Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Spread Your Wings

Keigo held his phone in hand, glaring at the little notifications that popped up one after the other. Back to back pings as he received another message, another request, another chance to hit him up. He knew this was a bad idea, yet he still did it. 

“–so damn adorable. Like you wouldn’t believe how much she blushes every time I tease her.”

Rumi paced back and forth in his kitchen. Keigo had been ignoring her from his place on the couch. He only begrudged her a little bit. Whenever they met up now, all Rumi talked about was her new girlfriend. Constantly. 

It was a bit grating.

He was happy for her, truly happy. With all his heart. He just wished he wasn’t wallowing in his own singledom.

Another pop up.

From: TatsuSlidin

Sent: 17:02

Hey~ ;)

Keigo swiped the notification away with a huff. He really should have known better. For some unknown reason he decided to try his luck with a dating app. Instead of going to bars, or clubs, or becoming a professional mixed martial artist that saved an elementary school teacher from a would-be harasser. 

Really, he should have tried anything else before throwing himself into the deep end of the dating pool.

“She gives as good as she gets though, ya know?” Rumi cackled, “she got me good the other day–”

From: TatsuSlidin

Sent: 17:07

Hey

What you wearin?

He swiped it away. Now he was stuck getting messages from people who didn’t want to get to know him for him . They wanted to get close to Keigo Takami , professional volleyball player and model. They wanted in his wallet or his pants. They wanted to ride the wave of his rising fame. 

“And ya know, no one expects it. Sweet innocent teacher, wouldn’t know how to even curse, let alone throw some of the shade she does. Like, damn girl–”

The handful of dates he had gone on from the app hadn’t gone well. They either wanted to prattle on and on about his career, or what he could provide, or move straight to the bedroom.

He wasn’t opposed to casual relationships. He wasn’t a prude, he has had his own flings before, but he didn’t join this app just to find a friend with benefits or a one night stand. He wanted a relationship.

He wanted it to mean something. 

“Kei. Keigo. Hey!”

Keigo jolted, Rumi was leaning over the couch, hands braced on the back, towering over him. For all that she was a bare 159 cm to his 172 cm, she scared the crap outta him. She was all toned muscles, sharp grin, and shit kicking attitude. “Did you hear me at all?”

“Yup. Totally. Your girlfriend is super great.”

Rumi rolled her eyes, bunny hopping over the couch and landing on the cushions with a bounce. She barely missed breaking his legs, which he curled up closer to himself. “She is, absolutely. But I was saying that I could introduce you to someone. I know just the guy.”

“Rumi. I’m not going on a blind date.”

“C’mon, it can’t be any worse than the dates you’re getting off there. You sure you’re on a dating app and not a hook-up one?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” He kept his tone flat. He looked up the app, double checked, and looked at all the reviews. Dating app. Not Hook-Up. Not a hook-up app disguised as a dating site, not a weird religious dating app. Just a normal, find a partner, dating app.

From: TatsuSlidin
Sent: 17:15

Wow, ok asshole. Was gonna let you take a ride but if youre gonna be a bitch

“I’m serious. I’ll give you his number, give it a shot. You guys can even talk it out. Plan it with each other. I won’t trick you into meeting for coffee or something. Unless you want me to.”

Keigo sighed. Would it be worth it to try texting a stranger? Even one that Rumi knew? He glanced down at the newest message to grace his screen.

From: SugarDaddyPlz

Sent: 17:17

Hey, daddy. Bet you would just love a sugar baby, how much you making? I can do whatever you want? <3

“..Fine. But no blind dates. I’ll talk to him.”

ONE

The phone number sat innocuously at the top of the messaging app. He just had to send a text. One simple text. To this number he received, to a guy he had no idea who was. That apparently Rumi was willing to vouch for.

Couldn’t be too bad, if his best friend was saying that this guy was a good idea. Or at least worth the attempt at dating.

Keigo and Rumi didn't vet each other's dates, not really. But oh boy did Rumi give him the “I told you so” lectures when he inevitably ended up on her couch, complaining about his shittier dates and eating all her cheat day sweets.

However, Rumi did know what he was looking for in a partner, so clearly she must know this guy fit some of those boxes. He must be nice. Or hot. Probably at least hot. Rumi knew how to pick out men even if they weren’t to her taste. He’d have to ask her next time they met up, how she knew whoever this was.

So, this guy had to be somewhat decent, to be on Rumi's list of potential boyfriends for Keigo. He took a deep breath, typing away.

To: XXX-XXX-XXXX

Sent: 22:45

Hey.

Um, a friend gave me your number

Hope thats ok

says you’re maybe interested in a date?

Keigo hesitated and then added several messages in quick succession, digging himself deeper and deeper into the hole. 

To: XXX-XXX-XXXX

Sent: 22:46

Unless you’re not and I have it wrong

Which is totally ok I can just

Stop I guess

Oh im Keigo btw

sorry

Oh god, he was spamming this guy. He was such an idiot. He should have never done this. Why did he send it like that? Why did he text so late? Why didn’t he wait until tomorrow? He was coming off as such a creeper. 

Keigo wanted to pull out his hair the longer it took this mysterious person to respond. Did Rumi give him the wrong number? Did the guy decide to just ignore a random string of messages in the middle of the night? 

Maybe all those messages on the app were mistakes? Were the other people just nervous? Should he have actually tried talking back to them? Why was this so hard? 

A bubble appeared at the bottom of the screen, with three dancing dots.

Keigo almost threw the phone across the room.

From: XXX-XXX-XXXX

Sent: 23:10

Hi

Weird af sure

Guess its fine?

Depends on the date, whatcha got?

Touya

Keigo grinned, like an idiot, sitting in the middle of his bed. What would be a good date idea? Rumi mentioned coffee for the blind date. He didn’t want a blind date, but getting coffee together seemed easy enough. A low-stakes date. 

To: Touya

Sent: 23:15

Coffee? 

Could meet you somewhere

unless you don’t like coffee?

we could get food

or maybe just walk in a park

or

Keigo froze, watching the dots again. He should’ve just shut up. Coffee was fine, it was normal. If this Touya guy didn’t like it, he would probably say so. Maybe? Unless he felt like Keigo was pressuring him. Oh god, was Keigo pressuring him into a date?

From: Touya

Sent: 23:18

Coffee is fine. 

Meet in the middle?

Touya’s last message came with a location, a set of cross streets that must be near where Touya was. It put him about halfway across Fukuoka. Which, honestly, didn’t help much. Keigo rarely left his house for anything but training and practice and all the other jobs his manager threw at him. 

Oh, there was this one place he passed by a couple times. He’d never been in it before though.

To: Touya

Sent: 23:20

Coffee is great. yhea

theres a place, Impresso Espresso

that work?

[STICKER: CoffeeCupBlueJay]

From: Touya

Sent: 23:22

Sure. 

How’s Thursday looking? 12?

To: Touya

Sent: 23:23

Perfect

See ya then~ 

[STICKER: DancingCockatoo]

From: Touya

Sent: 23:27

Ok

Night

Keigo groaned. How could he have forgotten? He had been so eager to see what this Touya had to offer, ready to get coffee, yet here he was, trapped in a meeting with his sponsors. He was here to help promote his image.  A non-negotiable meeting that he could not miss. 

Yes, he played a team sport. But if he wanted to go to bigger and greater teams, he needed to do this. Plus, it did help the team's image overall and the funding helped for their equipment, travel, and other expenses. As well as getting them all paid. So, meetings. Lots and lots of meetings.

He tried not to tap his foot or chew on his nail. He tried very very hard not to look at the clock.

“What is wrong with you?” Kaina Tsutsumi leaned over. His manager, mentor, and retired volleyball player, narrowed her eyes on him. She was a no nonsense type of woman, and would definitely not take his antsiness well. 

“Nothing. Just, nerves. I’m fine.”

“Mhmm. Calm down. You’ve done this before, and this meeting is important to your career.”

“I know. I know . Just, ugh. Give me a minute ok? Bathroom break.”

Tsutsumi’s violet eyes narrowed on him, assessing. Keigo waited with baited breath, hoping she didn’t call him out on it. “...Fine. Make it fast.”

Keigo slipped out of the meeting, walking quickly down the hall and to the bathrooms before anyone could stop him. He locked himself in one of the stalls and whipped out his phone. 11:45. Even if by some miracle he wrapped up the meeting now, he wasn’t going to make it in time. 

He sighed, gripping the phone.

Maybe it wasn’t meant to be, maybe it was a stupid idea, texting a stranger. At least there wouldn't be any hard feelings. Can’t have a messy breakup when they hadn’t even started dating.

To: Touya

Sent: 11:46

Hey

Sorry Im gonna have to raincheck. 

Meeting at work is dragging on

Wont be able to split in time

[STICKER: SadCockatiel]

From: Touya

Sent: 11:49

Rude. Tell them it could've been an email.

Or you have other obligations to attend to

Clearly letting you meet a stranger for coffee should be higher on their priorities.

Keigo muffled a snort, hidden in the safety of the stall. He could just imagine the glare Tsutsumi would give him if he tried to bail. It was so tempting though. He really really didn’t want to go back out there. To sit there and listen to long drawn out discussions of what promotions would be expected of him, what photo shoots to attend. He enjoyed playing volleyball, he really did. But he felt like he was spending less and less time doing so, lately. 

From: Touya

Sent: 11:50

Its fine tho. Do what you gotta do.

We can get coffee another time.

Good luck in the meeting?

To: Touya

Sent: 11:51

Haha. god if only.

Thanks, I'm gonna need it.

[STICKER: CardinalSaluting]

Keigo left the stall, washing his hands and splashing water on his face.

Ok, he could do this. He just had to get through this. Just smile and agree to whatever Tsutsumi told him to.

Really though, it could've been an email.  

TWO

Keigo texted Touya again Monday morning. He wasn’t sure if he should text first, but he was the one that canceled their date, so he should probably be the one to reach out again. Maybe Touya would text back, maybe he would see that Keigo didn’t want to cancel. He just couldn’t escape the meeting. 

To: Touya

Sent: 4:22

Morning!

[STICKER: Rooster]

Of course, texting at 4 in the morning wasn’t the best idea. Even Rumi wasn’t up that early and she was notorious for early mornings. Touya would text him back later, when he was actually up. Hopefully.

Keigo tucked his phone away and raced off to practice. They had a home game coming up and those were his favorite. The crowds were always bigger, and he got to sleep in his own bed. Resting in his own apartment was definitely better than all the hotels they bounced around to. He liked his teammates, he worked well with them, but he preferred his own space more often than not.

Plus, he hated travelling.

For now though, he had to get through all the practices and shoots and everything else that had been thrown on his schedule.

From: Touya

Sent: 12:36

Morning

Assume you survived your meeting

Keigo’s lunch was immediately abandoned in favor of diving for his phone. Not like it was a great lunch, just plain chicken and rice. Tsutsumi only agreed to his primarily chicken diet because of the protein. She wouldn’t let him have it fried though. Boo.

To: Touya

Sent: 12:37

Yup!

Barely

Definitely coulda been an email

[STICKER: AnnoyedGoose]

Keigo almost didn’t add the sticker. He kinda hoped that Touya didn’t get annoyed with it, with him. He liked sending them, and he had plenty of bird ones after he and Rumi had spent an entire evening finding all the bird and bunny themed ones they could. They had an entire conversation after in stickers. Felt like deciphering hieroglyphics.

He wondered maybe, one day he could do the same with Touya, if they got closer. 

From: Touya

Sent: 12:37

Good

That you survived

Not that you suffered a meeting. 

I’ve been in too many of those.

To: Touya

Sent: 12:38

It was better than others

also

Noon isn’t morning anymore

[STICKER: SleepyRooster]

From: Touya

Sent: 12:39

Not all of us get up at dawn, Birdie

Keigo stared for a long time at the message, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. Birdie. A nickname. He got a nickname. He kicked his feet, sitting on the bench, grinning like a lunatic. 

To: Touya

Sent: 12:40

Got get my morning run in

Birdie?

From: Touya

Sent: 12:42

Nothing needs to be done that early.

You send all those pictures. And you're up at dawn, chirping away.

Birdie

Unless, you don’t like it? I can use something else

Keigo tripped over himself to get the texts out. He liked it, really liked it. Touya had a nickname for him. Touya noticed all the bird images. Touya, maybe liked him? At least a little. To keep talking. Right? 

To: Touya

Sent: 12:42

No nono

I like it

Um

Its nice

Never got a nickname

Ya know?

[STICKER: SweatdropBird]

From: Touya

Sent: 12:44

Good

Birdie

:) 

Keigo felt all the blood rush to his face, felt like a thousand birds were fluttering in his chest. He wished he could hide his face away in the collar of a jacket, but it wasn’t cold enough for him to be wearing one.

From: Touya

Sent: 12:44

Anyway, you owe me a raincheck

Keigo couldn’t believe it. Touya wasn’t put off, in fact, he was asking for that date again. They didn’t really know each other, it wouldn’t have mattered if they just, never spoke again. Keigo would be sad but well, he tried? At least Rumi couldn’t blame him for it.

He really should find out how Rumi and Touya knew each other. Maybe make sure that Rumi wasn’t pressuring Touya into this. At least Touya wasn’t hounding him about his career, like some of the app messages had. 

To: Touya
Sent: 12:47

Right!

Coffee? We could try again

[STICKER: BirdHopping]

From: Touya

Sent:12:48

Sure, works for me.

Hows Wednesday lookin?

To: Touya

Sent 12:48

Sounds great!

Wait

I gotta check my schedule

Keigo searched his gym bag. Mera, the assistant coach, had printed out their schedule for the season and had passed it out to everyone at the beginning of practice. Keigo had been given an extra special one to include everything he agreed to at that meeting. And well, it wasn’t looking great, unfortunately. Blocks of meetings, promotions, photo shoots, training, and competitions.

With barely a moment for himself. 

And definitely not a moment for coffee dates. 

To: Touya

Sent: 12:51

Sorry

Its not

My schedule is packed

The season is starting

[STICKER: CryingCockatiel]

From: Touya

Sent: 12:51

Damn

Season?

To: Touya

Sent: 12:52

Ye

Volleyball

Ive got hmmm

Thursday?

Keigo wondered why Touya would ask. Shouldn’t he know that he was a volleyball player? Maybe he just didn’t play sports.

From: Touya

Sent: 12:53

Oh

One of my brothers is into volleyball

Supposed to see a game this weekend. Never been to one

Lemme check and see if I work

Keigo sat up a little. He got Touya lore. He had a brother. Brothers, if he read that right. He wondered what that was like. Keigo always wondered if having a sibling would make things feel less lonely. He wondered if Touya would tell him more about his siblings. Or if he was saving it for their first date? They hadn’t had a chance to really share much more than their names.

To: Touya

Sent: 12:54

Nice!

I have a match this weekend actually

Maybe its one of mine ;)

[STICKER: SeagullVolleyball]

From: Touya

Sent:12:55

Ha

Maybe. Seeing one of his favorite teams or something, I don't know

Keigo didn’t want to get his hopes up. Beginning tournaments like this, there were so many games that were playing at the same time. Hell, even in the same stadium. Still, it would be nice. He wished Touya would be there to see him.

From: Touya

Sent: 12:56

Shoot

Booked Thursday. Work that day

Keigo huffed. Why were their schedules being so difficult? Surely he had a free moment somewhere in the coming weeks where they would both be free. He double checked the schedule, and oh. 

That might work.

To: Touya

Sent: 12:58

I have week off!

Golden week

Golden date ;)

[STICKER: GoldenBirdWinking]

From: Touya

Sent: 13:02

Mhmm

That was bad

Have to see when its closer. Schedule is all weird right now

To: Touya

Sent:13:05

ok!

Oh shoot

Lunch break is over

Gotta get back to it

[STICKER: RedBirdWaving]

He pressed the top of his phone against his forehead, taking another minute before he had to get back to the gym. Why was it so hard to set up a date? Should he have waited till after volleyball season? But that could be months if they did well, and he really wanted to do well. He was trying to gain attention, get scouted for the national teams, the Olympics. 

Maybe dating wasn’t for him. 

Keigo packed up his lunch, threw his bag over his shoulder, and went back to the gym.

Why was it so hard to get one simple coffee date?

From: Touya

Sent: 8:00

Good luck

Birdie

Keigo played the best match of volleyball in his career. He felt like he could fly, the way he flitted from one end of the court to the other. Felt like his feet were rarely on the ground from how often he flew into the air. He slammed every spike, nailed every receive. He’d never been so in the zone. It was like the ball was in slow motion. The other team hadn’t stood a chance. 

Touya wished him luck. He got up early to send it. He got up early, just for Keigo . 

Keigo had grinned like a love-struck idiot for so long when he saw the message that his team threatened to leave him behind while they warmed up for the match.

He wished he could have seen Touya in the stands. Wished Touya had been there to root for him in person.

From: Touya

Sent: 18:36

How’d it go?

To: Touya

Sent: 18:37

Great!

We won

Your luck really helped

How was watching your first match?

From: Touya

Sent: 18:37

Interesting

Didn’t understand half of what was going on

There was a player that was interesting tho

Swear he could fly with how high he could jump

Hell I couldn't keep track of him on the court and looked like the other team couldn't either

Kinda impressive actually

To: Touya

Sent: 18:39

Wow

You really liked him huh?

[STICKER: GooseFootTapping]

From: Touya

Sent: 18:40

Jealous, Birdie?

Im sure you’re plenty impressive too

Maybe we can meet up and you can show me ;)

To: Touya

Sent: 18:41

Ignoring that

Who was he?

Did they win?

I bet I can beat him

[STICKER: HawkWingsOutstretched]

From: Touya

Sent: 18:42

Dunno the name. Didn’t catch it

Um shit hold on. Natsu might remember 

Number 2, Fukuoka Hawks

Keigo’s phone slipped out of his hand. Touya was there. At his match. Watching him. Touya watched his game. Touya thought he was impressive. 

To: Touya

Sent: 18:42

Eksildjgnhv

From: Touya

Sent: 18:45

Ya good there?

Birdie?

Keigo?

Hello?

That bad huh

Keigo wheezed, picking up his phone with shaking hands. 

To: Touya

Sent: 18:50

Nope

Good

Sorry

Dropped my phone

All good here

Yup

Totally

From: Touya

Sent: 18:51

Mhm

I can see that. What's up?

To: Touya

Sent: 18:52

Thats um

The wing spiker? 

For the Fukuoka Hawks

From: Touya

Sent: 18:53

Yeah?

To: Touya

Sent: 18:53

Thats me

From: Touya

Sent: 18:55

Oh

To: Touya

Sent: 18:56

Anyway!

I gotta go

Bye

[STICKER: BirdFlying]

Keigo curled up in his bed, clutching his phone to his chest, heart pounding. Touya had been there. Keigo wished he could have seen him. He would’ve called shots to him, winked at the crowd, watched them all swoon when they both knew it was for Touya. 

He smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

THREE

Keigo spent the last couple of weeks pushing himself hard at work, practicing whenever he had a chance, crushing the games as they came up. Touya had seen him play, had thought he was impressive. Keigo had to make sure he lived up to the image.

It had all been worth it because now he had an entire week free. He would actually have a chance to see Touya, actually meet him in person. It was almost a little unfair, that Touya knew who he was, but he didn’t know who Touya was.

Though, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise. He assumed Rumi had told Touya who he was. 

Usually, he spent Golden Week bothering Rumi, or flitting about his apartment, or hanging around the public gyms and practicing.  

Tsutsumi made sure he had the week off at least, when his previous manager would fill that empty week with promotions and obligations. She was firm, 1 week off before they got into the final stretch. She even tried to ban him from going to the gyms, telling him he needed to rest.

Keigo might’ve considered ignoring or begging for something to do, but not now. This time, he was going to keep his whole schedule open. He wasn’t even going to bother Rumi, assuming she was harassing her girlfriend.

Teachers got Golden Week off too, didn’t they?

Keigo waited for a reasonable time to text Touya. No use trying to message him at 6 in the morning to not hear from him until noon. He learned that lesson over the last couple of weeks of texting. Touya was in fact, not an early bird. Truthfully, Keigo would also prefer to sleep in, but he usually had training to get to. Years of waking up early meant 7 or 8 was probably the most he could sleep in, if he really tried.

To: Touya

Sent: 10:26

Hi!

Off all week

Whats your schedule look like?

[STICKER: RobinPeekingOverWall]

From: Touya

Sent: 11:00

Hey

Work today

Family tomorrow, theyre insisting.

Wednesday though, I could be all yours, Birdie

Keigo flushed and promptly shoved all the thoughts that popped into his head deep into a box. First date first. Anything else after that. 

To: Touya

Sent: 11:02

Wednesday works!

Coffee still good? 

Or if the day is free

We could get lunch

Like actual food?

Doesnt have to be fancy

From: Touya

Sent: 11:04

Lets start with coffee

Go from there

See whats around

Keigo winced, cursing himself. Too fast. Always too fast for his own good. That was fine. He could wait for Touya. It already took them this long to get a first date. He just had to see how it went. It would be fine.

To: Touya

Sent: 11:05

Great!

Sounds good.

See you Wednesday!

[STICKER: HappyCanary]

Keigo got up bright and early, ready to start the day. Finally, they were gonna have their date. He was gonna meet Touya. He was gonna be able to ask all the questions he had burning inside. He wanted to know all about his job, all about his family. He wanted to know what he liked to do for fun, what annoyed him the most in the world. 

Keigo sincerely hoped the latter wasn’t him.

He was just so excited. He hadn’t been this excited for any of the dates he attempted to go on before. 

He wasn’t actually sure he was ever this excited to get to know someone

Besides maybe Rumi, but she just kinda forced that information on him. Rumi did everything exuberantly, including oversharing.

He reached for his phone to see a notification from Touya, and froze. Touya never messaged him this early. He usually wasn’t up for a couple hours. 

From: Touya

Sent: 6:05

Sorry, Birdie

Gonna have to cancel

Other brother got us all sick

Keigo deflated, dropping back down to sit on the edge of the bed. Looked like he wasn’t going on a date. Not today. He shook his head. It wasn’t like Touya got sick on purpose. Things happen. They would just try again. 

To: Touya

Sent: 7:15

Oh no!

How bad is it?

Do you have medicine

I could bring something over?

Or soups

Do you have food, water?

[STICKER: WorriedOwl]

From: Touya

Sent: 7:20

Don't wanna get you sick

You got the tournament still yeah

To: Touya

Sent: 7:21

I do

But your health is important

I can drop stuff off

[STICKER: CarrierPigeon]

From: Touya

Sent: 7:22

Im ok

Got stuff

Sister loaded my place up last time something was going around

A sister. Two brothers, so far, and a sister. Keigo couldn’t even be happy learning more about Touya when he knew the other man was sick, curled up in bed. Worse, there was nothing Keigo could do about it. They weren’t close, hell, they hadn’t even actually met each other yet. So of course Touya wouldn’t be comfortable letting a stranger know his home address. Well, relative stranger. Touya had access to all of Keigo’s professional history now. 

To: Touya

Sent: 7:27

Ok

Im free if you do need anything

Feel better

[STICKER: SadCockatiel]

From: Touya

Sent: 7:30

Thanks, Birdie

We’ll meet next time

[STICKER: SadCat]

To: Touya

Sent: 7:30

[STICKER: HappyBird]

[STICKER: DancingBird]

From: Touya

Sent: 7:35

[STICKER: SleepingCat]

A grin stretched across Keigo’s face. Touya was sending him stickers! Keigo never thought there would be a day where Touya would send them too. He almost sent a whole bunch more but he figured Touya might’ve sent the last one on purpose. A black cat, curled up in a ball, snoozing away.

So, Keigo would let Touya rest and maybe see how he was doing in a couple of hours, see if he was feeling better later. Keigo was still off all week and he didn’t have anything else to do. He sighed and looked at his phone again. 

Whelp, he had one other person to inflict his presence on.

Keigo arrived on Rumi’s doorstep, bearing food. Karaage for him, greens for her. Well, greens and beans and something else. A lot of iron and protein he was pretty sure. Healthy. Keigo was having none of that. Today was going to be a cheat day.

“Rumi!” He shouted, getting her to open the door. He would bang on it but well, hands were full, and the food was more important than him being a menace. She swung the door open hard, grinning wide.

“Thought you got lost. Hurry up, I’m starving.”

Keigo rolled his eyes and waltzed in. He was familiar enough with her apartment, even if she spent more time crashing at his than he did at hers. To be fair, Keigo was home more often than she was. She traveled a lot more for her fights, a lot more often. Keigo usually stayed in the area, only traveling for weekend away games. He dumped the food on the table before he was scooped up into a bone crushing hug.

“Okay okay, get off me. Can’t breathe–”

Rumi dropped him, rounding the table to sit, pulling her food to her. “So, deets. I need ‘em. How's it going?”

“How’s what going?”

“Ya know, with Touya? The number I gave you? You did message him, didn’t you? Please don’t tell me you’re still wading through that dating app.”

“No no. I deleted that. It was awful. Why’d you let me do that?”

“I told you not to. And then you even accepted dates off it. You remember that last one? Super dramatic edgelord, obsessed with his image. Kept going on and on about his familiars and how he’d make you his eternal consort or something.”

Keigo groaned, fishing his chicken takeout box from the bag. “Don’t remind me. That was awful, why did I do that?”

“Cause you’re desperate.”

“Maybe.”

“Also, avoiding the question. C’mon. What’s he like?”

Keigo took the time to crack apart his chopsticks, taking the first bite of deep fried chicken he’s had in ages. He almost moaned at how good it tasted. He missed it so much. Surely he could eat this and still play volleyball. “Haven’t met him yet. We text. But every time we try to meet up. Something comes up. It's like the world is plotting against us.” He pouted, poking at his chicken..

Rumi rolled her eyes. “It can’t be that bad.”

“It is!” Keigo gestured wildly with his chopsticks. “The first time? I ended up in the world’s longest, most pointless meeting.”

“Mhmm. Can’t your manager just agree to the deals for you?”

“Yeah, but you remember how that went before. Ended up with too little clothes on a shoot.”

“Mmm, true. Nevermind. Okay. So, one time isn't the end of the world.”

“Then! We try to schedule again and it's like every day off that I have, he works. And if he’s off, I have those damn promotions lined up. Hell, I haven’t really had any free time since the season started.”

“Ah yeah, that is bad timing. Would’ve been easier if you waited until after the season, or if y’all get knocked out of the tourney.”

“I know! But you told me to message him, so I texted him and here I am.” Keigo sighed, studying the chicken like it would help him. He took another bite, letting the oil and sauce soothe him. “And we were supposed to meet today, but now he’s sick.”

“Ah. ‘Yumi is sick too. I’ve been banished from seeing her till she’s better. I told her that I get worse germs off of the other opponents but she still refused.”

“Touya said the same thing. Said I couldn’t risk getting sick mid-season.” Keigo pouted, poking at the pieces of chicken. “I never get sick. Would’ve been fine.”

“Cheer up. He’ll be better soon, and then you guys can have your date. Now, it sounds like you're stuck with me. And there's this new dating show you just have to see.”

Keigo laughed. “Stuck with you. Alright, Let's see it. How bad is it?”

“Oh, it's bad. I’ve only seen the previews and it's something special.” She cackled, boxing up her left overs while Keigo finished his food.

Keigo spent the rest of the evening with Rumi, debating the strategies used by the contestants while the two of them got silly wine drunk and tore through her cheat day snacks. He didn’t realize until he got home the next morning that he forgot to ask her about how she knew Touya.

FOUR

Heavy rain pounded against the glass of his apartment windows, cascading in rippling sheets over the streets. The wind howled outside, bending trees until it looked like they were about to snap. Keigo was immensely grateful that he sprung for an expensive apartment. Here, he didn’t have to listen to the windows rattle and pray they held, didn’t have to hear the roof groaning and creaking and hope the wind didn’t rip it away.

As it did when he was a kid.

Still, this typhoon was a nasty one that no one in their right might wanted to be out and about in. No one who didn’t have to be. The storm had rolled up onto Japan’s doorstep around Monday evening, and was holding strong even now on Friday. 

The Fukuoka Hawks had been forced to cancel all their practices until further notice, for their safety and of course, their health. None of them wanted to be sick or injured as they got further in the tournament. Fortunately, the match schedule was pushed to next week as well. Even the tournament organizers knew better than to host any games in this. 

So now it was just a waiting game. At least the newscasters had reassured them all that the storm should blow through over the weekend, leaving them with a wet, but cloudless day on Monday.

Keigo wanted to scream, wanted to tear his hair in frustration. He wanted to climb to the roof and demand the storm cease at once. If only it would work. He had watched, with the rest of the nation, as the clouds had darkened the horizon, watched as they swelled until the sky vanished behind them and the wind started to throw its weight around.

He had hoped that the storm would’ve been over with today, despite all predictions otherwise. He had been checking the weather reports hourly since the storm arrived and read every meteorological study on the storm and the estimates of its length. He had hoped with fingers crossed and prayers sent to every god he could think of, that the storm would’ve calmed down today. 

It didn’t work.

He stood at his windows, hours after he was supposed to meet Touya at the cafe, and wondered what god he had pissed off. He couldn’t think of a single reason why he might have garnered this much karma against himself.

It felt like the universe was against him having a date with Touya, fighting tooth and nail to keep them apart. Every time they tried to get a cup of coffee, a singular cup, not even dinner, something came up. Work, their conflicting schedules, sickness, and now, an act of god. 

From: Touya

Sent: 14:25

Ya know

When I said raincheck

I didn't actually mean send rain

[STICKER: CatWindyUmbrella]

Keigo chuckled, picturing the umbrella he just watched get whipped down the street and out of sight. Hopefully there wasn’t some poor person or feline desperately clinging to the handle. At least Touya didn’t seem dissuaded by the storm, or another failed attempt at meeting.

To: Touya

Sent: 14:30

I know!

We almost had it

Feels like the universe is against it

[STICKER: SoakedBird]

From: Touya

Sent: 14:31

Universe will get over it

Next time though, rain or shine

We’ll figure it out

[STICKER: DeterminedCat]

To: Touya

Sent: 14:33

Preferably shine

Im not a fan of rain

[STICKER: BirdStormCloud]

From: Touya

Sent: 14:33

I like listening to it

But this is a bit much, not exactly a peaceful rain

Keigo had to agree, screaming winds and pounding rain did not make for a peaceful background noise. However, he could tell over the last couple of days that it was dying down. It would probably be nothing more than a normal rainstorm by Sunday. He returned to the couch, curling up under the blanket and holding his phone close.

To: Touya

Sent: 14:37

You okay?

You were sick not long ago

This weather isnt good for that

[STICKER: SickBird]

From: Touya

Sent: 14:38

Jeez, you nag as much at Natsu and he's the pre-med student

I’m fine

Safe inside. I got blankets

[STICKER: AnnoyedCat]

To: Touya

Sent: 14:39

Natsu? Your brother?

The volleyball one?

Also, wheres your heater? Turn it on

[STICKER: AnnoyedBird]

From: Touya

Sent: 14:40

Yes

No

Yes to Natsu, No to heater

It’s not that cold Birdie, I’ll be fine

[STICKER: CatBlankets]

Keigo yawned, wrapping the blanket tight around himself. He had hoped to meet Touya, mostly to meet him but partially for something to do. He wished he could go train, or practice, or just, be out. He usually didn’t mind being home for extended periods of time but being forced to stay inside made the isolation worse. He wondered what Touya was doing, trapped all week like he was. Did he have something to occupy himself? What did Touya do on his days off?

To: Touya

Sent: 15:00

Hey

Whatcha doin?

From: Touya

Sent: 15:10

Was reading, probably gonna nap

Since i got up early for nothing

Damn storm

[STICKER: PacingCat]

To: Touya

Sent: 15:11

Mkay

Sweet dreams

[STICKER: NightcapOwl]

Keigo curled deeper into his blanket on the couch. A nap didn’t sound too bad. He, too, got up early. Despite all hopes being quashed well before today. He let himself drift to the sound of rain against the windows, and his phone in his hand.

When he woke, it was dark, much darker than he had expected. He tried to blink away the grogginess. His head felt so heavy and stuffed with cotton. How long did he sleep for? He found his phone, hidden in the folds of the blanket, and winced at the sudden brightness. 19:18.

Huh, 4 hour nap, that's a sleep. 

He stood, letting the blanket crumple to the floor, to stretch out the kinks in his neck and back from napping on the couch. After a moment he padded to the kitchen, looking to see what he had for food. 

Oh hey, leftovers, perfect. 

He dumped the chicken and noodles onto a plate and into the microwave. The plate spun and spun with a whir, while the rain and wind outside calmed to a heavy storm.

To: Touya

Sent: 19:22

Hey

Whats your favorite noodle dish?

From: Touya

Sent: 19:26

What

Why?

To: Touya

Sent: 19:30

Reheating leftover takeout

Got curious

Cmooooon

What is it?

[STICKER: CuriousBird]

From: Touya

Sent: 19:35

This late? Why are you eating now?

Fine

Cold Soba is the best, hands down. The other brother agrees

[STICKER: RamenCat]

To: Touya

Sent: 19:37

Took a nap too

just woke up

Should eat

I guess

also

Nu uh

Tell other brother to get better taste

Chicken yakisobas where its at

[STICKER: Chicken]

Keigo grinned as he sent the message. He almost sent a picture too, just to prove that the noodles he was about to eat were in fact the best. 

From: Touya

Sent: 19:40

Is that what you're reheating?

Also

Isn’t that cannibalism?

[STICKER: ConfusedCat]

To: Touya

Sent: 19:42

Maybe

Leave me alone

What?

From: Touya

Sent: 19:45

Cause you’re a birdie

Duh

[STICKER: SmugCat]

To: Touya

Sent: 19:47

Wow

Rude

Also

Birds eat other birds

It does happen

Im not a chicken tho

Hawks

[STICKER: Hawk]

From: Touya

Sent: 19:50

Hawks?

Plural?

Are you several hawks in a trench coat?

Does that make playing volleyball hard?

That's a lot of feathers to control. Might be easier to be one hawk, Birdie

[STICKER: CatBattingBird]

To: Touya

Sent: 19:51

Shut up

From: Touya

Sent: 19:51

Make me

[STICKER: SmugCat2]

To: Touya

Sent: 19:55

Wow

Cant believe you

How could you do this to me

I thought we were friends

[STICKER: PuffedUpPigeon]

From: Touya

Sent: 19:56

We are

You think I text anyone else this much?

My family doesn't even get this much

Anyway, why chicken yakisoba

[STICKER: BlackCatQuestionMark]

Touya only texted him? Or texted him this much. It made all those hawks that apparently inhabited his skin flutter in a flurry of feathers. Keigo must be special, right? To get this much of the other man’s attention? 

To: Touya

Sent: 20:00

Really?

From: Touya

Sent: 20:07

Yes, really Keigo

Now

Cmon

Answer the question

From: Touya

Sent: 20:13

Are you sending a whole novel

Why is it taking so long?

[STICKER: CatBap]

To: Touya

Sent: 20:15

Okay, so first off. It doesn’t have to be yakisoba. I think any noodle dish is probably fine. What makes it different though, you say? Chicken. I love chicken. Grilled chicken. Fried chicken. Gotta be cooked though. Not risking salmonella. And Yeah yeah. Cannibalism. So raman, soba, yakisoba. Whatever, with chicken

From: Touya

Sent: 20:16

Cannibal

Chicken hm?

Karaage?

Yakitori?

Teriyaki?

To: Touya

Sent: 20:18

Yes

[STICKER: Chicken]

From: Touya

Sent: 20:20

Birdie

You do eat things other than chicken 

Right?

[STICKER: ConcernedCat]

To: Touya

Sent: 20:23

I mean

Yeah

My manager would kill me if I just ate chicken

I usually eat plain chicken for lunch, with rice

See, other food

She doesnt like me eating fried foods

Or take out

Not healthy or something

But cooking is haaaaard

[STICKER: BirdRolling]

From: Touya

Sent: 20:30

….

Birdie

You don't cook?

What the fuck

You just live off take out?

[STICKER: DisappointedCat]

From: Touya

Sent: 20:40

You can't hide from me

Keigo

Answer the question

You don't cook?

Fucking hell

[STICKER: ChefCat]

To: Touya

Sent: 20:45

Noooo

Its hard

And I dont have time

Its easier just to order

Besides

I do all those photoshoots

Youve seen em

I get lots of money for lots of takeout

Win win

[STICKER: SparkleBird]

From: Touya

Sent: 20:50

I swear to god

When we finally meet

You are gonna eat a balanced meal

How are you alive?

You play sports for a living

You can't survive off just chicken

[STICKER: MadCat]

To: Touya

Sent: 20:55

Can to

[STICKER: BirdTongueOut]

From: Touya

Sent: 21:00

You’re eating an actual meal eventually

Also

Next time birdie

We’re having this damn date

Count on it

[STICKER: DeterminedCat2]

Keigo smiled. No matter how he felt, no matter how much he feared that maybe this wouldn’t work out, how everything seemed to tell them it wasn’t going to happen, Touya was there, telling him “next time”.

FIVE

Keigo tore through his closet. Why did he have so many clothes, and none of them were right? What was he supposed to wear? He threw a desperate glance at the clock. 8:30. He had three and a half hours until he had to be at the cafe. Realistically about three hours until he had to leave his apartment. Maybe two and half. He wanted to be early, and who knew how bad traffic would be. 

What if the trains were down? What if there was suddenly a giant supervillain blocking the tracks? What if he had to detour for construction? What if there was an accident on the roads? He had to make sure he had enough time to get there in case there were problems.

