Chapter Thirty-One: The Cost of Fate
Hawks' chest burned a fierce, overwhelming pain that he hadn't felt since he'd been a boy and put through endurance training. The recollection of having his head shoved into freezing water for longer and longer periods of time kept replaying in a loop in his mind as he forced himself to match his usual speed.
He'd endured worse—right—
This pain was nothing—
This feeling of not being able to fully connect with his telepathy and sense quirk, it was something he'd trained for. It was disorientating, and nauseating, but he was still alive—
Rilo—
Rilo was still alive—
Right?
Dabi was fast.
Probably faster than he was, right now.
So—
Hawks jostled to a halt in midair, dropping altitude slightly until he caught himself. Below him, Fukuoka was dark. Areas of the city lit only by emergency lighting. What was this uneasy feeling. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
"Hawks? What's wrong?" Izuku's voice crackled over his headset.
That was the question.
"I can't sense…" Hawks frowned. "Tsubame."
Her presence was so familiar within the confines of the city, that the absence of it, even with his dulled senses, was alarming, and sent him barrelling downward in a nosedive. Izuku clutched to him. He skidded to a landing on the front lawn of Tsubame's house and Izuku tumbled off his back, flipping up with a bounce.
Hawks twisted towards the open door.
Everything was dark. The street was dark. The area was quiet. Everyone in their houses, remaining safe and secure during the lockdown that would have immediately been implemented the moment a disaster as large as this was reported. He'd had years to train up his city, and here they were, doing everything he'd ever asked of them.
So why—
Why was Tsubame's door wide open—
Why did he smell blood—
He tore into the house, skidding in a blood trail. "Tsu!" Hawks called out.
"I'll check up the stairs!" Izuku ran up the stairs.
Hawks grabbed the wall to steady himself, shouting after him. "Be careful!"
"I will!"
"Check the wardrobes and under the beds, Haia is five. He might be hiding."
"Okay!"
"Tsu! Etio!" Hawks knocked his way into the main living room and almost tripped over the body lying face down on the carpet. Panic gripped him.
"Oh gods no." He dropped to his knees, heaving Tsubame into his arms. Slackened limbs slowly tightened as she came awake with a strangled cry.
"No! Please—"
"Tsu, it's just me!" Hawks grappled for her hands, holding her down. "Stop moving, you're bleeding out."
"Hawks…" Tsubame clutched at his jacket.
"No, no, don't talk." Hawks glanced around. She'd lost an enormous amount of blood, but it wasn't enough to be fatal, not yet. He just had to get her to a hospital. This could be fixed. This was an easy fix for their medical system.
"Hawks…I…I am so…I am so sorry…" She sobbed.
"Tsu, shut up."
"I should have…I should have listened—"
"Shut the fuck up." He twisted bandages around her wound and she cried out. "I do not want to hear this—"
His dulled senses only caught the hostile presence the moment the blade slashed his arm. Hawks twisted around in alarm as Osamu slammed into him, knocking him onto the floor in a twisted heap and they both rolled, struggling for the blade.
Hawks coughed out blood.
Ah—
Shite.
He'd not cleared the area.
He'd told Izuku to be careful and he'd fucked that up.
Fuck—
Fuck—
This was the worst timing ever—when he was experiencing the full throttle kickback of a military grade tranquilizer hitting his system and was minutes away from blacking out.
Hawks hissed, flaring out his wings behind him in one last attempt at a struggle.
Osamu snatched for something in his belt and Hawks froze, staring at the needle poised directly against his chest.
"One shot, that's all it'll take." Osamu whispered. "I know you can't absorb drugs, it's your major weakness. Epinephrine, straight into your heart, and you're dead."
Hawks grinned. He slowly inched up, causing the tip of the needle to press against his chest. "Well, what the fuck are you waiting for, permission?"
Osamu moved to thrust.
Rilo—he—he was so sorry—
Osamu's hand halted.
"Etio! Let go." Osamu screeched.
Etio's disembodied voice replied. "No."
Hawks' eyes widened. Wait. Etio. Etio was invisible.
Osamu grinned. "If you have moved, that means I can find your brothers—"
Izuku's dropkick on Osamu sent the man barrelling into the couch. Hawks felt Etio's arms under him, helping him as he struggled under the dead weight of his wings.
Izuku glanced back at him.
"Do you want him dead, or alive?"
"Preferably alive." Hawks wiped blood from his mouth.
"Okay." Izuku grabbed a lamp, yanking out the cord and twisting it around his hands.
Osamu staggered to his feet. Izuku whiplashed the backend of the lamp-cord against the man's cheek, ripping off skin. Hawks flinched. Right—so—when had Izuku learnt any of this?
Oh—
Wait a fucking minute—
His old notes.
In the avian book—
Ah—yeah—
Osamu screamed, cowling over in pain.
There was utterly no hesitation in Izuku's movements as he wrapped the lamp-cord around Osamu's neck, twisting, yanking and slamming the far larger man into the ground in a brutal choke. Having been on the receiving end of one of Izuku's knee slams, Hawks felt no sympathy. Osamu went slack beneath Izuku and he stepped back, loosening the cord. "Okay, pretty sure I finally knocked someone out properly." He started binding Osamu's hands. "Etio," Izuku called out and Hawks' felt Etio jostle behind him. "In Hawks' back pocket, there is a beacon, I need you to grab it and press it. It will signal to Medusa that we need immediate medical care."
Etio searched around for the device. Hawks watched it float in the air for a moment before it lit up as the invisible boy pressed it. He couldn't remember why he hadn't thought of activating it upon arrival—but—then again—he wasn't really thinking all that clearly right now.
He wondered if he was even going to remember half of these events at all.
"Who are you?" Etio's voice was no longer sounding like it was through a tin-can. He'd rematerialized. Blood caked the preteens cut up arms and hands. He'd clearly fended Osamu off for some time.
Izuku helped Jaku out from behind a couch.
Haia—
Oh dear sweet Haia, cradled limply in Jaku's arms.
Why did he look dead?
He wasn't—
Hawks tried to move.
Nope.
Nope, he couldn't. Nope. Fuck—
"He's fine, Hawks." Izuku quickly reassured, as if noticing his attempts to get up. "At least, from what I can see, he's okay."
Izuku carefully took the unconscious, very bloodied Haia from a trembling Jaku.
"I'm Izuku Midoriya, Hawks' brother-in-law and apprentice. It's okay, I know a lot about you guys." Izuku smiled at Etio. "Here, can you hold Haia for a moment. I've got to get Hawks up off the floor."
Izuku grabbed him by the straps of his uniform and Hawks hissed at him.
"Hawks, you need to move!" Izuku insisted. "You can't stay on the floor like that, you're hurting your wings."
"I've lost my wings already at this rate, Izuku." Hawks coughed out blood.
"What!" Etio grabbed Hawks' shoulder.
Hawks flinched in pain. "I don't…I don't mean permanently, Eito."
Izuku heaved him up against a couch and he felt the preteen strain with the weight of his wings, still, it was impressive the boy managed to get him upright. His beach training was really doing wonders. "Hawks…" Izuku gently gave his cheek a small pat. "Hawks, come on. Please, don't do this. Please. Stay awake."
He wanted too. He really did, but he knew he was fighting a tidal wave of oncoming darkness.
Oh—Rilo—
He didn't know what ached more, his need to see her, or the pain he was in.
Etio curled into a ball against his wing and Jaku tucked up on the floor on the other side. He couldn't even manage to move his arms to comfort the two shaking boys. Izuku carefully settled the unconscious Haia into his lap. "Okay. Stay here with the kids. I'll look after Tsubame."
Izuku moved away into the darkness.
Hawks dropped his head back. How long it truly was, he had no way to gauging, but it felt like an eternity that he was forced to fight the clawing of unconsciousness.
Then came the soft light of Medusa's will-o-the-wisp eyes leaning over him.
"Hawks…oh god…"
"Med."
A hand was gently placed on his shoulder. "You need to let him go for me?"
Oh.
Right.
Haia. He was holding Haia. He tried to loosen his arms. It took considerable effort to do so and as he did, exhaustion ensnared him.
No—
No—
He could not let it take him.
He had to get to Bucket's Tatts. He needed to be with Rilo.
This was important.
He had promised.
Medusa slipped away.
His chest expanded, and he dragged an arm up, forcing it through the illusion of bindings that pinned it. He had to get up. He needed to get up. Using the couch behind him, he fought his numb legs to get upright. Once upright, he stared through his blurry, black spotted vision.
Now what?
How was he supposed to move forward.
"Hawks? Shite."
Jeanie caught him under his arms as he collapsed, sending them both to the floor in a heavy thud.
"Fuck. Hawks. Fuck."
"Jeanie…" Hawks choked out. "I…I need to be…I need to be somewhere."
"Buckets."
Hawks nodded as the trentals of darkness pulled him further down into the murky abyss of unconsciousness.
Jeanie's hand tightened around his. "Don't worry, Keigo. I'll get you there. I promise."
0000
Crackle-pop was in a right old state, and Dabi wasn't sure what to do with the kid. Was he supposed to pick him up by the feet and swing him around or something? This brat had watched Hawks cleave some—probably innocent—people clean in half, and had managed to keep it relatively together.
