Gabriel can’t trust most people. With his newfound work associates — ill-intentioned criminals — he’s constantly watching his back for anyone who might have an inkling of his secret identity. Both identities of his are public, Gabriel and Chirp, but what only a few people know is the undercover role he is playing on behalf of heroes. Until now, he hadn’t found himself amid organized crime, but when he caught a whiff of a bank robbery, he knew who to call.

He sent a message to Peacekeeper. JoJo was a student playing vigilante and they’d eventually get in trouble, too. While that information not have been privy to him until their last conversation, his quirk and a few hours of research let him concoct a plan.

If he could save them from his fate, then he would. By having them help with the case, then they were undercover too. Maybe. It was a long shot but it’s the least he could do for the bad example he’s set.

There’s a man in a bird mask in an alleyway waiting for a girl covered in talking hair. A normal day in Japan. And in a few hours, they’d stop a heist.

---

During the Summer Solstice, Tokyo citizens turn off their lights and electricity as they enjoy slow activities from eight to ten pm. Some choose to stay home and read, play board games with one another, or catch up with friends without the distraction of technology. It’s one of the few times you don’t have to put your phone in the center of the table and risk paying for the entire meal if your impulsivity has the better of you. However, you might find yourself in that precarious position if you indulge in the nightlife. Companies have supported this event over the last few decades; restaurants illuminate themselves by candlelight.

Under the surface of peace and prosperity bubbles malevolent intention. To rebel against society as a whole is to rebel against its traditions and modern acts of appeasement. These corporations are manufacturing holidays for their bottom line. Even if it’s a product people want, it’s at the cost of their humanity.

A rebellious, extremist group looks to make its debut. They move in groups of three or four, carrying generators with the explicit intent of lighting up the city — first with light, then with fire.

Gabriel was one of the few privy to these machinations.

Working undercover for the hero association, he’s been liberally using Deja View, his quirk, to look into the pasts of even the most unsuspecting criminals. They were carrier pigeons sending messages to larger, more dangerous birds of prey. And with his own red and yellow cockatiel mask, he sought to drag them out of the sky. But working alone when these many decentralized operatives worked in conjunction with one another proved impossible. Peacemaker, his go-to accomplice, was busy with something called The Undertow. Gabriel found himself tethered to the Earth, searching for a way to mitigate as much damage as possible.

If I were an extremist terrorist group, what would I blow up first…?

---

Oh god.

Gabriel could recognize a freshman anywhere. Now, he didn’t know whether or not they were a hero student. He didn’t know if they were even in university. But he did know they had that young, bullyable energy to them that brought out the high schooler in him. He wasn’t also this friendly, y’know. He was a troubled kid once — most kids are, aren’t they? And loved to pick on these types. Fortunately, he was an adult now. And he had grown past that…

He stuck out his hands, causing a few sparks that would scare off the birds. With a proud smile, one hidden by his mask, he walked over to her.

“Name’s Chirp,” He says. “You shouldn’t be here. There’s gonna be a lot of… fish. Dangerous fish! So, go on. Skidaddle and stay safe.” Gabe’s tone is joking and fun trying to bring levity to the harassment they had previously undergone. “And if you ever need help with birds I’m a call away. A bird whisperer, if you will.”

What he didn’t realize was that he didn’t scare off the birds. The giant fish creatures behind him did. And they were closing in.

---

He’s falling. Great.

Gabriel hadn’t realized that quirks weren’t allowed. Even now, he only put the pieces together after hearing Taro’s comments and the disappearance of whatever invisible walkway was in the sky before he tried jumping on it. Because his quirk lacked versatility, he wasn’t reliant on it. Instead, he relied on his big, stinkin’ brain to get him out of problems. Even now in the midst of a fall, he grabbed onto the orb, displacing it from the sticky hand, and shot it out again at his tiles.

“Don’t worry everyone, I’ll catch up!” At this point, he’s busy swinging, stuck perhaps — who’s to know? And the motion is making him dizzy. He drops the orb as it falls to the ground and he curses. “Crap… what if that was the real one?”

The dizziness was getting to him. It’s literally impossible for it to be the right one. What’s he worrying about?

---

[attr="class","likedo"]

Think. Gabriel didn’t think he’d get this far. Flirting was fun but also a defense mechanism. It was the way he coped when the world proved too troublesome. And in an attempt to hide this glaring flaw of his, he adopted it in his day-to-day. Unfortunately, he was a handsome, charismatic bastard. Whenever he flirted, he ran the risk of catching someone’s interest — it was only by dialing up the annoying to eleven that he could avoid romantic pursuit. Where to take her?

Either he needs to crank it up to twelve or he might have to give it up altogether. Unlike normal, social convention Retsu saw life as hers to take. Gabriel was already on her territory and promised a good time. Who's to say he wouldn’t meet his end if he failed to deliver?

“I know so many places,” Gabe said, charm intact. “But this is your territory, right? Why don’t you show me your favorite spot to grab a bite? Maybe somewhere private? With a booth?”

Gabriel thrived under pressure but only under certain types of pressure. If he was good at anything other than talking and stalling, then he might have made it as a vigilante. Instead, he was here. With her. Regretting everything.

---

Creating enough material was easy enough when the client provided it to you for free. What made the process take three days was the tedious amount of threading to compose the suit. It was always his least favorite part about filming. And the reason he delegated the task when possible. But at least this was a one-time affair and, hopefully, someone to call on when he needed help. It’s not like he could rely on heroes. And could he really trust the other criminals?

When he went to hand over the suitcase, his tired, overworked hands slipped, and he accidentally threw it in her face. Thank god she caught it, or that’d be embarrassing for the both of them. Imagine losing to a sucker punch like that?

She seemed to enjoy the mechanics of the suit, but it took on a life of its own as teeth formed on the hood and began to speak — if this was meant to be an internal discussion, it wasn’t anymore. He heard everything. Then, the rest of the suit followed as it changed to black.

“I mean… I made it white so it’d be easy to change...” Chirp was mildly offended. Did she think he thought that’d be the final look of the suit? Puh-lease. “Anyway, you two look great. Now get out of here with that extra-talking mouth of yours. So weird!”

They glared at him. He gave a sheepish grin. And as they departed, he took a quick photo of them to see what they really thought of the suit.

“Oh…” A single tear. “They love it!”

---