Fate's Fickle Wings

by winterziyle

It begins with a Lightbulb falling from a balcony. Fate sets in motion the beginning of a another Upheaval, that will leave their society changed again - though - whether they all come out of it alive will be entirely in the hands of those they call heroes, and whom Hawks comes to call family.

12. Chapter 12: Tokyo Night

Authors Note:

Hey yo. Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy the update. ^_^

Chapter Twelve: Tokyo Night

Keigo jogged down the stairs, yanking on a new, causal jacket and tugging a scarf tighter around his neck. Rilo was standing in the foyer beside Jeanie, her veil hooked around her shoulders, the hat section sitting comfortably on her back. He passed the extra scarf to her and she huddled into it. Though the Tokyo night looked crystal and clear, there was a nip to the air still, and he really didn't want either of them ending up chilled from it.

"Oh, you look so handsome." Rilo smiled.

"I look like I normally do." Keigo stared down at himself in confusion. He'd decided going on a date in the Tokyo nightlife wearing his hero costume was probably not really appropriate. He'd have done it, and Rilo wouldn't have cared, but Jeanie would have been reasonably disgusted at him for not putting in effort.

There were times to annoy Jeanie, and then there were times to honour the Jeanie code and not be an arse to his best friend. So, he'd flung on one of Jeanie's newly designed shirts that had zips for his wing junctions—he wasn't entirely sold on that idea yet, but he'd see how it went. The jeans were as dressed up as he would get outside of a Hero's Gala. He never liked how unfunctional they were in the air, but it wasn't as if he was expecting to do an acrobatic villain fight in denim.

At least.

He hoped not.

Rilo brushed at the fluff on the jacket's hems, and he shook his head.

"Nope. Mine. Jeanie gave you one of your own."

She pouted. "But it doesn't smell like you."

"Well neither does this one, its brand new. You can have it in a few days. Let me wear my own goddamn clothes." He tweaked her nose.

Jeanie chuckled. "I have a night patrol shift, so don't expect me back until the early morning." He started towards the agency entrance.

"Oh, that's good." Keigo took Rilo's hand. "We need a four am wake up call."

Jeanie rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll get you up." Jeanie pointed at him. "Now, I expect the two of you to be on your best behaviour tonight."

Keigo gave an insulted scoff.

"No skyscraper dipping, Hawks."

Keigo blew a rasp.

"I mean it." Jeanie's eyes narrowed.

"What about skyscraper hopping."

"No."

"Oh, come on." Keigo dropped his shoulders back.

"They're illegal, and I will book you."

"Fine, ruin our date."

"There are plenty of other things to do with your girlfriend than leaping off skyscrapers." Jeanie sighed.

"Nah, ah, not girlfriend." Rilo waggled a finger. "Wifey. We're married Jeanie."

"Exactly." Keigo agreed. "And we have been, for two years. You're going to need to remember this, Jeanie, and get it right."

Jeanie pinched the bridge of his nose. "Curse your assimilation plans, Hawks. You are a tensile test on my jeans."

"Endure it. This is us…" Keigo waved at them both. "Going and creating the story of our life."

So that it would be real, not just to them, but for the whole world. So that the illusion would never break and shatter around them. So that he could make that which wasn't a reality, into reality.

Because he had to.

He didn't have a choice.

He had to make the impossible—possible.

"Well, as long as that doesn't include you having sex on the top of Tokyo Tower." Jeanie narrowed his glare at them.

Keigo glanced to Rilo. "That's a great idea. We should do that."

She slapped him. "Hawks!"

"And when you come back to the agency, please be mindful of my young and innocent sidekicks." Jeanie nursed his head. "Keep…this…" he waved at them both. "In your pants until you get to your room, at the furthest end of the corridor, as far away from all of us as possible."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you Jeanie." Keigo ribbed him playfully.

"Shut up, Hawks."

"He's enjoying it." Keigo whispered to Rilo. "He's in his element when he gets to go all big brother mode."

"I swear, Hawks…you give my jeans wrinkles." Jeanie headed out into the night.

Keigo glanced over at Rilo, his smile dropping and his shoulders relaxing. "So, shall we?"

She nodded hesitantly. "Are you…are you sure this is okay? I mean…we…we haven't gone public…and…what about the Bureau and the Commission?"

He reached out, flipping her veil up. "Tokyo is a good place to test this out. I'm only known here through my connection to Jeanie. You're going to remain a beautiful enigma. Will there be gossip rags about it? Yes, most likely, but it'll be enough that Bubbles can manage it."

He cupped her cheek, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. "I will not let that powerplant consume you. You are mine." He clasped the back of her head, pressing closer, hugging her until her skin crackled against his. "I will be the only one who gets to consume you," he whispered.

She gripped his jacket. "Every watt is yours."

He laughed as he dragged her out the sliding glass door. "Come on, Tokyo Tower is calling."

"We are not having sex on top of it. I bet Jeanie has some secret way of finding everything out. I'd never be able to look at him, ever again." Rilo squeaked.

"No sex, got it, but that doesn't mean we can't have a nice dinner."

Nice dinner was not chicken, as much as Keigo had insisted on it being chicken, Rilo had won the discussion with a rather good arm twist about doing something different in Tokyo. Thus, Takoyaki was purchased at a lovely little street vendor, along with crepes for dessert.

They both stared up the tower, looming into the night sky.

"Eh, Fukuoka Tower is better." He grumbled despondently.

