Chapter Text
Hawks was flying over the three heroes, in training, sending his feathers down to try and grab the villain they had been chasing for far too long. The guy kept slipping out of any hold he or the UA students put him in. He had seen the three of them, Deku, Dynamite and Shoto running after the guy and he had joined the chase. He hadn’t had anything better to do and figured it would be smart to offer a helping hand. The guy just wouldn’t stay caught and it was becoming incredibly annoying. Hawks blamed his slowness on the late nights he had been spending with Dabi due to the infiltration mission that commission had given him. He had been on the mission for almost eight months and he could tell it was taking a toll on him. It wasn’t just the long nights though, it was the heat of summer that was taking its toll on him too. He had ditched his jacket early in the day, flying around in just his pants and flight suit. It felt nice to fly without the oppression of his jacket. It was rare he actually flew without his jacket on so it was a nice change.
He threw out another group of feathers as the students threw out their own attacks. The feathers caught hold of one of the guy's ankles and tripped him. The three students surrounded him, Hawks dropping next to them offering them a smile.
"I got him. You guys head back to UA." He said, turning around to grab the villain but the man smiled brightly at him, reaching out and grabbing Hawks before he could move, wrapping his hand around Hawk’s bare arm. He sent his feathers out, forcing the man to the ground and stumbled away, almost knocking Todoroki, Midoriya and Bakugo over. The three of them grabbed him, trying to keep him up. He tried to stand up on his own but every time he tried, his head spun and it sent him back into the student's arms. His arms moved out, trying to balance, knocking Dynamite and Deku in the face, he tried to apologize, Shoto grabbing onto his arms to help them. He had been hit by something and it was going to be a pain in the ass waiting for it to wear off if it already had him feeling like this.
He cursed himself for staying up so late the night before. He had known he needed to be on patrol all day long but he had stayed up with Dabi, doing things he really has no business doing with a villain. But he couldn't help his feelings, couldn't help how much he loved Dabi's eyes and how he made him feel when they were together. He didn't know how much longer they had together, war was coming and they were on opposing sides. He had wondered many nights while resting on Dabi's warm chest, the man drawing circles on his back or playing with his feathers if he could convince him to abandon whatever mission he had and fight alongside them. To live with him instead of crawling back to the League's base every morning. He had never had enough courage to ask and knew his chances were getting slimmer and slimmer.
He dropped to the ground, the three heroes falling with him. He turned his head trying to make sure they were okay. Their eyes were closed and bodies fading away like they were turning invisible. He tried to shake his head, trying to clear his vision. The sound of shoes on gravel came from behind him. He looked back to the villain who was standing up, brushing the dirt off of himself.
"Have fun on your trip, hero." He sneered and Hawks' vision faded in and out as the man took off. He cursed and was gone.
Hawks woke to the feeling of hard ground beneath him and someone grabbing him. He sharpened his wings immediately and jumped up, looking around and finding no one but the three people he had been with when they had been attacked. They no longer looked like they were fading in and out. His entire body was aching and his head was killing him. He rubbed over his forehead, looking over them.
"You three okay?" He asked and they all nodded, confirming that they were okay aside from the headache. Hawks couldn't decide if that worried him or not. He couldn't remember what kind of quirk the villain they had been chasing had. He had robbed a bank and taken off. Truly the three heroes in training had been with Endeavor when it had happened and took off after the guy while Endeavor had run after his friends. Hawks had seen them in passing and decided to help. Runners were some of his favorites, he got to stretch his wings and take off. But something had been different about this one. He had never been hit with a quirk that made him feel like this. Truly he never been close enough to get hit with one. He was always too fast for his own good.
He looked over the three students he was with and there were no obvious markings of harm to their outer bodies but that didn't mean there wasn't something inside of them tearing them apart. They needed to get to a hospital and fast. He didn't know how long they had before whatever he had to them killed them or worse. How long had they been out? The sun was still high in the sky so it couldn’t have been for very long. He helped them stand, all four of them stumbling as they tried to remain on their feet. The headache got worse the more he moved but they needed to get out of this alley. They needed to find Endeavor and hope that he had caught the other group. Hopefully they would be able to shed some light on where the man had gone. They started walking towards the entrance of the alleyway they had chased the man into and got onto the street. Hawks moved his yellow glasses above his head and looked around.
