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“You’re doing what?! After everything I’ve done? Are you serious?” screeches Hawks as he stares at the president of HPSC.
“We’re being gracious by even allowing you to have that license after how you’ve treated us. We’re the ones who took you in, we trained you to be the hero that you are.” replies Madame President, Kira Maniero kindly as she pushes a file across her desk towards the standing hero. “Yet you’ve gone against us in everything that we’ve asked you to help us do. Because of this, there is a contract to sign with rules if you want to keep that license of yours.”
Hawks looks at the president with a dropped jaw, then he grits his teeth, laying a hand on the file, and he asks, “What are these rules?”
“It’s very simple actually. If you dare to smear our name, to spread hate about this situation, we will revoke your license. The rules that you must follow all amount to one thing, keep your mouth shut unless we give you a statement to put out.” explains Madame Kira with a sweet smile, calm and easygoing.
“What exactly am I losing then?” asks Hawks lowly, mind running as anxiety pools in his stomach.
“Your agency, your HPSC contract, so you can’t be Hawks for a year. When Hawks returns, he’ll start from the ground up with no help from us. Do you understand now?” asks Madame Kira lowly in her own right, cold yet sweet like a sugar rush just before the crash.
Hawks is speechless, the rug has been snatched from under him, and his whole life has become nothing in the manner of twenty minutes.
“You disobeyed at every turn, you have been a hindrance to our plans, and you are lucky to have been shown this mercy. Do your final patrol as usual and breathe a word to no one. We’ll be in contact, Keigo.”
Keigo.
Never has any HPSC president said his name, his true name. Not in all this time.
And maybe that’s why Keigo is silent when he signs the contract, a single nod is his only response. Hawks is his, but after today, Hawks’ reputation is at the mercy of the Hero Public Safety Commission for an entire year. Keigo will live as Hawks dies in the President’s tale.
‘This is a wonderful start for my favorite patrol day.’ thinks Hawks, Keigo, bitterly as he makes his way to the ground floor. ‘Time to smile, the world is watching.’
As he patrols, smiling, taking photos, signing autographs, Keigo knows he earned this punishment. Of course, he did.
Keigo pushed for the rehabilitation of the League and other villains who were being offered the chance at rehabilitating through the center before being re-introduced to everyone. He protected Class 1-A from the commission and their neglectful claws, and he’d actively avoided working with heroes that had been called out by Class 1-A on many things including discrimination against quirkless individuals or mutation quirk individuals.
He’d forced their hand alongside Shota, Hizashi, and Nezu. But he’s the one who’s been dealt the consequences because they trained him, everything he has, it all came from them and their ‘rewards’.
“Be careful, and make sure to tell Chargebolt and Cellophane thanks when they’re done with medical.” says Hawks softly to the two little ones who he’d been given upon the rescue situation that’d just been dealt with.
“We will!” “Thank you, Hawks!”
“Stay here with Tsukuyomi and Earphone Jack while you wait, little ones. You’ve done great today.” replies Hawks as he lightly ruffles their hair before standing and smiling tightly at the younger pros. “They’re slippery little ones, so don’t let them pass the tape until those two are ready for them.”
“Of course, Hawks.” says Earphone Jack as she crouches next to the kids.
Hawks nods at them, then he turns and walks to where officer Naomasa Tsukauchi is waiting for him.
“Hawks! Wait! I- Do you have a moment?” calls Tsukuyomi, Fumikage, his old mentee.
“Hey, kid, I need to give my statement. Got paperwork to finish, but I can wait if you’ll make it quick.” replies Hawks lightly as he turns to him, calm but alert at the sharp eyes trained on him.
“Is everything okay, Hawks? You seem tense, on edge, if you will.” says Tsukuyomi with a voice that is filled with concern, eyes watching for something.
“Just a lot on my mind, kid, but I need to go handle this. I’ll check in with you before I head home from the agency.” replies Hawks, easily letting some of his guard down for him, but his lips are still sealed shut. “Hey Tsukauchi, are you ready for me?”
“Ready when you are, Hawks.” calls Tsukauchi with a laugh as he waves him over with the notepad.
Hawks pats Tsukuyomi on the shoulder, smiles, then he goes and gives his statement. He grins at the sight of cheers and giggles from the kids as Chargebolt and Cellophane reach them.
Those moments are some of the best parts of being a hero, and he’s lost his chance to keep having them.