Rilo giggled. "Well, of course you'd say that."

"I can't believe we're going on a date to Tokyo Tower before I've even taken you to Fukuoka Tower." Keigo scratched his chin. "Somehow I have this backwards."

Rilo held his arm tightly.

"Should we be allowed to abuse your heroes licence like this."

"Ah, yes." Keigo lifted her and she tucked against him. "What's the point of enduring all the shite I endured if I can't fuck around a bit." He gave a quick glance about, making sure no one was in the vicinity of his take off.

"Don't lose our dinner." He commented as he spread his wings. Rilo bunched up as he launched into the air. They probably startled everyone inside the main observatory as they flew past. If he'd been on patrol, and in his heroes costume, he'd have stopped to wave, but he wasn't. He wasn't Hawks right now, he didn't have to perform for the masses, so he climbed higher, halting only to take in the view of the tower to search for a good perching spot.

Rilo pointed. "Over there."

"Looks good." He dropped them down on the metal platform. Several lights illumed the area, keeping the tower itself well lit in the night.

"Oh, wow…" Rilo clutched him. "Tokyo is so beautiful."

A forest of sparkling skyscrapers, interjected with rivers of trainlines and glittering traffic lights. Keigo reached out, folding back Rilo's veil to reveal her glow. Her cheeks tinted at his gaze and he kissed her, inhaling the lightning storm.

"You're going to have to let me go, Keigo, or our dinner will get cold."

"Pretty sure I promised to never let you go." He reluctantly let her slip free of his arms.

"How old is this tower?" Rilo asked.

"Ancient." Hawks held her hand as they walked over the platform. "From what I read in an old history book that I got on the black market; it was built after a World War."

"A World War?" Rilo's gaze flicked out across the sparkling lights of the city.

"Sounds mythological, right? So much of pre-quirk history does." He placed down their bag, yanking out a blanket that he flung over the wire meshing. Keigo held out his hand to her, aiding her in sitting beside him.

"So we're having dinner on an ancient landmark that pre-dates quirks." Rilo set out the meal between them.

"Only the best for you." He cracked open his cola can.

Rilo laughed. "You goose."

She stabbed a takoyaki ball and began to nibble on it. Keigo shook his head in amusement.

This was a scene he'd never have expected in his life. It was so far outside of the realm of probabilities; he hadn't even factored it in when contemplating 'the future'. That horrible ball of loneliness that had slowly been twisting itself up inside his chest, he had expected it to remain a part of him forever, even when reaching the future were heroes could lives with to much time on their hands.

The relief that there was even a chance that he might have someone in that future, it was a little overwhelming.

"How is Izuku's training going?" Rilo asked.

"Ah. Well…I am a little concerned I'm pushing him too hard. I find it difficult to gauge…" he scratched his neck. "It's why I've never considered myself a good candidate for any sort of teaching role."

"But you're so good with kids."

"There is a difference between being good with kids and being able to teach a teenager how to aim for the heart without flinching." He took his toothpick and pointed it at the palm of his hand.

Rilo pouted. "Okay, fair point."

"It'll be better once I can get him on the streets. Izuku seems to be the sort who learns by observing, analysing and then applying. Having him stuck in a gym isn't the best sort of environment. Be prepared for some awkward weeks of him sleeping on the floor and doing schoolwork between shifts."

"Oh no, how will we have sex." She flicked her hands out playfully.

"Creatively." His raised his brow and she gave a laugh.

"Um. Could you check the powerplants backup power?" Rilo asked.

He shuffled about for his mobile. They'd put the app on his mobile, discovering rather quickly that Rilo had an obsessive need to continuously check that she'd stocked up the enormous fucking batteries to last whole the weekend. This way, she could keep track, but not obsessively check every few minutes.

"It's fine." He held out the mobile to show her.

She frowned. "It should have gone down more than that."

"Your suspicion that they're training up a new generator might be correct." Keigo tucked the mobile away. She nibbled on her crepe.

"Keigo…what if they…what if they come to take me away."

He brushed at her hair. "Don't be silly. As if I would ever let that happen."

"I know…but…what—"

"Rilo." He held her chin. "Getting anxious about hypothetical situations takes away from the happy moments of the now."

"You sound like some wise old man."

"Yes, I do." He fluffed out his wings. "I blame the books."

"For someone who doesn't like to sit still, you do read a lot. That's a contradiction you know."

Keigo glanced up from his crepe. "I can sit still. How has this become a misconception that I don't like sitting still."

"You talk about not wanting to slow down." Rilo offered.

"Slowing down and sitting still are two very different things." Keigo raised a finger. "Reading is still keeping the mind active, that's not slowing down."

"Oh…" Rilo seemed to roll backwards, almost taking out her crepe at the motion. "That's how you look at it. Okay. I get it now." She was about to take another bite of her dessert, only to pause. "No, wait…that doesn't explain your hatred of admin duties."

"That's where brain cells go to die. Admin is slow…agonizing…drags on for fucking hours." He licked his sticky fingers.

"Keigo, just use a napkin." She shuffled around, trying to find one amongst the dinner bag.

"What, no. I'm used to licking cream off my fingers." He quipped back.

She stopped immediately, jerking back to glare at him. "Do not ruin crepes for me."

"Pretty sure I just improved them considerably." He flashed a smile.

"This is my fault…" she mockingly dropped her head to one side. "I encourage this. I blame myself."

