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After parking the car, Touya put his hands in his coat pockets. He sighed as he walked along the stone path in the garden, being careful not to harm the newly planted saplings. All he wanted was to come home after this busy Friday, take a warm shower, drink his tea, and watch TV until he fell asleep.
The library was extra crowded because midterms were approaching. At least people weren’t screaming and running away anymore when they saw him; after all, he’d been working as a librarian for years. It was a strange choice as an ex-villain, sure, but the unassuming comfort, the aroma of coffee wafting from the shelves, the rustling of the pages gave him… peace.
Over time, his library began to become popular, perhaps because he was an ex-villain, or perhaps because he was married to Hawks, an ex-pro hero and now the Hero Public Safety Commission’s President.
Plus, his library was quite close to Atsuhiro and Kurogiri’s coffee shop. On Wednesdays, Kurogiri made and sold special teas using his unique recipes as well.
Tenko and Shuichi opening a game store together didn’t surprise anyone. Jin was working as a cashier in Touya’s library. Himiko, meanwhile, was finally living out the childhood she never had and was about to complete her internship at Ochako’s agency. Because they were all former villains, everything was moving longer and slower than usual for them, but none of them cared. After all, they had a second chance now.
He couldn’t help but smile when he opened the door; after all, when Touya came home from work, Keigo always greeted him with a sparkle in his eyes, a smile so genuine it made his cheeks ache, and he would take Touya in his arms and wrap his wings around him.
“I’m home—”
“I can’t believe you did this to me!” Keigo shouted, his eyes red.
“What?” Touya threw his backpack to the ground and tried to cup his husband’s cheeks, but Keigo pushed him away with his hand.
“After everything we’ve been through!” Keigo shouted, wings flared, and he began throwing bird plushies at Touya using baby feathers.
“Keigo—” When Touya picked up one of the plushies that had fallen to the floor, he felt betrayed, because they were the same family of plush birds he had given Keigo as a gift last spring, and now they were being used against him! “What are you talking about?”
“You left me at the altar!”
“I—What?!”
As Keigo walked into the living room crying, Touya followed him, tripping over his feet many times.
“Birdie, baby, love.” When he held Keigo by the wrist, his husband sobbed. Touya’s heart shattered. He didn’t want to see him like this, never again. “Talk to me, please.”
Keigo broke free from his grip and threw his phone onto the table. He sat down on the couch, pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and continued to cry, his wings curled around himself.
Touya, with trembling hands, picked up the phone; the lock screen displayed the picture of the two of them hugging while watching the sunset. He quickly entered the password, which was their wedding date, and sat down on the couch to prepare himself for what was to come. He usually sat next to Keigo, but he didn’t want to upset his stressed husband even more… though Touya wasn’t entirely sure what he did.
Dozens of words appeared on the white screen, looking like a book? A book about them…? Touya quickly scanned the text, sinking deeper into his seat with each new sentence. This couldn’t be happening again.
“Keigo,” he whispered, rubbing his temples. He never expected to be greeted like this at home after such a busy day. “…Are you reading fanfiction again—”
His husband screamed and threw his favorite oversized plush duck at Touya.
“Birdie.” A plushie hit his face. “Pretty bird.” Another hit his head. “Love.” Another hit his chest. Touya grabbed his husband’s hands and pulled him closer, sighing as they were just a breath apart. “Keigo, we’ve been married for five years.”
“B-But—” His sobs pierced Touya’s heart like a dagger.
“No buts,” Touya said, resting his forehead against his. “Also, who sent this to you?”
The fact that Keigo avoided his gaze with his red golden eyes confirmed his suspicions.
“Was it Himiko?” That fucker.
Keigo nodded slightly.
“I’ve been telling her not to do this from the very beginning, but does anyone listen to me? Of course not!” Touya let go of him and leaned back on the couch, covering his face with his hands.
“You did?” asked Keigo in a small voice. “Why?”
“Because birdie,” Touya lowered his hands and looked at the meaning of his life, a small smile appearing on his face despite his inner battles. “At first, what you were reading were cute and funny things. Now? Now you’re reading sad things—and without even looking at the tags!” He started counting on his fingers. “Angst. Angst with no happy ending. Hell, even MCD!”
“I…” Keigo started playing with the edge of his sweater, his talons leaving little holes. “I don’t read MCD. I don’t like that.”
“I know, love. I know.” Touya ran his fingers through his white hair, his eyes darting to the backpack he’d tossed to the ground without a second thought. Fuck it.
When he stood up, Keigo spoke in a tiny, mournful coo. “Where are you going?”
Touya used all his willpower to keep from crying. He picked up his bag and sat down next to his lover again, this time closer. He took off his laptop. “I have a surprise for you.”
He chuckled as Keigo’s wings fluttered. He was both relieved and terrified by how quickly they had returned to their normal selves, even though they had just been experiencing one of their worst moments in years.
“Since you seem so eager to read something,” Touya said, opening the ‘Birdie’ folder and clicking the file titled ‘Love Letter’ inside. “I thought you might want to give this a try.”
As his husband slowly glanced at the pages, Touya began fiddling with his wedding ring, afraid that he would suddenly open the door and bolt. He knew this day would come, he wanted it—hell, he had been eagerly waiting for it, but not like this.
“I was going to tell you when I finished at least the second draft, but… but I didn’t want you to upset yourself by reading these things Himiko sent.”
“Did you write a book about us?” Keigo’s eyes gleamed like the sun had exploded. A redness had been added to his cheeks and nose, for another, better, reason. “All this time… I—I never noticed.”
“Well, what can I say, pretty bird?” Touya put his arm around Keigo’s shoulder and grinned. “You should’ve kept both eyes on me~”
When Keigo giggled, his wings puffed up, and his tiny feathers scattered like confetti.
“Idiot.”
“Your idiot.”
Keigo rubbed their noses. “Yeah, my idiot, mine.”
“So,” Touya tucked the golden curls that had fallen across Keigo’s forehead behind his ears. “Are you going to stop reading the things Himiko sends?”
“Hm, I don’t know,” said Keigo, tapping his finger lightly on his lips. “Will you read your book to me?”
Touya’s entire body was burning up; he could feel his ears turning red. “If that’s what you want, sure.”
“Wonderful!” Keigo jumped up and hugged Touya like a princess.
“Keigo!”
His husband chirped and reached their room with a few flaps of his wings. His little feathers were dragging Touya’s laptop behind them. “Let’s go to our nest and hear our story from the beginning!”