Take Down Chapter 35: Chirp Chirp?

Surprisingly quickly, he replied.

“Hey! It’s not trouble, what can I help with?” he asked.

“I… I just need someone to talk to… that’s all,” you sent, “but this can wait, it’s not important, I promise… sorry for disturbing you.”

“12pm?” he sent back, “meet me for lunch during my lunch break?”

“That would be really good but I don’t want to take up too much of your time, you’ve already seen a lot of me lately.” You sent.

“Is that a problem?”he asked with a wink face emoji.

You smiled to yourself then sent your reply.

“It’s not a problem from my end. I like your company,” you admitted.

“You already know that I very much enjoy you being by my side,” he replied, “meet me for lunch, I’d be happy to lend my ear… although, you might need to give it back when we’re done so that I can put it back on for afternoon classes,” he joked, adding the ear emoji to the end of the text.

“Such an adorable dork,” you thought with a small huff of amusement through your nose as you tapped out your reply, “we’ll need to exchange something, what will you give me if I give you your ear back?” you flirted.

“Will my lips do?” Mirio texted flirtatiously.

“Mmmmmm… ok,” you sent, pretending like you were thinking about it for a bit.

“I have 2 lips so it’s a 2 for the price of 1 deal,” Mirio replied.

“With an offer like that, I can’t refuse!” you tapped out, smiling at your phone as you finished the message, “see you 12pm.”

……………………………………..

Hansu put his phone down on the table with a scowl on his face, picking up his coffee mug and adjusting his glasses as the heat from the boiling liquid inside fogged them up.

He took a loud, long sip then put his coffee down and picked his phone up again, ringing a contact in the hero industry that he knew.

“Hey,” he greeted in a stern manner, “I need a favour.”

“Well, hello there,” the hero on the other end replied, “fancy hearing from you, Hansu, last time we spoke you needed me to drop genetically modified watermelons from the sky so you could ascertain the ‘ramifications of being subject to intense blunt trauma’.”

“You had fun, didn’t you? Everytime you took to the sky you’d yell ‘rocket launch’.” Hansu replied with a smirk, leaning back comfortably on his chair and pushing it back a bit so the front legs came off the ground, “but this mission is a little more serious this time…”

“How serious?” the winged hero asked.

“100%.” Hansu replied.

“Ahhh, you know I’m only 20% serious,” the cheeky voice quipped.

“Hawks, how on earth are you the number 2 hero right now?” Hansu asked in a baffled voice.

“Good looks and luck,” Hawks replied.

“You lie as good as you look,” Hansu leered.

“Well thank you, I’ll take that compliment,” Hawks chuckled, “so what’s this mission?”

“Need you to track down an AI for me. It’s professor Y/N L/N’s, but we seem to have hit a bit of a road block…”

“Your boss? Yeah I remember her, what’s happened? You lost it?” Hawks asked with an amused chuckle.

“Uh… yeah, it’s a little more complicated than that but long story short we haven’t been about to track Goha down and it’s been a few weeks now. We know they have imbedded themselves into a game called Rapid Fate Online and professor Y/N and another hero- who just so happens to be a high level gamer as well, are supposed to be tracking down the AI in the game but right now my boss seems to be a little… distracted…”

“By her hero gamer?” Hawks asked knowingly.

“Bingo. Give this man a raise,” Hansu replied in a deadpan voice and continuing immediately, “she’s been talking absolute nonsense since she started playing the game and now it sounds like she’s more interested in ‘leveling up’ than finding her escaped AI.”

“Got the police looking for this AI’s shell? Where is the AI gaming from?” Hawks asked.

“Yeah, police are on it but to be honest I don’t think it’s high priority right now, we don’t have any leads outside the game.”

“So you need my feathers?”

“It would speed up the process, yes?” Hansu confirmed.

“Well, because it’s you, Hansu, I’ll do it,” Hawks replied, “bros have to stick together.”

“Much appreciated,” Hansu said with a sigh, “I do regret taking you in for a bit, why do I end up adopting young punks?”

“Hey man, everyone you’ve tutored or looked after have come out on top, haven’t they?” Hawks teased, “your quirk must be ‘being able to make people smart’.”

“Told you, I don’t have a quirk.” Hansu replied.

“Yeah, that’s what my wife kept telling me but turns out she did have a quirk and it’s pretty frickin’ amazing so I respect that you don’t want people to know about what you can do.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Hansu replied, leaning forward to pick up his cup of coffee again.

“Anything I should know about your AI before I stick feathers all over him?” Hawks asked.

“Them. Their pronouns are ambiguous.” Hansu replied after taking another loud sip of coffee.

“Do they know that?” Hawks asked.

“Dont underestimate this AI, Goha is extremely intelligent and adaptive.”

“Ok, so name is Goha, got it…” Hawks replied, “dangerous?”

“They stabbed me.”

“I would too,” Hawks leered.

“Your hilarity knows no bounds.” Hansu replied sarcastically.

“I’m thinking of changing from hero work to comedy,” Hawks replied cheekily.

“Dont give up your day job just yet,” Hansu replied with a chuckle, “I still need you.”

“When do you need Goha back by?” Hawks asked.

“Sooner the better. The big bosses are starting to talk about professor L/N’s head on the metaphorical chopping board.”

“Wouldn’t that work in your favour?” Hawks asked bluntly, “I mean, let’s face it, Hansu, every time you have been in the running to head up the department some young genius swoops in before you and takes your place.”

“Nice bird analogy,” Hansu deadpanned, “but you obviously don’t think very highly of me then if you think I would be hung up over something so petty.”

“Just putting it out there.”

“Use your detective skills for finding Goha, ok? If you’re a good little chicken I’ll buy you some- deep fried.”

“Awww, yiss, motherfucken’ chicken,” Hawks said with childlike excitement on the other end of the line, “and hey… it was nice to hear you call me by my nickname… I have to come clean though, that’s the nickname I gave my misses.”

“Tell her the only reason you’re so smooth is because you learned from me,” Hansu teased, “anyway I have a whole heap of rope to tie so call me if you find anything.”

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