Chapter Text
The sky was dark today, darker than usual.
Storm clouds?
Storm clouds, at least that was her guess from what she could see out of the square window overlooking the city. They looked awfully artificial however, spiralling in slow circles like an oncoming typhoon of some sorts. Electricity cracked in the air even inside stale air of the hospital building, it made her wonder how potent it might be outside of the bland white walls.
Feathers shuddering at the kinetic energy it formed between the soft tufts she drew her eyes downwards, trying to see the cause of the brewing storm. It didn't look natural, didn't feel it either from how tense everything had become by just watching it from so far away.
Not that she could do much about it sitting here, the Pro Heroes existed for a reason after all. They'd handle this, it was their job not her's.
"You listening blondie?"
She hated that derogatory nickname he'd taken to calling her, especially in front of patients.
Snapping her eyes away from the windowpane, purple iris's turned towards the Doctor who had addressed her and subsequently snapped her from the deep dialogue of internal thoughts. Shame instantly washed over any curiosity that had formed when she spotted the frown on the older mans face.
Doctor Nakamura stood tall and lanky with a clipboard in hand beside the hospital bed of their most recent patient. The poor old lady, Mrs Yama, who lay at his knees was a kind greying flower shop owner who'd fallen from her stool when she'd try to retrieve a particular set of bows from a high shelf and evidently broken her ankle in the unfortunate end result.
Sato Kyoko, some had taken to calling her various other names most of which she had silently resented to hearing, had been assigned as an intern of sort, an assistant nurse in training barely a month into her practice at the hospital and already daydreaming on the job while under the scrutinising gaze of Doctor Nakamura. Not that he hadn't lowered his gaze at her from day one, apparently the male members of staff, at least to him, had far more value than some young nurse in training who tended to get lost more than not in the never ending halls of the varying hospital wings.
She'd thought he might reign in the annoyed looks while in company of patients, but apparently that hadn't been the case.
"Sorry Doctor, I was just-"
"Getting distracted again, clearly"
Asshole.
He didn't even give her a chance to explain herself before cutting her off rudely and let out a sigh as he scribbled something down on that damned pristine clipboard of his. He was always writing down something or another, most likely his complaints about her performance so that he could tare her a new one in his weekly assessments to whoever had the unfortunate task in assessing her progress in this new program she was now part of.
Kyoko withered in her stool, lowered her gaze downwards until it reached the grey floor and gripped tightly at the skirt that decorated her lap. Better not to argue with him when he was particularly irritable, she'd learned that after the first time he'd yelled at her when she'd dropped a blood sample on her second day at the hospital. The blond had spent the rest of that day cleaning out bedpans and spillages.
The old lady in her bed spared her a pitying look she caught out of the corner of her eyes, but stayed otherwise silent as Nakamura's attention was brought back to the subject at hand.
"Now, to what I was saying. As long as you keep your leg and foot elevated and keep all and any pressure off, your bones should heal perfectly well within six to eight weeks" He explained methodically without even looking at his patient "I'll be setting up check ups and scans for your ankle every week to make sure everything heals as it should", noting down something else before glancing down at the old woman "Any other questions Ma'am?"
The poor lady looked pale at the words she'd just been told and straightened against the pillows keeping her upright.
"Y-Yes, about the pain Doctor, it hurts quite a bit. Could I receive some sort of pain medication otherwise I fear sleep might elude me" She spoke tentatively, almost as if she expected the answer to be no without ever hearing it.
Kyoko knew why, and stiffened when the Doctor turned from his patient towards her perched neatly on her stool by the window.
"As I've previously said, due to the various medications you are already prescribed Ma'am, adding to the list would only cause more problems than not. As such" He was eying the girl carefully, as if saying the following words were physically paining to him.
"Miss Sato here will be assisting you with your pain, luckily for us both she does have a use beyond getting lost in her head" He could've made a light handed joke of her mishap, but decided instead to insult her with a low tone outright before waving her over nonchalantly.
Rising to her feet, she gave a cautious glance out of the window one last time. Curiosity far to ingrained not to peak a glance at the scene before scurrying to the other side of the elder woman's hospital bed and taking up position to what she knew would be requested of her. Of her quirk.
She hated her quirk some days.
"She will take the pain from you, just relax and it'll be gone momentarily" He explained, adjusting the small round glasses resting on his angular face as he waved a hand words the intern standing waiting for instruction.
She followed quickly by gently taking the older woman's hand into her own "Don't worry Ma'am, you won't feel a thing" she saw, of course, the worry splaying across the wary patients eyes as she watched with growing curiosity. She couldn't blame her for it, it was hard to imagine taking pain without feeling pain.
At least that was the case for the recipient of the quirk, however unfortunately not the one using it. Not that it mattered, it had never mattered. No matter how many times Kyoko had cried as a child when she'd unknowingly taken the pain from her mothers cut hand, no matter how many times she'd trained to take the strain of an injury at UA only to cause her to collapse by the end of it.
What mattered was the usefulness of her quirk, not that it hurt her in the process of using it. It was part of the job right?
"Just take a deep breath and it'll be gone" The blond instructed carefully, squeezing the woman's hand once more before her quirk activated and her eyes glowed a pearlescent white. The pain in her ankle was easy to localise, after hundreds of hours of practice it was like riding a bike at this point and with her quirk honing in she listened for the breath before drawing the sharp pain into herself and out of the body of the suffering patron.
It flowed like energy through the contact of their skin, down into her depths until it splayed across her own nervous system and Kyoko released her hold to take a step back.
"All done Ma'am"
A forced smile hid away the after affects as her eyes returned to their normal purple hue and she bowed lightly at the look of shock on the elder woman's face when she discovered all discomfort and pain vanished.
