So please, stay?

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In which Dabi has a nightmare: Hawks comforts him, and Dabi overthink at sunrise.

He hid in the abandoned streets of Musutafu, shivering and greedily drinking every breath that set his lungs on fire. He gripped the thin rag that barely covered his stomach, blood seeping out with every flare of his flames. The dancing blue fire taunted him in his torture, flooding in his veins and licking his bandaged skin that barely concealed the burnt surface. He bit his lip to prevent a dreadful scream, tasting copper as crimson dripped from his mouth.
 
He liked to think that he was strong, a persistent boy that survived years from running away from home, with nothing but his charms and his words to distract those who help him from his scars. He liked to think he was an ambitious cold blooded man, who slayed men who dare intervene with his plans. He liked to think he was a threat, the name Dabi spreading through every inch and corner of Japan, until citizens felt a chill go up their spine by the name alone, that inspired despair and drove people to the hysterics with sheer fear. He liked to think his scars were a symbol of his loyalty to the League of Villains. He liked to think he was an intelligent, street-smart member, who weaved his way out of arrests and prison.
 
But now, name and all, he had no choice but to know that he was a helpless drug addict, drowning in alcohol and being tugged by the strings of mercy. That he was the victim of despair, and despite his ambitions to drag society down along with him, he was still plunging deeper and deeper into an endless suffering until he was driven to the brink of death. He felt so alone, and when the moon rose, he wanted nothing but a pair of arms to hold him gently and tell him he would be okay.
 
Of course, that would never be a reality. Children screamed at his judging turquoise eyes and horrible patches of purple, adults saw the face of evil as he flashed his blue fire, and Shigaraki- the only member that understood- saw him as a pawn. A powerful pawn, but a pawn that would be sacrificed in war. Frustration and stress leaked out as powerful bursts of flames that harmed him and made him scream with agony. The same flames that burned the bridges of his connection with his god forsaken family. The flames that Toya could never control, and the flames that gave birth to Dabi.
 
“-bi- DABI?- DABI-”
 
Dabi inhaled, his eyes fluttering open by full force. He slammed into the ground, the floor sending him into a dizzy faze. He breathed once more, and let out a strangled cough. The heat was gone, as if the smoke had never reached his nostrils. The waves of pain were from his wrists that had slammed onto the floor, but there were no flames eating his skin alive. He blinked, once, twice, before a strong pair of arms lifted him. He shut his eyes, not understanding before he felt the soft mattress settle him down. Mattress?
 
Dabi turned, and his body seemed to have flipped a switch. His arms, which were lifting half his body from the bed- a soft, small bed- collapsed at the overwhelming feeling of relief that soared through his body. He let himself be in the arms of Keigo Takami, gulping each fresh breath hungrily as he gripped the sheets. Tears flooded through his eyes.
 
He was nowhere near the dirty alleyways. He was safe, in his home, the sun barely beginning to peak from the buildings, just barely awoken from yet another nightmare. Ex villain Toya Todoroki, laying in the arms of Hawks, the number three hero, Hawks. In the arms of Keigo Takami, his fiancee.
 
He let out a choked laugh. Years ago, he thought he could never find a person to give his heart to, to struggle if it meant keeping them safe. He thought he was a heartless monster.
 
God, the nightmare felt so real.
 
Yet, here he lay, with the love of his life, his golden irises shining with concern. Dabi would burn down the world for him, would travel to the moon and back to see him smile and laugh. Keigo’s laugh brightened up the room, and would warm anyone who stepped in his area.
 
But for now, Keigo let giant, crimson wings wrap around the two men, gentle feathers grazing his skin. Dabi’s choked laugh turned into sniffles, forcing the tears down. But Keigo’s hand on his cheek was so warm, so tempting, and with a loud sob that rippled from his throat, it broke the damn as he let out loud, uncontrollable wails. (To think that he nearly burnt his tear ducts and was stripped away the ablility to cry horrifies him.) Keigo let him cry, kissed his cheek and his forehead and rubbed his back. Dabi buried his head into his shoulder as droplets of tears dripped from his eyes, soaking Keigo’s favorite shirt. He didn’t want to ask if he minded.
 
(He didn’t.)
 
When his cries turned into sniffles and hiccups, he felt obligated to tell Keigo why he had suddenly thrashed in his bed (judging from the messed up blankets on his side), but Keigo simply let out a coo and swooped in for a kiss. They stayed there, the kiss chaste and gentle, nothing rough or passionate. Just an action that told him that Keigo was there, with him. Dabi relished in his scent. His lips were sweet and soft. Keigo tasted like cinnamon and coffee, and Dabi knew he could spend hours like this. If only oxygen wasn’t a thing and they didn’t have to break apart.
 