"Everyone still feel okay?" He asked and they all confirmed they were. Nothing more than bumps and bruises from collapsing on the ground. They started walking towards the last place they had seen Endeavor, hoping he’d be there soon. Hawks could fly but he wasn't going to risk something happening to any of Eraser's students, again, the man would kill him. If he left them and they collapsed he could almost hear the call he would get. Despite the complaints he knew that Eraser loved his kids. They stopped in front of the bank and found Endeavor talking to the police and the group he had been chasing was captured. Endeavor looked up as they approached and waved to them.
"Where is the other guy?" He asked and Hawks gave him a shortened explanation of what had happened to them. Endeavor listened, nodding along and sighed.
"I'll have someone back at the agency look him up and see if they know anything." He said and turned back to talk to the officers as they took the small group away. Hawks sent the three students away to get checked by the medical staff on scene and they found nothing wrong, inside or out on any of them. Hawks wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. On one hand it could be very good and that means there was nothing wrong with them. On the other hand whatever was wrong could be hiding. He had heard cases of quirks that infested like that, acting almost like a parasitic infection. As they walked to get some food he was hoping this wasn't one of those.
They stopped at one of Hawks' favorite places and got a table. They discussed the capture and then more about how the schooling was going for the students. He asked about Tokoyami, the young man he had taken on. The students informed him that Tokoyami had caught some kind of flu and had been resting. Endeavor's phone started ringing during the meal and he excused himself, Hawks watched him walk away and could see the slight frustration on the man's face on top of exasperation that only a parent could show to their children. He laughed to himself and wondered what kind of nonsense Natsuo was getting into. He knew it wasn't Fuyumi and Shoto was sitting right here so it had to be Natsuo doing something to get on Endeavor's nerves. He had met the Todoroki family once and the meeting had been tense to say the least. The entire house made him feel like he was home with his own parents again. It was obvious where each of the siblings fell in regards to their father.
Endeavor sat down next to him, sighing as he picked up his chopsticks and looked at Shoto.
"Your brother is going to drive me up the wall." He said it like it was Shoto's fault and the young man just stared at him, not saying anything. That seemed to be his normal, from what Hawks had gathered. Shoto was a quiet kid and even more so in the presence of his father. Endeavor took a few bites and seemed unnerved by his youngest's silence for some reason. He swallowed his bite and looked at Shoto.
"Are you feeling okay, Shoto?" He asked and Shoto narrowed his eyes at him.
"Fine." He answered, his tone short and clipped. The way it always was when he spoke to Endeavor.
"Are you sure? You seem off. Was it that quirk?" He asked and Shoto rolled his eyes.
"I'm fine." He said and Endeavor sighed, nodding his head. It seemed he wasn't going to have an argument here and Hawks was thankful for it. He didn't want to create a scene here.
"What's Natsuo doing?" Hawks decided to ask to see if Endeavor would change the subject to something funnier. He could only imagine what the younger man was doing to piss Endeavor off now.
"Natsuo? Oh, I'm not sure. That was Touya." He said and Hawks’ stomach plummeted. Shoto choked on his food, Midoriya and Bakugo slammed their hands on his back. Endeavor looked at them and seemed extremely confused by their faces.
"What?" He asked and Hawks shook his head, cutting a look at the three students. None of them were going to say anything, looking at him to say something. That was fair, he was the other adult in this situation but damn it, he didn’t want to.
"Nothing." He said, trying to piece together why Endeavor was claiming his dead son had called him and was stressing him out. He must have hit his head much harder than he thought. No, Endeavor must have hit his head or maybe someone in the group Endeavor went after hit him with some kind of quirk. It may have sent him into some kind of psychosis and he hadn’t been checked by the medical team. He went back to his food forcing himself to take bites and act normal, trying to figure this out. He really needed to ask somebody about the quirks the group had and soon. They couldn't have their number one hero incapacitated from a psychosis episode. Endeavor seemed okay with that answer, turning back to his food to continue eating. He was acting relatively normal but this delusion of his dead son was concerning. Endeavor and the Todoroki family never talked about Touya. It was a tragedy that they swept under the rug. To hear the name come from Endeavor in such a public place was shocking. Hawks cut his eyes to Shoto who was just staring at his father, his two friends switching their eyes between everyone at the table.
Papers slammed on the table in front of them and Hawks almost jumped out of his skin. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the person coming to their table. He looked up and found the person moving around to the other side of the table, patting Midoriya and Bakugo's heads, the two students jerking away from the touch, before getting to Shoto and bending down, kissing the top of his head.
