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Dabi is going to prison. That much he’d known from the beginning.
What he didn’t know was that Hawks, Keigo fucking Takami, would have a problem with that.
He should’ve, apparently, because the bird has his finger stabbed into his chest and looks pissed, but he didn’t know this.
“-believe you thought this was okay! You were supposed to fight this shit!” Dabi didn’t realize Keigo was still going, and yeah, he has to call him Keigo now apparently.
“How was I supposed to fight that when everyone knew it was going to happen? Just because I managed to survive the final battle with the help of you heroes, doesn’t mean that my crimes and murders are forgiven. You know that, right?” asks Dabi softly, head tilting with his confusion as he looks at Keigo who is glaring up at him through pretty golden eyes, red wings fluttering behind him with impatience. “Like, did you not get taught that? Because if that’s the case, pretty bird, I’m sorry, but I am definitely not a good teacher for anyone except for myself.”
“I don’t give two fucks about that, okay?” huffs Keigo as he throws his hands in the air, wings harshly flapping enough to lift him off his feet momentarily in his frustration. But when Dabi chuckles at the sight, he gets an armful of an angry, pretty bird for his troubles. “You weren’t going to fight to win freedom, dummy. The reformation program is finally in place, and you were supposed to fight to win the opportunity to join the damn program! That’s why we pushed your court date back for so long, aside from your surgeries and healing, which I’m so happy you went through with by the way.”
“Okay, that I wasn’t aware of. Nobody told me about that. Enji had a conversation with the lawyer, then Shouto did as well, but I wasn’t aware of the reformation program being in place!” exclaims Dabi as he carefully sets Keigo down with his own huff.
“Are you telling me that one of them screwed up my carefully fuckin’ laid plans?” asks Keigo darkly, eyes narrowing as he meets Dabi’s.
“I don’t know. What I’m telling you is that I wasn’t aware of literally any of this!” replies Dabi as he throws his arms in the air, disbelief shrouding everything else. “Seriously, how did no one tell me that it was even an option? Now- Now I’d have to wait two years, and it’ll only come as an option if those two years are spent with good fucking behavior!”
“I couldn’t tell you because they would’ve known that it was my idea, not your own, and that would’ve tainted any deals that could’ve been made. But your family could’ve said something and were supposed to say something.” explains Keigo softly, shaking his head before he looks at Dabi and his shoulders drop in defeat. “Shouto really didn’t tell you anything?”
“No, he just gave me some brochure looking things, which I looked at, but none of them mentioned the actual thing. They- Shouto might have been planning to, but you know what happened to Hitoshi and Izuku, right? He barely managed to tell me about the newest court date because of everything happening with them. So, he couldn’t.” explains Dabi as he runs his hands through his hair because his brother had been dealing with Izuku and Hitoshi’s injuries, their time in the hospital and trying to catch the bastards that had hurt his significant others alongside the rest of Class 1-A. “He’s probably kicking himself right now, please call him for me.”
Keigo doesn’t even respond, his face going white like he’d forgotten about that, then he’s pulling out his phone and calling Shouto immediately. The youngest Todoroki being number one on his speed dial has Dabi chuckling into his elbow as the phone rings and rings.
“Hawks? Is everything okay?” Shouto’s voice sounds broken.
“Sho, baby brother, tell me those two are okay.” says Dabi immediately, worry lancing through him because he knows Shouto was going to see them today.
“They- We’re fine, Dabs! Just wishing for food with taste and waiting to get outta here!” calls Hitoshi and Izuku as they cut Shouto off, sounding sad as well, but attempting to be reassuring as usual.
“Sho, don’t blame yourself, okay?” says Dabi softly, the biggest worry easing as he focuses on what his initial worry was.
“I didn’t tell you like I was supposed to. I didn’t- I told your lawyer, but he said it had to come from you. And I- I got the call about Izuku and Hitoshi’s test results mid trial right after I talked to him, so I- I screwed up.” Shouto sounds broken as he speaks, and Dabi has the strongest urge to hug his little brother as tight as he can until he sounds better.
