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Toyua Todoroki, the eldest son of the terrifying Todoroki locomotive empire, the one that had been groomed to take over that very empire, the one that put everything on the line for his father, for his mother, for his sister, and for his brothers-
That Toyua Todoroki died on a hot summer day, while his mother was sitting in the garden drinking tea and his father was talking business with another prominent locomotive CEO, the newspapers report.
It had been no one’s fault, the boy went down to the lake, where he had been told not to go a million times. The maid watching him had only turned her back for a second and that’s all it took for the young boy to dive in, drowning in the few minutes the maid was gone.
The family was devastated. The maid was fired and forced to leave the city.
They moved on.
And Toyua? Well, Toyua continued to be a closely held secret that no one in the family wanted to talk about.
~
There is a small port in Baskeirs village. It’s more a fishing port, only meant for fishers to unload their cargo to be sold. The wooden docks are clogged up with crab cages and nets, ready to be packed up and shipped out.
Baskeirs itself is small too. There is one inn, one bar, one brothel, and a bunch of houses filled with big northerns, used to the cold weather.
Everyone there is big and strong, looking like they could lift an ox. Even the kids are used to picking up heavy boxes.
Which means the young, thin man who leans back in his chair stands out. He looks like he could use a good meal, or so the bar tender says as he keeps shoving food at the stranger. His hair is a deep black, like the ocean at night. There are bags under his eyes and his skin is an unhealthy pale.
While the rest of the village are respectful of him, on one really bothers to go up and talk to him. Which makes getting a ship out of here hard. They do not believe he will be good during the storms, too weak to help with the heavy lifting.
It’s frustrating for him.
There is one person who talks to him, but she too is a stranger. She’s younger than him, with ashy blond hair tied up into messy twin buns and mysterious yellow eyes that can only be found in the southern part of the country- or so they assume. She certainly doesn’t belong with them.
The young woman idly kicks her feet as she drinks the watered down wine the bar offers. She looks to her companion every so often, then to the food he refuses to eat.
With a sigh, her companion pushes it towards her.
“So, what are our plans now, Dabi?” The woman asks, quickly scarfing everything down. Despite how she looks, she can put away any food that is given to her. A bottomless pit, especially when she’s hungry. And she’s always hungry.
Dabi runs a hand through his hair, leaning his head back. Some say that they swear when he breathes, they can see smoke escape his lungs. “I don’t know. We’ll need to find another port I guess. None of these losers do long distance travel, so they’re no help to us.”
“Are you just saying that because they continue to turn us down?” The woman says. She gives him an innocent smirk on her face when Dabi glares at her.
“Shut up, Toga.” There is no real heat in his words.
He had only met Toga a few weeks ago, along the road he had been traveling. The younger woman had been in the middle of a fight with a deer, trying to take it down for food. She had been covered in dirt and grime, and there had been a near feral look in her eyes when she looked up at him.
Dabi swears he only helped her out of sheer boredom. Unfortunately for him, she took that to mean they are now best friends and has followed him around since.
But she can pull her own weight and has proven to be handy in getting some money, in any way she can.
Dabi signals for another drink for her and Toga gives him a grateful smile. She immediately downs it, uncaring of the careful way Dabi watches her.
There is one thing about Toga that is…weird. Well, even more weird than she really is. And that’s Toga’s near unquenchable thirst. If she doesn’t have a drink every hour, her lips start to crack and she gets really pale, slowly swaying side to side. Her words begin to slur and there’s a faraway look in her eyes, that only returns to normal when she gets a drink. Water, beer, wine- anything she can get a hold of.
It’s curious. Dabi wants to ask, but. Well. He won’t pry into her secrets, as long as she doesn’t pry into his.
Instead, he drowns his cup and thinks about what to do now to get across the ocean.
Suddenly, the door bursts open and a pile of bodies walks in. It’s hard not to notice them, not only because of just how loud they are, but because of the colorful clothes they wear.
