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Butterflies and Dominoes

Summary:

After Touya’s death, Keigo spends his days working in secret to find a way to time travel, hoping to not only reverse the effects of the war, but to bring his ex-lover back to life.

DabiHawksWeek 2026 Day Two: Against time (time travel)

Notes:

Looped song inspo for vibes Only Living Girl in LA by Halsey <3

Call me biased, but I genuinely think Touya is a very central character to a lot of things that played out in the story (particularly with capturing Bakugou which ultimately led to AFO and All Might’s final fight).

Another Disclaimer: For brevity’s sake and because this particular fic is strictly a ONESHOT, not all timeline changes will be addressed.

Also sorry not sorry for the long-winded dialogue, I wrote most of this as stream of consciousness dialogue and I really feel like this is how it would go. <3 Enjoy !

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

After all this time, Keigo’s plan falls perfectly into place. Mei Hatume’s invention took about ten years to complete; President Hawks had recruited her for the classified project the moment she graduated. 

It’s a time machine. 

President Hawks claims it will reinvent hero education by immersing them in historic battles; of course, there will be strict rules to follow. Messing with the timeline is forbidden…even though that’s the very reason why he orchestrated the project in the first place. 

President Hawks stood at the very back of Touya’s funeral, forcing himself to act apathetic. It’s one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do…and that speaks volumes. 

Out of everything, Touya was his biggest regret. 

Not killing Twice. 

Not every dirty job that the HPSC forced upon him. 

It was betraying Dabi that stung like a knife and refused to heal. 

No one knew about their relationship. Not even any members of the League. 

They kept to themselves in the shadows, stealing kisses in dark warehouses and Dabi’s bedroom. At first, Hawks believed it was part of the plan…seducing the villain would make his mission easier…it would make Dabi vulnerable. 

He should’ve known better. 

Dabi fell for him…which is why his response to the betrayal was catastrophic. 

They were two sides of the same coin, and neither had truly realized it until it was too late. 

Keigo Takami has a void in his chest where his soul should rest. It fizzled out the moment Touya Todoroki flatlined in his chamber. The emptiness consumed him like an insatiable beast, devouring every bit of light in his eyes until the President became a shell of his former self. 

Today, he’s going to bring that light back. 

The President smooths his suit as he stands in front of the platform, double-checking the date and location on the newspaper for the thousandth time in the last thirty seconds. He’s already input the time and space coordinates; the time travel device doubled as a teleporter, serving two purposes simultaneously thanks to Hatsume’s brilliant mind. The watch on his wrist is what will bring him back to the timeline. All he needs is to press the button on the side, and he’ll be sucked into the present. 

It’s the middle of the night, and only Keigo Takami holds clearance to this part of the HPSC building at this hour other than Mei Hatsume herself. 

“I don’t know how this’ll change things, Touya…but…I hope it brings you peace,” Keigo whispers to himself as he presses the glowing button on the control panel; he strolls up onto the platform, taking a deep breath as he closes his eyes. 

 

“STAND CLEAR!” 

 

The robotic voice drones as Keigo feels wind whipping through his hair; the crackle of electrical energy zips around him. 

 

Three.

Two. 

One. 

 

WHOOOSH!

 

Keigo stumbles forward on the grass as his nerves alight with an overwhelming tingling sensation. He smooths back his hair, flinching as he accidentally shocks himself when his fingertips graze his forehead. The air is dry and frigid, and the moon hangs low in the sky. 

Sekoto Peak. 

Keigo could’ve picked a more selfish route for himself…he could’ve simply picked a time where he and Dabi could’ve run away together…found another path…but…he believes Touya deserves more than that. Keigo chose to go back to where it all went wrong…to where Touya burned on the mountain. Maybe…just maybe…if he can change his course here…Dabi will never exist in the first place. At the end of the day, Keigo doesn’t care if he and Touya end up together as long as Touya’s alive and happy. 

It’s pathetic. 

Keigo doesn’t care. 

Keigo pushes through the underbrush, gritting his teeth as brambles stick in his hair. He’s not too far from the pond where Touya tried to put the fire out. 

Keigo grunts as he trips, stumbling forward through the branches and shrubs until he staggers out into a clearing. 

Thirteen-year-old Touya Todoroki wipes his tears frantically as he keeps his head down, sitting on a log a few feet away. He mumbles to himself, hiccuping between uncontrollable, stifled sobs as he sniffles. 

When Keigo bursts through the trees, Touya stiffens, whipping his head up immediately, eyes widening. 