“Sho, I don’t blame you.” says Dabi seriously, needing him to understand that.
“I’m going to go kill your lawyer actually because Shouto and Enji were the ones who could decide this, not you. They- you gave up the right to decide shit when you gave yourself up, and that bastard knew that! He screwed you!” exclaims Keigo angrily as he gives the phone to Dabi before turning like he’s going to leave.
“Don’t. Kei, I am about to be processed and checked at Tartarus, despite you managing to pull me out of the line, so maybe wait to cause problems on my behalf until after that, okay?” says Dabi as he reaches out his free hand to grip Keigo’s wrist loosely, trying to keep him in place for as long as he could.
“Come on, Dabs, you know- that bastard-” Keigo tries to argue as he turns to look at Dabi, but he can’t seem to finish his arguments properly. “Fine, I’ll wait.”
“You will, but we won’t.”
“We’re cleared, so let’s get the hell outta here.”
“We'll clear this up, Touya, okay? I promise. You and Hawks can enjoy your time together until you’re taken, and We will fix this mess.”
Shouto, Izuku, and Hitoshi sound so certain, so serious about it that Dabi doesn’t really have a response, which is probably for the best considering they end the call without another word.
“This mess is going to be fixed, even if I have to threaten the entire fucking system. Stupid lawyers. I told that flaming asshat not to hire that prick, but noooo. Don’t listen to the man who knows everything about the HPSC investigations into the “villain defenders” as they called them. I’m going to slash him with my fuckin’ feathers.” grumbles Keigo as he takes his phone from Dabi and slips it back into his pocket as he settles down, and Dabi knows it’s obvious that those three are calling in back-up. “Who do you think they’re calling? Their class, or Zawa?”
“Both. Guaranteed both, actually because two of ‘em said we, and the other… Hitoshi, well, it sounded like there was typing. So, yeah. I’m guaranteeing everyone is getting called in on this. Yamada might end up called in too, actually.” replies Dabi with a snort as he moves towards the other side of the small room. It’s empty, and for once, he almost wishes there would be a chair and a table or even a couch.
He’s not far from the prisoner's entrance where he’d be going through the processing set up and dealing with that mess. Hawks managed to stop him from being taken back for an hour because they needed a moment together. Dabi knows the man pulled some major strings since he hasn’t even been officially processed. Plus, they haven’t even been checked on since he pulled him into this random empty room.
“Well, if they are, they’d better get him to confess this shit before I get to them.” huffs Keigo with a scowl.
“They will, or they’ll leave that to you. Who knows at this point, but uh… I have a question.” replies Dabi as a tension wraps around them, around him. He knows, when golden eyes meet his blues, that this is going to get weird fast because of how they’d stopped things a while ago. “Why did you pull me out and claim we needed a moment together?”
“I’m sorry I yanked you out before you were fully checked in and processed. I- I just wouldn’t have been able to talk to you tonight because visiting hours are over already for new prisoners. You won’t have standard visiting hours for another three days.” mutters Keigo as his wings wrap around him, ignoring the question as he frowns, looking sad in a way that breaks Dabi’s heart because he gets it. “I just- I know, we’d agreed.”
“Then why do this?” asks Dabi as he turns to Keigo, confusion starting to frustrate him because this wasn’t even his decision in the first place to not talk about it.
“I- Come on, Dabi, I know I- Look, I couldn’t let you get sent away without seeing you at least one more time where we actually had the alone time to talk. I just- I just had to see you alone again.” says Keigo quietly, seeming nervous as he sticks his hands in his pockets.
“I thought we agreed not to do this? The waiting and wondering and pining shit. You- You’re the one who told me to keep the distance, you didn’t even want me to put you on my list at the hospital. Kei, you did nothing wrong here, but I’m about to be locked up for two years waiting for good behavior to kick me an opportunity with the reformation program.” Dabi doesn’t want to do this, have this conversation again, not when it took him two weeks to get over the pain of seeing Keigo on the news and hearing the whispers from his own family of how the other was doing. But he needs to because he still has hope, a hope he probably shouldn’t still have at this point. “Why did you yank me tonight?”
