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Twice had never understood the purpose of the Meta Liberation Army, and perhaps he never will. Sure, he read the book and all, but it all sounded like mumbo-jumbo to him. Maybe he wasn’t smart enough to understand? He wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case, seeing as though it was filled with words that he didn’t know. Honestly, Twice felt that was reading the dictionary more than the actual book.
Still, it would’ve been nice to know what the hell the other members were talking about. They speak about how divine and true were the words that ReDestro said at gatherings. To them, it made sense. To everyone in the now Paranormal Liberation Front, it was simple message that held so much power. Every time someone mentioned the message of their founder and the beauty of it all, Twice felt like a dumbass. No joke. He was the big ol’ dummy Twice who can’t understand such a profound thing.
“Don’t worry about it so much. It’s basically the freedom of using our quirks freely,” Compress had said to Twice, perhaps sensing Twice’s discomfort about the whole thing. Compress was very good at reading people.
“Still, I would like to understand what everyone is talking about, you know? I’m one of the new leaders and I’m supposed to be in charge of Team Black. What good am I if I can’t understand any of it?” Twice said, feeling the weight of his burdens upon his shoulders.
“Do the best that you can do.”
It was easy for Compress to say that. Compress is a very intelligent person, not like Twice is. It was probably like reading a children’s book for the guy. Twice was never considered himself to be smart in any way or form. This worried him when he first joined the League of Villains. He tried to make up for it with his enthusiasm but still…he was pretty sure that he let them down in the long run.
“You could be going about it all wrong.”
He and Compress turned toward the voice. Hawks stood there, a smile strewn across his face as though he didn’t have a single care in the world. “You do realize that this is a private conversation?” Compress asked, though his tone was strict. Hawks shrugged.
“I know, I know. It’s improper etiquette and all that, but I can’t help it! I got curious. It’s fine anyways. We’re basically on the same side now, right? With the whole ‘let’s do this together’ attitude and ‘make the world a better place’ going around like wildfire, I figure that we’re one big happy family with the same goal in mind.”
Compress huffed. “I don’t know why Dabi let you join. You’re basically a child and I can tell you lack the real conviction for our cause. Not only that, but you are a nuisance.”
“What, you don’t trust me?” Hawks asked with such an innocent expression.
“I don’t…but I trust Dabi. He wouldn’t let just anyone join. That’s the only reason that you are still standing there,” Compress said. He then turned his gaze to Twice. “I have to go. Spinner is waiting for me and I don’t need to be late to the meetings. Be careful around this birdbrain.”
Compress then walked away and out of sight, leaving Twice with Hawks. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being around the winged hero, but it wasn’t as though he disliked Hawks. (To be fair, there were a lot of people he didn’t dislike, but the ones he did despise were part of the P.L.F. Go figure.) He thought that Hawks was a genuinely good guy. In the small amount of time that he joined, he went the extra mile and helped out a ton by providing information from the Hero’s Commission. Sure, he is a hero (the Number Two hero in Japan, to be more precise). He also had everything that he could possibly want; money, fame, recognition, and women (possibly men too, Twice figured). Still, Hawks was ready to help their cause, which was great!
Others still had their doubts about Hawks though. After all, he is the Number Two hero, which raised suspicions on why he would throw all of that away. He had so much to lose if the public found out. He would lose everything, possibly his own life. There were rumors going around that Hawks was a spy. Twice doubt that Hawks was actually spying on them. Plus, Dabi did vouch for the guy, so Twice trusted him!
“So, you said that you were having trouble with something?” Hawks’ voice brought Twice out of his thoughts and back to the now.
“It’s no biggie. I got it. Ain’t none of your business, buddy!”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind giving a hand.”
“It’s fine. It’s just some complicated things that I need to figure out on my own. I’d rather be left alone than to deal with you!”
“Alrighty then. Don’t hesitate to ask though! After all, what kind of hero would I be if I couldn’t help out my fellow man?”
