## Preface

Closer
Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/29004384.

Rating:
  Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning:
  No Archive Warnings Apply
Category:
  M/M
Fandom:
  僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Relationship:
  Dabi | Todoroki Touya/Takami Keigo | Hawks
Characters:
  Takami Keigo | Hawks, Bubaigawara Jin | Twice, Toga Himiko, Geten (My Hero Academia), Dabi | Todoroki Touya
Additional Tags:
  5+1 Things, Getting Together, Banter, Feelings Realization, or more they're just horny, nuggets have been hurt, Pigeon Verse, Fanart, POV Alternating, Snark, Bad Decisions, probably
Language:
  English
Series:
  Part 3 of Pigeon Verse
Stats:
  Published: 2021-01-26 Words: 3,272 Chapters: 6/6

# Closer

by EloFromMars

Summary

> 5 times they kept some space between them 1 time they didn't :3

Notes

> I needed softe and I realized that I've never written how they got together. So here we go :3 My sweet bean Clara was kind enough to make art for it so enjoy <3

See the end of the work for more notes

## Since when is he coming so close?

Keigo noticed it. He didn’t know if it was an unconscious thing or if Dabi was doing it on purpose in an attempt to annoy Keigo, but the facts were there. Every time they met, be it on a rooftop or in one of those shitty back alleys Dabi apparently fancied, the villain tended to come closer and closer to Keigo, physically speaking.

It started subtly, slowly. At first, there was always a safe distance of at least two primaries between them, giving Keigo enough space to spread his wings and take off in case of danger. That distance dropped to one primary. Still far enough to guarantee Keigo’s safety, but barely.

Tonight is apparently a new step. Keigo has been waiting for Dabi on a rooftop for the past thirty minutes. As usual, the villain runs late but Keigo doesn’t mind anymore. It used to drive him nuts, and turn his gut into a ball of anxious knots but he finally realized that it was Dabi’s “process”, his way to get the upper hand on their meetings, to show that he was the one in charge and Keigo was at his mercy. Now, Keigo takes those delays as they come and enjoys the extra free time to just unwind. Thanks to Dabi’s lack of punctuality, he finally found the time to read more than one page of a book he received for his birthday two years ago, by one of his sidekicks. The novel is not especially thrilling but Keigo finds pleasure in the simple act of reading something that is not a report.

He marks the page as soon as hears the squeaky door open and puts the book away in his inner pocket. He doesn’t even turn around to look at Dabi, relying on his feathers to give him the info he needs. Dabi slumps on the parapet where Keigo has been standing.

“Yo.”

“Hey.”

Dabi is close, literally at hand’s reach. He doesn’t look at Keigo, busy lighting a cigarette. His legs dangle in the void, heavy boots thumping against the bricks. “What were you reading?”

Keigo glances quickly at the villain before refocusing on the cityscape and the night lights. “The Fall before the Break.”

Dabi snorts. “Very appropriate.”

“What do you mean?”

Dabi finally peers up at him, the smoke of his cigarette a blueish veil in front of his eyes. “Is it good?”

Keigo remains silent for a heartbeat, trying to get the meaning behind Dabi’s quip. The anxious knots are back in his gut but he pushes them away. “It’s not exceptional. Are we here to discuss literature?”

“Why not?”

Keigo sighs.

“Come on, Birdie, relax.” The familiar sound of a can opening reaches Keigo’s ears. “Here, have a drink, you’ll feel better.”

Keigo accepts the cold can of beer without a word. His gloved fingers brush against Dabi’s.

“Lend it to me once you’re done.”

Keigo looks down once more, the can pressed against his lips. Dabi keeps his eyes strained on the lit-up buildings displayed in front of them. The lights cast strange shadows on his scarred face, making it appear almost normal.

“Didn’t take you for the reading type.”

Dabi shrugs and gestures Keigo to give him back the can of beer. Dabi takes a sip and meets Keigo’s eyes with a lopsided grin. “Indirect kiss.”

“Moron.”

Dabi chuckles and gives back the can to Keigo.

## Can’t keep my hands off you

Stupid meeting. Why does he have to stand on that stupid stage with all those lunatics? Twice, Toga and Compress are apparently overjoyed to be the center of the attention. Shigs looks like a Walmart King on his velvet armchair. Ridiculous. Dabi follows the nutjobs nonetheless because he doesn’t want to deal with Shigs being pissy again. Re-Destro’s goons stand there as well and Dabi can’t help but scrunch his nose at the sight of the Ice Queen. Geten glares at him, lips pursed. Hah. Whatever.

Re-Destro babbles about their new organization and announces their new name and Dabi wants to scream. This is the most stupid name he’s ever heard but he’s apparently the only one to think that, given how the crowd is cheering and clapping.

Idiots, all of them.