No one else ever comes to this part of Sekoto Peak. 

Touya’s heart thuds in his chest as he stares at the stranger in the suit.

“Go away!” He chokes out, trying to sound as intimidating as anyone can when they’re having a mental breakdown. 

Keigo holds his hands up. He’s gotta think quickly on his feet. The HPSC used to list that on his “valuable qualities” chart. 

“Hey. I thought I heard someone crying up here. Is everything okay?” 

Touya’s trembling lip forms into a scowl. 

“No one’s crying! You don’t know what you’re talking about,” He retorts, and Keigo dares to take a few more steps closer to the log. 

“You mind if I sit here?” Keigo points to the space beside Touya. The child’s tear stains reflect blatantly in the moonlight; Touya’s eyes are bloodshot, and his cheeks are flushed from weeping. 

“Who are you?” Touya snorts, scooting away with a wary look. 

“Someone who can help,” Keigo offers as he sits down on the log. 

“What makes you think I need help? I don’t need help from anybody,” Touya scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. The suit makes Touya think the man must be someone important…but why would someone like that be in the middle of the woods at this time of night? 

“You wanna be a hero? That’s what this is about, right?” 

Touya bristles, eyes narrowing. 

“Shut up and leave me alone,” He grumbles, scooting away further. 

“Listen. Take it from me, kid. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Keigo sighs, putting his hands on his knees. 

“What do you know?” Touya bites back, curling his lip. “You don’t know anything about me! You’re a stranger! And you should get the hell outta here!” He lashes out as a small orange flame burns menacingly in his palm. Touya winces, gritting his teeth at the dull pain. 

Keigo’s lips press into a thin line. He’s not sure how careful he’s going to be, considering he’s already breaking the number one rule of time travel. He’s deliberately interfering with the past. 

“There’s no need for that. Why are you sitting here by yourself this late? Does your family know you’re out here?”

Touya’s getting progressively more and more irritated with Keigo’s questions; this one emotionally exhausts him, and he crushes the flame into a fist. It stings when it fizzles out, and the faint smell of sizzling flesh permeates the air. Touya pulls his knees up to his chest on the log. 

“He’s supposed to meet me here. He…he…,” He trails off, throat constricting as his body betrays him, threatening to dissolve into sobs for the thousandth time tonight. Keigo’s heart clenches in his chest at the sound of Touya’s broken soul. A thin layer of steam wafts off of him, and Keigo inhales sharply. 

He can’t let him catch fire. 

“Listen…I know what it’s like…to feel like you don’t matter to your parents…” Keigo speaks softly, but his words earn a furious glare from Touya. The kid shudders, rubbing at his face with balled-up fists to force the tears away. 

“You don’t know anything,” He seethes, venom coating his tone even as his voice cracks. 

“I know that you’re upset. And, as a former Pro Hero, it’s my job to help you out,” Keigo replies with a genuine smile. 

Touya raises an eyebrow, his fury replaced with confusion. 

“Huh? You’re not a Pro Hero.” Touya puts his feet back on the ground. 

“Says who?” Keigo chuckles. 

“What’s your hero name, then?” Touya presses. 

“Eh, you’re too young to know about me.” Keigo waves dismissively.

Touya turns his attention to the dirt at his feet. He might as well get it out to a total stranger; it’s not like he’ll ever see him again. Besides, he clearly isn’t going to leave him alone. Whatever his motive may be, it’s distracting him from crying more. Touya will entertain anything that’ll stop him from crying and feeling like a puny failure. 

His shoulders move up and down with the deep sigh that bursts from his lips. 

“I just want my Dad to look at me…” He mutters with a sideways glance. 

Now, Keigo’s getting somewhere. 

“Why?”

Touya snorts like Keigo just asked the stupidest question on the planet. 

“What do you mean why?” 

“What’s so special about your Dad?” Keigo pries. Touya kicks at the dirt. 

“He’s…he’s the strongest person I know…”

‘Interesting.’ 

“So you wanna be strong?”

Duh! Doesn’t everyone?” Touya huffs, rolling his eyes. 

“Anything else you’d like to be? Being strong isn’t everything, y’know.”

“And how would you know?”

“Well, I used to be one of the fastest heroes ever. Top-ranked. I was all about speed,” Keigo explains as he leans back on his palms, the wood pressing into his skin. Touya’s gaze is fixed on Keigo now, listening intently. Keigo continues. 

“Being at the top was very lonely.”