And he was choosing now to have a meltdown and pace around the front end of the tattoo shop.
"They should be here by now!" Crackle-pop's hands sparked and sizzled.
Dabi arched an eyebrow.
This kid had no control over what was an extremely powerful quirk. Didn't the kid realise how fucking lucky he was that his skin wasn't burning?
Even his flames hadn't affected the brat.
That—
That was envy he was feeling.
Little piece of shite.
Dabi stood. "Oie, Crackle-pop, they'll be here, so sit your tiny, fiery arse down and shut the fuck up."
"Bakugo! My name is Bakugo!" Crackle-pop snapped at him.
"Ah, yeah. I don't care." Dabi flicked him hard on the forehead.
"Something is wrong." Crackle-pop tensed up, smoke hissing from his hands and wrists as he faced the door. "Deku isn't like this. Deku would be here by now—"
The door into the stairwell down into Floral's workshop opened and Bucket's large, bulky frame emerged. If it wasn't for the medical scrubs he wore, Dabi would have sworn the huge, tattooed man looked like he'd just strolled right out of a horror-flick. "Hawks here yet?"
Dabi shook his head.
Bucket just sagged.
Easing off the counter, Dabi snatched up Crackle-pop before he could charge down into the basement. This brat was annoying, but he admired his gusto. He did need a good lesson in control though, before he burnt someone he cared about. It wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of when for the brat. He'd seen it too often with fire-types.
"We can't wait any longer…" Bucket sighed, massaging his temple.
Dabi glanced out into the early morning. The brat had a bad feeling, and he hated to admit it, but ever since they'd gotten back into Fukuoka, he'd felt just as unsettled. Hawks simply wasn't this fucking slow, even drugged up.
"What's the problem?" Dabi asked.
"The problem? Well, it's not so much a problem?" Bucket mused. "The patient has to be awake during the procedure. It would have been nice to have Hawks' moral support here, you know, since she is his wife."
Dabi frowned. "I watched the man rip and shred his way through a secret governmental lab to get to that woman, it is odd that he isn't here."
"Odd!" Crackle-pop exploded. "It isn't odd! No! They should be here! Something has happened. Check his sidekicks phone!"
Dabi kicked Crackle-pop, uprooting him and sending him to the floor. "That died ages ago, and I ain't got no charger for it."
Bucket suddenly clapped a hand down on his shoulder and thrust him towards the entrance into the basement. "Guess you're up."
"What?" Dabi spluttered in protest.
"You've just been promoted to moral comfort. Congratulations."
The words moral and comfort didn't belong anywhere near him. "Ah. Oh no, no, the brat can do it."
"Not happening." Bucket pointed to Crackle-pop. "He's staying right up here. This isn't something a kid should see."
"This kid has seen serious shite. I swear. He can deal." Er—probably—maybe—
"Not this type of serious shite." Bucket threw a set of keys to Crackle-pop. "They're to the apartment upstairs, make yourself at home. We're going to be awhile."
Dabi wanted to protest more about being forced into this, but the curious cat in him was intrigued by the whole affair. Bucket slammed shut the door on poor little Crackle-pop ad shoved him down the stairs. He'd never been permitted into Floral's workshop, but he knew that she performed surgeries therein for those in the Underground, who weren't registered, and weren't capable of affording treatment at proper establishments. So, he wasn't really all that surprised to find himself standing in the equivalent of a medical facility.
Clean.
Bright.
Smelling of disinfectants.
It had none of the shiftiness he might have presumed to find in an un-registered clinic. Though, that didn't make him feel any less uncomfortable. Floral had never treated him down here before. Perhaps he had never been hurt enough to warrant a trip down into her lair.
"Oh…shite…" Dabi almost lost his footing as he found himself facing a surgical bed, and the princess lying face down on it.
Floral was already at work, standing on a little stool, hacking through skin with a scalpel.
Right, so, maybe the room and clinic didn't look creepy, or unsanitary but Floral oozed mad-doctor vibes. He'd never seen her so focused, never seen her without her radiant smile, nor her eyes so clear and cutting. Nothing about her was safe, nothing about her was kind, and nothing about her was friendly.
She was a sharp as the diamonds she was known for working on.
"Bucket, oh good, you're back. I need another bag of blood." Floral wiped a bloodied hand over her forehead. "Dabi, be a darling and keep Rilo focused on anything other…than…well…this mess."
"Why the flipping fuck is she awake?" He felt panic.
How long had it been since he'd experienced the overwhelming grip of true panic. It clutched at his chest like a hand slowly squeezing his heart.
"Because, deary, I need to know if I damage her central nervous system. Floral waved at him, urging him forward. "So, she needs to be alert."
He'd seen some seriously whacked things in his life. He'd done some seriously whacked things too. But since meeting the pretty birdie, the dial had been notched up just that little bit.
And he rather liked it.
It made him what to prance, and frolic.
It was very rare for him to feel something beyond the nihilism and boredom. Every so often he felt relief from the insistent pain of his scarring if he was lucky enough to procure a strong enough painkiller. Sometimes he could feel rage, usually if his father was involved.
It was odd to feel rage over something that wasn't related to his old-man, but staring at the princesses open back, and into the wires and hissing metal fragments of the mod-hancer as it fought its removal like some parasite, rage was what he felt.
Alright—pretty birdie—he got it.
He understood why the pretty birdie had blown up a building and sliced up non-combatants. This went deep into the burning cauldrons of messing with quirks.
Relatable, he supposed.
Slowly he crouched, resting his chin on the cold surface of the surgical table. He wondered if he could warm it at all, because it must have been awful to lie naked on.
The princess shifted, looking up at him. She looked so spent. There wasn't a drop of colour left in her face, and even her eyes had gone grey. Not a nice grey either—a cloudy, inky grey of illness and death.
"Is Keigo here…?" she whispered.
He was honest. He shook his head.
Tears overwhelmed her.
Ah—fuck—
Er—
Right—
What was a good thing to say in this situation.
Dabi reached for her trembling hands. "Don't you fret, pretty cheeks. We'll take them out. We'll take them all out."
"Why…why would you even care…" her voice was hoarse.
"Revenge is a specialty of mine." Dabi bent closer, pressing his nose to hers as her nails dug into his arms. He didn't mind the pain. "It is what keeps my fire hot, and my ice cold."
She gave him a small smile. "That sounds kind of exhausting."
"Actually, it's more boring than anything." He tweaked her cheek. "But I get this feeling fate has more in store, you know."
"Oh, I know."
Dabi rubbed his chin, glancing over at Floral and Bucket. A bloodied piece of hissing metal hit the floor with a thud and he stared at it with a look of violent disgust. The princess' eyes went wide and he forced his expression into complacency. No need to let her know that whatever the fuck those bastards had put into her was creeping even him out.
He had a feeling this was going to be a very long few hours.
Time to get creative.
"So, how did you and the pretty birdie meet?"
The princess frowned. "Pretty birdie? Do you mean Hawks? Oh my—do you call him that to his face?"
"Yes."
"Your days are numbered…" she whispered ominously.
Dabi grinned. "Oh, I am counting on it." He gave a long yawn. "Alright, so, back to my original question. How did you meet?"
"Well…" her brow furrowed. "It kind of started with a rickety balcony railing and me losing my favourite teacup…"
Yep—
It was going to be a very long few hours.
Gah. Women.
Hawks owed him a lot of cheap sake.
00000
It came in flashes of neon green. Violent and grotesque. A terror that felt unreal and disconnected, as, from the moment she'd watched Katsuki hit the road in a deadened weight, Rilo's processing had seemed to slow. It was really happening. She was being taken, and she could do nothing.
What had Keigo whispered to her, during one of their late nights, just lying in bed and talking—
Oh—
Yeah—
There was strength in the ability to endure things that one couldn't escape from.
This was that.
Right?
She could hold out. Just a bit longer. He'd find her.
He'd promised.
But then—
There had been that man, and his face—he'd—he'd—taken her last feather.
Rilo startled awake. She sat up abruptly, only to give a soft groan and roll to the side at the tenderness around—well—everything.
Her arm encountered skin and she jerked back.
"Keigo?"
He lay beside her, facing her.
Something—
Something was off—
Rilo covered her mouth, sucking a sharp, horrified gasp.
His wings. His wings were gone.
She grabbed his shoulders, turning him around in a blind panic as she sobbed. She melted over him in relief at the sight of the soft little tuffs of feathers already beginning to regrow around his wing junctions. His wing-links were even still in place. There wasn't any sort of wounds, or signs of internal damage that she could see.
He'd just shed his wings.
She rolled him back over, holding his cheeks. He looked so pale, and there was a heaviness of bruising beneath his eyes. From the buzz around his jawline, and the state of his oily hair, he'd neither showered nor shaved in several days since the ranking.
Her eyes flicked quickly over him.
Someone had bandaged up multiple wounds. None seemed terribly major, but he'd obviously been in battle, enough to get cut and bruised up.
"Keigo…Keigo…"
He wasn't responding. Never—never in all the time they'd been together—had he ever been this deep in a sleep. Usually she had to be careful of disturbing him.
