creamation | (no subject)

[keigo’s eyes widen at the grip to his wrist but he doesn’t fight it. the tug only gets the hero to come with him, even if he desperately wants to help the innocent. but he can’t have dabi get caught up in all of it.

he hopes that heroes are close enough to handle the situation.

dabi landing to the ground does get keigo worried. he knows enough now about the villain’s weaknesses and strengths. still, nothing cracks, and dabi continues to pull him along.

keigo spares one last look over his shoulder before they’re further into the darker parts of the alley. more and more, he uses his feathers to scout for their safety, instinctively gripping a little harder to dabi’s hand so he can focus on following their three stalkers.

he’s not sure how long he focuses that, but once he can confirm it, keigo sets his gold eyes on dabi’s frame.]

We lost all three. The two together didn’t follow us though. I heard them confirm we were far away before that explosion. The other tried following but gave up. I..I think they’re heading back to base, but it’s too far away to be positive. I’ll keep more feathers out to be sure we’re not tracked.

[ if keigo wants to go back he's shit out of luck, because dabi won't let go. maybe he should, and it would make all of this easier, but he didn't come this far just to have it all turned around on him again. whether keigo is lying or not, he's coming with dabi.

he wonders just what in the hell that explosion even was, or why it happened when it did. what did they gain from it if they were the ones to set it? didn't they realize it would create the perfect escape? and why were there three? dabi knows he should let Jin know, otherwise even that part of the plan will far apart, but right now he's keeping himself together enough to run, and find streets that will maze around until they can get where they need to go. ]

What the fuck were they tryin'a do? The fuck was that explosion?

[dabi growls under his breath, and then he has to stop, nearly keeling over as he drags them around to the side of a building. he lets go of keigo, bending over as he leans against a wall, trying to catch his breath. he's not made for this kind of thing.]

[keigo is just as curious and unsure as dabi is. why did they have to be far away? what purpose was that? the voices weren’t recognizable either, but that meant little.

it’s just so unknown to him. he hates it. but he can’t exactly look back. keigo didn’t want to leave dabi at all.

not that he believes he can let go. he holds just as tightly to the villain, leaving it to dabi to keep them going so he can keep his focus on their surroundings. they couldn’t afford to be caught or separated at all.

keigo only had so many feathers though...]

I don’t know. When I tried investigating it, it was too hot to tell.

[they come to a stop and once dabi let’s him go, he quickly scans the area. nothing. they’re definitely not being followed now.

keigo looks over at the villain with worried eyes.]

We can walk from here. I don’t feel anyone following us.

[it's suspicious enough that it sets Dabi completely on edge. He doesn't like when things don't make sense like this. Maybe it was a coincidence, but it was very well timed. He really has to warn his people.

Once he catches his breath.

He tries to do it quickly so Keigo doesn't notice how bad shape he's in and then whether he's ready or not he pushes off the wall and starts walking again, heading towards a more specific direction now. If they're not being followed, he can finally lead then somewhere they can crash, at least for the night.]

How often do ya gotta check in with your people before they start thinkin' something's wrong?

[whatever the reason was, keigo feels as if they’ll know more details soon. there has to be more to it, after all. it was too timed to not be.

despite dabi’s poor attempt to conceal how out of shape he is, keigo does notice. he considers offering his feathers, but he knows how weak to motion sickness the villain is too. it’s why he offers that they walk instead.

dabi’s question does earn a small sigh, but he answers truthfully all the same.]

I don’t really check in anymore. Once I joined the meta army, I told them I had to go silent, but honestly, I was just trying to get away from them.

[he talks quietly, as if anyone could hear them. he knows no one is listening. his feathers were still scouting around to be sure.]

...they wanted me to fall back, had set up their plans to exchange intel and funds with their politician friends by using me. So, I offered that Skeptic place tracking devices on me so I could stay. I can reach out to them if you need me to. I’ll..have to offer something in return, for leaving them cold for so long.

[their funds must be a little dry right now, after all.]

[he can warn Shigaraki that something is off. He can tell him the basics of him having to lay low, but that they should be ready to move quickly if they need to get out of there. Trust no one else but their own. At least he hopes they didnt get someone like Toga to nark on them, tho he highly doubts it.

He's not sure what else he can say right now. He still has to figure out how he can work Keigo into this equation without The league wanting to murder him.

Hell, Dabi might still murder him too, depending on just how much of the truth he's actually telling.]

So wait. Skeptic put a fuckin' tracking device in you??

[Dabi stops in his tracks, looking at Keigo like he's crazy. Its like he doesn't even know who is standing in front of him anymore. It pains him how much Keigo just didnt tell him.

But that was the whole point from the start, it seems. Keigo wasn't meant to tell him the truth.]

The fuck would I want you to reach out to em for?? I wanna make sure we don't get caught! What the fuck, Hawks?