"The pain should remain gone for at least twelve to twenty four hours depending on the severity, please refrain from moving much despite it's absence. Your ankle is still broken and in need of rest" Doctor Nakamura cleared his throat to get the attention in the room back on himself, scribbling down a small tick before he began leaving the room with Kyoko silently following.
"I'll be sending a nurse around this evening to bring you your dinner Ma'am, have a good evening"
"Thank you Doctor" She seemed to have found her voice again when she realised the departing words and turned slightly towards the door "And thank you Miss Sato, your quirk is truly a wonderful gift my child"
Kindness radiated in her voice, but the only thought playing in Kyoko's mind was one of sourness.
'A gift to everyone but myself' she grimaced at the pain at the edge of her vision, hiding it behind a bright smile and a:
"No problem it's part of my duty" before she left the room behind her waiting mentor.
As soon as the door slid shut to conceal the corridor to the patient, to any patient's room, Nakamura unloaded his frustrations onto her tenfold.
"Useless child, do you think you can just daydream and still pass the examinations!?"
"You are an embarrassment to this hospital blondie, do you even care about our reputation? You obviously can't with how carelessly you handle everything I try to teach you"
"I don't even know why they let you into the program, and why the hell I had to end up looking after you?! Ridiculous really, even after all my complaints to the board they still won't reassign you"
She was staring at the tops of her plain white shoes throughout it all, suddenly they had become more interesting than anything else in the entire world. How she wished to just snap back, tell him of all the things he had done wrong, how he talked down to many of his patients and how he needed anger management more than anything else. But she remained quiet, complacent.
"Are you even listening to me!?!" His voice had grown with his list of complaints, the newest tone making her jump and draw her eyes back up in fright.
"Yes Sir, I'm sorry Sir it won't happen again!" She barked out quickly, hoping the words would soothe his burning temper.
It helped little from the way he sighed and began his march down the hallway. She followed silently of course, not daring to make him reprimand her for anything else.
"It better not, otherwise you're cleaning the toilets for the next week whenever I have no use for your quirk" He grunted out stopping at the wing that held the examination rooms, "We've just received an influx of patients" he began not bothering to turn and look at her while she cowered two steps at his heels listening despite the turmoil in her mind at the growing pain in her ankle she had tried to repress that now made her wobble every few steps. He hadn't commented on it even if he noticed.
"There's been a fight with a small villain organisation in the centre of the city, a few hero's got roughed up, nothing major from the reports I'm getting"
Kyoko could see his quirk active by the way his eyes spun from side to side in quick succession seemingly looking at thin air as the new information flooded into his ears. She'd never asked about it, but registered it had something to do with information transfer from the small amplifier in his right ear.
Wait, so those clouds she'd seen earlier? Were they part of the attack he was referring to?
"We're to asses these new patients as quickly as possible, get them treated and ready for their upcoming interview in an hour. I trust you can handle assessing one of them at least?" When he finished finally Nakamura turned to face her, one eyebrow raised and waiting for an answer.
"Yes Sir, I'll be as fast as I can" She nodded eagerly, silently glad to be given a chance to work alone and perhaps prove herself a little as well as dread the responsibility which only lead to endless possibilities of messing up. With a Hero no less, no matter how famous or not however she handled them would be heavily criticised, scrutinised and assessed. Especially with the headlines which would undoubtedly make the news after these interviews he was referring to.
"Well, knowing your previously disappointing results I won't get my hopes up. You're in room three, don't stare and if you ask for some sort of autograph I'll personally ensure you'll never be handling a patient ever again do we understand each other?"
Even if she'd never even think of doing such a thing to a patient, hero or not, Kyoto gave a firm nod.
Who the hell would think to harass a suffering person for a stupid autograph?! They're health took priority here, the hospital prided itself on it's professionalism and so did she even if Doctor Nakamura had doubts about it.
"Yes Sir, thank you"
He said nothing else and Kyoko took it as a sign to take her leave in a hurry. Examination room three was down the hall to the left, it was one of the most spacious examination rooms in the hospital. They had a few like it, with extra plants decorating the space and a window bigger than the others. She'd taken it was one for more famed guests with how little it was used, and wondered if the special treatment annoyed her more than it should.
Righting the bottom half of her blue coloured scrubs Kyoko brushed her blond wavy bob behind her ears and took a deep stabilising breath outside of the door. Her ankle still stung, the pain radiating up her leg annoyingly but not enough to cause much much distress yet. She'd need to sit down for lunch after this and do some exercises to calm it, and calm whatever subsequent pain might greet her beyond this doorway too.
Whatever Hero would greet her, she hoped hadn't come from their previous confrontation too badly hurt. Either Doctor Nakamura had given her an easy patient to fit, to him, her low level of experience or in total opposite given her a greatly suffering patient so that she would in turn have more to handle and thus have an easier time in disappointing and failing him so that he could give her another round of his famous ranted lectures that left her feeling small and worthless for the rest of the day.
Giving a single knock, she entered without wasting time and slid the door shut behind her neatly "Welcome to Hosu General Hospital, my name is Nurse Sato I'll be assessing your injuries today" it was rehearsed of course. She'd learned the words to say on her first day and drummed them into her skull on every evening following. It was the start of a rhythm in terms of assessing new arrivals and helped her set up a start instead of freezing on the spot and staring into space with panic and confusion on what to do next which would get her nowhere but into cleaning duties.
Which was sort of comical to think about when she did in fact freeze for a split second when she heard the reply in form a pained grunt from the examination table across the room.
The man sounded broken, not to the point of unconsciousness or that he wasn't aware of what was happening. But he surely wasn't having a grand time either.