Something had to be wrong.
Rilo looked around the unfamiliar room. It wasn't the agency, but the pink décor was oddly familiar. It took her a moment to realise that the glow she was seeing refracting on the walls was in fact her own shimmering light. Rilo swallowed, holding up her hands to study the glassy, transparency of her skin and the pictographic lights running beneath in vector patterns.
Her quirk—it was back.
The relief was intense. She wasn't dead. Rilo folded over Keigo, sobbing into his neck as she clutched at him. She'd never known freedom could have been an option until he'd caught her, and she'd dared to hope—
And—
And now—
Could they—
Could they really—
Together—
"Keigo…thank you…thank you…"
"Rilo, sweetie, you're awake."
Light streamed in from the door as it opened.
Rilo blinked, peering through her frazzled hair at Floral as she rounded the bed.
"Hawks! He's not waking up!" Rilo bubbled out through tears.
Floral eased down on the bed. "He's fine, sweetie. He's just exhausted. You've both been out for the last few days. He'll be up in another few hours."
"What did you do?"
Floral smiled.
"Hawk's never sleeps like this. Did you drug him?"
"No. Well, not in the way you're suggesting. I impressed upon his body to naturally increase the hormones that induce sleep. I did the same thing to you, dear, but you weren't shot with a military-grade tranquilizer."
Rilo froze.
A military-grade tranquilizer! That's what they'd taken him out with!
She felt herself collapsing into a panic, and had to claw her way out of hyperventilating. It wouldn't help, getting all worked up. "He should have dodged it. There had to have been another way." She brushed at her tears.
"Sometimes, the only way to make something believable, is for it to be real, and I assure you, the general public is very convinced by this whole facade you've all cooked up." Floral shook her head, giving a small smile. "In just a few days, Hawks has managed to make himself and you practically hero royalty with an entire mythos attached. There is a power to stories." Floral brushed at Rilo's hair. "As someone who has lived in the shadows for most of my life, I'd never have thought to use the limelight as a means of protection, and yet Hawks has proven to those who sought you, that he is more than capable of handling anything they lob at him. Though…it…it has come at a cost." The woman looked around the room, before pausing to gaze out the window into the sunrise. "I will truly miss Fukuoka."
Rilo's chest tightened. "Wait…you're leaving…but…but Hawks…"
"He's a big boy." Floral chuckled. "He'll understand, and besides, if fate provides, perhaps we'll meet again someday."
Rilo curled her shoulders. "It shouldn't have to be this way."
"Giving you two a chance, it is worth the price." Floral took her hands, squeezing them. Rilo studied Floral's pink completion, her pink hair, her pink eyes—
It seemed almost too pink, like a heavy paint job superimposed over an even brighter colour underneath.
"Who are you, Floral?" Rilo whispered.
Floral dusted at her pink dress, her gaze drawing distant as she studied the lights of the city once more. "A long time ago, there was a baby who glowed."
Rilo slowly pulled back, bunching up against Keigo. "No…"
"Immortality is a terrible, cruel thing." Floral eased onto her feet. "I've warned Jeanie to never delve too deeply into his fibre mastery, lest he discover the key to unlocking it. There are some things in this universe that should not be unravelled."
Oh gosh. Oh gosh. Floral was really insinuating it.
But that was—that had to be impossible—right?
But why—
Why was it impossible, when Keigo could fly, and she had powered Fukuoka for most of her life.
Rilo startled as Keigo suddenly shifted beside her, slowly easing up with a small hiss between his teeth. He groggily rubbed his eyes.
"You're not just running from the register, are you?" He dragged back his oily hair.
Floral pouted at him, her hands slapping at her hips.
"You are supposed remain asleep for another few hours."
"Been awake for a while." Keigo grumbled.
Rilo took his hand, holding it to her cheek.
His smile was tender, but his gaze was over her shoulder, as if seeking to look at her back. His hand dropped to her upper arms, brushing at the soft dressings. He flinched, giving a sharp inhale.
There was nothing beneath the bandages. She couldn't feel his fingers contacting the metal that had once been so infused with her. That was what was different. The sensation of her skin moving and pulling around the metal implants had become normality in her life, the pain it had caused had been lifelong, and now, the literal weight had been removed.
The mod was gone, and Keigo looked almost about to cry in relief. His chest expanded in a deep breath, and Rilo watched as he reigned in his emotions, tightening them like a rubber band and refocusing on Floral.
Whatever needed to be said between them, apparently, was going to wait for a time when they were alone—and a little more stable.
Floral inclined her head. "This is true. I am not just hiding from the register. There is a monster out there, a terrible, mighty beast. I have watched the champions chosen by my first love try, and try again, to defeat him, and fail, time over time."
Floral dug around in her dress, pulling out a small wooden box from her bra. She flung it at Keigo. "This is for your darling little apprentice." She headed for the door of the small room. "I hope, Hawks, that together, you can finally bring me peace. That is all I ask in repayment."
Keigo inclined his head.
"Goodbye, darlings. Be happy." Blowing them a kiss, Floral slipped out, clipping the door shut behind her.
The bedroom was silent.
Rilo sat, staring at her glowing hand folded around Keigo's. There was a soft crackling of energy between their skins again. Whenever she rubbed, it increased its intensity.
It was gone—
It was really gone—
The mod—
She was free—
Rilo looked to Keigo.
Tears shined in his eyes, and she faltered, falling against him.
"Thank you," she choked out.
His arms tightened. She felt him breath in. His roughened hands collected her cheeks, raising her head. He brushed at her tears while his own caught on his chin. "Rilo, there is so much I want to say…but…I'm sorry, I…"
"Keigo?"
"Floral, she said we've been out for a few days, yeah?"
He started shifting away. His hand rubbed up against a dressing over his arm, indicating an IV drip had been in place at some point. He frowned at it. "Okay, guess that answers that question."
Rilo watched as he tracked his way to their familiar looking gym bags in the corner of the room. "Jeanie's been here. Looks like he's left us a new wardrobe." He flipped up a get-well-soon card. "He apologises for not being able to stick around until we woke up. He's tried to include everything we should need until we find a new place and get back on our feet."
"He's too kind." Rilo murmured.
"It's his love language, or some shite." Keigo paused, looking back at her and she swallowed at how suddenly broken he appeared, holding the card limply in his hand. "Rilo. Rilo, babe, I am so sorry I wasn't here—"
"Keigo…it's fine…"
"No. Honey. It's not." He covered his face, slumping back. "I fucked up."
He looked so exhausted. She ached to comfort him, to tell him to just come back into the bed and sleep, but something held her back. He was obviously up and out for a reason. Her gaze shifted and she brushed at her bandaged thighs. It wasn't Keigo's golden eyes that she could remember keeping her sane during the surgery.
The pyromancer.
He'd sat with her for hours.
Keigo hadn't made it back.
Rilo clutched her hands to her knees. "What happened?"
He dragged a hand over his face and heaved a dilapidated sigh. "To be honest, I'm a little vague on the memories thanks to the tranquilizer really kicking my arse, but, I miscalculated on Osamu."
"Osamu…" Rilo murmured. "You mean Tsubame's bigoted husband?" Rilo's shuffled to the edge of the bed, watching as he wearily began pulling on civilian clothes.
"He tried to take out Tsu and the kids. I have no idea if it was a murder suicide attempt. I mean, he never struck me as the type, but…they don't…do they…" He frowned. "I knew he'd escalate…just…" Keigo nursed his head. "Not like this, and not now. Not then. He wasn't even due home for another week!"
He thumped back against the drawer.
"Fuck. We should be happy and…Osamu should literally be the fucking last thing I have to deal with." He kicked back against the drawer.
Rilo struggled out of the bedcovers. She could feel things pulling and twitching with her movements. It wasn't painful, at least, not on the level she'd been previously dealing with, but it was extremely uncomfortable. Floral had given her no instructions, no indications as to how much she could do, or couldn't do—
Hadn't she just had major surgery?
She made to step, only to falter slightly.
Keigo caught her, gently cradling her against him. She could feel it in his hold, he was reluctant to let her go.
"You do not have to come with me, you really should rest."
No. Hell no.
No more resting.
Ever!
"No. I do." Rilo held him. "You're not facing the world alone anymore, Keigo."
He kissed her so tenderly, until it wasn't tender at all, and she realised he was backing her up against a wall, and her hands had vanished somewhere beneath his shirt and he'd practically lifted her. That intense, static charge was back, but now she could feel it building and buzzing as a discharge that he simply devoured.
And it felt amazing.
Suddenly he dropped her.
"Holy fucking moonshine." Keigo landed on the pink ottoman at the foot of the bed, holding up his trembling hands. "Okay, we're not doing this until we're ready to fully commit to exploring whatever the fuck it is."
Rilo slid down the wall, holding a tingling hand to her lips. It was as though he'd just ripped several kilowatts out of her.
Was that their reciprocal flow was without the mod?
Well—
Yes—
She generated enough energy to power a whole city. That energy was going to have to go somewhere now, right? She had to disperse it somehow, otherwise she'd risk her own bodies integrity.
For some reason, she felt compelled to say: "Sorry."