He propped his chin up on a knee. "This is true, your participation is needed in this little game of ours."

"You jackarse."

"As previously stated, yes, I am." Keigo bit down on her crepe and she squealed in protest.

"No! Don't you dare. Leave my dessert alone." She quickly took the few final bites and hummed happily. "Oh, that was good."

Keigo chuckled, gathering up the rubbish and tightening it into a small ball to stuff away in their bag. "You're awfully easy to please. Glad I don't have to take you to some nasty high-end restaurant."

"I bet Jeanie's tried to drag you to a few of those." Rilo bunched up against him.

"He's tried." Keigo shrugged. "It's way more Jeanie's thing, you know, and I get that. I try to do things for him, he tries to do things for me."

"I presume that's how a friendship is supposed to work."

"I think so." He shrugged. "I just prefer the streets, and the people on the streets. The life…down there…doesn't it just…" he breathed in deeply. "Don't you just feel like it's on the crux of something, and by being immersed in it, we might just pull it back from the brink of whatever cliff we're all about to plummet from."

Rilo kissed his chin. "So, don't take this the wrong way, but, you think too much."

He laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I do. Which is why I am glad I have you to keep me grounded now."

She bopped his nose. "I'll do my best."

"Did you have fun at the mall?" he asked.

"The mall was beautiful." Rilo gushed. "Thank you…thank you for coming."

"Oh, I am so getting my reward." Keigo's hands snaked around her breasts, and she bunched up, squeaking.

"Oie, no sex on top of Tokyo Tower."

He pulled away, rolling his eyes. "No fun." He stared at his hands, frowning. "Wait, Rilo, you're not wearing bra."

"Ahhh…" she looked away sheepishly. "No."

"I brought you really nice bra, why aren't you wearing those?"

"I would have, but…" she plucked at her jeans.

"Your mods?" He offered, guessing the issue. His stomach twisted with anxiety, and it took effort to control it. It was a new thing, actually having to forcefully control anxiety. He hadn't had to really work at it since he'd been a teen. It was—it was a little disturbing, but also, in a strange way—somewhat exhilarating to be needing to work on emotions again.

She nodded. "They're really hurting. I can't put pressure on the plugs."

Keigo rubbed his chin. "Alright, well, I wish you'd told me sooner so I could have checked them. I'll have a look when we get back to the agency lodge. You really shouldn't be feeling pain this soon after a session with Recovery Girl." He sighed. "Probably shouldn't have fucked you against a wall."

Rilo giggled, tipping to one side and grinning. "Yeah, but it was fun. I think we've had a fun day."

He smiled at the happiness she radiated, quite literally in how her glow only got brighter as she tipped from side to side in a bobbing little beat of joy. Moments like these—they were worth the hell he'd endured. He was so glad he'd survived, to sit on top of Tokyo Tower and watch a Lightbulb hum a happy tune.

"Oh! I have a question about the boy, from today?"

Keigo stirred out of his thoughts. "The boy? Oh, you mean the little lost bubble-gum. Ah, what about him?"

Rilo wiggled her fingers. "Right when I first found him and you crouched down to join me, why did you ask him who you were?"

"That's simple protocol." Keigo dragged a hand through his hair. "If he didn't know me, then I would have been a stranger, and I'd have gone to get Jeanie. The kid would have most likely recognised Jeanie, since he's number three. Kids that age shouldn't walk around with weird unknown adults. Anyone can dress up in a hero's costume, say they're a hero, and steal a kid."

Rilo grabbed his arm. "Wait, that happens?"

"Yes." His stomach clenched. "Gods, Rilo, it happens too much. Half of my Commission jobs are hits on bastards who either pretend to be heroes, or are corrupt heroes."

He sighed, looking at the sky. "If you want to be effective as a hero, you need public trust. Your name, your face, your identity, must be known…so that people can put their faith in you, sometimes in the worst moments of their lives."

Rilo's hand squeezed his arm. "You know…today, it was the first time I saw Hawks in person."

He arched an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure you see me every day. Pretty sure you do very indecent things to me as well."

"I mean, I saw you flip on the hero mask, instead of flip it off."

"Ah." He dipped his head to one side. "Alright, that's an interesting observation. So, you're telling me, I wasn't Hawks when I caught you?"

Rilo shook her head. "Just some random, handsome jackarse that kind of looked like Hawks, and made a horrible cup of tea."

He laughed. "Hey, I drank a cup of tea for you. That showed incredible dedication on my part."

She poked his nose. "You wanted to fuck me."

"Oh, I so wanted to fuck you, but then, I'm pretty sure you were this close to letting me." He pinched a finger a thumb together.

Rilo scrunched up her face. "Maybe. Yes. Okay."

"I'll blame the adrenalin." Keigo kissed her cheek. "And probably our quirks colliding for the first time."

Her fingers traced his ears, slowly slipping down to stroke his chin. He smiled, playing his own fingers down her neck and through her hair.

"What is it?" he murmured.

"I like that our quirks collided." She climbed onto his lap and he slapped his hands back, steadying their weight.

"Fuck. Rilo. Some warning before you saddle me."

"Do you know you have a little scar, right here." She pressed the pad of her finger to the side of his chin.

"Well, I know now." Basically, the most irrelevant information he'd ever been given in his life.

Her hands slipped around his back and he dropped his head on her shoulder, smirking in amusement as she struggled to undo the zips beneath his wing junctions.

