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Keigo and Touya were sitting in their garden, in chairs filled with soft cushions, sipping their linden tea, around five o’clock in the evening. On the table in front of them were photo albums overflowing with memories of years gone by. They were all arranged chronologically. Touya’s fingers, now healthy but wrinkled with age, were playing with the edges of the night-sky blue one, adorned with constellations, the very beginning of their story.
“You don’t have to do this, you know that, right?”
Despite having survived two wars together, a double agent inflarition, betrayal, pain, and much sorrow, Keigo never thought they would be defeated—to this.
After the Second War, the League of Villains became the first participants in a long-running rehabilitation program aimed at reintegrating villains into society. The public still debated whether Hawks’ decision to relinquish his heroic status and become the new HPSC leader had influenced the approval and swift passage of this law.
Through ups and downs, good and bad days, Touya and Keigo found themselves back in each other’s arms. Just as it was meant to be. They spent many wonderful years with their families and friends.
Until Touya turned sixty-five.
It had all started so slowly, maybe that’s why Keigo missed it, because Hawks had always been too fast.
Touya first started forgetting where he put his things; this was normal, it should be normal. With age, no one found it strange. Then he started forgetting places. Slowly, he began forgetting conversations. With each thing he lost, his aggression increased. This worried his psychiatrist and psychologist. Even though years had passed since he stopped wearing his quirk-supressant bracelets, they didn’t want him to end up in Tartarus for the slightest mistake.
Then he started forgetting recent memories. Touya found it difficult to find the right words when speaking. He started forgetting birthdays, anniversaries…
His aggression intensified, his anxiety worsened, and his depression was triggered. His sleep problems recurred. He frequently woke up screaming or crying from nightmares at night, and drowsy at odd times during the day. This led to hallucinations and delusions throughout the day. One day, Touya hurled insults at Keigo, called him a two-faced spy, and tried to—to burn him…
Remembering that day, Keigo collapsed to the ground and began to cry, his breath catching in his throat, his vision blurring. He was certain he would turn to ashes. But when he came to, he found himself restlessly dozing in their bed. Touya was standing by the door, biting his nails. His eyes were bloodshot, and his whole body was trembling.
All of this combined led Touya to cut off contact with their family and friends. He even avoided being in the same room or sleeping in the same bed with Keigo. It was tearing him apart. Keigo reminded him of their vows, the promises they had made to be there for each other in good times and bad, in sickness and in health. No matter how much Keigo pleaded, Touya was stubborn. When he finally agreed to go to the doctor, they had his annual check-up done early.
According to what the doctors said, Touya’s overuse of his quirk in the past, prolonged exposure to various types and intensities of trauma, combined with excessive smoking and alcohol consumption, had triggered Alzheimer’s. Although doctors said they had noticed it early, Keigo couldn’t help but feel like it was too late—that he was too late. Touya had started forgetting his doctors, nurses, and even his physiotherapist who regularly came to their home for treatment. Music and art therapy seemed to at least slow down the process. Doctors even said it might improve his memory. Although Keigo was afraid to hope, he couldn’t stop himself. Because what if?
“Looking at the pictures where you make a fool of yourself has always been my favorite pastime!” chirped Keigo, hoping his voice wouldn’t crack.
“I think you are the one starting to mix up the memories,” Touya grumbled, his blue eyes lost in thought as he gazed at the albums in front of them.
Keigo bumped their shoulders; even though they sat in separate chairs, they were practically inseparable. They were a pair that couldn’t be broken up.
“Well, if that were the case, you would be the one telling the story of that day at kindergarten, not me,” he smiled.
A faint smile flickered across Touya’s face, though hesitant; it didn’t reach his eyes. His knuckles, holding the album, were almost white.
“Hey,” said Keigo, placing his hand on Touya’s. “Why don’t I tell it one more time and prove to both you and Tenko how I was right, as always?”
When Touya snorted, Keigo’s baby feathers fluttered. They were all that remained of his once magnificent red wings, but as long as Touya was in his life, it was a loss he could tolerate.
“Okay then,” Touya handed him the album. “Entertain me.”
“Your command is a great favor to me,” sang Keigo.
“Such a charlatan,” Touya murmured into his cup.
Keigo hummed as he turned the pages. “Your charlatan.”
After looking at Touya’s baby pictures, he smiled as he saw the group photos from their first days of kindergarten. As for Keigo... his mother, Tomie, had ignored him, and his father had acted as if he didn’t exist. When he was sold to the HPSC at the age of six, the only thing he had left from his previous life was an Endeavor plushie. It was still in a small box in their cupboard. Touya’s heart couldn’t bear him to throw it away.
