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Act One.
"Your performance was remarkable today, Hawks. You're showing a noticeable improvement."
The afternoon light shone into the room through the wide windows. Keigo's handler's glasses caught the light, but Keigo didn't break eye contact even when the man shifted his gaze and skimmed through his notes. Keigo's wings twitched in anticipation before he forced them to still, his posture perfectly upright.
"When is your next training session?"
"In the evening, sir," Keigo replied immediately, tone even.
Humming, the man nodded and waved his hand in the air. "Then you're dismissed," and before Keigo could get any chance to bow and thank him, he turned and walked off to the other side of the room, not sparing him a glance as he went through his stuff in his bag.
Keigo didn't hesitate anymore to leave the room.
He walked through the hallways as fast as he could without making it look like he was running, greeting the Commission employees he knew on his way. With his wings tucked close to his back, he walked down the stairs to the second floor with a skip.
Once there, he quickly made his way towards the infirmary section and as he had hoped, Touya was already there, sitting on a bench lined up against the hallway's wall on his knees, looking out the window. The light caressed his white hair. Bandages peeked out of his sleeves.
"Hey!" Keigo called out to him, closing the short distance between them with a flap of his wings and dropping himself on the bench next to Touya, grinning.
"You are late this time," Touya said in lieu of greeting, shifting slightly, not bothering to even glance at him as his eyes kept roaming the streets.
Keigo huffed, stretching his wings. "My training schedule has changed; I'm busier than usual these days, but I have free time for myself before my next training session."
Touya hummed in acknowledgement, glancing at Keigo's wing as a few of its primary feathers gently brushed against his right cheek, silent.
Keigo met Touya in the infirmary a few months ago. Despite the short time they spent with each other every time, a friendship was soon formed between the two of them. Apparently, Touya needed to come to the Commission headquarters to see one of the doctors, who had a healing Quirk, every couple of weeks. Touya never elaborated on his visits' reason and Keigo never asked any questions. The bandages wrapped around his neck and arms were telling enough.
Keigo could sense that something was wrong, but despite the fact that they were sort of friends, Touya was always secretive. He had never mentioned anything about his personal life, besides the fact that he had three younger siblings, which somewhat sounded fair to Keigo, considering that he had introduced himself to Touya with his hero name and was careful not to slip out anything about his family and background. It didn't even have anything to do with the Commission telling him to keep everything related to his parents and old life a secret; he didn't know whether or not Touya would distance himself from him once he learned that Keigo's father was a villain and Keigo wasn't willing to find out.
Getting to meet Touya every once in a while was a blessing. One that he couldn't afford to lose.
"Something happened to my Quirk some days ago."
Touya's voice brought Keigo out of his thoughts and it took him a couple of moments to register what he had just said. "Oh?" Shifting to look better at Touya, he asked. "What do you mean exactly?"
Touya shrugged, still not looking at him. "That's still a secret. I want to show it to my father first. I'm sure it will impress him enough to train me again."
"That's--That's good!" Keigo said, noting that Touya's eyes had brightened. He didn't even know Touya had been training before.
Is he aiming to be a hero too?
That would explain Touya's bandages and his occasional visits, Keigo thought to himself.
Finally, Touya turned his head to look at Keigo, caught his gaze and gave him a small smile in return. Keigo pretended his heart didn't miss a beat. "Then maybe you can come here for training too?" He blurted. "We would be seeing each other more!"
Touya tilted his head to the side as he mulled over Keigo's words, his gaze slipping away from Keigo's to a far off corner, frowning slightly. "I'm… not sure about that," he replied, his expression changing into one of playfulness almost instantly as he looked back at Keigo. "Why? You miss me when I'm gone?"
Keigo snorted and rolled his eyes. "Don't think too highly of yourself. It was just a suggestion." He faked a casual shrug.
"Huh, I'm sure it was," Touya was smirking at him now, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
Keigo huffed in exasperation and looked away. He had just managed to calm his heart down when he felt fingers brushing softly against his wing and Touya leaning closer to him.
"You know, when I'm home, I miss you too," he whispered in Keigo's ear, his breath and fingers warm. His fingers skimmed up along Keigo's feathers. "Sweetheart."
That single word was enough to make Keigo shiver and inhale loudly through his nose, heat creeping up to his face as his wings fluffed and he scooted away from Touya quickly. "Stop that," he whispered, nervously looking around. "Someone might walk in on us."
"So what?" Touya asked, looking unconcerned that Keigo's feathers were now out of his reach as he dropped his hand on his lap. "We are just talking. It's not a crime."
