Work Text:
There has been a lot that happened in the past couple years. Resulting from the war came with rebuilding society back up, to figuring out how the hero system would work, especially with how it collapsed in the first place. With Keigo working as the new HPSC president, there was a lot on his shoulders, especially with reforming society and their views on heroes, along with figuring out the finances for everything that has been destroyed during the war.
Touya knows the struggle that his boyfriend is being put through. With the loss of his quirk, it seems that he immediately took up the position of president just to distract him from all the losses. Keigo is a workaholic at heart and overworking was a way he coped. No matter how much Touya tries to get Keigo out of that habit, it never stops.
Another reason that Keigo overloads himself with work is mainly because of Touya himself. Resulting from the war came a lot of years for Keigo to fight for setting Touya free, dismissing his crimes as long as he was accompanied by someone of authority. Shouto was the one who took on that role; Fuyumi and Natsuo coming to help when they can.
Despite their established relationship, Keigo sets some sort of distance between them. There’s a sort of silence that falls over them and Touya knows it’s when the other is experiencing something unfamiliar. And their relationship fell under that category.
They promised that they would take it slow, even after everything that had happened between them. It’s hard to pinpoint why the blond does this, but Touya was determined to help the other out, even if Keigo continued to try to cover it up.
Touya never met anyone as persistent as Keigo. He was so optimistic about situations, even when he can sense that Keigo isn’t feeling okay. Habits that Keigo kept before the war were easier to notice. But now, reading Keigo entirely was a bigger hurdle for him, especially since the blond no longer had wings.
Touya knows that eyes were what gave people away, but not for Keigo. From the time they spent together, reading him is somewhat a challenge. So reading the other’s eyes wasn’t something he tried often, almost even ever. But now that his wings are gone, Touya has to try and find other ways to read his boyfriend.
One thing he caught on after a while was Keigo’s body language. Keigo always presented himself smoothly. Maybe because his wings did all the sensory work for him. Now that there were no wings to scout around for any sense of danger, it seemed that Keigo picked up on more fidgeting. Touya made a note to focus on that. Now the only thing he needed to work on was to get their relationship sorted out.
No matter how much they had disagreements on certain things, they know they won’t ever find another person like each other. Seemingly so different from each other but clicked in all the right ways. Like puzzle pieces that you weren’t sure if they belonged together or not. They both relied on each other, even if they wouldn’t admit it outloud. They know that they’d go over and beyond for each other, seeing that they were the only thing left that they can have.
After whatever hell they fixed with each other, even if it took a lot of healing and acceptance of each other, he grew to realize that even if Keigo was a dick, he’d run all day and night for him. He’d never let go of Keigo and they’d be there together.
~
Touya gets to Keigo’s apartment after running errands, wanting to surprise his boyfriend with some food as a treat. Though when he walks in, he’s greeted by seeing Keigo’s shoes by the door. He kicks off his own, dropping off the bags on the kitchen table before walking over to the bedroom door. He gently knocks, calling out for Keigo.
“Kei? You home?” he asked, gently opening the door. When Touya peeked inside, he saw Keigo in bed, wrapped around blankets. He let himself in, walking over to the bed and sitting on the edge. “You okay, birdie? You’re usually not home this early.” He runs a hand through the blond locks, noticing how greasy it was. When was the last time Keigo showered? Hell, even shaved. His stubble had grown more than Keigo usually lets it.
Touya frowns. Keigo looks like a mess. Something definitely happened in the last few days since he last saw him. He leans down to kiss Keigo’s forehead, still running a hand through the other’s hair. Touya wants to say something to Keigo, wanting to try and figure out how to help the blond out of this state. So, carefully, he thought about his next words.
“Keigo, love. How long have you been in bed?” he asks.
Keigo moves his attention to Touya, gold orbs taking in the man right beside him. He sluggishly shrugs, just seeming to relish in the feeling of Touya running his hand through his hair. With no verbal response, Touya cups Keigo’s face.
“How about a shower and then I get something ready for you?” It was a suggestion. Keigo rarely ever got into these states of not wanting to do anything so it was still moderately new to Touya. It was basically a game of guessing just to see what amused Keigo enough to get out of bed.
Apparently today, Keigo was gonna make this somewhat of a challenge for him. Although he nodded at the mention of a shower, he had no motive to get up when Touya did. Okay, so there was going to be some dragging around happening.
Touya pulls the covers, giving Keigo a look. “If you don’t cooperate, I’m gonna drag your ass to the bathroom. I love you and all, but I am not strong like you,” Touya says, pulling Keigo by the arms to sit him up. “You hear me, Kei?”
The blond sighs, leaning forward into Touya. It was kind of unexpected. They sit like that for a while, Touya gently playing with the other’s hair again. He knows that they weren’t what anyone would consider ideal. Suddenly dating an ex-villain who almost killed you isn’t what people would call “romantic”, but it happened. And in some weird way, they worked. Even in their darkest moments, they were there for each other and that was all they could really ask for at this point.
Eventually, Touya was able to pull Keigo up and they made their way into the bathroom, maybe dragging Keigo just a little bit. He decided a bath would be better instead; it being easier to handle since Keigo could still have contact with Touya without him having to get in as well. When the tub is filled with warm water, Keigo gets in and Touya helps clean the other. In times like this, physical intimacy was a must, especially for Keigo. Reassuring contact without anything sexual.