[the crazed look gets a worried one from keigo in return. and, as he hears the reaction, it makes his feathers fluff out a bit.]

They didn't-they told me you ordered a mic and camera to be placed on me. Re-Destro told me I had to be tracked, so I smoothed it over with a tracking device instead.

[at the time, he figured it was due to his hero work and they had to be sure. he never complained because it meant staying with dabi and the league, and he wanted that more than being his handler's pet.

now that he thinks about it, he can't help but eye the villain both incredulously and worriedly.

but before he can question what's on his mind, the angry remark gets the hero to step back. he can't help but look a little irritated, feathers ruffled.]

Of course I don't want to contact them. I'm only making sure you don't need something off of them. The whole point is that I want to get away from my tormentors, but if you need intel or whatever, I'll suck it up.

[he crosses his arms, looking away, a little hurt that dabi would assume he'd desire reaching out to his handlers. maybe it hasn't sunk into that thick skull of his? how much further can he explain this fear that drives him in the opposite direction of them? to avoid those screams of anguish earlier just so he can run away? he's no hero. he's nothing now.]

...anyway, give me your jacket real quick.

And of course ya didn't ask me, right? That would've been too much. So do ya got a tracking device in ya or not? Fuckin' answer one question straight for fucks sake.

[he should leave keigo right here. he should leave him here and never look back. all of this keeps getting worse and worse, and keigo is wondering what's on his mind? a tracking device is a big damn deal, that's whats' on his mind.

if they go somewhere now and keigo is being tracked, then what's the point? why is this pro-hero, a spy being so damn stupid about this? dabi is more than confused.

and then keigo has the gal to look hurt, after he assumed dabi wanted him to contact his handlers in the first place. dabi's the one who should be looking hurt right now, for keigo even thinking along those lines.]

Are ya outta your fuckin' mind? Why would I need anythin' off'a them? I didn't fuckin say that with one word! I ain't you. You're the one deep in this shit, not me. I was tryin'a help you, so shut the fuck up about your tormentors and suckin' it up. God, you're such a piece'a shit, ya know that?

[talk about a thick skull. dabi in no way said that, and now keigo is twisting it around to make it seem like dabi was talking about reaching out? this is insane. this is absolutely insane, and dabi feels like he's spiraling deep into this hole keigo is putting both of them in because he can't get his shit straight.]

You gonna tell me why? Or is that some big secret too? You better stop talkin' in circles about this and tell me what the fuck is goin' on right now. Stop leavin' things out. Stop bullshitting me, Keigo!

[Dabi grabs him and slams him against the wall. he's had enough.]

You leave one more fuckin' think out and I'm done with you. I'm leavin' you right here, I don't care if I went back for you. Stop fuckin' lyin' to me and tell me the goddamn truth! Stop givin' me bits and pieces'a shit you should've told me a long time ago!

I brought it up a handful of times! Did it just go over your head?

[okay, maybe he brought it up as a joke or light tease, and maybe he never explicitly said he had a tracking device on him, but even still, he had brought up the tracking part in general. but he knows better. he knows how thick that skull is.

but he didn't want to bite this hand that started to feed him. he finally had earned the trust of dabi and that meant more to him than anything. he could live with the tracking device. with a sharp look, he extended the now small wings, lessening the ruffle to show off the device.]

It's right there. Pierced into my wing.

[a painful experience, but he dealt with worst. like this constant back and forth with him and dabi.

it continues to hurt the more the villain shouts at him. they're not even in a clear area to discuss this, but at least no one is around to listen to them. not that he really focuses much on that because he's listening to dabi's words and trying to not get both hurt and angry by them even further.

he wants to argue and spit back the venom, but he keeps having to remind himself how hurt dabi is feeling too. keigo never really could handle the villain when he was like this though. he has no where to go, and he doesn't want to leave dabi either.

he tries to think of what to say, and as he does, parting his lips to speak, he's so suddenly pinned to the wall. it hurts the sensitive part of his back, and immediately he can't help but react by pushing against dabi's chest instinctively to get distance between them.]

Stop it, Dabi!

[he shouts, averting his gaze to the ground, body trembling. normally he'd fly away to put himself into safety, but he doesn't. there's no more safety. and he wants to be with dabi, but he doesn't know if he can take this much longer. it's tearing them apart and dabi doesn't deserve to be tormented like this. he can just work out a deal with his handlers, right?

he wants to give it his all here though. before turning in such a dangerous card.]

I was..I was just thinking that maybe you're being tracked too. With a mic and camera. That's why I want to see your damn jacket. Your new outfit came from them, didn't it?

No you fuckin' didn't, don't gimme that shit! I said stop bullshitting me! How fuckin' stupid do ya think I am?