"Hey, stinker. Heard you got hit with a quirk, feel alright?" The person asked and Hawks' eyes almost popped out of his head. It was Dabi, except it wasn't. There were no scars, no staples but that was him. Same lanky build only a little more muscle, same blue eyes, same voice. But this person's skin was relatively clear, there was a little scarring but it wasn’t near as bad as Dabi’s. His hair was white and he was dressed similarly to Endeavor, a skin tight suit that was black with bright blue strips across his torso, legs and arms. They looked exactly like the bright blue fire he had seen Dabi use so many times. He was wearing thick soled boots and on his hands were black gloves.
Shoto stared up at him and was so shocked he couldn't speak. He was looking at someone who could only be Touya, his long dead older brother. He was talking to him, smiling at him, he was alive. He looked around the table and was shocked to find that everyone but Endeavor was shocked just as shocked as he was. He hadn’t told Midoriya and Bakugo much about his family, he had briefly mentioned Touya. He had died when Shoto was so young he had forgotten what his older brother had looked like. Except, here he was. What kind of quirk did they get hit with? He felt the man above him poke his forehead and his eyes were filled with worry now.
"Sho? Hey." He crouched down next to him. "You okay?" He asked and Shoto just stared at him.
"Touya?" He asked and Touya smiled at him.
"And he speaks. The one and only, kid." He smiled and Shoto just stared at him. Touya sighed, poking his forehead and standing back up, patting Endeavors' back as he made his way around to Hawks, checking with Midoriya and Bakugo who both just stared at him in wonder instead of answering.
"Hey baby." He smiled, squatting down in front of him. "You alright?" He asked and Keigo just stared at him in wonder, reaching his shaking hands out and placing them on Touya's cheeks, feeling the skin under his hands. It was hard to feel through his gloves but there was an obvious difference between his skin and Dabi's. Touya just stared at him, letting him touch him before Hawks pulled away and looked at his hands. Touya stood up, placing his hands on his hips.
"You four are coming with me. You're acting really weird. That alright, dad?" He asked and Endeavor nodded. "Let's go. Those were the files you asked for." He said to Endeavor and all four of them stood up following him out of the restaurant and into the street. They walked to Endeavor's agency, Touya tried to start a conversation with them but none of them responded, too surprised and confused to think about answering his questions. He didn’t seem offended, just worried. He sent them to get checked out by the doctors at the agency telling them he'd be in his office when they were done. No one said anything to him and he sighed, shrugging to the nurses and walked out.
The four of them spent the next two hours being checked out but nothing was wrong with them. Nothing mental or physical and Hawks was beginning to understand the Touya was not a psychosis episode he was real but how? There was no way he was real and if he was real, if he was actually alive Hawks knew who he was and he wasn't a hero. Hawks pulled his flight suit back on and stepped into the hallway where the other three were waiting for him. Each of them stood when he came out, walking towards him. He stopped one of the nurses and asked how to get to Touya's office. She looked at him like he was insane for asking before giving them directions and sighing. Hawks heard her mumble something about the quirk being a rough one before she disappeared.
"Okay. What the fuck is going on?" Bakugo asked in a harsh whipser as they walked towards the elevator to go up to Touya's office. When the door finally shut and it was just them everyone looked to Midoriya. He was the one who had knowledge over quirks and he just stared at them.
"I'm really not sure. I've never heard of one that brings people back from the dead and inserts them as if they were never gone. It would make more sense if he had touched Shoto first given that it was Touya who came back to life or..." He trailed off, mumbling to himself and trying to figure it out. No one spoke again, the sounds of Midoriya's mumblings and the elevator's ascending were the only sounds that could be heard. The elevator finally came to a stop, opening the doors and Hawks stepped out with the three students following close behind. This floor was all windows and on the far right was a door that must be Touya's office. He couldn't hear anything going on around here. There was no one else up here but him. They walked towards the door and knocked. They heard someone move inside and call for them to open the door.
Touya was sitting behind a large desk, staring at a computer and typing, his gloves were gone for the time being and Hawks could see a black ring on his left hand. He was married? He had come back from the dead and gotten married? That was fast. He looked around the rest of the office and found a bookcase spanning an entire wall and on the shelf were pictures of them. Him and Touya from all different ages. There were pictures of the entire Todoroki family and as Shoto got older he even had some of Midoriya and Bakugo. All of them stood still, looking over the pictures and it seemed Touya wasn't going to say anything for a hot second, his fingers moving quickly over his keyboard.
