird."
Behind him, Midoriya quietly closed his notebook with a small smile.