That hole where his love of being a hero is growing at these continued realizations that he’s going to miss every single thing that has helped him define being a hero since the war. This was his last time to feel like a hero, like an inspiration, like a person instead of a pawn.
He speeds through getting to his agency and finishing the last reports he’d fill out for his agency. He’s done with maybe an hour left of patrol time, so he slips his comm in and checks in on Tsukuyomi before he’s out.
His flight home has him feeling like he’s being shredded from the inside out, and he knows why he can’t give in to this urge. When it’s all being torn from his claws, he wants to talk to who he’s grown to trust most.
He could reach out to Dabi, even Toga, but he could also call Shota, Mic, or even Jeanist.
But the truth is, he can’t call anyone. He can’t reach out to anyone because his hands have been tied behind his back tight enough to leave indents in his skin.
Everything is dull, even the beautiful shine of the descending sun can’t bring the colors back as he lands on his balcony. Keigo sheds Hawks’ persona as he unlocks the balcony doors, making a silent entrance into his empty apartment only to freeze as the smell of fried chicken reaches him. Humming wafts through the air as he shuts the doors silently behind him. It’s coming from the kitchen, all of it.
Keigo gave his key to one person.
Dabi, or Touya Todoroki as the world now knows him as.
He has a key because Keigo had been in charge of him during the first few weeks out of rehabilitation. He was one of the pros who chose to be a safe place for them as they integrated back into the world.
Keigo sneaks through his living room to the hall, and when he makes it to the kitchenette space, he sees Dabi plating the food. The chicken is the mouthwateringly beautiful centerpiece on a bed of rice and veggies. And Dabi’s bobbing his head to whatever beat is playing in the red earphones in his ears.
Keigo sends a feather out to tap him on his shoulder, chuckling when Dabi jumps in the air, barely keeping the food from hitting the floor. He smirks at the glare Dabi sends his way when he notices him.
Dabi yanks an earbud out to huff, “Listen, birdie, next time imma let your chicken hit the ground.”
“Go ahead, my floors are spotless thank you. Besides, I’m not all that hungry anyways.” replies Keigo with a shrug as he heads for his bedroom.
He needs a change of clothes and a shower. So, he starts by digging through his closet, grumbling to himself as the door opens. Keigo knows it’s Dabi, and he knows Dabi knows something is wrong. But he still ignores him while he finds his real tattered, comfy clothes.
“You should tell me why you look lost, dead on your feet, and why you came home early. You always go to the agency before you come here, yet you’re in hero clothes, and injured? What’s going on?” asks Dabi from the doorway, sounding worried as he points out the obvious.
Keigo knows the truth though.
Dabi’s pretending to care.
Keigo knows he doesn’t actually care about his coming and going, only that he has a safe place to go when things get overwhelming, or he needs out of civilian spaces just to catch his breath.
“I’m fine, and I can’t tell you my problem. You have to find out like everybody else when they find out. Go back to doing what you were doing, Dabi. I’m taking a shower and going to sleep.” replies Keigo tiredly, dull and void of anything but exhaustion as he looks at Dabi, clothes hanging from his hands. “And, by the way, I didn’t come home early. I was on time, thanks. I had scratches, but I’ve dealt with them. I stopped at the agency and did paperwork, then I came home.”
“You- hold it! You’re supposed to call me Touya, birdie, we talked about that. And why didn’t you change at the agency if you were there?” questions Dabi, Touya, as he steps further into the room.
“That’s not important, Touya. I was ready to be home. It’s not like I haven’t done it before.” replies Keigo as he balls his clothes into his fists, trying not to break in front of the man.
He moves around Touya to leave his room, hoping to avoid whatever it is Touya’s trying to start. He heads straight for the bathroom, but his luck continues to run out as he is once again stopped in his tracks.
Touya squirms his way between Keigo and the closed bathroom door.
“Touya, I do not have the energy to deal with this. Let me take my damn shower.” groans Keigo as he pinches the bridge of his nose, wings fluttering with his irritation.
“Not a chance. You are going to tell me what the hell is wrong.” says Touya seriously, blue eyes narrowing at him sharply.
“Listen, firefly, I appreciate that you’re so good at pretending to care, but I really don’t need that right now. I just need to be alone and deal with this myself, okay? You can stay, do whatever, but please just leave me alone.” replies Keigo before he can think it through, his annoyance catching his tongue and lashing out.