Hawks stepped closer to the shelf, inspecting each of the pictures. There were pictures of them in UA uniforms, pictures of them as fresh heroes and then pictures of their engagement and their wedding. They were married, had been for some time it seemed, given how young Shoto looked in their wedding pictures. He looked over and found the other three doing the same thing, studying the pictures Touya had on the shelves. There was one that Shoto pulled off the shelf and stared at, mouth agape. It was from some time recently. It was him, Midoriya, Bakugo and Touya. They were sitting in someone's living room, playing some kind of video game. There were blankets and pillows all over the place, as if they had been staying the night somewhere. It seemed that Touya had an entire life with them but none of them could remember it.
"Sorry about that." Touya's voice rang out and Shoto put the picture down and looked back at him. They all came to stand by his desk as he moved his computer for them to see. "This was the guy who hit you guys right?" He asked, letting them look at the picture of the man and they all nodded.
"His quirk is called Alternate. It's essentially a quirk that allows him to send people into a completely different universe or dimensions, however you wanna call it, as long as he makes contact with your skin. It's like a skin infection. There is no information on how long it lasts. I imagine it could last years or even forever. But going by the fact that no one who has been hit has ever spoken about coming back I imagine it's closer to forever. It can be transferred like any skin infection can. If you get touched and then touch someone else you kinda turn into a packaged deal. If he can't reach your skin he simply knocks you out, you sleep for a couple hours and then you're ultimately fine. Some brain fog and confusion, that would explain what you guys have going on. You did also fall on concrete but the nurses sent me your charts and there aren't any signs of concussions surprisingly. But you should be okay. I bet you're glad he missed your skin, huh?" He laughed, pulling the computer back around and cursing at the sound of an email that just came through. Hawks looked at the three students and he could see the panic rising in them. He wanted to reach out to them, to calm them but how could he? What could he say that would make this better?
His chest was moving rapidly, his head was spinning. Oh this was bad. This was really bad. Hawks turned away for a moment, trying to take a deep breath, doing anything and everything to calm down but he could feel his panic rising and rising fast. They were on the verge of a war and he was needed for it but instead of being at home waiting for his villain to show up he had been shipped off to some alternate dimension. He didn't even know that kind of thing existed until right now. That is supposed to be comic book stuff. That isn't supposed to be real. But Touya sitting behind him at the desk and all the pictures on the way proved to him that it was. They were stuck, truly stuck with no way to go home. It all came rushing back to him then. The last words the man had spoken to him.
"Have fun on your trip, hero."
"Oh fuck." Hawks gritted out and collapsed.
Hawks was coming back with four faces around him. They were blurry and he was laying on something soft. He heard faint talking and three of the faces disappeared from his line of sight. He blinked a few times, pushing himself into a sitting position. Someone helped him sit up and a wet rag fell into his lap. He looked to his side to thank whoever it was and yelled out at the sight of Touya, who jerked back at the sound and gave him a confused look.
"It's just me, baby." He said and Hawks knew it was meant to be comforting but given the situation at hand it was anything but. He tried to stand up from the couch he was laying on and tried to move but Touya caught him by the shoulders and forced him back down.
"No." Hawks whined, still weak from passing out, shoving his hands into Touya’s chest. "We have to find him. We have to go now."
"Slow down, Keigo. We'll find him. We have heroes all over the city looking for him." He promised and Hawks looked at him, really looked at him and his heart ached for Dabi. Those beautiful blue eyes and now that he was almost on top of Touya and really focusing on him he could see the faint scarring that must have been from his accident as a child. Dabi had never specified what had happened, only that it had been a childhood accident. It seemed that in this universe it had never gotten that bad. Something had changed in the events of Touya’s life in this universe. He was a hero, married and had a good relationship with his family.
"I need some water." He gritted out and Touya smiled at him, patted his shoulder and stood.
"I'll be right back. Sho, make sure he doesn't move." Touya looked back at him. "You fell right on your wings, babe. I gotta check 'em out when I come back." He said, leaving the room in search of water. When the door shut Hawks looked at the three students. Each of them were just as panicked as he was. He surely hadn’t helped when he had collapsed on the ground.
