Chapter Text
Going back to work is… easier than he’d thought it would be.
His sidekicks welcome him back. And it’s not too hard, settling back into the familiar routines of patrol, of paperwork. He’s been out of work for the better part of the last two months, but…
But it fits him like a familiar old glove, anyways.
His second day back at work, while he’s sitting in his office doing paperwork, his secretary comes up to him and hands him a pile of letters. “For you.”
He raises his eyebrow. “What is it?”
She shrugs at him. “Fan mail, mostly. There’s been a lot of it waiting for you to come back. I’m sorry I didn’t get it to you yesterday, but there was that meeting-”
“It’s fine. Thank you.” He swallows back the sudden lump in his throat and nods, waiting until she exits the room.
With his heart pounding, he picks up the first one and starts to go through them one at a time.
It’s… not what he was expecting.
A lot of them are letters of… support. Saying that they’re happy to have him back as a hero, that they believe in him, and they don’t make any mention of his father or the League or-
He’s got to pause and breathe through his nose, reading some of them, trying to blink back tears.
People still... people still...
They’re not all like that, though. Before the war, he’d rarely ever gotten fan mail that was angry at him, or serious in nature; but, some of these are now. People want to know why he’d never told them about his father, want to know how he could call himself a hero when he’d done such a terrible job as a spy, wanting to know about Twice-
Fuck.
It’s not as though it’s not unexpected, though. People… people are going to have mixed reactions, and they’re going to be upset with him.
It’s the ones that ask about Twice that stand out to him in particular, though.
A lot of them are asking about if he thinks it’s fair that he gets to keep going while Twice doesn’t have that, and doesn’t this prove how corrupted hero society is, and whether pretending to be a villain meant that-
He’s suddenly reminded by a conversation he’d once had with Touya.
Thinking of Touya is like walking over landmines even on his better days, though talking with Shouto has made that easier- but he remembers this conversation, with startling clarity.
They’d been in bed together, and Touya had been softer than normal, more pensive than normal, and had gone on a low-key rant about the injustices of hero society, how unfairly it treated villains, how unfair the villain label even was.
And while Keigo certainly hadn’t forgotten this; and indeed, he’d even- agreed with some of what Touya was saying, it had gotten swept aside in the utter drama of all the bullshit that came afterwards.
But here now, remembering that conversation, and seeing what people have to say about the unfairness of Twice’s death…
Keigo presses his lips together, and thinks.
He’s spent the last couple months wallowing, and feeling guilty and uncertain and uncomfortable and hating himself for his part in everything. And these people, they’re not wrong. Twice’s death- even though Shouto doesn’t judge him for it, Twice’s death was still… unfair, to say the least.
But spending time with Shouto recently, he can’t deny that he also feels- better about himself than he has before.
He- maybe he still can’t think of himself as a good hero, but-
Now, he knows, that Shouto and others out there, they still see him as a hero.
And- isn’t it a hero’s job to make the world a better place?
He’s completely retreated from the world, from his place in it, over the past months, but-
Sitting here now… he’s struck with a sudden idea.
Maybe he hasn’t been the best hero, but- he wants to be better. And he can be better. He can’t ever take back what he did to Twice, but- but he can try to fix some things, anyways.
He pulls out his personal computer, and starts jotting down notes.
When he gets home that afternoon, it’s to find Shouto curled up on the couch, reading a book. Keigo immediately makes his way over there, before pulling out his laptop and showing the kid everything he’d worked on.
Blue-and-gray eyes widen, before giving him a slow nod, and Keigo smiles.
______________________________
He stares from behind the curtain at the gathered crowd. “This is… bigger than I thought it would be.”
Next to him, his secretary gives him a confused look. “You’ve dealt with bigger groups of people than this before.”
He huffs, and goes silent, conceding the point.
She’s not wrong. It’s just that… he didn’t expect this particular event to have such a huge turnout. Frankly, he’d thought maybe a few reporters would bother showing up for this, and that’d be all.
Seeing so many people… it’s making him nervous.
But he can’t deny that he’s a bit exhilarated, too, because after four fucking months, it’s finally ready.
After he’d shown his idea to Shouto, and seen what the kid thought of it, he’d immediately gotten started on trying to put it into reality. It’s been months of hard work; making calls, trying to organize funds. Getting a building ready, hiring a staff, then trying to spread the word-
But it’s done.
Next to him, his secretary shrugs. “Besides, you’re the acting number-one hero, anyways. Of course people are going to turn out to hear this.”
He swallows.
She’s not wrong. Over the past four months, there have been lots of… other changes.
Shouto and the other Todoroki siblings had gone ahead with pressing charges against Endeavor. And instantly, the media shit-show that had barely begun to die down immediately flared back up as though someone had poured gasoline onto a campfire.
Endeavor, in the wake of the upcoming trial, is no longer number-one; so, by default, Keigo is the acting number one hero.
It’s a strange position. He’s never wanted to be at the top, especially since the public is still definitely divided on how much he even deserves it.
Though, to be honest, it may not even last; over the past few months, the dismantling of the Hero Commission has become even more thorough, and with that, plus Endeavor’s very public downfall, there’s been talk of entirely revamping the ranking system. Changing what makes someone the greatest hero; hell, maybe even getting rid of the ranking system entirely.
(Keigo can’t say he’d even mind that, truthfully.
Their world… it’s messed up. He knows this.)
But for now, he’s number one, and well…
He’s going to do the best damn job at it that he can.
He shakes himself out of those thoughts and finds his voice eventually, turning to his secretary. “Has there been any word on the possible League or PLF sightings?”
She shakes her head, and he can’t help his sigh of relief.
That’s another thing. Over the past months, the League has become more active; minor crimes, here and there, but it’s still a clear warning to the world. They’re still out there. And while the League’s arsonist hasn’t been definitely spotted at any of those crime scenes, Keigo knows.
Touya’s still out there.
But it’s easier these days, to think of his ex, than it’s ever been before. Still not necessarily easy, but-
His scars don’t hurt as often or as bad, anymore.
He sighs, and nods. “Good.” Frankly, he’s been worried that they might show up just for this event, especially once he tells the world what it’s about, but-
But he’s not going to let them stop him. Not from doing this.
They’re interrupted by his media specialist, coming up next to him. “Excuse me, sir, but they’re all ready for you.”
Keigo nods.
Inhale. Exhale.
He glances down at his phone, where the text from Shouto from earlier this morning is still showing. I’ll be watching in the crowd. Good luck, Keigo.
Keigo feels his smile grow a little wider. And flies out from behind the curtain, coming in to land on the podium that’s been erected in front of his brand-new building. He waves at the crowd, which gets quieter as they all see his approach. “Hey, hey, hey, everybody! Thanks for coming out today!”
He glances down at the carefully written speech that his manager prepared for him.
And… thinks, suddenly of a pair of burning blue eyes.
He swallows.
And shoves both Touya and the prepared speech out of his mind, choosing to just… go with it.
“So, I bet you’re all wondering why I’ve invited you here today.” This gets some murmured noises, but he forges on. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it quick, since I’m sure we’ve all got other places we’d love to be.”
He pauses.
Inhale. Exhale.
“About six months ago… I’m sure you all remember what happened in the war with the PLF.” He feels his voice get more serious, and sees the way that the crowd starts to shift restlessly. “I’m sure you all remember what my role in that was, and the things I’ve done.”
Keep going.
“A lot of you have been questioning my right to be a hero since then, and you’re not wrong to do so. We can argue the logistics of the situation all day, but the fact is that… I killed a man. And I can’t ever take that back.”