"Didn't we decide on no sex on top of Tokyo Tower." He snatched at her hands.

Rilo groaned, flopping backwards in a hilarious, overly dramatic display. "We're wearing to many clothes."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing, but I'm not risking getting a chill. Last time I caught a cold, I was out for about a month."

"Seriously?" She worried.

He shrugged. "Something about my respiratory system. When it breaks down, I really struggle to pull in the oxygen I need, especially at higher altitudes."

She turned around in his lap. "Gosh, now I feel like I need to wrap you up in blankets and feed you chicken soup so you never get ill."

"Chicken soup sounds great."

"I'll make some this week, while the weather is still cold."

They huddled up in a ball, his wings encasing them both as they stared out across the ocean of dancing lights. The breeze was soft, even up so high, the night was a gentle one with just the barest of breaths moving the chilled city air.

"Are you alright?" Rilo suddenly asked.

Keigo stirred, lifting his head off her shoulder. "Hm? What?"

"Are you alright?" She looked up at him.

"Ah…yeah, I'm fine. Why?" He frowned in concern.

Rilo brushed at his wings. "You keep twitching."

"Oh, yeah, don't mind it. It's just my sense quirk picking up the ambience of the city. I can't really switch it off."

"Gosh, that must get exhausting." She heaved a sigh.

"No more exhausting than being a living powerplant, I'm sure." He fluffed up his wings, making them even denser against the chill. Rilo cuddled closer and he dipped his head, resting against her neck. Even now, he could feel the pulsing charge she generated, and how it warmed every inch of him. It had become a divine comfort. He probably didn't deserve it, really. Not with everything he'd done—

And would do—

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Keigo, you don't have to say anything." She was playing idly with his gloved hand.

"I do." He murmured.

"I do." She echoed.

Keigo dropped his head back, laughing at her witticism. "Well played."

She stretched her legs out, giving one of her thighs a rub as if it was bothering her. "Figured we should say the words."

He sighed into her shoulder. "Isn't it more the oath that goes into the words that's important?"

"Hm. I suppose it is, now that you mention it." Rilo wiggled her legs back and forth. She tipped her head back, staring at him.

"Should we…you know…do that?"

He kissed her lightly. "I promised you my forever. I don't ever promise things lightly, nor do I go into things half-arsed."

She nodded, fiddling with her pendant.

"You know I love you, right?" she whispered. "And I want to make a home with you."

"I know." He hugged her tighter. "And I also know how much a home means to you, so, you're not going into this half-arsed either."

Rilo dropped her head back against his chest. "There is…one thing though…"

"Hm?"

"Is it just for spy stuff…or…" She bit her bottom lip.

"Are you asking whether I believe this relationship is real, or if I'm fabricating it?"

She nodded.

"Well…two things can be true at the same time." He brushed at her hair. "To achieve what I'm wanting to achieve, we're going to have to convince everyone that you've been Rilo Tamaki for a while, well, actually, more like Rilo Hawks, since my true identity is also unknown, thus, Rilo Hawks it'll have to be."

Rilo slapped her cheeks. "Right. I can do that. I can totally do this. This is why you got the veil made, right?"

"One of the reasons. We'd never keep this under-wraps forever, so, I figured we'd may as well get on top of it first. I have no idea how your handlers would react if they figured out you'd actually been leaving the powerplant every weekend. The fact that they haven't reacted yet has made me pretty sure they haven't got a tracker installed in your mod."

Rilo suddenly tensed up in his arms.

"Oh gosh…I never even considered that."

"It crossed my mind." Several things had crossed his mind about the whole situation. He'd been living in the powerplant long enough now that his presence should have been noticed if they were watching. The fact that nothing had come of it told him several things.

Either they were watching, and were fully aware of who—and what he was—and they were trying to figure out what the fuck to do with him.

There was even the possibility they were confident enough to deal with him—however they choose that to be.

Or—

They weren't watching.

Which bothered him more than if they were watching.

If he put that together with the fact that they were letting her have supposed 'weekends' off, and the powerplants batteries weren't getting drained, then they had to be working on a replacement for her.

In the end—it all meant one thing—

She was disposable.

Because she was nothing more than a cog in a machine. Something that had simply been born to be replaced.

And that—

That was terrifying.

That meant they weren't beyond just disposing of her.

And he might miss it.

He tightened his hold, trying to calm her as she grew ever more anxious. "Its okay, Rilo, it's okay."

"What if…what if they installed something else that we don't know about." She choked out. "Keigo, they could have done anything, and I wouldn't know."

It was true. They could have. He at least knew every painful detail of what the Commission had done to him. He'd been awake for every agonizing moment.

Rilo's experience was completely the opposite, and he wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to handle that. This was something he'd really have to talk to Hizashi about.

"Rilo." He tipped her back. "I'm working on it, okay."

"Gah, I feel so useless."

"I donno, the promise of chicken soup is a serious thing." He smiled. "Don't knock the chicken soup."

She finally gave a small giggle. "Would your female colleagues at the police station be horrified that you basically have a housewife?"

Keigo squinted at the thought. "Babe, if my salary can keep us both afloat, you can do whatever you want. I really don't care. I came from nothing." He sighed, his mind drifting to the depressing image of the back of his mother—always the back—he couldn't really remember her face. "Honestly, being able to provide for a family would be pretty much peak win for me, considering I once lived off of the cheapest goddamn noodles my mother could find."