Problems, like picking an outfit. He modeled regularly. He got clothes as gifts, from shoots and sponsors and even Rumi threw some at him when she got tired of seeing him wear the same handful of outfits. Nothing felt right though. 

He looked at the clock; 8:40. He needed to find something to wear and he still needed to shower. Screw it, shower first, and then he would find something. He would have to, cause he would need to get dressed.

Perfect.

A shower later and he was in front of his mirror, wrapped in a towel, scowling. Maybe he should have thought of something while in there. Regardless, now was go-time. He had…three hours til he had to be there, two hours before he had to leave. 

Ok, he could do this, even though he never really dressed himself up. He left making his outfits up to the designers for the photo shoots. Once he was home it was mostly t-shirts and gym shorts, maybe jeans if he decided to go out. 

Today was different though, he couldn’t be too casual. Had to dress up a little bit, right?

He scoured the pile again until he found the perfect outfit and threw it on, adjusting and readjusting until he was sure it was good. It was finally, finally , time for their date. The sun was shining, Keigo had the whole day off, no one was sick, no disasters on the horizon.

This was it, they were finally gonna get to go on a date

He was finally gonna meet Touya.

Keigo needed it to be perfect. He ignored the remaining mess of clothes haphazardly tossed around his room, the rejects in his search for the perfect outfit, to study his reflection. 

His blond hair, usually a bird’s nest of a mess, was artfully swept back and carefully styled with product. Yellow triangle shades were used as a makeshift headband and accessory. His favorite paisley jacket was thrown over a fitted white shirt and jeans. White sneakers with red wings, a previous brand deal, finished off the outfit. After some hesitation, he threw on a watch and some rings to complete the ensemble. 

He checked his phone again, at the message Touya had sent him earlier.

From: Touya

Sent: 8:00

Definitely gonna need coffee

For getting me up this early

Rain or shine, Birdie

[STICKER: SunglassCat]

Keigo grinned wide and fixed his jacket once again. This time, for sure. He was having a coffee date.

Impresso Espresso

Closed for Renovations

Keigo stared at the sign, rubbed his eyes, stared again. It was still there. A piece of paper taped to the front door. The inside of the building was barren, the tables moved, the booths hidden away. Tarps were draped over the counter while construction workers went back and forth with tools, shouting instructions at each other over the blaring music.

Closed. 

For Renovations.

Keigo wanted to sob. They were so close. So damn close. They were about to have their date. How could something else have gone wrong? He had nearly driven himself insane with worry when there was a delay with the trains. But he left early, extra early, just for that reason. And he made it, didn’t he? 11:46. He showed up early, eager to get the date going, when he couldn’t sit at home any longer. 

It was perfect, would've been perfect

Except.

He sighed and opened the app, starting a message to Touya. Maybe he wouldn’t have left as early, would have time to turn around. He almost hit send when another man ran up beside him.

He took one look at the sign and started cursing.

“Fucking renovations? Seriously?! Fuck.”

Keigo glanced over, and froze.

The man shoved a hand through his hair, fingers twisting tight into the stands, as white as fresh snow. Bright blue eyes sparkled with anger as he glared at the sign like it personally offended him, like it was the very bane of his existence. Several piercings glinted in the near afternoon light; 4 rings around the shell of each ear, 3 studs in his nose, a stud in each dimple, and 1 ring on his lip. He wore a black leather jacket, cuffed at the elbow with blue fire embroidered up the arms, a loose white t-shirt that dipped low enough to show collarbones, and distressed black jeans tucked into boots.

He was the prettiest man Keigo had even seen.

Those blue eyes swung to him and Keigo felt like he was drowning in aquamarine, sinking into a sea of turquoise. The man looked him over, seemingly lingering on the jacket, before their eyes met again.

“Looks like we’re both early. Hey, Birdie.” The grin that spread across the man’s face was lopsided, almost smirking, and sent blood rushing so fast that Keigo was left dizzy.

“Wait– Touya?!”

“In the flesh.”

Oh no, he’s hot. 

“Ya good? Keigo?”

It wasn’t fair, hearing his name coming from the angel in front of him. A voice tinged with just the slightest bit of a rasp that sent chills over his skin.

Touya leaned forward, waving a hand in front of him, before grinning again, all sly and rakish and god Keigo needed to think, needed to do something, anything.

“W-well! Since we’re here, there’s gotta be another cafe right? Rain or shine or construction work.”

“Sure, Birdie. I’m sure there’s something” Touya took out his phone, scrolling with long elegant fingers, decorated with black nail polish and an assortment of rings. “Oh look, there’s one a couple blocks away that looks okay. C’mon.”

Touya turned and led the way, leaving Keigo to follow in his footsteps. 

ONE ~

Purrfect Respite

The sign hung proudly over the entrance of the cafe while the front was a wall of glass with paintings of books, coffee cups, and frolicking cats. Beyond the glass, there were a couple of patrons, sitting around reading books that might have come from one of the shelves that lined the sides, while cats curled on laps, tables, and tops of bookshelves.

Sleek black cats, fluffy white cats, smushed faced orange cats, massive striped brown cats. So many cats.

Touya walked to the doors, glancing back when Keigo didn’t follow.

“Ah shit. Shoulda asked. You allergic? Or, I dunno, phobia? Don’t like cats?”

“What? Oh no. Nothing like that. I like cats. They don’t seem to like me.” Keigo shrugged. “I just, um, didn’t know there were such places. Is it sanitary?”

“Really, never heard of a cat cafe? I assume it's sanitary, they got a business license and everything.”

“That doesn’t stop everybody.” Keigo knew for a fact that some of the food stalls he snuck too weren’t actually up to code.

Touya rolled his eyes. “C’mon.” He strolled inside, long legs taking him right up to the counter. Keigo had to quickstep to keep up. They weren’t that far apart in height but apparently Touya was mostly leg.

The menu on the back wall was written on a chalkboard with little drawings of cats along the edge. It showed a wide variety of drinks from basic coffees to the most extravagant blends of sugar and syrup he had ever seen, one of which was apparently today's special. There were some smatterings of food, both for the customers and some smaller treats they could purchase for the cats. 

Huh. Neat.

A very tired looking purple haired teen manned the counter. He seemed content to wait for them to decide to order, looking like he might fall asleep if they took too long. Maybe he also needed coffee?

“Hm, medium iced mocha with a splash of cream.” Touya spoke first and the teen tapped the order onto the screen. 

“Umm, the CatTastic caramel macchiato and the meat treats.” Keigo decided. He wasn’t supposed to have that much sugar, or caffeine, really, but screw it. It took them this long to have this date, he was gonna go all out.

Touya raised an eyebrow but shrugged, letting Keigo pay for their drinks. They stood by the counter while the teen moved away to complete their order.

“What, gonna try and bribe the cats?”

“Absolutely. I told you, they don’t like me. Maybe if I offer food, they’ll let me pet them?”

“Probably. If they aren’t scared away by your jacket.”

“What's wrong with my jacket?” Keigo looked down. It had a fun pattern of zigzagging lines. How would cats be scared of it? Besides, he wore this one for a shoot, so it had to be fashionable, right?

“It's a bit loud.”

“Loud? Is that…bad?” Keigo tugged at the sleeve. Should he take it off? He thought it looked nice but Rumi always makes fun of his clothes. Maybe he should have had her go through his closet. 

Touya blinked. “No, shit sorry. It's fine. It's not like you aren’t still hot.” 

“You think I’m hot?”

“Keigo. You model, you’re on magazine covers and full page spreads, on top of playing professional volleyball. The whole of Japan thinks you’re hot.”

Keigo waved his hand, ignoring the fluttering in his chest from hearing his name again. “No no, you think I’m hot?”

Touya turned away, his fair skin doing nothing to hide the blush on his face. “Yeah, so?”

Keigo wasn’t sure what to say to that. What did you say to an angel who thought you were attractive? Thank you?

“Your orders.” The teen placed two cups on the counter. One was a regular cup of iced coffee with a cat on the plastic cup, and the other was definitely the CatTastic.

The drink had its own special cup, a fat mug with a cat face and ears on the rim, the handle designed like a tail. The drink itself was hidden under a layer of whip cream, caramel, and cat shaped sprinkles, with a cherry on top.

Wordlessly, Keigo lifted his phone, snapping a photo. Touya rolled his eyes but picked up his own drink and snatched the cat treats, finding a table to sit at. 

Fortunately for them, there were plenty of seats. There were only two other tables occupied. One by a couple, a blond man with his hair in a bun, humming and tapping at a notebook and his dark haired partner laying across the booth with three cats asleep on his chest, stomach, and lap. The other occupied table had a blond teen who was pretending to read a book but was obviously watching the teen working the counter. 

Touya ended up taking a seat by the window and Keigo sat down across from him. A white cat immediately popped up into the man’s space, nosing at the hand that had the treats.

Touya’s eyes met his and he smirked. “Looks like it works.”

“For you. Gimme.” He stripped off his jacket, deciding it just might be a cat deterrent and threw it on the back of the chair before he reached for the treats. Touya looked him over before pushing the bag of dried meat over. The white cat eyes stayed on the bag but it remained unmoving. Keigo tore the bag open, grabbed a piece, and held it out. 

The cat looked to the meat in his hand, then to him, and promptly sat down, staying in Touya’s space.

“See? Not even food helps.” Keigo pouted, leaving the meat on the table and sipping at his sugary confection that called itself coffee. It was sweet. He could practically feel the sugar coating his teeth. It wasn’t bad though. Somehow it wasn’t actually overpowering. 

“Let them get used to you then. They know you’re desperate. They aren’t going to want to come over.”

“Still got you to come on a date.” Keigo muttered. They texted way too much for Keigo to not know that he came off a little desperate. Hell, he even told Rumi he was.

“I’m not a cat.” Touya said, and started petting the cat in front of him as if to prove a point. The cat immediately leaned into his hand.

“You kinda are, going by your logic. You sleep in until noon. You send all the cat stickers. Should I start calling you Kitty?”

“Absolutely not.” Touya snatched the treats back to give some of the meat to the cat, a red flush in his cheeks.

Keigo grinned, deciding to save that one for later. “Maybe something else. Hmm, Hot Stuff?”

Touya raised an eyebrow at that but Keigo shrugged, gesturing to the flames on his jacket. 

“Whatever makes you happy, Birdie.”

Keigo winked at him and picked his coffee, taking a sip when a white cat with orange striped patches hopped up onto the table. It watched him with intense yellow eyes. The cat just sat there, watching him until it glanced down and flexed its paw, before meeting his eyes again.

“Yes?” Keigo wasn’t sure how he was supposed to react to the cat that was suddenly in front of him. It seemed the cat didn’t know either because it made no more moves, waiting. Keigo looked to Touya, cat whisperer extraordinaire, who had the white cat purring and eating treats out of his hand.

“I’m starting to think you’ve never interacted with a cat, Birdie.”

“I haven’t. Didn’t I make that clear? They never come near me. And when I do, they look like they want to attack me.”

“It's cause you’re a bird. Just try petting it.”

Keigo studied the cat again and reached over to pet it. The cat rubbed its face against his hand and then used the opening to climb into his lap, settling down with a huff. The cat was a solid, warm weight on his legs.

Keigo looked down at the cat in his lap, enamored. Carefully, he reached down to lightly scratch around its ears, nearly jumping when the cat started to purr.

“Touya!”

“Yeah, I can see. Looks like you finally made a friend.” Touya smiled. 

“Oh! Speaking of. I have to know. How do you and Rumi know each other?”

“Who?”

“Rumi? The one that gave me your number? I assumed she knew you, since she ya know, had your number. Kinda short, dark skin, white hair, eats men like us for breakfast?”

“Oh, my sister’s girlfriend.”

“What. Wait. She’s dating your sister? The teacher?” Keigo groaned. “This whole time I thought you guys were friends or something.”

“Fuck no. I avoid the hell out of her. She scares the shit outta me.”

“Yeah, she’s like that. Did..did my friend and your sister set us up?”

“Yeah probably. Fuyumi has been nagging me ever since they started dating. On and on about how I needed to find a partner or something. I think she just feels bad that her girlfriend has to suffer with our family by herself.”

“I’m sure it's not that bad.”

Touya snorted, “ask your friend, find out for yourself.”

Keigo fished his phone from his pocket, careful not to disturb the cat snoozing in his lap.

To: Rumi

Sent: 12:15

Hey

You didn’t tell me Touya was your bro in law

[STICKER: OffendedBird]

From: Rumi

Sent: 12:17

I didn’t?

Did yall finally meet up

And he aint, yet ;)

[STICKER: BunnyShine]

To: Rumi

Sent: 12:17

Finally on date

But he says you need help

With the family

Suffering?

[STICKER: Duck&Ducklings]

From: Rumi

Sent: 12:18

Please god

They are insane

How Fuyumi is normal i dont know

You have to meet them Kei

I swear to god

[STICKER: StraightjacketRabbit]

Keigo held out the phone to Touya. He took one look and started cackling like a hyena, startling the white cat. The cat hissed and raced off to the other side of the cafe.

“Yumi? Normal? Please. Ain’t a single one of us that are normal. If her girlfriend thinks that, she’s fucking lying to her.”

“Should you be talking about your sister like that?”

“You’re an only child aren’t you?”

“That obvious?”

“Real obvious. Don’t worry. You won’t have to tag along to the family gatherings if you don’t want to. Hell, I don’t want to half the time.”

Keigo held the cat mug in his hands, the whip cream melting into the coffee. “I mean, if you don’t want me to. This is our first date after all. Little early to introduce the family…”

Touya rolled his eyes, chewing on the straw from his drink. “Might as well bring you to meet them. And, with our luck, I can put off dealing with them for a couple months.”

“Hey now. It can’t be that hard for us to get a second date. If..if you want a second date, that is.”

Touya smiled, soft and still a bit lopsided, his whole face lit by the afternoon sun from the window. “Don’t worry Birdie, there’ll be a next time.”

Chapter Text

Like Herding Cats

Touya leaned his elbows on the bar, digging his hands into his hair and wondering what exactly he did wrong to get himself into this position. 

“I know just the person, Dabi. I could give them a call right now.” Mr. Compress commented as he toyed with a blue marble, waiting for his time on stage. The last act was just cleaning up.

Shigaraki insisted on calling them League of Villains because he was a nerd and said they needed to have a group name. Like some sort of boyband. Even their group chat was called that. Then to keep to the theme, he had them all use “villain” names despite the fact that Shigaraki and Himiko didn’t use one.

Unfortunately for Touya, it stuck.

“Yeah, we can totally set you up. You’re gonna be alone forever.” Twice slammed his plastic cup down on the bar, ice rattling against the sides. He had been banned from glass cups when he shattered the last one doing that. 

Touya glared at both of them. “Fuck off. I don’t need either of you trying to set me up with someone. For fuck’s sake. You’re starting to sound like Fuyumi. I don't need you nagging at me too.”

Himiko pouted, biting into the celery stalk that came with her drink. “We just want you to be happy, Dabi.”

“I don’t need a partner to be happy. Not everything starts and ends with love.”

“No, but you keep getting with those losers that ask you out while you’re on shift and then you spend the next day bitching about them, so clearly you want something.” Shigaraki spoke up from the end of the bar, sparing him a glance over the edge of his switch’s screen. 

Touya rolled his eyes. “Cause I’m not trying for a relationship with those guys.”

“No, just trying to catch a disease.” Spinner commented as he leaned against Shigaraki’s shoulder, hanging onto his boyfriend before he started his shift. 

Gross.

Touya flipped him off, snatching up Himiko’s empty glass to make her another virgin bloody mary. He didn’t know why she was so obsessed with tomato juice that she was willing to spend this much money on it. It would be cheaper to buy a liter of it at the store.

Himiko waved her celery stalk at him. “Oh! Maybe you should try a dating app?”

“Oh no, dear. The customers here are better than whoever he’d get off an app.” Magne reached over, picking up an order for one of the tables.

“No dating apps. No speed dating. No blind dates. And no setting me up with someone.” Touya narrowed his eyes on his so-called friends, seeing a few look away. Himiko continued to pout, big golden cat-like eyes pleading at him.

Fucking hell. He took a breath. “Fuyumi has been trying to recommend someone. If I get the damn number, will you all leave it alone?”

She grinned wide, her teeth stained red from the tomato juice. “Yes! But you have to give us updates.”

“I’m not asking then.”

“Boo.” Himiko snatched her fresh glass from him, plopping the celery back in her drink.

Touya shooed them away. Shigaraki and Spinner claimed a table in the corner where Himiko retreated, dragging Twice along with her. Mr. Compress took his place on the stage, going through his show for the crowd. Magne went back to work, collecting orders for him and Kurogiri to pour. 

Once they were out of his way, he was able to settle back into his routine, losing himself in the mindless tasks. Pitchers of beer for the tables, mixed drinks for the bar, open and close tabs, collect tips. Rinse, repeat.

A few patrons tried their luck, flirting at him. Touya merely raised a brow, added a snide remark and moved on. It felt. Hollow. It left him stewing on what all the idiots had gone on and on about, taking a random stranger for a few fleeting moments of feeling like he was worth something just didn’t feel…worth it. 

Himiko often prattled on about love, going to great lengths to discuss her newest crush. She was, frankly, obsessed with finding love, and wanted them all to find someone perfect for them. It was nice that she thought he was even capable of it. Touya wasn’t so delusional that he thought he could find love, but well, finding a partner, someone to share the burden with, might not be so bad.

Fuyumi had been hounding him lately, hinting, in between all the times she mentioned her girlfriend, that she knew someone that he might be interested in. His sister had never offered anyone up to suffer the Todorokis, so there must be something special about this one. Maybe he could give it a shot. 

Couldn’t be worse than the guy in front of him who was trying every pick up line he could think of, jumbled together in a drunken slur.

He checked the time. Good, he could catch her before she went to bed. 

To: Fuyumi

Sent: 20:16

Hey. What was the number of the guy you wanted me to talk to?

From: Fuyumi

Sent: 20:20

XXX-XXX-XXXX

Let me know how it goes!

Touya tucked his phone away, deliberately ignoring the look from Kurogiri, and finished out the rest of his shift.

At least he wasn’t closing. He left deep cleaning the bar and kicking the sloshed out to Spinner and Kurogiri. He clocked out and escaped the drunken crowd, and his friends, to start his walk home.

Thankfully, he lived close to his work, only taking a short 20 minutes to reach his apartment. It was a tiny thing with just enough room for him, just the way he liked it. So small in fact, that if Twice or Mr. Compress or any of the others needed to crash, they went somewhere else. Kept his family from being on his doorstep too, now that he was halfway across Japan. 

Was it lonely? Sure.

Was it quiet? Absolutely.

He dealt with enough noise between his family, his friends, and work. If he had to deal with it in his home space, he would go insane.

He showered, dressed for bed and plugged his phone in, only just then remembering the number. 

It was late, probably too late to text the guy. He’ll do it in the morning, if he remembers. 

He dropped onto the bed, stretching out, reaching again for his phone for some last minute doom scrolling when he saw the notifications. 