“Fuck you!” spits Touya, stabbing his finger into Keigo’s chest. “Fuck you and your idiotic words! Pretending? You think I would fucking pretend to give a shit about you? Are you kidding me?! You’re not just a safe place for me, Keigo. What the hell? I thought we talked about this! I genuinely care about you, I trust you. I trust you with my fucking life, and you think I would pretend to give a shit? Pretty bird, I care about you more than I probably should. So, I need you to tell me who made you look like this on your favorite patrol day. And I need you to tell me this now.”
Touya is breathless, chest heaving, and Keigo looks up from the finger stabbing into his chest to meet the emotion-filled blue eyes. He can see the hurt, anger, and worry in those eyes.
“Nope. Nuh-uh. Brain is on error mode after this whole thing. I need to sleep because this whole, this- hallucination, had to be. I’m not doing this.” mutters Keigo as he steps backwards, turns, and heads straight back to his room.
Instead of changing like he wanted to, Keigo just flops onto his bed.
“This fucking-” says Touya in shock as he stares at the place Keigo was just standing.
He steels himself and marches down the hall to find Keigo burying his face in his pillow, body shaking, and he knows that he was right on the money.
“Keigo Takami, if you don’t tell me what the hell is wrong, right now, I’m calling for back-up. I will call Yamada to this apartment, and I’ll tell him to make sure ‘Zawa and the problem class all show up when they’re off patrol!” threatens Touya so seriously that Keigo jerks up, not even bothering to hide his tears as those gold eyes glare at him.
“I’m no longer a pro, no longer have my agency, and for a year, I’m not Hawks. Happy now, asshat?” snaps Keigo as he tries to stop the tears, wanting to feel angry instead; just once.
“Fucking what?!” screeches Touya louder than Keigo has ever heard him sound before. “I’m calling ‘em all!”
“Don’t. I’m not even supposed to tell anyone, or the commission will strip me of my license entirely.” calls Keigo as Touya paces in the hall, arms lit with blue flames. “Besides, they have bigger things to worry about than me and my ‘suspension’. It’s really not that important, Touya. Just- let me sleep, okay?”
“Oh, imma call ‘em! They’ll come over tomorrow, not tonight, but I am so getting this fixed.” replies Touya as he comes into the room, walking until he’s standing in front of where Keigo is sitting in the middle of his bed with his legs crisscrossed. “For now, what do you need, pretty bird?”
“Sleep. I honestly just need sleep. I’m exhausted, Touya.” whispers Keigo, his voice cracking like glass.
“Well, alright then. Let’s get some sleep.” replies Touya with a soft smile as he climbs into Keigo’s bed with zero hesitation.
Keigo sputters as Touya maneuvers him under the covers, laying him back while checking that his wings are comfortable as he pulls him into a hug and lays there with him.
“Touya, didn’t you just get food?” mumbles Keigo as he lets his only question slip off his tongue.
“Yeah, but you’re not up to eating. Plus, it seemed like you could use a hug, but you’re tired. So, imma hug you to sleep, and maybe I’ll finally get some sleep of my own. I was worried about you, so I put the food in the fridge.” replies Touya with a soft shrug that Keigo barely notices.
“Okay… But you don’t-” says Keigo though he really doesn’t know what he wants to say.
“Let me stop you there. I just screamed about how much I care about you, pretty bird. I think about you constantly, even told my therapist all about you. According to her, I have major feelings for you, which I told her I already knew about that. Told her to catch up.” explains Touya as he turns to look Keigo directly in the eyes, his sincerity and honesty pouring off him in waves that even Keigo can’t mistake. “I’m not doing this because I’m pretending or feel like I have to. I’m doing this because I want to because I know I can comfort you like this.”
“Well, damn, firefly. Ya got me. Although, you should really be nicer to your therapist. I have major feelings for you too, and we can talk more about this when I’m not feeling like hell because of my hero status being yanked for a year. Thank you for this… I- I really needed it.” whispers Keigo as he lets himself look Touya in the eye for his own confession before burying his face in Touya’s chest to hide the blush they both know is there.
He’s feeling grateful and light, even with the heavy weight of today still with him.
“You don’t have to be alone, Keigo, and eventually, I’m going to get that through your head the way you got it through mine. For now, sleep my pretty bird.” Dabi’s words are soft, whispered into his messy blonde hair, and Keigo melts into him more as he brings a wing around to cocoon them in more warmth.
This is what he was too scared to ask for. It’s exactly what Keigo needed.