Chapter Text
Torn socks fitted onto feet barely hang on as they get scraped against the ground over and over again. The running mixed in with the occasional hop and fly forward- Only to land on the ground again- causes leaves to fly off the trees and fall. Bird-like squeaks come with every accidental scrape on a tree or rock, leaving skin dirty and a little bloody.
The kid whines when he falls down and can’t get up, legs too tired and brain muddled. His wings can barely flutter, restrained against a leather of sorts keeping them pinned loosely together. He could try to use the individual feathers, but most of them were damaged; And to be honest, he was too exhausted to attempt anything drastic. Running was already dragging him down, along with the jumps and small glides he did to go faster.
He just needed to.. Rest on the ground for a bit. He was far away enough, right? He doesn’t hear footsteps any more..
Keigo feels himself on the edge of passing out, he was bruised and beaten down to his limit- and honestly sleep sounds great right now. But there’s an alarm in the back of his head telling him to get up and keep running- he couldn’t possibly be safe here.
Then, as he’s fighting an internal struggle- he hears it.
A loud whine, and muffled hiccups.
He tenses up at first, how did he not hear the crying? He doesn’t allow himself to relax until he can be sure this isn’t another trick from the Hero Commission, but were they cruel enough to use a younger kid to lure him out?
…
Keigo thinks yes, they are. He was eleven and they already damaged him enough. Who the hell ties a kid up and forces him into a dark closet for two days?
I mean, he doesn’t know the answer to that, really. It was hard to know if that was normal for adults to do to kids or not- he didn’t know his parents for that long and everyone in the Hero Commission were adults. So maybe it was?
The Hawk sits up from where he lays on the ground, moving as quietly as he can and looking around for the source of the crying.
And- oh.
Not a kid- or yes a kid? Not an adult, definitely not an adult. But they were so small..
There was a dark-haired-- Green, That was green, right? The poor thing’s hair was matted with mud.. Maybe it’s the mud. Ick. Kid- Kid? Kid just doesn’t sound right.
Hatchling. Yeah, that makes sense. The Hatchling’s face was red and his eyes were swollen from crying. He had to be about.. four or so, if Keigo knew anything about ages anyways.. He’d like to think he was good at analyzing people and situations, but he was also eleven.
The Hatchling suddenly jumps and Keigo’s eyes widen, Spotted. They both make eye contact and the Hatchling is quick to hide his face in his hands, whimpering.
Keigo startles himself with the coo that erupts from his own mouth, but he makes no effort to cover up the fact that he did. Especially since it makes the Hatchling uncover his face slightly.
Oh god, that baby face is adorable.
As he scoots forward towards the Hatchling, he hears a voice in the distance.
Shi- Fu- uh. Bad words. He needed to make a choice quickly otherwise he’s fu- uh- another bad worded.
Okay, Okay. He can’t leave the hatchling here. But he doesn’t want to startle the small baby too bad..
“I think I see something!”
FUCK- okay, no time to think about scaring the baby. Comfort will need to come later.
The Hatchling’s green eyes are confused and bleary, and with every voice in the distance comes a large flinch that shudders through the baby’s body. That’s not right, why is the Hatchling so terrified? It doesn’t.. Look right..
Another voice startles the Hawk from his thoughts and he squeaks, raising a hand to cover his mouth quickly to cover the noise.
Shut up brain, thoughts later.
He shimmies forward, making the Hatchling whine softly. Keigo gently shushes the baby, scooping him into his arms and frowning in concern when he makes no effort to get away. Just more whines.. Please don’t give up, I didn’t. The Hawk charges forward after making sure the Hatchling was safe in his arms.
He doesn’t stop this time until he sees city lights, the Hawk swiftly dashing onto the sidewalk and ducking into an alley. Keigo crouches behind a garbage bin, holding the tiny Hatchling close to his chest as he remains silent. He tries his best to listen out for the voices- but all he hears is the late night walkers and the distressed noises of the baby in his arms.
He eventually gives up listening out for his ‘handlers’, instead focusing on the whimpering mess below his chin. Despite his own anxiety and adrenaline prickling in his veins, he begins to whisper reassurances towards the Hatchling.
You’re safe.. I’m safe.. I won’t hurt you.. They won’t hurt you.. They won’t hurt me.. You’re okay.. It’s okay..
The Hatchling eventually comes to a stop with his whines and whimpers, head weakly looking up at the eleven-year old. “There you are,” Keigo hums, voice almost cracking. “I thought that maybe you were p-playing-” Oh god stuttering, not good. Stupid sore throat. Stupid nervous anxiety sh- He coughs before continuing, “Peek-a-boo with me.”
This earns not a smile, but just a small noise. Like something of acknowledgement- but it was so small and easy to miss. Keigo takes it as something akin to a laugh- but not quite so. Still, it somehow brings relief to the poor kid’s heart.
Keigo brings a hand to run it through the curls that weren’t as matted on the Hatchling’s head, and smiles brokenly. “W-we’re safe, n-now..” Don’t start shaking, it’s okay. “My name is K-Keigo, Keigo Takami. Is there anything I can call you, Hatch- Um, Hatchling?” He really isn’t sure if the baby will talk, but it was worth a shot. And even if he doesn’t get an answer, the talking seems to calm the hatchling down.