"We gotta get out of here. We have to find him and go." Midoriya said, leaning over the back of the couch.
"I know. But finding him is going to be so much harder now that we have to play the roles of whoever we are in the life." Shoto said and sighed, rubbing his hands over his face.
"What are we going to do?" Bakugo asked and Hawks thought for a moment before looking at them.
"Shoto’s right, we play our roles. We just have to keep playing them until he's caught or find another way to get home. But we have to get home. We have to stop the war that's coming, we have to-"
"My brother is alive. Isn't he?" Shoto asked, cutting him off and Hawks looked at him, really looked at him for a moment. He was looking at his hands and not really speaking to anyone in particular.
"Touya. He's alive in our world. But he doesn't go by the name. Does he?" He asked, his anger heightening and Hawks shook his head even though the boy wasn't looking at him.
"I saw the faint scars on him when he was standing over me and when he was checking on me. I saw them." Shoto whispered, and Hawks could hear the tears in his voice, the anger at what his oldest brother had become. He leaned over and pressed a soft hand to his shoulder. He didn't need to say anything. Shoto was a smart kid and he knew what he was asking. He had already figured it out but vocalizing seemed like it might help or it might give them a chance to tell him he was wrong. But they couldn't. Not when it was so blatantly obvious who he was. Hawks stretched his wings out, they were a little sore but nothing was broken. The door opened right as he went to say something and he slammed his mouth shut. Touya walked over and handed him the water, crouching down next to him again.
"Wings alright?" He asked and Hawks nodded as he took a sip of his water. Touya smiled, standing back up from his spot on the floor and going behind his desk. Grabbing his things and nodding to them.
"Let's go home. You four need some rest. Midoriya, Bakugo, call your parents. Let them know you're with me and Kei and that you're fine." He said, not really looking at them as he made sure he had everything. Midoriya and Bakugo looked at each other, grabbing for their phones and making calls like they were told to. Play their roles, that's what Hawks had told them to do.
Midoriya's mom picked up on the first ring.
"Hi mom." He said.
"Hi honey. Are you okay? Enji called and said you were hit with a quirk!" She was almost hysterical and he needed to calm her down.
"I’m fine. I got hit by some quirk but I'm okay just a little sore and my brain is foggy but Touya told me to tell you I’ll be with him, Kacchan, Shoto and Hawks." He said and after his mother made sure he was okay a couple more times he promised he was.
"I'm sure mom. Really? I'll be with them tonight." He said and she stopped talking and began laughing.
"Hawks, huh? Are you back to calling him his hero name?" She laughed and Midoriya looked at Hawks who was just sitting on the couch, looking around the office. The number two hero had always mystified him, he had never been able to get much information on him or his quirk. He had wings and he could use his feathers but Midoriya knew there was more that went into it. He had wanted to talk to him ever since he had shown up in the hero ranks but Hawks truly was the man who is too fast for his own good. This was the longest Midoriya had seen him on the ground.
"What do you mean?" He asked, looking away from the hero and she laughed again.
"You haven't called him by his hero name since that last time he made you mad. I hope you don't stay too mad at him this time." She teased and Midoriya wanted to ask what she meant but he was supposed to be playing his role. He was supposed to know what she was talking about. He didn't know Hawks' real name in their world and he wasn't going to ask him. There was a reason you couldn't find it on public records. He said goodbye to his mom and ended the call, watching as Bakugo did the same thing. They both looked back at Touya who was finished putting his things together and heading for his door.
"Good?" He asked and they all nodded, following him out. The walk to Touya's home wasn't far. He lived relatively close in an apartment complex. He led them the whole way up, opening the door to a beautiful apartment. Hawks walked through the door and was shocked. This was his apartment, at least what was his apartment in his world. But here it had photos everywhere, movies, books. It looked lived in, like a home. His apartment didn't look this way at all. It was almost a show room apartment with how bare it was. But here there was life in this apartment.
Touya led Shoto and his friends down to the guest rooms and guest bathroom. Telling them to wash up and get into some comfy clothes for dinner. He looked at Hawks and when the door shut to their rooms he hugged Hawks around the waist, kissing his cheek and neck. Hawks tensed for a moment and then relaxed, hugging Touya back around his neck. Play his role, the Hawks in this universe was married to Touya. They had been together for a very long time, childhood sweethearts.