Pulling on gloves provided after she dimmed the lights to ease the eyestrain he most likely had, she picked up a small flashlight and stethoscope before walking deftly to his bedside. Eyes flitted over the visible injuries first, forming bruises, cuts, scrapes, someone had punched the sides of his face and a few fingers looked bent at an odd angle.
Broken, dislocated or simply cracked? Kyoko couldn't tell without further assessment and steeled herself before she could let pity find her facial features.
"That bad?" His smooth voice filled her ears followed by a chuckle and grunt of pain and made her blink momentarily.
Had he seen the pained look on her face she'd tried to hide? She thought she'd hidden it quickly enough, apparently not, he was perceptive. Of course he was, he was pro hero for a reason.
He sounded younger than he looked at the moment, the injuries at least didn't look fatal or like they needed operating which was good "I've seen worse" Kyoko commented smoothly, lifting the upper end up by turning the lever several times so that his upper body and chest were in a more upright position for her to access.
"I'm going to check your condition if that's alright, if anything hurts please let me know and I'll try to be gentler" Carefully she lifted the flashlight up "Please keep your eyes open and on the light if you can" and shone the light from one iris into the other several times. His eyes were golden, they reflected the light in a gentle honey tone that she thought quite pretty in a way.
In fact all of him was...quite pretty. From the dirty blond hair mussed up and dirty with dust and gravel, to his sharp tired looking eyes that carried under them eye-bags and a relaxed smirk she knew he was using to hide pain more than anything else.
Now was not the time to ogle at a patient Kyoko, head out of the gutter idiot.
His pupils dilated as they should "No concussion it seems, that's good. Though I still predict you have quite a serious headache" She concluded watching him lean his head back against the pillows with a small grunt, eyes opening and closing several times to adjust to the low light in the room.
"Really fucking big one actually Doc" He let the curse slip on accident, but she felt no need to reprimand an already suffering man for his language and gave a hum in recognition of his words. She would've done the same in his position.
"It's just Miss Sato or Nurse Sato, I'm no Doctor Sir" She corrected gently before putting the stethoscope into her ears and lifting the end up to his eye level.
"I need to place this over your heart now, it'll be a little cold at first" She warned before peering down at the tares of his tight black shirt, he looked fit. She meant that in the 'he's been to the gym and clearly gets regular exercise' way, but couldn't help but guiltily agree with the notion of attractiveness too.
Focus Kyoko, you have a job to do and this poor guy is suffering right now. Maybe she should've taken his pain first? Though it wouldn't do if she didn't know the extent of his injuries and pain first, better to know what to prepare for than to collapse at his bedside and look like a whole fool.
"Could you lift your shirt for me?" She averted her gaze respectfully and busied herself with preparing some anti-bacterial wipes while he shifted.
Hearing the pained sound through his clenched teeth made her eyes dart back just as quickly, "Let me help" That was a mistake. Obviously the poor guy wouldn't be able to do it on his own from the state he was in. Kyoko chided herself for the misstep and carefully peeled the black shirt upwards until the correct chest area was exposed for her to asses. More injuries greeted her sight there, scrapes, bruises, burn...burn marks? Peculiar ones she hadn't seen in a while shaped in sharp lines and odd angles. Burns but not from fire.
"I need you to take some deep breaths for me if you could?" Lifting her gaze to see him staring at the ceiling, she wasn't even sure he had looked at her fully yet before she lifted the end of the stethoscope and placed it over his heart.
"In" He followed the soothing instructions without further comment, broad chest rising "and out" before falling again as Kyoko closed her eyes and listened intently at the rhythm of his heartbeat in her ears. Sounded normal, that was good.
"Again please" She murmured.
"Are you an Angel?"
Startled by the words, so irrelevant given the scenario the blonds eyes shot open and drew onto the face of her patient who's eyes looked much more focused and at attention than before and were directed at her fully now.
She, embarrassingly enough, choked.
Before quickly clearing her throat and drawing away, settling his shirt back down as she went and setting the equipment aside just as fast.
"My name is Nurse Sato" She corrected a little too harshly than intended whilst laying out some bandages. This wasn't exactly a good time for flirting, she was doing her job and he had clearly just been through one hell of an ordeal. That, and he sounded the cocky playboy time, definitely not her type.
Just don't look at him, don't look at him and it'll be fine just don't-
"You're beautiful" He sounded...dazed? Almost.
Had it not been from the various injuries and the assessment she'd just done that confirmed he didn't have a concussion she would've blamed those on his delusional words. But from the way he was staring up at her now told her that he was in fact, very much aware of what he was saying.
It worried her. And also kind of took her off guard.
"And you have wings" He followed onward undeterred when she didn't answer, eyes glancing past her shoulders to the pair of white pristine wings which ruffled unintentionally at their acknowledgement.
Yes, she had wings...so?
"And you've clearly hit your head a little too hard" Kyoko retorted clearing her throat once more before retrieving the particular balm she'd need for this situation and mixing it into the healing salve which accompanied the bandages.
"Pretty sure I can still see an Angel if one were standing right in front of me" He was teasing now, she could tell. He wasn't the first and wouldn't be last to comment on her wings like that, though his words held no malice from what she could pick up on that didn't mean much to make her feel any less wary of them.
"With your permission I will clean your wounds and apply an healing balm" Ignoring it seemed the best approach and Kyoko stuck to it even with the way his eyebrow rose in question at her dismissal before sitting up straighter a hand running through his messed up hair with a small hum.
"I'll also be using my quirk on you to help with the pain, if that's alright?" It was part of the rules to ask before using it, not everyone was comfortable with the notion of an invisible quirk being used on them, especially when wounded and vulnerable. Who knows the end results.
