"When did this come in?" Hawks felt his jaw clench as he read the rest of the letter, the handwriting was sloppy, slanted, and smudged across the page... he was upset when he wrote it.
The clerk raised his brows, bottom lip pouting into a frown as he checked the time on his wristwatch. "Around 3 pm I would say. I had lunch right after...I can't remember the exact time I-"
"The man who gave it to you... what did he look like?" Hawks interrupted him, eyes darting side to side now... would he be here? Hiding in the bustling crowds of the lobby? Making sure Hawks received his note?
"Oh, I can't say... just a young man, nothing really special about him that I can recall... I see so many people in a day you know, they all start to blend after a while." He admits sheepishly, cheeks turning a slight shade of pink.
"Hm... and no one's been up to the room since?"
"No not since I've been out here! Security's tight on your place, you know that."
Hawks nodded, a sick feeling washing over his stomach as he folded up the paper and slid it inside the front pocket of his jacket. The clerk had said the man who gave the letter to him didn't have any distinguishable features... Hawks doubted that Dabi was much of a forgettable face. He must have had someone more subtle deliver it for him. Still... the fact that he found him wasn't a comforting thought. Seiko was up there all day, by themselves... Hawks hadn't heard anything from them and-
He gulped, shaking the flash images out of his head and thanking the clerk for all his help. Hawks pulled out his phone, texting Seiko quickly to see if they would answer. 'Hey baby, just got into the lobby I'm headed up, hope you're waiting for me ;)' He tried to keep it light, just like normal.
Hawks would be damned if Seiko found anything out about this... he had the situation under control, he had to keep it under wraps. The bigger he made it the worse it would be, Dabi would attack like a frightened animal. Still, this obsession was putting other people's lives at risk now, but who else could protect Seiko better than he could? Hawks wasn't one to trust others so easily, especially not with the love of his life.
He sighed, stepping into the glass elevator alone and hitting the button for floor twenty. Hawks' eyes flicked up as the doors closed, keeping watch for any suspicious movements... nothing. He pulled the letter out one more time to read it, seeing if there was anything he missed before.
Keigo,
I see you all the time, I wish you could see me too. I know my face may not be as pretty as theirs but they wouldn't take care of you as I would. You need to be taken care of... those small glances, those soft smiles into the flashing cameras. I know it's a lie. It's been so long and this whole time I thought you'd come back to me, but now I see. You've been waiting for me to come to get you. You're trying to escape, you want to run but you can't! You can't because of them! It's been them all along! They're standing in our way! THEY'RE STANDING IN BETWEEN OUR LOVE AND I WON'T LET THEM! Not anymore, no.... I'll burn down the entire city for you Keigo... for us. I'll kill them to set you free.
It won't take long, soon you'll see me too.
Dabi.
Hawks bit down hard on his lip, fist curling around the paper causing it to crumple. Dabi was coming after Seiko, that much was clear... but when? How long was soon? He folded the letter back up, running his fingers through his hair and puffing up the collar on his jacket, the elevator stopping on the correct floor. He had to be normal, he had to be his happy, goofy, cheery self. Hawks just wouldn't let Seiko out of his sight... that's it. That was his plan.
The door dinged open, Hawks stepped out into the foyer of their apartment, half expecting to find Seiko at Dabi's feet, bloody and murdered on the floor. His breaths were shaky as he pushed his steps forward into the living room... his heart began to race in his chest, why was it so quiet? "Seiko?! Baby bird? I'm home!" He glanced around the room... where were they? "Ba-"
"GOTCHA!" Seiko dropped onto Keigo's back, wings vanishing as they wrapped their arms around his neck, legs around his waist. They giggled, attacking Keigo's cheek with kisses.
"Jesus kid you tryna give me a heart attack or what?!" Hawks grinned, sighing with relief and cocking his head to the side to plant his lips on Seiko's.
"Kid?! You sound like an old man..." Seiko rolled their eyes, slinking down off Hawks' back and walking into the kitchen.
"Woah hey now where do you think you're going?! I haven't seen you all day and you're just gonna run off like that?" He grabbed their wrist, playfully pulling them into his chest and cupping either side of their face. "Sorry I offended you, what would you have me call you instead hm? Darling?" He leaned in, pecking Seiko's lips, eyes staring devilishly down at them. "Sweetheart?" He trailed down to their jaw, "little one?" Their neck... "Baby bird?"
Seiko swooned, eyes fluttering shut with every kiss, head tilting to the side to allow more access to the bit of bare skin. Their teeth dug into their bottom lip, a smirk curling on the outside of their mouth. "Don't tease me Keigo..."
"Awe come on... " Hawks let his hands run down the side of their body, fingers curling around their hips and pulling them thrush against his own. "It's so much fun, I love it when you get all shy for me."