Keigo was a small child when he was taken into the HPSC’s care, and he wasn’t very good at socializing. When his senpai, Kaina, suggested to the then-Chairman that it might be good for him to spend time with children his own age, the Commission decided they could give it a try. After all, it was their own daycare.
Kaina, whom he regarded as an older sister, had been by Keigo’s side on his first day. Until it was time to go to class, he waited, hiding behind Kaina’s legs, wrapping his tiny wings around himself.
“You were so small,” Touya said softly, resting his head on Keigo’s shoulder.
Keigo kissed his hair. “What would you expect from a strange system that puts different age groups in the same classroom?”
“Still…”
Keigo showed him a photo of the three of them. “Do we agree that Tenko is the healthiest of us three?” Touya, whose hair had changed from red to white, stood sulking, arms crossed, wearing a red Endeavor t-shirt and baby blue shorts. Tenko wore a black t-shirt and gray shorts, rubbing his face. Back then, his black hair reached down to his eyes. Keigo stood between them, tightly gripping the edges of his newly acquired yellow and white striped t-shirt. He pressed his wings together tightly so as not to disturb them.
He couldn’t remember how they’d gotten into that photo. It was still early in the semester, and they certainly weren’t speaking to each other.
“Whenever Tenko saw me alone, he’d call me over to play hero with them,” Keigo said, resting his chin on Touya’s head. “And you would just sit in a corner sulking.”
“Nobody ever called me on to play the hero, that’s why,” Touya grumbled.
Keigo threw his head back and laughed.
“What?” Touya frowned. “What’s so funny?”
“I love the way you lie,” Keigo said, kissing the corner of Touya’s lip. “No one called you because they were afraid of you. You were the son of the Number Two. You knew more about heroes than any of us.” When Touya opened his mouth to object, he added, “And I’ll remind you that every day you tried to show us the new moves your father taught you. Didn’t you almost set someone’s hair on fire?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure, hot stuff.”
The two chuckled as they turned the pages, and Keigo finally found what he was looking for. The three of them together once more, but this time with their arms intertwined, their clothes covered in dirt, their hair disheveled.
“Do you remember how ‘quirkless’ Tenko suddenly awakened his quirk?” Keigo asked, even though he already knew the answer.
“How could I forget?” Touya traced his finger along the edges of the picture. “That’s when I realized I truly had friends.” His blue eyes were tired as he looked at Keigo. “But… why don’t you tell me again?”
Keigo kissed his shoulder. “Of course, my love.” He placed the album on Touya’s lap and put his arm around his waist. His husband rested his head on his chest. “It was another day when Tenko challenged me to play heroes. Then suddenly, his feet left the ground. He rose like a balloon. As he floated in the air, crying, no one knew what to do.”
Touya turned his head. “You knew.”
“Well—”
“You flapped your wings, those tiny wings, and caught Tenko,” his eyes blazed with a familiar glint. Keigo felt his heart skip a beat. “I—I used my flames too, didn’t I? Yes, yes, I did. I sent small flames shooting from my hands and feet. And—And…”
“And you hugged me by the leg,” Keigo finished, smiling broadly.
“The teachers were going crazy, while we were in tears from laughter.”
“That day marked the true beginning of our friendship.” Keigo blinked, hoping the burning sensation would disappear. “Tenko and I forged a bond through our quirks. We learned how to fly together.”
“I’ve joined you, haven’t I?” Touya whispered.
Keigo squeezed his hand. “Yes, yes, you have. You’ve been with us ever since, giving us tactics about flying. You’ve helped us more than anyone else.” He smiled at his husband. “But your eyes were also on the nest of those stars you love so much. We caught you trying to take off using your flames.” Touya, his pale cheeks flushing, turned his head, a small smile curving upwards on his lips. “And we taught you how to fly using them.”
“Three little lonely stars,” Touya said with a sigh. “They found each other in the sky, under the clouds. With no one around, they managed to form a constellation.” A sob caught in his throat. “But one of them slowly began to fade.”
“No,” Keigo gasped. “No, no, no!” He cupped his husband’s cheeks. “Don’t say that, please. I don’t want to hear you say something like that again, Touya.”
“We can’t escape the truth, Keigo.”
“This isn’t the truth!” He rested his forehead against Touya’s. “It’s just a possibility. And you’re getting better! Your forgetfulness is decreasing now. You even remembered this memory yourself!”
“Keigo…”
“I won’t give up on you. I can’t. I won’t.” His vision blurred as he pulled back, but those bright blue eyes, reminiscent of the North Star, always guided him home. “After everything we’ve been through, never. You can’t expect that from me.”
“I don’t want you to give up on me,” Touya said, his voice, once deep and hoarse, now bitter. “I just… want you to be by my side.”
Keigo hugged his husband tightly. “I’m here for you, my love. Always and forever.”