"I'm so glad you're okay. That all of you are okay. I was so worried when dad called and said you had been hit." He whispered into Hawks' neck, tucking his face there for a moment before standing back up and looking at him. Hawks kept his arms around Touya's neck, staring into his eyes and wishing more than anything he was home in the arms of the version of Touya he had come to love.
"You need a nice long hot shower." Touya said, kissing his nose and backing away.
"You want me to come with?" He teased and Hawks felt his stomach tighten at the idea. He pretended to consider it for a few moments before sighing.
"Next time?" He asked and Touya winked at him.
"Next time. Think about what you want for dinner." He said, walking towards the home office Hawks had in his own apartment but never used. When Touya was gone, Hawks walked down the hallway, his eyes catching on every single difference in this apartment. Walking down the hall to his bedroom there were photos on the wall from their wedding. Photos of the Todroki family, photos of him and Touya. The last photo caught his attention the most, it was adorable. It was Touya, bottle of champagne in hand, sitting in the laps of Natsuo and Fuyumi, his arms around their shoulders. Shoto standing behind him with his arms wrapped around Touya’s shoulders, his cheek pressed closely with his brother’s, all four of them with bright smiles, Touya’s shirt open a little at the top showing off tattoos that Hawks hadn’t noticed. Fuyumi and Natsuo were leaning into Touya, their arms around him. This was from their wedding if the outfits were anything to go by.
He walked away from the photos, opening the door to his bedroom. The changes there were immense. The bed was made but he could tell which side was his and which was Touya’s by the shit they had all over their nightstands. Touya had a few books, a lighter, an alarm clock and a thing of water. Hawks also had a thing of water, a word search with a pen as a bookmark and a ring box. He looked behind him for a moment before grabbing it and opening it. There was a gold band sitting in the center, it was a beautiful, intricate patterns traced into it. On the inside there was a date engraved and the letter T. He closed the box, setting it back down, looking around the room once more. This room was just as lived in as the rest of the apartment.
It hit him then that there had to be another Hawks, another Midoriya, another Bakugo and another Shoto. Where had they gone? Were they in the other world now? What would this version of Hawks think of his apartment and of Dabi. Oh god, Dabi. He was supposed to be coming by tonight and when he found someone who looked like Hawks but didn't act like him what would he do? What would this world's version of him do? Would he turn Dabi in? Or would he recognize Touya immediately and be moved by love? He shook his head. No, that wouldn't happen. He would be terrified. They were probably all so scared, taken from their comfortable lives to be shoved in the middle of a war that was coming.
He wondered if Shoto and his friends were okay in his world. They must be so scared, being so young and stripped away from their families. Especially Shoto. Being taken from a caring, loving older brother in this world to a villainous older brother who probably hated him in that one. This would be so much easier if he didn't have those three to worry about. But he would protect them until he could get them home.
He grabbed some clothes, dark sweatpants and a dark shirt. He held the shirt up and knew it had to be Touya’s by the size. There were holes in the back that this world’s version of him must have cut. He had done the same thing to one of Dabi’s white shirts and he wore it whenever he missed the villain. Did these two miss each other during the day? He sighed, moving to the bathroom and took a quick shower, trying not to let everything overwhelm him.
When he came out of the bedroom Touya was still in the office and the three students were sitting on the couch, all of them freshly washed. He walked towards them, sitting down in the arm chair, tucking his legs underneath him, flaying his wings out to dry them.
"We're going to get home, right?" Midoriya asked and Hawks smiled at him. He wanted to tell him that of course they will, that he had no doubt. How could he say that? How could he lie to these kids? He thought about not saying anything at all but reminded himself that he was the only adult they really had in this situation. He was the only “hero” they could look to for answers but he was just as lost as they were.
"I hope so." And that was as much as he could say. He didn't know if they would ever make it home. He hoped they did. He hoped they could put things right and lock that villain up for good. He knew that wasn't the answer they wanted but he didn't want to lie to them. He didn't want to give them false hope that they would one day go home. If they didn't, what were they going to do? Keep pretending for the rest of their lives? Would they have any other choice? He felt the weight of what had happened crushing him again and he could see it crushing the three of them as well. They were so young and dealing with so much already. This was just another layer.
“What do you four want for dinner?” Touya asked as he walked out of the office, clapping his hands together. None of the students answered, looking at Hawks to answer for them. Damn it.
“What do we have?” He asked and Touya shrugged, walking towards the kitchen.