Nine of them, from the number Fuyumi had given him. Huh. 

He read through them, and the ramblings, spotting the name at the end. Keigo. Fuyumi must have told the guy she gave Touya his number. Guess he decided to take the initiative. Less work for Touya. 

He typed out his response, tacking his name on at the end. Just in case. God knows, Fuyumi hadn’t given him Keigo’s name. 

A brief conversation later, and he scored himself a coffee date. Good for him. 

ONE

Touya yawned, stretching out on his bed and rubbing his eyes. He reached for his phone, clicking the screen on. Roughly 10. Thursday. His date was today. 

It was kinda weird, having a scheduled date after spending so long picking up strangers for a quick drink or something in the moment. 

He had spent the last couple of days thinking about this Keigo. He wondered what he was like. They hadn’t texted again. Touya considered it but tossed the idea aside. Might as well learn all those first date things on an actual first date.

Besides, he preferred in person communication. Half the reason he never tried online dating was because it was too easy to hide behind the mask of the screen and the internet. Less easy when they’re confronted.

He pushed himself out of bed. He should probably get somewhat ready for this date. Should he go all out? He tossed the idea around, looking at his closet of black clothing. Probably not, it was just a coffee date. No need to pull out the entire punk wardrobe. 

He took a shower, dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, and headed out on foot. He had enough time to take a leisurely pace. It was kinda nice out, not bad for a first date. 

Touya was about halfway there, maybe fifteen minutes out when he felt his phone buzz. He looked at his phone. A notification from Keigo.

Just saying he was on his way? He opened the message, finding it to be the opposite. 

Instead, his potential date was cancelling on him for a meeting. Shouldn’t he have known he had a meeting today and not schedule appointments around it? Was this a cop-out to get out of the date? Maybe he thought he should text because Fuyumi told him to?

His sister was stubborn in her own ways after all.

Touya studied the little stickers that Keigo liked to end his messages on. This one was a sad bird. He wasn’t sure what kind, but he was pretty sure it was one of the ones that were kept as pets. He had seen them in the pet store. The stickers were kind of cute. It reminded him of those emoticons that Himiko liked to spam them all with. He wondered why they were all birds so far.

He sent back a message, jokingly saying that Keigo should skip out on the meeting. He knew the other man wouldn’t. A coffee date with a stranger was not worth someone’s livelihood. He reassured Keigo after that it was fine. He didn’t know what kind of person he was texting, but he had a feeling Keigo was a bit anxious, after that first stream of texts. So, no need to be an asshole.

Yet, anyway. He saved his asshole-ish tendencies for his friends, family, and shitty customers. No use scaring off a stranger that was probably Fuyumi’s friend. He’d never hear the end of it if he did.

Except, was he Fuyumi’s friend? His sister never mentioned him before and he was pretty sure she told him all of the teachers she worked with. If Keigo was not a fellow teacher, then who was he?

To: Fuyumi

Sent: 11:55

Hey. Whose number did you give me?

From: Fuyumi

Sent: 12:00

Keigo. He’s a friend of Rumi’s.

Did you text him yet?

Ah fuck. That’s worse. He’d only met his sister’s girlfriend a handful of times and each time had been terrifying. His little sister, who had a quiet, stubborn determination and sly sense of humor, was dating Rumi Usagiyama, who didn’t know the meaning of subtle and was a famed mixed martial artist. 

Touya didn’t pay attention to sports, didn’t care about them in the slightest and only showed up to or watched Natuso’s games. Except when Fuyumi brought a muscled tank of a woman to dinner, he decided he should probably look her up.

Under the stage name Mirko, she was leading the MMA division and taking down opponents hard and fast, with legs that could crush lesser men and women with ease. Hell, he wouldn’t count on anyone to last against her. She had a feral intensity, paired with loud, brash laughter and wide toothy grins. She scared the shit outta Enji though, and that was fucking funny.

Keigo was her friend.

Was he also a martial artist or a fighter of some kind? His texts didn’t come off as intimidating but god knows Usagiyama doesn’t come off as intimidating if you just listed off her appearance. Sort of. If you didn’t include that she was made of pure muscle. 

It wasn’t like Touya could look Keigo up. He didn’t have the man’s last name, and it would be awkward as fuck to ask now. Assuming that Keigo was someone famous enough that he would be searchable.

Touya blew out a breath. Maybe it was for the best that they hadn’t met. He certainly couldn’t deal with that kind of intensity on the regular. 

TWO

Touya woke up on Monday, just after noon. He ended up having to work his and the closing shift, which kept him at the bar until 3 cleaning up after drunks. At least today was his day off. He didn’t have anything planned, nothing he absolutely needed to do. 

Besides maybe housework, but he’d have to see how the day goes.

Otherwise, he might just lounge around in bed. Who was gonna stop him? 

He reached for his phone, ignoring the messages from the idiots. He had one from Natsuo, reminding him of the volleyball game he was coming to see this weekend, and oh, one from Keigo. 

He had wondered if his stranger was going to message him again. He figured the meeting might’ve been a way to nicely ghost him. 

Instead he got a morning text at…4 in the morning? Why in god’s name was Keigo up at 4 in the morning? Touya had finally fallen asleep at that point.

Oh no. Was Keigo a morning person? Touya would not be able to deal with a morning person. Maybe he should have hoped for the ghosting.

He sent a morning greeting back and got up, deciding he should probably hunt down breakfast. Lunch? His first meal of the day.

He didn’t even make it out of his room before his phone buzzed. Looked like Keigo had a free moment.

Apparently the meeting was legit. He could commiserate. Touya, too, could not stand long and pointless meetings. He worked an office job for a hot minute, and wanted to pull his hair out. It was a complete waste of time. Especially when they would then ask him for some sort of paperwork and if he was done yet. 

He would’ve been, if someone hadn’t insisted on unnecessary meetings. 

Keigo messaged him back, criticizing his late wake up. Hey now, he had been going to bed at 4, not getting up.

He sent the message quickly, before he could thinking about it.

To: Keigo

Sent: 12:40

Not all of us get up at dawn, Birdie

The nickname slipped. Shoot. They weren’t really at a stage for nicknames. Would Keigo be upset about it? He wouldn’t use it if he didn’t want to. It wasn’t worth messing with Keigo quite yet. The rest of his friends? Too late for them, they knew what they did to earn their nicknames and he wasn’t changing that. 

Still, his chest tightened when Keigo questioned it. What was Touya supposed to say? That because Keigo texted in short bursts, it felt like a bird chirping to get his attention? That the man apparently had a thousand bird related stickers to display every emotion and woke up at dawn?

He waited, chewing on his lip, food forgotten. He expected Keigo to demand he stop, say it was dumb, to decide it wasn’t worth talking to him anymore. Touya wouldn’t be upset, this was essentially a stranger after all, but he kinda liked texting him. A little.

The weight on his chest was obliterated by the stream of messages that buzzed, one after the other.

Keigo liked it, the nickname. Granted, it wasn’t one of Touya’s finest nicknames but it worked. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, giving Keigo another shot.

To: Birdie

Sent: 12:44

Good

Birdie

:) 

Anyway, you owe me a raincheck

Touya felt a whole lotta stupid, sending a smiley face when Keigo had been sending stickers, but he really didn’t have any other options. He tried not to text often, so it wasn’t like he had favorite emojis or emoticons or anything. Maybe he would look into it, if this went farther. 

He imagined Keigo hopping like his little bird, excited for coffee. Or well, he pictured a bird hopping, hard to imagine Keigo when he still had no idea what he looked like. 

Unfortunately, it looked like that was gonna have to wait a little while longer. 

Keigo had a packed schedule. Apparently the volleyball season was starting. He was wrong about him being a martial artist but sports people came with their own intensity. He’d have to see Keigo in person before he worried about it. At least that gave them a talking point. Touya wasn’t totally lost on volleyball, not with Natsuo around. Didn’t mean he really understood it either. 

Touya checked his own schedule, pulling it up on his phone. Fuck. He forgot that Spinner and Shigaraki were going out of town for a while and he was covering all the weird shifts. 

Looked like it was gonna be a minute before they could see each other. 

Touya followed his brother into the stadium, hunching in his leather blue flame jacket, trying to not bump into anyone. It was both fortunate and unfortunate that Natsuo inherited their father’s build, making him easy to track in a crowd. 

Touya wasn’t short, but with this many people, it would be easy to get lost and he was not in the mood to be separated in a crowd like this. His brother carved a path, unbeknownst to him, as he went on and on about the chances of the matches, who he was looking forward to win, who he figured would probably make it. 

Touya tuned it all out when it became a blur of names. Apparently the season was just underway, with each team fighting for the chance to represent the prefecture in the finals. Where then it would be decided who was Japan’s best.

At the very least, he got food out of it. Natuso deviated to grab them snacks and drinks before they headed to their seats. Good ones, according to his brother. They were right up against the railing on the second level, with a clear view of the court that was set up for several matches to play at once. 

The noise was already a cacophony, which would only get worse as the stadium filled and the games went on. The roar of the crowds on the tv screen were already louder than he wanted to deal with, and now he was in the midst of it all.

Just to the right in front of them, was a team in black and gold uniforms with red wings on the back. It looked like they were warming up for the match, one player tossing the ball into the air and the rest lining up to smack it over the net and into the other half of the court. One of the players was off to the side, staring at his phone before he was heckled by his teammates. He tossed his phone into his bag and ran to join the others. 

“Fukuoka Hawks. Up and coming, they did really well last year with their new player.” Natsuo gestured at the solo player that ran up, taking his turn to hit the ball. “I think they’re favored to win, or place high. They’ve got some stiff competition.”

Touya rolled his eyes. “They’ll make it or they won’t. Are they who we’re here to see?”

“One of them.” 

“Fuck. How many games are you putting me through.”

“All of em.” Natsuo grinned as Touya slumped into his seat. “Don’t worry. I’ll buy you food after this.”

“You better. We’re using his card for all this aren’t we?”

“Yup.” Natsu’s grin widened, eyes sparkling with mischief. Neither one of them cared much for their father, but his money? Well, it was useful when it needed to be.

Touya listened to the slam of the volleyball echo in the gym as a few teams started their warm ups. He dug out his phone, sipping his iced coffee and wishing he could have gotten a proper mocha at a cafe. 

Eventually, one day. 

Keigo hadn’t texted him since Touya had sent the good luck message this morning. Must be busy with work or maybe in his match at this moment. He hadn’t said what time it was. Touya shrugged and scrolled to the group chat, skimming through the posts. Spinner had been sending vacation photos from South Korea. He and Shigaraki were touring through some sort of e-sports museum.

Touya looked up when the crowd roared, jumping to their feet. The team in front of him scored, apparently. Natuso said it was a tough rally. Whatever that meant. 

Curious, he decided to try watching the game.

The lone player from before raced from one end of the end to the other. He leapt into the air just as the ball was tossed to him. He held there, for a moment, as if the red wings embroidered on his back held him aloft. With a swing, the ball slammed into the back half of the court with a crack, blindsiding his opponents. 

The crowd cheered again, stomping feet and clapping. All Touya could see was when the player turned to face his teammates, arms in the air, accepting high fives from them and a “nice kill.” Touya was too far to see the color of his eyes but he could see the lightly tanned skin, sun streaked blond hair, and a wide smile that seemed too big for his face but he was sure it suited him.

From there, Touya couldn’t take his eyes off of him. The player sprinted back and forth, flying into the air again and again, tirelessly. He was so fast that his team could barely keep up with him, let alone their opponents. 

They won by a landslide.

The rest of the games dragged after that. None of them had the speed or the power of that one player. He wished he could remember the name, but Natsuo had dumped so many sports facts on him that it got buried in the pile. 

At least his brother held up his end of the bargain, treating him to fancy barbecue. They went a bit overboard on ordering meat but whatever, their dad barely looked at his credit card statements. 

“Oh, so Fuyumi told me that you got that number from her? What’s he like?”

Touya rolled his eyes, unable to escape anyone who wanted to be knee deep in his dating life. “Fine. Haven’t actually met him yet. We keep trying to meet for coffee but his schedule sucks.”

“Really? Even to meet for like an hour?”

“Yeah, apparently. Guess his schedule is packed. He told me he played volleyball, and said he had a game today. I meant to ask him how it meant.”

Natsuo leaned forward. “Really? With who? Where? There were so many games today. We could’ve seen your boyfriend.”

Touya shrugged. “Dunno. Didn’t ask. Hold on. I’ll see how he did.”

His message received a response almost immediately, guess he finally caught him when he was done for the day. “Huh. Looks like he won.”

“Nice. Hey, figure out who he plays for.”

“Yeah yeah, in a sec.” Touya nodded, responding to Keigo’s question. And maybe a bit more. He hadn’t realized he had written a paragraph about that one player until it was sent. Shit. He shouldn’t be gushing about some other guy to his eventual potential boyfriend.

Oh, but it made Keigo jealous and wasn’t that something. “Hey, who was that one guy in the first match? That up and coming team?”

“Huh?” Natsuo froze, mid bite. “Umm, Fukuoka Hawks. You probably mean the Number 2 player? He’s their wing spiker.”

Touya wasn’t sure what the hell a wing spiker was but he sent along the team name and player number. 

To: Touya

Sent: 18:42

Eksildjgnhv

What exactly was he supposed to do with that? Himiko typed like that sometimes. What the fuck did she call it? A keyboard smash? He texted the bird a couple of times to see if he was okay. He was not, even with four texts claiming otherwise.

“Why did you want to know?”

“Making him jealous.”

“Touya. You did not just use some other guy to make your boyfriend jealous, did you?”

“Not boyfriend and not really. It was kinda accidental. Did make him jealous though.” Touya’s grin turned sharp and Natsuo groaned.

“Unbelievable. This is why you’re single all the time.”

“Shut up. He’s asking about the player now. Oh, he knows him.” Touya read the messages as they came in and…Oh.

Oh.

“What’s that face for?”

Wordlessly, Touya held out his phone to Natsuo. His brother read the messages, blinked, read again.

“What?! You’re dating him?!”

Touya jumped. “Not dating him! Not yet. Holy fuck Natsu. I just ranted on how impressive this guy was. To him. To him! Natsu. Just kill me.”

Natuso cackled, ignoring how every face in the restaurant turned towards him.

“You’re fucking– Oh my god, Touya. You didn’t know it was him?”

“No! How was I supposed to know? I don’t even know his last name, for fuck’s sake. You know I don’t pay attention to sports.”

 “This is so good. I can’t wait to tell ‘Yumi. You have to get me his autograph. I need it, Touya.”

“You tell them anything and you don’t get shit.”

“What no, c’mon. For your favorite brother.”

“Shouto is my favorite now.”

Natsuo snorted. “Fine fine.”

THREE

Touya had never actually looked forward to Golden Week. When he was in school, it just meant more time at home, and once he was an adult, he spent most of it working. It wasn’t like he really had anything to do. Paying for rent and food was more important than a week-long vacation. Not when he didn’t have the money to do anything with it.

Although, now he wished he was on vacation, far far away, instead of dealing with all these fuckers. His so-called friends were crowding the bar. They had caught him texting Keigo recently and had been demanding to learn more about him since.

Mostly because he refused to tell them who he was texting, and since they were all in the bar, it couldn’t be one of them, and he never hid texting his family. Ergo, it was his boyfriend. Not that anyone would listen to him when he said they were not dating. 

Fucking hell, they hadn’t even met yet.

Touya had been holding strong but he made the mistake of throwing them a bone, that they were going on a date Wednesday. Then maybe they could be called boyfriends. Worst mistake of his life.

They all decided that this was the perfect time to coach him through it, so he wouldn’t scare Keigo off.

“Dabi~” Himiko wailed, kneeling on the stool and pushing up on the bar. “You have to smile when you see him. Not like that. A nice smile.” She leaned back, pushing her cheeks up to smile. “Like this!”

“Yeah! And you gotta compliment him, if you wanna keep him around. Bet he’s way outta your league, give up now.”

Touya dried off the cup, trying to ignore Twice’s words. He made the mistake, after finding out who Keigo was, by looking him up. 

Keigo Takami.

Professional volleyball player, model, and Japan’s current number one bachelor. 

Touya was out of his goddamn league. Even Twice’s other personality knew it.

Mr. Compress sipped his drink. “Don’t worry Dabi, you have plenty of charm.”

“When he doesn’t speak,” Shigaraki interjected, Spinner snickering.

“Fuck off, all of you.” Touya flipped off Shigaraki in particular.

“Now now, that’s enough. I’m sure Todoroki will be fine with his date.” Kurogiri walked over, silent as the morning mist. 

“Of course, just flash those pretty blue eyes. Any man would be a goner.” Magne clapped him on the shoulder, having rounded the bar to help with service.

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll be sure to shut up and look pretty. Got it.”

“Guys.” Himiko whined. “You’ll be great Dabi. And you’ll tell us all about it!”

Touya shook his head. “Sure, Himiko.”

She squealed in delight and the rest of them finally let him get on with his shift.

Touya arrived at the family manor, feeling a little queasy. Between the train and the car and having to face the entirety of his family, he was over it. His siblings, fine. For the most part. His parents though? Ugh. He’d rather skip this entirely but his mom guilted him into coming. 

Something about spending at least one day of Golden Week together. At least he had a date to look forward to tomorrow.

He could hear his family from the entrance away. Seemed like he was last. Good, hopefully he timed it so that the food would be just about done. He could eat and then escape to home. 

Natsuo perked up when he walked in, apparently needing a sane mind in the mess. 

Which was fair. Shouto could be a riot with his deadpan delivery but otherwise he was comfortable in silence, even and especially when it was awkward for everyone else. Fuyumi either pandered to their parents, or went on and on about her girlfriend. Touya wasn’t sure which one he preferred these days. Maybe he could steer her to talking about the kids in her class. 

Their parents, Enji in particular, often went on about doing what’s best for the family, or asking about their careers. Which was oh so fun when Touya worked a deadend job as a bartender. Rei usually chimed in to ask about their prospective partners, probably trying to see if she’ll ever get grandkids.

Thank god Fuyumi could talk at length about her girlfriend these days, leave the rest of them alone.

Or so he fucking thought, until Natsuo threw his ass under the bus. 

“Touya is dating a famous volleyball player and model.”

Touya shot a glare at Natsuo, who had the biggest shit eating grin on. His brother was supposed to be on his side! See if he got him any fucking autographs now.

Rei’s full attention turned to him, waiting patiently, with gentle, curious eyes. He could refuse her answer and deal with the guilt later…

“Dating is a stretch,” he said after a moment. “We haven’t even gone on a date yet. Schedules keep misaligning.”

“Oh dear, that’s a shame. Will you be able to meet him this week?”

Touya shrugged. “We’re supposed to meet tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.”

“Hm, what’s he like?” Rei asked softly. Not pressuring, not like the demands from his friends, so how could he not.