“I just- I wasn’t even hardly allowed to talk to you when I was helping your father and brother get the case handled. I know we said space, I said space, and you didn’t argue it. Either way, it’s hard to have space when all you think about is the person you love more than anything in the damn world.” explains Keigo, wings spreading out and fluttering as Dabi looks at him, his nerves lifting his feet off the ground.
“Keigo, you- you wanted that. I only agreed because you wanted it, not because I wanted to.” sighs Dabi as he runs a hand through his hair, feeling regret, guilt, and a little bit of frustration.
He wants Keigo, he’s wanted Keigo since before everything went to shit with the war, but Keigo… Keigo didn’t think they should, and he’d respected it. Even when it broke his heart and left him in pain.
It doesn’t matter though, Keigo wouldn’t even listen to him.
He’d tried to confess, the night he gave everything up, but Keigo refused to hear him out. He didn’t want to hear anything when the war could take both of their lives or leave them living without the other.
Dabi knew it wasn’t just that. It was Keigo fearing Dabi wasn’t going to want anything to do with him after the war ended if they both survived. It was Keigo giving Dabi an out, and Dabi forced himself to take it because maybe Keigo needed it too.
“I know, I know it was my fault that we did this. I have regretted it every single day, let me tell you, and I’m sorry that I’m even bringing it up now. But- But I have to because I- I know I’m going to regret it if I don’t tell you the truth.” says Keigo softly, sounding as though tears were falling down his cheeks, and one glance tells Dabi that they are. Keigo is crying, trying to keep his voice steady, and the soft tone helps, but he’s crying. “I love you, Dabi… Touya. I love you, and I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t- I didn’t want you to regret it when you found out that I was a spy. I didn’t want you to hate me for infiltrating the league as far as you all let me. I thought you would, so I told you no that night and every other time. I’m sorry, Dabi. I just- I wanted you to have an out, and I know you took it. I just had to tell you because now I won’t be able to talk to you or see you for two years, if you don’t put me on the visitors list, and this isn’t me telling you to. I swear.”
Dabi crumbles to the ground at the explanation, his legs going weak at all of the words falling between them. He can’t deny understanding it, but it doesn’t change the way this affects literally everything.
Keigo loves him. Not just Dabi, but Touya too.
He can hear Keigo talking, something reassuring, but Dabi can’t focus long enough to process it. It’s just a hand falling onto his shoulder, red wings surrounding him as his face finds its way into a golden sweater with a soft material that Dabi regrets pressing his face into because his nose is running.
“You’ve been- This whole time we could’ve been talking, planning, being honest, and you- you made the decision to not let us do this because you didn’t want me to regret it? Keigo, I knew who you were ages ago. Hell, I told Shigaraki that you were a fuckin’ spy and everything! I made it clear I didn’t fuckin’ trust you, and I was right for it! But that means jack shit now just like it stopped meaning shit not long after I said it. I am in love with you, pretty bird.” rants Dabi as flames erupt momentarily before he shoves himself back and snuffs his flames. His blue eyes lock on golden eyes, and all of this anger and frustration spills out of him as he glares at the man that showed him that he could still love. “Have been for fuckin’ ages, since before I learned of your real name, and you want to tell me that you wanted me to have an out? Do you not remember what my files say? Do you not remember what I’ve done? If anyone needed an out, Keigo, it’s you. I’m a murderer, I’ve committed so many crimes that I was surprised they even bothered with a trial for me.”
“Class 1-A fought for all of you to have trials, for your help in the war to matter as well. We fought for it.” says Keigo softly before his hands cup Dabi’s face, and their eyes are locked. Dabi wants to melt at the softness, the love flowing through those golden eyes. “Dabi, I’ve done some shitty things too. The HPSC has made me a killer before and even taking control won’t stop it from trying again. I never needed an out from you, from my feelings for you, but I thought you would. I’ve been in love with you almost from the beginning, but I was stubborn and took longer to figure things out. Our little walks down the street, our secret meetings on the rooftops, even our time alone in the league’s place… those were the best times of my life. I didn’t need an out when I offered this, and I don’t need one now.”