“I don’t know, babe. You did the shopping this time.” He said and they could hear him moving through cabinets and the fridge. Hawks stood from the chair, walking towards the kitchen, standing in the doorway. He felt the three students come behind him, standing far back enough that they weren’t touching his wings. He moved them out of their way, Shoto coming to stand next to him, Midoriya and Bakugo looking over their shoulders. Touya turned to look at them and laughed, shaking his head.
“Little ducklings.” He teased, grabbing some packaged meat out of the fridge and some noodles out of the cabinets. “I’ll do something easy for your stomachs. Let me grab a shower and I’ll start cooking.” He says, walking towards them, they parted letting him go through. He flicked Shoto’s forehead as he went by, walking down the hall. Hawks watched Shoto move his hand up to rest on his forehead, shooting a look down the hall. Hawks sighed, knocking his head against the wall. When he opened his eyes the students were staring at him. Little ducklings indeed.
“Let’s go sit down and turn on the TV.” He said, gesturing for them to go to the living room. They turned it on, leaving it on some random channel. None of them were actually paying attention to it but the noise was welcome. It helped fill the oppressing silence. Silence led them room to worry and they couldn’t vocalize those frustrations this close to Touya. He could come out of the shower at any moment. When Touya came out he didn’t say anything to them, he walked into the kitchen to start cooking.
“Hey babe, come here.” He said and Hawks stood from the chair, walking towards the kitchen. He stayed in the doorway and he could feel the eyes of the students on his back. Touya was covered in tattoos, his arms and neck were covered in beautiful designs. His neck was covered in blue flowers and thorny vines, his arms were a mass of different art pieces. He had gotten quite a few more since their wedding day. He doesn't know why he hadn't noticed them in the other pictures, though it was possible he had just slotted Dabi's scars there as replacement.
"You sure you’re okay?" Touya asked and Hawks nodded.
"Fine. Just tired." He admitted.
“If you say so.” He said before his eyes went wide. “Oh! I almost forgot. They finished your wedding ring today so I picked it up. It’s on your nightstand.” He said and Hawks nodded, looking down the hall to their closed bedroom door. He thanked Touya, walking down the hall towards the door. He was standing back in the room, staring at the golden ring and felt sick at the idea of having to put it on. There was another version of him who had been waiting for this wedding band. He pulled the ring out, sliding it onto his finger and hated how much he loved the weight of it. It looked beautiful against his skin, it had been chosen with love. He wondered if Touya had chosen it or if he had.
When he gets back to the living room Touya is dishing everything out. He handed a plate to Hawks, grabbing his left hand with a soft smile on his face. He pressed a soft kiss over the ring, winking at him. Hawks felt his cheeks heat as he looked down at his dinner. The meal was tense to say the very least. Shoto had been designated the movie chooser and had chosen an animated film about a girl stuck in a world to save her parents. None of them called him out on it but he did get a very pointed look from Bakugo. The three students sat on the couch while Hawks remained in his arm chair, Touya sitting on the ground in front of him.
The food was delicious, Touya was one hell of a cook. All four of them ended up having two bowls of the chicken noodle dish he had made which Touya seemed pleased about. Their bowls had long since been devoured and Touya was once again back in the kitchen washing dishes. The kitchen, just like the one back home, was open, you could see from the TV into where Touya was washing the dishes. Hawks just stared at him, stared at what his Touya could’ve been had he been given the chance. The sounds of the movie, the warmth under the blanket Touya had thrown on him and the rushing water were a horrible cocktail for someone who had already been fighting sleep after his second bowl. Hawks could see the three students in a similar position, each of them fighting off sleep to the best of their ability. Each of them knew if they went to sleep and woke up in this place tomorrow morning, this had all been real. It would shatter whatever chance they had at thinking this might have been some really horrible dream.
The water had shut off, Hawks raised his head watching Touya come around the corner with a towel in his hands, wiping off the remainder of the water. Keigo could see the water coating the bottom of his shirt and the face that Touya made at it was so close to a face Dabi made at almost anything that Hawks felt tears in the back of his throat. He had tried so hard to not think of what could possibly have happened to his villain and he wouldn’t know until he got home. Though, in actuality it was more of a ‘if’ he gets home.
