Resurrected & Reignited (Dabi/Touya Todoroki x Reader)

Part V: Sleep it Off

The trip back was silent; neither you nor Keigo said a word the entire way. Questions swarmed in your head as the two of you flew: Why was Keigo being so friendly with Dabi? What was it he said about trying to meet up with him? Where was Dabi headed afterward? Why didn't you try to take him in? You didn't know where to begin. You were used to having things kept from you by Stiller, but by Keigo? The thought that he didn't have enough faith in you to let you in on what was going on hurt. More than that, you felt he had acted like you were a civilian back there. To top it all off, the pain from your collision was returning. Keigo descended gradually, flapping his wings quickly to maintain stability as he landed on the sidewalk in front of the HPSC headquarters. You took your place on the ground beside him. The street here was quiet- not another person in sight. It was an unusual and uncomfortable stillness that sat between you.

"The Commission building?" You asked in an attempt to break the tension.

"Yeah." He replied. "They repurposed one of the offices to be a bedroom."

"Ah." An awkward hush fell once again. Neither of you moved as you stared directly up at the diamond emblem on the side of the building.

After a moment, Keigo sighed. "Hey... it's probably best that you don't mention what happened with Dabi tonight... or that we even saw him... to anyone."

"Why?" The word came out so quickly, you weren't entirely sure which of your "why" questions you were trying to ask. He didn't respond immediately, instead choosing to project his gaze to the ground. You grew irritated.

"I don't need protecting, you know. I've got just as much combat sense as you. Honestly, it's a little insulting." You griped about his previous insinuation that you might have needed to hide behind him earlier.

Keigo finally looked at you, his expression more tender than before.

"I know you can take care of yourself, (Y/N). I'm sorry if you think I was suggesting otherwise." He turned his whole body to face you. "And I'm sorry I can't give you the whole story right now."

Your heart sank. "Need to know, I guess..." You muttered.

"Hey, no, no... it's not like that." Keigo placed both hands on your shoulders. You furrowed your eyebrows, hoping he would elaborate. "Okay, yes, yes it is like that, but it's not that same." The messy-haired man paused as your eyes locked. "...I just need you to trust me." Perhaps if it were someone else, your confidence in them would have been broken. Though you wanted to be skeptical, you could tell his words were sincere. You managed a wisp of a smile. "Alright."

Keigo returned your smile with one of his own. "Oh, and just a tip for the future: trying to sweet-talk someone doesn't work as well when you've just shot them a death glare. Just sayin'." He ragged about your botched interaction with Dabi.

You chuckled. "People skills and de-escalation aren't my things."

"Ah, we'll have to fix that, won't we. After all, fan service is important." He said with a wink. You laughed heartily. He always did have a way of turning a gloomy situation around.

"Let's get you settled in. I'll escort you to your room." Keigo jokingly bowed and extended a hand to the building. "Right this way." You couldn't help but roll your eyes at his silly display, but thought it might be fun to play into it all the same.

"Why thank you, good sir." You said, feigning a posh accent as you walked towards the building. A few of Keigo's feathers flew ahead to open the door as you neared. The two of you passed through the dark lobby, then headed down a hallway off to the right. "It's all the way down here."

Once you reached the end of the hallway, Keigo motioned to the door on your left. "Aaand here you are. Bathrooms are down the hall. It's not a presidential suite by any means, but I hope they did ya justice."