Bright reds and yellows and oranges and pinks, done in shirts and pants and scarfs and hats. They jingle and clink as they move, from the coins and jewelry they wear. After seeing the dull gray and whites the people around here like to wear, it’s a bit jarring.
“Oh great,” the barkeep grumbles. He slams a cup on the counter, before slapping the cloth he had been using to clean up over his shoulders, before crossing his arms. “What are you doing back here?”
There are a bunch of jeers- a blond man gives the barkeep a thumbs down, while his friends slap a hand over his mouth, a brown hair woman laughs with her friends- before one of them steps forward.
He’s a bit on the short side, with wild blond hair and a charming smile. He’s got a red hat on with one long red feather, and his jacket flutters around him as he walks. His boots clink against the floor.
When Dabi glances down, he sees that there is a golden feather tied to the laces. When he roams his eyes over the others, he finds golden feathers on many of them.
“Kioshi, Kioshi” the man says, leaning on the counter. His voice is light, like a bird’s song. “What have we done to earn your ire this time?”
Kioshi does not seem swayed by the man’s antics. His glare darkens. “Don’t play with me, Keigo. Every time you come here, you make my bar a disaster area. Or you get into a fight. Or you scare away my other patrons.”
“But,” the man- Keigo, apparently- tuts. He waves one of his gloved hands in the air. On the third wave, a gold coin appears. He slides it towards the barkeep. “We pay so well for that honor, don’t we?”
Kioshi looks down, then back up at Keigo. There’s a long tense moment of silence before he lets out a sigh through his nose. He takes the gold coin. “You want your usual?”
Another round of cheers goes through the group. Keigo leans back, his smile widening. “A round for the whole place.”
The group spread themselves around the bar, settling in chairs just as loudly as when they came in. There isn’t a moment of peace to be found as servers weave their way in and out among them, plopping thick glasses of amber liquid down.
Toga and Dabi watch them in silence, before a server gives them their own glasses. Immediately, Toga starts drinking hers. Wiping at her lips, she turns her eyes back to Dabi, grinning again. “An interesting bunch, right?”
Dabi hums. Interesting. That’s one way to put it. He stops one of the serves when they pass by again. “Excuse me, do you know these people?”
The young lad huffs hair out of his eyes. “Yeah, they come in here so often, on their way back to Musufuta.”
“They’re sailors?”
“You could say that.” The server shifts his feet before leaning closer, voice lowering to a whisper. “They claim to be merchants and traders but I think they’re actually-”
“Kota!” Kioshi yells. “Stop your slacking and get to work.”
“Right, right.” He gives Dabi an apologetic look before he scuttles away.
Dabi leans back in his seat, once again humming. Toga eyes him. “What are you planning?”
“Well, how do you feel about traveling with people who claim to be merchants and traders but maybe are not?”
“Sounds awful, let’s do it!”
Dabi slowly stands up, letting himself stretch out his legs. He takes a moment to look down at his feet. He puts one foot forward. Then the other. When he’s sure he can walk, he strolls towards the captain.
The captain that he knows has been watching him the entire time, silently drinking his alcohol, and who dose not take his eyes off of him when Dabi takes a seat across from him.
The rest of the group doesn’t react, too caught up in whatever shenanigans they are apart of. Only two others seem to notice him. A man with long gray hair and chapped looking lips. And anoother with long black hair pulled up into a ponytail, and who wears an eyepatch. But they let Dabi sit.
Keigo sets his beer down and gives Dabi a wide charming smile. “I hope you enjoy the round of drinks I provided. Something good to introduce new friends.” He gives Dabi a wink.
Dabi, though, cuts straight to the point. “I heard you’re going to Musutafu.”
Keigo blinks at him. “I suppose that is true, yes.”
“I have been looking for transport over there, as has my companion.” He points over to Toga, who gives them a wave. “But none of the fishing ships go that far or will allow us to travel with them. I am hoping you have a different answer for us.”