Moments like that were unusual to Keigo, but not unwelcome, if he were to be honest to himself. Touya would often lean very close to him and whisper in his ear. Sometimes pet names to make him flustered and other times nothing interesting. He would brush his fingers through Keigo's wings most of the time and even though Keigo had to preen his feathers later to tidy them again, he never told him to stop; he liked having Touya's warm fingers play with his feathers. It would make something warm bloom in his chest every time.
A few moments passed between them in silence before Touya went back to looking out the window, checking the streets to see if whoever was supposed to come pick him up had arrived yet, while Keigo was lost in his own thoughts, replaying that moment over and over in his mind, heart fluttering in his chest.
"That car came for me," Touya said after a while, breaking the silence between them as he tapped the window with his finger and proceeded to slide off the bench.
"Already?"
Touya gave him an amused look, raising a brow. "We spent enough time together this time."
It never feels enough to me , Keigo thought, standing up and following Touya to the staircase.
"But I'll think about it," Touya said. "About me coming here to train. I'll talk about it to my father."
"Really?" Keigo's expression brightened up, wings fluffing. "It could be really tough here, but I'm sure you can handle it. We can help each other!"
Touya chuckled and shook his head. "Don't get too excited now. Nothing is decided yet."
Keigo bumped his shoulder against Touya's. "Then do your best to impress your father. Convincing him will be easier that way."
A dark look flickered across Touya's features at Keigo's words, but before Keigo could say anything, they both came to a stop at the stairs and Touya's expression was back to normal again. "I'll do my best. There is no way he can turn a blind eye to my efforts this time."
"Yeah," Keigo nodded, not understanding the full implications behind those words, but knowing enough that at that moment all Touya needed was support and encouragement from him and Keigo was always more than happy to give Touya all that he could offer.
Touya gave him a smile and a wave before walking down the stairs. "I'll see you later, Hawks."
"Take care," Keigo called out to him, watching as Touya reached the bottom of the stairs and disappeared down the hallway without looking back at him.
Two weeks later, Keigo overheard the Commission's doctor mentioning Touya's death offhandedly to another medic when he was in the infirmary.
Act Two.
"You look jumpy tonight, hero."
"Fuck you," Hawks growled, tucking his wings, which were considerably smaller in size due to a mission gone wrong earlier that day, closer to his back as another drunk person bumped into him and slurred an apology before shuffling away.
Of course Dabi had to go and choose a damn shady club of all the damn places to meet in, Hawks thought bitterly.
Dabi liked to be unpredictable and annoying; He had made it clear many times by now. Every time Hawks thought he had been able to figure out his pattern, to predict his next move, Dabi would just easily prove him wrong.
And Hawks hated it . He knew Dabi was basically toying with him, like a cat playing with its food before eating it, but Hawks had no choice but to go along with it. He hated this little affair of theirs. This little push and pull game.
It was all an amusing game to Dabi, something to pass the time with, but to Hawks it was his biggest gamble, one that he couldn't afford to lose for the sake of many others.
He knew what he was getting into when he decided to carry the burden the Commission put on his shoulders, but he was still a human. His patience was running thin.
"Look, can we get out of here?" Hawks asked over the booming music. At that moment, he hated himself for giving in so easily, but the loud noises were beginning to give him a headache and blocking his senses, suffocating him. There were many people and little space in the club. He wouldn't be able to fight efficiently if things went wrong.
He knew Dabi couldn't stand the atmosphere either. The villain must have chosen this exact place to rile up Hawks, to push his buttons, and the hero spared a moment to bitterly wonder how far Dabi was willing to go to have the upper hand between the two of them.
He pulled his hood closer, shielding his face more just to be cautious. He didn't really want to get caught red-handed with a villain. He knew Dabi wouldn't care, he didn't have a good social status to begin with and, therefore, had nothing to lose, but Hawks had a mission to end successfully.
Dabi eyed him from the corner of his eye, silent.
Hawks hated it when Dabi taunted him. He hated it more when Dabi was silent. His silence, the way he would briefly look at him, his eyes locked with his and all those intrusive thoughts that Hawks never allowed to take shape regarding Dabi--- It was easier for him to hate Dabi when he was making snide remarks at him than let his mind replay old memories long ago buried deep in his chest and come up with a conclusion. He didn't want to connect the dots about Dabi anymore.
Suddenly, a hand was wrapped around his wrist, and soon he was being dragged through the crowd and towards the exit. Dabi's hand was warm against his skin.
"Hey!" Hawks stumbled, cursing and catching up with Dabi. "What are you doing?" He tugged his hand free, glaring at Dabi, but he wasn't looking at Hawks.
"Leaving. We're done here."
