Hawk did not like Korso. The town might be relatively safe, but there was something about it that set his teeth on edge. It was one of the reasons he refused to allow Hero to come here alone despite knowing his husband could handle his own, injured or not. Walking through the disjointed streets, he kept his head on a swivel and his awareness up. There was plenty of activity going on that anyone would be forgiven for not paying much attention to their surroundings, but Hawk wasn’t just anyone. He’d gone through too much to allow anything to skip past him.

Hero checked his pocket tablet again and the address Nox had given them, looking up every now and then to double check that they were going in the right direction. At one point they stopped on the corner of a street, Hero running a hand through his hair, his ruby red eyes shining with his annoyance as he muttered to himself.

Hawk, mildly amused by his irritation, stood close, his hands in his pockets, doing his best to keep any and all smart alec comments to himself. Instead, he maintained his vigilance, watching as people of all walks of life crowded the streets. A few he thought he recognized but didn’t bother to give it much attention. If anyone met his gaze, he would glare a moment and then look away. The last thing he needed was for someone he didn’t want to notice him and make an attempt to get his attention.

Hero sighed loudly, shoving the tablet in his pocket and running his hand through his thick, wavy blonde hair, the other on his hip as he glanced around. 

“Figure it out?” Hawk asked.

“Probably,” Hero said. “It would be easier if these streets actually made some damn sense, but that’s not our luck. In any case, it should be three blocks that way.” He pointed down the walk to their left.

Hawk furrowed his brow, his bright red hair waving over his sapphire blue eyes in a sudden breeze. “What even is a block in this town?” He shook his head. “Whatever, let’s just get off this street; it’s too crowded.”

“Agreed.”

They started walking in the direction the tablet suggested, but hadn't gotten far before Hawk’s eyes lit on a couple of people several yards down the street on the opposite side. It wasn’t the people he knew, it was what they were doing that got his attention. His hands began to shake and he swallowed hard, fighting every urge in his body to walk across that street. He tried to focus on his breathing, tried to steady his rapid heartbeat, tried doing anything to keep his footsteps from straying from Hero’s side. 

He must have let his anxiety flow down the link more intensely than expected because it quickly caught Hero’s attention. He glanced up at Hawk, worried, before following his husband’s gaze. He stiffened and grabbed Hawk’s hand, squeezing it tightly and sending his own soft waves down the link. The effect was immediate; Hawk relaxed slightly and gave Hero a small grin.

“Thanks,” he said softly.

Hero didn’t smile, just nodded. “Come on,” he said. They quickened their pace, Hawk not fully relaxing until they passed the dealer and his customer and rounded a corner. Both of them were quiet for a minute, focusing more on keeping Hawk calm and stable.

“Sorry,” Hawk said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“For what?” Hero asked, keeping his voice level. “You didn’t do anything.”

Not this time… Hawk made sure that thought didn’t reach his lifeline. He cleared his throat softly, clenching and unclenching his free fist, shifting his thoughts elsewhere. “Did Nox say anything about anyone else being there?”

“No, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was,” Hero said, the tension in his shoulders easing. “He’s not the only one trying to prevent a war.”

“Perhaps, but he might be the only one actively trying to stop it. The ‘don’t get involved’ mentality is prevalent among the Kings, especially since the last major war we had.”

“That was a long time ago, though.”

“We have a long memory.” Hawk clenched his jaw, trying not to let images of his bloody past flood his mind. “Some of the upper and mid-ranks might have changed that policy since then but I wouldn’t bet on it.”

“I guess it all depends on what move Lucifer makes,” Hero said, walking a little closer to Hawk. There were only a few things that bothered Hawk to the point of near silence and red hot anger that set his core to spinning in a dangerous way, and Lucifer Morningstar was one of them. Hero, also filled with pure loathing for the High Devil King, wasn’t trying to bring only Hawk back down from the brink, but himself; closer proximity to his husband, for whatever reason, seemed to help them both. Hawk’s theory was because they had been so close in their pocket when they were souls, the separation they had endured had traumatized them both enough that too much space between them caused them any manner of pain or discomfort, especially when the topic of the one who tore them apart in the first place was brought up.

