Chapter Text
The salty breeze tangled in your hair, the scent of the sea permeated the air as your toes sunk beneath the coarse sand and your chest heaved calmly. Thousands of stars adorned the dark sky, surrounding the moon and illuminating the night— giving you a peace of mind after a hectic day of interacting with people and dealing with overwhelming stress in the studio.
It was nice living so close to the beach, an hour by car; this sandy terrain was your haven, your sanctuary. Notebook in hand and earphones plugged in, this was where inspiration coursed through your veins, allowing ideas to form on the paper you grasp. The pen glided over composedly as strings of words formed, the melody of your next song already in the works.
At the dead of night, accompanied by the cascading crashes of waves, were the only time you could be yourself without people breathing down your neck or cameras flashing incessantly. Not that you were complaining— this was the life you dreamt of since you were a mere child, but sometimes having a little privacy was all you needed at times.
Lifting your sombre eyes from the sheets of paper, the midnight horizon stretched out endlessly. The sight itself stopped your fingers from writing, a deep sigh escaped your lips and your weight sunk into the ground— fingers clenched around the pen, then weakened.
As tranquil as the sea was, this part of the world became your solace.
The crunch of the sand broke that small moment of peace, a strange sound pierced the earphones plugged in your ears, making you straighten your back and lift your head completely— bewilderment painted your face as your brows knitted. Turning your head in search of the sound as the earphones nuzzled in the safety of your pocket.
You weren’t worried about anything else other than the fact that your fans might’ve found your sanctum, but all that anxiety washed over with a newfound fear when your eyes caught something worse. Way worse than you could imagine.
There laid a body, unmoving, atop the yellow shade sand not too far away to be misinterpreted as a drunkard but not close enough to be ascertained whether that person could be dead.
Holy fuck.
The hairs on your neck stood as alarm bells rang in your head. Eyes darting your surroundings, it seemed like no one else was there. At least not close by. Your gut was screaming at you to run away but you couldn’t possibly leave someone at their deathbed without feeling an ounce of guilt.
What the hell do I do? Do I call the cops?
Without thinking, you stood and began silently making your way towards the person. Upon closer inspection, you could make out the appearance slightly and that was when you figured out it was a man with mid-length blue hair that obscured his pale face. As if it wasn’t uncanny enough to be alone at night without bodyguards, a body of a man had to appear out of nowhere when you least expected it.
What a day.
You used your right leg to poke at him. He didn’t move. Bending your knees, you hesitantly stretched out your hand with two fingers reaching for his wrist, trying to find a pulse and if you were lucky enough, maybe you could drive him to the hospital.
With a sigh of relief, the faint thumping of his pulse made your head drop— and before you could help him up, the silhouette of a tattoo on his neck caught your eye. It was as if your hand had a mind of its own, casting his hair aside, you finally had a clearer glimpse of it and whatever warmth you had left within completely drained.
No. Fucking. Way.
That tattoo.
A single “L” that would send the entire nation into a frenzy.
You’ve seen it on the news. Hell, everyone who watches TV would know what this was. With controlled breaths, you pulled your phone out of your pocket and dialled a familiar number.
After the first ring, the sound of your nickname infiltrated your ear,
“Songbird?”
“I need help.”
“Where are you?” The seriousness in your voice made the person immediately jump up, senses sharp like a hawk. The sound of keys jiggled on the other side of the line as the person rushed out of the door. “Tell me where you are.”
Your eyes landed on the man before responding.
“The usual.” Your voice came out in a whisper, almost out of breath. There was a slight pause before you heard an engine roar. “That’s an hour aw-“
“Please, Keigo. I need you right now.” You pleaded.
“I’ll be there in 30 minutes. Can you wait till then?” You can hear the urgency in his voice. His response made you nod, even if he couldn’t see it.
“Yes. Be careful.”
With that, the line cut off, leaving you with the unconscious man.
