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“Yeah, of course, no problem!” Keigo side-stepped a woman on her phone as he made his way down the street. “I’ve got a late patrol tonight, right? Wanted to take on some time, see the people!” As if on cue, he winked at someone walking down the street, sending off a feather without a second thought to another issue. “When exactly are we supposed to be fitting this meeting in?”
The Commission apparently had another job for him. Sure, he was one of few of the top who hadn’t been part of the whole raid on Kamino, but man was he tired! With as many heroes as had been pulled into that job, into similar (into stuff with the League of Villains, with All for One), Hawks had been required to pick up more patrols.
And don’t get him wrong! He loved a good dose of fan service, but daily patrols on top of everything else the Commission was having him do?
“Tomorrow morning, unless that won’t work?” It wasn’t really a question. Keigo would make it work, he’d always made it work. What the Commission had planned for him was always what came first, without question.
It was all he could do some days to get a coffee that didn’t come out of a vending machine, let alone one that actually had some kind of taste or value beyond the all-too-necessary caffeination. He glanced at the time on his phone one more time, tiredly rubbing his eyes.
Yeah, this’d be another one of those days.
“No problem! See y’all then!” Keigo hung up, setting the phone into his pocket and groaning. Tomorrow morning, after a night’s patrol that was bound to take longer than it was scheduled for…
He wasn’t getting a lick of sleep tonight.
Maybe he’d sneak his way into patrol a little early, actually get a drink that would fuel him for most of the day before he dragged himself back to the Commission’s headquarters. In a nice coffee shop…
Finding one open at 3 in the morning might not be the easiest task, but, damn, that sounded like the only proper end to a day like this. A little treat, before getting thrown into an endless litany of more tasks that he had to get done. At least a late patrol meant that there would be fewer fans around! Easier to focus on his job, less to think about.
It didn’t mean patrol would be easy, of course. No, it was like villains knew that the new Number Two was out and roaming! Various attacks from tiny criminals who just wanted to do something annoying enough to need to be taken down. Couldn’t someone at least do something exciting like… rob a bank? Commit a crime worth his time?
No matter the crimes, it took his entire patrol, not managing to sneak out even a minute early. Keigo looked down at the time.
4:02.
Well! He didn’t need to be to the Commission until 5:30. Going home was going to take too much time that he didn’t have, so finding that coffee shop it was! He rubbed a tired hand over his eyes, looking through the streets for something that looked like it might be open.
He almost walked right past it.
A hole-in-the-wall kind of place, something that hopefully blended into its surroundings enough that it would be nearly empty and Keigo could just… take a cup of coffee and sit at a table for an hour without having to deal with fans, or villains, or anything of that sort.
He opened the door, careful to keep his wings from hitting anything in the shop, walking straight up to the counter. He tiredly squinted at the employee’s nametag, resting his elbows against the counter. What kind of a name was that? Whatever. It was far too early (late?) to be judging poor employees on their name.
“How can I help y…” The words died on the employee’s tongue as his green eyes widened in shock. “Hawks!?”
Of course he was recognized. Why had he figured he might not be recognized? Keigo rubbed a hand over his face before facing the poor employee with a bright smile. “Hey, Dilliver!”
“Oh my god,” Dilliver whispered. Keigo could practically see literal stars shining in his eyes. “How can I help you?”
“A black coffee. Please.” He’d love to have something with more flavor, but at this point, a sugar rush was just going to result in a crash that meant that he accidentally skipped his meeting, and he did not want to deal with that this morning.
“Yeah, absolutely, totally! I can get that for you, on the house.” Dilliver rushed to the coffee machine, making Keigo’s coffee and handing it to him.
Keigo took it, taking a long sip the second the mug was in his hands. He breathed out, closing his eyes. Yeah… fuck, okay, a place like this? This was what he’d been looking for.
“Thanks, Dill.” He shoved a tip worth the price and then some into the tip jar, watching the poor employee’s eyes widen again, mouthing the word ‘Dill’.
He walked over to sit at a table, sipping his coffee a little more patiently. He propped his chin against his hand, idly scrolling through social media, not that anyone in their right mind would have posted since he last checked, since it was four in the fucking morning.
The bell dinged, indicating another customer entering, and Keigo didn’t even bother looking up at first. He typed out the rest of his message to a fan who’d drawn some cute art they’d tagged him in, lifting his head from the table just in time to see the other customer slide his mask off, bringing his cup to his lips.
Were you fucking kidding him?