“That is a tall order, my friend.” He waves for another cup. “We are very organized with what we do and how much food we have to get us to where we need to go. I am in no need of deckhands or extra help. I’m not sure what you could provide for me.”
“Surely you could always use extra hands,” Dabi says, refusing to give this up.
Keigo considers him. He doesn’t stop smiling but there’s a considering look in his eyes. He leans on the table, closer to Dabi. “Why do you want to get to Masutafu so bad?”
Dabi raises an eyebrow, before he tells the truth. “I’m just looking to get as far away from here as possible.”
Keigo slowly blinks at him. He tilts his head. “Sounds pretty desperate.”
“I am a desperate man.”
They look at each other for a long moment, before Keigo sticks his hand out. “Then welcome aboard.”
~
The boat is a large one, the largest boat that is docked there. It’s a beauty, even Dabi who doesn’t have that much knowledge of boats can see that. It has well taken care of dark wood that makes up the bulk of the ship and giant white sails. There is a woman carved into the bow of the ship. She has her eyes closed, her hair blowing behind her, with her arms down to her side. But behind her, to either side of the ship, are two pairs of wings.
The flag they fly is a dark black one with one golden wing. It’s name is Hawks .
“They have a bit of a theme going on, huh?” Toga says. She carries one lone bag on her back, just like Dabi.
“Yeah. A bit weird,” Dabi mumbles. “I’ve never known a bird to enjoy the water so much.”
“Then you don’t know much about birds,” a voice speaks up behind them. When they turn, it’s Keigo. He grins, wrapping an arm around Dabi and Toga’s shoulders. “Welcome aboard the Hawks . Let me show you around.”
He drags them towards the ship and for a brief moment, Dabi wonders if he made a huge mistake.
~
Living on the ship is different from what Dabi had thought it would be. He expected it to be rough. The sea is no joke, he’s heard the stories. He knows that the waters will be rocky, that there will be storms.
He just didn’t realize how dark it would get at night.
Hold up in a room with twenty different people, not even a candle could hold a flicker to the darkness that surrounds them.
Toga seems to enjoy it. The two share a bed, a compromise on Kiego’s part. She can sleep through the night, like a little innocent lamb.
The darkness brings nothing but nightmares for Dabi. Hands around his wrist, around his waist, around his throat, choking choking choking him and it isn’t till he-
-gasps!-
-and wakes up so that he can get the feeling of those hands off of him.
He often finds himself on deck, with the night crew, holding onto the railing and hearing the waters splash against the boat, feel it rock and move.
At least the stars are nice.
And while he had expected the harsh work, he didn’t really know what goes into making a ship sail. Work is no stranger to him, but he wasn’t used to receiving rope burns as they slide across his palms, or all the running they have to do, to accommodate for the sea’s changing tides.
Sometimes, he’s thankful for that though, as a hard day’s work makes his body weary and his mind finally still. He can sleep those nights.
And the food…well. It was something to eat.
Toga on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be having that much trouble. She finds her sea legs pretty quickly, and she has no trouble with the ropes. Keigo moves her to work with a girl named Uraraka on navigation when he realizes that she knows more about the sea than she had previously let on.
A part of him is glad to see her get along with the others, especially since the other women on the boat have taken her under their wings. Another part of him feels bitter, since he’s having a tougher time.
Dabi has always been a little rough around the edges. He’s blunt. He likes to make jokes at the expense of others. He doesn’t want to be helped or pitied.
He wants to be left alone.
But this is a crowd that doesn’t seem to care about those things.
The blond gunmaster, a man named Bakugou, is the one teaching him how to man their canons. “In case, we come up against anyone that wants to fight it out,” he had told Bakugou gruffly. The man- someone younger than Dabi- is rough with his teachings, barking if Dabi gets it wrong while helping Dabi learn as best as he can. And he has no trouble matching Dabi, scathing tongue for scathing tongue.