“Well he’s up at dawn, something about getting his morning run in. He’s more of a fitness freak than Natsuo. Which makes sense now that he’s a professional sports player. But then he ends up staying up super late when he texts me after work, so I have no idea when he actually sleeps. His schedule is crammed and now I’m thinking it's all the modeling gigs he does. Which is insane. He texts like a teenage girl and sends these bird images constantly. It’s kinda cute actually but–” He paused, spotting the soft smile on his mother’s face while both Fuyumi and Natsuo looked like they were whispering to each other.

“What?” He snapped.

“Nothing bro. But you’re so whipped.”

“Shut up.”

“...Whipped?” Shouto looked between his siblings.

“I am not. Fuck off.” Touya glared at his middle siblings.

“Language, Touya.” Enji decided then to interrupt.

Which reminded him. He leaned towards his father, a manic grin on his face. “He’s also friends with Usagiyama,” and laughed when his father’s face paled, cackling like a hyena.

Natsou nearly choked on his drink, also laughing at their father’s expense.

Shouto managed a huff, which was as close to laughing as he ever got, before he started coughing.

Touya studied his brother. Shouto’s gaze was blank as usual, once he caught his breath, sipping at his glass of water. Except, his eyes looked a little glassy and his face was flushed. 

“Shouto, are you sick?”

“Hm…maybe? My classmates have been getting sick.”

“And you just what, decided to come to dinner anyway?”

“Fuyumi said it was a family dinner. Besides, I was feeling fine earlier…”

Touya scrubbed his face, and hoped to every god that whatever it was that Shouto had, that he didn’t just dump it all on the family.

When he woke up at 6 in the fucking morning, bones aching, fever frying his brain and leaving him fuzzy and nauseous, he wanted to strangle the brat.

He reached blindly for his phone, texting Keigo, and promptly falling back asleep. 

His phone vibrated against his chest an hour later, waking him up. He sighed, betting it was Keigo. 

Which, yup. They truly had the shittiest luck.

He smiled a bit, seeing that Keigo wanted to help, bring him medicine or something. Wouldn’t that be an image? Volleyball superstar and too damn hot model showing up on the doorstep of his ratty apartment? 

He kind of wanted him to visit. He hated being sick alone, but Keigo was in the middle of the tournament, he wouldn’t let him get sick.

What kind of almost partner would he be if he jeopardized this for him? Instead he texted back, letting him know that he had everything he needed. Truth be told, last time the flu was going around, his sister dumped all kinds of medicine on him. He was very certain he had some canned soup as well.

He’d be fine, as long as he got over this quickly. 

It was nice though, seeing Keigo’s messages, worrying about him. He didn’t have many people that worried about his health. His friends might, if he told them. Thank god he was off today. He wasn’t sure he could actually stop them from invading his apartment otherwise. 

He bit his lip, considering, and sent another message to Keigo, scrolling through his options until he found the perfect one.

To: Birdie

Sent: 7:30

Thanks, Birdie

We’ll meet next time

[STICKER: SadCat]

He felt the warmth spread in his chest that had nothing to do with his fever as he got a couple of stickers back. Of course Keigo had some overjoyed bird ones. He was pretty sure if he let him, Keigo would send him nothing but stickers.

Instead, he sent one of a sleeping cat and curled back under the covers, phone clutched in his hand. 

FOUR

Touya glared as the wind rattled his windows, the rain pounding like hail against his roof. The storm was one strong gust from bursting through the walls. He knew his apartment was shitty but damn, he’d never had to deal with a typhoon like this. At the very least there hadn’t been any leaks, yet.

He was fortunate too, that bartending was in fact, non-essential and therefore the bar was closed. There was no way in hell that he would be trying to go to work in this. He’d tell them to go to hell before he walked in this, he had just gotten over being sick.

Unfortunately, the storm also meant that there was no way he and Keigo were going to get to have that date today. 

Which, really, he saw that coming when the storm first rolled in on Monday. He suggested canceling it when the reports first showed the length and strength of the typhoon, but Keigo had insisted it would be fine. 

He yawned, texting Keigo about the storm, not exactly the raincheck he had wanted. It was frustrating though. Touya had let Keigo’s optimism infect him and had actually gotten up early in order to get ready for the date. As if maybe, just maybe, the storm would suddenly calm into a quiet rainshower.

No luck, for either of them. 

Work, their fucked up schedules, him getting sick, and now this, a raging typhoon that was trying to tear apart Japan. 

What kind of karma had Touya invoked in another life to deserve this? It wasn’t like he was some villain threatening to burn the world. He should be able to get a damn coffee date with an unreasonably hot man.

Texting had been nice though. Keigo responded in bursts between games, he assumed, and always with a plethora of stickers. He was fairly certain that even though they had been talking for weeks now, Keigo had yet to use the same sticker twice.

Which meant that Touya had to go hunting for stickers of his own to use that also weren’t the same, he wouldn’t be outdone by his bird. 

He walked from the window, trying to ignore the way it shook in its frame. His apartment held up this long, it just had to make it through the weekend and everything would be fine. He dropped back onto his bed, propping the pillow up so he could continue his book. Or attempt to, considering he set it aside every time Keigo texted him back.

He was glad at least, that these continuous interruptions to their first date hadn’t deterred Keigo. He was, after all, a model. A very successful, very attractive model, not that Touya didn’t look through all his photoshoots, and definitely not at the very scandalous one that Keigo did a few years ago. 

Nope, not at all.

Keigo was successful, attractive, and had a rising career. He didn’t need to wait for some perfect chance with someone like Touya, a veritable stranger with more baggage than he had actually shared with Keigo yet.

He was not getting into the Todoroki drama through text with someone he hadn’t met yet, no thanks. 

He set his book aside, yawning. Maybe he should try taking a nap, not like he had a whole lot else he could do right now. 

He slept for an hour before getting up to wander around his apartment, picking up and setting down his book, refolding his blanket, poking in his fridge before tossing himself back onto his bed. 

God, he was bored.

He had been locked in his house since the storm arrived on Monday and had little else to do but stare at his shitty walls and flinch every time the wind was particularly harsh. 

He wanted to take a walk, wanted to do something, anything, that would get this nervous energy out of him. 

Instead, here he was, doom scrolling on his phone and hoping that entertainment would just fall into his lap.

From: Birdie 

Sent: 19:22

Hey

Whats your favorite noodle dish?

Touya spent a long moment staring at the message. What? Why? Maybe Keigo was just as bored as he was? He also didn’t seem like someone who liked being stuck inside. Or maybe he did. Maybe it was a well deserved break after practice and games and gigs and whatever else he did that filled his schedule.

Oh, he’s making dinner. Rather late but whatever. Touya couldn’t judge. Wasn’t like he had actually eaten today. Maybe he should.

To: Birdie

Sent: 19:35

This late? Why are you eating now?

Fine

Cold Soba is the best, hands down. The other brother agrees

[STICKER: RamenCat]

Touya studied the sticker, which really was a cat in a traditional ramen bowl with noodles on his head and actually, soba didn’t sound so bad. He climbed off the bed and walked into his kitchen. Surely he had the ingredients. Noodles, check. Soy sauce? Yup. Anything else? Oh, green onions. That’ll do. 

He grabbed a bit of odds and ends and started boiling the water, reading Keigo’s text. Chicken yakisoba? That was fine, he supposed. Regular soba was better.  He shrugged and grinned. Looked like he had a cannibal bird on his hands. 

He added the noodles to the water, stirring absently. 

Aw, Birdie didn’t get it. His grin widened, hidden in the safety of his apartment as he explained the shitty joke to Keigo, laughing to himself. 

It was fun, messing with him. They’d been texting so much that Touya didn’t feel so bad, being a little bit of an asshole. If he couldn’t tease his prospective partner, what would be the point?

He sent several texts back and forth while he finished cooking the noodles and letting them cool down, because apparently his birdie was now several birds in a trenchcoat. With apparently the worst diet humanly possible. How in the world did he survive on basically only chicken? 

He was gonna have to cook for him wasn’t he? Make sure he was actually eating. Maybe sleeping too, if he was staying up late and getting up early. What in the world was his manager doing?

What…what was Touya doing?

He wasn’t Keigo’s partner. He hadn’t even met him yet. He shouldn’t be trying to think of what he could make for loving-wife bentos or keeping him on a proper sleep schedule. Hell, even Keigo’s texts indicated that he wasn’t even sure they were friends. 

Even though Touya texted him constantly, day and night, and he never texted anyone if he could help it. He had looked up and saved stickers to send to him. He always had the birdbrain on his mind. 

Fuck, maybe he was whipped, but what could he do about it? Keigo Takami was incredible, popular, and well beloved. Touya Todoroki was just some guy, on the other side of the screen. 

There wasn’t anything Touya could offer, would be willing to offer, to match up to someone like him.

He looked at the now cold noodles, smiling a bit. Except maybe a home cooked meal, and a place to land at the end of the day. 

They needed to have this damn date first though. 

Next time, for sure. 

FIVE

Touya tugged on his jacket, twisting to try and see how he looked in his tiny bathroom mirror. The first time he had tried this date, way back in the beginning, he had dressed more casual, like an idiot.

He couldn’t just be dressed in just a t-shirt and jeans if he was gonna meet up with Keigo Takami . 

So now he was dressing it up a bit more. It was still a coffee date, he wasn’t going to throw on a suit or something. He also did not have a suit, no matter how much his parents would probably want him too. So, somewhere in the middle.

The idiots had sent him several suggestions of outfits he could wear, suggestions of what they knew was in his wardrobe. While Twice suggested his birthday suit. Touya figured it might be a little early in their relationship before he just showed up naked, thanks.

So, he took a few of their suggestions in mind and in particular, Himiko telling him to dress more like how he normally did. She and Magne agreed that it was bad form to dress up outside of his usual style. His partner should like him for him. Or something.

So, he did his best. He hoped Keigo wasn’t put off by how he dressed. It was a little more on the punk edge. He ran his tongue over the inside of his cheek, nudging the dimple piercing. He considered taking them all out, but well, go big or go home right?

He ran a hand through his hair again, the white strands slightly fluffed out. He considered gel but didn’t want it to be too spiky. He had on his favorite leather jacket with the blue flames embroidered up the sleeves, a gift from his family. A white t-shirt that hung a little low, distressed jeans, and his boots. He spiced it up with further accessories, black and silver rings on his fingers to go with the black nail polish that Himiko painted for him yesterday. He looked at the mirror again, considering some eyeliner, but maybe next time. He angled his phone, snapping a picture.

To: All (League of Villains)

Sent: 10:15

Yes, no?

[IMAGE ATTACHED]

From: Himiko

Sent: 10:15

You look great!

(* ^ ω ^)

From: Twice

Sent: 10:16

You’re gonna knock him dead! Right into the grave, wannabe emo .

From: Shigaraki

Sent: 10:17

Edgelord

Re:To: Shigaraki

Sent: 10:17

Basement Dweller

Re:From: Shigaraki

Sent: 10:18

Discount HotTopic

From: Kurogiri

Sent: 10:19

Enough.

You look very nice Dabi. Good luck on your date.

Touya smiled as all the good luck messages, and one go die from Shigaraki, popped up on his screen. He pocketed his phone, checked for his keys and wallet and started to head out. He needed to leave a little early to make it on time, especially if he was going to be walking there. Sure, he could probably take a train, cut the time down a little, but he was nervous enough. He didn’t need motion sickness on top of all that.

It was nice out at least, clear skies after all that rain the other week. 

A nice day, with no work, no sickness, no act of god that was going to keep them from having this date. 

He should’ve counted for the human element.

Just as he was getting closer to the cafe, he could see the fence around the back of the building, the construction workers milling about, a customer just standing at the doors. It was well past the time for the cafe to be open.

He ran up to the door, seeing the sign for himself.

Impresso Espresso

Closed for Renovations

“Fucking renovations? Seriously?! Fuck.” 

Touya carded a hand through his hair, gripping the strands. They were so damn close. Neither of them had thought to actually check and see if the place was open. Renovations. It had probably been closed for a while. Maybe since they started trying to meet? Wouldn’t that be something? If Touya had actually arrived at the cafe the first time, they might’ve known.

He dropped his hand, blowing out a breath and turning to the stranger next to him. At least there was someone else who could commiserate with him.

Golden blond hair, slicked back in an artfully tousled windswept style with sun streaked highlights and a pair of shades to keep it back. Golden, sun tanned skin with faint freckles dotted under golden brown eyes. Eyes that were sparkling and lined with eyeliner and accented at the corners. The man was so golden that Touya could almost forgive the absolutely hideous jacket. A beige monstrosity with zigzagging lines that made his eyes cross like it was an optical illusion. The rest of the outfit was completed with jeans and a pair of sneakers with wings on them. Red wings, like the Fukuoka Hawks. 

His eyes snapped back to meet golden ones, ones that he had seen across magazine covers and spreads, that he had seen in internet searches for one particular pro-volleyball player.

Fuck, he was hot. Jacket and all.

“Looks like we’re both early. Hey, Birdie.” A smile spread across his lips. They may not be able to have this damn date here, but they actually managed to meet.

“Wait– Touya?!”

Hearing his name, even on a shouted exclamation, sent his heart jackrabbiting in his chest. He wasn’t gonna survive listening to him talk. 

Which, oh shoot. He knew what Keigo looked like for weeks, but Keigo would have had no idea this entire time. Maybe he should have said something before. Little late now.

“In the flesh.”

He expected some sort of comment, hoping that Keigo wasn’t put off by all the jewelry or anything. Instead, the other man just stared, spaced out. 

“Ya good, Keigo?” 

The other man shivered slightly, color rising in his cheeks. 

Touya leaned forward, waving a hand in front of his face, getting Keigo’s attention again. And oh, he had seen that look before. Occasionally on bar patrons, sometimes a stranger on the street. Wasn’t that something. Keigo Takami, hottest model this side of Japan, liked him. 

His grin turned it into a sly smirk. 

The blush increased as Keigo stuttered, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “W-well! Since we’re here, there’s gotta be another cafe right? Rain or shine or construction work.”

“Sure, Birdie. I’m sure there’s something.” Touya fished his phone from his pocket, opening the search engine. There were a few in the area, god forbid the Japanese population become uncaffeinated, for shame. There was an interesting one nearby. “Oh look, there’s one a couple blocks away. C’mon.” He turned on his heel and started walking, letting Keigo follow him like a little duckling. 

ONE ~

The date had started off maybe a little rough. 

He brought a bird to a cat cafe. In retrospect, maybe not his best idea but it’s not like he had a lot of options. He hadn't counted on Keigo having never heard about one before, but the other man seemed excited to try it.  

Then he accidentally made a snide comment on Keigo’s jacket. Well, he had been thinking it and accidentally said it out loud. He hadn’t meant to sound like an ass. Anyone with eyes would be bleeding from them after seeing that jacket. It wasn’t his fault. 

He just, maybe should’ve figured out where his filter went instead of saying the first thing that came to mind. He could tell that Keigo went out of his way to dress up for this date, just as Touya had spent forever digging through his closet for just the right outfit. 

He could play nice. He could absolutely play nice. It was a first date. He could save some of the snarkier comments for later, when he wasn’t so afraid of scaring Keigo off. At least, he only embarrassed himself a little when he admitted that Keigo was hot.

The jacket might have made a solid effort to sear zigzagging lines into his retinas but he hadn’t gone blind yet. 

However, he was treated to a view of Keigo without the jacket after, so it was hard to feel guilty. Keigo had a white shirt on underneath that clung to him like a second skin, showing off broad shoulders and arms corded with muscle and– 

Touya needed to get a grip.

Keigo took off the jacket minutes ago and he still couldn’t get his mind out of the gutter. 

Who could blame him, when his thoughts wandered?

Of course, it was a lost cause when only moments later Keigo had the audacity to call him Kitty and Touya’s brain short-circuited. He didn’t even have a chance to recover when Keigo shot him a wicked grin and a look that said he knew how he affected Touya. Wasn’t a hard guess when Touya’s fairer skin did absolutely nothing to hide the blush that was burning his face at the time.

His brain was barely functional now, even after laughing like a lunatic when he learned that his sister managed to trick her girlfriend into thinking she was normal. 

Like any of them were normal. 

Unfortunately, that scared off the cat that had been hanging out with him. The orange tabby was still fast asleep on Keigo’s lap. Touya wasn’t jealous at all.

Besides, unlike the cat, he was getting a second date. He should probably plan that. Technically speaking, Keigo had planned this one, so they should probably alternate. Maybe? Touya never really dated anyone, he wasn’t sure what the etiquette was, and he sure as fuck was not asking his friends for help. They would never leave him alone.

They had joked about Touya bringing Keigo out to meet his family, let him suffer through it with his friend or something, but, maybe not the best idea. He wanted to keep Keigo around, not sending him running for the hills after being forced to deal with the Todorokis. But hey, with his and Keigo’s luck on scheduling dates, that probably meant he wouldn’t have to see his family for a while. 

Touya leaned back in his chair, drinking his coffee watching Keigo’s fascination with the cat.

“So, two brothers and a sister?” Keigo asked eventually. 

Right. First date, first date questions. Touya could handle this.  

“Yup. Bane of my existence. They’re all younger than me. You?”

“Nope. Just me. You pegged me earlier, only child. No family in the picture either.”

“Shit, sorry.”

Keigo waved his hand. “It’s fine. Been on my own awhile now. So I guess it’s gonna be interesting, joining a big family.”

Touya rolled his eyes. “Interesting is a word. God, Fuyumi is gonna be obnoxious now that we’re dating.”

“Rumi too. She’s been giving me the ‘I told you so’ lecture everytime I came back from a date off this dating app.”

“Yeah, got the same spiel for my other band of lunatics. Congrats you get to be adopted into that group too.”

“Wait, who?”

“Coworkers, friends. I’ll introduce you later.”

Keigo looked a bit bewildered to suddenly gain access to not only the Todoroki’s but also the League. It was gonna be a shit show all around. Touya was looking forward to it.

 “Anyway, you tried a dating app?” He couldn’t believe it. Why in the world was Keigo Takami on a dating app? Surely there was no shortage of people asking for his hand or some shit.

“Well, I had to try something, and the reviews looked okay. I thought it would be fine”

Touya snorted. “Mhmm. I bet that went real well.”

“Shut up. What about you?”

“Oh um.” Touya looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “Wasn’t really dating, just I don’t know, hook-ups?” He should be honest with his...boyfriend? They agreed to a second date but that could change any minute. He didn’t want to jeopardize it. “But it wasn’t really working.”

“Huh. I bet you had a lot of options.”

“What, why?”

“Well, you’re insanely pretty. You saw it earlier. I was stunned stupid, like I saw an angel.”

Touya wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say to that? How could Keigo just say that with a straight face? Especially with a face that pretty. Touya scoffed. “Mhmm, compared to you? You’re like a golden god. Mere mortals like me wouldn’t dare to compare.”

Keigo frowned, shoulders drooping, his gaze dropping to the tabletop. “Is that how you see me?”

Touya blinked, suddenly floundering. “I mean, I don’t–not always?”