He sighs. “Twice… no. Bubaigawara Jin. He was… a good man. He wanted to spend time with his friends, his family, and he wanted to make the world a better place. But the world wasn’t kind to him. I wasn’t kind to him.”
He closes his eyes for a moment, remembering the- in retrospect, cruel words he’d said to Jin before killing him, not even listening properly to what Jin was trying to say-
The crowd is completely silent. He opens his eyes again, and continues.
“And the thing is- what happened with Twice? That’s not a unique situation. As most of you have learned over the past months, the hero world isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And villains… villains aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be, either.”
His back aches, just a little, but he pushes through it.
“This isn’t me trying to excuse the things that either side has done. People make their own choices, just like I made a choice that day. But sometimes they’re not always given a good, or even a fair choice in this world. And I can’t change the choices that I’ve made, but… I can try to be better about them in the future.”
And… from that point on, it feels a little easier to talk.
“So, the reason I’ve brought you here today, is to share with you the opening of my new foundation. Maybe heroes can’t save everybody, but we should still try to. So this, moving forward, is going to be my way of trying to save the people that really need to be saved.”
He’s suddenly, achingly, reminded of Touya, but he keeps going, and gestures behind him at the stout, nondescript building.
“This is the Jin Foundation. A place, I hope, to take in and help people that the world hasn’t given a fair chance. Anyone who’s been spat on for their quirk, or lack of a quirk. Anyone who’s been suffering from things beyond their control. People who’ve been abused, people who should have been- people who deserve to be saved.”
He continues on, sharing the broad details of his foundation.
He’d chosen for this foundation to be located in one of the shadier areas of Musutafu, close to where he’d first met up with Touya for the very first time. Because… he needs it to be closest to the people that it’s aiming to help.
He wants to help save the villains before they ever become villains. Help the people who… who the world hasn’t been good to.
Like Twice.
Like… like Touya.
(It’s been months, and he still doesn’t quite agree with Shouto about whether Touya can be saved-
But that doesn’t mean that Touya shouldn’t have been saved.)
When he’s done, he throws the crowd a wink and smile. “So, yeah. That’s pretty much it. Feel free to ask questions now or whatever, but- yes.”
And it’s a few more moments of silence when he’s done, people not seemingly knowing how to react.
But then he hears a slow clapping, starting in a corner of the crowd. And it builds and builds, and people start to talk as well, faces smiling at him, and-
And the ache in his back… it fades away.
______________________________
Shouto finds him immediately after he’s no longer answering questions from reporters.
The teenager comes up to him where he’s standing in front of the new building talking to his manager, and smiles at him. “That was a great speech, Keigo.”
Keigo grins, reaching out to tug teasingly on the kid’s ponytail. “Aww, thanks chickling.” He nods at his manager; the woman nods back, before turning to leave them. “Is it just me, or has your hair gotten even longer, Rapunzel-”
“Shut up.” Shouto scowls at him, but the expression soon morphs into something a little bit more hesitant. “I brought some people along with me today.”
Keigo raises his eyebrow, trying to keep the mood light. “Is it your boyfriend-”
“Izuku’s not my boyfriend!”
Keigo smirks. “I never said Midoriya, little chick.”
“Asshole.” Shouto hmmphs. “No, it’s…”
The kid turns to gesture behind him, and Keigo feels his eyes widen at the two people who walk out of the crowd.
The first one is Eraserhead, staring at him with a single piercing eye. The next one is…
“Tokoyami.” He swallows, mustering up a smile. “How’ve you been?”
“Good.” His former intern nods at him. “I am well. It’s nice to see you, Hawks.”
Hearing that… he feels his smile grow just a bit wider.
It’s been six months, and he still hasn’t heard from Tokoyami.
After everything… The kid hadn’t indicated that he wanted to return to Keigo’s agency as an intern, had needed time to think- and frankly, Keigo couldn’t blame the boy. So, they haven’t properly spoken since he’d thanked Tokoyami in the hospital for saving him from Touya; since the boy had asked for time and space.
But the kid’s here now, and maybe Keigo’s just feeling more hopeful than usual, but-
“I- had wanted to ask you.” His former intern blinks at him, face as solemn as ever. “I know that technically, the internship term for second year has already started. But I haven't begun any internship yet, and I was wondering if I would be able to come back and intern under you, anyways.”
He’s vaguely aware of Shouto and Eraserhead moving off to the side, but Keigo can’t quite focus on them right now.
Tokoyami continues. “I know that Todoroki has already been interning with you for the past month. But if you’re willing, I would like to accompany you too.”
Keigo feels his wings start to flutter happily.
Is- is the kid serious?
Rhetorical question, because Tokoyami is always serious, but-
“Of course!” He nods enthusiastically. “You’re always welcome back at my agency, chick.”
Tokoyami looks faintly relieved. “Ah. Thank you. I’m sorry, that it took me so long-”
“No- no, don’t apologize.” He sighs, and moves closer, making sure to look the kid in the eye. “I’m sorry. That I wasn’t the best mentor to you, and I’m sorry that I let you down, with everything I did.”
He’s trying to be better now, and that includes apologizing for his past mistakes.
Tokoyami hums. “It wasn’t just you. I just- after the war, I needed some time to evaluate, and think about the sort of hero I wanted to be. But when I heard about what you were doing here… I wanted to come back. If that’s okay.”
“Yup!” He grins, looking over to where Eraserhead and Shouto are talking quietly. “Guess I’ve got two chicks now!”
At exactly the same time, both of the teenagers drone. “Mother hen.”
And then they turn to look at each other, as if they’d rehearsed this (which for all he knows, they very well might-)
Keigo bursts out laughing.
It’s when both of his interns are giving him identical unamused looks (he’s going to have so much fun teasing them-) that Eraserhead clears his throat. Keigo turns to look at the other hero, who inclines a messy head of hair towards him. “Hawks.”
He feels his wings shift restlessly. “Eraser! Been a while.”
“Yes.” The other man nods. “Congratulations on your foundation. I came because I was hoping to have a word with you, if that’s alright.”
Keigo blinks.
And nods, slowly. “Sure…?”
The other man leads him to a relatively quiet corner, and fixes him with another sharp stare.
Before sighing, shoulders seemingly losing some tension. “First, I wanted to come thank you in person.”
Keigo frowns, feeling very confused. “For what…?”
“For Todoroki.” Eraserhead sighs. “I know that over the past months, you’ve been helping him to deal with everything. And I think it made him adjust much better than he would have otherwise.”
…Oh.
He can’t help but give the other man a soft smile, casting a look back to where the teenagers are now conversing.
“He’s been a big help to me too.” He fluffs his feathers up. “I… yeah. It’s been nice, having him around.”
It has, because…
Keigo hasn’t said it aloud yet. But for all the times he’s gotten home now to find Shouto taking a nap on the couch, or attempting some disaster in the kitchen (neither of them has gotten any better at cooking)…
It feels like, for the first time in his life, he’s beginning to have something like… a family.
Even if it’s just one too-stubborn-for-his-own-good teenager.
And in having that… he’s begun to be better about himself. His nightmares aren’t as bad or as frequent anymore, and while he still acknowledges the harm he’s done-
He knows that he can still do good. And that- he matters, to at least one other person in the world.
Keigo matters. Not just Hawks.
(His hero name... it feels better now too, than it did before. Not perfect yet, maybe, but- better.)
“Right.” Eraserhead’s voice turns suddenly more serious. “I also wanted to ask, if you’d heard anything about the League or PLF, recently.”
He swallows, suddenly on high alert, remembering blue, blue, blue eyes. “No. Why?”