The others around them don’t really seem to care about their fighting. Another blond, by the name of Kaminari, will wrap a hand around Bakugou’s waist and joke that he just hadn’t eaten that day and liked to call Dabi a grumpy cat.
A redhead by the name of Kirishima would laugh when Dabi called him a “broom head” and let anything Dabi said slide off his back.
It’s frustrating that Dabi can’t seem to frustrate them.
Their lookout man, someone told Dabi to call him Twice, likes to sneak Dabi extra food, no matter if Dabi tells him that he doesn’t want any sweets. “You’ll like them, I swear,” Twice will whisper, with a little laugh, before getting serious as he eats his own.
And damn him, Dabi does like them.
There are also the right and left hands, the black and gray haired men, are always watching him. The black haired man, Aizawa, will see him struggling with the sails during a particularly windy day and will silently come over to help. He calmly talks Dabi through it, while helping him too, and when it’s all over, he’ll pat Dabi on the shoulder and leave him to it.
Shigaraki will come up to him, with a sly little grin, and show him how to play the games the rest of the crew like to play. Dabi secretly thinks the man just wants a new person to play against, but it’s something interesting to pass the time, so he does.
He even gets good at it.
It’s confusing. Dabi is used to walking on eggshells around people, or having to constantly defend himself against accusations. But there is none of that here. They take his scathing tongue and roll with it, seemingly unbothered and even welcoming it.
The worst is the Captain.
Captain Keigo is a flighty person, constantly walking his ship to check up on people. He’s chatty too, could talk and laugh for hours. He seems to know everyone by their first name and their whole life story, asks about certain stuff that gets the other smiling happily at him.
Dabi watches it all with narrowed eyes, walls put up. He’s seen people talk like that before, along wooden tables and over goblets of wine, or in big ballrooms as people pretend to dance happily.
He doesn’t trust the man.
But for some reason, Captain Keigo is interested in him.
He always makes sure that he drops by to give Dabi a hello. Or he will bring his food over to where Dabi has himself hold up, so they can eat together. He likes to tell stories, wild ones that Dabi doesn’t believe a word of. Or, on nights when the crew decides to drink ale and sing songs and yell cheers, he always makes sure Dabi joins in.
It’s irritating. And fascinating. Sometimes Dabi wants to hear the Captain talk more. Sometimes, he wants to throw him overboard.
He thinks that the Captain knows, judging by the twinkle in his eyes.
~
There are some times where Dabi goes down into the storage area, by passing the sleeping guard, as he buries himself deeper between boxes and barrels. He clutches his chest, choking down his gasps and tears. He curls in a ball, knees brought up to his chest.
Along the back of his hand, black scales ripple across the skin. “No, no, no,” he whispers to himself, willing them away.
But they never go away. They stay for the night, making him wish he had a knife to rip them out.
And when the sun starts to rise, he slips back in bed and tries to go to sleep.
~
“You’re coming along nicely,” Captain Keigo says one day, knocking shoulders with Dabi. “I thought you were going to be a land lover the entire time here.”
Dabi openly rolls his eyes at him. “Gee, thanks.”
Captain Keigo just shrugs, still smiling. He checks over Dabi’s knots and nods to himself. Then, as casually as he can, he leans against the ship railing, eyes locking onto Dabi.
“What?” Dabi grumbles.
“We’re almost near Musutafu,” the Captain says. “That’s where you want to get off, right?”
“Trying to get rid of me, Captain?” Dabi sends a smirk his way. “Don’t worry, I’ll be out of your hair soon enough.”
The Captain just hums. He looks out towards the ocean. “You know,” he says, “I think Toga is going to stay on.”
Dabi’s head whips around to where he knows she is. She’s sitting by that Uraraka woman, both sharing a lunch and laughing at something. She looks happy. There’s a healthy tan to her skin and her hair has gotten longer.
Her eyes are only on Uraraka.
“I guess you’re right,” he says, though a part of him hurts at the acknowledgement. “I guess I’ll be going alone.”