“I’m fine being alone,” Touya counters, rolling his shoulders back. 

“Well…you were alone before I showed up. And you were crying. Make that make sense,” Keigo points out. 

Touya’s quiet. 

“You wouldn’t understand,” Touya grumbles again. 

“Try me.”

The wind whistles through the trees, blowing some of Touya’s snowy white hair out of his face. He rubs at his arms, not from the chilly air, but from reluctant anxiety. Finally, he breaks the silence. 

“My Dad used to tell me how I was meant for great things…that I was gonna be the best…and…one day…I messed it all up.”

Keigo frowns. 

“What do you mean, ‘messed it up’?”

Touya’s cheek glow red from shame. 

“My Quirk…it hurts me,” He whispers.  

“Oh…” Keigo tries to act surprised. “Y’know…I actually know a Quirkless hero.”

“No such thing.”

“I’m serious. He worked really hard, and he had a good group of friends that he made. Now, he’s teaching young heroes, and he’s got a really cool Pro Hero Suit that helps him like a Quirk would.”

“I don’t want a stupid mech suit…I need to do better on my own. I gotta do whatever it takes…even if I get hurt.”

This feels impossible. Touya’s just as stubborn as ever, and Keigo’s running out of ideas that don’t involve overstepping boundaries. He’s gotta get through to him…so…maybe he needs to rip off the bandage. 

“Sometimes…we lose control of our Quirks. And it can have really bad consequences.”

Keigo’s comment sounds unrelated at first, but Touya rubs his thumb over the burn on his palm. His jacket rubs up against the burns on his torso from training earlier in the week.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Keigo sighs…he really doesn’t wanna do this…it almost goes against everything that Hatsume said…, “I’m saying…if you’re not careful, you’ll really lose control of your Quirk. And you’ll die.” 

The leaves rustle as the wind howls throughout the mountain. 

“I’ll…die?” Touya’s voice is small. 

Keigo nods. 

“You ever seen a really bad fire? Like a house fire?”

“Uh-huh. On TV.”
“That’ll be what happens…and you won’t be able to stop it.” Keigo’s jaw clenches; he can hear Hatsume reprimanding him already. Hopefully, if this works, that won’t happen at all. Keigo’s the only one who will remember the original timeline in the first place. 

“Why not?” Touya snaps. 

“Do you know how you would stop it?”

There’s a beat of silence. 

“No…”

Touya sniffles again, his mind and heart wrestling with one another as he struggles to grasp the gravity of Keigo’s words. His Quirk could kill him one day if he loses control…Touya’s never really thought about that before. Yeah, it hurts him…but killing him? Touya had never even considered that it was a possibility. Man…he really is the weakest…

“Why am I like this…” Touya mumbles to himself, barely audible. 

“You can’t be the greatest hero if you’re dead,” Keigo quips, hoping his words will stick. 

“Yeah…I guess you’re right,” Touya concedes as a deep despair settles in his gut. He squeezes his elbows, subtly hugging himself to try to get a grip. Keigo sees the tears welling up in the young boy’s eyes again, and he clears his throat. 

“You mentioned you wanna be like your dad earlier. Does your dad ever look happy?”

That catches Touya off guard, and he sniffles before turning to look at Keigo. 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, when’s the last time you saw him laugh?”

“I’m…not sure…probably a long time ago,” Touya replies. 

“So do you think he enjoys what he does?”

“I…I guess not…,” Touya trails off, brow furrowing in confusion. “I…” His head whips up. This stranger is trying to discourage him from being a hero, isn’t he? “Who are you? Are you some stupid villain trying to trick me?! Trying to stop me from becoming the greatest hero ever as part of your stupid evil plan?”

Keigo chuckles, shaking his head. 

“No. I meant what I said. I used to be a big hero back in the day. Now, I try to make sure people know the truth about what it means to be one. It’s hard. It’s really hard. And it’s not impossible, but it’s definitely a career you should only go into if your heart is in it.” Keigo holds his hands up in a peaceful gesture. He doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of Touya’s flames. 

“I…,” Touya starts tearing up, “I want it to be in it.” He’s getting so ungodly frustrated as his heart and his mind wage war on one another, using Keigo and Enji’s words as fuel. 

“Hey…,” Keigo hesitantly puts his hand on Touya’s shoulder,  “It’s okay for things not to work out how you want. That’s how life is sometimes, no matter how stubborn or strong or fast or smart you are.”

Touya takes in a staggering breath before he nods. 