Keigo tried to hide his stare, holding the mug carefully, turning his body further into the shadows he’d already concealed himself in. He’d been sitting there so fans didn’t notice him, not –
The other customer turned, eyes scanning the store before he took a seat at the table, removing his mask to now put the full array of scars on display. Sitting on the other side of this tiny shop was Dabi, from the League of Villains. Keigo breathed in sharply, setting his mug down.
It would be so easy right now to surprise him. He wouldn’t even need to go over, his feathers would move faster than the villain could process. It would be an unbelievable feat to capture Dabi right now.
But he was so fucking tired. If he made a mistake, this whole shop and him were in flames, and Keigo wasn’t sure he could guarantee a 100% success. Maybe it was a coincidence, but maybe he’d run into the villain here again. It wasn’t –
It went against everything he’d ever done, it went against every ideal that had been drilled into his head since he was a child, but he just didn’t want to capture Dabi right now.
He finished his coffee, picking the cup up and bringing it to the front counter, ordering another to go. He could feel the moment the villain’s eyes snapped to his back. He took the new cup, turning. Dabi was still there, his hands off the table. Probably ready to start a fight.
Keigo walked past him, out of the coffee shop.
Nobody had to know.
That barista wouldn’t have served Dabi if they knew he was a wanted criminal… right?
Keigo drank his second coffee as he went to the Hero Public Safety Commission’s headquarters, landing at the doorstep without a moment to spare. He stepped into the building, walking straight to the conference room and crossing his arms behind his back.
“You had a job for me?”
The job, it turned out, was to… spy on the League of Villains. To think they had a hero on the inside, to make sure that the heroes had someone on the inside. It was risky as fuck, but if it meant that the civilians could rest more easily…
How was he supposed to say no?
And their suggestion for who he talked to?
Dabi.
They had no leads, nothing of note at least. The patchwork man had been spotted throughout town, various sightings leading to the Commission assuming he would be easiest to track. He was to lessen his patrols, lessen his presence in the city in general. He wouldn’t stop being a hero, but this was to be his priority. No more long nights doing every little task that came his way. He was to find the League of Villains and to dedicate his entire self to their cause. Keigo was given a folder of recent sightings and sent on his way.
The most recent, though they didn’t know, had been Keigo himself.
… did he go there often?
Sure, the lessened patrol load meant that Keigo could probably fit in some more sleep, but unless he found the League, he wouldn’t be able to start on this new task. If he had a lead, he might as well follow it.
Which is how he found himself at the coffee shop the next night.
And the night after that.
And the night after that, every night for a week. He followed other leads while he waited but… well, it was kind of nice to have a good cup of coffee and a shop mostly for himself. Nothing else was bringing up any results, anyway.
Until that night Dabi walked into the shop.
Keigo stayed in his corner booth for a long moment, making sure Dabi was fully settled before stepping out.
“Planning on arresting me this time, birdie?” Dabi drawled, his hands beneath the table as Keigo approached.
Keigo glanced to the counter sitting at the table across from Dabi. The barista (the only visible employee) had vanished into the back. This was his chance.
“Actually, I had a better offer for you. You got some free time after this drink? Next one’s on me!” Keigo grinned, though Dabi hardly seemed impressed with the smile that charmed uncountable hoards of fans.
“What the fuck do you want.”
Keigo glanced to the counter and then back at Dabi. “I can’t talk about it here. But it’s in your best interest to listen.”
Dabi laughed, rolling his eyes. “That’s just like a hero! Just like a fucking hero, to assume they know what my ‘best interest’ is! What? Gonna catch me a deal? Delayed death sentence in exchange for some information? If I follow you, I’m guaranteed jail time instead of instant death?” Dabi stood, his chair remaining away from the table. “I’m. Not. Interested.”
“Hear me out!” Keigo jumped to his feet, pushing both of their chairs in with feathers, blurting without the opportunity to check and make sure no one else was there, “I don’t want to be a hero.”
Dabi paused, looking at him curiously. “How am I supposed to believe that out of Number Two?”
“Tell me how to prove it. I’ll do it, whatever you need.”
It was a steep offer. Dabi could ask for anything, and Keigo could only promise so much. But the Commission had told him to do whatever he had to… to make things better, he would.
“Let me cash that favor in later. Give me your phone number, you don’t get mine.” Dabi reached out his phone. “I’ll think about it.”
Well. It was better than he expected, really. Keigo put his number into Dabi’s phone and handed it back.
“I’ll be in contact, if I think you’re not pulling my leg.” Dabi kicked his chair into the table and left the shop.
Keigo breathed out.