A familiar shade of red catches his eyes as he scans the anonymous faces looking up at them. Hawks is there, clapping along with a stupid smile on his face.

The biggest idiot in the room.

But weirdly, Dabi’s pissy mood lifts up a bit. At least, he will have a good excuse to ditch the rest of the Paranormal Liberation Front.

God, that name. Isn’t that Skeptic guy supposed to be in communication stuff? Or did all their brain cells die with the woman Toga ripped apart?

Re-Destro finally stops his useless rambling and Dabi hurries backstage and takes the door to join the rest of the disbanding crowd. Finding Hawks is easy with his large red wings. He’s talking with people who look at him with stars in their eyes. Idiots. Dabi is surrounded by idiots.

“Hey, what are you doing number 2?”

Hawks turns his gaze toward Dabi, still smiling. Without thinking, Dabi slings an arm around Hawks’ shoulders and drags him away from the rest of the crowd. Dabi is not the type to get touchy-feely with anyone but keep your friends close and your enemy closer, right? Easier to set the bird on fire if he’s at arm’s reach, right?

Hawks doesn’t seem to mind, still smiling as he looks at Dabi, comfortably nestled against Dabi’s side.

“You sure look happy,” Dabi comments.

“Ah! I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the gang!”

Liar, Dabi thinks but he keeps his arm around Hawks. One of the wings gently brushes against his back, a friendly gesture and Dabi decides that it’s fine.

Maybe he’s the biggest idiot in the room, after all.

## Rain

For once, it’s Keigo’s turn to be late for their meeting. The day has been long and shitty and it’s raining buckets, making flying a hazardous operation. He’s forced to go slower than usual, both because he can’t see shit and because he didn’t have the time to coat his feathers properly lately, hence heavier wings.

Dabi is going to be unpleasant, again, but it’s okay. Keigo doesn’t really care anymore, used to Dabi’s regular bitchy fits. Under his aloof demeanor, the Villain sure does have a temper. Nothing Keigo can’t handle. And maybe, next time Dabi will pick a better location. They have this whole fancy mansion but no, he keeps giving random meeting points to Keigo, each worse than the other. Keigo lands on the rooftop and it’s not hard to spot Dabi, huddled against a wall, under an A/C unit.

“Fucking about time, asshole!” he hisses as Keigo comes closer.

“Sorry, but my job is not exactly a 9 to 5. Just tell your colleagues to stay put and I’ll be on time.”

Dabi clicks his tongue, the scowl on his face sour enough to give Keigo heartburns. Keigo leans forward, propping a wing to shelter Dabi from the rain. “C’mon, Staples, it’s just a bit of water, it’s not going to kill you.”

“Fuck off.”

Keigo snorts and pushes the strands of blond hair matted against his forehead. “You look like a pissy kitten.”

“And you’re going to look like an overcooked nugget if you don’t shut up in the next ten seconds.”

Keigo smirks. For once, he’s the one riling Dabi up and usually, he would tune it down, not really willing to piss off his contact with the villain side. But Keigo has felt a shift in their relationship lately, especially since he’s been introduced to the rest of the members of the LoV. Dabi doesn’t have as much upper hand on their exchanges anymore, even though they keep “working” closely together. Keigo remains careful, but he allows himself to talk a bit more freely as well. He now answers Dabi’s quips with his best snark and finds some kind of amusement in their sometimes vicious banter.

It’s easy and a rare occasion. His hero persona doesn’t really give him the chance to use sarcasm to its full potential. With Dabi, he has no restraint, no holding back. He lets his mouth run as it pleases, knowing that Dabi will retort in kind.

“Speaking of nuggets, I’m starving. There’s a ramen shop just downstairs, my treat.”

Dabi squints his eyes at him and Keigo raises an eyebrow. “What? You prefer staying in the rain? I can even give you a lift so we get there quicker.”

“I’ll take the stairs.”

“Awe, you’re not trusting me?”

“Not one bit.”

Keigo withdraws his wing, a hand on his heart, amused by Dabi’s wince as rain starts falling again on his head. “I’m hurt.”

“No, you’re not.”

Keigo grins. “No, I’m not. Shall we?”

Dabi huffs and stomps towards the metallic stairs. “I want hot sake.”

Keigo flies down. “Aye, aye.”

“And extra eggs.”

He welcomes Dabi on the ground with his wing arched as a makeshift umbrella. Dabi takes shelter under the soaked feathers, his shoulder bumping against Keigo’s. “And pork.”

Keigo chuckles as they start walking. “Whatever you want, kitten.”

“Call me like that one more time, and I swear to god —”

“Yes, yes, you’ll turn me into KFC, I know.”

## Just get a room

“Stop.”

“Nope.”

“On god, I’m going to throttle you. Stop doing that!”

Dabi takes a nugget and, holding Hawks’ offended gaze, he dips the piece of chicken into his milkshake.