“It’s okay, Touya. I’ve got you.” Keigo muttered, his concern melting away. Dabi felt warmth and relaxation take over him, and he let himself melt into a content puddle of tears and love.
 
Dabi was a name that rose from the ashes of a broken boy. It was a name that drove people insane with fear, and what was left of his sanity was coughed and slipped into the smoke of his fire. Dabi was the man that stepped out, that had smiled and barked at thugs to stay out of his way, the man that learned to be detached from the emotion that flooded him whenever he saw blood. He was far from perfect. He was a criminal that had brought pain to many, in exchange with a blind determination to watch a society crumble, to complete Stain’s will.
 
Yet Hawks swept in and found him huddled against the darkening corner, and lured him out, bit by bit, into the light. He smiled, and Dabi’s heart began to pump with adrenaline again. He smiled, and Dabi felt whole. He smiled, and Dabi couldn’t give a fuck about Stain, or the corrupted hero system, or his scars. Dabi just wanted to see Keigo smile. Because with it, he felt like he could live again.
 
Hawks was everything Stain resented. He was bought, tortured, and through brutal training, he became a child soldier, a blind lap dog for the Commision. Keigo explained that he used to have talons, hell even a tail, but under multiple plastic surgeries and operations, they were stripped away. They had told him his face would be far too much of a waste to give up on and tucked away all the unattractive qualities. He was trained with his instincts by being blindfolded in a dark room and forcing him to learn the surface by touch and avoid them by reflex. He was mostly isolated and therefore, desperate for people to like him, he put on a persona that everything would be alright given any situation in his hands.
 
Keigo had nightmares too. Nightmares that plagued him, ones that Dabi tried to chase away with a session of him showering kisses. The world had fucked both of them up, but-
 
“Hey. You still there?”
 
Dabi let out a grunt. “Yes, now go back to sleep, asshole.”
 
He heard a chuckle. “Mm. Okay.”
 
There was a shuffle of blankets.
 
The world had fucked them up, chewed them and spat them out as they climbed out by sheer force and will, but Keigo managed to still spread his wings and be concerned for the sake of the world, as if he had owed them a goddamn thing. Dabi was those who once seeked vengeance, a swirl of negative emotions consuming his every fiber being to watch the world that destroyed him burn. Keigo was one of the rare ones that came out protecting his warm heart and his ambitions set in place. The one that was determined to protect his home and give others hope. Perhaps not as a Symbol of Peace, no- he knew a certain green haired boy would stand up to that- but something to fill in the gap, a flicker of hope that would make people sigh in relief as he swept through the city with a carefree smile. He managed to pry open Dabi’s heart and warm his, and guide him through the most positive things in life, to encourage him to keep on living.
 
Dabi sometimes wondered what Keigo saw. He wondered if Keigo saw the frightening monster that many did in hushed whispers. He wondered if Keigo had once shivered in fear at his name. He wondered if Keigo once swore to slay the monster that was Dabi, only to be horrified that he had fallen in love.
 
He asked him that once. Keigo merely laced their hands together.
 
“I see… a redeeming person. A man who has finally stopped running away from his problems, who’s facing them, determined. I see the man who helped me through burdens of my own. I see the love of my life. I see Toya.” Keigo had whispered, leaning onto his shoulder on a glorious sunset.
 
“You fucking sap.” was what came out of Dabi’s mouth. Keigo squawked, slapping him with his wings and Dabi dissolved into fits of laughter that Keigo soon joined too. The golden eyes shone with mirth, and that was when Dabi truly, truly started to believe that maybe he deserved the love he always craved for. Maybe he was worth the affections that Keigo delivers every day.
 
He also wondered if Keigo saw what he himself saw. Did he see the kindness that practically radiated off him? Or the hard working hero that actually earned his ranking, despite him being Stain’s enemy? Did he see his forgiving self, who cheered someone on and on until they succeeded and he would tackle them with hugs? Did he see that Keigo was an angel, his far too soul pure and innocent for the world? The man who was willing to give up such purity to commit crimes for the sake of the world for the long run?
 
Did Keigo see why Dabi adored him, fell for him, and would die for him?
 
“M’hey- T’ya- you sleeping?” came Keigo’s raspy voice. Dabi looked down. Keigo was tugging his shirt, glassy eyes staring at him with open adoration and such an open expression that the world would never see due to his persona. 'You joining me to sleep?' left unsaid.
 
Dabi laughed, and Keigo’s expression softened. “Yes, Pretty Bird. Wait for me in your dreams.”
 
As Keigo’s eyelids finally slid shut, Dabi let himself sink into the darkness, the warmth of Keigo remaining firmly by his side.

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