Keigo thumped down beside her, taking her cheeks in his hands. "Oh, no, no, babe. Gods, no."
It was building again, the charge, even just from his hands on her cheeks. He had to be able to feel it too. "Rilo, if I could, I would run away from every responsibility I have just to be with you. We should be so happy, right now, just the two of us…"
She wrapped her arms around him, sinking into the delectable, ambient feeling of his siphoning presence. "Like I said, you're not facing the world alone anymore," she whispered.
He smiled. "Okay, however, I'm going to insist you wear your veil when outside, at least for a few weeks—until I properly tie up loose ends."
Rilo pulled away. "Why?"
"Because I don't put it past the Bureau to just shot you. I knocked out one of their production farms. Whoever is in charge is probably more pissed off now than they were before." Keigo flashed a small, but oh-so-proud smile.
Rilo frowned. Her skin crawled and she supressed the creeping memory of hands, and neon green lights and a nasty man's voice. Later. She'd think about it later.
"Rilo?"
She snapped her head up.
Keigo was brushing her hair.
"Sorry…I…there was this…man…" she recoiled violently from him, suddenly confused as to why she did. "Keigo?"
"It's okay. Rilo. It's okay. Don't panic. You're going to remember what happened eventually, but don't force it."
"I'm scared."
"I know." He gently cradled her. "I'm here, and I always will be."
She nodded against his shoulder.
Wearily he stood, glancing around the room. "Okay, where are my lucky boots."
"Keigo, um, can you help me off the floor." Rilo grumbled.
He looked down at her and she sighed in defeat.
"Oh, well, look at that, we're both a hot mess." He lifted her and Rilo winced. "Turn around, babe, let me look at the damage."
He pulled the soft, pink slip of a silk nightie she wore off her shoulders. Rilo closed her eyes as his hands brushed against dressings.
"It's actually gone…" he muttered. He folded around her from behind and she felt his slow inhale, as though he was releasing an enormous train that had been coiled up inside him. "Rilo…I…no…wait…later…"
She nodded.
He lifted his head. Nothing about him seemed convinced that he wanted to move.
"Um…Keigo, my feathers are missing." Rilo worried, brushing her midriff.
"Don't worry. I'll get them back." He assured. He kissed her shoulder. "And I'll just keep adding to your collection."
Rilo skimmed the bandages on her thighs. "What does it look like? Floral didn't leave any instructions."
"She probably knows Medusa can handle things, but, ah, you're not going to want to wear a bra for a few days, at least until the swelling goes down. Also, no heavy lifting." He flicked her nose.
Rilo pouted.
"No, babe, I'm serious. You can walk around and stuff, but let's not burst stitches or get infections while I haven't got wings to fly you up to U.A."
"Fine…"
He cocked his head at her. "Somehow I doubt—"
The door burst open.
Keigo practically jumped.
It might have been the first time Rilo had ever seen him truly startled. He held her tightly against him as he just stared at Dabi in blanket shock.
"What the hell, Dabi." Keigo choked out. "Knock!"
"Aw, man, I wanted to burst in while you were fucking."
Keigo's tight hold on her slowly eased off. "If I had any feathers, at all, you'd be a dead man."
"Promises, promises." Dabi flapped a hand about. "So, do you want the bedroom, or the couch?" He held up a pair of keys. "Floral and Bucket have bequeathed me the unit and the tattoo parlour. Figure the two of you need an in-between place to crash, so, bedroom or couch?"
Keigo blew an irritated rasp as he shifted to one side. It took a moment for Rilo to grasp that he was acting as though he still had wings to shield her naked form.
Oh—
Oh no.
Dabi grinned as she squeaked, diving behind Keigo. He looked terribly confused as she slapped his back in protest.
"You don't have wings, Keigo!" Rilo yelped.
Keigo's head snapped over to Dabi, his eyes narrowed into the thinnest of dots. "Out, now!"
"Ah. It doesn't matter, pretty birdie. I've already seen it all, and, a whole lot more."
Rilo grabbed Keigo's arm as he stepped forward with murderous intent. "Dabi, don't mess with him today," she warned.
"Fine, whatever." Dabi bumped the door. "Here I am being nice to you both. Sacrificing my own comfort, while you get the big, warm fluffy bed." He flashed them both a leer as he left. "Do keep in mind. These walls are paper thin. If you two get busy making those babies, I'll hear it."
The door slapped shut behind him.
Keigo dropped his head back, giving a groan.
"We could stay at the agency." Rilo tempered softly, rubbing his arm.
"No." Keigo pulled out a dress, handing it too her. "I don't want to mix the agency up with homelife too much, it's a bad habit to not have a disconnect between the two. We'll manage." He zipped up her dress and wrapped a soft, cashmere cardigan around her shoulders. "We're together, that's what matters."
Rilo leant into his hand as he brushed her cheek. He gently pressed a kiss to her lips.
"I wish…" his chest inflated and he looked away. "No. It's happened. Let's deal with this, then, we'll…"
"Go on a holiday," Rilo offered.
He managed to smile. "Yup."
Collecting the jewellery box Floral had given him, and his mobile, from the bedside table, Keigo tucked everything away in his jacket. Rilo watched as he stopped at the door, hand raised to the doorknob.
"Wait a minute…" he looked back at her. "I don't have wings."
She bit her bottom lip.
"Yeah, I just said that."
"No, I…how do I get us to the hospital…ah…fuck…" Keigo yanked open the bedroom door. "Dabi!" He shouted. "Dabi, do you have a car?"
Dabi's cackled laugh replied. "Depends, are you asking as a hero, or are you asking as my flatmate who needs a ride? Cause one of those will book me for having a stolen vehicle, the other won't."
Keigo's completely blank expression was one Rilo had a feeling she was going to be seeing a lot of if they remained bunking with Dabi.
0000
Keigo knew he'd developed an irrational dislike for hospitals. Hizashi had theorized that perhaps it had to do with the trauma of his childhood, but he couldn't quite figure out how getting beaten around by his old-man before his quirk manifestation would have led to disliking hospitals.
It wasn't as though his parents had ever taken him to a hospital. He'd only known they were a concept due to watching television shows, and reading books he'd collect from the trash.
No, he had a feeling it was more about the odd sense of failure that settled on his shoulders every time he walked into one. That he had failed to save people, and therefore, hospitals still existed. That their society—so advanced, and so full of wonder—had failed to heal people—therefore, this place still existed. It was completely irrational, and he logically knew that. It was also rather egotistical on his part.
Of course, he wasn't going to save everyone.
What a ridiculous notion.
But—
He should have saved them—
Haia. Jaku. Etio.
Tsu.
Keigo stared at the door into Tsubame's room with a sense of mounting dread that churched his stomach. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been bleeding out in his arms and Osamu had gone at him with a knife.
He'd been so weak, in that moment, that Osamu—of all people—had almost killed him. Of all the villains he'd fought, of all the monsters he'd killed, a quirk-less man had almost taken him out with a fucking needle to the heart.
He cringed.
Yeah.
He wasn't letting a tranquilizer hit him—ever again.
Kegio brushed at his bandaged arm.
He swallowed a lump in his throat.
Why hadn't he pulled the kids out sooner.
He'd known Osamu would escalate.
Just—
Not like this.
Rilo squeezed his hand. "I'll wait outside."
He nodded wearily. "Thanks." Keigo paused before pressing open the door. "You're feeling alright? Walking the long way around to avoid the press wasn't ideal for you."
Rilo sat herself down. She smoothed out her sweet, soft dress. "I'm fine."
Yes. A phrase he was aware could mean a multitude of things. He used it. She used it. They were both as guilty as each other when it came to deflecting pain.
"Rilo…"
"Keigo."
They had a momentary stare-off and he melted at her blue eyes.
He wanted so much to pick her up, and take her someplace that wasn't an ugly-arse hospital. Someplace they could just be together, and talk, and just—
Finally—
Be free.
But his wrists were still shackled, weren't they.
"Okay." He relented. Well—at least they were inside a fucking hospital if she fainted or some shite. It wasn't that he didn't trust Floral. It was just, the woman he loved had been dying—since—well—since he'd met her—
He was going to need time to process this new reality, and he currently did not have time to process much at all.
Carefully Keigo eased open the door and stepped into the dark room. It always felt odd, not having to shift and squeeze his wings around tight doorways. People presumed he'd have thought it liberating, losing them, but it wasn't. It was the most discontenting feeling, losing two limbs that he sensed the whole world through. Being grounded and having to walk felt almost shameful for some reason.
Though—
Maybe it was penance for every time he fucked up.
He sure felt like that today.
He dragged over a chair and eased himself into it, disliking how uncomfortable it was immediately. The hours he'd spent in hospitals with patients, and he'd never sat in a single comfortable chair.
Cards and flowers covered the desk nearby. Bubbles had obviously been in, as her jacket hung on a rack. He relaxed a little. His sidekicks were dependable, always able to pick up his slack.
On the bed Tsubame stirred and he shifted forward, reaching for her hand.
She jostled in alarm.
"It's just me, Tsu."