“I just want Dad to look at me again. I don’t know why he had to do this…to make me so mad at Shoto…it’s all his fault. He messed up everything…and made me hate him…”

‘Oh?’ 

“So you don’t want to hate your brother?” Keigo briefly curses himself for not playing dumb, but Touya seems too absorbed in his emotions to even notice. 

“Why should I? He didn’t do anything…other than be born…” Touya mutters. 

‘Maybe I can get him to open up more.’ 

“Have you talked to your mom about any of this?”

“She wouldn’t understand,” Touya huffs. 

“Why not?”

“She’s-” Touya’s voice catches in his throat as his eyes glaze over, lost in thought. Overwhelming internal conflict crosses his face, nose scrunching as he grits his teeth and balls his hands into fists. 

Keigo perpetuates the silence, allowing Toya to attempt to process his own feelings and logic. Obviously, this is the first time Touya’s ever done this much introspection, and it’s starting to take its toll. 

Finally, Touya breaks through the stillness of the night. 

“She’s kinda like me…but…different.”

“What do you mean?”

“I see how she moves…how she gets really small whenever Dad is around…she always looks like she wants to say something, but she never does…not to him. Besides…he sent her away…so…what’s the point?” Touya roughly kicks a rock at his feet, watching it skitter toward the pond before stopping at the edge. 

Keigo sighs. 

“Have you tried visiting her?”

“Not old enough to go by myself. Not like Dad would even take me if I asked…he probably would just pretend it was the wind.” Touya starts chewing on the inside of his cheek. 

“Sounds like your Dad is a real piece of shit,” Keigo clicks his tongue. 

Touya laughs for the first time. 

“Yeah…most days. He wasn’t always like that…” Touya trails off, throat constricting as the intense urge to burst into tears grips him by the heart again. 

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Touya sniffles, “He used to spend time with me all day. It was nice. I miss it a lot.” His voice grows soft and quiet. 

He’s gotta stop Touya from feeling guilty, or it’ll eat him alive. 

“Y’know…whatever your Dad’s got goin’ on…I don’t think it’s about you.”

Touya makes a small noise that’s a mix between shock and annoyance. Keigo decides to double down. 

“I don’t think you did anything wrong. And I don’t think he deserves any of your attention. Have you ever thought about giving him a taste of his own medicine?”

“What do you mean?” Touya raises an eyebrow, wiping his residual tears and snot with his sleeve. 

“Ignore him as much as he ignores you. Maybe he’ll start to notice,” Keigo shrugs. 

“But-” Touya starts; Keigo cuts him off. 

“Listen, kid. I think your Dad has a lot of stuff he needs to work out on his own. I know it hurts. I know it’s hard to understand, but you gotta trust me. Don’t burn yourself into the ground. You definitely won’t become a hero that way.”

Touya’s posture slumps, and he leans forward to stare at the pond. He reaches down, picking up a rock and tossing it. This time, it skitters a few feet before sinking into the water. 

“And…what if I never do it…what if I’m never good enough?” Touya mumbles. 

“Then…maybe try to find something that you are good at.”

“I don’t do anything other than train…all the other kids at school talk about being heroes all the time,” Touya retorts, his voice growing quieter again as he withdraws into himself. 

“And you really think they’re all gonna make it?”

Touya cocks his head. He’d never actually thought about that. 

“No…”

“Well, there ya go. At least you won’t be setting yourself up for that, y’know?”

The thirteen-year-old makes a sound akin to a frustrated growl from a dog. 

“But I don’t wanna do anything else!” 

Keigo swallows his own growl of annoyance at Touya’s stubbornness; it seems like he’s making progress at least. 

“It’s not gonna make him look at you…and you’re no good to look at if you’re ashes in the wind.”

Touya blinks. 

“That’s dark.”

“Sorry.”

The moon rises higher in the sky as Touya stares up through the trees, taking note of the glittering constellations splattered against the night. The more he thinks about the stranger’s words…

“You make it sound like you know I’m gonna die…”

Panic seizes Keigo by the throat. 

“I-uh…”

Touya’s eyes narrow. 

“Am I supposed to die tonight?” Touya blurts with wide eyes. 

“I can’t answer that,” Keigo replies, wringing his hands. 

Touya lifts his chin higher. 

“You my spirit guardian or somethin’? I didn’t think we were supposed to be able to see you,” Touya huffs. 

“Something like that.”

Touya’s skeptical smirk softens at the edges. 