Seiko sneered, shaking their head at him and pulling away. "I bet you do... but unfortunately for you, supper isn't going to cook itself you know."
Hawks admired Seiko as they walked back into the kitchen, everything they did was .... beautiful. Still, the second they were out of eyesight the smile faded and reality came crashing back in. Hawks felt his jaw quiver at the thought and he realized he wouldn't be able to spend a second without his eyes on them. He quickly shrugged his coat off, hanging it up and kicking off his shoes before chasing after them. "Who said you had to cook supper?"
"What? Are you going to cook?" Seiko couldn't hide the skepticism in their voice. We all know how that ended last time," they teased him, "I'd rather not have to call the fire department again." What a disaster that night was. Funny in hindsight.
"It was one time!" Hawks attempted to defend himself. "How was I supposed to know how much oil to put in the pan?! I didn't think it would catch fire!"
"Well you know that's the funny thing about vegetable oil...it happens to be flammable."
"Well now I know... come on you can trust me Babybird... I can cook, I'm perfectly capable. Practically a chef in fact!"
Seiko just rolled their eyes, sighing with their hands on their hips, they wanted to listen but... "I dunno, cooking helps me relieve stress ya know? I can just stand in here with nothing but some music and just..." They shrugged at their own words, letting them trail off.
Hawks brows furrowed at the word... stress... last time he checked Seiko was ordered to do the exact opposite of that. Hawks chewed on the inside of his cheek as he took a good look at Seiko. They were always beautiful to him, so much so that sometimes any imperfection escaped his notice. It was obvious now that he was looking for it... the redness of their skin, the bags under their eyes... the way their hands shook as they massaged the back of their own neck. "What're you stressed about baby? Hm?" He stepped closer, cupping either side of their face and pressing their foreheads together.
Seiko shrugged. "I'm fine really ... it's not a big deal I just- I've just been working a lot on developing my quirk more... it's nothing compared to what you do all day." Seiko could never complain, Hawk was a number 2 hero. His work was dangerous, taxing, exhausting... and what did they do all day? Train... that's nothing compared to saving lives. Seiko would never let themselves falter in front of Keigo. Vulnerability made them wildly uncomfortable.
"Hey... stop that right now. Look at me... Seiko, hey! Look at me." Hawks' tone changed in an instant. He could see they were really struggling. That was the thing about Seiko... they were tough, and Hawks loved that about them. Nothing would ever break them down but... in some ways that were a set back too. Hawks worked really hard to get them to open up... to get them to see themselves as valuable of self-love and self-care. Sometimes they just needed reminding. "Don't you go comparing yourself to me okay? Your quirk takes a great deal of energy to even use... and all that energy just comes from you. Your body. Me? My wings are just there I don't even gotta think about it... You spend all that time, conjuring that energy, manifesting it, creating that barrier and then you even take it further and manipulate it into different shapes... into your own wings, baby... You do amazing things with your quirk, you work hard just like every hero I know." Hawks paused a moment, why did Seiko always think so lowly of themselves? Was he not a good enough boyfriend? Did he not show or tell them enough how amazing they were? How strong? "I know heroes need a little R&R too Baby bird..."
"Keigo please, really I promise I'm fine I-" Seiko tried to pull away but Hawks only held their body in place against his. They sighed in defeat but also comfort as Hawks wrapped his wings around their tiny frame. Enclosing the two of them in this cocoon of their own. Seiko didn't have the courage to look up at him. They always felt so small in Hawks' arms.
"Seiko. Enough..." Hawks' words were soft, but dominating, he would have last say in this... the way Seiko's body looked so worn down from all the training they must have been doing... he was going to take care of them. "How long did you train today?" His jaw clenched together when they stayed silent. "Answer me Seiko... how long?"
"From when you left..."
"At 5am? Until when...?"
Seiko bit the inside of their cheek, why was Hawks making such a big deal out of this? What was with him today? Sure Hawks was protective, sure he was affectionate but ... this energy radiating off of him... Seiko could feel it...it was different. It was much more intense.
"Seiko! Until when?"
"Um... about.... until you walked in the door...."
Hawks pushed an angered sigh out from his nose, tilting Seiko's chin upward to meet his very obviously disapproving gaze. " Twelve hours?! You pushed yourself.... for TWELVE. HOURS. Seiko...." He shook his head at them. "The Doctor said if you worked it too much-"
"I know what the Doctor said Keigo." They snapped back, Seiko didn't care about that... there were bigger problems in the world than what the Doctor said to them.
"Well you should! Four hours a day! MAXIMUM! You did 3X the amount Seiko what if something had happened to you!? What if I wasn't here and something-"
"Well it didn't! I'm fine don't you see? Look at me I'm fine!"