"You didn't cook them, did you?" Rilo brushed at his chin.

He shook his head. "Actually, you know, I had no idea you were supposed to boil ramen noodles in water until I was in my preteens and one of my guards smuggled ramen in for my birthday." He pouted. "That was a traumatizing revelation."

"I promise, as your wifey, I'll always boil your ramen for you."

He dipped his head against her shoulder. "Wow, what an amazing wife. Thanks," he drily quipped.

"But you do need to do the laundry more often."

His wings fluffed up in offence. "Hey, I do my laundry."

"You wouldn't know a drier from a washing machine." Rilo blew a rasp. He was tempted to cover her mouth and pull her down into his lap for the insult.

"I am perfectly capable of doing the fucking laundry. I lived on my own since I was sixteen."

"Oh, so that's the problem." She playfully mocked.

"You are really tempting fate, babe." He tightened his arms around her waist. Fuck, this stupid no sex on Tokyo Tower rule.

"I'm just saying, there is a laundry basket right next to the bed, and somehow, you always fail to put the clothes into it." Rilo waved her hands up and down.

"Ah ah, well, somehow I always seem to come home to you having used all our mugs for your tea and all of them are stacked up in the sink, unwashed. You could just use one mug, for the day. One mug, then, I wouldn't have to wash a mug for my coffee."

They stared at each other before erupting into laughter.

"Well, we have our whole lives to figure out mugs and laundry." Keigo tucked her close again. And right now, he intended both their lives to be long ones.

"But Keigo, I don't even have any legal documents for us to work with…I don't even know if my name is my actual name."

"I know." He tightened his arms. "Let me worry about it."

She sighed. "Be careful."

"I always am."

"I mean it." She tightened her grip on his arm. "Keigo…please…"

"Rilo, I promise, the Commission did a very, very good job at training me to keep my feathers clean, something they will someday come to regret."

Her pout was both adorable and worrisome at the same time. He tried to smile in reassurance, but it wasn't really working on him either.

"If you don't have faith that something is possible, then it won't ever be possible. We're going to have to create the reality we want. That's just how it is." Keigo finally shrugged. "It's like trying to teach a young aviator to fly. You need to kick them off a building, or drop them from some ridiculous height so they realise the impossible is possible."

"You are not teaching our kids how to fly."

"I'm serious, that's how you do it." He playfully made a tossing motion. "You just chuck them off a building."

She stared at him. "I have no idea if you're joking or not. My gosh, I actually can't tell."

"I know, and that's the best part." He raised his brow.

Rilo covered her face. "Why do I love you so much. You're the worst."

"Pretty sure I'm the best. You say that a lot when you orgasm."

"Keigo, shut up."

"You also—"

Her hand slapped over his mouth. "Stop. Stop. Stop."

"What, you don't want to know all the adorable things you do that make you so fuckable?"

She was turning pink again, making his wings glow with the brightness of the neon shine. He cupped her cheeks. "Sorry, I'll stop teasing."

But that didn't mean he wouldn't kiss her and stay comfortably huddled in their little cocoon of pure peace. If he could just sit here, forever, maybe everything he worried about would just fade away.

He lifted his legs, tucking them up tight as Rilo huddled in closer against the chill.

"You didn't want a wedding, did you?" he asked suddenly.

Rilo burst into laughter, rolling into a ball against him. "You ask that now?" She thumped her hands against his chest. "You goose."

"Er. You know, I'm not really into recollecting the existence of cultural customs and adhering to societal norms—"

He almost tipped backwards as she smothered him in another kiss, and this time, she was sparking with a static buzz, enough that his hair and feather-down tousled at the stimulus.

"Whoops, sorry, sorry." She tried to smooth his hair down.

Keigo chuckled, kissing her neck as her attempts only made his hair worse. She gave up, collapsing back into his lap.

"Oh gosh, I have ruined your hair."

"It'll unfuzz itself eventually."

She heaved out a sigh. "As for your question. I can't say the idea of a wedding ever really interested me, but that's more because…well…"

"Your circumstances?"

"Yeah."

"And now, well, it just doesn't seem relevant. The people who mean the most to us, they know, right? That's what is important."

He nodded.

Rilo fiddled with her feather pendant. "A pretty dress would be nice though; I've never had one of those."

Right. That was depressing. See, that was what money was for. That's why he worked.

"Well, the Fukuoka Spring Festival is coming up. You can get a pretty kimono for that. How about we mark it as our personal little observance."

Rilo made quotation marks with her fingers. "Our second-year anniversary."

"Ah, see, now you're getting it." Keigo kissed her cheek. "I'll make a spy's wife out of you yet."

"Do I get a t-shirt? Best Spy Wife, and you can have Spy Husband." She spread her hands playfully.

"Unfortunately, this life doesn't come with cool t-shirts." It came with trauma, and a lifetime guarantee of fucked up knees.

"Lame."

"I know." He smiled. "Though, there is something I've been wanting to get made for you, but I'm kind of a little on the fence about it." Keigo scratched his chin. He reached for her feather pendant, holding it up. "Basically, the same as this, but it'll go around your waist. A body chain, I think they're called."

Rilo blinked several times.

"Wait…wait a minute…" She narrowed her eyes at him. "You pervert."

"Not the reason why I'm suggesting it." He tried so hard to keep his tone level, and to ignore the way his cheeks felt uncomfortably warm under her amused glare.

