Just Say No

All in

   Around midnight, Keigo woke up again. Just like nights ago, Dabi was fast asleep beside him. Keigo didn't move for a while, just cuddling closer. He saw Asuka sitting by his bedside, her head resting on the edge of the bed as her golden eyes gazed up at him with a gentle smile on her face. 

  "He's pretty. I like him," Asuka hummed. Keigo couldn't help but smile, sighing softly. 

  "I know you do kiddo... I mean... he loves us. He's absolutely perfect in a lot of ways," He mumbled, cuddling closer to Dabi. He reached behind him and pulled his boyfriend's hand till his arm wrapped tighter around him. He stayed quiet, gently rubbing his thumb over the stitches. His smile grew even brighter the longer he spent wrapped in his lover's arms. The moment was ruined by the ear-piercing pop song that Keigo had as his ring tone. He groaned and sat up as he answered. Before he could even greet the person on the other end, an all too familiar voice came through the speaker. 

  "I know that you went back to the villains after your interviews. What were you doing? You can't keep wasting our time. They already trust you. The time to strike is now," The president said. Keigo felt his heart stop. Carefully, he moved Dabi so that he would be hugging his pillow and pulled on a robe before going out into the living room. Keigo kept glancing behind him, wings puffed up like he was ready to attack.

  "It's too soon, I need more time. I- you need to give me a chance to redeem at least one of them. They aren't bad people, they've just made some really bad choices. I'm begging you, ma'am. Spare them. Please," Keigo whispered, his hands shaking. He flinched, imagining the slap that he would've gotten if President Gaelen was actually in the room with him. 

 "Don't try to argue with me, Hawks. You should know better by now. You're supposed to be better than this by now. Neither of us would have made it to where we are today if it weren't for missions like this. I made you to destroy villains, and you know that. You want to be a hero, don't you? Heroes do not befriend villains," Ms. Gaelen spat. Her voice cut through Keigo. If it were an actual blade, there would have been blood already staining the pristine floor of Keigo's home. Tears started forming in Keigo's eyes, but he didn't argue. He could feel Asuka appearing beside him. 

  "We are heroes, aren't we? Like Endeavor? That's why people love us, right?" She questioned. Keigo could feel her gaze, bearing him into him with big innocent eyes. Keigo didn't even spare her a single glance. He couldn't look into those eyes. Not after that innocence had long since eyes. 

  "I-I do want to be a hero, but... I want to be a hero to them too. They deserve a hero," Keigo's voice started to shake. Ms. Gaelen tutted, shaking her head. With each tut, Keigo could feel his anxiety rising higher and higher inside him.

  "If you wanted to be a hero to them, you would have brought them to us a long time ago, Keigo," Ms. Gaelen said cooly, "We've fixed so many people. We fixed you. I'm sure that we could have fixed your little friends too with some time. I would have even let you chose one of the more powerful ones to make your wife or husband. All you need to do is bring them into our fold. We won't hurt them. We aren't monsters." Keigo stopped for a moment. That sickly sweet tone leaked into his mind, sticking to him like tar. He... he could save Dabi... and Twice and Toga and Tomura... and No. No that's not right... 

  "They won't listen to you... no matter how long you put them in... the chamber... they won't listen to you. They hate everything about our society. I- I can't just force them to reform. Just- just give me time and I might at least be able to get them to retire, I-"

  "I am done waiting. Our people are done waiting. Just last month, they unleashed one of those Nomu creatures. They could have killed Endeavor. You would let them live and endanger your idol again?" The president packed even more venom into her voice, each word like an arrow chipping away at Keigo's resolve. It was like she was a pet owner, tightening their grip on the leash of a naughty dog.  Keigo bit his lower lip. A snarky reply nagged at the back of his mind. Of course, he knew about the nomu attack. He was only fighting alongside Endeavor when it happened. No big deal there. The phantom pressure on the back of his neck made him hold his tongue. 

" They could help Jinny and Dabi!" Keigo heard Asuki pipe up beside him. She gave a bright smile, soundlessly clapping. Keigo felt his heart twist... he really would have felt like that if this had happened years ago, wouldn't he? Such blind trust... 

  "What if I can't get them to come over to our side?..." Keigo whispered shakily. The president sighed exasperatedly. 

"We've already been through this. If they are not reformed, they will have to be imprisoned like the creatures that they are. We must strike now while they are weak. If we wait any longer, they will grow stronger. We can't have that. I know that you are quite fond of them. For your help, I can promise you that they will be spared from death. You just have to help us, Keigo. There is only one thing left to do, and that is to attack. The time is now. If you want to save their souls, you will help us in our cause." 

'Do I really have a choice?' Keigo thought to himself as his instincts kicked in, and he started to stress grip the phone. 

"They will be spared?" Keigo asked softly. He could practically feel the whole of the commission breathing down his neck as the president hummed in agreement over the line. He glanced over at where the phantom form of Asuka stood. For a moment, it's like an image flashed in front of his eyes of Asuka- of him- standing there with a blindfold over her eyes and a dark creature looming over her shoulder. He shuddered, watching as Asuka before him grew into tweenaged Keigo, the day that he lost Eito, than into the adult version of him with a fake smile plastered on his face and holding a newspaper with his own beaming vissage on the cover. 

  "We will just be doing a simple raid, Hawks. Nothing more, and nothing less. There is no reason at all for you to be afraid. If you want will just help us raid their base, they will be safe. They don't even have to know that you were on our side." 

Keigo swallowed thickly, looking down at his hand than glancing back at the hallway spiral staircase that lead up to where the bedroom was. His heart ached as he envisioned his Dabi sleeping peacefully in the bed. The phantom version of him morphed into the body of a woman, a much older Asuka. She came over. Keigo shivered as her transparent hand rested atop his own. He didn't notice the dark smoke that seemed to be coming off of her. All of her sweetness and innocence was long gone. Dead with the wind. 

"For him... Please... For all of them," She said. Keigo hesitated. 

"It's all up to you now, Hawks." Ms. Gaelen said in her faux-motherly tone. 

A second passed...

Then two...

Then ten...

Then a minuet...

"Fine... fine, I'm in. I'm in so that I can save them. I can save all of them," Keigo said shakily. Older-Asuka gave a gentle smile. Keigo didn't even notice the blood that stained her fingertips.