Hawk nodded in response, biting the inside of his lip. Hero could tell right away it wasn’t because of the upcoming meeting. His hands were still shaking, his heart still beating erratically, his body still stiff, even though the dealer was blocks away by this point. He swallowed, his eyes searching for somewhere he could take Hawk for a minute to help him relax. If they walked into the meeting with how the taller man was right now, Nox would know immediately something was up and start interrogating his brother, if not outright threatening his life once again. His eyes caught on a space between two buildings, no more than a few feet wide, but he knew it would work.

He quickened his pace, pulling Hawk along without a word. The second he reached the gap, he pulled Hawk in after him, went in about twenty feet, then pushed Hawk up against the wall. Eyes wide, face pale, he stared down at the ruby red eyes filled with determination to care for him the only way he knew how at that moment.

Hero took his head in his hands and pulled his face down, latching on to his mouth with a fierce kiss, his heart skipping when Hawk inhaled sharply in response, his hands grabbing at Hero’s back, pulling him in close. Hero went on his toes, arms winding their way around his neck as Hawk deepened the kiss, his tongue searching Hero’s mouth as though there was treasure to be found beyond the pearly white teeth and sharp red tongue that wrestled against his. A soft sound traveled from Hawk’s throat as his lips moved in time to Hero’s rhythm. 

He could feel his body begin to relax as Hero’s energy invaded him, a tendril snaking into his core and throughout his entire body, easing his muscles, calming his nerves, and surrounding his mind in a soft mist that settled the rapidly firing neurons that were screaming for what had been stolen from them. Hero’s breath, his own soft sounds of pleasure, his soft lips and wet tongue, all of it invaded every bit of Hawk until all he could think about, all he could feel and sense, was the man held tightly in his arms.

He leaned back against the wall, slowing the kiss as his hands, now steady, held Hero’s face, his fingers lost in the soft blonde waves of his hair. Hero, his own body relaxed, if not heated from want of his husband, retracted his energy, the tendril in Hawk’s core finding its way back through Hero’s chest mark.

When Hero’s lips, red and swollen, detached from Hawk’s, both of them stood breathing heavily, flushed and aroused. Hero rested his forehead against Hawk’s lips, one hand sliding down to Hawk’s chest, reassured by the steady heartbeat within.

“Okay?” he asked on a shaky breath.

Hawk nodded. “I didn’t…” he swallowed hard. “I didn’t think…”

“It’s fine, mij nemos,” Hero said gently, loving understanding behind the pet name. “I’m right here.” He placed a soft kiss under Hawk’s chin before pulling back to smile into Hawk’s eyes. “I’m right here, baby,” he repeated, the promise as firm now as it was when he made it four months ago.

Hawk dipped his head, smiling, letting his forehead rest against Hero’s. “Thank you,” he whispered. He kissed the tip of Hero’s nose, eliciting a soft giggle. “I still don’t deserve you.”

“I still disagree with that assumption,” Hero grinned, tilting his head. “I promised you I’d do whatever it took to help you, no matter what it is or where we are. Plus, I sort of didn’t think to bring your meds, so…there’s that.”

“Oh, trust me, this is much more effective,” Hawk said, grinning broadly. He kissed Hero’s face over and over again until the other man laughed, bringing about his own deep laughter. He held Hero’s chin in his fingers as he gazed into his eyes. “And I thought I was here to protect you, not the other way around.”

“It’s not like we anticipated something like that,” Hero said, jerking his thumb in the direction they had come. “I’m just glad I was able to get you alone long enough to calm you down. If Nox saw you like that…”

Hawk nodded, averting his gaze as he chewed the inside of his lip. “He’d beat my ass again, I know.”

“I don’t know that he’d go that far, but he’d definitely be giving you a death glare the entire time.” He cupped Hawk’s cheek with his hand, cool against Hawk’s hot skin. “You’ve come a long way, babe. I’m proud of you.”

Hawk pulled him into his arms, his head falling into Hero’s shoulder. “I love you,” he murmured against his neck. “I know I’m a fuck up, but I still love you.”

“You’re not a fuck up,” Hero said. “You made a mistake, that’s all.” He kissed the side of Hawk’s neck. “I love you, my stupid Hawk.”

Hawk chuckled softly. “Come on,” he said, pushing off the wall and threading his fingers into Hero’s. He brought them to his lips, running them back and forth over them as they made their way out of the alley, a habit that he learned from his parents. It helped him relax more and Hero liked it. “Nox is getting impatient, I’m sure.”

They stepped back out on the sidewalk and continued on their trek.