Well, that was step one.
Step two was a waiting game. Keigo told the Commission he’d managed to make contact with the villain, told them basically their entire encounter. It wasn’t ideal circumstances that Keigo had to wait until Dabi decided he was ready to reach out, but it was better than nothing. He’d made contact.
And then Keigo got a call, from an unknown number. A call requesting he meet him at the coffee shop.
“Took you a while! Had to play hard to get, huh?” Keigo grinned as he walked in, already pulling his wallet from his pocket. “It’s on me, order whatever!”
“You’re hardly playing subtle with this.”
Keigo had gone to the coffee shop earlier in this week, explained some of the situation to the poor manager who’d listened to him. The last thing he needed was an underpaid employee ratting him out on a top-secret hero mission that could get all of them killed.
“I told you! I gotta keep up the hero look to the public if you want good intel, but what’s this single employee gonna do? Tattle on Number Two?” Keigo grinned wide, performative, showing off his teeth. Dill, who seemed to work most nights, shook his head, eyes wide. “I may not be a villain, but I can still silence someone if I want to.”
Dabi raised his eyebrows, apparently impressed. Keigo breathed out, quickly ordering his coffee and stepping aside to let Dabi order his. He carried his to his normal table in the corner, kicking his feet on the opposite booth, not budging when Dabi shoved at them.
“So, you’ve thought on it, then?”
“I’m considering. We’ll meet a few times before I give you anything, and you better give me real shit when you come. I want information from you, or this isn’t worth shit. You’re not getting near the rest of them. I don’t trust you. Why the hell are you quitting at being a hero anyway? Isn’t it your life’s dream or some shit? Thought all heroes just wanted that. And didn’t care what it took.”
Why the Commission had thought that Dabi had been Keigo’s best lead was beyond him, but they were already there! He nodded, leaning forward.
“I’ll do whatever it takes. The heroic ideals are great and all, but shouldn’t there be something more? Look at our top! Can’t say any of us are the best guys, but we’re revered as idols! C’mon, you gotta want to see that change from the inside.”
Dabi stared at him for a long moment, raising his eyebrows. “Bullshit. I’ve seen your fucking interviews. You’re a fan of Endeavor.”
“Everyone’s a hero fan when they’re young. After that display at Kamino? And that we had to do that at all? Gotta be some budge! Who’s better to do it than the best and brightest?” Another winning grin.
Dabi didn’t budge. He stirred his coffee with a stirrer stick, an idle movement considering the fact that he’d mixed nothing in. After a moment, he stood up again.
“I’ll call you next time we meet. This shit is on my schedule. Make it work.”
And he left without a trace, as quickly as they’d come there.
That continued, the frequency increasing. Keigo practiced between their meetings, had answers prepared for anything Dabi might throw at him. He just needed this to work.
They were meeting daily when Dabi suggested they continue their meeting outside of the coffee shop. They finished their coffee and Dabi led him into an alley, leaning against the wall.
“I’ve got a test for you. Prove you’re not full of shit.” Dabi looked him over.
“Lay it on me.”
“We’ve got a new Noumu we want to test out. High-end kinda shit, totally different from what we’ve done so far. I’ll give you a date and a time, bring another hero, I want to do some damage. Let them get hurt. Prove that the heroes aren’t as powerful as everyone thinks.”
Keigo swallowed. The sacrifice of a hero… the Noumus were incredibly powerful, so much so that only some of the top had managed to handle them. And this Noumu was supposed to be better? It was supposed to be more powerful than all of the ones that they had seen so far?
Who the hell was Keigo supposed to bring to minimize the damage but also make sure Dabi got to make this point.
“How much damage you talking?” Play it cool. Giving himself away now… it wouldn’t be good, not when they were hidden away. He could hold his own, could easily take Dabi down. But he had to be careful. He wanted to protect people, and… that included himself.
“Surprise me. But it better not just blow over.” Dabi rolled his eyes.
“I’ll do my best, then!” Keigo said, offering a fake salute to the villain even as unease bubbled in his stomach.
Dabi grabbed onto Keigo’s shirt, pulling him close. Keigo’s breathing stopped.
“Bring one of your best. I want to show off. If this doesn’t go as planned, you’re never going to find me again. Wouldn’t want that, would you?”
And Dabi pulled him closer, meeting their lips, the faint taste of coffee left behind in his wake. Keigo stared at the now empty space in front of him, Dabi vanishing before even Keigo’s advanced senses could realize he was gone. He touched his fingertips to his lips, breathing out.
Oh, he was in way over his head.