"Your quirk?" The blond man nodded despite the question and continued to study her face as she began cleaning his wounds as carefully as she could, gloves discarded after she'd washed her hands in order to initiate skin contact to assist her further. He barely flinched, didn't even acknowledge the actions beyond the way his shoulder tensed. This hero had probably been through a lot of his pain in his life, it couldn't be easy getting into confrontations that ended up in injury so much.
"It'll take the pain from you" When the wounds were clean and disinfected she began, eyes glowing their pearlescent colour and removing any colour beyond the white shine as she began spreading the balm over the burn marks, shifting his clothes gently aside to access them as carefully as she could.
The pain absorbed made her body stiffen, seating burns, sharp cuts, festering bruises, she even felt the headache in her own skull vibrate around her head. He was in more pain than he let on and she took as much as she could before Kyoko's vision started to go hazy and her hands drew away at the last bandage wrapped around his upper arm. She'd intentionally avoided any around his forehead, instead opting for a large plaster there concealed behind the mess of hair hanging over his forehead. She knew the cameras would comment on the bandages, and having them mostly unseen beneath his clothing would be expected of her.
"And where does the pain go?" His voice had lifted, his shoulders relaxed and eyebrows raised in surprise as soon as he felt the pain dissipate and dissolve from within. It felt as if he hadn't been hurt at all, like he'd just woken up from the best nights sleep he'd ever had in months and felt nothing if not refreshed.
Standing back to assess her work Kyoko blinked the black spots from her vision before setting aside her equipment, the grip that stabilised her against the countertop of the examination room lingered there even when she turned to smile at him "Away. How do you feel now?"
If he noticed he didn't comment.
"Hell of a lot better" He stretched, arms up behind his head and eyes closing while the sudden appearance of red feathers past his shoulder blades took the blond nurse by surprise.
Were those...
"You look surprised" He joked glancing behind him before ruffling his crimson feathers out.
How the hell was she supposed to have known he also had feathers on his back- wings, he had wings too. Though his seemed fairly sparse and not much use in flying long distances at the moment.
Worn, she'd use the word worn to describe them.
"They'll grow back, had to use them quite a bit today" He remarked, curious to see the look of bewilderment on the nurses face "Surely you've heard of me, the big number 2, winged Hero Hawks?"
Had she? Should...she have?
"I-... I haven't Sir Hawks, that's rude of me. I do apologise for staring" Wings shutting in tightly she bowed in apology, hoping to appease any offence despite the grin growing on his face. Nakamura would surely rant at her for the lack of decorum if he ever found out she'd been ogling some hero like this.
Kyoko didn't watch TV, not really. Well aside from some cheesy movies she liked to pick up at three am after a long shift at the hospital from some convenience store or another. She didn't watch the news or kept up with hero rankings. It seemed silly to think in this day and age, but it wasn't very important in her line of work. All the needed to know was injuries, illnesses and how to handle them so that her patients came out of her assistance alive and well. It didn't matter who they were in the end, all their lives were of equal value despite their titles and names.
From the way he was staring at her however, she felt silly. Like an idiot caught unawares by the most obvious thing in the world.
"Just Hawks is fine, Kid" He had the audacity to laugh, laugh at her!
Like she was some idiot fool standing there astounded and gripping onto the countertop that held now bloody and dirty equipment whilst some big shot hero revealed in her surprise and probably took her for an inexperienced child, the thought alone made her roll her eyes.
His laugh was pleasant at least, and much more genuine than any of the previous forced smiles he'd plastered on his face before. Hawks genuinely seemed amused by the situation. At least she'd helped in that respect, if unintentionally.
"I feel a lot better already" He chuckled once he came down from he fit of laughter, sparing a glance down at his now correctly bent fingers which she had popped back into place without him even having felt it while she was cleaning up his wounds. Luckily they only needed to be put back into their correct sockets and weren't broken in anyway.
"Your quirks pretty handy, I didn't feel a thing and the pains almost completely gone" Hawks sounded impressed.
This time she looked away, occupying herself with cleaning the blood from her hands and taking steadying breaths when the headache flared in her head making her eyes roll back momentarily. She really needed to take a rest.
"I'm glad I could be of help, you still have injuries so try not do get into anymore fights for a couple of days at least" Kyoko thanked the gods her voice at least remained even for now, giving away none of her internal discomfort as she handed him a small jar "For the burns, lighting and electric burns aren't very common in everyday injuries so this balm is specifically designed to help heal them"
"How did you know they were from lighting?" His head titled adorably as a bird's might when he accepted the jar in his larger palm.
"I was watching the gathering storm by a window earlier, I gathered it wasn't a natural occurrence and put two and two together" She shrugged simply, not seeing the big deal in her deduction.
Hawks didn't answer, he looked a little taken aback actually and it worried the blond a little that she might've said too much. But again his face shifted into a charismatic smirk that would make even the most trained nurse swoon. She didn't, not with the distracting pain she was trying to keep under wraps and the clear situation she was in currently treating some big shot cocky hero.
"Tha-"
A knock interrupted him and they both turned towards the door, a woman in dangerously tall heels and a pristine tailored suit entered wordlessly "The press are gathering outside your interview is in ten minutes"
Had time really flown by so fast?
"I assume your examination is complete?" She was addressing Kyoko who quickly nodded and stepped away from his bedside.
"Good, I have fresh clothes" the bundle in her hands was placed on the chair at the far corner of the room. Whoever this woman was she seemed all business and the fact she hadn't even asked her client how he was doing instantly infuriated Kyoko beyond measure.