The bath definitely seemed to ease Keigo, seeing that the blond is more relaxed than before. He washes the soap out of Keigo’s hair, giving him a small massage the way he knows the other enjoys. Touya wasn’t sure when the domesticity fell into their lives, but he was sure it was before the war. Constant meetings at Keigo’s home where he cooked for them, where they just sat and bantered, and so much more.
When Keigo gets out, Touya dries him up, Keigo getting him wet with his drenched hair. Touya tells him off for it, though he enjoyed the fact that his boyfriend’s mood was lightened up. He went to unload the groceries as he waited for Keigo to get dressed. The mood was definitely better than before, Keigo out of bed and smiling as Touya talked to him about his day.
Keigo wasn’t as talkative as he made himself seem. He prefers to be more on the quiet side of things, just listening in and only speaking up when he needs to. Touya didn’t mind it. It let him comfortably rant about anything without judgement, knowing Keigo listened to him.
When dinner was done, Touya sits beside his boyfriend, smiling as Keigo ate. He knows that Keigo’s eating habits have dropped quite a bit, but Touya still tries to encourage the other to continue eating. When dinner was done and they cleaned up, Touya decides that they should turn in for the night early. So now cuddled together in bed, Touya hugs Keigo close.
He watches as Keigo is lost in thought. Throughout the evening, Keigo barely muttered a word, probably even said none. He gives him a kiss as he looks his boyfriend in the eyes. “You okay, birdie?” The nickname was carefully said. He avoided the topic of Keigo’s quirk quite often, not wanting to send his boyfriend into some sort of spiral, but it seemed like the name caught Keigo’s full attention.
He offers a small smile, still somewhat sad, but it was soft. Beautiful. Keigo gives him a soft kiss back, hugging him tighter. “I miss that name,” he mutters.
Touya smiles back, kissing his boyfriend’s face. Being all soft and mushy like this wasn’t something that Touya did a lot, but he knows when to do all the mushy things, especially on days when Keigo needs it most.
“Really?” Touya asks.
“Would appreciate it if you didn’t treat me like glass too,” Keigo responds softly.
Touya feels a bit of guilt stir inside him. He didn’t intend his caring demeanor to give off that he’s babying Keigo, but it’s good that the other finally said something. He simply nods. “Yeah, of course.” Another kiss to his boyfriend’s face.
The silence between them stretches, the two just reveling in each other’s presence. Then, Keigo breaks the silence.
“Sorry if I’ve been an asshole. I’m still sort of new to this relationship stuff.”
Touya rolls his eyes. “I really couldn’t care less. I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but just know that as your boyfriend, I’m here to support you in any way that you need. Okay?” Touya continues to press kisses to Keigo’s face, making the other let out a soft chuckle.
“You mean it?” he whispers.
“Hell fucking yeah, I mean it. Literally look at how far we’ve gotten in this. I’d say that I think I finally have won at something in life that I can fully keep,” he smiles.
Keigo’s smile widens. “You’re such a liar,” he whispers.
“I won your heart, is that not enough?” Touya smirks.
Keigo simply rolls his eyes, running a hand through the white, fluffy hair. His smile then slowly drops. “Do you still hate me?” He pauses for a quick moment and quickly elaborates. “For the shit I pulled back then.”
Touya stares at him. Yeah, there’s a part that can’t let go of the betrayal that Keigo has done. It even took them a while to get back on talking terms, mainly because Touya just didn’t want to see his face again. But there was some other part of him that still yearned for Keigo, even if he was a traitor.
“Birdie, I don’t think the hatred is going to dissipate in just a few years. Yes, I still have a part of me that hates you for it, but it doesn’t mean that I’m going to hate you forever.” Touya grabs Keigo’s hand and interlocks their fingers. “When I was still in prison, there was a part of me that constantly thought about you when you decided to show your stupid face to me. At first, it was hatred. I still want to kill you for everything. Being a liar, betraying us, betraying Twice, and…” he sighs. “Breaking my heart,” he reluctantly admits. “But even when we weren’t together, I know that there was something of us still with each other. Your persistent ass never stopped trying to visit me, and I never stopped thinking about you.”
Keigo’s expression was unreadable. Touya couldn’t tell if what he said hurt the other’s feelings or if he accepted them. Touya was always so blunt about things, even in their hard moments. That’s just how he was, even if he knew that his bluntness was harsh. He kissed the blond’s hand.
“With all the shit I’ve gone through after the war, I want you to know that I don’t dwell on the past as much anymore. Yes, there’s still things that I hold a grudge to, but I’m mostly looking towards the future. With you,” Touya smiles. “Even when I’m not with you, I’m still with you, dove.” Another soft kiss was shared. “I’m still with you.”
Keigo just sighs and eventually smiles, squeezing Touya’s hand. “I’m glad we somehow got our shit sorted out.”
Touya smiles back and chuckles. “It’s good to know that I’m the only one who can cut open the deepest parts of you.”
Keigo stares into Touya’s cerulean eyes and something seems to give Keigo that beautiful light he always carries. “What would love be if it’s not two souls trying to heal each other?”