Chapter 8
The sun was low in the sky, casting the city in a golden glow. Touya kept to the dark alleyways and backstreets, wearing a hoodie jacket and baggy sweatpants. Any fabric rubbing at his scars would sent shooting pains down his spine in the worst case, and feel weird on the numb parts in the best. Without his phone, he had no way to contact any of the league members, not that he had wanted to anyway. After his reveal and Compress' escape plan, they had all gone into hiding god knows where.
But no phone also meant he couldn't check on Keigo... or Keigo on him, if he ever wanted to again. He was sure someone must have told him about his big reveal, and even though Keigo knew about his history, it was... different to tell something in the dark of a bedroom or on national tv, after...
He stumbled over some rubble beside a dumpster and nearly hit the wall trying to break the fall. Fucking hell. If his legs kept acting up like this, he'll never get up the fire escape to Keigo's apartment.
The walk from the hideout into the city and to Keigo's apartment block took him about an hour and he was exhausted. He hated walking on a good day, but on a day like this he wished he had done his driving exam. Sitting in the back of a shady van while Spinner or even Compress drove was a whole different type of hell. But then again, if walking was painful, driving might not be much more comfortable...
The apartment complex came into view when dusk settled around him. The streets in this part of town were always buzzing with life, so Touya took a pair of sunglasses and a black face mask out of his pocket and put them on before stepping out of the shadows of the alley. Nobody turned their head as he slowly made his way to the building and going around to the steps of the fire escape near the dumpsters. The staircase lay in shadows, and he would hopefully not draw any attention to himself while slowly, painfully taking one step after another and holding onto the handrail like his life depended on it. Which it probably did.
Why did that stupid bird live on the top floor again? Yes, penthouse privileges and everything but seriously? Next time, he would pick him up again because- He froze on a landing halfway up. No. He would never pick him up again...
Fuck. Get. Yourself. Together.
He was panting, and if he could sweat like a normal person, he would be drenched by now. His feet felt like pins and needles again, and for a moment Touya thought about how it would feel to simply fall all the way down again.
He grit his teeth and pulled himself up another flight of stairs. It would be dark by the time he reached the top, but that would be fine. No prying eyes...
Hawks left the hospital alone. A nurse had given him a prescription for the orthopedic unit, and he got a cane to help with his balance. Best Jeanist had protested, but Hawks had been very adamant to take a taxi home to his apartment. He had to clear his head. The visit with Endeavour and his family had stirred something in Hawks that needed to cool down.
The Flame Hero had been a mess. Fresh out of emergency surgery, he wanted to talk with Hawks and his family about Touya's speech. Shoto had been there, too.
The boy had looked like Hawks when he left the hospital: Burns all over his body and covered in bandages. Apparently, Touya had not held back in his attack against his family. He admired Shoto, he really did. To take this information in and still be focused on becoming a hero like his father? But no, Shoto never wanted to be like his father. In a way, he was like Touya... Stubborn. Focused on his goals and loyal to the few people he trusted. But he would never tell him that.
The other siblings, Fuyumi and Natsuo, and even Rei had been there, too. It was all very awkward, especially when Rei had kneeled in front of him to apologize for her son's actions. Keigo felt sorry for them in a way. Endeavour got what he deserved; it had been increasingly difficult for Keigo to continue working with him when Touya had told him about his family history. But with the commission watching his every move, it was impossible to say or do anything. And it wasn't his place to be the one to...
He sighed and flagged down a taxi. The driver looked at him with wide eyes, but thankfully kept his mouth shut as he told him an address a block away from his apartment. The public didn't need to know where he lived.
The ride took about 30 minutes, and he watched the sun set through the dusty windows of the vehicle. The hospital visit had taken longer than expected.
They had listened to Endeavour's tearful statement and his vow to capture Dabi and bring him to justice. His family had been silent, Shoto was the only one to tell his father that he would help him bring Dabi down, because he was of the opinion that his old man wasn't in the right shape to do so. Fuyumi had said nothing, but Natsuo had looked at his father as if he were a stranger. There had been so much anger and hatred in his eyes, it reminded Keigo of the way Touya looked when he talked about Endeavour. Maybe the two siblings had something in common?
Keigo took out his smartphone and looked at the blank screen. No new messages. He opened the messenger app, but there was still no check that marked his message to Touya as delivered. Was he really ignoring him?
He laid back against the seat and winced as his back grazed the leather. Not a good idea.
"Ehm...Mr. Hawks...?" The taxi driver looked at him from the side and Keigo prepared himself for the questions that would follow. He put on his best press conference smile and pressed a button on his speaking device.
"Yes?"
"Ehm... Are you... I mean, do you...Will they...?" The man looked uncomfortable. "Will you still be doing hero work?"