“Hm. Guess I am special then if you are,” Touya hums to himself, rubbing his arm. “Man…this really sucks.” 

“I’m not trying to crush your dreams, kid. Just redirecting them. It’s for your own good,” Keigo whispers, patting him on the shoulder. Touya’s flinch is barely noticeable. 

“I wonder if my Dad’s dad sent you…that’s why he became a hero…and look what happened…” 

Keigo chews his bottom lip, unsure how to respond if Touya truly believes that he’s some kind of protective, wise spirit. 

“I’ll do it. I’ll go home…I won’t come back. If that’s what you think I should do. I don’t like it…but…you’re right. I don’t wanna die.” Touya wipes more tears away with the back of his hands as he takes a few deep breaths, trying his best to calm himself down. 

“I wanna apologize to Mom…I said some pretty mean stuff to her before she got sent off,” Touya murmurs as he kicks another rock before pushing himself off the log. “Good talk, stranger.” He starts to wander off. 

“Hey, kid!” Keigo calls out, and Touya looks over his shoulder. 

“Yeah?”

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough. Because you are. Whatever you’re meant to do, it’ll find you. Give it time.”

Touya’s lips curl into a grin. 

“Thank you,” He bows before heading back down the path. Tears well up in Keigo’s eyes as he stifles a sob. He was just a scared, insecure little kid. It tears his heart in two to think that he suffered out here all alone in the dark. He just wanted acceptance and love…isn’t that what every kid wants? He wants to make his parents proud.

The hair on the back of Keigo Takami’s neck stands on end, and a sickening chill runs down his spine. 

He’s being watched. 

He slowly turns his head to see the shadow of a man behind him, standing between the trees. He’s wearing a hat and a suit. 

“Pity. I thought I’d get the chance to speak with the boy.”

That voice. 

Keigo has to steel his resolve. He can’t fail. Not when he’s come this far. 

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave him alone. He’s not gonna listen to anything you have to say.” Keigo’s tone is even, but he can feel his body shaking. 

“What an odd thing to tell a complete stranger. You talk like I came with ulterior motives. Can an elderly man not take a relaxing walk in the mountains?”

Keigo’s fingers twitch against the watch on his wrist. 

“Trust me. You don’t want him.”

“And what makes you think your advice is better than mine?”

“Because I’m putting him first. Besides, his passion could burn down the whole damn world if he wanted it to. You shouldn’t invest in someone that reckless,” Keigo scoffs, parroting the words Garaki used to describe Dabi in his prison cell. 

Right as All For One steps out into the light, Keigo hits the button on the watch.

Click. 

Keigo opens his eyes…and the first change he notices makes him drop to his knees and weep. 

His wings. 

His wings are back. 

Keigo’s suit has disappeared, replaced with his old Pro Hero outfit from which he proudly flexes his wings. 

He doesn’t know how much has changed, but clearly, a lot has changed, considering he has his wings. He grabs the back of his neck and feels unmarred skin…his scars are gone. 

Keigo Takami’s entire body shudders as the sensation overload wracks his nerves; he forgot how his Quirk used to feel. He could sense and hear so much with his feathers. It’s going to take some more time for him to get used to it again. 

“Hawks? You don’t have clearance here. What are you doing?” 

Keigo whirls around to see Mera of all people walking toward him. He takes in his surroundings; Mei’s lab has been replaced with some shitty security room. 

“Sorry! Got lost lookin’ for the bathroom down here!” Hawks bows before darting out the door past him, trying to search his memories for what floor he must be on. He runs to the nearest elevator, pressing the lobby button as he taps his foot. The moment the doors open, he starts speedwalking down the hallway toward the main exit. 

“Hey there, Number Three!”

Hawks grunts as a strong hand claps him on the shoulder, and he nearly stumbles into the wall. He turns around, surprised to see Mirko of all heroes, with all her limbs intact. He’s talked to her maybe six separate times in his past life, and now, she’s shoving him as if they’re old friends. 

“Uh, hey,” Hawks mutters sheepishly, his brain reeling at all of the stockpiling differences. “Can’t talk now. Got a call,” He blurts. 

“Loser. Catch ya later, then!” She sticks her tongue out before sauntering back down the hallway, further into the HPSC building. 

Keigo walks out into the blinding sunlight before pulling his phone out of his pocket. 

He types the words into the search bar on his phone. 

 

SEKOTO PEAK INCIDENT

 

NO RESULTS. 

 

He clears the bar before typing again.

 

TOUYA TODOROKI

 

He clicks on the first link. 