“What? That mean you’ll wait for me, Keigo? Because that’s probably a death sentence.” huffs Dabi harshly because disbelief is raging through his veins even as those golden eyes are filled with sincerity.
“For as long as I need to, Dabi. I’ll wait forever for you, and I won’t regret a single second of it.” replies Keigo honestly, leaning in and brushing their noses together as his eyes fall closed.
“I- you shouldn’t do that, Keigo. It’s going to be two years, and even then, the reformation program isn’t guaranteed. I’m supposed to be here til I die.” whispers Dabi as he clenched his eyes closed because he wants but he can’t.
“I’ll wait for you, Dabi, for as long as I need. I’m never going to move on from you, and I know that without a doubt. You’re it for me, so let me wait.” replies Keigo with a soft huff that’s all amusement and no anger or frustration.
Dabi opens his eyes, staring into Keigo’s, and he says, “Okay, but if you ever want to stop… if you ever decide it’s too much, then tell me. I’ll make sure you never have to think of me again.”
“That will never happen, firefly.” replies Keigo easily, so certain that Dabi feels his heart in his throat. “I love you, Dabi, Touya.”
“I love you too, Hawks, Keigo.” whispers Dabi, and he’d cry if they were able to repair his tear ducts as Keigo leans in and kisses him.
It’s a soft kiss that tastes of salt, and Dabi knows that Keigo is crying. He wishes he could, eyes stinging but no tears falling, but he kisses Keigo back, chaste as it is, it’s everything.
“I’m sorry, Keigo, but I need to take him in and process him.” calls a random voice that Dabi doesn’t recognise, but Keigo pulls back with a barely concealed sob.
“I know, I know, just- we’ll be out in just a moment.” replies Keigo without looking back at the person.
“I’ll be right outside the door then, you have two minutes before I have to force you to separate.” That voice sounds sad, almost like they don’t want to do this either.
Dabi finally opens his eyes when he hears the door click shut, and Keigo is looking at him as tears fall down his cheeks. So, Dabi lifts his hands and uses his thumbs to wipe the tears away and clean his pretty bird’s cheeks.
“I’ll put you on my visitors list as soon as Sho visits, okay? He’ll make sure you can come and message you the hours too. I love you, Keigo.” whispers Dabi seriously as he helps Keigo stand, knowing they really don’t have enough time to talk anymore.
“I love you too, Dabi, Touya.” whispers Keigo as he brushes another kiss against Dabi’s cheek.
“Keigo, you can call me Touya. Only you and Sho can though, okay? I’ve told Sho, that’s why his boyfriends still call me Dabs and Dabi. The rest of the family knows too, Mom gets away with it, but nobody else is allowed yet. It- it’s not easy. But you can, okay? You can call me Touya or Dabi, whichever you want to, okay?” Dabi’s rambling as they head for the door, needing to tell Keigo this, wanting to show him just how much he means to him. But he also needs Keigo to know that he trusts Keigo with his past the same way Keigo trusts him with his own.
“Okay, Touya, I love you too. I’ll be here as soon as Shouto messages me, I swear. I love you.” whispers Keigo as his hand twists the knob of the door, and then they’re walking through it with sad smiles.
“I’m sorry. I tried to hold it off for as long as I could.” says that voice which belongs to a red headed guard who looks sympathetic.
“It’s okay, thank you for helping.” says Keigo gently, half-smile filled with more sadness than his golden eyes.
Dabi doesn’t say anything, he can’t, so he just holds his wrists out and forces his eyes forward as cuffs fall onto them and lock him down. When Keigo hugs him once more, Dabi hates that he can’t hug him back properly, but then he’s being tugged away and led to the processing spot for inmates.
He just keeps repeating “Don’t look back. Don’t look back. Don’t look back,” in his head, but he can’t help it. Dabi turns his head to look back at Keigo, and he sees the other man watching him with a hand over his mouth and tears falling steadily down his cheeks. But what really breaks him, really makes him regret not running when he had the chance, is seeing those red wings drooping low enough to brush against the floor of the prison.