It was silent in the car for a moment, and the man suddenly looked mortified. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
Keigo made it seem as if he was typing some elaborate answer into the screen and held up a finger.
"I will need to take some time off for rehabilitation and healing. What comes after that will be determined by my superiors."
That was the answer the commission had prepared for him in case the press or anyone else would ask questions.
The man seemed satisfied. It wasn't an explicit yes, but also not a no. Stay ambiguous, don't say too much. Everything can be used against you. The commission training had ingrained this fact into his brain at an early age.
"I sincerely hope that you do. That Dabi seems very strong, and no wonder if it's true and he really is Endeavour's son... That man has some skeletons in his closet."
Keigo said nothing, and the man just nodded.
The rest of the ride was silent. The sun set and the downtown city bustled to life. Shoppers, party goes and the odd salaryman on his way home made up the scene around him.
A few stray rain drops landed on the windshield and the first people started opening their umbrellas.
"Oh, I didn't know it was supposed to rain today. Maybe I missed the forecast... Do you need an umbrella, Mr. Hawks?"
They were just a few blocks away from his apartment building, but the rain seemed to get harder by the minute. Hawks decided it was better to get wet than give the man his address.
"There is a parking garage just down the street over there. You can drop me off there, and I'll get one at the 7-11 right next door."
He man nodded. "Alright."
The cashier had been friendly and the few people inside the 7-11 had looked at him with a mix of pity and amazement. Nobody had asked for a photo or autograph, and Hawks had been glad about it. He opened the umbrella outside and walked down the street to the pedestrian crossing. With the cane in one and the umbrella in the other hand, it was quite a handful, so he had decided to not get any groceries. Endeavour's call had interrupted their plan to go shopping on the way home, but Tsunagu had been adamant about ordering delivery directly to Keigo's apartment. They hadn't been sure if it would still arrive today, but if it didn't Hawks would just order some takeaway and be done with it.
He struggled for a second to open the door, but managed to close the umbrella with one hand to find his keys. It was pouring by now, and he thanked the universe that there was a roof over the apartment building's entrance. The elevator gave a reassuring pling before it opened, ready to take him to the penthouse. Hooray for modern technology.
There was a little white paper bag in front of his door, which Keigo recognized as the delivery from the pharmacy. He picked it up and tabbed the keycard to his door. It opened with a soft klick.
The hallway that led into the living room and open kitchen was dark. It smelled faintly of citrus and Keigo knew there had been a cleaner tidying up the mess he had left before the fight. It had felt weird in the beginning to have someone over to clean every other week, but the commission had paid K and Hawks didn't complain after noticing how nice a clean apartment actually was. By now, they had an arrangement and set cleaning days, so they didn't get in each other's way. They had to have visited today. It was... What day again? He didn't know. Among all things happening at the moment, something as mundane as cleaning was not something he made a priority. But he was incredibly grateful to have help.
There was a little note on the kitchen counter:
I hope you're feeling better soon. Keep your head up, you'll have my support, no matter what happens. C U next week. Or not - K
Keigo smiled. They rarely ever met, maybe two times so far, but K had always been a constant in his turbulent life. They have made it a habit to communicate via post it notes and little trinkets on the kitchen counter. Today, there was a little chocolate bar taped to the note.
Without turning the lights on, he turned towards his bedroom. The round bed full of blankets and pillows that Mirko had always mockingly called his little nest was neatly made. He turned on the lights, blinds closed, and opened his closet. Since leaving the hospital, he longed for a change of clothes. Even though he hadn't slept in them, the smell of hospital seemed to linger on his shirt and the bandages made him sweat more than usual.
Picking out a loose pair of sweats and a zipper hoodie in favor of a shirt, he sat down on his bed and changed, mindful of the bandages. Showering would have to wait. He didn't think about that before, but he would probably need help with that...
The rain was hammering on his window, and Keigo found the sound strangely comforting. He had made it a habit to sit at his open window and just smell the night air and the distinct petrichor smell after a heavy rain... Touya had always rolled his eyes at that. Maybe a fire quirk made someone naturally adverse to rain. Or maybe it was a Touya thing, black cat personality and all...
He grabbed the phone from where he had put it on the nightstand. Still no message, still not delivered. He was beginning to worry. If Touya had decided to leave him, he should have-
No. Keigo wouldn't let his thoughts go there. He clutched the phone in his hand. There had to be a logical explanation... Touya was an asshole at times, but not like this. He wouldn't have reacted the way he did the day on the rooftop when he didn't care. But then again, he had attacked Endeavour on national TV... and disappeared. Maybe he didn't care after all... Maybe something had happened...
Shit! Keigo had to resist the urge to throw his phone against the wall. The painkillers were slowly wearing off, and he became irritable. His breathing was labored, and his hand shook lightly. He wanted to punch something. Air. He needed air.