 

Grand Opening: Cinders & Needles Tattoo Studio

 

Tears prick at the edges of Keigo’s eyes. 

Thirty-six-year-old Touya Todoroki stands in front of a tattoo parlor with fluffy white hair and striking turquoise eyes, grinning with a hand on his hip as he leans against the doorway, showing off a sleeve of rindou flowers and blue flames running up his arms. He scans the biographical blurb in the article…there’s something about his brother doing Quirk Suppressant research…inventing a medication of some kind…Touya’s on it, whatever it is. Touya lives with his sister and mother in an apartment…his parents are divorced. 

Keigo’s eyes widen. 

Endeavor retired after his youngest child, Shoto, surpassed him in the rankings. 

He skims the rest of the article, looking for an address. 

Would it be weird for him to show up? 

Does Touya even know who he is? 

Keigo closes his eyes as he holds the phone to his chest, turning his face up to the sunlight. 

Touya’s alive. 

Touya’s safe. 

That’s all that matters. 

And by the looks of things, Dabi apparently had more influence on the events of the wars than previously perceived. 

Maybe…Hawks should just take a walk. 

Hawks barely rounds the corner of the block when he halts in his tracks in front of a bookstore window. 

There, squatting beside a horde of bookshelves, is Touya Todoroki. 

He’s got silver-rimmed glasses that rest on the thin bridge of his nose, sitting in front of a pair of brilliant turquoise eyes. His fluffy white hair hangs in his face; it’s a little longer than it was when Hawks first met Dabi. 

He’s wearing a black sweater with blue flames embroidered at the bottom; it resembles a homemade gift. It’s a little strange for him to wear something like that when the sun is beating down, but Touya’s always been a little unconventional to begin with. 

Hawks stands there open-mouthed as he leans in to try to get a better look at the stack of books in Touya’s arms. 

One book says “Surviving Your Narcissistic Parent” and “Healing Your Inner Child” while a third appears to be some cryptic crime thriller that involves patricide based on the title. 

Keigo’s eyes drift upward…and meet Touya’s confused stare. 

Hawks grimaces, panicking as he immediately darts toward the door. 

The bell above him rings, and someone from the counter welcomes him as he stumbles inside, awkwardly walking down the side to a bewildered Touya Todoroki. 

“Hey!” Hawks waves, flashing a smile that has Touya shifting from foot to foot. He stops a few paces in front of him. “I just wanted to say I like your sweater!” 

Touya’s pale cheeks flush subtly. 

“Uh…thanks…my sister made it for me…” Touya mumbles awkwardly, picking at a loose strand by the hem. “That’s really why you were staring? Those windows are two-way, y’know.” 

Keigo’s really bad at this when he’s flustered. He doesn’t see Touya as a mission anymore, so the words aren’t coming to him naturally. He doesn’t come up with a reply fast enough. 

“Do I know you?” Touya pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, “I’m sorry, you seem really familiar.” Touya can’t stop ogling Hawks’ brilliant crimson wings, as if they’re some sort of distraction getting in the way of putting together a puzzle. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry. That was rude. Name’s-” Hawks pauses. In the last timeline, nearly every word he’d told Dabi was a lie. 

No lies this time. 

“My name’s Keigo. Keigo Takami.” 

“Touya.” Touya slightly bows. 

“Just Touya?” Keigo raises an eyebrow as he returns the gesture. 

“The other half’s not important,” Touya shrugs with a half-hearted smile. He looks the hero up and down again, hiding contemplation behind his smirk. 

“So…do you wanna ask me to commission my sister for a sweater or do you wanna ask me out? Or is it a secret third thing?”  Touya snickers, and Keigo’s cheeks turn beet red. 

“Um-” 

“Look. I can tell you’re some kind of Pro Hero type. You’re wearing that goofy outfit. I think the only crime I committed was interrupting your patrol. Normally, I’d be creeped out. Lucky for you,” Touya takes another deliberate up-and-down look at Hawks, “I think you’re cute. So if you buy my books, I’ll pay for dinner.” 

‘No way it’s that easy,’ Hawks thinks to himself, blinking dumbly at Touya, unable to form any sort of sensible answer. 

Touya taps his foot impatiently. 

“I’m not getting any younger, birdie. You gonna change your mind?” 

That pulls Hawks out of his stunned state, and a small swarm of feathers whisks the books out of Touya’s hands. 

“What’re you hungry for?”

Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this silly little oneshot! Feel free to yap in the comments <3

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