“This is blasphemy.”

Dabi pops the nugget in his mouth and makes a show to moan as he munches on the fried meat.

“You’re disgusting.”

“It’s good.”

“It’s not.

“You never tried.”

“I don’t need to. Chicken doesn’t belong with milkshakes.”

“Aaawe, come on, give it a try.”

“Nope.”

Dabi dips another nugget into his melting shake and pushes it toward Hawks. “Aaaaah.”

The bird recoils with a disgusted scowl. “Stay away from me, you heathen.”

“Come on, Hawks. For me. Just try it.”

“No.”

Dabi’s grin widens when Hawks purses his lips tightly before the dripping nugget comes toward him. “Can’t believe I found a way to shut you up.”

Hawks can’t resist the urge to answer him and Dabi takes advantage of it to shove the piece of chicken in his mouth. Hawks groans and kicks Dabi’s shin.

“See, it wasn’t that bad.”

“It’s awful,” Hawks mumbles after swallowing. “You’re awful.”

“And yet, you’re here.”

“God, just get a room already, it’s disgusting. It’s cute!”

Dabi startles slightly and looks above his shoulder. Toga and Twice stare at them from the couch. Toga has a wide, unhinged smile on her face, her cheeks even redder than usual. “They’re so cute, Jin. Do you think they kiss during their “meetings”?” she whispers-shout.

“I’m sure they don’t. Bet they do!”

“I wouldn’t kiss someone with such questionable taste in food,” Hawks retorts.

“I’m sure they bang,” Jin nods, convinced.

“And I’m sure it’s absolutely none of your business,” Dabi answers, turning his back again to the two lunatics giggling behind them.

## Falling asleep

The shared living-room reserved to the former members of the LoV is quiet. Everyone’s left but Keigo didn’t move. One because he was actually interested in the movie playing on the large TV screen and two —

Well, two, Dabi has decided to turn him into a pillow, preventing him from moving.

Dabi has rolled a joint in the middle of the first movie, while the rest of the League was still around. He offered some to Keigo but he declined. As much as he wanted to, he was not quite comfortable with the idea of getting high surrounded by some of the most wanted villains. Dabi made fun of him, obviously, but didn’t press further, smoking the blunt on his own. At the end of the movie, Dabi seemed already out of it but when Keigo made a move to get up and go back to his place for the night, Dabi had landed a hand on his knee and squeezed, looking at Keigo with heavy-lidded eyes. “The second movie is better. Stay.”

The words have caused Toga and Twice a fit of loud giggles until Compress dragged them out of the room, like a mother hen ushering his chicklings to bed. Oddly, the two weirdos have complied without a complaint.

Shigaraki and Spinner retreated to their bedrooms (bedroom?) a bit later, leaving Keigo alone with Dabi. Before leaving, Spinner has patted Keigo’s on the shoulder. “Get comfy, he’s a real clinger.”

“Shut it, Ninja Turtle,” Dabi has slurred back but he was already leaning heavily against Keigo.

Now, Keigo understands what Spinner meant. After pulling Keigo’s wing behind his back, because it was apparently “in the way”, Dabi has fallen asleep for good, if his light snores mean anything. The heat of Dabi’s body seeps through Keigo’s clothes and warms him up like a heated blanket. It’s actually quite nice and toasty.

Dabi’s head is squished against Keigo’s shoulder but the position seemed to be uncomfortable. Dabi startles awake when his head slips from Keigo’s shoulder. Keigo snorts at Dabi’s sleepy curses.

“Shut up, Birdie.” Dabi shifts, and pushes Keigo on his back.

“Wow wow, what are you doing?” Keigo startles, wings flapping to accommodate the new position.

Dabi looms over him, with a crooked smile. “Turning you into a decent pillow.”

“Just go to bed?”

Dabi slumps on Keigo’s chest, nuzzling his shirt with a content hum. “My bed ain’t as pretty.” He tugs on Keigo’s right wing like you tug on a blanket and Keigo winces at the slight pain.

“Ouch. Just - ugh, wait.” Keigo squirms under Dabi’s dead weight until he finds the best position for his wings. “There.”

He curls his wing above Dabi’s frame and unfurls the left one completely. Dabi’s fingers find the feathers and comb lazily through them, sending shivers down Keigo’s spine. Keigo knows Dabi is high as a kite and that it absolutely doesn’t mean anything but the gesture is oddly intimate. He wouldn’t have suspected Dabi to be able to be soft like this.

It’s disturbing. Completely unbalancing.

Keigo is used to a harsh, mean bastard, a psychotic murderer with an agenda Keigo is still not quite sure of. But he can deal with this. It’s easy, it’s known. It’s expected .