“It’s just because of the upcoming trial for Endeavor.” Eraserhead’s face turns into a scowl. “I’m worried that Todoroki’s brother may try something. And I don’t want to add any more stress to my student’s plate if I can help it. You’re the one hero with the most knowledge and connections to the PLF, so I’m asking you.”
He chews his lip, thinking.
Eraserhead isn’t wrong, now that it’s been brought up. The League, the PLF… if they try anything in the upcoming months, it’s going to be something to do with Endeavor.
(He knows what Touya wants, after all. Touya doesn’t want Endeavor in a jail cell; the villain wants Endeavor in the ground.)
Though… he’s also worried about the possibility of Touya stressing out Shouto, but probably not for the same reasons as Eraserhead.
It’s been months, and even though they don’t talk about Touya as much as they used to… he knows that Shouto still hasn’t given up on the possibility of saving the villain.
He sighs, and refocuses on the current conversation. “I’ll make sure to keep an eye out, and I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
In the wake of everything, he hasn’t actually tried to conduct any more investigations into the League. The whole world knows he was a spy, after all, so it would be kind of pointless.
But… he’ll still keep an eye out, anyways.
Eraserhead gives him a nod. “Thank you, Hawks.”
______________________________
It turns out that Eraserhead’s answer comes much sooner than anyone was expecting.
Two nights after the Jin Foundation opens, three warehouses in a perfect triangle around the foundation’s building go up in brilliant, brilliant blue flames.
It’s the first clear sign of Touya that anyone’s seen since the war, and Keigo-
When he hears about it the next day at work, he can’t help the way he instinctively tenses, feelings his wings flutter nervously. For a moment, all his scars ache.
Touya- hot stuff- Touya-
But he’s also suddenly, blisteringly angry, in a way that he probably wouldn’t have been several months ago.
Keigo knows now, more than ever, that he made mistakes when he was a spy- he knows. And while he also recognizes that Touya is probably still pissed at him for the betrayal (though, considering that Touya apparently always knew, that does complicate the matter-) it’s not as though he doesn’t have the right to be pissed at Touya too.
His ex-lover almost burned off a part of his body permanently, spread private information about him, and Keigo’s in a place now where he no longer thinks that was deserved.
(Most days. There are still bad days, but they’re fewer and farther between.)
But- but this.
Maybe the Jin Foundation isn’t perfect, and maybe it’s not a definite solution to all the problems plaguing their world. But Keigo is still trying, he’s just-
He’s trying.
Change isn’t always perfect, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Especially not in a society like theirs, where there are so many entrenched beliefs that need to be unlearned before progress can be made.
But he’s still doing his best, and Touya- Touya doesn’t have the right to threaten him about it. Touya can be mad about the betrayal, about Jin’s death, can hate Keigo for it if he wants, for the way that Keigo belittled Touya’s feelings in the immediate minutes after Jin’s death-
(And that’s another thing he knows he did wrong- he’d just been so overwhelmed, the combination of what he’d done only barely beginning to hit him while Touya laughed and laughed-
But it was wrong, he knows, to try to judge that way of expressing emotions, even if he still sort of doubts that Touya ever actually cared about Jin beyond the man’s usefulness-)
But Touya doesn’t get to be mad about Keigo trying to do better. Especially not in the wake of all the harm that Touya’s done too, and shows absolutely no remorse for.
(A little voice in his head pipes up, telling him that maybe Touya does feel remorse, even if the other man doesn’t show it-
But even if that’s true, Touya still doesn’t get to judge him. Not for this.)
When he gets home that evening, he’s still angry, feathers alert and on edge for the nearest threat. Still, he can’t help but calm down slightly at the sight of Shouto working on a laptop in the kitchen. “Hey, chickling.”
“Mother hen.” The brat intones solemnly. “Did you know that KFC is having a special deal that includes soba for the next month?”
He feels his wings flutter excitedly. “We were going to try to make katsudon again, I know, but-”
“But fried chicken is superior. And soba.” Shouto nods, and hands him the phone to call the delivery place.
(Shut up, Keigo is not crying, he’s not-
He’s just. Over the past months, Shouto has come to develop a better appreciation for fried chicken, and Keigo is just. So proud.)
They make small talk, waiting for the food to come, before Shouto lets out a low cough and changes the topic. “So- about Touya. I know you heard.”
And, abruptly, he feels the tension from earlier coming back, creeping up on him.
He sighs. “Yes. What about him?”
Shouto takes a visibly deep breath, before looking him in the eye. “I want to find a way to talk to him.”
For a moment, all Keigo can hear is the blood rushing in his ears.
Fuck. Fuck no-
And when he comes back to himself, he shakes his head vigorously, and fixes the kid with a glare. “No, absolutely not-”
The too-stubborn brat glares right back at him. “I know he’s dangerous, but-”
“But nothing, Shouto!” He lowers his voice, pinching the bridge of his nose, and trying to force his wings to relax. “Which part of he’ll kill you do you not understand?”
Shouto’s jaw sets. “I told you at the very beginning, I know that, but- my conviction to help him still hasn’t changed, even if it’s been months since he’s been last seen-”
He feels a bitter laugh tearing its way out of his throat. “Chickling, he doesn’t-”
He stops, before he can say deserve it.
It’s not a question of whether Touya deserves it or not, he knows, and it’s unfair for him to reduce it to that alone.
So, he tries again. “He doesn’t- he doesn’t care about you. Which means he’s not going to care what you have to say to him, either.”
“Why- why are you so against this, anyways?” Shouto still doesn’t back down. “I understand as a hero, and at the beginning, I got it too. But- you’ve told me so many stories of him just cooking for you, or bitching about your laundry, or ranting about hero society- where he’s just human, and I-” The kid trails off. “Do you just not… why?”
Keigo closes his eyes, feeling the sudden memories hitting him hard.
Warm skin-on-skin, too-soft kisses and laughing blue eyes-
Maybe that’s it, really, even after all these months, when he’d thought he was moving on.
“Because we were… a thing, Shouto.” He swallows, seeing the teenager’s eyes widen- he’s never told the kid this before, after all. “We were a thing, outside the boundaries of my infiltration mission and I just- I don’t know how to believe that he can be saved. I don’t know how to handle that, after… everything.”
He… for all that he’s gotten better at thinking of Touya, gotten better at processing his emotions over the other man-
He still doesn’t know how to do this.
“…Oh.” Shouto’s voice is barely above a whisper. “You… you were in-”
“No.” He interrupts vehemently, refusing to let Shouto say that one damning word that he’s never allowed himself to say, either, and certainly won’t be doing any time soon. “But we were something. And I… yeah.”
“Oh.” Shouto looks down at the table, and suddenly the teenager’s face crumples just a bit. “I- I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that I was making you talk about- all this time, you never- I’m sorry-”
“No, no, hold up!” He shakes himself out of his funk, desperate not to see the sudden guilt on the kid’s face. “You didn’t make me do anything Shouto. I wouldn’t have- I chose to talk about him. Don’t feel bad for anything.”
“…Okay.” Shouto isn’t quite looking at him, but the boy nods hesitantly. “So you can’t… when you say he can’t be saved, then you…”
Keigo sighs.
It’s because he knows all too well the different sides of Touya- how the villain is funny and cruel and brilliant and sadistic and broken and powerful and almost sweet and an utter asshole-
And he’s better, but he still remembers all too well warm hands in his feathers, and a heavy boot burning away his back.
It’s- it’s too much.
But…
He looks at Shouto now, and thinks back over all the past months.
And sighs, making a decision. He scoots his chair around the table to sit closer to the teenager and extends his wing to wrap around slim shoulders, tucking the kid against him. “Why… why do you want to save him, Shouto? I know you told me, you see yourself in him, but… why?”
Shouto is quiet for at least a full minute, and Keigo remains so as well, not wanting to push the kid.