"Isn't this one enough?" Rilo snatched back her feather, stuffing it right down into her shirt once more, as if by hiding it away it did anything to stop him from feeling its presence. Hundred precent made it worse, but he'd never tell her that.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm paranoid it will get lost. It's very visible, and you fiddle with it a lot."

"No, I don't." She mumbled, looking away guiltily.

"Oh, you do." He poked her nose. "It's fine. It's there so you can feel safe, but anyone could pull it off your neck, then I'd lose my honing beacon." He pressed his hand firmly against her waist. "Frankly, this other one is more so I feel safe. Down here, no one will see it. We'll be the only ones who know." He whispered.

Her lips parted in a soft sigh against his ear. "Okay, fine, but, on one condition…I want…I want to make something for you." Her fingers traced lines around his wing junctions. "Something you can wear, that'll make you mine."

Keigo brushed her lips. "Oh, babe. It would make me so happy."

She curled her shoulders tight. "Really?"

"I want to be yours, and only yours," he murmured. "And that means more than you can possibly imagine."

She rubbed at her teary eyes. Keigo gently rocked her as he stared out across the city skyline.

This moment—

How he wished it could last forever.

000

Sneaking back into Jeanie's agency required skill. It required grace. It required silence. None of which they had.

Sure—he'd have had it—if it wasn't for Rilo giggling beside him, and making it extremely hard for him to keep his own laughter in check. Nope, it was almost impossible to not laugh, and the force of stopping that laughter was making his stomach muscles ache.

Never in his life had he done anything this ridiculous before—

And it was fantastic.

"Shh, Rilo, shh. Stop." He hissed.

She started another giggling fit from beneath his wing. "We're like…we're like teenagers, sneaking into our parents' house, trying not to get caught." She whispered. "Isn't it fun."

"We're going to get caught if you don't stop giggling."

They made it down the long, dark corridor of the agencies lodge, past all the other doors, to reach theirs at the very end of the hallway, when the lights switched on.

He'd known Nathan had been following them since they'd entered the lounge area of the lodge, but he'd let the young sidekick think he had the upper hand. That—and—he really wanted to know what the kid was going to do. It kind of amused him that this brat was intent on catching them as if they were somehow doing something highly illegal. And it also irked him that this little kid somehow thought he had some sort of high moral ground to stand on. Someday the brat was going to grow a pair of balls and realise he wanted to rebel against Jeanie's tight strings.

The blue-eyed, blond haired, mini-Jeanie stood at the end of the corridor, glaring at them both with a displeased look. "Hello, Hawks." That tone was supposed to be intimidating. It wasn't. Not in the slightest. He'd never heard his name said in such a way that it sounded so hilariously condescending.

Wow—

The nerve on this brat.

Keigo sucked in a breath, holding in laughter. Oh, it was hard. So hard. Don't laugh. The kid was trying so hard to be all adult and cool.

Fuck.

That was not how to adult.

"Hey, Mini-Jeanie." Hawks raised a hand. "How was patrol?" He drawled out.

The young sidekick nursed his head, acting like some sort of false parental figure, and it was—comical to witness. "I can't…I can't believe you're so reckless, bringing a girl back to the lodge. Best Jeanist has a rule, and…and…for you to break it…"

Nathan breathed in, and held out a hand as he began an amusing juvenile lecture.

"You're a hero, Hawks. You're an upstanding member of our society, and you must maintain a perfect image. You represent the best in us. You can't go around appearing like squaller, nor bring back girls to the agency."

Hawks choked on his laugh.

Shite. He was dying inside. The way this kid said the word 'girls' really made him sound like he was five and discovering a naughty word for the first time.

He was going to have a serious talk to Jeanie about this, it wasn't good.

From beneath his wing, Rilo started giggling again. Keigo pressed her tighter against his chest.

"Aw, kiddo." Hawks shook his head. "She's not a girl, she is my wife." He finally started laughing. "Those two things are very different, according to the Best Jeanist rule book."

Nathan snapped up in shock.

"Jeanie didn't explain that one, heh?" Hawks arched an eyebrow.

"You're married?" Nathan squeaked out in disbelief.

"I love how surprised everyone is by this revelation. It's such a highlight to throw it at people and get their reactions." Hawks cranked open the door to their room, letting Rilo slip in. He waved to Nathan. "Goodnight, Mini-Jeanie. Sleep well."

He slapped shut the door, collapsing back against it. His shoulders shook as he contained his laughter. "Oh fuck, that was so good."

"You're so mean." Rilo hissed at him. "That poor kid."

"Fucking deserved it." Keigo laughed as he thumped his head back against the door. "Did you hear him say the word girl." Keigo dragged a hand through his hair, cracking another laugh. "Like a cuss word."

Rilo covered her face. "Oh, no…no…the poor innocent baby."

Keigo snorted. "I hope I wasn't that annoying at that age. All that pompous, higher than thou art attitude."

"Does Jeanie really have rules?"

"A whole goddamn book of them." Keigo eased off the door, locking it. "It works for him, and the way he runs things. I'm more…flexible." He glanced down at her and she smiled, her eyes sparkling as her hands slid beneath his shirt.

"Yes, yes you are."

He turned her around. "Ah, no, no. First, I need to check your mods."

Rilo gave a dramatic groan of frustration, flopping onto the bed with all the gusto of a child deprived of a toy.