Keigo hesitated, running a hand over the orange cat’s head. Touya could hear it start to purr from across the table. He was still not jealous. “I mean. You know who I am. All those people on the app. They didn’t want to meet Keigo. They wanted Keigo Takami . They wanted the volleyball star, the model, the man with the money. And it’s just….exhausting.”

Touya blew out a breath. Fuck. He had thought the same, hadn’t he? How could he compare to Keigo Takami? It had been on his mind constantly. Ever since he found out exactly who he had been texting. What could he, Touya Todoroki , the unfortunate heir to the Todoroki family, offer? Yeah sure, he had his family’s money and their esteem behind him, but that wasn’t his . He didn’t want it. He refused it. He only tolerated dealing with his father for the sake of the rest of his family, and only suffered it a handful of times a year. 

Keigo worked hard for his career. Touya knew that. No one rose as high as he did, as quickly, without putting in the work. But he wasn’t just that. Touya should know better than anyone that there was more to someone than how they appeared on paper. 

“Sometimes you scare the fuck outta me.” Touya leaned forward on his elbow to prop his chin on his hand.

“Me?” Keigo stilled, lifting his head so their eyes met, his brows furrowed.

“Yeah, you. You’re an Olympic volleyball hopeful. You’re on every damn billboard in the city. What could I offer in terms of a relationship?”

“That’s not–”

“But then I realized, you’re a fucking mess. You admitted to wanting to eat chicken as your only source of protein, you have a thousand bird stickers and every single one of them is different. You text like a teenage girl. I’m pretty sure you put that picture of your coffee on social media. You stay up until almost midnight to return my texts and then you’re up at 4 in the morning. You have the most eye-bleeding taste in fashion–”

“Hey now, the jacket is fashion–” Keigo looked affronted that Touya dared to insult the travesty of fashion that was folded over the back of the chair.

“And yet, I still want that second date. I didn’t care about you being all famous and shit before, and while yeah, it’s a little intimidating, I don’t care about it now. I want to know you , Keigo.” 

Keigo's face lit up like the sun. His mouth spread in that wide, lopsided smile that was too big for his face, yet truly suited him. Golden eyes crinkled at the corners and sparkled at him, shining with the beginning of tears. 

Touya wanted to see him smile forever. He wanted to see what other expressions he could cause on Keigo’s face. Touya wanted to be there for every moment, basking in his light.

“Mrrow.” The cat stretched up to pat a paw against Keigo’s cheek. He sputtered, letting out a wet laugh and stroking a hand down the cat’s back. He sent Touya a softer smile. “I’d like that.”

Touya smiled back and reached over, picking up the cup and taking another sip of the coffee.

He couldn’t wait for next time.

Chapter Text

The Cat that Got the Hawk

Keigo skipped down the street with the widest smile stretched across his face. A few of the other pedestrians gave him strange looks, squeezing closer to the railing near the street or the businesses to avoid him.

He noticed none of it. He finally had a date that went well. A first date that went fantastic! Not that he had any doubts. He had been texting Touya for weeks. It’s not like meeting in person would make a difference.

He had been a little worried, sure, about how he would come off, if he was a little too much for Touya. Keigo knew he could be somewhat annoying. He had heard it enough from his teammates that he was too needy, too in their space.

He knew he texted Touya a lot. That he spammed messages at all hours of the day, accompanied by silly stickers. Touya never said it bothered him, and had even sent stickers back! After seeing him in person, Keigo was pretty sure Touya would’ve said something. Or wouldn’t have kept trying to have that first date.

Then there was the worry that the image he had of Touya in his head would be wildly different from meeting Touya in person. After all, Touya knew who he was, had seen him on the court but Keigo had no idea who he was texting. And maybe he was a little shallow, banking on Rumi probably knowing that Touya was hot, but he otherwise had no idea what he was getting himself into. Yet, Touya was like an angel descended to the earth, glittering in shining piercings and haloed in snow white hair.

Really though, Keigo had one major worry, one that haunted him every time he tried to meet anyone new. What if Touya was only interested in Keigo Takami rather than just him, just Keigo? Would Touya want to meet the poor kid from the slums of Fukuoka?  

He was so afraid that Touya was going to be like all the other first dates and strangers from the app. That he just wanted to use him for whatever fame or fortune Keigo had, or a night of passion. Or that he saw him as something unattainable and unknowable. Saw him as something other than a person. 

Keigo didn’t want to be an object of greed or lust. He wanted to be a person . He wanted a relationship. He wanted to cuddle on the couch and watch terrible movies. He wanted to stand in his barely used kitchen, failing to cook and laughing together at his mistakes. 

For a second, one long unbearable second, Keigo feared that was how Touya saw him. Until he started listing off all Keigo’s faults that he found endearing. God, Keigo hoped he found them endearing. He had to, after finishing it off with saying he still wanted to know him. That meant that Touya liked him.

Which meant they were dating…right?

They spent so much time talking and trying to get to this first date, and they planned to have a second one. That had to mean they were dating.

Screw it, he was dating Touya.

Giddiness bubbled up in chest, dancing across his lips. He spun in a circle, almost running into a woman who was trying to walk as close to the businesses as possible. “Whoops. Sorry!” He laughed, continuing down the road.

He fished out his phone, scrolling to the few pictures he got from the date. He had one of his CatTastic coffee that he threw on instagram, a few of the cats, and one precious one of Touya. Keigo managed to sneak it, when he had texted Rumi. 

Was it creepy? Maybe a little.

He couldn’t help it. Touya was pretty, like pretty, and all he was doing was petting a fluffy white cat with blue eyes that looked just like him. 

Keigo had seen a lot of pretty people. It was hard not to when he modeled. Yet none of them shined the way Touya did. None of them had the clearest blue eyes that shimmered like precious jewels, or piercings that glittered in the overhead lights. He had elegance down to an art, even slouched in a seat, chewing on the straw from his drink.

He wondered if he could convince Touya to do a shoot with him or get him to send some selfies. Would it be too soon to ask for one to use as a background photo?

Too fast, Keigo. Slow down. 

He didn’t want to scare him off, didn’t want to come on too strong. 

From: Rumi

Sent: 13:05

Hey!

How’d it go?

Good?

Hope so

I can’t be stranded at those family gatherings

Please keigo

You know what

I’ll drag you anyway

[STICKER:RabbitPullingCarrot]

To: Rumi

Sent: 13:06

It went good!

2nd date planned

Well eventually

You know how the first one went

[STICKER: HappyBird]

From: Rumi

Sent: 13:06

I swear

To all that is holy

I will get you a second date

Even if it means dragging your ass to family dinner

[STICKER: RabbitPope]

To: Rumi

Sent: 13:07

[STICKER: BirdRolling]

From: Rumi

Sent: 13:07

Youre laughing now

But I know where you live

And I can carry you

Theres nothing you can do to stop me

[STICKER: RabbitHopping]

To: Rumi

Sent: 13:08

[STICKER: RoadRunner]

From: Rumi

Sent: 13:08

KEIGO!!!!!!!

[STICKER: RabbitThumping]

To: Rumi

Sent: 13:09

Ok ok

Lemme talk to him

Figure out when theyre supposed to meet again

But im not gonna force him to bring me along

Weve literally only had one date

[STICKER: BirdNotebook]

From: Rumi

Sent: 13:10

And?

Its not like im asking you to pick out wedding rings

[STICKER: RabbitLifePreserver]

Wedding rings huh? Would Touya prefer something more like his edgy aesthetic? His hands had been decorated with black and silver rings. So Keigo could get something with twisted black metal, or maybe a solid band with flecks of red and gold. Or maybe–

Keigo stumbled on a crack on the sidewalk, nearly tripping into the ground. He managed to catch himself at the last second. 

Too fast, way too fast.

They had their first date only moments ago, and here he was, fantasizing about wedding rings. They weren’t anywhere near that step. They had so, so many , steps before they got near that. If they got near that.

Would Touya even want to get married? Some people didn’t. It wasn’t unusual. They could just live together. Keigo would be okay with that. He had enough space in his apartment–

Keigo ran his hand down his face, groaning. He was about to become the fastest man alive as he sped through this relationship. 

One step at a time. 

From: Rumi

Sent: 13:15

Anyway

Ill get with Yumi

See when theyre planning to meet up again

Or you can poke Touya

Get him to schedule something

Good luck tho

Yumi tells me she has to guilt him into it

[STICKER:RabbitandSnowman]

To: Rumi

Sent: 13:16

Youre making me want to bother him less and less

Im not gonna make him upset

I want this work

I cant do that if I piss him off

[STICKER: BirdPuffedUp]

From: Rumi

Sent: 13:17

Itll be fine

Gotta go! 

Gonna go train for a fight

Talk to him!

[STICKER: BunnyBoxing]

To: Rumi

Sent: 13:18

Good luck!

[STICKER: FlamingoKick]

He needed to get back into his own schedule too, with the tournament still going. His team had been on a winning streak, fingers crossed, and were making a name for themselves with the hope of being spotted by the national team recruiters. 

He really really wanted to get there, wanted to compete for Japan, wanted to see the Olympic stage. He wanted to be the only team on the court, surrounded by screaming fans. But he also wanted to see Touya again, and winning games kind of interfered with that. 

He made it back to his apartment, kicking off his shoes at the genkan and dropping his keys on the dish by the door.

The living room was just a few steps away with a wide brown couch, low coffee table, and tv mounted against the wall. Behind that was the kitchen with a small table and two chairs. The counters and appliances were spotless, unused. Only the little coffee maker saw any action, with a single cup sitting next to. Keigo placed the souvenir cat cup he got from the cafe in the sink. 

He really liked the cafe, and wondered if it would be weird if he went again. Not even just for the cats. If felt so…homey, with bookshelves lining the walls and comfortable booths and gentle music filtering from hidden speakers. The warm aroma of coffee and purring from the cats certainly helped. 

Instead, he was surrounded now by beige walls, devoid of art. No books in sight or even a shelf to place them on. No knickknacks, no pictures on his walls, no nothing that made his apartment feel like a home. It was just the basic furniture that the place came with. 

Rumi always gave him crap for it and he laughed it off. Why decorate when he was never home? Keigo really did have too much space, and nothing in it. Yet now it all felt hollow and cold, after spending an hour in Touya’s presence. He wanted to wrap himself up in the other man’s warmth, in his biting humor, and his soft smile.

He spent all his time training and practicing and doing gigs and playing games. He never realized how lonely it was. 

As much as he liked daydreaming about a future with Touya, of having him move in or get married or anything, he knew it was too soon for that kind of insanity. However, it would be nice to come home to someone. 

Maybe…maybe it didn’t have to be a person. Keigo brushed a hand over the cat hair that still clung to his clothes. 

He never had a cat that liked him and that orange one had been really attached to him. He’d had to peel the cat off of him, when it was time to go. He hadn’t wanted to leave it there, but he couldn’t just take some shop cat. 

Maybe there was a shelter nearby? He could certainly adopt a cat, but then his schedule meant he wouldn’t be home as often, and he would be leaving the cat home alone a lot. That wasn’t fair to either of them. 

The buzz of his phone pulled him away from his thoughts. He expected another message from Rumi, and instead was pleasantly surprised to find Touya.

From: Hot Stuff

Sent: 14:05

Hey. I just realized your schedule is probably gonna be packed again isn’t it?

I don’t have a lot of free time since I work evenings. But I guess you can swing by, if you like. Be warned though. The idiots like to hang out. 

[Address Attached]

[STICKER: CatPushingGlass]

To: Hot Stuff

Sent: 14:06

Yeah?

I dont mind people

Im sure theyre fine

I havent gotten my latest schedule

Games are usually on the weekend

But I should have a free evening

Ill come by one day

[STICKER: BirdSinging]

Touya regretted everything that led him to this moment. He regretted telling them that he had a date, he regretted sending them all that picture before his date, and he definitely regretted hinting that Keigo might visit him at work. 

What in the world had he been thinking?

The League had been on his ass since then, asking every single day if today was the day that his boyfriend was gonna show. It had only been a week. 

Touya tapped his foot against the sticky floor behind the bar. Keigo said he would visit. Or said he should have an evening free, but he never indicated if he was gonna show. Maybe he didn’t like bars? Maybe he didn’t want some bartender for a boyfriend? 

He slapped the glass down a little too hard, the beer almost sloshing over the edge as he shoved it to the waiting customer. 

It wasn’t like it was easy for him and Keigo to meet. How they managed to even have a free couple of hours to have their first date was a miracle. Maybe Keigo decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Except they were still texting regularly. Keigo had even been excited about the prospect of a second date. 

Which also, how in the fuck was he gonna get them together for a second date?

He thought that at least inviting Keigo to his workplace meant he had a chance to see him for a bit. Plus he could make Keigo deal with all of his so-called friends and get them off his back. Unfortunately he was trying to date a professional sports player in the middle of the tournament season.

Not that Touya was obsessively following the tournament. Not at all. 

He definitely hadn’t looked up when and where the Fukuoka Hawks were playing and cursed his schedule for keeping him busy right when the matches were happening. He hadn’t studied the tournament bracket until it was burned into his brain as Keigo’s team moved further up in the ranks.

He had actually refrained from pestering Natsuo about the statistics of the games or about the opponents the Fukuoka Hawks were facing next. Only for the sole fact that he would never hear the end of it, and he was not going to deal with that. 

The League was bad enough, thanks.

“Hey, hey Dabi. When is he gonna visit? What does he look like? Is he cute? I bet he’s cute.” Himiko bounced on the stool, her nails tip tapping on the wooden surface of the bar. 

“Yeah, Dabi. Where is he? Bet he doesn’t exist.” Twice slapped his hands to his cheeks in shock. “Oh man, you did meet right? You aren’t being catfished are you? Serves you right, lose all your money.”

Touya rolled his eyes at both of them, passing over several drinks to the edge of the bar for Magne to grab when she swung back around. “He’ll show when he shows, or he won’t. Lay off.”

Himiko pouted. “Fine. But you have to point him out if he shows up.” She pulled Twice over to join Shigaraki and Mr. Compress at the corner booth. Spinner was forced to actually work rather than cuddle with his boyfriend. Served him right.

If Touya couldn’t hang around his boyfriend, no one else got to get all cozy with theirs. 

If they could be considered boyfriends. Were they dating? He still wasn’t sure what it meant, to be dating someone. Did they have to go on so many dates before they were considered dating? Do they have to declare their relationship for all to see? Do they need to make it social media official?

What were the steps that they needed to take?

Fucking hell, it was easier to have meaningless hook-ups than this. 

Touya lost himself in the rhythm of work, pouring drinks, collecting tabs, cleaning out the glasses. Rinse, repeat.

The night was a blur, passing by in starts and stops. Eventually, he found himself standing idly in the corner, listening as an American tourist tried to shoot his shot. Touya wasn’t really paying attention but he made affirming noises at the right moments, he thought. The man’s speech was stilted and slurred. A combination of his basic Japanese and his drunkenness. It was worth humoring a customer like this, even if he was a creep. He wasn’t necessarily supposed to accept tips, but who was Touya to deny someone throwing their money away? 

The man licked his lips and leaned forward, as if getting closer to Touya would make him more appealing. “You’re real pretty, ya know? Mouth like that, bet you got some neat tricks. Make it worth your while.”

Touya grimaced, starting to wonder if the man would even tip enough to make this worth it.

“Hey. I think it's about time you leave, hm?” A hand slammed down on the bartop next to the creep, causing both Touya and the man to jolt. The creep twisted in his chair to tell off the newcomer and flinched back. Keigo was standing next to the man, just tall enough to lean over him. He smiled, all teeth, with his eyes narrowed. “Is that going to be a problem?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. An innocent question that was filled with knives and blood and promised pain should the man answer wrong.

The tourist scrambled off the stool, ready to bolt when Keigo spoke again, low and dangerous and taunting. “Ah ah. Don’t forget to pay.” He patted the top of the bar meaningfully.

The man slapped a fistful of bills onto the bar and ran, tripping over the other customers in the crowd in his haste. Keigo stole his seat, propping his elbows onto the bartop, face in his hands. His smile turned wide and lopsided, blinding in the dim light of the bar. “Hey Hot Stuff.”

Touya wanted to pull Keigo over the bar and kiss him silly. He wanted to drag him out to the back alley and let him have his way. He wanted, so badly, to be anywhere but work right now.

His heart was pounding in his chest but he braced a hand on the edge of the bar, leaning forward. “Hey Birdie.”

“So, come here often?”

Touya laughed. “I think that’s my line, but sure. Yeah. I’m around.” 

Keigo’s smile deepened, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Really now? Do you have any recommendations? Bartender specials?”

“Hm, well there's Sex on the Beach, Death by Sex, or maybe a Hot and Dirty.” Touya toyed with his lip ring. Keigo’s eyes flicked down and then back up to his eyes. His pupils expanded, swallowing the gold of his irises.

“Haha, right, umm.” Keigo’s face flushed bright red, glowing like a tomato in the poor lighting. 

“Don’t worry, Birdie. I’ll make something for you.” Touya snickered, deciding to take pity on him. It wasn’t like Touya needed a break before he decided to abandon his job to drag Keigo away. Not at all. 

He snatched up the money the creep left behind as he turned to think of a drink for his boyfriend. Oh neat, it was almost twice as much as the cost of the man’s tab. Score. He deposited the bills in the till, taking his part of the tip and pocketing it. 

He moved to the middle, looking at the shelves of alcohol. What would be a good one for Keigo? He didn’t exactly ask what his tastes were. Touya knew his preference in coffee ran towards the cavity inducing variety, but that didn’t mean he favored sweeter mixed drinks. He tapped a finger against his lips before his eyes landed on the blue curaçao. That’ll work.

He snatched up the bottle of blue liqueur, selecting the other alcohol and mixers and building the drink up. He scoured shelves until he found what he was looking for before he slid it over to Keigo.

Touya tried hard not to think about the color of the drink, hoping that it wouldn't be taken the wrong way. Or the right way? Fuck it, it was done now. “Here.”

“Did you just pick all the top shelf liquors to pad the tab?” Keigo eyed the bottles of rum and vodka.

Touya leaned on the bar, waving a hand. “Maybe, just drink it.”

Keigo was so excited. This was the first night he’d had a chance to see Touya since their date. The first night that they weren’t pushing practice late or he wasn’t crawling into bed exhausted. He wasn’t doing either mostly because Tsutsumi kicked him out of the gym, telling him to go rest before the games this weekend. 

So obviously instead of resting, he decided it was the perfect chance to come to see Touya. His boyfriend had seen him at work, technically, so Keigo was very excited to visit Touya at his job. He traveled out into the city, ending up in the dingy looking club. The lights were dim, the tables crowded, and conversations were muddled under the noise of a jukebox in the corner that was playing an older rock song. 

Keigo immediately scanned for Touya. The bright white hair was a beacon even in the terrible lighting. His boyfriend was standing behind the bar, clearly at work at the far end. Keigo smiled, reaching up a hand to flag him down when he noticed something off.

