Archive of Our Own ^beta

Keigo stood with an awkward smile beside Endeavour, waving to fans and signing autographs. It wasn’t the fans that made him so awkward, nor being so close to one of his favourite heroes, who honestly was dropping in his favouritism the more Touya revealed about his childhood.

”Look, Mister Hawks! I made you a portrait of popsicle sticks! We were making people we look up to today!” A little squealed, holding up the black cardboard that had a lot of glue coated on it to hold the red popsicle sticks and fake feathers.

His wings tensed, he felt his body going taut as he reached for it. “Ah.. Thank you..” He said quietly, still attempting to keep his usual overexcited tone. He felt his throat burning with the overwhelming desire to chirp, or to trill. He just wanted to make a noise to express his happiness.

The little girl giggled and laughed as Keigo took his, ruffling her brown, short hair with his gloved hand. He thanked her again, smiling at her.

Eventually, the fans had dispersed and Endeavour had left, not saying a word despite him trying to start a conversation.

He watched as the raged flames disappeared behind a door. He saw it dent from the force it shut.

Maybe he’s noticed the changes in my behaviour.. He sighed. His wings spread and took air, lifting him into the air. He flew over Musutafu until he found the familiar look of his roof. He landed rather roughly, stumbling forward. He noticed that the roof door had been opened.

He sighed as he kicked it open, falling through. It better not be Dabi.. He sighed and crossed his arms, pulling his gloves off. He winced suddenly, a sharp nail digging into his skin and ripping it, a small line of blood seeped out, dripping down the creases of his palm.

”I’ll have to cut them again..” Well, more like file them, nail cutters always seemed to break when he tried to use them to cut his talons and the Commission wouldn’t give him the cutters used for actual talons so he was stuck with the shitty ones that didn’t work him.

He pulled his jacket off and dumped it onto the floor before he fell onto his sofa, grabbing the file from the coffee table in front of it. He flexed his hands, growing his talons to the furthest length they could go before he began to file them.

”Never thought I’d see the No.2 hero giving himself a manicure.” A rough voice spoke. Keigo hummed, not looking up from his hands as Touya brought himself out from the closet doors.

He didn’t stop until he sat opposite Keigo, pushing his legs straight.

”Ow! Stop it.” Keigo complained as Touya pushed him back, his feet pressed flat against the backs of his thighs. “I’m trying to do something.”

Touya, deciding to be a little twat, pulling his legs back, letting Keigo fall forward before he shoved him backward again. And again. And again. Until finally, Keigo’s patience snapped.

He whacked Touya’s chest with his wing, glaring at him. “I’m. Busy. You can piss me off later.”

”What you have a schedule on when you wanna be pissed off?” Touya crossed his arms, tilting his head. He watched Keigo continue filing his nails down, cursing every time the file dug into his skin or made cuts in his fingers.

He kissed his teeth, “C’mere. Who knew a bird could be so bad and preening itself?” He leant forward and grabbed Keigo’s hand, yanking the file from his hold.

”Ow!”

”Stop being a wuss.”

Keigo huffed, leaning against the back of the sofa as Touya began filing down his talons. It felt nice. When he did it himself, it was rough and hard, he could never do it properly or in a way that didn’t hurt, yet somehow, he kept his composure through it, even when his hands got covered in cuts.

But it felt nice when Touya did it. Surprisingly, his hands were soft when he held Keigo’s tightly in place, and his hood wasn’t as tight around the file as his was, so no cuts for him.

He couldn’t help the feeling. His throat burnt from holding it in and he couldn’t hold back anymore.

A short trill escaped his mouth. He quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, closing his lips shut tight and looking down, avoiding Touya’s surprised gaze.

“What was that?”

He shook his head.

”Was that a chirp?”

He shook his head again.

”Why have I never heard you do that before?” His grip on Keigo’s hand tightened and he yanked him forward until he was face to face.

He dropped the file and pulled the hand away from Keigo’s mouth.

”Do it again.”

”What?”

”That was the most adorable shit I’ve ever heard. Do it again.”

“I-.. I can’t control when I do it.” He shrugged.

”Don’t make me beg, Kei! C’mon.” Touya rocked him back and forth, pretty roughly. Keigo’s wings tensed against his back as he watched Touya shake him, “Stop it! I’m not doing it!”

Touya huffed, dropping Keigo’s hands. He then turned to pissing Keigo off again, pushing up the sofa by his thighs.