“You could stay too.”
But already Dabi is shaking his head. “No. I need to find something in Musutafu.”
“Why? I kind of got the vibe that you’re a wander, just going with the flow. Why is Musutafu so important to you?”
Dabi looks down at his hands. “If I can get to Musutafu, maybe I can get back home.”
“Is home that important?”
Faces flash in front of his face. Red and angry. White and distant. Responsibility and everyone’s needs, being put on his shoulders. Suffocating him.
“Does it matter?” Dabi asks.
“Of course it matters.” The Captain frowns at him. “Why would it not matter what you want?”
Because when has it ever mattered what Dabi wants?
He pushes off the railing and goes to help Shigaraki with the sails. “Let’s just get there.”
~
It is a clear day, fluffy clouds in the air, giving them reprieve from the sun. Dabi gets a moment of peace, to feel the splash of salty water against his face. He swears he only closes his eyes for a moment before-
“Captain! We have a ship coming up,” Twice shouts down.
Everyone’s heads snap to look behind them. Indeed, there is a ship quickly catching up to them. Dabi frowns, squinting his eyes. He swears that he can see a navy flag on them.
What is a navy ship doing all the way out here? They tend to patrol the corners of the Emerald Sea, not chase merchant ships.
But when Dabi looks back at the rest of the crew. They do not seem surprised by this. In fact, several have drawn their swords.
A loud clap draws his attention, where Captain Keigo walks down the steps, that ever present smile still on his face. “Well, it looks like they haven’t given up on us yet. Shall we show them why they should have?”
He tilts his head, a shadow crossing his face. And in that moment, his eyes seem to glow gold.
The rest of the crew throws their hands and swords in the air, roaring out a cheer. Then they start to scramble.
Dabi makes his way to the Captain. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to have to defend ourselves. Are you up to the challenge?” Finally, the good Captain is not smiling. The look he gives Dabi is blank, serious.
He holds out his own sword towards Dabi.
Dabi pauses for a beat. Then he takes it.
The ship turns, to meet the Navy head on.
As they get closer, they hear Bakugou’s crackling from below, right before the canons go off. Boom! Boom! Boom!
None hit the Navy ship, but they do make it slow. The ship starts to turn too and Dabi catches sight of their canons being pushed out. He braces himself with the others.
Boom!
Canons go flying by him, so close he can feel the wind as they pass by. Luckily, they hit no one or the ship.
They are close enough now that hooks are being thrown, catching on each ship. Their crew doesn’t hesitate to scramble across. Dabi does. Dabi looks down at the churning sea below and what awaits him across the water.
The sounds of swords clashing and people screaming and the chocked off noises of the dead make him flinch.
Then a blur of yellow goes racing past him. When Dabi looks up, he sees Captain Keigo race across the ropes. His yellow coat flies behind him, his feather trinket twinkling. The sun catches on his coat and to Dabi, it looks like he’s flying.
Dabi follows him.
It’s clear that the Navy had no idea what they were doing when they went after Captain Keigo’s crew. There are men either dying or laying on the wood, bleeding out. Dabi does not catch a familiar face among them.
Captain Keigo’s crew, on the other hand, dance around them. Even here, they do not shut up. They laugh and jeer and snarl and curse out their opponents, taunting them more than anything else.
It’s basically a one-sided massacre.
Dabi can fight, has been trained to fight since he was a young boy. In fact, he was pushed to be the best swordsman out there. He finds himself falling into that role naturally, once again, lifting his sword up to block an attack. He spins on his heel, slashing up and sending the man down.
He stares at the blood on his sword. He’s never made anyone bleed before-
-though he’s wanted to. Has wanted one man to bleed specifically-
-he sidesteps another attack, mind falling into battle.
It’s exhilarating and he finds himself laughing along with the others as they slash their way through the other crew.
Then he looks over his shoulder, a smile on his face, in time to see the Captain go over the side of the ship.