Touya was wiping down a glass, body angled away from a customer, shoulders hunched in on himself. The customer was red faced, swaying on the stool. Keigo could just barely hear the man as he spoke. An American, by the sound of it, and spouting off pick up lines at his boyfriend.

Keigo shoved through the crowd in a red haze until he arrived at the man’s side. He crowded into the man’s space, standing over him. He smiled too wide, baring teeth and cocking his head to the side. He was a hawk and the man was nothing more than a mouse to be dashed against the rocks. He wasn’t going to let anyone make his boyfriend uncomfortable.

Touya was his . He knew it, deep in his soul. Maybe it was too soon, maybe it was too fast but Keigo didn’t care. Touya belonged to him and he had no intention of letting him go. He just hoped that Touya didn’t mind. They really hadn’t discussed their relationship, what it meant, what they were heading towards.

If they were in a relationship.

Keigo had never felt this possessive of anything in his life and he really, really, didn’t want to scare Touya away.

Keigo took the man’s chair, the tourist that tried to take his place. And there Touya was white hair aglow, pale skin flushed, and blue eyes filled with hunger . 

Keigo felt himself flush, fumbling the cheesy pick up line. But then Touya played along. Keigo was ecstatic. Until Touya leaned in closer, biting his lip and playing with the metal ring of his piercing. 

Keigo almost missed the words he said, the drink names that tumbled from his lips. Keigo felt like he was on fire, heat rising to his face and settling low in his gut. 

“Haha, right, umm.” Keigo looked helplessly into hooded blue eyes. Was it a hint? Did he want to get out of here? They could go. His home wasn’t too far.

He didn’t mind.

Not at all.

Instead, Touya snickered, sending shivers down his spine. He watched as Touya turned away, watched as he reached up to grab some of the bottles from the top shelf. His black work shirt rode up to reveal a patch of pale skin, the curve of his hip, and a glint of metal near his navel before the shirt fell back down. 

Keigo tried not to be disappointed.

They had one date, one singular in person meeting. They were trying to have a relationship, not a hook-up. Didn’t he just lament the other day that he wanted someone to be with him for more than his body? And here he was, wishing he could get a second look at that piercing.

Was it just a ring? A barbell? Did it have a charm? If it does, what was it, why did Touya choose it? 

Touya must have been assembling some sort of drink because there was a glass, clinking with ice, in front of Keigo.

The drink was garnished with a pineapple piece and a small handful of bright red cherries and a little red paper umbrella. It was beautiful really, and it looked very tasty. However, all of that was immediately overshadowed by the color of the drink. It was blue. Almost the exact shade of turquoise that was Touya’s eyes. Was it intentional? A claim? 

Keigo hoped so.

Was he delusional? Hoping that Touya was just as possessive? Was it so bad that Keigo wanted to be claimed so openly? He hoped so desperately that Touya wanted him to be seen with a blue drink that was the same color as his eyes, and let everyone know that Keigo was his.  

He reached for the drink, pulling it closer to him when a girl bounced into the stool next to him, stabbing a pocket knife into the worn wood of the bar. 

“Hey! He’s taken.” The girl glared at him, cat-like eyes narrowed, lips peeled back in a snarl. She looked too young to be here, dressed in a school uniform and cardigan. Her blonde hair twisted into two buns at the top of her head. 

Keigo flinched back, eying the knife and holding the drink closer to him. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to handle a psycho-probably-minor. But he also wasn’t going to risk the drink that Touya made specifically for him.

“Yeah, he fuckin’ knows, Crazy.” Touya drawled, still leaning against the bar. He reached out and stole one of the cherries off his drink.

“What!? This is him?! No way. Damn you scored. He’s way too pretty for you.” A man appeared behind the girl, he was blond as well and a lot older than the girl, with a vertical scar down the middle of his forehead. 

The girl squealed in delight, high enough that now Keigo was worried that the glass was going to shatter. She pulled her knife out of the wood, pocketing it and then focusing the entirety of her attention on him. 

“Um, hi?” He managed, the extreme change in personality left him disoriented. Was this one of his friends? Why was he friends with a potential serial stabber? He hoped that Touya would help him out. He did not.

Instead, Touya was called down to the other side of the bar. 

“Don’t scare him off.” Touya waved before walking to the other side to start another drink.

The girl held out her hand. “Himiko Toga. This is Jin Bubaigawara. You can call him Twice.” Instead of simply shaking his hand, she used the grip to haul him off the stool. “C’mon! You gotta meet the rest!”

“Twice? Wait what?” Keigo barely saved his drink as he was yanked off the stool and dragged to the other end of the bar, towards a dark corner of the room. 

Twice tailed after them, “Himiko is stealing your man!” He shouted, presumably for Touya’s benefit. “You’ll never get him back!”

He didn’t like the sound of that. Keigo managed to get one look back, spotting a scowl and eye roll from Touya. 

Well, he was no help.

Keigo found himself at the curved corner booth. It was occupied by a man, maybe a bit younger than Keigo, with blueish white hair. Red eyes briefly met his before darting back down to the switch in his hands. Another man with curly brown hair, wearing an orange button up shirt and black vest, was toying with some marbles.

“Compress! Shiggy! Meet Dabi’s boyfriend!” Himiko dragged him right to the edge of the table and let go with a flourish.

“Yeah! Dabi’s boyfriend. What’s his name? We don’t need his name. He won’t last.”

Keigo blinked. He was so lost. Dabi? Who was Dabi? He was dating Touya. Did he have another identity? Was he secretly some sort of villain? Or maybe an undercover agent working for the government?

Wait. Keigo felt the anger rising up, clawing at his chest, screeching for release. He was going to last. He was absolutely going to last. He wasn’t going to be just some hook-up. They hadn’t even hooked-up! Not that Keigo was thinking about it. Definitely not after what happened at the bar. He wasn’t. 

Not at all.

“Oh, shoot. Hold on. Um, Mr?” The orange one waved his hands, pulling Keigo’s wrath from Bubaigawara.

“Takami. Keigo Takami.” He said, stiffly, hand clenched on the glass of blue liquor. Blue as Touya’s eyes. Touya was his and he was Touya’s. 

“Takami. I’m Atsuhiro Sako. Or Mr. Compress. Whichever you would prefer. The grumpy one over there is Tomura Shigaraki. We’re all friends of Dabi–Touya. And Twice here doesn’t mean anything by what he said. Promise. He says things a lot of the time, just pay attention to the first part. That’s why he got the name, after all.”

“Uh huh…” Keigo wasn’t so sure. At least they were Touya’s friends. Touya wouldn’t let him get dragged off by just anyone, right?

“Yeah! Sorry! Mouth gets ahead of me. I don’t mean anything. I mean every word. We don’t need you. Sorry! Sorry.” Bubaigawara twisted his hands into the edge of his shirt. 

Toga reached over, taking his hands. “Shhh, we know Jin. C’mon, sit down.” She helped him into the seat, squeezing into the booth beside him.

Keigo watched, relaxing his grip on the drink. Bubaigawara’s contradicting statements seemed more like a tic, something the man couldn’t help. Keigo couldn’t be mad at him for that.“Hey man, it’s okay.”

Shigaraki huffed. “For fuck’s sake. Can’t you all be quiet. I’m trying to finish this level. It’s just his newest boytoy. No need to make such a big deal about it.”

Keigo snapped. “I’m not his boytoy. I’m his boyfriend. I understand you’re his friends, but you don’t get to demean me or our relationship.”

Red eyes flicked over the console, assessing him before he broke into a grin. “Finally found one with a spine, did he?”

“Yeah. And I’m not going anywhere.”

“Fine, then sit.”

“I..what?” Keigo blinked, dizzy at the sudden change in tone. Why were all of Touya’s friends giving him whiplash?

“Is that not why you’re here? Sit or go back to making goo-goo eyes at the bar. Either way, keep it down.” Shigaraki went back to ignoring the table, focused on winning his game.

Keigo took a seat on the edge of the booth, wishing Touya was here to help him instead of tossing him to the wolves. He sipped his drink for something to do and wow, that was a lot of pineapple juice.

A tall woman with a bit of scruff swung by, dropping off a drink in front of Sako. “Oh hey, is this the mysterious boyfriend? Prettier than I expected. Nice to meet you, I’m Magne. Don’t let them scare you off. They’re harmless, promise. I’d stay and chat but it’s a busy night tonight.” She waved and went back to work.

Keigo watched her whiz through the crowd and wondered who at this table actually counted as harmless. Cause it sure wasn’t Toga, who looked like she would’ve stabbed him if he kept hitting on Touya at the bar, or Shigaraki, who looked as if he would murder any of them if they interrupted his game again. He didn’t have a read on Sako yet, as he started showing a card trick to Bubaigawara. But the two of them seemed so far to be the most harmless.

“Hey hey, what do you do? Dabi won’t tell us anything.” Toga was leaning over the table. “How did you meet? Ooo was it super cute? Did you like, run into each other while going around a corner? Wait no–Dabi said he hadn’t met you yet before the date last week.”

“Ah, I play volleyball for a living. And I model. My best friend is dating his sister and they introduced us.” 

“Oh! He said his sister knew someone. So, what’s he like? As a boyfriend. We know what he’s like as a friend. ” Himiko leaned even closer, putting her practically halfway on the table. Her eyes glittered. 

“Sorry. She’s obsessed with love, and relationships. She’s been trying to get Dabi a partner for ages.” Sako smiled reassuringly as he pulled out a 4 of hearts. Bubaigawara gasped, clapping and demanding to be shown the trick. 

Keigo sipped his drink, feeling a little light headed and a lot overwhelmed. “Um, well, he’s nice. And funny. You all probably know it took us forever to get to an actual date, but he stuck through it with me. So he must like me, even if I’m kinda all over the place. We haven’t really gotten to talk a lot honestly. Mostly we just text.”

“Of course he likes you! We figured out he was dating someone when he was smiling all goofy at his phone. Also, he was always on his phone. He never texts me back but he would stop everything to text you.”

Keigo took a long sip of his drink, his head spinning. He thought Touya might just be being nice, telling him that he only texted Keigo this much. But even his friends said it was true. He smiled, a warm feeling spreading through his chest.

Another man swung by the table, this one with pinkish purple hair. He dropped off a glass filled with a thick red liquid in front of Himiko, a celery stalk sticking out from the drink. The man then glared at Keigo, looking him over. Keigo wondered if he should be offended or not, but he felt warm and fuzzy and hm, maybe he should have eaten before coming to the bar.

“Hello.” Keigo smiled. “I’m Keigo. Are you also one of Touya’s friends?”

“Yeah. Shuichi Iguchi or Spinner. I’m assuming you’re Dabi’s boyfriend.” The newcomer, Iguchi, crossed his arms. Clearly not satisfied with what he saw.

Keigo swirled the straw in his drink and picked out one of the cherries, popping it in his mouth. Touya had the most interesting friends. “Yeah, I think so? What’s up with the names?”

“Ask Dabi. Also, if you’re hurt him, we’ll fuck you up.”

“Oh, we’re doing a shovel talk? He doesn’t need one man, he’s so nice. We’ll hide your body where no one will ever find it again.” Bubaigawara pushed up, nearly standing on the booth. 

“For fuck’s sake. Lay off him. If he does anything, I’ll make him pay.” Touya smacked Iguchi upside the head, dropping to take a seat next to Keigo. He draped an arm on the back of the booth, around Keigo’s shoulders. 

Iguchi scowled. “What happened to ‘if I can’t hang out with my boyfriend, you can’t hang out with yours’?”

“Off the clock. Night shift is all yours now.” Touya flipped him off with his other hand. “And I’ve had to suffer watching you and Shigaraki cuddling in this booth for ages. It’s my turn.”

Iguchi rolled his eyes. “Fuck off.”

“You first.”

Iguchi glared but did go back to work, when he was called over to the bar by Magne. 

“Hey Touya, why do they keep calling you Dabi?”

Touya groaned, carding his hand through his hair. “Shiggy over there got it in his head that we should call ourselves the ‘League of Villains’ and we should all have these stupid names. Calls me a fuckin’ edgelord and he’s still in his middle school phase.”

Shigaraki glared over his game console. “Fuck you.”

“No thanks.”

“So…Dabi?” Keigo tilted his head to the side, the room only spun a little.

Touya sighed heavily, stealing Keigo’s drink and taking a sip. “My jacket, the one with the flames on it? I joked that my villain ability was that I could produce flames hot enough to cremate someone. So ya know, Dabi, cremation.”

Keigo nodded. Yup. That totally made sense. He stole his drink back from Touya, but not before Touya took another cherry.  “And the rest?”

“You’d have to ask them. Himiko never picked one and Shiggy thought he was too cool for it, even though he made the rest of us do it.”

“If he’s going to be joining our party, he needs a name too.” Shigaraki scowled, red eyes once again raising over the game. Keigo could hear what sounded like victory music from the console. 

“Suppose that’s true.” Touya tapped a finger to his lips, staring into the distance like the name would be carved into the walls. “Oh. I got one for you.”

“Yeah? What is it?” Keigo sipped his drink, noting he was starting to get to the bottom. He wondered if he could get Touya to make another one.

Touya grinned wide, stretching across his face. His eyes danced with glee. 

“Hawks.”

Keigo choked on the last of his drink, coughing. “One typo, and I have to live with it forever?”

“Absolutely.”

“Fine, fine.” Keigo leaned into his side, feeling Touya’s arm come to curl around him. “I’ll be the Hawks to your Dabi.”

“Rumi please, you have to help me.” Keigo clutched the phone in his hand with desperation. His last source of salvation on the other line.

“With what?”

“With picking out clothes.” He whined. “I’m supposed to meet Touya’s family tomorrow. I need help.”

Rumi snorted, knowing full well what his closet contained. She certainly complained about it enough. “Yeah you do. Gimme an hour and I’ll be over.”

“You’re a lifesaver. I’ll order food.”

Keigo hung up and picked a take-out place at random from one of the menus that were stuck to his fridge. He made sure it was one of the ones with vegetarian options. He ordered something extravagant for Rumi and chicken for himself. He was allowed to cheat when he was stressing his way through calories. He placed the delivery and went back to searching through his clothes. 

His room looked like his closet exploded. Shirts and pants and jackets were strewn across his bed and laying all over the floor. He had it separated into piles. His too-fancy wear was actually still hung up. He did know better than to wrinkle the suits. But his “loud” collection was in one pile, his too casual in another, and his maybe something in the middle in another. 

He had no idea what to wear.

Touya was right, he did have an eye-bleeding taste in fashion. The largest pile in the room was a disaster of colors and clashing patterns. Keigo loved it though. They were by far his favorite clothes and he didn’t wear them nearly enough. Most of the time he was either in t-shirts and gym shorts or his volleyball uniform. So when he got to dress outside of that, he liked the weirder patterns.

The “fancier” clothing was mostly from all the model shoots. They always liked to send him home with the clothes. They were an option but that seemed too fancy.

He was meeting Touya’s family, not going to the Met Gala. 

Keigo dragged his hands down his face. He needed this to be perfect. He was meeting his boyfriend’s family. For their second date, no less. They hadn't had a chance to meet since Keigo went to the bar. So now their second date was meeting Touya’s family. Or was the bar their second date and this was the third? Were dates only considered dates when it was just them? Or was it when they met up and considered it a date? 

Why was this so hard? 

Either way, Keigo could not mess this up.  

He was about to go through the piles again when the doorbell rang.

Oh thank god. 

He rushed to the door, swinging it open to find food on the other side. Well, that worked too. Stressing through calories meant he was starving. Fortunately, Rumi was only a few minutes after that so he didn’t have to wait for her. 

She snagged her meal from the counter and dropped into one of the chairs to eat. “So, gonna meet the Todorokis tomorrow? I’ll have to score myself an invite. I got nothing going on.”

Keigo sagged with relief. He wouldn’t be alone facing Touya’s family, the–“Wait, what, who?”

“Todorokis. Touya’s family? He’s…” Rumi paused, mid bite, to narrow her gaze on him. “I swear to god Keigo. Did you guys not tell each other who you were?”

The yakitori skewer plopped back into the box. He’d never asked Touya for his family name and he was sorely regretting it now.

Todoroki.  

He was dating Touya Todoroki. He couldn’t remember anything about Touya’s name in particular but the Todoroki name carried weight. Enji Todoroki’s name carried weight. And Keigo was gonna roll up to the family dinner in normal clothes?

No no no. He definitely needed the fancier ones. Why did Touya not tell him? 

“Rumi.” Keigo whined, plaintively. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t just go and meet the Todorokis. Look at me?” He waved his hands in a circle before snatching the skewer back up, drowning his sorrows in grilled chicken.

“As an equally famous celebrity?”

“Hah.” Keigo laughed, sounding anything but amused. “Equally famous? To Enji Todoroki?! I am nothing, nothing , in comparison. I just model a little, and play volleyball for a living. I’m not–”

“Hey!” Rumi slapped her palm to the table’s surface, causing their take-out boxes to bounce. “You worked hard, and maybe you aren’t on his level but the rest of the family isn’t either. You know Fuyumi is an elementary school teacher. The other two brothers are in school, I think. What does Touya do?”

“Bartending…” Keigo nibbled on the chicken, not meeting her gaze.

“...I didn’t expect him to be in the service industry. Right on. Anyway! See. They’re all normal. One outlier isn’t the end of the world.”

Keigo pouted. “I guess you’re right, but still.”

“Don’t let the name intimidate you. They’re just people. You’ll see. And I’ll be there. It’ll be great! I’ll text Yumi right now and let her know I’m coming.” 

Keigo smiled. “Thanks, Rums. You’re the best.”

“Damn right. Now stop crying over your chicken and eat. We got an outfit to pick out.”

Rumi had her hands on her hips, surveying the wreckage. “Keigo.”

“Mhm.” Keigo wondered if he should get some pictures or posters for the walls. It was kind of boring here. The room just had the plain beige paint from when he first moved in. Some art could probably livin’ the place up.

“What is this?” Rumi gestured, somewhere next to him. 

Maybe a nice shot of the sea, with some birds flying overhead. One of those ones with a handful of boats out on the water. 

“Clothes.” Or he could get one of a sunset. He liked the different oranges that the sky turned into. 

“Clothes?” He was pretty sure Rumi had her eyebrows furrowed.  

“That is what I said.” Keigo met his friend's incredulous stare. There were only so many interior decorating ideas that could distract him from the rest of the mess in the room. 

“Keigo, it looks like a whole party of clowns threw up in here.”

“It-shut up. I asked for your help, not for you to criticize my clothing.”

Rumi cackled. “I can multitask.” She held up her hands at his glare. “Ok, ok. We’ll find you something presentable in this mess.”

Keigo stood, staring at the veritable mansion in front of him. He and Rumi had settled on a red dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, black slacks, and black loafers. He had a watch and a couple of rings on to fill out the accessories. He was starting to really regret not wearing one of those suits that he had. Maybe he should have added a blazer. But it still wasn’t cool enough to add on another layer. Not when the heat from summer was still sticking to the beginning of autumn.