"Very mature, babe." He strolled past, crouching beside their gear to find his medical kit.

"You've been working me up all afternoon." She mumbled into the pillow.

"Sorry. I find teasing you a little bit too much fun. Though, the reply arse slap you gave me was very unexpected."

"You deserved it."

He slid onto the bed beside her. "I can't argue with that." Keigo brushed her hair aside. "I need the jacket and shirt off."

"Hm, fine." She shrugged out of both, throwing them at their pile of gear. He could tell she was in a narky mood, as she was usually the neat one out of them both and fussed around rearranging their junk while he tossed it all around. She flopped back down, hiding her head away in a pillow.

His gaze settled on her back, and the sockets rivetted into her flesh down her spine. There was an iron tinge leaking out in angry, septic patterns from several of the sockets, invading the glass skin beyond.

They shouldn't have been infected, not this soon after a treatment with Recovery Girl, which could only mean the infection had been worse before the treatment.

"How long has this been hurting?" he asked.

"Ah, awhile, long before we met. It did feel like it was getting better for a bit. I think I might have just jostled them a little when I pulled out the plugs this morning."

"I keep telling you to wait for me to help."

"You're busy, and I don't like bothering you with something so annoying."

He sighed out his irritation. "Rilo, you are not a bother to me. Even if you called me up at work and asked me to come home to do it, that wouldn't be a bother. I love you, and I would prefer to help than for you to be hurt."

"I know…but it's nothing, really. I'm sure I was just overly enthusiastic with yanking out the plugs."

She was trying so hard to be dismissive of something that couldn't be dismissed. She wasn't dealing with it—

She was scared.

Her body wasn't hers, and she scared.

"I'm so sorry, babe."

"It's fine." Her words came out in a half sob.

"It isn't." He gently stroked her spine. "I love you, okay. I love you."

Recovery Girl had given him two years grace—

Why did it feel like that timeline was wrong.

He eased off her jeans and she squeaked. "Keigo!"

"I want to check the ones on your legs. I noticed you rubbing and twitching your legs a lot this evening."

"Gah. You always notice everything."

How he wished that was the case, then maybe he'd have caught onto her pain earlier. She was hiding it well—which indicated she'd gotten used to it, and learnt how to carry herself regardless of it.

He loathed how similar they were in that regard.

The large junctions on her thighs were similarly infected. The skin inflamed and angry, rejecting the mod-hancer. He did not want to know what was going on inside if this was what it looked like on the outside. He studied the blood on his hands. This hadn't happened since he first met her. He supressed his panic.

It was fine.

He could deal with this.

"Keigo, what's wrong?" Rilo whispered.

She knew him well enough by now, he supposed, to know when his silence and stillness were ill omens.

He breathed in deeply.

"Ah, well…not entirely sure…but we'll look into it."

Tears leaked down her cheeks. He leant over her.

"No, no, babe. None of that." He kissed her gently. "You're going to be fine."

"I thought I had longer."

"You do, okay. It's fine."

It wasn't fine. It was far from fine, but fuck all did he know what else to say.

He carefully applied an antibiotic cream, and started strapping the individual sockets with layers of Medusa's tight linin bindings. It was the best he could do. If he had to do it every night, he would.

Keigo rifled around in the medical kit, sorting through the medications before finding what he wanted.

"Two of these." He held out the painkillers.

Rilo took the package, not looking pleased.

He stood, stripping off his clothes, compiling their gear for the early morning wake-up call.

"Keigo, these will put me to sleep."

"Yep."

"But…"

He climbed into the bed, pulling her into his lap. "There is always another day for fun and games. Let's just cuddle."

"I'm sorry." She mumbled.

"Rilo, don't apologise." He handed her a bottle and she took the pills. "Just being with you is enough, remember."

She nodded. "I know."

"Wow, you're the disappointed one. That's adorable." He tweaked her nose.

She pouted as she turned pink and hid herself away beneath the blanket. "Don't be mean."

Keigo lifted her as he rolled, manoeuvring his wings into a comfortable position. He tucked her up tightly against him, twisting her legs up with his own. "Go sleep, babe."

Her body slowly relaxed, inch by inch, until it was just a warm crackle against his skin, and he was left staring at the dark ceiling, listening to her soft breathing.

He was supposed to have more time.

So what had changed?

His hand stopped rubbing her arm and slowly he drew it away, feeling the electrical resistance pull against the movement, urging him to return the hand back to where it had been.

"Shite."

Was that it? Had he not factored in that his quirk was now also drawing from her generation quirk. Was that causing the mod-hancer to break down faster than it was supposed too?

Keigo pinched the bridge of his nose, hissing in frustration.

What would have happened to her—and others like her—if she hadn't become generators for the electrical grid. Where would all her energy have gone? He and Yagi were presuming that she—and others like her—were of a subcategory of electrical type quirks that weren't officially recorded on the governmental quirk data-base; living generators. She had to release the energy she produced, otherwise, it would turn inward and gradually consume her.

The modification enhancement was installed to forcefully extract the power she generated. It wasn't something she gave them freely, they had to wrench it out of her with a mod-hancer. A mod-hancer that only lasted some odd twenty-five years before it started to break down, and their power generation began to turn inward again, attacking their own bodies.

Rilo had known she was going to die young. The Bureau had made no attempt to sugar-coat it. She performed her job, kept the city powered, and then her light would blink out, and no one would ever have known she existed.

