A Song to Come Home to

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Natsuo feels his heart thunder against his rib cage, he distantly wonders if it's possible for his ribs to crack under the frantic beating. He had never been a gambling man, preferring to stick to the sidelines and only taking action when he's sure that the end result won't blow up in his face. Well, he used to be cautious. After Tomura had nonchalantly strolled into his life- Natsuo's life had turned upside down.

Now, he continuously traipses along the tightrope that's far above everyone. He feels like some sort of spectacle, a month ago, he would have never even dared to be so bold.

Even as his heart beats rapidly and the fists at his side are cold and clammy with sweat, Natsuo does not break his gaze with Tomura. Everything else is drowned out around him, all of his focus is on Tomura as he stalks forward. Tomura doesn't blink or even make a move as Natsuo stands mere inches from him.

Natsuo is even bold enough to cup Tomura's cheek, his thumb runs over the swell of his cheekbone.

"There are other ways to bring down heroes. Don't bring innocent people into your war." Tomura doesn't look away or even blink, keeping his steady and irritated gaze on Natsuo.

"Are you even listening to yourself? That's the most foolish pipe dream I have ever heard. This entire society is doomed and yet here you are, begging me to not purge everything." Tomura states, his voice is low and dangerous. Natsuo feels that if he doesn't tread carefully, things will only end poorly for him.

"Tomura." Natsuo whispers. "What you want will doom millions. People will lose their lives and who's to say that you'll be any better than the heroes then? If you want to break people away from the pedestals they put heroes on then you show them how corrupt those heroes are." Tomura says nothing but narrows his eyes, Natsuo takes that as all the encouragement that he needs to continue.

"If you destroy everything in your way, they'll just turn even more to the heroes. Listen to me, please. Dabi already set things up by releasing that video. People are doubting Endeavor and heroes because there's still a lot of them that are defending him. They're on some seriously thin ice, don't throw away this opportunity because you can't seem to grow up from your childish fantasies." Tomura growls at Natsuo, his scarred lip lifting into a twisted snarl. He still continues on, not letting himself falter under the glower. "You are better than that. Don't destroy everything just because you're All For One's protégé. If there is anything that you've taught me, it's to let go of who you were. You can't let the past define you, you should forge ahead with your own goals... you were not meant to destroy but to rebuild. I'll say it one more time. If you love me, then at least give my way a chance before you do something that no one will be able to fix."

Silence settles around the room as it fills the crevices and thrums with tension; it leaves Natsuo's hair standing on end. He hardly even dares to breathe as he becomes increasingly aware of the off kilter clock that is always forty-five minutes behind. Its soft ticking grows and swells until it's a deafening choir of thunderous booms.

"You have one week." Tomura eventually speaks. Natsuo is rooted to the ground as Tomura carefully rests a hand on top of Natsuo's. "One week to prove to me that all the heroes can be brought down your way." Tomura turns to leave but pauses at the doorway and looks over his shoulder to stare at Natsuo.

"For your information, Natsuo. I do love you. Never doubt that."

-

Morning comes and for the first time in his life, Keigo doesn't look forward to the sunrise. Quietly, he watches as the sun slowly ascends above the towering mountains. Keigo glances upwards, watching as the morning's first light cuts across the inky darkness. He can hear birds in the trees stir awake and sweetly greet each other in their sleepy, soft lilts and warbles. There's still the smell of smoke in the air and it just takes a glance to the south to see the tips of a flickering fire raging in a now abandoned village.

Across from the still smoldering fire pit, Dabi is fast asleep. Keigo studies him for a long moment. He becomes keenly aware of everything around him and listens to the far distant crackle of a roaring fire and the songbirds from above. Keigo watches the steady rise and fall of Dabi's chest and he takes the time to try to memorize Dabi's face. While he's asleep, Dabi looks so young and vulnerable.

Even after everything that had transpired between them, Keigo finds that he still loves Dabi very dearly.

Perhaps that makes him a fool. He had always tried to skirt around that label and call himself an optimist but at the end of the day, Keigo knows that those two can be interchangeable in his situation. Whether he clings to a hope that Dabi will change for the better or if he wants to tell himself that Dabi will change, he is a fool.

A gust of wind blows around them and Keigo can't help but to smile when it ruffles through Dabi's hair. With one eye, he watches dyed black hair dance with the wind. As the wind dies off, it leaves Dabi with a mess of a bedhead and it's impossible for Keigo to hide a smile.

It brings him to a happier time before all of the pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place. Some of his favorite memories are that of sleepy and peaceful mornings with Dabi by his side. Even when they stood on the opposite sides of a coin, Keigo had been absolutely enraptured by Dabi. He could quite easily spend hours just listening to Dabi's soft and silky voice as they would talk about everything and anything.

Everything about Dabi, he had and will always love.

From how soft Dabi's hair was under his touch to the gentle curve of his jaw and the light but prideful swell of his cheekbones. He loved it all.

Keigo had always loved to play with Dabi's fingers, long and slender that could easily overtake Keigo's short fingers. Keigo had loved the feeling of Dabi's fingers tracing abstract patterns all over his body. He would always think about how his bare body was a blank canvas and Dabi was the artist. The tips of Dabi's fingers had always been calloused over and one day, Keigo had asked him about that. To Keigo's absolute delight, Dabi had told him that when he was younger- he had played the cello.

Dabi mumbles something in his sleep and turns, Keigo blinks and slowly stands up. His body is still sore from the fight and the left side of his face is sensitive to even the lightest of touches. Pushing down the fear of being blinded forever, Keigo stretches. Almost all of his feathers have burned away and what remains are soft downy white feathers with speckles of red.

As Keigo gets ready for the day, the sun continues to crawl upwards in the sky. Soon, he's bathed in the early morning light. Its gentle rays warm his back and Keigo closes his eyes, letting himself be comforted by the sun.

"You're beautiful." A whisper breaks Keigo away from his lull. His head swivels fully around and he stares at Dabi in surprise. His look of surprise is mirrored before a lazy grin creeps over his lips.

"I take that back, you creepy owl freak." Keigo doesn't have time to come back with a reply because Dabi stands up and walks up to Keigo, stopping just behind him. Mottled purple arms wrap around Keigo, bringing him into a soft hug. Dabi rests his head against his shoulder and sighs, looking over, Keigo sees that Dabi is fighting a losing battle against sleep as he starts to drift off again. A hand reaches up and brushes down an arm of his wing.

"Soft." Dabi murmurs, his warm breath tickles the back of Keigo's neck. Keigo hums and leans into the hug. Dabi falls back asleep and Keigo takes the time to watch as clouds lazily drift across the sky.

He may be a fool but he has thick skin and an elastic heart.