"He needs rest, he shouldn't-"
"He needs to address the press more, he can rest once all the interviews are done and they have the pictures they need" The taller woman cut her off abruptly, sensing where the conversation was going without even needing to hear all of it "I expect you ready in five minutes Hawks, your hair and make up will be in shortly to make you look presentable" she waited from a small nod of his head before turning back towards the other person in the room who stood frozen and silently fuming.
"Naturally" Came his only reply, nonchalant and leisurely.
"Doctor Nakamura is waiting outside for you, you have other patients to attend to I presume?" It wasn't a question, but a demand and Kyoko knew better than to leave her supervisor waiting any longer than necessary.
Swallowing her disagreement at the situation with a deep frown she lifted her chin towards Hawks "The pain will slowly return in about twelve hours, don't push yourself and apply the balm when you get new bandages tomorrow" before leaving the room without further comment on the unfair situation.
Why did he have to face a gang of press before even fully recovering? Why did the news take president over his health?! His body needed rest, healing, quiet. Not stupid questions and flashing lights and excitement that would only bring the pain back quicker. She could take it yes, but it didn't last forever even a pro's body needed time to heal.
Still he hadn't objected, didn't even seem to want to. Why? She couldn't understand, she could never understand pro heroes and their lifestyles.
The dreaded Doctor met her outside of the room, looking as if he'd been waiting for years with how loudly he sighed upon spotting her "There you are, I thought you'd never be done" He rolled his eyes over dramatically as he handed her a chart she already knew the contents of. It was a form Hawks should've helped her fill out but clearly hadn't had time for, Nakamura knew it too and began walking with her towards the cafeteria while she began ticking boxes and scribbling down the process of her examination and the details of her patients injuries.
"I'm surprised you managed to finish at all, at least it saves me the paperwork of complaints" It was as close to a compliment as she'd ever gotten and Kyoko revealed in it without looking up from her chart.
"Sir, is it normal for heroes to be discharges so quickly even with severe injuries?" She dared to ask and expected another long lecture only to be greeted with a moment of silence and an honest answer that made her eyebrows raise to her hairline instead.
"Yes, they have a reputation to uphold and can't be lounging around hospital beds after all"
"But they need to rest, to heal, the press-" She knew she'd said to much when his eyes snapped down at her sharply.
"You're here to patch up patients as best you can, use your quirk and nothing else. We're not paid for our opinions nor do they matter" She spotted something beyond annoyance in his eyes she couldn't quite place. Besides the seething in his tone and the rigid grip on his stupid clipboard he loved to cling to in order to look intimidating.
Doctor Nakamura thought more than he voiced and it scared her a little not to hear it. He always found it so easily to give his view on her shortcomings and spout about his achievements within the field. Yet he held back when it came to the topic on the wellbeing on heroes and their duties? It felt wrong.
She shut up and said nothing else, handing back the completed form and departing for lunch which consisted of a stale egg sandwich and an apple which tasted surprisingly fresher than usual. The small lunch room for staff seemed entirely too crowded today, especially with her still persistent headache and pains shuddering through her in distracting waves.
Instead Kyoko found solace on the roof, it was closed off to anyone but staff she wasn't even sure she was allowed up here unsupervised since she technically wasn't fully hired yet and so took a cautious approach in flying up the back up the building and settling on a corner none would spot her if they walked in through the actual doorway. It was quiet up here, even with distant car horns and quiet chatter below. The wind was gentle today and the weather mild, a blessing she didn't know she'd need today but was certainly glad of.
The blond managed the apple but left the sandwich untouched when the pain became to much and she needed to address it. Burns, cuts, bruises, the broken ankle. It was a lot to keep under control, pain absorption came with its drawbacks and this was the worst of them. Physically they rarely manifested unless they were too much, but they certainly hurt to feel like they were her own. Subsequently she curled into a ball and focused on breathing exercises for the rest of her break. Staying conscious for most of it and only blacking out twice for a few seconds was a new record given the volume of injuries she'd just absorbed from.
Ending up in a cold sweat, and several aching body parts was a welcoming if annoying compromise to completely collapsing for the rest of the day. It hadn't happened in her time at the hospital yet, but had come close on a few occasions including this one.
Unfortunately however it meant that Nakamura had no further use for her presence at his side and sent her to do office duties with a pile of paperwork to complete and another lecture on controlling the repercussions of using her quirk. It landed her in a back room of the hospital at a small desk with only a small lamp for light and the bustle of the front desk for company. Paperwork wasn't exactly hard once you knew what to fill in, but it was a droning task that took hours upon hours to finesse as well as triple checks to ensure she'd done everything correct. Messing up paperwork was as bad as losing a patient, she agreed on the matter with Nakamura even if she didn't like doing it.
It gave her solace to sit at least, rest the ache up her legs and the pressure on her chest and even the dim light helped the headache a little. By the time the sun was setting and the hospital quieted down however Kyoko was exhausted and barely awake when she heard someone knock on the doorframe of the small room.
Somewhere between jotting down supply lists of prescribed medicines for elder patients she looked up half lidded and blinking rapidly to try and chase the blurriness from her vision.
"A visitor is here to see you, said he needed to speak to you personally" The head nurse, an older middle-aged woman named Nina gave her a stern look that she didn't dare fight against "and once you've finished inventory you can go home sweetie I'll handle the rest"
"Doctor Nakamura said I have to-" If he heard she'd given the remainder of the small pile to someone else he'd definitely throw a fit. One she'd rather not deal with tomorrow morning if she could help it.
"I'll deal with Nakamura, now go on the guy's waiting at the front desk the other Nurses are barely keeping themselves together out there" She ushered Kyoko from her seat with the wave of her hands and out the door before she could argue any further.