”Dabi.”

”What?”

”Dabi.”

”What?”

”Dabi!”

Touya snorted, staring at Keigo. “What? Am I annoying you, birdie?” He tilted his head again, crossing his arms.

He sighed, crawling forward until he was lay over Keigo, he pressed his hands on Keigo’s chest with a fake, needy whine. “C’mon, Kei, just chirp again. That was so fucking cute.”

”It doesn’t sound as nice when you swear before complimenting me.” Keigo grabbed Touya’s wrists. He tensed when his chest began to feel warm.

”You better not be trying to force me to chirp.”

”’Course not, birdie.” Touya smiled, staring down at him. Keigo narrowed his eyes.

He couldn’t help a sigh at the warmth filling his body. Touya let his entire body weight fall onto Keigo, his whole body warming up.

Touya watched him closely, heating his body up. His face twitched, the heat filling his own body was almost unbearable, itching his skin. But he wanted to hear Keigo chirp again.

And he did.

Chirps rumbling out of his chest like a cat purring. His wings relaxed and he looked at Touya with an expression that was trying so desperately to be sour.

”You’re so.. Adorable.” He seethed, clenching his jaw to suppress swearing at him.

“I am a 23-year-old man, I am not cute.”

”Would you prefer hot?”

”I would prefer being able to breath.”

He pushed against Touya’s shoulders, trying to push him up. Touya sat back, staring at him, “Why don’t you chirp more?”

He shrugged, “Not allowed to.”

”What do you mean you’re not allowed to? That’s like saying you can’t use your wings.”

”If I didn’t have a hero’s license, I wouldn’t be able to.”

”That’s bullshit.” Touya said sourly, narrowing his eyes. Now, he wasn’t the biggest fan of the Commission, less and less so every time Keigo brought something up and acted like it was entirely normal, but this was absolute bullshit!

Keigo was literally a bird. Or at least part bird. Of course he was going to chirp and trills and do all that bird shit. And to suppress that in favour for a perfect public image was like telling a cat just to not be a cat.

“It’s not bullshit, it’s how the Commission works.”

”Which is bullshit.” Touya crossed his arms, leaning forward until he was face to face with Keigo. Keigo blew in his face, “No, it’s not.”

”Yes it is.”

”They’re telling you to just not be yourself, like, literally.” Touya fell back into the sofa as Keigo pushed him.

”Since when do you care..?” He mumbled, grabbing the file. He was about to start again but Touya grabbed his hand.

”And what’re they gonna do if you stop doing it? I mean,” he placed a hand dramatically on his chest, “if your fans anything like your beautiful, gorgeous, considerate-“

”Stop it.”

”-lovely boyfriend, they’ll love to hear you chirp. I mean, the eating rodents shit might be weird, but I smell like a rotting corpse, so who’s really the worst here?”

Keigo huffed, his wings fluffing.

”C’mon, Kei, it’s only your talons. And what’s a couple chirps here and there? Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’re voice gets hoarse from holding them in. It’s like when you cry and you’re not being loud, it hurts.”

Keigo stared at him still. He let Touya take the file from his hands again and he watched as he put it on the coffee.

“I just thought you were a prim and proper birdie, always doing your nails.. But your Commission’s as bad as Enji.”

”You saw me and thought prim and proper?” Keigo raised his eyebrows so slightly, a smile tugging at his lips. Touya snorted, “Yeah.”

“Maybe I will start chirping in front of them.. See what they’ll do.”

But if Touya knew anything about Keigo, it’s that he was stickler for rules. He wouldn’t start it even if he wanted to more than anything. Not only that but if anything he said about the Commission was true, he’d be punished or worst for stepping out of line.

He felt bad. But it’s not like he could just waltz up the head of the Commission and tell them to quit it or else they’ll be killed because, well, shit, he didn’t really wanna show Keigo he cared about him that much this early into them only just trusting each other and if he did that, he’d actually have to kill them.

Still, he could hope that Keigo felt a little more reassured by what he said, and maybe let out a few weak chirp or trills.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Keigo suddenly fell on top of him. He might’ve been small, but his weight was basically doubled by his wings.

Keigo buried his arms underneath Touya, hugging him tight. He wrapped his legs around Touya’s, pushing his cheek against his chest.

”Since when are you so soft?”

”Since you declared you my boyfriend.”