Of Wings and Flames - Dabi x OC x Hawks

Solace in the Sky [ Ending 3: Hawks/Keigo]

The clouds would briefly drown out my frame, and every time I resurfaced I felt the sun skip across my coppery skin, my blood alight with it's beams.

The light had always held me close, like a comforting mother.

Today was the only day I wished I was drowning in darkness. I wished for even an inkling of what Maven had felt, with the shadowy lines that crept across her pale features, eating away at her sanity. I wanted the pain that should have followed after ripping the skin above my heart, I should be struggling, crawling across the ground with trembling limbs, my skin screaming in pain as my veins throbbed and ached from overuse. Instead I felt even more invigorated, like I had barely even excersized.

It made me sick. Sick of myself. Sick of this last life I had to endure. It was the one time I really hated my Quirk. Even when I was a child and ostricized for my wings, I felt pride in those fiery feathers. Despite the judgement, I knew my Quirk was cool.

Now it was just a cruel joke. To live a third life when I had ended the cruel torment of a woman with only one chance. Her ebony blood was on my hands, her end brought about by own will. I ended her. I brought forth the demise of a woman who had lost herself at childhood, I was the one who used the light to break apart the utter darkness that Maven embodied, until she crumbled into shards of light.

Those flecks of blue were still there. Saadie was still there. And I didn't even give her a chance to make things right.

"Josephine!" A cry from behind me vyed for my attention and I glanced over my shoulder, just in time to have Keigo barrel into me in the sky, his tanned arms wrapping around my waist and tightening, locking his fingers together. He grunted as he wrestled against me, and I cried as I struggled against his hold, my hands pushing on his chest and straining. I squeezed my eyes shut as my arms bent and collapsed, pressed against his chest. My chest was heaving with heavy breaths, and I looked up at Keigo through my lashes, who's amber eyes were laced with concern.

"Sunshine," he murmured, ghosting his lips along my temple as I trembled in his arms. I reluctantly rested my head on his shoulder, biting back the broken sobs that wanted to break through. "Oh dove, I'm so sorry. It's okay to be hurt, it's okay to cry, it's okay to grieve. I've got you, I'm here. Rely on me Sunny." My hands snaked around to his back and clutched his beige jacket as I buried my face into his shoulder, squeezing him tightly as I shuddered.

I could feel it coming, the inevitable crumble that threatened in my mind. My head was as flimsy as jello, the adamantine walls that held together my volatile emotions decaying under the weight of my sadness. It didn't take long for that damn to fall when he softly stroked my head, whispering sweet words of comfort and support. He slowly descended us down as I cried, still clinging on to his coat. When we landed I pulled my wings in and he quickly encased me in his, as though he were shielding me from the outside world.

"That's right, let it all out Josephine," he cooed, searching around himself for any place to sit for a bit. He spotted an old bench and gently lifted me up, holding me close. I wiped my eyes, my chest still heavy with misery. He settled us on the bench which seemed to just look out on a dark green forest, birds chirping as the morning sun came into full view. It had been hours now since Maven had died. Since she disappeared to join the rising sun.

The thought offered little peace to my guilt-ridden heart.

"What do I do, Keigo," I whimpered, pulling up my knees to hug them to my chest, resting my head on top of my knees. "What am I supposed to do? How do I even move on from this, am I- Should I even be a hero? Is that really what I am supposed to be?" He leaned forward, digging his arms into his legs as his hands clasped, covering his mouth. His amber eyes fluttered shut as he thought to himself.

"That's up to you. What do you feel you should do? How do you want to use this life of yours? What do you want to accomplish, these are the things that only you can decide for yourself." I thought on his words, pressing my lips in a thin line. I lifted my hand, staring at it for a moment. I recalled this same hand pressing against the skin of those who had been consumed by Maven's own shadows, purging out the corruption that had enmeshed itself in their bodies. I curled my hand into a fist, his words finally resonating.

"I... I want to save the world from darkness," I breathed, my golden-hazel eyes wide. "I don't want anyone else to go through what Maven did. I want to get to them before they are beyond saving and help them." The sun broke through the crown of leaves above us, streaming down to brush against me, holding me in it's embrace. "I want to burn away the infection that seems to have rooted itself in this world. I want to heal." I turned my head to Keigo's, who's lips were curled in a kind smile. He used his wing to pull me in, pressing a sweet kiss to my forehead, before pressing his own against mine, staring into my eyes with his intelligent amber orbs.

"Well... I think I know a good place we can start," he said with a confident grin, pulling me up with a tug of his hand on mine. "What say you, wanna team up with me?"

I rested my right hand against my chest, glancing down with closed eyes. I let this conviction settle in my chest, replacing the heartbreak - no, using the heartbreak as fuel. My eyes shimmered with determination as I glanced up to meet his stare, my lips twitching to the side in a confident smirk.

"Lead the way, Hawks."