"You're a hard girl to find, Angel"
Of course it was that pro hero, Hawks? Yes, she remembered his name while she stumbled behind the front desk and levelled her hands onto the countertop for support.
Why the heck had he requested to talk to her, had she not done a satisfactory job earlier? Had he come to complain and ensure she were fired before she was even hired-
"Don't look so worried" He chuckled sensing the anxiety crossing her features and leaned one elbow onto the countertop to prop his chin up on "I came to say thanks, Angel, since I didn't get the chance earlier. You did an amazing job I still feel no pain and because of that my interviews went without a hitch".
He sounded so...genuine? Even behind the confident smirk he was putting on for the watching corridor of passing nurses and front desk staff, his voice held no ulterior motive and his eyes were only focused on her as he spoke. It unnerved Kyoko beyond measure to be addressed to directly with something like this and her wings stuttered for a moment when she could conjure no words for a reply.
She could feel the envious glare of other staff directed at them, even with the small privacy granted at the corner of the reception desk she could practically feel the holes being burned into the side of her face.
And Hawks? He just stood there watching her intently, smile never faltering and eyes hard on her own. He looked healthier than before, free of dirt and dried blood and with fresh clothes that weren't torn or charred. His Hero uniform she guessed, a thick puffy brown jacket, yellow visor and some sort of headphone earmuff combo as well as loose fitting pants and the same black and gold fitted shirt underneath that she now guessed probably held some sort of insulation for the altitude he flew at. She knew the necessity of insulation when flying, her own clothes had a lot of it for the same purpose.
Finding his eyes again when he remained patiently waiting realisation dawned: He was expecting an answer.
"Oh" She cleared her throat, running a hand over her eyes in an attempt to wake them "That's alright, no need to thank me Sir- Hawks, just doing my job" Kyoko explained with a sigh, blinking several times too many to be normal before drawing her eyes to examine the stapler and cup of pens behind the desk for no other reason but to avoid eye contact. Right now she just wanted him gone as fast as possible so that she could back to completing her paperwork and head to bed.
"I suspect your quirk drained you quite a bit huh?" However he figured that out she wasn't sure, but denying it sounded silly and so Kyoko opted for giving a shrug and waving him off quickly after.
"I'll feel better after some sleep, don't worry about me. You're the one who's actually injured here" Turning the tables on him sounded like the best option.
"When do you finish?"
Had she heard him right?!
"Sorry?"
"When do you finish your shift, I'd like to walk- or rather fly you home in this instance" Hawks repeated smoothly, like a line rehearsed a hundred time and uttered like it meant absolutely nothing.
"She finishes now, and she'd love an escort home I suspect todays events have tired Miss Sato out considerably" The head nurse, Nina, spoke up before she even had the chance to utter a refusal, hand resting on the blonds shoulder confidently before she opened up the divider and ushered her from behind the desk. She loved that woman but the way she made decision for her right now made Kyoko want to scream and tare her hair out.
"Here's your bag, off you go now" Dropping her shoulder bag into her hands Nina gave a innocent wave before she disappeared into the back room most likely to finish off whatever paperwork still needed doing.
"I..." Glancing down at her bag for a second she turned to Hawks who stood facing her, hands in his pockets and head tilted waiting expectantly.
"You got a jacket, it'll be cold up in the air at this time. Unless you wanna walk?" He asked.
"I appreciate you doing this Sir Hawks, but I really don't want to take up any of your precious time you should be in bed resting from your injuries I can find my way home alone too" throwing the strap of the bag over one shoulder she shifted on her feet before meeting his gaze.
"They gave me the rest of the night off to rest and recover, I'm back on patrol tomorrow and I'd much rather thank you by walking you home than sleep an extra twenty minutes. It's no bother" He didn't seem like to relent easy and began with a spin towards the exit, not even bothering to wait until the jogged up to follow him.
"And I told you to call me just Hawks, none of that 'Sir' crap makes me sound old"
"Hawks" She repeated hurrying after his confident stride with several fast paced steps until she was walking successfully by his side. The guy didn't seem to know the meaning of 'leisurely stroll'.
"So which is it, walk or flying? It's not often I get both options" He was referring to her wings with a raised eyebrow and all she could do was stiffen them under his gaze before clearing her throat.
"Walking is fine, I'm a bit tired for flying tonight" Not that she didn't doubt she could fly home if she wanted to. But Kyoko would rather save herself the embarrassment of faltering in her stride with how tired and fuzzy she'd become overusing her quirk today. It was easier to explain away tripping on foot than it was in the air.
"Works for me, my wings are still growing they can't carry me that far till tomorrow" He gestured to the small plumage on his shoulders before opening a door for her and following her through after.
"You know I've never heard of a quirk that makes pain disappear like that before" They had been walking silently side by side for a while when Hawks opened his mouth to speak again, even after some more failed attempts at trying to change his mind to let her walk home in peace he didn't relent. His head remaining forward and footing confident as opposed to her sloppy steps which seemed, at least to her, to be faltering a little further the more they continued down the darkened city streets.
"It doesn't make pain disappear" Kyoko corrected him without registering the following meaning she would evidently need to explain to him about her quirk. One the head of the program had advised her not to mention to patients in worry of criticism of it's use and subsequent complaints about ethics and such.
"My place isn't much further, couple of blocks at the next turn left" The blond quickly added, hoping to steer the topic away from her quirk and onto something that didn't involve the details of her current internal suffering.
Keigo saw the instant discomfort of the topic of course, his keen eye and perceptive training had taught him to pick up on the subtle cues. On the way her feathers had stiffened, on how her eyes skidded across the floor away from him and how her hand gripped that old shoulder bag tighter then necessary before the inevitable topic change that gave away everything.