Hawks huffed a short breath, pushing his emotions aside... he knew Seiko wasn't fine. He knew deep down they were in pain. Seiko's skin was raw from expelling that amount of energy from their body, their muscles were aching, fuck he was amazed they were still able to stand. He didn't want to think about it.
Seiko didn't move when Hawks' eyes trailed down, the expression on his face turning from concern to worry, anger, sadness... they reached their slender fingers up to brush against his jawline. "Hawks... what's up with you today? Hm? You're different, did something happen at work?"
Hawks sighed, his hand cupping Seikos as he drew his attention back to their eyes. Lie. "Yeah... I'm sorry, I know I'm usually not like this, work was just hard and I care about you... ya know?" He flashed a charming smile. "I want to be able to take care of you but, you seem to keep pushing yourself to your limits every day Baby bird. You never cease to amaze me." He held their hand, kissing their wrist.
"It's alright, I should probably be a little more careful... I didn't mean to scare you."
"Look, we both had a long day, why don't we order something for tonight huh? Have a nice romantic evening just the two of us? A little wine... a nice hot bath..."
Seiko smirked at the thought. "I think that would be great," they leaned in, head resting on Keigo's chest in a grounding hug. "That works for both of us because then I don't have to cook and you won't set our apartment on fire."
"Exactly," Hawks lifted Seiko's chin, staring into their eyes, so radiant, so warm and inviting. He'd never get enough of them. "I love you so much Baby bird... you know that don't you?"
"Of course I do..." Seiko's brows furrowed, "I love you too..." They felt Hawks lean in, lips crashing together in a heated kiss, their hands on Keigo's chest and his hands pulling them in closer if at all possible.
Hawks pulled away, only millimeters separating them. "Why don't you go start running a bath for us hm? I'll order some food, okay?"
Seiko nodded, planning on dimming the bathroom lights, lighting some candles too. "As long as you're not opposed to bubbles?"
"Never." Keigo winked, watching them as they made their way into the bathroom. He let himself turn away for a moment, feeling like his chest was about to cave in as he realized everything was falling apart. Maybe he wasn't as strong as he thought... he was blind. This whole time Seiko's been wreaking havoc on their body, trying to train, to grow stronger to help join the fight against the LOV. Keigo was in ignorant bliss pretending it wasn't as bad as it is. Pretending the fight was far away from them, that they didn't need to train... when really the danger was knocking down their door. Already here... watching them. Hawks couldn't lose them... Seiko.... the thought of it just-
He fought back tears. He had to tell someone about this, about Dabi... his obsession. God, he wanted to keep the past buried but Dabi had no intention of it. He wanted to shield everyone from those horrors, especially Seiko, but this was too much. Even now, Hawks had failed to keep them safe. If he couldn't keep them safe from themselves how could he expect to keep them safe from the LOV? That's it... after tonight he'd let someone know. Endeavour? No... bad idea. Although it could be Dabi's one weakness if- no ... he couldn't do that to him.
Hawks was at a crossroads. He didn't want to hurt Dabi again, but this was his life now. Dabi chose his... fuck. He chewed on his lip. Eraserhead... Eraserhead was... subtle. An ally, he'd be perfect.
***
Seiko nibbled at Hawks' neck, the bubbles hiding the rest of their body as they let their fingers trail down his chest and abs.
"Mm.. Baby Bird you- ah.... easy, save it for later huh?" He grinned at them, pinching their chin and planting a tender kiss on their lips. "We still need to eat dinner." Hawks reminded them.
"I thought you were dinner?" Seiko kissed back, letting up a little bit and allowing their aching body to sink more into the tub. Seiko didn't realize how drained they were until they started to relax. It hit them all at once, the muscle aches, the headaches... the weakness and throbbing skin. Keigo was right as always, still, Seiko wouldn't let themselves shed a tear.
"Hey that's my line... well I guess you learned from the best so I can't really argue." Hawks massaged Seiko's scalp, fingertips gently tracing shapes over their back and arms. "You really have the most beautiful skin... so soft, so delicate, I could kiss every inch of it." His words were merely a whisper.
"I won't stop you if you try." They nuzzled into Keigo's chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat and matching its rhythm.
Hawks smiled at Seiko's words, eyes flicking to his phone that sat only a bit away on top of a towel. He read the notification. "Food's here, come on, it's time to get out little one. Here, I've got you." He scooped his arms underneath their legs and back, holding them still against his chest as he stood out of the tub. Hawks settled them down on the counter, quickly wrapping a towel around Seiko's shoulders and kissing them on the forehead. He wanted them to rest, he knew Seiko was keeping a brave face right now. Honestly, he was waiting for them to crash, for them to finally let themselves break down in front of him. It still hadn't happened... Seiko always thought they needed to be so strong. " That's it." He cooed, drying himself off and slipping on the pair of fresh, grey track pants they had laid out. "Get dressed and I'll make a plate for you okay?"