Twice figured the conversation was done, but Hawks was still standing there, waiting. It was then that Twice realized that Hawks was expecting an answer. “A fake hero?” Twice said, not sure of what to say.
“Bingo! Correct! Perfect answer!”
A grin formed on Hawks’ face, his eyes excited. Twice relaxed.
“Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you later then. Take care! Hope everything works out!” Hawks took off into the air and flew away, leaving a small burst of air that was enough to throw Twice off balance. Twice looked at the direction Hawks flew off too, but the hero was nowhere in sight now. He was fast! Twice had thought everyone was exaggerating Hawks’ speed. Clearly that wasn’t the case.
Days passed, and Twice had not made much progress. If anything, it felt as though he went backwards. His team still trusted him to do what needed to be done, but that was it. There was so much distance between him and them that it felt like he wasn’t even there. He had to do better! They deserved better! Twice wasn’t much of a leader, and he never had to take charge of anything before. That had to change though. He needed to change!
So that was how Twice ended up in one of the spare rooms, sitting cross-legged on the couch with his copy of the Meta Liberation War while the table in front of him was covered with notes and two dictionaries (some of the words couldn’t be found in the first one he got so he had to invest in another one, which sucked by the way).
He had been rereading the entire thing, again, and trying to piece together the entire thing, with no luck. Was he really that stupid that he couldn’t figure this out? It felt like it as another hour passed. He had to look away and rest his eyes, but he could still see the text in the blur of his vision.
“You don’t look so good. You gonna be okay?” He didn’t need to look to know who was talking to him.
“I’ve been better. I feel like I’m drowning in a pool of acid.”
“That’s not good,” Hawks said as he walked in and sat down on the edge of the couch. He pulled out a bottle of water and tossed it to Twice. Since Twice had not been expecting it, the water hit his chest and bounced onto the floor. It wasn’t too bad; he didn’t even realize that he had been hit until the water landed. At least he didn’t have to worry about taking damage anymore. “You definitely need a break! Here, let me help!” It wasn’t long that Hawks had everything stacked in one tidy pile on top of the pile and managed to get Twice drinking some water. He hadn’t realized he was thirsty, so he was grateful.
“Thanks. I guess I overdid my brain. I didn’t ask for your help!”
“You’re welcome. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s going on? It seems serious, considering how much effort you’re putting into this.” Hawks leaned back into the couch, resting his shoes on top of the table. He shifted onto his side, so his wings could spread out in a comfortable position.
Twice looked at him, debating whether or not he should tell Hawks. Maybe Hawks could help? “I’ve been having trouble understanding this book. It’s too damn complicated! I want to at least get a basic idea of what the book is saying. I don’t get it!”
Hawks listened carefully, and Twice saw how Hawks was noting every word. Hawks looked down at the book, became silent for a moment, and then turned to Twice with a big grin. “I could teach you, if you want!” Hawks said. Twice was in disbelief.
“Really? Why?”
“Well, I want to. I think that you got great potential, and I can tell you are so invested in this. Besides, that book is a monster compared to others like it. Plus, it’ll be fun! Me and you, hanging out and whatnot while we crack down on this monster book! It’ll be great!”
“You want to hang out with me?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” Hawks said. This bothered Twice to some degree. Besides Toga, nobody really wanted to be around him unless it had to do with his clone ability. Did Hawks want to be close to him because of that, or did he want to be genuine friends? He couldn’t tell, but Hawks seemed real nice…so maybe it was friendship Hawks was after? If that’s the case, Twice would be more than happy to obliged.
“I guess it’s okay for you to help. Please! I’m so lost without you!”
“Great! Want to start now?”
“Now? Aren’t you busy with stuff? Are you shirking your duties?”
Hawks laughed, then said, “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. Either way, I rather spend time with you.” Then Hawks winked. Twice was shocked by this, and blushed in embarrassment as Hawks jumped off the couch and started writing on the whiteboard in front of them. He was so thankful that his mask was still on to hide his red face.