On the way through the hallway towards the balcony, he made sure to grab his cane and keep the lights off. He didn't fancy seeing his own reflection in the panorama glass. Brushing the light curtains aside, he grabbed the handle to open the door... and froze.
An inaudible scream creeped up his mangled vocal cords at the sight of a person crouching in a corner of his balcony. The figure was wearing all black, face hidden behind a hood and Keigo didn't think, but reflexively lifted his cane and aimed for the head.
When the rain started, Touya started to regret his life choices. More than he already did. Keigo's apartment was dark and obviously empty. The balcony was locked and there was no way he would get into the commission grade safety system without tripping off an alarm or something else. His only option was to wait and hope Keigo would come home tonight. Sitting on the tiled floor, Touya leaned his back against the railing and shivered. He wasn't sure if it was because of the rain, he couldn't really feel it, or the fact that his body was still on fire. Figuratively.
His legs had given out on the last landing, and it had been a miracle that he'd been able to pull himself all the way up after all. His hoodie was soaked, but he didn't care.
The longer he waited, the more his brain wandered off and spun scenarios of how this meeting could end. The best case was a slap in the face, the worst a fall down approximately 10 stories and a subsequent all-inclusive trip to Tartarus. If there was anything left to lock up.
The picture of Keigo in the wheelchair popped up in his mind again and his breathing picked up. He hadn't been able to control himself. The flames he had thrown towards Keigo had been hot enough to melt metal. Hell, they had burned his fucking vocal cords just by breathing in the air.
He gripped the fabric of his sweatpants, trying to calm down his trembling fingers. He had fucked up. His emotions were still controlling him, after all those years. The reveal to his father had been prove of that. The way his brain just short-circuited when he saw the shock in Endeavour's eyes, the way he had just charged, disregarding everything but his plan for revenge. 'Traumatize your parents back' they said. He chuckled.
He had done that alright. But at what cost?
His trembling hands and the shooting pains in his arms and legs were something he was used to by now. Not that it made them hurt any less.
Bring down the hero society. Take the safety commission and tear its heart out. Give freedom to the people and show them what their fake heroes are capable of.
But at what cost?
The apartment remained dark and empty.
Touya didn't know how long he had been sitting in the rain and the dark, shaking from exhaustion, anger and pain. But suddenly, there was a klick, and the door to the balcony slid open. He couldn't react, couldn't raise his head fast enough to duck the sudden swing of a weapon aimed at his head.
Pain exploded behind his closed eyelids and he went down hard on the tiled floor. For a second, everything went black, but then there was a bang and suddenly warm hands were brushing his arms away from his face. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to focus on the gold in front of him.
"H-Hey, Birdy..." His voice was hoarse, shaky. Everything hurt. "S-sorry for ca-mping on...your balcony."
Keigo's eyes grew wide in shock and his mouth opened as if he wanted to say something. The warm fingers clutched Touya's hair and pulled him into a hug. There was something warm and wet dripping down his left cheek, and his breathing hitched.
"I-I'm sorry... I...I am..."
Keigo's fingers clutched the wet fabric of his hoodie.
"You're...getting all wet."
He shook his head and Touya laid his shaking hand carefully on Keigo's arm, trying to push him away.
"Don't..."
The fingers in his hoodie did not budge. Instead, Keigo stood up and dragged Touya along. When his legs protested, he stumbled forward and another hand grabbed his shoulder in an attempt to steady him.
"Shit..."
Keigo swayed, releasing his hand again to brace himself on the doorframe. He breathed deep and turned towards the living room, still grabbing Touya's hoodie.
"He-Hey... What- Wait a minute. Keigo, please!"
Touya reached for Keigo's wrist and paused. The muscles and fingers were tense, unmoving, talons nearly piercing the fabric. His heart started racing.
"Keigo...what is this? What-"
Without a word, Keigo practically threw him onto the couch seat, still clutching his hoodie, knuckles white. Touya expected to be smacked in the face again, but Keigo just stared at him, eyes glistening with what Touya now recognized as tears.
"Can you...let me go?" His hands were still trembling. "...please?"
Keigo shook his head, lip quivering.
"I-" He closed his hands around Keigo's wrist, and then Touya understood. Keigo couldn't let go. His pulse was racing. He was stress gripping his hoodie.
"Hey... I... I am sorry." He sounded like a broken record. But there was nothing else he could do. "I fucked up, I really did. And I understand that you're mad and you have every right to be." His eyes wandered down to the fingers piercing the fabric. "I just... wanted you to know that. And I couldn't call you or text you because I set my phone on fire after that news report because I cannot fucking handle my own emotions and god I fucked up so bad you-"
A hand reached for his head, and suddenly Keigo's talons were rubbing lazy circles through his hair.
"What...are you doing?" Touya's eyes fluttred shut. "Keigo...?"