And the way she'd shuffled forward on her feet for the last twenty minutes? That too had prepared him for the inevitable trip she took towards the pavement. Gave him enough time to step forward and steady her with his hands on her arms and a few of his feathers under her yielding knees that gently prodded her upright again before taking their place against his shoulders again.
"Wow there Angel, careful"
If she hadn't just been the one to fall comically into a pro hero's arms Kyoko would've laughed as an onlooker at the irony and found the whole thing hilarious. But as the person in the actual situation? Nothing but shame and annoyance washed over her as she righted herself from leaning against his hold and quickly gathered herself with strangled breaths too heavy for any normal person to be completely okay.
"I-I'm fine! I can walk on my own" she spluttered with a hiss.
"Don't sweat it, we're almost there you can keep ahold of my arm if you want?"
Like Hell.
He made the offer sound so simple and yet impossible to accept when Kyoko drew away and inward with a shake of her spinning head. "I'll manage, I just tripped on a rock that's all" she laughed it off, fake and forced and obviously a blatant lie any other person would've called her out on. He didn't.
"Well just in case there are any other rocks, I'll keep my eyes peeled" He joked easily, flashing her a grin that made her want to roll her eyes again before recovering to the best of her efforts and striding forward the rest of the way to her shabby apartment.
"This is me" The door that greeted them was painted a peeling red colour, old and worn and definitely not as nice as whatever a pro hero could most likely afford. But it was home, and it was enough to her in this city.
"You sure you can make it up the steps alone?" He teased glancing at the three steps towards her door with a raised eyebrow that made her roll her eyes and begin her journey up them just to prove him wrong. She'd be lying if she didn't feel the intense need to crawl up the last one with how numb her feet were feeling but battled successfully regardless.
"Yes, see, perfectly capable birdboy" Kyoko huffed, unlocking her door and crossing her arms down at him "Thank you for the escort tail feathers I appreciate the concern but I can handle it from here" the name was supposed to ease him with humour, and with the way he chuckled before placing an over dramatic hand over his heart told her he didn't mean the offence he offered after.
"Really, tail feathers!? I don't even have those kid, I was only trying to be a considerate hero of the people, you wound me" He gasped with a pout.
It was kind of adorable, not that she'd ever tell him that.
"Goodnight" Kyoko shot back, biting back a smirk he spotted easily before he gave a chuckle and wave in reply.
"Goodnight Angel, see ya around"
"Stop calling me-" She fumed only for her words to be lost to the wind.
His wings carried him off with a push and as soon as the door to her apartment shut behind her Kyoko, exhausted and tired collapsed against it for the next hour before finally being able to drag herself into bed to fall asleep properly for the night.
What a day. Least she was rid of that annoying big headed bird for now, as easy as he was on the eyes it wasn't in her interest to ever be involved in the lives of big heroes like him. They were nothing but big talk and trouble in their presence, Kyoko would much rather lead a quiet life doing what she needed to do and out of the public eye where some of the unsavoury sort lingered in the shadows.
Growing up as she had, it had left a sour taste in her mouth for the pro's and anything involving them. This 'Hawks' wouldn't be any different than the others.
Which was kind of hilarious in terms of the coming week, not two days later Doctor Nakamura had informed her of an important upcoming meeting in the afternoon where she would be attending along side the Head Nurse and a chairman of the board of several Hero agencies. Why? He had failed to tell her even after several attempts at questioning him, Nakamura liked to torture her with lack of information he himself had plenty to give of.
"Welcome Miss Sato, Doctor Nakamura, Nurse Cho" The chairman of the Hero Public Safety Commission sitting at the head of the meeting room table in the more tucked away wing of the hospital that housed most of the small offices and storage facilities greeted them when they entered that Friday afternoon. The smile on his face screamed forced formality and the way his hands were folded over the desk and subsequent paperwork told Kyoko this was all business and not something akin to a promotion, at least not for her.
The two other people in the room on either side of him remained quiet but observant, one leaning back in his chair and the other keeping her eyes suspiciously trained on her a little too intently. It was the lady who worked for Hawks, the one who had came to retrieve that pro hero she had treated a couple of days ago, the short haircut and pointed nose gave her away even in the different coloured suit.
"We've called this meeting to order on short notice, I apologise for that" The chairman she didn't bother remembering the name of started as they seated themselves at the other end of the long table, Nurse Cho giving Kyoko a kind smile and reassuring nod as they settled. At least someone in the room had her interests at heart here.
"But important topics need to be addressed quickly" He explained opening the folder under his hands and sliding a form several pages long across the table. As soon as it was close enough Kyoko recognised the contents without needing to skim more than the first paragraph.
Whatever she had been working towards, they now, for some reason, had other ideas.
"This form will officially enrol you into a hero program Miss Sato, one intended for-"
She wasn't going to take this, not without a fight.
"I don't remember agreeing to ever wanting to enrol into any program involving hero work" She cut him off, eliciting five strong frowns to form and be directed her way across the dark wooden tabletop. "Nor do I remember ever having discussed the subject at any length before being offered a stupid form to fill in"
"Show some respect!" Nakamura growled out from her left, pushing the pieces of paper in front of her face in emphasis "Chairman Nara here has called this meeting when I'm sure he had many more important things to attend to only for you to waste his time with your childish infidelity" He hissed, low and dangerous enough for her to question if anyone else had even heard him besides herself.
Kyoko's purple eyes steeled themselves in the cool air conditioned space of the meeting room, she knew where this would lead. And had absolutely no desire to see it come to fruition. No fucking way.
"I appreciate the opportunity" The words tasted bitter on her tongue "But I have to politely refuse the offer, Chairman Nara" For what it was worth she'd at least attempt the polite approach. From the way his face remained stoic and patient however, he didn't seem to take those words seriously.