You pocketed your phone, eyes on the blue-haired man, and you sat down with your knees to your chest. The base of your palms were clammy and cold— the sound of the relentless waves kissed the shore as you waited. Strangely, you were more concerned for him, his breathing shallow but the sign of survival was apparent. Was that a normal feeling for someone to feel in this situation? The only thing you feared was the people who did this to him being close to where you both were; though you knew a little about defending yourself, courtesy of your uncle, facing dangerous people head-on without backup would be the most stupid thing to do.
As you continued to observe the man, a pang of sympathy shot your heart— you shimmied out of your hoodie, carefully spreading it over him as the wind wafted the atmosphere, making the already chilly night even more frigid. Not letting your guard down, you eyed your surroundings for any peril that may come your way but the beach was awfully silent.
It felt like hours until you heard a familiar engine’s roar pierce through the tranquil night. Exhaling the breath you held in your chest, the bright headlights moved closer, then you saw the blonde man dismount his bike and run towards your direction. You stood up and waved at him, signalling him to the unconscious man on the ground.
“What happened? Are you hurt?” Keigo immediately inspected your figure for any injuries, eyes scanning rapidly. Shaking your head, pointing downwards, “I’m fine but…” You couldn’t complete your sentence. Keigo squinted his eyes, but in an instant you saw his expression alter, as swift as the wind, then he locked eyes with you.
“Something in me told me not to call the cops, so I called you.” His hands dropped from your arms and he bent down. “He’s still alive but I don’t know whether he’s hurt or not. I didn’t want to move him…” Something in Keigo shifted— it was out of character for him to be acting this way and it made your heartbeat pound in your chest.
Sensing your anxiety, his lifted his head.
“Don’t worry. You did the right thing about not calling the cops, but right now I need you to help me.” The tone in his voice made your stomach twist in the most uncomfortable way possible.
“We bring him back to our place. It’s better than leaving him here. Are you okay with that?”
Eh?
Your eyes widened as your hand ran through your hair, thinking about the plausible scenarios if you two brought him back— but ultimately, you bent down, methodically propping the rather scrawny man up. That was when you saw a patch of blood on your hands, your eyes dart down to the streaks of blood on his chest, the sand beneath him painted crimson red, and you couldn’t help but pause. Keigo noticed and he hooked his arm under the man’s knees and arms, carrying him bridal style, ready to leave.
“Hey, I need you with me right now.” Keigo’s deep voice snapped you out of your head. Without wasting any more time, you matched his strides, mind whirling with unease and discontent.
“Use your car. I’ll bring my bike back in the morning.”
As the both you settled in the Mazda, securing the man’s wounds with your hoodie before laying him in the backseat, you turned your head to Keigo who had a tense expression on his face, seemingly knowing something but was keeping you in the dark.
He was an enigmatic man but you knew him well enough.
“Kei, what is going on? Do you know him?” The lump in your throat made it difficult to speak. The look on his face didn’t give way to what he was thinking, he ignited the engine and drove off.
“Keigo.” You attempted again. That was when his eyes turned towards you through his peripherals, and a long sigh escaped his mouth.
“I don’t think I need to tell you who this is.” His eyes lifted upwards, glaring at the man through the rear-view mirror. “I don’t know him personally, but…” The grip on the steering wheel made his knuckles turn white.
“I do know some people he’s affiliated with.”
Your mouth dropped as you stared at him, the cogs in your brain spinning, and suddenly something clicked, making a scoff spill from your lips. “Don’t tell me…” The way he was avoiding your eyes was all you needed to know the answer. “The on-and-off ‘fling’ you had for months is part of his gang?!” You couldn’t help but groan, head in hands.
“In my defence,” he peeled his focus off the road to your direction. “I wasn’t planning on going further with him. I swear!” Pinching your temples, a migraine started to creep in.
“I cannot believe you right now.”
“Listen, I know he’s evil and all, bu—”
“So you knew??” You cut him off quickly. “You are actually fucking ridiculous, Kei.”
Honestly, you didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“You are so lucky I love you.” An incredulous sigh escape, which made Keigo smirk. “I knew you’d understand.”
“I don’t! Just hurry home before this man bleeds out in my car.”