“Do not process him! New orders! He’s going into the reformation program!” yells a familiar voice that has Dabi jolting so hard that he almost falls over.
Shouto is sprinting through the prison waving a paper over his head as Hitoshi and Izuku go over to get Keigo and bring him over, whispering heatedly to the older man.
“This bastard deserves jail time, not reformation.” spits a guard that sits on the other side, processing his own inmates.
“Yeah? Well then I’m damn glad your opinion doesn’t matter. That’s my brother, asshole.” sneers Shouto as he goes over to the warden, ice flowing from under his sleeve until the guard helps about his feet being frozen. “He’s being released to me and will go to therapy in the morning at the program's house. There the therapist will decide if he needs to take a year staying at the house, or if I can take him back to my apartment where a room is set up for him as that’s where he’s been staying throughout his surgeries and recoveries with Recovery Girl and his Surgeon making house visits.”
“Woah, how did you- how did you manage to get that already?” asks Dabi as the cuffs are slipped off of his wrists.
“Took us ten minutes, the only reason we took longer is because we had to get here from the airport on the other side of town.” replies Izuku brightly, and Dabi rolls his eyes when he sees him wearing a wild smile that he recognizes.
But then Keigo is wrapping his arms around Dabi’s shoulders, and there is no hesitation as Dabi meets him in the middle for a kiss. It’s soft, but so filled with love that Dabi wonders if he’s going to drown in it.
“Woah, they finally got together!” Hitoshi’s stage whisper is annoying, but Dabi doesn’t bother to react other than flipping him off as he kisses Keigo.
“Of course they did, they finally stopped being idiots.” huffs Shouto loudly, and Dabi has to pull away and laugh when he feels Keigo lift his own arm away.
Keigo is flipping Shouto off, and his little brother is cackling.
“I don’t wanna hear shit until you three have that chat with Red Riot.” replies Dabi with a pointed look at his brother before turning to look at Izuku and Hitoshi. “And maybe you three should have that same chat with Phantom Thief too. Last I heard, he was waiting for it along with Riot.”
“Shuddup.” huffs Hitoshi as he turns his head, pouting as his arms cross over his chest.
“We were planning on it, Dabi, and we still will.” replies Izuku with a nervous chuckle like the call out wasn’t expected.
“You couldn’t let me have this one?” asks Shouto with a petulant huff, and Dabi turns his head to look at his little brother just so he can roll his eyes at him.
“Not a chance in Tartarus, little brother.” replies Dabi amusedly as Shouto heads towards him, ignoring the guard who is still complaining about being frozen to the ground. “Hey, douchetard, maybe use your quirk? Aren’t you one of the transporters? Transport yourself outta the ice.”
“Oh fuck you!” yells the guard, but then he does exactly as Dabi suggested.
“Let’s get you outta here, firefly.” says Keigo happily, wings fluttering with excitement.
“Yeah, okay.” murmurs Dabi as Shouto finally joins his partners, and when Keigo and Dabi reach them, a portal opens.
Shouto is the one who tugs Dabi and Keigo through it, and they land in Shouto’s apartment. Izuku starts hollering about ordering dinner while Hitoshi says he’ll call Neito. Shouto decides he’ll call Eijirou, and Dabi shares one look with Keigo before leading him down the hall to the bedroom he’s called his since the war ended.
“I’ll order your usual, Dabs! What do you want, Hawks?” calls Izuku, and Dabi easily answers for Keigo, “Chicken, anything with Chicken!”
He hears Izuku’s whoop, and knows they’re going to be ordering from three different places again, which has become their norm. So, he just settles on his bed, and Keigo lays over him immediately, head falling onto his chest to hear his heart.
If they don’t get woken up until moans pour through the thin walls, that’s their business… And the poly couple in the apartment who will definitely hear all about it in the morning, after Keigo and Dabi have searched out their dinner and went onto the balcony to fall asleep again with actual silence around them.