But lately, Dabi has started to show a new side. A more human side. And this is harder to deal with. Keigo doesn’t want to see the person behind the persona, doesn’t want to see the cracks in the mask, but they’re hard to ignore.

Especially in moments like this, where Dabi lowers his guard even so slightly.

Keigo lets out a shaky sigh. He hesitates for a moment before closing his arms around Dabi’s warm body.

What is happening?

## Caving in

Dabi steps into the ritzy hallway of the PLF mansion after a day out. He doesn’t know why Shigs still wants him to keep going with the recruitment gig. Dabi is clearly not the best at it - apparently, burning people is not the best way to recruit them - and they have a whole damn army ready to answer Crusty McHand’s any desire. Something about not trusting his new sugar daddy completely. Dabi can’t blame him, he doesn’t trust any of those guys either.

Or maybe Shigs is more clever than Dabi gives him credits for and he knows it would be a terrible idea to have Dabi stuck in the same place as Geten, 24/7.

Speaking of the devil. Dabi spots the ice fucker on the other side of the hallway, chatting up with Hawks. Hawks seems relaxed, hands in his pockets, wings lax on his back, and an amused smile on his face as he looks at Geten’s animated hand gestures as he speaks about whatever complot theory he must have read on Reddit the night before.

Dabi doesn’t like this. Why? Because Geten is an asshole. It shouldn’t bother him to see Hawks playing buddy-buddy with Re-Destro’s crew, except it does. Especially fucking Geten. Hawks is his their informant. They might be one single organization now but Dabi is absolutely not willing to let Hawks work for them.

He walks to them, frustration bubbling in his chest. Hawks spots him but before he has the time to greet him, Dabi has slung an arm around Hawks’ shoulders and looks down at Geten with a wide grin.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Why do you care?” Geten hisses, his face twisted in a scowl.

“Oh? Were you trading beauty routines? Is that it?”

“Dabi, what the—” Hawks starts.

“We were talking about things that wouldn’t make sense for your poor burned pea brain,” Geten retorts. “Get lost, you’re lowering the IQ of the whole room.”

Dabi bristles and steam rises from his seams. Hawks slips out of Dabi’s half-hug and stands between them, wings slightly raised. “Hey hey, everyone chill.”

Geten huffs and looks at Hawks. “I’ll catch you later, Hawks. Good luck dealing with Pea brain over there.”

“You wanna go, Ice Queen? You want me to ruin your princess face with one or two burns?”

“Dabi, that’s enough.”

“Ain’t nobody asking you, Birdie.”

Hawks plants himself in front of Dabi, his stupid brows furrowed. “You’ve been interrupting my conversation with Geten for no good reason. I’m allowed to interrupt yours.”

Dabi averts his eyes from Geten who just turns on his heels to leave and focuses on Hawks. “So what?”

“What’s your problem?”

“I don’t like that fucker.”

Hawks raises an eyebrow, arms crossed on his chest. “And it’s my problem because?”

“Because you’re mine,” Dabi snaps without thinking. “Ours,” he corrects quickly as he realizes what he just said. “You’re ours.”

Hawks looks at him in silence for a heartbeat, his eyes slightly widening. “I don’t belong to anyone, Staples.”

“Yeah, right.”

Hawks steps closer into Dabi’s space, wings rustling, visibly pissed. He digs a gloved finger in Dabi’s chest. “I don’t belong to anyone, and especially not you.”

The frustration rises again and Dabi leans forward, his face almost touching Hawks. “Oh you sure about that, hero ? You’ve been pretty quick to answer all my calls, though.”

“Because you had something I wanted. It doesn’t mean I belong to you in any way. Don’t take your fantasies for reality.”

“You’re lying to yourself.”

“And you’re out of your mind.”

Dabi’s grin and he’s so close, his nose almost brushes against Hawks’. “I never pretended I was sane.”

“What are you doing?” Hawks asks in a low voice but his pupils are shot wide as he looks at Dabi.

“No clue. I’m out of my mind, remember?” And Dabi closes the space between them, pressing his lips against Hawks’ chapped ones.

Hawks stays still, not answering the kiss but not pulling away either. Dabi withdraws, suddenly unsure but trying to hide his trouble behind a blank face. Hawks grabs the lapel of his jacket and yanks him back, crashing their lips together. Dabi wraps his arms around Hawks’ waist, pulling him closer as they devour each other’s mouth. It’s not the first time Dabi kisses someone, but it’s definitely the first time that he’s sober doing it.

What are they doing?

He really is out of his mind.

It’s going to turn into a Problem™, Dabi can feel it. And he has enough on his plate, he doesn’t need this on top of everything. He should withdraw now and laugh it off. He should but his hands seem glued to Hawks’ waist, unable to let go.

Hawks’ tongue slips in his mouth and Dabi’s train of thought stalls.

Fuck it.

## Afterword

End Notes

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