She looked so worn down. Bruising caked under both her eyes, rather mirroring his own. She must have put up a fierce fight, considering the sheer number of defensive wounds across her arms and torso.
"Hawks?" She choked out. "They…Bubbles…Bubbles said you'd…" Her gaze flicked to his wingless back. "This is my fault." Tears dripped down her freckled cheeks and he reached out, gently brushing them away.
"I'd have lost them anyway." He gave a dismissive shrug. "I kind of burnt myself out. So don't blame yourself for something so trivial. They grow back, Tsu."
She curled into a ball on the bed, wrapping herself around his warm hand like it was a lifeline.
"I should have…I should have listened—"
"Tsu, don't do this." He leant forward, pressing his forehead against hers. "We could both go around, and around in circles, forever, wishing…saying…all the things…"
Tsubame choked out a sob. "It's my fault, Hawks. I'm a cop. I should have…I saw the signs…I knew…"
He closed his eyes. "And I'm a hero. I should have saved you." Carefully he climbed into the hospital bed, wrapping her in his arms as she broke down. She eventually cried herself hoarse and he shifted wearily to the side of the bed as she struggled with her wet hair. He reached out, helping her smooth it all back from her bruised cheeks.
"Have you…" she breathed in. "Have you seen the boy's yet?"
Keigo shook his head. "Not yet." He didn't expand on the fact that he'd only woken up about two hours ago, and that he hadn't even eaten—which might have been adding to his feeling of nausea.
"Etio hasn't visited." Tsubame looked away. "I think he might hate me."
He sighed. "No, Tsu…it's more likely that he's ashamed."
"Ashamed?" Tsubame whispered. "Why would he—"
"Because you are his mother, he is the eldest, and he failed to protect you. It's a very innate thing for boys, maybe girls…can't talk on them…but just just…take my word for it, okay. It's practically stamped into our dna."
She pursed her lips.
"So no, he does not hate you. That's a bit dramatic."
"Your bedside manner hasn't improved." Tsubame huffed.
He tweaked her nose gently. "I haven't had any coffee today."
"Oh. Oh, I see, blame the coffee."
He smiled. "I do."
Tsubame tipped her head back, pressing into the pillow. She gave his hand a squeeze. "I think…I think…I'm going to go home."
Keigo lifted his brow. Something told him she wasn't talking about the house she'd owned with Osamu. He'd never really thought that house had suited her anyway—not that he really knew much about houses, but, she'd never seemed to put much care into it. She'd never acted like it meant anything too her.
"Yeah?"
She nodded. "My father…"
He frowned. "I thought you didn't have any family." That was half the reason why he'd become the semi-uncle to three brats.
Tsubame breathed in deeply. "My father and I didn't really get along. He didn't know about me until I was well into my twenties, and he finally tracked me down."
Oh—
Families were complicated things.
Tsubame poked him. "Actually, he's one of the reasons why I didn't like you, when you first walked into the station."
"Hm? Oh, I thought it was just because you didn't fall for my natural good looks and dashing charm."
"You mean your bad-boy attitude and baby-face?" Tsubame scoffed.
"Baby-face? I was a very mature sixteen-year-old, thank you very much." Keigo scoffed.
"You spray painted a giant dick on the roof of the station." Tsubame rolled her eyes. "Very mature."
Keigo grinned. "Work of art that was."
Tsubame slapped him lightly. "No remorse."
"Nope." Keigo hooked a knee under his chin. "So, your old-man? Why did I received the distain that you should have directed at him all those years ago?"
Tsubame gave a tired smile. "Oh, he's some old, retired hero called Gran Torino…I think…" her laugh was fragile. "So, frankly, I wasn't impressed by you in the slightest. Heroes were the last thing I admired."
"Ah." Yeah, that did explain some of her hostility from those old days. She'd been a bitter lady, that was for sure, but, he'd appreciated the challenge. It had taught him people-skills, and he had really needed them.
Tsubame plucked at the warm hospital blanket. "My father also never approved of Osamu."
His chest tightened.
Oh Tsu—
Tears glistened around her reddened eyes again and she quickly rubbed them away.
"He's already reached out. He's going to help me move. He has a lovely little holiday house by the beach that he's offering me. I think it will be good for the boys, to get away from all this. Do you think so?"
Keigo nodded. "I do."
"And I just…I just want to bury this." Tsubame looked away.
"Tsu—"
"You'll come visit, though, right?"
He sighed. "Of course."
"Good." Tsubame sunk back against the bed, closing her eyes. "The boys, they love you so much."
He waited for her to fall into an exhausted sleep, and only then did he rise to leave, carefully slipping out into the bright corridor outside the room. Keigo flinched, covering his sensitive eyes.
"Owe. Owe. Fuck."
His sunglasses were slipped over his ears, and he peered down at Rilo through the tinted orange lenses.
"Thanks, babe."
"How is she?"
"Utterly broken." Keigo folded into Rilo's arms, sinking against her shoulder and closing his watery eyes. She was here—she was real—she wasn't dead.
He brushed a hand down her back.
The mod—
He swallowed.
"Osamu didn't hold back. His aim was to inflict pain, and he achieved that. Wounds can be healed…" Keigo sighed. "But recovering from what she saw, and being incapable of acting to stop it, that will take time to recover. I don't know if she ever will."
Rilo handed him a coffee and a breakfast roll.
One he was happy to see, the other, not so much. His displeasure must have been apparent on his features as Rilo's hand brushed up against his arm.
"I know you don't want to eat," Rilo worried. "But you are regrowing your wings, and I don't think either of us has had a good meal since…"
"Breakfast on Saturday, and now it's Tuesday. Guess what explains why I feel like I got hit by a semi-trailer." He grumbled into his coffee. It was shite coffee, but at least it was coffee.
Rilo nibbled on her own pastry. "Oh, really. I thought it was the military grade tranquilizer you didn't dodge."
"You're never going to let that go, are you?"
"Nope."
"Even if I promise sky-sex?" he quipped.
She gave him a playful bump with a hip and he chuckled.
They continued down the corridors of the hospital. He knew these halls well enough that he didn't need the signs to direct him around, but, he was truthfully following the feeling of Rilo's feather pendant. He'd woken up wondering where it had gone, as he'd been pretty sure he'd had it on him when he'd collapsed. Lying in the bed, half listening to Rilo and Floral's conversation, he'd focused on the feather and came to the conclusion that Etio had it. Her waist chain though, that was going to take some time to figure out how he'd retrieve it.
But he would—
He just knew, if he went in to fetch it now, the man who held it, would die immediately and he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted that.
"Izuku's been here." Rilo offered.
"What?" Keigo jostled out of his thoughts.
"Yes, that was my reaction too." Rilo sipped her drink. "The nurse said he's remained with the boys this whole time. He hasn't even gone back to the agency to sleep."
Keigo groaned. "I'm getting Detroit Smashed for this. He's basically missed the last week of school, like, why the fuck even return him? He may as well stay here for Spring Break."
Rilo rubbed his arm. "I think it's a sweet gesture. Izuku has that way about him, you know.
"You mean being a ray of sunshine." Keigo muttered. "I know." He paused at the nurse's station in the children's wad. He eased over the counter, and pressed the small call-bell behind the empty desk. "The boys haven't been to see Tsu."
"At all? Even little Haia?"
He shook his head.
Rilo sighed. She took his empty coffee and their trash, heading for a bin. Her walk was unstable, and he was beginning to feel a niggling of worry that she was pushing herself a little too hard.
"Keigo…" Rilo hugged up against him and he leant back against the counter, taking both their weights as he gently brushed a hand through her hair.
"Yeah?"
"I was dying, just a few days ago."
"I am very aware." She did not need to remind him. He could feel it, in every inch of his body. He was hoping the Bureau were still feeling it too. Hopefully he wouldn't step outside to a furious city angry that their hero hadn't been around for a while. He wasn't sure if he could cope with rioting right now, though, on the drive over, everything had seemed rather ordinary for a working weekday.
"I had surgery." Rilo closed her eyes, curling up against the memories. "It was horrific. Dabi's face—I mean—he's a villain, he must have done things, and seen things, and he was angry."
"Remind me to buy him sake on the way home," Keigo murmured.
"My point is." Rilo breathed out. "How am I standing here, and Tsubame is…well…" Her hands bunched up against his chest.
"Because Floral gave up her life here for us. Look at Recovery Girl, she is forced to live at U.A to escape the Commission, and the public. We barely have any medi-heroes because healing is so shrouded in mystery. I know a kid, born to quirk-less parents." Keigo tipped his head to one side. "If he learnt how to use his quirk proper, he'd be able to cure most aliments by just touching someone. Flying yeah—no problem—punching a wall out, lifting cars, slicing up bombs—all believable—but cure someone from leprosy, that's fucking divine."
Keigo looked around the hospital ward. "I've hung around these places long enough to know they hold their doctors and nurses very tight. Medusa could have had his pick of the best paycheck in any hospital in Japan. He still gets approached sometimes, but he said he'd have lost his freedom, and his identity, and that didn't sit well with him. It's one of the reasons why he asked for asylum from the European Conglomerate in the first place." Keigo shook his head.
Rilo frowned.
"It didn't sit well with Floral either." Keigo shrugged.