After a preposterous ride back, you pushed the door of your shared complex and jogged towards your room to retrieve a clean towel, laying it on the couch as Keigo carefully settled him on it. In another brisk jog, a first-aid in your grasp, you kneeled next to the man and unwrapped your bloodied hoodie— with the injuries clearly visible under the lights, you could tell it was deep but not enough to kill.
“I got this, but I believe you have a call to make.” Gazing at Keigo who already had his phone in his hands. He nodded and sat on the coffee table as you started peeling off the man’s clothes.
“Pardon me…” Your voice was barely above a whisper. And with that, his shirt was off and your hands swiftly began to clean his wounds. Keigo dialled a number and paused, noticing his hesitation, you quirked a brow.
“It’s just…” He breathed out. “It’s been a while.” A bashful smile plastered on his face.
“Keigo! Not the time!” Again, you didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Okay, okay.” Pressing the speaker button, you two heard it ring once. Twice. Thrice. Both of you locked eyes. Before Keigo could attempt once more, the line picked up at the last ring.
“Oh? Calling me so soon? Miss me that much, yeah?” A hoarse, deep voice resounded— you could practically hear the person smirk on the other end. Glancing back at Keigo, he turned his head away, unwilling to look at you which resulted in a slap on his knee.
He caressed his knee as he responded, “I’m not calling because of that.” The man chuckled. “Then I wonder why, Keigo Takami, a superstar, would be calling me at this hour if not for s-” before he could complete his sentence, Keigo cut him off.
“Tomura Shigaraki is in my house.”
Silence.
“Unconscious.”
Silence.
“Dabi?” Keigo breathed.
Deafening silence.
“Touya?” He tried again, and that was when both of you heard shuffling and muffled words.
“I’m on my way.”
Then, the line cut off.
Keigo stared at his phone while you were finishing up on the patient laying on your couch. His entire chest was wrapped with bandages but patches of red seeped into the white cloth. Hands dangling with a scrunched nose, you shook your head, dismissing it, and covered the disinfected wounds with steady hands. Despite it all, you couldn’t help but glance at the scarred man once in a while. The mole resting under the right side of his lips, a slash on the left side and one across his right eye, skin dry as if he had some sort of condition— yet, he looked incredibly beautiful. Packing up the first-aid box, you stood up and made way towards your room once more, retrieving a tube of cream and settling on the floor next to him. Lathering the dried up spots on his face and neck with the cream in your hands, the silence engulfed the house for quite some time. It was starting to get suffocating.
“Quit staring at your phone, you weirdo.”
“Focus on making sure he’s not dead.”
Wrapping the unconscious man with your hoodie, his bloody shirt in your hands, you snapped your head towards Keigo. “There’s no way you’re nervous right now?” You scoffed as you completely turned your body to face him. “I was wondering why the songs in our recent album sounded personal.” Teasing him slightly.
He clicked his tongue in feigned annoyance.
“Can you shut up?! God, I can’t believe this is happeni-”
Knock knock
Both of your heads whipped around towards the entrance. That was when something clicked in your head.
How does he know where we live???? How did he even get into the complex????????
You mentally slap your forehead as you turned to eye Keigo, who was busy fixing his hair.
“Quick Songbird. How do I look?”
“You fucking idiot, go!”
He scurried towards the entrance, welcoming the person behind it. The sound of boots reverberated throughout the apartment and the smell of smoke began to pervade the air almost immediately, creating one hell of an entrance. White spiky hair, sharp azure eyes, sleeve tattoos with an ‘L’ painted on his forearm, burnt and scarred skin, leather jacket and pants— this new guest definitely adhered to the gang spirit.
He squinted his eyes, a smirk hanging on his lips as he glanced at Keigo.
“Care to explain, birdbrain?” Crossing his arms, not even paying an ounce of attention to his boss laying unconscious on the couch. Your eyes darted back-and-forth Keigo and the man, or Dabi as Keigo called him.
Before Keigo could respond, you stood up. “I found him. On the beach.” Now two pairs of eyes were on you. “He was passed out and I called Keigo.”
“Is that so?” Dabi eyed you with distrust. “You know who he is right?” He signalled with his head. “That man laying on your couch.”