Touya pulled his shirt over his head, moving down the hall to where Hawks knew his laundry room was. He heard the door open with the same small creak. He listened closely, trying to see if he could hear anything other than the slow breathing of the three sitting on the couch. The small creek as Touya closed the door was the only thing he could hear. The taller man came back into the room and smiled fondly at all of them. He didn’t have another shirt on and Keigo couldn’t stop the heat in his belly at the sight. Even his chest and stomach were covered in beautiful pieces of art. Instead of scarring, there were tattoos.
He came around the couch, poking Shoto’s face softly. Shoto grumbled in his sleep, batting away the touch. Touya just sighed and poked him again.
“Sho, get up. You three can’t sleep out here. You’ll be sore.” He was whispering to him. His voice is so soft but the gravelly tone of it is unchanged to Hawks’ ears. If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend it was Dabi. Shoto mumbled in his sleep and Touya moved further down the line, waking each of them and sending them to bed. Hawks had seen the panic in the student’s eyes at the sight of Touya but thankfully none of them screamed out or said anything to him.
“No goodnight hug?’ Touya teased as Shoto walked down the hallway. Shoto turned around and the expression on his face was nothing short of annoyance that Hawks knew could only come from a younger brother. He waved at Touya and followed his friends down the hallway.
“Ungrateful shit.” Touya laughed, cleaning up the living room, putting pillows and blankets back in their place. Hawks wondered if the Shoto here did hug his older brother goodnight every night. Touya came to him, putting an arm by his head and leaning down.
“Time to go to bed, birdie.” He whispered, pulling back and Hawks stared at his arm, sitting up to get closer, grabbing the other man before thinking. Touya had a red feather tattooed on the inside of his left bicep. Hawks reached up, running his fingers over the tattoo. Touya didn’t move, just let him touch and stare.
“I guess that means you aren’t mad about it anymore.” Touya smiled at him, blue eyes electric in the low lamp light.
“Mad? It’s beautiful.” Hawks answered, staring at it. This version of Dabi loved his own Hawks so much that not only had he married him, he had gotten a tattoo for him in a place incredibly intimate. Not just because of the pain but because when Touya lowered his arm, the feather sat right over the portion of his side where his heart was.
“Thank you, baby. Now come on.” He whispered, kissing Hawks’ forehead and helping him stand from the couch. Touya clicked off the lamp and turned off the TV, walking Hawks down to the bedroom with a hand between his wings. Flashes of Dabi’s own warm hand pressing on his lower back sent shivers down Keigo’s spine. They laid in bed together after brushing their teeth, Hawks was stiff under the covers. Touya was lying on his back, reading his novel, running his hands through Hawks’ feathers.
“Have you preened your wings lately?” He asked and Hawks looked up at him, shocked that Touya could tell that by just touching him. They had been together for a long time in this world, he had seen that in the pictures in Touya's office but the way Touya asked the question tells him so much more about their life together. He knew his version of Hawks so well that he could tell from touch that his wings needed to be preened.
“No. I’ve been meaning to.” Touya hummed, putting a bookmark in his book, leaning over to set it on his night stand.
“Want me to help? We’re both off tomorrow and I’m sure the kids are gonna go out and do their own thing.” He said, propping himself up on his elbow, laying a hand on Hawks’ back.
“That works for me.” Hawks answers, he can feel the tension in his body at the idea of Touya helping with his preening. It was a very intimate act, one he usually did by himself. Dabi had watched him a few times but he had never helped. Then again, Dabi had never offered to help. In this world it was different, how often did Touya help with his preening? Was it a special occasion or was it second nature to them? He wanted to ask but he knew better than to do that.
Touya leaned down, pressing soft kisses to the side of his face and Hawks felt his body tense, his cheeks heating. Touya backed up, his eyes filled with worry. Hawks pushed himself up on his elbows, making their faces even, pressing a soft kiss to Touya's cheek.
“I’m sorry. It’s been a long day. I’m so worried about those three.” He said, playing with the fabric of Touya’s shirt. Touya smiled at him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him to lay on his chest, pressing a kiss to his head.
“I am too. I’m worried about all of you.” He admitted and Hawks looked up at him.
“Go to sleep, pretty bird.” He whispered, reaching up and turning off the light. Hawks watched him settle back down, his fingers rubbing over his shoulders. Touya looked at him, running his fingers over his jaw, pulling him up and slotting their lips together. Hawks made a noise in the back of his throat as he kissed Touya back, noting how different his lips felt from Dabi’s.