"Done?" Hawks raised a brow, trying to avoid colliding with a young woman and unconsciously stepped closer to Dabi's side. "We didn't even do anything. We just loitered around. Like a pair of losers," he muttered the last part under his breath.
"I was supposed to relay a message," Dabi replied as he linked his arm with Hawks'. Hawks felt his skin burn through his clothes, but he didn't pull his arm back.
"I didn't see you do that," Hawks frowned. When did Dabi do that? And how? Why didn't he notice anything?
"You should keep your eyes on me all the time then."
That face already haunts me enough. I can't bring myself to look at you thoroughly.
He didn't have to look at Dabi to see he was smirking behind his mask, seemingly satisfied with himself. Hawks scowled.
They stepped out of the club and began to stroll through the dark allies. Hawks didn't know where they were going. Dabi had lowered his mask and let go of his arm at some point, but Hawks still followed him, walking by his side. Sighing, he flared out his wings mindlessly, only noticing when a few of his feathers brushed lightly against Dabi's shoulder. He tensed for a moment, coming to a halt when Dabi did the same and raised his hand slowly.
Don't. Please don't.
His fingers were warm against his feathers like before, but more calloused. His touch was gentle, yet Hawks couldn't relax into it. A long time had passed between the two of them; They weren't the same kids anymore.
That is, if Dabi was who Hawks thought to be. He didn't want to find out.
He pulled his wing back and turned to face Dabi. "What are you doing?" He hissed angrily at him, fists clenching by his sides.
Dabi let his hand hover in the air for a brief second before dropping it. He eyed Hawks' face. There was a glint in his eyes, but it didn't help Hawks read his expression. "You didn't have a problem with it before."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Please, just drop it. Don't say anything anymore.
"Oh?" Dabi raised a brow and took a step closer. Hawks stepped back instinctively and his back met the alley's wall gingerly.
Dabi raised his hand again and this time Hawks sharpened his feathers, holding Dabi's gaze challengingly.
Again, Hawks failed at judging Dabi. To his mild surprise, Dabi touched the side of his face, his thumb lightly stroking his cheek before he tucked a lock of golden hair behind his ear. His touch was a mockery of tenderness; It left a burning trace in its wake on Hawks' face.
"I can't stand you," Hawks whispered, many different emotions swirling in his chest, choking him.
"I know," Dabi hadn't pulled his hand back yet, eyes locked with his. "Sweetheart."
And… there it was. The realization that Hawks knew would eventually come. He couldn't keep his eyes closed forever, couldn't run away from the truth anymore.
The thing was, deep down, Hawks had always known it. He was no fool. He just refused to face it. If he kept himself in the dark, if he gave himself no intention of reading too deeply between the lines, if he looked away from all the words that hung unsaid between him and Dabi, then later he could claim he didn't suspect anything. It would have made it easier for him to handle his mission without any unnecessary emotions and memories.
But he should have known that nothing would be easy if Dabi was involved. That he most definitely would go out of his way to make things even more complicated between them.
With his fears and doubts finally confirmed true, there was no point in pretending anymore. At that moment, it hit Hawks that until now their game was just a child's play. If he thought he was safely walking across the edge of a cliff before, he was certainly now about to lose his balance and fall.
"Speechless now?" Dabi taunted, all teeth and staples pulling at his skin. "I remember how you used to blush when I called you that."
"You're hardly a charmer now." Hawks retorted dryly, expression devoid of any emotions. "Got any more surprises for me?"
Dabi hummed. "Maybe one or two. Or three or more," he shrugged. "When the right time comes, you will know."
So he knew about the mission.
Hawks regarded him, looking at the burnt skin and the staples and the black hair. Something tugged at his heart, but he ignored it. "Why didn't you do anything sooner? You could have killed me a long time ago."
"Now where would be the fun in that?" Dabi's grin widened more. "You always wanted to spend more time with me. Thought I would give it to you now."
"How kind of you," Hawks muttered as Dabi took a step closer to him. Their bodies pressed against each other.
Dabi slipped his hand under Hawks' chin, tilting his head up.
Fine, if that's what you want this to turn into... I will let you do what you want.
Hawks let his hands slide up Dabi's arms.
If all it takes to take you down is corrupting myself, I'm willing to do it.
One of his hands rested on Dabi's shoulder while the other ended up on the back of Dabi's neck, pulling his face down closer.
"Don't look so defeated." Dabi mocked, his breath warm against Hawks' skin. "We're going to have so much fun catching up on what we have missed."
"Shut up."
Dabi smirked and before catching Hawks' lips with his own, whispered. "I missed you too, sweetheart."