"If she's the original glowing baby, no, I doubt it would have."
Keigo scoffed. "Oh, you believe that story."
"You didn't?" Rilo looked oddly shocked.
He paused, wondering if he did or not. He honestly couldn't tell.
"Why would she lie?" Rilo pondered.
Keigo shook his head. "I don't know. It's just…she'd have to really fucking old, and that's kinda creepy."
"Why?"
His shoulder's bunched up as he wrinkled his nose.
"Oh my gosh, Keigo!" Rilo snorted a laugh, slapping his arm.
"Listen, it's the mini-skirt, okay, and she fucking knew it. Oie, stop hitting me." He laughed. "I promise, hawks mate for life."
"You avian aviators…" Rilo curled a hand through his. "You're all just a bunch of romantics."
"Guilty as charged." He tipped his head to one side, watching as a nurse made their way down the long hall towards them. He sighed. "Alright…let's do this…"
Rilo squeezed his hand.
They followed the nurse down the hall and she motioned to a slightly ajar door. "You just missed Midoriya, he took Haia and Jaku out to fetch lunch from the cafeteria."
Keigo nodded.
"Haia and Jaku are both well enough to be discharged." The nurse held a file out to Keigo and he took it. "However, Etio will need to remain for a few more days."
Keigo flicked open the file, glancing over the printouts. He sighed, slapping the folder shut.
"Okay. Thank you."
The nurse bowed her head, slipping past them.
Keigo eased the door open. The room was large and held three beds—well—four technically—if the cot tucked up to the side of the room counted. He presumed that was were Izuku had been camping out. A large window was open to the spring breeze, letting in not just the air, but the crisp sunlight. Etio sat on the bed closest to the window, propped up by a mountain of pillows. His gaze looked far away, amongst the distant clouds dotting the blue skyline of Fukuoka. Dozens of cards, hero models, some helium balloons, were scattered around the beds. His school friends must have been by then. That was positive.
"Hawks." Etio's chest expanded. A bright clarity filled his eyes, his cheeks warming up with a pinker tint. "You're here."
Keigo dragged two of the chairs by the window over to the bed. "Wouldn't be anywhere else, kiddo."
"Your wings. What happened?" Etio reached out a hand only to hesitantly pull it back.
"It's okay. They'll grow back. I just burnt myself out. My body will automatically shed my wings so that I don't die from over-exertion. It's sort of my quirks way of telling me I pushed myself a little to much."
"Was it our fault?" Etio whispered.
"No." Keigo shook his head. "It was my own fault."
He heard Rilo scoff.
Etio looked over at her with wide eyes.
Keigo gave the seat beside him a pat. "Sit down, babe, before you keel over."
Rilo eased down.
"Etio, this is Rilo. My wife." Keigo brushed at Rilo's hair and she gave him a smile.
"Hi, Auntie." Etio raised a hand to wave. "Izuku…um…Izuku said you've been really sick. I'm sorry…I'm sorry for um…causing trouble."
"Oh, sweetie. None of this was your fault."
Etio glanced away. He rubbed at his bandaged arms. "I should have been stronger. I couldn't…I couldn't protect Haia, and Jaku…and Mum…Hawks…it was horrible."
Keigo reached out, clasping Etio's trembling hand.
"He had a knife and he just wouldn't stop. I was so scared and yet…now…now I feel like…it wasn't even me. That none of it was real, but it was, and I can't…I can't…it won't fit inside my brain."
Keigo gripped the hand he held. "It's okay, that's normal, Etio. It's going to take you awhile to sort it all out, and you know…you might never sort it out. Those memories might remain fragmented forever. That's not what is important. What is important is that you survived, you got out, with your brothers and your mother."
Etio breathed in a shaking breath. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." He paused. "Well…not all of me."
Keigo arched an eyebrow. He knew what was coming. He'd seen it in the file, but still, he hadn't expected Etio to joke about it. Etio shuffled up in the bed and folded back the blanket, revealing his lower body.
"Tah dah…" Etio thrust down his hands at his missing left leg.
"Etio, this isn't something to joke about." Keigo nursed his head.
"If I don't joke about it, I'll just wallow in pity, and you taught me to never do that."
"Did I now?" Was his sarcasm finally coming to bite him in the arse.
"Yup!" Etio assured.
Oh—
This kid—
This fucking kid—
He was trying so hard to put on a brave face, but the mask had cracks, and it was slowly falling away with each passing minute. It wasn't going to be long before he fell apart.
"Yeah…so…they had to amputate." Etio rubbed the back of his neck. "Um. Medusa came in and talked to me about it for ages afterwards. I'm…um…I'm okay…um…Medusa says he knows someone who can get me a great prosthetic, so, it's…it's not like…I won't ever walk again, right. I'm fine."
It was horrible, hearing those words from Etio.
I'm fine.
Two words—
Two cursed words—
That could mean so many different things.
Keigo shook his head, dragging a hand through his hair. "You were moving around with such a severe injury. I honestly couldn't tell."
"Well, you were like…super drugged."
Keigo dropped his head back, dragging his hands over his face as he groaned. Even just thinking about it made him feel ill, as if he could physically recall the sensation, and that evoked the unsettling inability to feel his quirk, feel his limbs—have his mental processing slowed to the point that he was incapable of twitching even a finger.
"It was scary." Etio whispered. "You couldn't move. I…when…when I realised…Hawks…you could have died!"
"I know." Keigo clapped his hands together.
Beside him, Rilo was trying very hard not to hyperventilate. She was holding it together surprisingly well, though no doubt, she was wanting to have a complete emotional meltdown. He gave her knee a gentle, affirming squeeze.
"But, I didn't die. You were there, and Izuku was there."
Thank goodness Izuku had been there.
The little birdie had well and truly shown he was more than capable of handling himself in a situation in the past week. It was perhaps time to look into moving further with his training.
"Yeah." Etio relaxed into the pillows. "Izuku is great. You know, he's told us the wildest story about you guys." Etio looked over at Rilo. "Haia has begged Izuku to tell it every, single night."
Rilo's cheeks went bright pink.
"Oh, Izuku is a bit of a storyteller, is he now?" Keigo chuckled.
It sounded like Izuku was taking his hero duties very seriously.
"There is something about a balcony, and evil villains keeping Rilo locked up in a tower, and only you can reach her because you have wings. Honestly, Haia thinks it's great." Etio grinned.
"Haia would think a story about a hippopotamus is great." Keigo grumbled. "The way Izuku is telling it, it's probably super long-winded."
Rilo slapped his thigh. "Rude!"
Etio shook his head. "We've been watching the news as well. You got kidnapped, Auntie!"
Rilo tipped her head to one side. "Oh, you heard about that."
"Who hasn't heard about it!" Etio thumped back in his pile of pillows. "It's only everywhere, on like, every channel!"
Rilo folded forward, covering her face.
"Am I a dashing hero?" Keigo asked.
"Oh yeah." Etio laughed. He pointed to the table nearby. "Izuku brought that in, you should look at it. It's an article from this morning…"
Keigo reached out for the glossy magazine. The front page was immediately confronting. It was one of the photos they'd given Bubbles for the convention, so, of course he'd expected it to leak to the press, but seeing it—
Seeing it actually in one of Rilo's trashy hero-magazines was extremely confronting.
It made everything so much more real.
He'd fucking done it.
Keigo smiled.
His chest felt tight, and warm.
Was this satisfaction? Was he proud of himself—
How weird.
No, it wasn't pride.
It was relief.
Oh—
Fuck—
He was relieved. So—fucking—relieved. So relieved it exhausted him.
"Keigo?" Rilo whispered, her hand resting on his twitching thigh. He blinked, brushing at his eyes.
"Sorry. Sudden realisation that I got you out." He choked. "You're not dead."
He grasped at her hand fiercely.
Etio took the magazine from him. "You guys are, like, the newest royal couple."
Rilo dipped her head into his shoulder. "So dramatic."
"Nice." Keigo grinned. "Fucking beat that, Madam," he hissed under his breath.
Rilo's hand on his thigh tightened. He had an awkward feeling they were going to be moving around each other much like they had the first few weeks of their relationship for a while. Everything was going to feel a bit heightened for them both.
Etio sighed. "Watching the media have a meltdown about your whereabouts has been really interesting, and it's also made me realise I never want to ever be a hero, ever."
Etio's hands were trembling again.
"Hawks…I…I want to…I just…I just want…"
Keigo lifted himself up, sitting on the side of the bed. Etio folded into his arms.
"I know, kiddo. You just want it to go away."
"I do." Etio choked out. "I never wanted any of this! It isn't fair! It's shite. Hawks. I tried so hard. I did everything right."
"You did."
Etio's hands dug into his back. "I'm so sorry."
"Etio. You're not at fault, you're not to blame."
"I know, but…" Etio pulled back. He shuffled around beneath a pillow, and held out the feather pendant. "I…I still took this…from…from you."
Keigo wrapped Etio's hands around it. He looked over to Rilo who stood, joining them at the beside. She brushed at Etio's hair.
"Would you like to keep it?" Rilo offered.
Etio's eyes widened. "Really?" He sucked in a deep breath of hope.