But he'd come along—

Right when Rilo's mod-hancer was beginning to break down, right at the crux of her end-of-life cycle. The fact that he had never felt her presence, despite all his years living in Fukuoka, indicated an even deeper sinisterness to the mod than he really didn't want to think about. It indicated the Bureau knew that her quirk type were born with the biological need and intent to find compatible quirks that needed their power generation.

He'd have burnt himself out by around thirty—

That's the estimate he'd given himself.

But now—

He glanced down at Rilo.

If her power generation was infinite, he'd never run out—so—what would that mean?

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Fucking arseholes." He stared at the ceiling. "Generations…whole fucking generations…lost…just…completely lost because they stole a whole sub-category of quirks."

What if he just—

What if he just didn't return her to the powerplant.

What would the Bureau do?

Keigo sighed.

He didn't know enough yet, to know how they'd respond.

He really didn't want to end up in Tartarus.

Gently he folded himself around Rilo, closing his eyes. He hoped for sleep.

00000

Keigo's eyes opened. His muscles tensed.

Light bled into their room through a crack in the door.

He was sure he'd locked that door.

He'd locked it.

He had.

"You wanted a wake-up call, Hawks." Jeanie's head poked through the gap in the door.

Oh. Right. Yeah. Jeanie had a keycard to the room, it was his agency. Keigo snorted at himself and his paranoia. He raised his arm, glancing at the shine of his watch.

"It's two thirty in the morning, Jeanie. I said four."

"Yes, true, you did." Jeanie eased the door open wider. Keigo hissed at the light. "But I know that you'd just jet out of here without breakfast. Thus, up you get, I'm making eggs and hashbrowns."

"Oh, hashbrowns." Rilo sat up groggily, rubbing at her eyes.

Keigo brushed her back gently. "Alright, Jeanie. We'll be down in tick."

"Don't get tangled up in your sheets again." Jeanie chided.

Keigo shot a feather at him. Jeanie laughed, clipping shut the door.

With a groan, Keigo heaved himself up, reaching out to grab his feet in a long, painful stretch.

"Are you hurting?" Rilo's fingers traced his back. Oh—that felt good. One of these days he just needed to let her explore what felt good, what felt great, and what would probably tip him over the edge if she jolted him just right. Really, the possibilities were fascinating when he thought about it.

And he did so love thinking about it.

He tipped his head around, lying his cheek on a leg as he remained in the stretched position. "I'll be honest, I am hurting a bit. Missed a few gym sessions, makes everything tighten up."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologising." He frowned.

She waved her hands. "Okay, let me clarify that. I'm sorry you're hurting."

"That's better." He smiled. "Cause, for a moment there, I thought you were apologising for being an amazing part of my life."

She stuck out her tongue.

"Don't poke that at me unless you're going to put it to good use." He swung off the bed and headed for their pile of gear to start the arduous process of clipping on his under-armour. He glanced back at Rilo, amused that she was taking the time to make the bed. She had little, cute habits that made her sweet like that.

"How's your back feeling?" he asked.

"I think Med's linin wraps have helped." She sorted through his bag, pulling out her own clothing.

"Do you think the linin will stay on if I put on a sports bra?"

"It should. Here, give it to me." He took the bra from her, popping it over her head and dragging it down.

"You just wanted an excuse to fondle my boobs." Rilo laughed.

"I did." He quipped from behind as he tried to settle the strap between two of the plug junctions. Yeah. Nah. That was not going to work. He sighed.

"It's going rub a bit, but the linin should help."

"Thanks." She pulled on an All-Might skivvy, tucking it into her jeans. "You going to put on your new costume?"

"Nah, Jeanie's sent it all home so I don't have to carry it all." He pulled the outfit he'd worn the night prior over his armour. "I've got enough to lug back with all your shopping." He crouched down, stuffing everything into their two allotted gym-bags.

"I'm sorry."

"Oh my gosh, babe, what are you sorry for now?" Somewhat aspirated, he looked up at her. She'd curled her shoulders tight, and tucked her head away between the folds of her hair. He sighed, tightening his belt and standing. He took her pink cheeks in his hands.

"Babe, what's going on in that head of yours? I'm not telepathic, okay. I can't read your mind. I mean, I know I'm brilliant, but I'm not that brilliant."

She breathed in deeply. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this…mess…and for not being…stronger…and…for the trouble…and…"

"Rilo." He squeezed her cheeks. "Never apologise for needing help, and never think that needing help makes you any less capable than a hero."

She nodded stiffly.

"And you're not trouble. Don't ever call yourself that. I'm trouble." He cracked a grin. "But you really, really feel like you're some terrible, unbearable burden upon my life, then fine…" he sighed dramatically, leaning into her. "I guess I'm just a boy whose mother sold him so she could have a better life, was then crafted into a merciless killer, and now I parade around pretending to be a hero and fucking a lightbulb."

He raised his brow at her pout.

"Am I burdening you with my shite life?" He poked her nose.

"No, of course not." She protested stoutly.

"Then, babe, it goes both ways." He wrapped her tightly in a hug. "Do you get it?"

"Yeah. I do." She nodded against him. "I do. Thank you…you know…for being patient."

"To hunt prey, one needs patience." He chuckled. "It does come in handy in other areas of life..."

"Morbid."

"But true." He kissed her cheek. "Come on, let's go before Jeanie bursts in here thinking he's catching us in the middle of something scandalous."