“You never knew me, before my internship with- with my father, last year.” He nods, slowly. “But- I don’t know if you- did you maybe watch the Sports Festival, in my first year? I think so, right, you did send me that offer for internship afterwards-”
He hums. “Yup! And while I admit I was a bit more focused on Tokoyami at the time, you were pretty badass, chickling.”
“Thanks.” Shouto offers the barest glimpse of a smile, before it vanishes. “But I’m sure you also saw, then. Up until my match with Izuku, I never used my fire. I only worked with my ice.”
Ah. Yes.
“For years before that, I hadn’t used my fire at all.” Shouto’s jaw grinds together. “I just- I was so angry at my father. And I wanted to do everything I could to spite him. Even if it meant locking half of myself away- but that didn’t matter to me, because it was the bad half, anyways.”
Keigo allows a low trill to build in the back of his throat, trying to be soothing.
“But I didn’t… in doing so, I didn’t realize the person I was becoming. That in trying to be nothing like him, and denying him everything, I was becoming just like him, anyways.” Shouto sighs. “Izuku- helped make a lot of things clearer, but that’s not the point. In Touya, I recognize the same blind rage I once had. Where it doesn’t matter who else gets in the way, so long as the goal of spiting, of hurting our father is accomplished.”
For a moment, Keigo briefly fantasizes about flying to the prison where Todoroki Enji is awaiting trial, and slitting the man’s throat.
He just- he knows how hard it is for Shouto to talk about any of this, at all.
And while Touya’s the ass who decided to reveal shit to the world without caring about how it would affect his mother and siblings-
He can’t help but remember Touya’s slumped, pained posture in the video, scars fully on display, and wonders how hard it must have been for Touya to talk about, too.
(Endeavor may be different, but the man had so thoroughly messed up his kids, his family, it’s just-
It’s painful, and Keigo’s not even a Todoroki.)
He sighs, and tries to come up with the right words. “I can get that, chickling… but you have to know that Touya is far further gone than you ever were.”
“I know.” Shouto leans a bit heavier against him. “But still. I can see myself and… while I hate the way that people will always compare me to Touya now, I can’t… I can’t deny that maybe, if not for Izuku, who knows? Maybe I would have ended up- not necessarily a villain- but a much worse off person than I am today. I had help. Touya… he doesn’t have help. He’s never had help.”
Keigo bites his lip.
He knows that Shouto’s not wrong.
As a spy, while he’d entertained the thought of trying to help the League and PLF, he’d been more focused on trying to stop them. To stop the threat they posed.
No matter how much he’d… cared for Touya, or even agreed with Touya- he hadn’t really been trying to save the other.
And he and Touya- they’ve hurt each other in so many different ways, Keigo knows he’s not obligated to feel anything for the asshole at all, especially after Touya’s latest stunt last night that he’s still mad about-
…Damn it.
His lips feel dry when he speaks again. “I… you know, I don’t actually know how to get in contact with him, Shouto. He’s definitely changed his number, by now, and if I show up anywhere near the League, pretending to be a spy won’t work a second time.”
Mismatched eyes are wide. “Wait… but you-”
“I’m not saying I think he can be saved, or that I completely agree with you wanting to save him.” He fluffs his feathers, trying to parse through his thoughts. “And I’m still not going to let you run off and contact him, just for him to leave your burned body at the entrance to your father’s prison.”
He blows out a sharp breath. “But… you’re right, in that he’s never really gotten help. Not even from the League, not really, because I know he was never that close with any of them, and even if that’s changed, I’m not sure any of them can do much to help him beyond… murder. So… if you think you can find a way to help him that doesn’t involve you being put in danger, I will help you with that.”
His scars ache, but only for a moment.
He’s made his choice.
Shouto seems to realize it too. “Are you- are you sure?”
“Yeah.” He musters up a small smile, gently tapping the flat side of one of his talons on Shouto’s cheek. “You’re too good for him, kid. And me.”
And now, the kid’s face turns stubborn again. “No I’m not. I’m just-”
They’re interrupted by the sound of his door buzzer. Instantly Shouto seems to perk up (as much as Shouto ever does, anyways) and offers him a hopeful look. “Enough about this. Soba?”
He snorts, but stands up to get the door. “And fried chicken, little chick. Don’t forget the fried chicken.”
Shouto nods back gravely.
Later that evening, Keigo heads into the living room after doing the dishes, and finds the kid asleep on the couch.
He rolls his eyes, and whips out his phone to call Eraserhead, to inform the other hero that the teenager will be sleeping here in the guest bedroom, tonight.
(Which is a thing that Shouto’s started doing more often, and Keigo’s been half-tempted to just give the kid the room officially-
Especially since Eraserhead seems oddly cool with it.)
Once he’s gotten permission, he moves over to gently shake the teenager’s shoulder. “Come on, chickling. Get up and go to a real bed. Your back will thank you for it in the morning.”
Shouto grumbles, mismatched eyes opening to blearily glare at him, and Keigo suppresses a chuckle.
Slowly, however, Shouto manages to sit upright, and moves to head to the guest room. Keigo waves the kid off, thinking that maybe he’ll get some paperwork in before heading to sleep himself, when he hears the quiet mutter. “I’m going to kick Touya’s ass.”
He lets out a quiet laugh, turning to look at the kid who’s almost vanished into the hallway. “What?”
Shouto lets out a noise that’s halfway between a yawn and an indignant huff. “He’s a dumbass. Stupid-” and here, Shouto’s voice drops low enough that Keigo can’t quite make it out, before the teenager sighs. “Would’ve liked to have you for a brother.”
Keigo chokes, but Shouto’s already disappeared into the hallway.
…Fuck.
His heart hurts, suddenly, and his back muscles twinge.
It’s a long moment before he finds his voice again. “…I would have liked to have you for a brother, too.”
Though, if he’s being completely honest with himself-
Shouto’s already the closest thing to a little brother that Keigo’s ever had.
______________________________
As it turns out, Touya doesn’t actually seem interested in destroying the Jin Foundation.
A couple weeks pass by in the aftermath with no more sign of Touya. Keigo remains on high alert of course, but-
Whatever the reason for Touya’s little stunt, the Jin Foundation carries on, and it’s doing better than Keigo had dared to hope.
But, as time passes, Keigo’s thoughts move further away from that, and onto more important matters.
Specifically, the fact that Endeavor’s trial date has been set now, for about two months after the foundation’s opening. And the closer the date draws, the more on edge Shouto gets. Which is really saying something- Shouto has gradually opened up more, but it’s still not like the kid to openly display too much emotion without a good reason.
But, of course, this is a very good reason.
Keigo does his best to help the kid out, but he’s limited in how much he can do. While he has been called to act as a witness at the trial, as a hero who worked with Endeavor plus the only hero with the most knowledge of Touya’s current behaviour- he can’t actually control the outcome of the trial itself.
And it’s not as though he can spend all his time helping either- he’s still a busy hero after all (which really, has only gotten worse since he’s been (declared?) number one and the Jin Foundation opened) plus, Shouto has school.
And even when they’re on their internship with Tokoyami, they still have to spend that time working.
He tries, though.
It’s good, that he’s not the only one trying, however. He’s well aware that Shouto’s classmates are doing their best (especially Shouto’s green-haired boyfriend, because no matter how much Shouto denies any feelings, Keigo knows-) and Eraserhead, too. And of course, Shouto’s siblings and mother are there as well.
Still, knowing about the rest of Shouto’s support network doesn’t make it any less surprising when Shouto comes into the apartment on a Saturday when he’s off from work and tells him, “My sister would like it if you came to have dinner with us tomorrow.”