The Todoroki Manor was towering with its second level and sprawling over grounds. Grounds . The house had grounds, not a yard. Oh god, what was Keigo doing here? He should have texted Touya to tell him that he was sick. His stomach was churning, it wasn’t a total lie.

Keigo walked up to the door, legs stiff, and pressed the buzzer.

There was a long moment of silence where Keigo thought maybe, just maybe, they weren’t home and he could run away. His hopes were dashed with a loud clatter. Raised voices echoed from inside. 

“Get the fuck off me–You’ll see him in a second.” 

Touya. A thousand hawk wings fluttered in his chest. Who needed butterflies when he had birds. It had been weeks since they saw each other, since they spoke.

In person. He swore they were always texting. 

There was a burst of manic laughter moments before the door was wrenched open.

Touya was standing there, bathed in the warm golden light from a hallway lamp. His face was a bit flushed and he was out of breath, perhaps from fighting off whoever else wanted to come to the door. He had on a navy blue sweater with the long sleeves pushed up and jeans with intervals of stitching around his thighs just above his knees. 

His lips stretched into a smile, his blue eyes lit up. “Hey Birdie.”

“Hey Hot Stuff.” Keigo held up the bottle of wine. He saw in movies that people brought gifts to meet their future in-laws boyfriend’s parents. It seemed like the right thing to do. “Hope I’m not too late?”

“Nah. You’re good. At least you weren’t here too early, like the terror.”

“I heard that!” Rumi’s voice echoed. 

“I swear she has ears like a rabbit. Come on in. I’ll introduce you to the chaos.” Touya walked back inside, pausing at the entrance way.

Keigo took his shoes off and followed him in. He was led down a hall paneled with wood, tasteful art lining the walls, and into a dining room with a low table, already crowded with people.

“All right everyone. This is Keigo Takami. Keigo, this is my family.” Touya gestured broadly to the sea of white haired people. Only one of them had half white, half red hair.

“Usagiyama, you already know. My condolences. Next to her is my sister, Fuyumi.”

Rumi flipped Touya off while she was leaning into her girlfriend. Fuyumi had mid length white hair, streaked with red. She swatted her girlfriend's hand down and smiled up at him, soft gray eyes behind her glasses. “Nice to meet you, Takami.”

“Over there is Natsuo, the volleyball one. He’s a fan. You aren’t allowed to sign anything. He lost that privilege.” 

Natsuo was broader than his brother and had gray eyes like his sister, but shared the same pure white hair as Touya. He shot a grin at his brother. “Worth it. He was trying to hide you from us.”

“Was trying to keep you all off my ass about it.” Touya ignored his brother’s laughing to gesture at the last person at the table. “The weirdo over there is Shouto, the other brother.”

The teenager looked up from his phone. He was the one with white and red hair, split perfectly down the middle. When their eyes met, Keigo noticed he also had one gray and one blue eye. Shouto bowed his head. “Hello.”

“Touya, dear, be nice.” A woman walked out, placing a hand against Touya’s cheek. She looked like an older version of Fuyumi. She had similar gray eyes, lined with age, but her hair was a solid white. “My name is Rei. Thank you for taking care of my son, Takami.”

“Haha, I um, I try my best. I think he’s more put together than I am.” Keigo happily ignored Rumi’s snort from the table. “And please, Keigo is fine.”

“Keigo then. Why don’t both of you take a seat? Dinner will be out shortly.”

“Do you need any help? I can’t cook, but I can help set up. Oh! I brought wine. I hope that’s okay. I don’t know if you drink but I wasn’t sure what else I could bring.” Keigo held the bottle up. Tsutsumi said it was a good brand and the appreciation in Rei’s gaze told him that he did well.

“We have it handled. Thank you, dear. And that is lovely. I’ll get some glasses, we can enjoy it with dinner.” She breezed back to the kitchen, leaving the siblings and their partners in the dining room. 

It wasn’t long before Rei came out with the Todoroki patriarch, both of them ladened with dishes of noodles, grilled chicken, and sides. Enji Todoroki was tall and more muscular than Keigo would have expected for a man his age. He was the one that had the red hair and blue eyes that was passed down to his children. 

“I hear you are Touya’s partner? I am Enji Todoroki. Welcome to my home.”

“Keigo Takami. Just Keigo is fine. The pleasure is all mine.” Keigo bowed slightly. Oh god. It was Enji Todoroki.  

“Keigo then. Please, sit, eat. I can see my sons are already digging in.” Enji gestured, taking his place at the head of the table.

Keigo straightened, turning to find that Shouto, Natsuo, and Touya were in fact already digging in. Rei shook her head but smiled fondly. Fuyumi huffed but poured tea and water for them all. Rumi simply met his gaze and rolled her eyes, mouthing the word ‘insane’.

Touya picked up the noodles with his chopsticks, smirking at Keigo when he did. “Told ya soba was the best one.”

“I told you any noodles were fine as long as there was chicken.” Keigo prodded at the chicken he had added to his own meal.

“Cannibal.”

“Menace.”

Touya grinned wide, digging into his noodles while Keigo turned back to his conversation with Natsu. He was pretty sure they were locked into a long and technical discussion on volleyball, but Touya tuned it out immediately in favor of watching his boyfriend. 

Keigo was in a red shirt that was the same color as the wings on his uniform. The sleeves were rolled up to bare muscled forearms, accented with the watch on his left wrist. Keigo’s hands swung, miming a spike and an assortment of rings glinted off his fingers. His whole face glowed under the warm lighting. He smiled wide, laughing to the point of tears and leaning heavily into Touya as Natsuo described something or another. Touya wasn’t sure. He wasn’t listening. But he wanted to be the one to make Kegio laugh like that. He wanted to be the one to make him smile like that. 

It wasn’t so bad though, letting his family have Keigo for a bit. 

He was glad his family could be like this now, after what it had been during his teen years. There was no way he would have been here, or brought Keigo here, if it was anything like it was before. Even his father had a small smile, and was remaining civil.

“Touya. When are you guys getting married?”

Touya choked on his noodles as Shouto’s off the fucking wall question froze them all. His youngest brother looked between him and Keigo, heterochromatic eyes wide in innocence. There wasn’t a single malicious bone in his body, nor was there a goddamn brain cell bouncing around in his skull.

“Fucking hell, Shou. This is like our third date. No need to pull out the rings yet.”

“Really? But Fuyumi says you look like you’re already picking out colors.” Shouto blinked, owlishly, earnest in his question. 

“Fuyumi.” Touya turned his glare on his sister. 

She smiled, sly and mischievous. The normal Todoroki his ass. Touya snarled. “Rabbit, control your girlfriend.”

Usagiyama cackled, loud and brash and swung an arm over Fuyumi’s shoulders. “Never. This is beautiful. I told Keigo after your first date that it wasn’t like he was picking out rings yet but maybe I was wrong.”

“Rumi! Why?” Kiego whined, drawing out the last word and hiding his face behind his hands.

“I do wish I could have grandkids soon. Do you think either of you might adopt? Or perhaps surrogate?” Rei cupped her cheek, staring wistfully at her oldest children. 

Touya flushed red, feeling the heat crawl up his skin. “Mom!”

“Yes, dear?” Gray eyes turned to him, all innocence, but her smile said she knew exactly what she was doing, unlike her youngest son.

“Can we start with moving in together before we buy rings and bassinets?”

“Sure, honey.”

Touya snatched up the glass of wine, taking a large gulp and letting the room settle back into whatever it was beforehand. He let himself feel the buzz of the alcohol, fading a bit into the background.

He came back around when his father brought out the dessert from the kitchen. A cake, decorated lightly with frosting and strawberries. His mother’s handiwork.

“So,” Enji began, gruffly, and Touya almost wanted to talk about his future spawn instead of letting his father continue. “How did your first date go? You had said last time that you were having trouble meeting?” 

“It went fine.” Touya grumbled.

“Oh, it was better than fine! Especially after it took us so long to get coffee. We went to this cat cafe. I’d never been to one before.” Keigo smiled wide, cheeks red, his eyes looked a little glassy. Maybe Touya should slow him down on the wine. “There was this orange cat. It actually liked me! Cats don’t usually like me.” He smiled wistfully, sipping at the wine before Touya could take the glass from him.

“What was the place called?” Rei asked, cutting the cake and placing it on plates to pass around. 

“Purrfect Respite, I think. I liked the pun.”

Touya rolled his eyes. “You would.”

“I did! I really like that cat though.” Keigo frowned. “I thought about getting a cat since my apartment is a little lonely but I don’t really have the time for a pet. And I’d have to find a cat that likes me.”

“You can adopt the cats there. I think.” Shouto piped up, accepting a slice of cake.

“What? Really?!” Keigo leaned forward, suddenly. Touya snagged the wine glass before he made a mess.

“Yeah. I’d have to ask but my classmate works there. I think it runs as a shelter and cafe, so the cats are adoptable.” Shouto picked up his phone, apparently deciding right now was the moment to ask before the question got lost in the void that was in his skull.

“I wonder if that cat is still there.” Keigo leaned into Touya, eyeing the wine glass. He made grabby hands for it.

“Didn’t you just say you didn’t have time for cats?” Touya moved the glass further away. 

“Sure but that cat? I’d make time.” Keigo shrugged, apparently giving up on the wine to look around the table. He accepted the cake when it came his way.

Usagiyama snorted. “He’d make time for a cat, but not for you, Touya.”

Touya flipped Usagiyama off, ignoring his mother’s disapproving look. “The cat would be more worth it anyway.”

“What, noooo. You’re plenty worth it Touya. Maybe you should move in. Then I can have you and a cat.” Keigo’s attention immediately swung back to Touya, golden eyes wide and pleading.

Touya cursed his fair skin, feeling his cheeks burn in ways that had nothing to do with the alcohol. “Sure, Keigo. Why don’t you drink some water.” He slid a glass of water over, deciding they both could actually use a break from the wine. 

Keigo sipped at it, leaning into his side again and using his fork to steal more than half of Touya’s cake before consuming his own slice. Touya stole his strawberries in revenge.

It wasn’t long before dinner was starting to wrap up. His parents retired to their room while the children were enlisted to help clean up. Keigo and Usagiyama bickered about some reality dating show. 

Touya dried off his hands, walking back into the dining room. “You ready to head back, Birdie?”

Keigo pushed to his feet, twisting to stretch out his back. “Yeah, Hot Stuff.”

“Ugh, you guys are so sweet. I’m getting cavities.” Usagiyama gagged, getting up from her seat to stretch as well.

“Don’t be jealous.” Keigo jabbed her in the side, causing her to squeak.

“Hey! Stop that. And I’m not jealous. I got my own Todoroki.” She crossed her arms, hands protecting her sides as she tapped her foot.

“I didn’t even know you could make sounds like that.” Touya grinned, only a little maliciousness behind it.

Keigo chuckled. “She’s really ticklish. You should tell your sister.”

“Absolutely not!” Usagiyama advanced towards him.

“Fuyumi!” Touya shouted and immediately pulled Keigo in front of him. Keigo laughed, holding up his hands to help keep his friend away. 

“Keigo! Get your boyfriend out of here before I hit him.” Usagiyama’s red eyes said murder, but she was blushing furiously.

“Yeah?” Fuyumi poked her head out from the kitchen, seemingly unperturbed by the sight of her older brother hiding behind his boyfriend from her girlfriend. 

“This isn’t over.” Usagiyama hissed before she turned, guiding Fuyumi back into the kitchen. 

Touya cackled, sounding a bit like a deranged hyena. “Like I can’t just text her later. C’mon Kei. Let’s go before we miss the last train.” Touya held out his hand. Keigo looked a little bit dazed, but laced their fingers together. 

They sat side by side on the train, dozing off to the gentle rocking as they traveled back to Fukuoka.

They made their way down the sidewalk, hand in hand, nudging each other's shoulders and giggling like teenagers. The alcohol long since bled from their system.

Keigo pulled them both to a stop in front of an upscale apartment building. The building towered over them, glittering in the night. “Whelp, this is me.”

Touya leaned back, whistling. “Fancy.”

“We just came from a mansion, you have no room to talk.”

“I don’t live there.”

Keigo blew out a breath and turned to face him. “Fair right. Anyway, um, good night. Text me when you get home.”

“Yeah. I will. Good night, Keigo.” Touya looked down into his eyes, clear and gold, only the faintest of red remaining on his cheeks.

Touya leaned down at the same moment that Keigo surged up and their foreheads met with a crack. Touya hissed, reeling back and rubbing at the pain. Keigo had a red mark across his forehead and Touya was sure he had one to match. 

He chuckled, dropping his hand while Keigo rolled his eyes. “Why don’t we try that again?” 

Touya nodded, stepping forward to hold Keigo’s face, cupping his jaw as he brought their lips together. “Hold still, pretty bird.”

A chaste kiss, a simple brush of lips. Touya pulled away, intending it to be just a good night kiss when Keigo grabbed him by the jacket, yanking him back. Touya lost himself in the taste of wine that remained on their tongues and the cherry chapstick that Keigo favored.

He wanted more.

Touya separated them, needing to breathe and looked into the flushed, slightly dazed face of his boyfriend. 

Keigo smiled, interlacing their fingers again. “Come on up, Hot Stuff?”

“Sure, Birdie.”

The faint light of the winter sun cut a line through the curtains and across the bed, right over Keigo’s face. He groaned, reaching for his phone. He squinted at the brightness. Almost 7 in the morning. Far too early to be up, not when today was a rest day and he stayed up far too late the previous evening. 

He put the phone back down and stretched, easing the ache in his sore muscles from practice the other day. He was exhausted, but thankfully Tsutsumi gave him the day off today, so he was free to sleep in for another hour at least. He was far too warm and cozy to get up.

The weight on his chest grumbled, before they too stretched. Yellow eyes watched him before the cat meowed, reaching out a paw to pat at his nose.

Keigo smiled softly, “sorry, Chicklet, didn’t meet to wake you.” He whispered as he ran a hand down the cat’s white and orange spotted back. Chicklet, Chickadee, Chicken Nugget or sometimes just Chickie meowed in greeting.

He rolled carefully onto his side and Chicklet curled up against his chest, laying on his arm, and purring as loudly as possible in his face. Keigo kissed the top of his head and let himself doze, fading in and out.

A chirruped meow from the end of the bed before another weight climbed onto him, scaling across his side. The cat stopped, putting all its weight on one paw, pressing right into his ribs. Keigo chuckled as a different weight, one that wrapped around his back and side shifted, the face nuzzled against his back, trying to hide. From the cats or the sunlight, he wasn’t sure.

“Mmm….five more minutes.” Touya grumbled, tightening his grip around Keigo’s waist. 

The white cat, with eyes as blue as her owner, climbed from Keigo to Touya, meowing louder. She dug her claws into his arm, kneading into the skin. Touya hissed lightly but only buried his face further into Keigo's back, as if it would shield him from his cat.

“I don’t think Princess is going to wait for you.” Keigo twisted his head a bit, watching as the cat continued trying to get Touya up.

“It’s not time yet for breakfast…” The reply came, muffled against Keigo’s skin and rough with sleep. Princess meowed again, insistent.

Keigo chuckled and twisted in his boyfriend’s arms, turning to face him. Touya grunted when the movement dislodged both cats and sent them scurrying out of the room. Gold eyes met blue and Keigo smiled.

“Morning, Hot Stuff.”

“Mornin’, Birdie.”

Keigo leaned forward, a light brush of lips. 

Touya moved his hand to Keigo’s hip, pulling him closer and slanting his mouth on his, deepening the kiss. Keigo wrapped an arm around his back, fingers digging into his skin and–

Mrrow!

Princess wailed from the doorway. 

Keigo smiled against Touya’s mouth. “She isn’t going to give up.”

Touya groaned, ducking his head to brush a kiss along Keigo’s neck. “Shoulda never named her Princess.”

“But it suits her so well.” Keigo tilted his head back, giving Touya more room.

Princess whined again and this time Chicklet meowed as well.

Touya sighed heavily and pushed himself up onto his elbows. “Why do we have cats again?”

“Because we love them.”

Touya rolled his eyes and leaned down, kissing him hard, stealing the breath from Keigo’s lungs before he got up. “Fine fine, spoiled brats, the lot of you. Let’s go. C’mon”

Keigo watched as Touya stretched, the muscles of his back tensing and flexing before he left the room. The cats followed him immediately.

Keigo sat up, yawning and rubbing the back of his head. He blinked, letting his body slowly wake. Touya cursed from the kitchen. One of the cats must have walked in front of him, nearly tripping him.

The stripe of sunlight had moved across the room, landing on a painting of the ocean bay outside Fukuoka. The sun was sinking into the waves, casting brilliant oranges and pinks across the water and dying the clouds. 

It really did livin’ the place up.

The scent of coffee made its way into the bedroom and Keigo followed it like a siren’s song. He leaned against the doorway, still somewhat surprised at the many changes to their apartment that happened over the last couple months since Touya moved in. 

More pictures were hung along the walls, breaking up the beige coloring. Pictures of them, their cats, some birds, even a couple group photos of the League and Touya’s family. 

 A clock hung from the far wall. It wasn’t a cuckoo clock, like he had first considered and Touya immediately vetoed, but a simple round clock, with a bird at each of the hour marks. Currently the short hand was pointing towards a robin.

There was a rainbow throw with swirling and zigzagging patterns haphazardly folded over the back of the couch. A cat tower stood by one of the windows while feathered and belled cat toys littered the floor in bright spots of color. The bookshelf held an eclectic array of titles that Keigo added to anytime he passed by a used bookstore.

Touya liked to pick one at random to read and Keigo was waiting for him to grab one of the Taken by the Duke books. 

In turn, Touya collected shiny, colorful rocks and tiny knick knacks, saying it was for Keigo’s birdbrain. Keigo laughed and moved the rocks around the apartment until they gathered on the bookshelf, on windowsills, and even the back of the kitchen counter. 

Keigo’s favorite change though, was Touya. His boyfriend was leaning against the counter, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His white hair glowed in the dawning sunlight. His pale skin was marked with kisses and bites, courtesy of Keigo, and scratches, courtesy of the cats. His piercings glinted in the light, and at his navel was a new red feather gem, an early birthday present.

Touya met his gaze, a sleepy smile on his face while the voracious early birds were digging into their breakfast. Princess grumbled, growling low in her throat when Chicklet got too close to her bowl. 

Keigo made his way over, wrapping his arms around Touya and settling into his warmth. Long, elegant fingers carded through his hair. Keigo hummed, relaxing against him. They stood, wrapped in each other until the coffee machine beeped.

Touya disentangled himself from Keigo, pouring the coffee from the pot into two mugs. He dumped a totally necessary amount of sugar and cream into one of them and held that one out to Keigo.

“Think they’ll let us sleep in next time?” Keigo gratefully took the coffee from Touya, hands curled around the cat mug.

Touya snorted, picking up his own coffee. They stood, shoulders pressed together to watch the sunrise. “Sure, maybe next time.”