Rilo nodded. "It's okay, sweetie. You can keep it."
Keigo gathered Etio into another hug as the teen broke into uncontrollable, open-mouthed cries. He was quite sure Etio had been holding back a dam for days, and that dam had finally just burst. No perhaps not just days, perhaps this was the accumulation of years of pent-up frustrations and fears. Keigo soothed the teens back, rocking him gently.
At some point, Rilo left, because he was pretty sure Haia and Jaku came through the door with Izuku. She bustled them all back out of the room, leaving a still crying Etio wrapped up in his arms.
Keigo sighed, rubbing at his own eyes beneath his foggy sunglasses.
"I'm…I'm sorry…Hawks…"
"Don't apologise, Etio. Life is shite." Keigo murmured. "You've just learnt that early on, and it kind of sucks."
"Is it all shite though?"
"No." Keigo shook his head. "No it's not. Don't let the past dictate the future." He tapped his temple. "The most powerful weapon we are ever given is not a quirk, it is the ability to think critically through a situation."
Etio gave a small laugh. "That totally sounds like something you'd say."
"What? Do I have some weird sounding philosophy or something?"
"Yup." Etio nodded.
"Eh, that's terrifying at my age." Keigo murmured.
Etio dragged a trembling hand through his hair. "Hawks…um…my…my fath…my…um…"
"You don't need to call him your father, Etio."
Etio's tensed up shoulders eased.
"What do I call him?"
"Well…I can think of lots of things I'd call him, none of which would be appropriate to say in front you." Keigo clapped his hands to his knees. Etio smirked at his admission.
"Just call him Osamu."
Etio nodded. "Is he, um, going to go to prison."
"Most likely, yes." Keigo inclined his head. "But, how about you put Osamu out of your mind. Don't ever let him infect your life again, okay."
"But he will, won't he. I'll have to deal with lots of stuff about…won't I? He'll be like a shadow that will follow me around forever!"
True. That was true. Even he had to admit, there were dark moments when he wished he'd killed his father, just to give himself peace of mind. It was a horrid thought that so often got stuck in his head in one of his late-night loops.
But death was unforgiving. Death didn't leave room for change.
Death meant his father wouldn't have had a chance to maybe—just maybe—grow.
Even Osamu, on some small level, deserved that—
Or at least—
Deserved the chance to see his children grow up, and to be proven wrong by them.
It was something he hoped he was doing with his own father—
And perhaps…maybe…his mother.
Keigo sighed. "Alright, I won't lie. Things will be difficult for a while. There will be a lot to work through, but, I'll be with you each step. Yeah." Keigo pointed to the feather.
Etio grasped it tightly, and nodded.
"I don't want to go home, back to that house…"
"You won't." Keigo assured. "Your Mum, she's thinking of moving you guys to a new place, whole new clean start. Apparently, you even have a grandfather."
"I do?"
Keigo learnt back in his chair, wincing at his aching wing junctions. "Yep. I'm very curious to meet him. Your Mum tells me he's a retired hero."
"Whoa." Etio murmured. "Okay, it's no wonder we didn't know him."
"What do you feel about moving?" Keigo raised his brow.
"Mum mean's leaving Fukuoka, right?"
Keigo nodded.
Etio took a long inhale. He stared down at his leg, seeming to come to a solid conclusion in his own mind. "I think it's a good idea. I'll support Mum. Haia will hate it though."
"Haia will adapt." Keigo chuckled. "He is a mimic after all."
Etio started laughing.
00000
It had been a very long day.
Keigo squinted at the specs on his sunglasses. He could not be bothered cleaning them. The weather was warm enough that he didn't need a coat, which was nice against his scorching back. He loathed the days when his wings regrew. Not only did it force him to walk everywhere, and use—gah—public transport—
He gagged.
Fuck the subway.
Nope.
Hell no.
Usually, if he was regrowing his wings, he felt completely drained and near physically incapable of dragging his arse around, but, he had to presume that his burst of energy came from the ambient energy of just lying unconscious next to Rilo for a few days.
He wasn't going to knock the gift that fate had given him.
If he could figure out their quirk compatibility. If he could manage to harness it. There might not be a limit to where it could take them. But was he willing to open that door?
"I guess I already have…" he murmured. "I got her out."
He smiled.
It had been a very long day.
Not just at the hospital, but press junkets, meeting locals and assuring them all was truly well after the blackout. Rilo had managed about two hours of walking the streets, greeting people on patrol, smiling, talking and putting on such a magnificent act before he'd called Dabi to pick her up.
She'd not complained about leaving, so, he'd obviously judged right that she'd begun to wane.
Bubbles had finally released him from the confines of the agency and he'd headed for the beach after receiving a text message from Izuku.
Keigo found Izuku at the beachside playground. In the distance, he could see Rilo's warm glow against the sunset. She was seated on the bonnet of Dabi's hideous car. The pyromancer was leaning up against the vehicle, smoking, and the two were lost in conversation.
Keigo swung himself onto the swing beside Izuku, bobbing about playfully. "How you doing?" he asked with a sigh.
Izuku raised his head wearily. "Ahhhh…tired."
"Yup."
"Are heroes always tired?"
"I think so."
"Well…this sucks." Izuku huffed. "I ache everywhere, and not like…a good ache…"
"I know. It does, indeed, suck."
Izuku swung about on the swing. "But you know…it's worth it." He breathed in deeply, and gave one of his warm, charming smiles, as bright as the rising sun. "Because…because you're alive, Hawks, and so is Rilo. I saved you."
"You did." Keigo reached out, settling a hand on Izuku's head, ruffling up his hair. "I want you to know, I'm really proud of you. Not just for what you did the other day, but for the follow through. For staying with the kids. That kind of stuff, that's hero work too."
Izuku leant against him. "I figured, you know, you couldn't be there, so I should."
"You're an amazing kid, you know that, right?"
"Nah." Izuku shrugged. "I think I'm actually pretty ordinary, to be honest."
Keigo gave a laugh, shaking his head. "Ordinary kids don't tag along with their assassin brother-in-law's to take out governmental bunkers of doom."
"Evil governmental bunkers of doom. You forgot the evil." Izuku held up a finger.
"Hm. True." Keigo muttered. "By the way, how is Bakugo doing?"
"Ah, he's fine." Izuku rolled his eyes. "He was pissed he had to go home when his Mum called." Izuku swung back and forth happily. "You thinking of training him?"
"Hm. I think he'd benefit from at least a week in the wildness, learning how to keep his emotions in check. So, maybe he can join you for survival training."
"Would I be surviving Kaachan, or the wilderness?" Izuku asked.
"That is the question, isn't it?" Keigo chuckled. "How are you dealing with what you saw when we rescued Rilo? It was a lot to take in."
Izuku's legs skidded on the ground, halting his swinging. "How are you dealing with it?"
Keigo frowned at the question being flung back at him so abruptly.
"I just mean…" Izuku pouted. "It feels like nothing changed. No one knows, Hawks. The media…they don't know the real story. The Bureau isn't even mentioned!" Izuku's hands tightened on the swing. "It's all this ambiguous terrorist group, possible anti-quirk…but…no facts…no reality…"
"Do you think our society is ready for the reality of what lies behind the curtain?"
Izuku shook his head. "No."
"Then that is all the media will say."
"But Hawks! Our government is infested with people who actively hate us." Izuku choked out a sob. "Madam…Madam…she threatened you, in front of Dad, and Best Jeanist!"
"I know."
"If she touches you, or Rilo, I will—"
"Do nothing."
Izuku tightened up.
"Izuku, you will do nothing to draw attention to yourself. Do I make myself clear."
"Fuck you." Izuku hissed.
"It is vital that once you obtain One for All that its existence within you remains a secret, and that you remain beyond the reach of someone like Madam. If I have to sacrifice myself to keep you from her, then I will."
A tear stained face looked right up at him. "I don't want that."
"I know."
"I want to save you."
"I know."
"I will save you!" Izuku snapped.
"You will. Someday. I believe that." Kegio reached out, grasping Izuku's freckled cheeks, wiping at the tears that glistened in the setting sun. "It is because I believe in you, that I can face the future."
Keigo pulled out the small wooden jewellery box from his cargo pants, holding it out to Izuku. "Here, this is yours."
Izuku hesitantly took it, flipping open the lid. "It's my feather," he whispered.
"Well, technically it's mine." Keigo watched as Izuku lifted the pendant free of the box.
"Hawks…I can…I can really keep this?"
"Yes, Izuku. It's yours."
Izuku clutched it tightly to his chest. "So much changed, and I know…I know…I know…it will keep changing…but…but Hawks…I am so happy!"
Izuku launched into his arms and Keigo thumped backwards, off the swing. They both landed on the ground and Keigo lay there, holding the teen tightly. He heard Rilo's footsteps approaching, and watched as her warm glow fell across the dark shadows cast by the lowering sun stretching past the trees and play equipment.
"You two okay?" She bent over them both. Her galaxy glow was beautiful. He could have stared up at her for hours.
"We're all good, babe." Keigo dragged himself up, dropping Izuku down beside him.