Keigo blinks.
Shouto blinks back.
…What.
He clears his throat, and tries to make sense of this sudden news. “…Why?”
Shouto only offers a helpless-looking shrug. “She said it would be nice to meet you, that’s all she told me. And Natsuo and Mother agreed so- will you have dinner with us?”
Keigo is fairly certain that Shouto missed a social cue from Fuyumi there, because this is incredibly out of the blue-
Except maybe it’s not. The trial is in two weeks. Maybe the rest of the Todoroki family wants to meet him now to- to talk about it. About his role in all of it (because while he can only say so much about Endeavor and Touya, and he’s definitely not a key witness, his testimony will still be important).
And… he’s not actually doing anything tomorrow night, which Shouto is well aware of.
…Fuck.
He gives the kid a narrow-eyed look. “Will I have to wear a suit or something?”
Shouto merely shrugs again.
This is how he finds himself outside the Todoroki family’s recently-built home, dressed in a nice shirt with slacks and holding a bottle of wine.
While he’s waiting outside, he looks around the place. It’s not too huge; still clearly well off, but much more modestly sized than the old manor, and with some lovely gardens in front and stretching around the house. It’s a nice place.
The Todorokis have slowly been getting back to their lives, he knows. Todoroki Fuyumi has returned to work by now, and Natsuo to school. Rei, too, is no longer in the hospital, but living here-
His brain unhelpfully starts to wonder what it would have been like to be able to meet Touya at the doors of this house, both of them smiling and-
He shoves that thought away.
Soon, the door swings open to reveal a cheerful, but slightly nervous-looking Todoroki Fuyumi. “Hawks-san! It’s lovely to finally meet you, please come in!”
He smiles at her, carefully tucking his wings into the entryway and removing his shoes. “It’s nice to meet you too. Feel free to just call me Keigo, though.”
(He doesn’t want to go by the name Hawks, not in this house, with these people.
And Takami… Takami still feels wrong. It probably always will.)
She gives him wide eyes behind her glasses, but nods slowly. “Of course! Please, call all of us by our own names as well. It would… well, it would be a little difficult, otherwise.”
He can’t help his amused chuckle.
She brings him deeper into the house, into a joined kitchen-and-living-area, where they find Rei cooking something, and Shouto and Natsuo engrossed in a video game.
Shouto looks up immediately at his arrival though, turning to face him and putting the controller down. “Keigo.” A single white eyebrow is raised. “You didn’t have to dress up so fancy.”
He squawks. “You never said otherwise, and besides- this isn’t that formal!”
The other eyebrow rises to join its twin, and Shouto gives his (admittedly expensive) slacks a very pointed stare.
Brat.
“Ah, you must be Hawks-san.” He looks over to meet Rei, who’s left her pot on the stove and has come over to greet them. “I’m glad to finally meet you.”
He can’t help but feel immediately reassured by her calm, gentle presence. “Thank you. Please call me Keigo.”
“Alright.” In the next instant, though, she drops into a bow. “I- I realize that it’s been months, and I’m very sorry to be so late, but- I’d like to apologize to you, Keigo. For what Touya- for what my son did to you.”
And immediately, it’s like a cold breeze has rushed through the room.
(Though, given this family’s quirks, that may in fact be possible.)
Keigo can’t help the way he glances to Shouto, who looks stricken by his mother’s words. Fuyumi, too, looks suddenly upset, and Natsuo’s face has dipped into a frown.
Fuck.
His wings ache slightly, but he tries to make his voice reassuring. “Please. Rei? You don’t- there’s no need to apologize. I- what happened with Touya and I was complicated, and none of it was your fault.”
A part of her looks ready to argue, but Shouto interrupts, voice soft. “Mother.”
She looks to her youngest, before nodding once, face straightening again into a smile. “I- yes. That’s very kind of you. I- let me go look at that pot now. Fuyumi, if you would continue the introductions, dear.”
“Not much left to introduce.” The last member of the family lets out a snort, handsome features smoothed out again, as Rei returns to the kitchen area. “Just me. Natsuo here. Nice to meet you, man.”
Keigo offers a smile. “Thank you for having me.”
The atmosphere is still slightly awkward, and he’s really not sure what he’s supposed to be doing now-
“Well of course, we wanted to!” Fuyumi waves her hands around, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “Shouto talks so much about you, and we really wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for him, Keigo.”
His feathers fluff up, that warm feeling coming back, and he turns to grin at the teenager. “Aww, chickling, you talk about me?”
Shouto scowls at him, and he snorts.
Natsuo, too, seems to find the youngest’s expression amusing. Gray eyes look at him, something he can’t quite identify in their depths. “So, Keigo. Shouto tells me you play video games?”
“No, he doesn’t.” Shouto’s voice is monotone, but mismatched eyes are challenging. “He loses at video games.”
Keigo gasps, as Natsuo starts to cackle.
That little shit.
Immediately, he turns to Natsuo. “Do you have a spare controller?”
______________________________
The rest of his night with the Todoroki family is… surprisingly easy.
To his genuine surprise, they don’t talk about the upcoming trial. And in fact… they barely even talk about Touya.
Which, that’s not to say that they don’t talk about Touya at all, because they do. At one point before dinner, Natsuo turns to him with downcast gray eyes, and hesitantly asks him that although Shouto’s told them some of what Keigo’s said about Touya, would Keigo mind elaborating on some things?
He swallows, thinking of how Shouto once told him that Natsuo was Touya’s favorite, and gently complies.
(When he talks briefly about how yes, he and Touya were… involved, Natsuo’s eyes flash with something that looks like both hope and misery, and his heart hurts.
His back, too, flashes hot and then cold, feathers remembering the feeling of warm-gentle-burning-)
But that conversation is short. Natsuo, nor any of the other Todorokis, seem to want to drag out conversations that are painful for all of them any longer than necessary.
Instead, he spends a good chunk of time playing video games with Natsuo and Shouto, with Fuyumi occasionally subbing in for Shouto, and Rei continues to cook. At one point, though, Rei beckons him to the kitchen, gently raising her eyebrow. “Shouto says you’re trying to learn to cook with him?”
He snorts, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah! But we’re both pretty terrible at it.”
Shouto calls out from the living room. “Not true. We’ve managed to avoid setting anything on fire for the past two months. That’s improvement.”
He nods sagely. “True.”
Rei laughs at them both. “Well, of course you’re free to say no if you want, I don’t want to make you do any work, you’re our guest- but I thought, I’m going to make some tamagoyaki now. You’re welcome to try and help me if you want.”
Oh.
He’s- he’s never had anyone try to teach him how to cook before.
(Briefly, he wonders if this encouraging kindness is what mothers- what parents are supposed to be like. It’s not like he’d know, after all.
But he thinks- maybe it is.)
Keigo feels his wings fluttering eagerly behind him, and inclines his head at her. “Yes! Please! I would- I’d really like to learn.”
She smiles, and gestures him towards the counter. “Alright then. I’ll be happy to teach you.”
Fuck. He is not going to cry.
Dinner, too, is fairly light-hearted, the conversation flowing easily. They don’t make him feel out of place at all, welcoming him instead and it’s-
It’s nice. It’s really, really nice.
When he’s finally getting ready to go, on account of his early work day tomorrow, they all come to the door to see him off. Fuyumi offers him a wide smile, and tells him that he’s welcome to come back any time.
He pauses, staring at her. “Are you sure?”
“Of course!” Her smile doesn’t falter. “We really enjoyed having you.”
“Yeah.” Natsuo chimes in. “Please! I need to teach both you and Shouto how to properly play COD.”