His heart stutters, that smile wiping off his face. He doesn’t think about it. Doesn’t give himself time. He drops his sword and throws himself after the Captain.
The water is cold, a shock to his system, and stormy. He almost gets sucked underneath the ship, the waves crashing against him, knocking from side to side.
But he never takes his eyes off the Captain.
And if he were fully human, it would have been a stupid decision. He surely would have died. But he’s Cursed and for once, he’s going to use his Curse to do some good.
Black scales slide along his skin, further than they have ever gone before. For once, he does not fight them. For once, he welcomes them.
His body changes the more he swims, bones cracking and shifting. It aches but…but in a good way? Like he’s finally allowing his body to stretch.
Where once there were legs, there is now a long black tail.
His ears and teeth also ache. Touching them, he notices fangs and his ears have gone pointed.
He shakes his head. He’s getting distracted. He focuses back on the Captain, now able to swim towards him.
Only to come up short.
Because the Captain is waiting there for him, that same infuriating smirk on his face. But he’s not struggling in the water, he’s not trying to get to the surface. He just waits there.
Like he can breathe in the water like Dabi can.
When Dabi gets closer, he sees that that coat the Captain always wears fan out behind him, thin wings floating in the choppy waters. Beneath him, where legs should be, is instead a red tail.
Dabi’s eyes snap up to his and Captain Keigo gives him a sheepish smile. “So,” he says. Dabi doesn’t hear the words exactly but gets the jist of them through a song that slips through the waters for Dabi to hear. “This isn’t exactly how I wanted to reveal this to you.”
“You knew about this?” Dabi gestures down to his own body.
“Aizawa isn’t as deep of a sleeper as you think he is. I know about you and I know about Toga.”
“Wait, Toga is fucking Cursed too?”
The Captain frowns. “Well, not cursed and she’s not like us, exactly. But yeah. Did you not notice her sucking on Uraraka’s neck?”
He tried very hard not to, actually. Dabi has so many questions he wants to ask, but then the sky above them bursts in a fiery orange and red. Canons are booming again.
“We should go help them.”
Dabi stares after the Captain as he moves- graceful and elegant- to claw his way back up. He looks down at his own bulky tail and how hard it is for him to keep himself floating.
Then he goes to help.
~
It’s a clear victory for the Hawks ’ crew. They tie anyone left alive up by the stern and ransack everything they can.
Dabi doesn’t help with that part, content to watch instead. His eyes keep sliding to Toga, who gleefully carries boxes of food with Uraraka. His eyes narrow as their hands occasionally brush against each other.
Does Uraraka know about Toga’s Curse? Does Toga know that Dabi is Cursed?
He sighs, suddenly tired of it all. Someone pats his shoulder. He looks up, blinking at Shigaraki, who smirks down at him. “Cheer up. We’re alive and well and will live greatly after this.”
Does Shigaraki know? How many people are Cursed?
Dabi shakes his head. “You call this living?”
“Well, let me ask you this. Were you living before?”
Dabi opens his mouth and shuts it. Was he living? When he was back at a castle, being shoved around- do this, do that, no not that way, why can’t he be better ? Was he living when he would go to bed on a fluffy mattress, tired and sad and wanting approval for anything?
Was he living, when he would sleep in boxes and eat moldy food? Was he living when people seemed to look through him, that long sought after approval nowhere to be found?
He looks at the crew, who laugh and shout and praise him as they pass by. He looks to Aizawa, carefully guiding the younger crewmates when they get too rowdy. He looks to Toga, who can’t seem to stop staring at Uraraka.
He looks at the Captain, watching over all of them, a proud smirk on his face.
Looking back at Shigaraki, he lets himself smirk. “You know what. Maybe I wasn’t.”
~
He’s looking up at the stars. He’s tired and thinks he would be able to get a good night’s sleep. But he’s waiting.
Just like he thought, the Captain comes by, leaning against the walk next to him. “So. I assume you have questions.”