Izuku rubbed at his eyes and cheeks. Rilo crouched down, kissing Izuku's nose softly. He crinkled his face up as she fussed over him, worrying about him getting a chill.
"Come on…" Rilo motioned to Dabi's car in the distance. "We should get home."
Keigo hugged Rilo tightly to his side as he ruffled Izuku's hair fondly. He smiled at them both. "Nah, I'm already home."
In his city.
With people he loved.
That was really all he needed.
All he'd ever wanted.
They'd be fine.
They had each other.
And Dabi. Dabi had the car.
Izuku flung himself onto the hood of the extremely expensive, very stolen vehicle, hugging it and squealing in delight. "I love it, Dabi!"
Dabi sent him a cuffed look. "See, the brat has taste."
"The brat is an idiot. It's an abomination." Keigo wrinkled his nose at the car.
"Right, so, you can walk." Dabi grabbed Izuku and threw him into the front seat of the convertible. "Broccoli-top and I will go for a ride and get the most unhealthiest takeaway imaginable."
"Whooo, yeah!" Izuku flung up his arms. "Go fast!"
"Izuku, you have a heroes licence." Keigo called out.
"Go, like, as fast as the speed limit allows." Izuku quickly amended.
Keigo watched the car speed off, going just over the speed limit, because Dabi lived to test his patience.
"You trust him with Izuku?" Rilo worried.
Well—
He trusted Dabi with her—
Which was considerably more impressive in his mind, to be honest.
"I know it might be a difficult thing to grasp…" Keigo rubbed his nose. "But when you fight someone, you can gauge the type of person they are. Dabi and I came to an agreement that day. We'd not destroy Fukuoka by trying to kill each other. We'd tolerate each other. That doesn't mean I won't stab him in some place that won't kill him."
"He said he's going to help me get revenge." Rilo hugged up against him.
"Hm. He wasn't overly impressed by the Bureau." Keigo glanced across the esplanade. "Then again, I wonder…I wonder if we released the info we have…if it'd really cause the unrest I think it would, or if people would be so disgusted they'd just never turn on another light."
"Humans like comfort." Rilo shook her head. "I don't think there is anything inherently bad in that desire to seek an easy life."
"Hm. Nope." He certainly really wanted that easy, mundane life that didn't involve being a sword for the Commission.
"So…I think you're right…" she paused, drawing herself over to the view across the ocean. "I think it'd split the nation something awful, and I don't think that's what we need right now."
"You have a lot of sisters in captivity out there somewhere."
"Change takes time, Keigo. Maybe it won't be us, or even our children, or our children's children…but at some point, change happens. We're just the first step up the mountain."
"Oh, my darling lightbulb." Keigo cradled her cheeks, rubbing the sparkling tears from them. "I do love you."
She glowed a soft tint of pink, the galaxy of vibrant fractal patterns beneath her skin sparkling far brighter, and clearer, than it ever had. Perhaps, he mused, she wasn't a lightbulb at all, but a lighthouse.
He smiled.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? Keigo, you can't say I love you, and then give me that smile." She twisted her arms around his neck and he laughed. He bounced her up, catching her in his arms. She squealed as he hoisted her over his shoulder and took the stairs down to the beach.
"Keigo! You goose!" She whooped as he skipped through the sand and landed with a thump, stretching out to stare up at the night sky.
Rilo peered down at him, and he raised a hand, dusting it through her translucent hair. His fingers tingled at the static discharge. It should have been dark on the beach, but her glow made the sand look like a bed of diamonds, the ocean a silk blanket. Her glow hadn't just returned, it had intensified, and like the open sky, he just wanted to loose himself in the warmth.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"For what?"
"For catching me." He brushed a thumb over her lips.
"I'm pretty sure you're the one who caught me, Mr. Hero."
"Nah." He tipped his head back in the sand. "You might have been the one who fell, but I was the one who was falling."
And he had been, since he could remember, he'd been falling into a very early grave.
Rilo's arms snaked up and around his head. He smiled as she bent over him, her nose touching his. Her eyes may as well have been flashlights. He rather wondered if he could turn them down by kissing her. The thought was a lot more amusing than it should have been, and he had to force down the desire to absolutely smother her mouth with his.
He sat up and she tucked herself into his lap, happily holding his hands in her own as she snuggled back. Keigo dropped his chin on her head.
"I donno…" he mused. "Maybe it's selfish…but…then…maybe we're all inherently motivated by selfishness in the end. But by saving you, I was also saving myself."
"I don't think that's selfish. I think…we're all just…trying to paddle upstream right, and, it's easier with two."
"Ohhh, noooo, what if we drown together." He rocked them both back and forth.
Rilo tweaked his nose. "Shut up, goose."
Keigo dipped his head into the curve of her neck, nestling himself up into a comfortable spot around her and that's how they sat, watching the waves gently break against the shore. Without his wings, his sense quirk was near completely dulled. He couldn't feel the ambiance of the city life, how it ebbed and flowed like interconnecting rivers that he needed to constantly keep track of.
No.
It was just the soft, gentle lull of the ocean, and the crackling of Rilo's energy against his hands as she played with his calloused fingers idly.
It was so incredibly peaceful.
Such a contradiction to the gut-wrenching feeling that sometimes overwhelmed him, telling him they were plummeting straight into calamity.
"It's only just started, you know…" Keigo sighed into her hair.
"I know." Rilo squeezed his hands. "Let's drown together."
"Morbid."
"Hey, you said it first." Her hands slipped from his and started roaming. Keigo tipped his head to one side as she finally held his cheeks, looking up at him backwards. She blinked innocently.
"Okay, you know, I do miss them. I feel a bit naked." Rilo pouted.
"My wings?" He laughed. "You feel naked? Oh, please, fuck you."
"Well…" Rilo grabbed his thigh. "I would let you, but…one…we're in public…two…I don't think you can handle it."
He choked on air. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Rilo stood, dusting sand off her dress. She punctuated each word with a sway of her hips. "I said, I don't think you can handle it."
The grin she threw him over her shoulder was reminiscent of the first time they'd sat on the same beach, and she'd stolen his feather.
"You better start running, lightbulb." Keigo eased forward.
Rilo squeaked as he snatched for her ankle. She hoisted her dress around her knees and began to run through the sand. He shook his head, counting backwards from a hundred. Reaching zero, he clambered to his feet. She'd gotten a good distance, but she obviously had not recovered her pervious stamina and had slowed considerably. Though, it had been a long day, and he had to wonder what effects the mod-removal was having on her.
She was always testing her boundaries.
And she called him a goose.
Keigo stepped into a fast run, and very quickly, he was jogging beside her.
She flung out her arms in frustration. "Gah. It's not fair. You're still fast."
He raised his brow. "Think you handle me?"
Rilo giggled. "Oh, Keigo. I've been handling you for a while."
"You little minx." He swept her up and stood there, in the shallows of the ocean, staring up at the sky. "Ah, fuck not having wings. Walking sucks."
She laughed into his shoulder, swinging her legs playfully.
Keigo headed back in the direction of the esplanade, where Dabi's ugly car waited with an enthusiastically waving Izuku. "Also, we don't have a house."
"Probably should be first on our list of things to do." Rilo mused.
"I thought sky-sex was?" He looked down at her.
Rilo tugged on the collar of his shirt. "Guess I'll have to be patient."
"I could always hang you from the ceiling, like a lightbulb." He grinned.
"I swear, if you so much as try, I will electrocute your plucked arse."
He tipped his head to one side. "That kinda sounds like a challenge."
"Keigo!" Rilo laughed.
"Challenge accepted."
Authors Note:
Well – here we are – the end of what I guess is the first 'season'. ^_^;
Thank you so much for taking the time to read – to those who have left reviews, or favorited the story, thank you so much. I've really appreciated taking this journey with you all. It's meant a lot.
I started the idea for this fanfic during an awful time – and you know what – over the months of writing this – I've slowly pieced bits of my life back together. It hasn't been anything dramatic, it's just, day by day, being consistent with little things and being totally okay when I unravel alone.
Anyway – enough oversharing. Ya'll don't need that.
What's next?
I have like – so much more planned, and, while I'm enjoying it, and it's giving me something to do, I'll just keeping going.
Basically, from this point, there will be a few one-shot type stories to fill in between Season One and Season Two. These one-shots, gah…are they one-shots when they have multi-chapters? I donno…they cover Izuku's 'Spring Break' in Fukuoka, some 'Loose Ends' from Season One, Hawks and Rilo 'House Hunting', a multi-chapter story called "Phoenix of Fukuoka" which is basically Canary's previous warning about sector eighteen coming to fruition, and the big 'Summer Holiday' that covers the Water Hose Heroes that I have been soooooo looking forward to doing, like oh my gosh, I've had the fight scene with Muscular written down for MONTHS. Then Season Two begins all the fascinating stuff with One for All, and then follows Izuku's troubles at U.A – Hawks and Dabi having to somehow infiltrate the Underground and League of Villains and the slow collapse of society into an Upheaval because, Hawks' wings are never wrong.
I'm excited. ^_^
Again, thank you all for the support, and for reading this story. I hope it gave you some entertainment and a bit of enjoyment.
Catch you next update.
