If you need me (I'm sorry)
By the time his boyfriend is tapping on the balcony door keigo has all his burnable enji merch in a box by the fire place. The rest are like plastic figurines and rubber keychains are in the trash. He's mentally rewritten his apology at least 6 times and it still gets tossed out the window the minute he sees him.
He steps outside with the box and kicks it to a corner as he tugs his boyfriend into a tight embrace.
His boyfriend still returns the embrace.
"What do you want me to call you?" When he tenses in his arms keigo doesn't let him go. " If you want me to call you touya or if you want me to call you dabi, it's your choice and I can and will respect your identity. I love you."
This is what Dabi had wanted days ago. For keigo to know who he had been. For keigo to respect him and love him anyways. And maybe to get him to get rid of his merch a little bit too.
"Dabi. You couldn't have told me you loved me regardless days ago?" Dabi shoves himself out of keigos arms. "I knew that you would need space. That you looked up to him. I'd prepared for that. I hadn't expected you to call me a liar or end up on the fucking news cheating on me."
"I...I can't excuse my cheating. I don't remember deciding to do that. Not really. I. Dabi I went out drinking because some part of me knew the truth. I didnt want to see it so I closed my eyes and tried to drink the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach away." Keigo reaches for Dabi's hand.
Its selfish to want the comfort of holding his hand right now but he needs it.
"That fucking trash bag was someone I looked to during the worst of my training. I looked at him and thought he tried so hard and never gave up. When the commission had me training until I couldn't even stand. when my parents sold me to them. When I was dragged in sick to training or with a fever or so stressed I pulled out my own feathers some days to try and get out of it. For even one day. I told myself I couldn't give up until he gave up too. I thought that was what a hero was. Trying even when you don't get anywhere" He tugs Dabi over to the small portable fire pit and puts the prized plush in first.
"I had no idea the person I really should have been admiring was right beside me. Preening my wings and hurting. That you were the person who truly never gave up. I never want you to change, especially not for me and if I ever make you feel like that again I give you permission now to burn me alive."
Dabi stares at him incredulously for a few minutes.
He throws a blanket and a peice of wood on top of the plush as he thinks about how he wants to deal with that. He does remember calling keigo. Hates that he called at all much less begged him to come back and told him he would change for him. He even might have actually tried to do it if he hadn't had the leauge watching him the past almost week.
"I wouldn't. No matter what I said I wouldn't change myself for you. Even if I could and even if you had come back. You ever leave me feeling like that again or go to work wasted again and I will torch your ass." He glares at keigo to get the point across.
"You, uh? Noticed that?" Dabi nods and lights the pile finally.
Keigo kicks out chairs for them both and takes Dabi's hand again. There is one more question he has to ask Dabi before he can hope to put the last week behind him.
"I realized something I should have noticed months ago Dabi. I want you to know before I ask that it's okay if I'm wrong but I don't think I am."
Dabi stiffens slightly at the auspicious way keigo is talking but he doesn't let go of keigos hand. His ungloved hand with itty bitty talons dabi has always thought were cute. It took him so long to get keigo to stop wearing them around him. To get him to stop hiding his bird parts in general.
"Were you my first what?" Dabi won't look him and has a vice grip on keigos hand. Playing dumb isn't going to work but he can sure as hell try to avoid this conversation.
Keigo gets on his knees in front of Dabi so he can look Dabi in his eyes despite Dabi looking at the ground and trying to avoid eye contact with him.
"Dabi did you give me your virginity and not tell me? Was I your first and I didn't even notice?" Keigo holds the eye contact and waits for the awnser he knows in his sinking gut. He can be patient this one dam time. As patient as he needs to be.
Dabi's eyes are wet and he's really tempted to lie and say no. No he didn't give keigo something his mom always said was special, 'save it because you'll remember your first time for the rest of your life' comes to mind. He hadn't known how to tell keigo he was new to sex. So he hadn't. He'd covered his inexperience with things learned from porn websites and pure false confidence. Questions anonymously asked when he needed more information. He goes to shake his head and nods at the last minute instead. Eyes watering again.
" not a jury in the world would convict you if you burned me alive after all the shit I've put you through dabi." Keigo mutters and stands back up. Dragging dabi back into his arms.
"I'm sorry I've treated you like such shit. I'm going to pay more attention to you and your needs. I want you to tell me if you need something."
Dabi burys his face in keigos neck. Let's himself bask in the promises his boyfriend is making. In the thought of gaining one more person to lean on. Fully lean on this time. Keigo is here for better or worse and both of them know that now.
"I need help killing my sperm donor if your up to it." He mutters. The leauge has already vowed to help him and having keigo there would mean alot.
"Done." Keigo dosnt even heasitate.
The merch is burned through soon and keigo puts the embers out before taking dabi back inside.
He cooks dinner for him using a recipe with step by step video he found online last night.
They shower and he help dabi clean his staples out. They get out and he wraps him in the softest robe he could find. Rubs specialty lotion he picked up yesterday. Specially made for burn scars and sensitive skin. Lathers it on ever inch of skin he can find and massages until dabi is begging him to touch him in another way.
Then he takes dabi apart and loves him the way he should have that first night.
Watches his every reaction so he never thinks about giving this up again. Drunk or not.
Then carrys his exhausted boyfriend back to his nest curls up around him and covers them both with his wings. Whispers I love you again and again against his scarred skin. Peppering in I'm sorrys every few minutes.
Dabi hums and curls even closer into him.
"Love you too kei,I forgive you. Save the I'm sorrys for shig." He sleepily replies before getting the first night of sleep in what feels like forever.
Keigo wishes he could say the thought of meeting shigaraki kept him awake but he was too relived and tired to think much of it.
It took almost a week but they were together again.
(Last chapter for this series)