"And I would appreciate if you heard me out before drawing any conclusions, Miss Sato" He stated simply, hands folding over each other once more so that he could lean forward an inch across the table. As if the closer distance, however small, would make a difference in her refusal.
"As I was saying, you would be joining a program designed for sidekick heroes. One's which would eventually work alongside bigger pro heroes in order to assist them in their patrols, any confrontation with villains and subsequent rescue of civilians if need be"
She would be working along side Pro's?! To be their little pet at their beck and call and most likely never be named for any of their glorious success. Not that Kyoko was one for desiring recognition or praise, it still felt unfair to think about. This was the furthest from what she'd ever wanted to do with her life.
"I've read your file of course, how you were expelled from UA in your second year and how your family name landed you here as a result" Voice sharp and knowing, it made her want to punch him from the way the side of his lips quirked upwards. She'd only met this particular chairman in person once in her life, he'd never been the pleasant type. He knew what he had and what could be used in his favour given the circumstances of her upbringing so far. The man was cunning.
"As much as I am sure this hospital values your efforts"
"We value her beyond measure Chairman" Nina offered confidently, and if Kyoko could pick up on her attempt to keep her right where she was with those words, so could everyone else in the room.
"You could be doing much more work out on the field, in the streets of the city" He continued on undeterred and unwavering even while her expression remained firmly displeased at the topic, "We've received high praise for you from a certain Hero outside of your family already"
Someone had praised her to the chairman?
"Hawks" The woman to the left of her eye-line offered to clarify, speaking for the first time since they'd all sat down to begin the meeting "He spoke very highly of you in fact, or rather, the usefulness of your quirk for other heroes who might sustain injuries while in confrontations"
Of fucking course it was that bird boy Hawks, he just had to go run his mouth to anyone who would listen without even thinking of the repercussions his words held.
Kyoko didn't want this, not any of it.
"If you know about what my quirk does so well" She glanced down at the form, at the endless boxes and clauses and stupid laws she'd have to follow Kyoko pushed it slowly away from her "Then you'll also know about the drawbacks of overusing it, as much as I'm sure it would be handy in a fight, if I use it too much I'd be just another hinderance on the battlefield".
"Which is why you'd be receiving extra training on using it as well as finding you an eventual compatible partner" The chairman talked like had all the answers in the world, like he had thought of every objection already and readied himself in taring them down in order to achieve his goal of recruitment.
"Compatible partner?" She asked confused, why would it matter which stupid hero she served when one bad fight would be enough to set her out of commission for the rest of the day?
"Someone who ends fights quickly, someone who could handle the situation whenever you become useless on the field"
Way to make her feel better about it.
"We wouldn't be partnering you up right away of course, you'd be assigned training hours and working alongside emergency dispatch first. You'll also be assisting UA in their young hero department by working with their school nurse in your free time and-"
"She wouldn't be part of the Nurse's department here?" Nina spoke firmer then before, shuffling forward in her seat with distress clouding her features. Kyoko felt the same even if she didn't show it, she'd come to love the department here, loved most of her co-workers despite Nakamura's persistent lectures and had come to respect and value Miss Cho beyond measure. She'd wanted to become a nurse more than anything, not some hero sidekick.
"No, she would be working with emergency dispatch in form of ambulances and rescue efforts for the main part. And if none are needed, working with the UA in order to study quirks and recovery of quirk users in order to better understand the intricacies of her future hero partners out in the field" The Chairman glanced from Nurse Cho back to her when he finished, silent for a long second where nothing but the shallow breathing of the five people present could be heard. Nina had shrunk back in her seat in disappointment but objected with nothing else.
"I have to agree with the Chairman, you'd be much more useful out of the hospital especially with the potential of your quirk" Nakamura pushed the glasses on his face up the bridge of his nose as he offered his two pence to the pot of growing reasons she was finding harder and harder to object against. Though she was unsure what he had meant by 'potential of your quirk'.
"Whatever your client Hero has said about me, as much as I appreciate the praise" if you could even call it that "I still would rather work in the Nurse's department here than with any heroes" Kyoko spoke calmer than before, hoping the firm answer would be enough to set a concrete line in the sand.
It didn't.
"Unfortunately you don't have much choice in that regard" The chairman leaned back in his seat slowly "If you refuse this offer the hospital has agreed to void whatever previous contract you had started in training here"
"What?!" She blinked, once, twice, then swallowed before shaking her head "You can't just throw me from my internship here because I don't want to agree to whatever-" she bit back the word bullshit just barely "whatever contract this is with some hero commission!"
"We, in fact, can very much do just that, Miss Sato. The Hospital board has already agreed that any refusal on your end would affect their name negatively. Who would turn down such an amazing opportunity to help a pro hero commission after all? And thus would be happy to cut off your internship if you so happen to refuse in anyway"
This was bullshit, all of it, every aspect screamed unfair in her face and yet all she could do was sit in a stunned silence while the dreaded realisation of her unwanted future settled onto her shoulders.
With her voice low and defeated, Kyoko's head hung low "How long will the contract last?"
"You'll have under a year for training and another three after working with heroes on the field, as stated on the paper in front of you" She spotted the dates at the bottom of the page when she glanced up at the chairman's words.
Just over three years then. Fucking great.
"And afterwards?"
"After that we would love for you to renew your contract of course, but you may go back into whatever profession you wish. Hozu General would certainly not turn you down any longer" he glanced at Doctor Nakamura at her side as if to confirm his words, he nodded in turn before pulling a pen free from his clipboard and handing it down to her expectantly.
Kyoko signed the damned document with a spitefully ugly signature. And signed away her near future in the process.