“Questions, statements, things I would like to yell.” Dabi shrugs. “Yeah, I do.”
They look at each other. Captain Keigo raises an eyebrow. “Well?”
“You were Cursed. How did you come to be that way?” At the Captain’s questioning look, Dabi shrugs and looks away. “My father was cursed by a witch he had offended, and that curse settled on me. It causes me to become this way, randomly.”
He looks down at the ground, at his scruffed boots, frowning. “I thought I was the only one. To know there are others? It’s shocking but also, good to know. What have you tried to get rid of it? What have others tried-”
“I haven’t.”
Dabi looks up at him, eyebrows furrowing at how serious the Captain looks. Captain Keigo is shorter than him, but in that moment, Dabi feels small by the look in his eyes. “Dabi, I have never once tried to get rid of my mermaid traits.”
“Why? Why would you want to stay this way-”
“-what way?” The Captain presses against Dabi, neatly pinning him to the wall with nothing but his presence. “Why would I want to stay on the ocean, where I can be free? Why would I want to accept the gift given to me?”
“It’s not a gift-”
“According to who?” Captain Keigo pushes closer even more, those yellow eyes seeming to stare through Dabi. “You want to go to Musutafu, to find someone who doesn’t exist, to go back to what kind of life? A life where your parents made you believe you were cursed?”
Dabi pushes against him. “That’s not it. What would you know?”
“What would I know about people wanting you to live up to expectations you can never fulfill? I know a lot more than you think.” He brushes past Dabi. “I would think about why I am so happy while you are miserable, trying to reach for something that will never come true.”
Dabi stares after him as the Captain stalks to his room. There’s no going to sleep after this.
~
Despite how close Toga is to Uraraka now, she still sleeps in the same cot as Dabi. Dabi curls around her, playing with her hair. “Hey,” he starts.
“Hm?” She replies, her voice sleepy and throaty.
“You know I’m…different, right? Like you?”
“Of course.” Toga doesn’t hesitate to say. She looks up at him, her eyes half lidded, like she’s going to fall asleep at any time. “Why do you think I hung around for so long?”
“You don’t think I’m disgusting?”
Her nose scrunches up. “Why would I think you’re disgusting?” She blinks at him. “Do you think I’m disgusting?”
He hugs her closer, staring off into the darkness. “No. No, I don’t.”
~
Musutafu is shiny bright city, with buildings that spiral towards the heavens and with a bustling port.
Officially, the Hawk is only here to drop off supplies to be sold and to pick up a few more things before it heads to a new port.
Dabi stands on the port, looking at it all. “Pretty, huh?” Captain Keigo asks. It’s windy today, and he has to hold onto his hat. His coat flaps around him.
“It looks dirty as fuck,” Dabi grumbles.
The Captain laughs at that. It’s a nice laugh. “Well. We have all that we need here. I guess I’ll be seeing you? I hope you find everything you’re looking forward.”
Dabi stares at the ceiling, then back at the Hawk . At where Bakugou is chasing Kaminari around, and where Toga showing Uraraka a neat knife trick, and where Shigaraki is talking to Aizawa about something.
He looks down at Captain Keigo, whose quirking his eyebrows at him.
“What if I already have?”
The Captain smiles. It’s not that same infuriating smirk as before. Instead, there’s something a bit shy in it. “Yeah? Where would that be?”
“Well, it depends.” Dabi leans down, cupping the Captain’s face. Then he kisses him. It’s a short kiss, a chaste one, but it’s enough for him to get his point across. He hopes. He pulls back, looking into the Captain’s eyes. “Is your offer for that spot on your crew still open?”
Captain Keigo throws his head back to laugh. Dabi likes that laugh.
Then the Captain wraps his hands around Dabi’s waist, dipping him. Dabi squawks in surprise, before the Captain places another kiss on his mouth. A longer one. One that has Dabi closing his eyes.
“Yeah,” Captain Keigo says against his lips. “I think it’s still open.”