Shouto looks affronted. “I feel like I’m getting better at-”
“No, you’re really not.” He says it at the same time as Natsuo, and then smirks as the older brother reaches out to fist bump him, while Shouto glares at both of them.
Rei interrupts, face amused but a touch serious. “What my children are trying to say is- you’re welcome here with us, Keigo. I know the circumstances that brought us all together were- complicated -but we’re grateful that you’re here, anyways.”
She takes both his hands in her own, and he swallows heavily. “I- thank you.”
He knows that, coming from this family, those words aren’t meant to be taken lightly.
Shouto comes up and gives him a hesitant (though slightly less than it’s been before, the kid’s getting better at initiating physical contact-) hug. “They’re right. Thank you for coming, Keigo.”
He hums, and ruffles the kid’s hair, messing it up where it’s hanging loose. “No, chickling. I think I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
There are still their problems to be faced. The trial draws ever close, Touya’s still out there, and society is still nowhere close to having the stability it did before the war, but-
But here, in this little pocket of the world, with a family surrounding him and welcoming him in-
Keigo feels like everything’s going to be okay.
______________________________
When the trial does eventually roll around, it lasts for over two full weeks.
It’s broadcast live, and the entire thing is… absolutely agonizing.
The Todoroki family gets put through the wringer; all of the siblings looking more haggard as the days continue, and Rei, too, is grilled especially hard. Countless witnesses get called, including Keigo, and they’ve all got so many different opinions on Endeavor that it feels like it’ll be impossible for the jury to come to a decision.
But eventually, they do.
The day the trial ends, the judge announces the jury’s decision to the whole world, which is eagerly holding its breath. Todoroki Enji is found guilty on all charges of domestic violence and child abuse. Additionally, the man’s hero license is permanently stripped.
The man who was once Endeavor is to remain in prison for the next few weeks, before sentencing will occur in a month’s time.
Fuck.
Keigo can’t help the way he almost collapses, when the decision is announced.
Inside of him, the little boy who used to clutch an Endeavor doll like it was a lifeline takes a deep breath… and nods quietly.
He looks immediately over to where the Todorokis are sitting in the courthouse. Rei and Fuyumi are openly weeping on each other, while Shouto is tucked up against Natsuo’s side in a loose hug, with the older whispering something quietly to the younger.
He also sees Todoroki Enji casting a last glance at the four of them, face filled with what look like both regret and something else Keigo can’t read, before the guards take the man away.
It’s done.
Or at least… he thinks it’s all done, right up until he moves to exit the courtroom, thinking that he’ll find Shouto and the rest of the family now, when he hears the screaming coming from outside.
He races outside, and comes face-to-face with a wall of blue fire, racing through the street in front of the courthouse.
Fuck.
The scars on his back suddenly flare with pain, worse than they’ve done in months, and he’s frozen, remembering-
(It’s been easier being around fire, especially since he’s had Shouto as his intern, but-
But these flames are blue, and-)
He snaps himself out of it when he sees a woman nearly get crushed by a flying piece of rubble, sending a feather to get her out of the way. Focus.
Blue fire only means one thing. Touya is here- so, the rest of the League and the PLF are probably here too, then. Eraserhead’s hunch was correct.
Damn it.
They’re not prepared at all- well no, that’s not entirely true. At Eraserhead’s request, the number of guards for the trial were doubled prior, and there are some heroes here, who came to see the outcome of the trial.
But there are also plenty of civilians, both inside the courthouse and those milling around outside who were waiting for the verdict, and that makes the situation ten times worse. Already, he can hear the sounds of people being attacked; there’s no telling how large the enemy army is.
He’s just started moving to direct the masses to safety, when the wall of fire suddenly parts, and Touya steps through.
Keigo feels his breath catch in his throat.
It’s his first time seeing his ex since everything.
And Touya looks- terrible.
The villain’s scars have spread- the patches under Touya’s eyes now joined with his cheeks, leaving only the villain’s forehead and the skin directly around the nose still healthy. Touya’s hands, too- the staples now stretch past the villain’s wrists, onto bony knuckles. And Touya barely looks like he’s been eating at all- the man’s definitely lost weight, and Touya was already too skinny to begin with.
None of that seems to stop Touya, though. Blue eyes are as wild and manic as they’ve ever been, and there’s a horrid grin stretching across the other’s face.
Keigo swallows, knowing he needs to do something but-
“So, Dad!” Touya calls out, voice ringing through the surrounding area. “I hear you’re officially a convicted villain now! Congrats, old man! Like father like son, hey?”
Shit.
Keigo looks around behind him, to see that Enji’s guards have just brought the man out of the courthouse. Presumably, to take the man back to prison- but the way has been blocked.
Touya keeps going. “So, I’ve got an invitation for you, dickhead!” Blood drips from under one of Touya’s eyes. “Come join us, eh? Not literally, of course- I’d sooner drop dead than recruit you.” Touya’s voice turns darker. “But I’ve spent too fucking long planning my revenge against you, for you to just get to sit in prison for a few years before they let you out again. Oh, no. The only place you’re going is the ground!”
Enji’s staring at his eldest son, face wrecked, and this is quickly going downhill. Keigo’s the closest hero, all the others are scattered to contain the damage, but Touya hasn’t even looked at him-
Touya sends a huge burst of blue flame racing toward Enji and the guards, and Keigo’s not going to make it in time even though his back aches at the thought of-
A wall of ice races out of nowhere, stopping the fire.
Shouto comes out from the courthouse, suit torn and eyes puffy, but face set with that all-too-familiar stubbornness.
Oh, no.
The kid looks at him. “Keigo, I’ll take Touya. You- you help get everyone else-”
“No way in hell!” He grips the kids shoulders tightly, feeling his veins fill with ice. “I’ll take him, you go and-”
“You can’t.” The teenager casts a glance at his back. “Your wings, he’ll-”
“That doesn’t matter!” His back twinges again even as he says it, but he doesn’t back down. “Shouto, he’ll kill you, this isn’t the time-”
“I’m the only one who can!” Shouto gives him a determined look. “Nobody else here has a quirk that will let them get close enough to him- Aizawa-sensei’s trapped in the courthouse behind some rubble- I have to.” The kid pulls him into a quick hug. “I’ll be careful Keigo, I promise-”
“Baby brother!” Touya’s voice rings out again, tone mocking. “Little bird. Coming out to play?”
As one, they turn to face Touya, whose face is filled with rage and pain and too much for Keigo to process, burning blue eyes tearing into his very being-
Shouto runs straight for his oldest brother, and Keigo reaches out to stop the brat-
“Let him go.” He whips around to see Natsuo a little ways away, with Fuyumi and Rei trailing slightly further back. The middle brother gives him a pained look. “I don’t like it any more than you do- and if Touya hurts him even the tiniest bit, I’ll track Touya down myself and freeze him into a glacier, but- Shouto’s the only one who can right now.”
Natsuo’s voice is filled with helplessness and anger and the beginnings of self-loathing, and Keigo can’t take it anymore.
He casts another glance to where the two brothers have been swallowed up by blue flames, and grits his teeth.
If the kid doesn’t come back in one piece-
He shoves that thought away, and refocuses. He’s got a job to do.
“Come on, all of you.” He gestures for the rest of the Todorokis to follow him. “You’ve got to get to safety. I need to help evacuate everyone-”
He ushers them away, and looks back, only to see Todoroki Enji staring at the place where the eldest and youngest have vanished.
Then the man’s guards shove Enji into a waiting van, and Keigo turns away.
After that, the fight is a bit of a blur.
He’s sending his feathers out everywhere, to search and rescue, while trying to keep them as far away from the fire as possible. He doesn’t run into too many villains, though, except for Toga, who bounds up to him with a manic smile and furious eyes. “Hawksie!”