Swallowing a lump in your throat, “I do.” You turned your head slightly, glancing back. “He was bleeding out so I patched him up. His injuries a-”
Dabi strode forward and in an instant his hand was on your neck, making you gasp in surprise.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” Keigo’s eyes widened. As he was about to rush towards you, Dabi tightened his grip, making him halt.
“You stay there like a good birdie, will ya?”
You instinctively grabbed his hand and turned your body to the side with your strength, loosening the grip— once you were free, you twisted his arm, making him bend to the side. It all happened in a blink of an eye and before you knew it, the sound of a low chuckle escaped his mouth.
“Impressive.” Dabi groaned.
Keigo was immediately by your side, gripping your hand. “Songbird, let go.” Your eyes locked with his, and you breathed deeply.
“He started it first. Tell him to chill out or I won’t let go.” You twisted his arm even harder, earning another groan from him. Keigo gazed at the white-haired man.
“Tsk. Fine.”
Releasing your grasp on Dabi, you pushed him away from you.
“What the hell was that, you psychopath?! I didn’t call you here to start a goddamn fight in our house.”
Dabi rolled his right shoulder back. “She’s clearly in cahoots with the cops. Just had to make sure she wasn’t about to rat us out.” Sharp gaze piercing through Keigo’s— those words made you squint your eyes and your stomach churn.
“How do you know that?”
“What? You really thought I wouldn’t do a background check on you two?” A mocking smirk painted his face, eyes never leaving Keigo, whose brows furrowed in confusion.
“You… what?” His expression was indescribable, making you glance at him. An amused smirk appeared on Dabi’s face, he scoffed and tilted his head to the side— his cerulean gaze sent shivers down your spine.
“What’s wrong, birdie? Thought I’d trust you right off the bat?” His voice low.
“I never trusted you from the start.”
Silence.
Keigo’s fists clenched as he glared at the man before him. A look of betrayal and humiliation on his face, but he attempted, barely, to mask it with anger.
“Get out.”
Dabi clicked his tongue, breaking eye contact. “Oi, Twice. Get in here and get bossman out.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked towards the entrance as a masked man trudged in quite enthusiastically.
“Pardon my intrusion!”
Moving aside for the man named Twice, you watched as he lifted Tomura Shigaraki with a heave and made his way to Dabi. Without another word, he glanced at Keigo and left, slamming the door in the process. The smell of smoke lingered in the air. Both of you dropped your shoulders, finally releasing the unknown tension you had.
Keigo turned to you.
“You okay?” His voice was strained.
You nodded while touching your neck, “I should be asking you that…” Observing his expression, you decided not to pry and merely took his hand in yours and squeezed, hoping it could offer him some sort of solace.
Unsaid words enveloped the apartment, blood-stained shirt in the washer, the two of you stayed up— the moon illuminated the living room, casting a soft glow, blanketing the mysteries that lied ahead. No matter how much you tried to ignore it, something in you felt as if that wouldn’t be the last time you’d see the blue-haired man and his gang; the imprint he left on that couch, you couldn’t help but ignore every omen.
Keigo made his way towards the bathroom and came back to wordlessly apply some sort of cooling gel on your neck, making you flinch backwards with a brow raised.
“It’s red.”
“Is it bad? I don’t want Sho to find out. It’ll be bad for me and if our fans notice.” A worried tone laced your voice, allowing him to lather the mark with aloe. The cold sensation providing relief.
He shook his head slightly. “It can be covered up with makeup. Don’t worry.” Sensing his discomfort, you carefully eyed him but not enough to pressure him.
Dropping his head slightly, eyes closed as a sigh escaped his lips.
“…I’m sorry.”
Your eyes widened, not expecting him to apologise. The silence stretched out before you playfully clicked your tongue.
“There’s nothing for you to apologise for.” He opened his eyes at the gentleness of your voice. “At least we have something to write about in our songs now.” Keigo punched your shoulder lightly with a smile. You weren’t good with words but your presence itself made him breathe with ease; and that was enough.