Seiko nodded, letting Hawks answer the door and get the food. They looked over their shoulder, still sitting on the bathroom counter, and saw the way their skin had calmed down in the warm water. Usually after so much training, after expending that much energy their skin would be raw, red, and even sometimes bleeding. Today it seemed to recover quicker than usual.
Seiko dried off their legs first, working their way up all the way to their head. They ran the towel over it like always and then pulled on some panties and Hawks' t-shirt. A fresh one of course that curiously enough happened to make its way from Hawks' laundry pile to theirs. Seiko grinned, giggling to themselves. Wonder how that could have happened, so curious.
They blew out the candles in the bathroom, rinsing down the tub to make sure no bubbles were left, and then headed out to the kitchen, Hawks' phone in hand. "Babe...? You left your phone in the-" Seiko gasped, eyes wide and heart nearly stopping in their chest as their eyes landed on an unconscious Keigo at the feet of this man... his face, his arms, burnt and hanging on by what looked like staples, this wild look in his eyes shook Seiko to their core. "Hawks?! HAWKS?!! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! What'd you do to him?!" Seiko wanted to rush to him, but they didn't want to get so close to this man, not without knowing his quirk.
"What? He never mentioned me? What a pity... I thought after trying to chase us down all this time... oh well. Don't you recognize me at least? I recognize you... Baby bird." He cornered Seiko, stepping over Hawks and moving towards them, closing in like predator to prey.
Seiko panicked, they didn't know what to do, they weren't prepared... all this training and for what? To freeze? Seiko's whole body shook as the man pinned them against the wall, his hands pinching at their jaw. "H-how do you know that name?" They were too weak to fight him off, arms almost lifeless from exhaustion, the terror struck when Seiko realized they were helpless... tears began to fill the brims of their eyes.
"Oh no, sh-sh-sh-... don't cry. He really never told you? He used to call me that too you know. We're the same you and I-"
' No Seiko, fight, be strong like Keigo... you have to save him.' Seiko turned their head, spitting in the man's face and watching as he simply grinned.
He reacted, left hand clamping around their throat and cutting off oxygen, he lifted their body a few inches off the ground, enjoying the way they kicked to try and touch the floor again.
"You have a little fight in you. " He lifted his opposite hand, blue flames dancing in his palm. "So do I..." A sly smirk graced his lips. "Come on... you know who I am... think, think really hard. You've seen me before..."
Seiko gulped, the flames putting pieces of the puzzle together in their head. "D-Dabi... y-ah! Y-ou're in the League of -mn! Villains!" They struggled to push out the words, panic ensuing in their body as their eyes darted back and forth between Dabi and Hawks', Seiko prayed he'd wake up, prayed for the strength to fight back, but they were petrified and weak... Seiko regretted training so much in an instant. They were pathetic, useless.
"Well done! Well done you know...I'm starting to see why Keigo picked you... pretty face," Dabi snuffed out his flames, the back of his hand running down Seiko's cheek and words dripping with disdain as he whispered in their ear, "soft skin, and a flight quirk? I've been paying attention you know..."
Seiko was running out of oxygen, he held them up against the wall with such ease... how? "W-what do you-ah, mnn... "things were becoming fuzzy, " wa-nt?!" Their eyes darted to Hawks again. Dabi wanted Hawks...
"Come now... it's not all just about him... I want you to... it's the only way it'll work you'll have to forgive me, but I had to come up with something." Dabi's eyes went darker, maniacal, if at all possible. "Why did he choose you over me? Huh? What is it?!" His grip around Seiko's throat grew tighter as anger overcame him. "What is it about you?! WHY ARE YOU MORE DESERVING OF LOVE THAN ME?!" He sputtered for a moment, seeing Seiko's eyes start to roll in their head. He let their body go, dropping it completely.
Seiko gasped for air as Dabi's hand left their throat, they slid down the kitchen wall, falling to their knees and body curling into the fetal position. Seiko didn't understand... there was something they didn't know ... some piece they were missing. Their heart pounded as they tried to figure out a way to escape, eyes locking onto Hawks' phone that lay only a few feet away. Seiko tried to push themselves up, inching to grab it but they weren't fast enough.
Dabi wasn't in the mood for games, this was getting too drawn out... but that was his fault, he let his emotions get the best of him. "Everything always ends up so messy..." He quickly grabbed Seiko's wrist, flipping them around and straddling their body, holding them down to the floor, both arms in one hand while the other grabbed the syringe from his coat pocket.
"NO! No no! Hawks! HAWKS WAKE UP! HAWKS! AGH! GET OFF OF ME! SOMEBODY HELP! G-GET OFF!" Seiko kicked and screamed but it was no use...
"Stop screaming ... this'll only pinch for a second..."