She shifts into someone else, quick as lightning, and tries to stab him.
And he can’t blame her even the slightest bit, because he knows that she and Jin were close, and she’s got every right to want him dead.
But, he also can’t let himself be caught.
Not here, not now, especially not with the ever-present worry for Shouto burning in the back of his mind.
It takes him far too long, but he eventually manages to knock her out, laying her out of the path of the fire, and surveys the area.
The fight is still going on- but it seems to be dying down. Most of the villains are beginning to retreat, perhaps because Enji isn’t here anymore. He turns back around, thinking that he’ll carry Toga to the nearest available police and then try to find-
And is met with Compress. Keigo tenses, but the magician merely gives him a mocking middle-finger salute and turns Toga into a marble, before running away with her.
Keigo considers giving chase, but no. It’s not his priority, not right now.
He needs to go find Shouto and Touya.
______________________________
He’s been looking for what feels like hours but is probably only minutes, and he can’t find them anywhere.
Keigo’s about ready to tear his hair out, when his phone buzzes in his pocket.
Hesitantly, warily, he takes it out, and reads the screen.
His heart stops.
Behind the lawyer’s office building, in the alleyway. Come alone.
It’s from an unknown number, but he knows exactly who it is.
Keigo takes a deep breath.
Inhale. Exhale.
And sharpens his two longest primaries, holding them as twin swords, before taking off, heading in the direction specified.
When he gets there, he lands before he’s in sight of the alleyway, before steeling his nerves, and walking into the darkened place.
The first thing he sees is Shouto lying on the ground, a pool of blood stretching out from the kid’s side.
Oh no. Fuck no.
His first instinct is to rush forward. Except that Touya is standing over Shouto, cold blue eyes fixed unerringly on him, and clearly ready to strike.
Keigo swallows. Finds his courage, and grits the words out. “Give him to me, right now.”
Touya merely blinks at him. “What, no hi, how’ve you been, number one? You’re always in such a rush.”
Keigo grinds his teeth, and points his feather at his ex-lover. “I’m serious, Touya. What have you-”
“…Keigo?” Shouto’s voice interrupts them, and he looks down to see that blue-and-gray eyes have opened, but barely. “Is… is that-”
“Yeah, I’m here Shouto. I’m here.” He steps forward, but halts as Touya points a hand towards him; Gritting his jaw, he tries to make sure his voice is soothing, and not half as panicked as he feels. “Don’t worry, chickling. It’ll be okay. I’ll get you out of here, I promise.”
He’s not sure how he’ll do that, because he’s at a severe disadvantage but he won’t back down-
Something in Touya’s face seems to pinch at his words, but he’s not sure why.
In the next instant, Touya squats down. Keigo tenses further, throwing caution to the wind and stepping close enough that he can wrestle Touya off Shouto if he needs to-
Only to pause in shock, as Touya runs an almost- gentle hand, over Shouto’s hair.
…What.
Mismatched eyes focus on brilliant blue, and something passes between the brothers that Keigo can’t quite read, and doesn’t fully understand, either.
Then Touya stands up… and steps back, nodding at him. “Take him.”
Keigo blinks.
…Seriously. What.
Hard blue eyes roll, but there’s some unknown emotion lurking in their depths. “Take him, pretty bird. We ain’t got all day.”
His back and wings ache briefly, at the name, but he doesn’t waste any more time. He steps forward, mindful of where those lethal hands are, every nerve in his body aware- but scoops Shouto up gently, cradling the teenager before looking back at Touya.
His lips feel cracked and dry. “…Why?”
Touya snorts.
And turns to leave, waving a hand lazily. “Until we meet again, baby brother. Keigo.” Those eyes throw him a lazy, over-the-shoulder glance, and he can’t breathe.
Warm hands, skin-on-skin, gentle kisses under silken sheets-
He shakes himself out of it, watching as his ex-lover walks away.
He knows, objectively, that he should call someone. Touya’s leaving, but that doesn’t mean the fight is over. There’s a very high chance that the League will try to attack Enji’s transport still, no matter the cause of Touya’s odd behaviour-
But right now, Shouto’s more important, bleeding out in his arms, and he doesn’t have any more time to spare.
Keigo takes off, and heads towards the nearest hospital.
Behind him, blue fire fades into the distance.
______________________________
Over the next few days, Shouto fades in and out of consciousness.
Which isn’t surprising. The kid suffered a bad stab wound to the abdomen, where Touya had apparently shoved something sharp in there- the doctors think it may have been a piece of glass, or something – and along with inducing a shit ton of bleeding, it had grazed the outer wall of the appendix, causing it to rupture.
Shouto will live, the doctors say, but if Keigo had gotten him to the hospital any slower, it could have been fatal.
But it wasn’t, it wasn’t, and he holds onto that thought as he spends the next several days sitting at the kid’s bedside along with the rest of Shouto’s family.
At first, he hadn’t been sure they’d want him there- but Rei had insisted. And now they all take turns, keeping a careful vigil over the kid, rotating shifts in and out. Aside from having his manager make a few statements to the press, he took several days off work, just to be sure he’d be there.
It’s almost easier to sit at Shouto’s bedside and wait for the kid to wake up, than it is to think about Touya.
The League and PLF escaped, all of them- and just as he’d feared, Touya had shown up on the news again not even an hour later, attacking the heavily guarded van that was transporting Enji.
Whatever strange force had pushed Touya to spare Shouto, it hadn’t been extended to Enji. Not that Keigo’s entirely surprised.
Still, Enji is alright. The transport had made it to the prison, though not without some casualties of the guards, and Enji, though the former number one suffered some injuries, will live.
Not that Keigo really cares about Enji’s life, if he’s being brutally honest.
But, even though he does his best not to obsess over everything while they wait for Shouto, he still can’t help but let his thoughts drift to Touya- to the other’s strange behaviour.
Shouto must have said something to Touya. That much is obvious, there’s no other explanation. But what, and how did it get Touya to back down?
Keigo doesn’t know, and the thought of the answer both terrifies and excites him.
There’s a part of him that almost wants to hope, even though he knows he shouldn’t.
But- while recently, he still wouldn’t have been able to handle thinking about the possibility at all- for some reason, now he- now he can. He doesn’t know why, but-
He’s still thinking about it while he’s on a break- Fuyumi had ordered him to go home and get some sleep- when he gets a call from Natsuo. The middle Todoroki brother sounds hesitantly hopeful. “Keigo! Just letting you know- he’s up again now, and it doesn’t seem like it’s another of those half-lucid spells.”
He feels his heart start to pick up. “Really? How is he?”
Of course the brat wakes up when Keigo isn’t there. Typical.
Natsuo snorts. “From the way he’s downing the broth that the nurse gave him, I’d say he’ll be just fine. Why don’t you get over here and see for yourself?”
Keigo huffs, and hangs up, already smiling.
When he gets to the hospital, Shouto is sitting up in bed, atop a mountain of fluffy pillows. Fuyumi and Natsuo are there as well, though Rei isn’t present; right now, though, Keigo’s only got eyes for the kid in the hospital bed.
He walks over immediately, dropping into an empty chair and fixing the teenager with a sharp-eyed glare. “So, what have we learned about running off on our own into dangerous situations?”
Shouto gives him a placid blink. “That sometimes it’s necessary?”
He scowls. “You- of all the fucking- damn it, Shouto.” He runs a hand through his hair, and admits, quietly, “Don’t- don’t scare me like that again, chickling.”
“What Keigo said.” Fuyumi nods her head, wringing her hands as she looks at her little brother. “Please. I want to see Touya get help too, Shouto, but you have to be more careful around him- you almost died.”