The Hawk watches as green eyes widen, trying their best to resist against drooping shut. The Hatchling makes a noise, fidgeting on Keigo’s lap. His small hands grasp the torn up shirt in front of him, face turning down into Keigo’s chest and hiding his eyes. Shy? Scared?
“Iz... Izuu..” The Hatchling’s voice is raspy and squeaky, it’s hard to make out what the baby is saying. But Keigo tries his best, putting his chin on top of the muddy hair beneath him.
“Iz... Izuku.”
“Izuku?” Keigo confirms, and Izuku nods into his chest. “Okay Izuku.. We’re in this together now so..” He doesn’t think he would be able to leave his first friend behind, even if he was just a Hatchling.
The baby nods before yawning and Keigo takes that as an agreement, shakily standing on two aching legs as Izuku nods off into dreamland.
Alright, where else besides an alleyway is safe?
Keigo starts walking, almost tripping but managing to catch himself in pure fear of dropping Izuku. However he doesn’t get very far before spotting a man just standing there in the entrance of the alleyway- Oh god no, please no-
He must look frightened because as soon as he makes eye contact, the man curses to himself and raises his hands up. “I’m not going to hurt you, kid.” He says in a very obvious exhausted voice, but somehow- it was almost reassuring.
But an adult? Adults were.. Adults were bad.. Right?
Keigo backs up, and the man lets out a breath that sounds like a sigh. Erm, why is this man wearing a large scarf in the middle of summer?
No wait, that’s not what you’re supposed to be thinking about, Keigo.
The man contemplates what to do next, concerned frown hidden underneath the large scarf and eyes analyzing the two kids in front of him.
Just when he’s about to say something, Keigo beats him to it.
“Um.. A-Adult..” Keigo winces at his own words, you sound a bit stupid there.
Get out thoughts, I’m scared. I don’t- The kid grumbles, eyes flickering to the ground but quickly looking back up in the fear of the man doing something while he’s not in his field of vision. “Adults are.. Mean? Are you…” He huffs, “..Mean?”
The man’s posture goes from stiff to mildly relaxed, and Keigo thought he saw his fist clench and unclench- but again, he might’ve just been seeing things.
“No, kid. I promise I’m not mean.” The man then crouches down, making the Hawk feel somewhat better but still skeptical. “Not all adults are mean, but many are- yeah.” He slowly extends a hand forward, as if trying to beckon forward a stray cat. “My name is Shouta Aizawa, do you think you could tell me yours?”
Keigo’s grip tightens on the Hatchling in his arms, frowning at nothing in particular as he thinks. “Not mean?” He murmurs, watching Aizawa’s head nod. “Okay..” The Hawk takes a step forward, taking a deep breath when a particular pain shoots through his leg and causes him to stumble. Aizawa looks like he wants to help, arms extended in worry but the Hawk steadies himself in time.
“You okay?” Aizawa questions, eyebrows raised when Keigo suddenly looks at the man with a pout.
“Stupid question…” Keigo murmurs, wings fluttering slightly when the man snorts into his scarf. A Laugh? He made the man laugh. He’s definitely never done that before. The adults were always so hard-headed.. Was that the term for it?
“Yeah, it was.” The man stands up, hand reaching out again. An offering, it would seem.
….
“K-Keigo..” The Hawk mumbles, shifting Izuku onto one arm in order to take the hand. “Keigo.. Takami..”
“It’s good to meet you, Takami.” The man pauses, watching Keigo shake his head. “Keigo?” The Hawk nods, he wasn’t too big on the last name.
“And, um..” Keigo’s eyes dart to the Hatchling, biting at his lip in contemplation. “Izuku.”
“Keigo and Izuku, got it.” Aizawa hums, “Are you okay with going back to my house? I can’t leave you out here like this, kid.”
Keigo’s hand tightens around Aizawa’s, the man lightly squeezing back in response. It doesn’t hurt, and it’s a pressure that the Hawk doesn’t quite recognize. Like.. Comfort.
“Is home.. Safe?” Keigo questions, he had to be sure.
“Yeah kid, it’s safe.” Aizawa doesn’t miss a beat in answering, and when Keigo looks into the man’s eyes there’s only sincerity along with patience.
A soft look that was directed towards him and Izuku, something he never had. Something that Izuku.. Probably didn’t have either.
“Okay.” The small Hawk lets go of Aizawa’s hand, leaving the man confused momentarily before the kid raises his hand up towards his face and makes a ‘grabby’ gesture. “Can’t um.. Walk well.. Or fly..” He watches Aizawa’s eyes dart towards the wings on his back, eyes widening for a second. He must’ve not looked too hard at them. Keigo chooses to ignore the rage swarming in those irises in favor of tugging at the man’s shirt. The anger wasn’t directed at him, he knows- but it’s wasted energy.
Aizawa can provide a safe space, but he won’t be able to beat his handlers. They’re too strong. He thinks, pouting. It’s a shame, but at least he’ll be safe. And with a friend, too.
Maybe Aizawa will be a friend.
He’s startled from his thoughts by large hands lifting him up, he squirms as he settles into a comfortable position- not quite used to the gentle handling at all.
“Alright kid.. Let’s get you and Izuku home.”
Yeah, that sounds nice.