“And I’m going to kick Touya’s ass.” Natsuo’s frown is heavy. “As soon as we find him again, I’m going to wring his neck.”
“That’s fair, but- I think I did get through to him a little.” Shouto frowns. “I think- I know you told me, about- about Father- but I think I did get through.”
Keigo’s instinctual response is to protest.
But he remembers, again, how Touya had just walked away, and swallows it down. “Why… why do you think that?”
Shouto looks down at the bedspread, and they all wait in silence.
Eventually, the teen speaks again. “Because… I did talk to him, a little bit. I tried to get him to explain himself, tried to explain myself too. And- he did stab me, I know, but also…” Shouto takes a deep breath. “He didn’t kill me, either.”
Fuyumi bites her lip. “Shouto…”
“No, Fuyumi, he could have killed me.” Shouto interrupts her, voice soft but firm. “He stabbed me while I was trying to talk to him, and then he could have easily left me to bleed out and die, but he didn’t.” And here, the teen looks at him. “Did he?”
Keigo purses his lips.
And sighs, as he answers. “No, he didn’t Shouto, you’re right in that he could have, but… that could have just been a momentary lapse of… I don’t know, okay? Your father wasn’t there after all, so maybe he just didn’t… I don’t know.”
Shouto’s eyes skitter to the side. “I know, maybe it’s stupid of me for wanting to still hope, but… I still want to believe that he can be saved. Now more than ever, even.”
His back aches, and he can’t help but remember take him, pretty bird-
Eventually, Natsuo’s the one who breaks the silence, voice soft. “You’re a good kid.” The older brother reaches out to ruffle the younger’s hair, even as Shouto huffs. “Enough of this, for now. We didn’t even get a chance to celebrate that the old bastard’s finally behind bars for good.”
Shouto snorts, even as Fuyumi gently smacks Natsuo’s arm, her voice chiding. “Natsuo!”
“What, it’s true!” Natsuo looks completely unrepentant. “I’d say we should crack open a bottle of champagne, but Shouto is sadly only sixteen, so-”
“Oh, that’s alright.” A gently amused voice comes from behind them, and they all look to see Rei in the doorway, smiling. “Just this once, though.”
Fuyumi gapes. “Mother-!”
“Only after you’ve recovered of course, Shouto.” She casts her gaze over her youngest, face going pensive, before smiling again. “But one glass won’t hurt you.”
Shouto’s lips quirk upward, while Natsuo whoops.
Keigo watches their antics, and he can’t help his grin too.
Natsuo is right. Everything else can wait, just for a little while.
______________________________
It’s two days after Shouto’s gotten home from the hospital when the text comes in.
Keigo’s over at the Todoroki house, playing against Shouto in Mario Kart, again. Fuyumi and Rei have gone out on errands, and Natsuo is up in his room studying, so it’s just the two of them, sitting in the living room and doing their best to tackle Rainbow Road.
Keigo has finally gotten a solid lead, when his phone buzzes, distracting him.
It’s just enough for him to drive too close to the edge, while Shouto catches a bullet and races on, crossing the finish line.
“No!” He gapes at the screen. “That’s not- that’s not fair-!”
Shouto reaches out for the mug of tea sitting on the living room table and takes a sip, giving him an all too smug look.
Keigo scowls. And reaches over for his phone to check the offending message, who dares to distract him from his game-
It’s a text from an unknown number, and all it says is, how is he?
Keigo freezes, feeling all of his feathers bristle.
Fuck. Fuck.
How dare that asshole- it’s been a week since everything- why now- why at all-
“Keigo, what’s wrong?” Shouto has clearly noticed his agitation, putting the tea down and giving him a wary glance. “What happened?”
Keigo briefly considers hiding his phone, trying to play it off.
But sighs, and angles the device so that Shouto can see the screen, too. “I think it’s your brother.”
Mismatched eyes widened, and he can practically see the gears starting to turn in Shouto’s head.
When the kid speaks, it’s clearly hesitant. “Why do you think he…?”
“I don’t know.” He grinds his jaw. “I really, really don’t know.”
If the past week has taught him anything, it’s that he really doesn’t understand Touya’s motivations as well as he’d thought, and he-
He’s scared to try to make any assumptions now.
All the past week has done is thrown everything he’d thought he’d known about and felt for Touya into a giant, garbled, mess.
Shouto is quiet for a few moments, before nodding once. “Tell him that I’m okay.”
He sucks in a breath. “Little chick, are you sure-”
“Do it.” The kid’s voice is firm. “It’s okay, Keigo.”
With a sigh, he does as requested. But adds an extra message of his own, too. Why do you want to know?
They wait in tense silence for the next few minutes, but there’s no response.
Keigo huffs, feeling simultaneously relieved and irritated. “Of course he chooses now to be a cryptic bastard.”
Shouto looks confused. “Didn’t you say he was always a cryptic bastard though?”
Keigo pauses. Reconsiders. “You know what? You’re right.”
They restart the game, and change the topic, discussing the future plans and when Shouto will be able to resume the internship; but, Keigo knows that neither of them have forgotten about it in the slightest.
Later that night, when he’s back in his own apartment and alone, just crawling into bed, he gets another text, from the same unknown number.
…Fuck.
Hesitantly, he reads it. You know pretty bird, my baby brother told me something interesting that day.
Keigo shoves down the feeling in his chest that the nickname gives him, and tries to sound as neutral as possible. Oh?
He said that even after everything I’ve done, he still wants to save me. The next text sounds faintly sardonic, and he can practically hear Touya’s low drawl already. How kind of him. But Shouto is a naïve child. So, I figure I’ll ask you, little bird. Do you think I can still be saved?
Keigo swallows.
What does he think?
He knows what the correct response is. It’s the same response he’d given Shouto when the teenager first approached him; hell, it’s the same response he’d probably have given even just two weeks ago.
But now, he doesn’t know what to think, because he’s got too many conflicting images of Touya running through his head, and he no longer knows what’s right or what’s wrong.
Eventually, a response comes to him. Do you want to be saved?
Touya’s answer is swift. You know what I want, Keigo.
Keigo starts to nod his head, before pausing.
He’s no longer sure of that either- frankly, he’s not even sure if Touya knows what Touya wants. Not after the last week. And definitely not while the villain is texting him now, willingly, in a manner that’s- almost normal.
So his response, when it comes to him, is shockingly easy. What you want is rarely in anyone’s best interests. But just so you know, as long as Shouto continues to see something in you, I’ll help him. I’ll drag you kicking and screaming into getting help if I have to, Touya.
Besides. It’s not just Shouto anymore. After everything, he’s still hesitant, but…he thinks… he thinks that maybe, he can see something in Touya, too. The way the villain had just walked away hasn’t left his mind, and…
Maybe. Just maybe.
A couple minutes pass, and he’s beginning to think that the conversation is over, when his phone buzzes again.
It simply reads, Is that your idea of flirting, pretty bird?
Keigo chokes.
He throws the phone away on a pillow, feeling his face heat as his feathers puff up. What- what does the asshole-
Childishly, he decides to leave it on read. He can worry about it more in the morning, and besides- he’s got other things to worry about. Like tomorrow, Shouto’s heading back to school, and his pseudo little brother-
He pauses.
And thinks, fuck it.
His little brother is probably going to need all the support the kid can get.
Keigo sighs. And glances back at his phone, seeing that one message still winking back up at him.
And slowly, feels his face slip into a smile regardless.
Maybe Touya can still be saved, maybe not, but if the possibility is there, then-
Kicking and screaming, hot stuff. Kicking and screaming.
His scars don’t hurt, not even the slightest bit.