[this is the first he's ever heard of this tracking shit. he would have been on top of it by now if he had known. let alone that those two assholes told keigo that it was his idea. how could keigo leave out such a crucial piece of information?

well. dabi knows why now. because he's been deceived and lied to all this time. made to look like a damn fool. whatever trust they've build? keigo is diminishing it with each and every word. it's a damn good thing dabi doesn't know what keigo is thinking, or it would be even worse.

but the time keigo shows him the tracking device he's reeling from it. ]

So someone from the army is a spy, practically blackmailin' us... three people now I guess? And you just let 'em put fuckin' trackers on ya?

[and he didn't tell dabi. all of this, and he didn't say a word until just now, and only because dabi had opened up and.... what? made him feel guilty.

keigo has no right to be angry or hurt right now. no right.]

Wherever we go, you were just gonna lead 'em to us. Even now if I hadn't asked... holy shit, you were just gonna let 'em track you to my hideout!

[he lets keigo go when the other man yells at him, and backs away, shaking his head as he drags his fingers through his hair. keigo isn't going to tell him the truth about it all. he's just going to keep twisting it around. this keeps getting worse and keigo is just standing here acting like dabi is the crazy one here. like he's the one out of line for asking for the basic truth.

what is he doing here? why is he still here with this lying hero? maybe he really is the crazy one for still not turning away and bringing keigo with him when it definitely seems like he has other motives.

he's never felt so betrayed in his life, and he realizes just how much his heart is in this too. it's why he can't walk away even now. god, these hero fucks really did a number on him. maybe this is exactly what keigo meant to do, and now he's won. dabi suddenly doesn't feel angry anymore. he just feels defeated.

it feels like the one good thing he was starting to have has been taken from him, and it wasn't even good. it was a lie.]

Here.

[he yanks his hoodie off and tosses it over to keigo, then his shirt. he knows there are no cameras or surveillance on them. it wouldn't make any sense to tag a t-shirt. and what does it matter anyway? keigo had a tracker on his wings this whole time. ]

If ya wanna lead 'em to me, just do it, Hawks. Just fuckin' do it. I'm goin' to my hideout. Just come with me and tell 'em to come too. We'll have a party. I mean, ya said Endeavor knows already anyways, right? So let 'em come. At leas the League'll be long gone by the time ya get to 'em.

[he turns and starts walking, heading towards his hideout. it's not far from here now. he's sure those army fuckers listening in on them and watching them know by now. maybe they'll already be there waiting.]

I did! I told you about it! I didn't fucking say it was a tracking device, but I joked before about being watched! You didn't react in any way, so I figured it was true that you put it on me!

[at this rate, he might as well pull out his damn phone and show it. it happened such a long time ago though. and it was said so offhandedly too. they were probably talking about more important things at the time.

probably another fight.]

The tracking device came before I realized we were being watched. I only discovered it was someone in the army a few days ago! The tracking has been on me since the day you brought me to Skeptic and Re-Destro. It happened after you left, and what was I supposed to do anyway? Just let them kill me right there because I refused their orders? They're in charge! And I didn't consider they could be behind any of this when they're some of the people highly against heroes!

[he shouts, pulling his wing forward so he can dig out the tracking device. he's trying to keep tears blinked back, trying to hold back his emotions because they had no room for him to start crying here. he even bites back the hiss of pain from tugging the device out hard, tossing it to the ground and stepping on it.

if it angered re-destro or skeptic, then so be it. did it even matter now? those two were so far against heroes, so why bother working with them?? it didn't make sense at all.

he finishes as dabi tosses his clothes at him. he grabs them, holding them tight while eyes focus on the villain. he's starting to retreat so keigo immediately follows in step, can't even bother to look through the clothes because he's far too focused on listening to dabi's remarks. each one stabs his chest and keigo isn't sure what to do from here. all it's coming out is that he's ruining dabi's life more and more, and there's probably more room to destroy the villain.

what can he do? what can he say?]

Dabi-just stop!

[he hurries in front of the villain, pressing his hands up to dabi's biceps to try and keep him still.]

I didn't-...I..The only thing I ever told them, was that there was an army and to be prepared. I didn't tell my handlers anything. I always repeated that I was still working. I was hired as a spy, but I didn't do any spy work. I didn't..I couldn't...

[he babbles, shaking his head. hurriedly then, he pushes the clothes back into dabi's arms.]

Just...go to your hideout. No one will find you if I don't go along, right? I can't do anything right here, and I'm just going to put you into danger. I'm sorry, Dabi. I want to be with you, I want to help, but I'm only going to get you and the others hurt or killed.

[he reaches into his pocket, taking out a flash-drive, something his feathers grabbed before he left. he also goes to push that to dabi too.]

There's all my files. You can..You can attack the heroes before they're ready. Just like you wanted. I came up with a plan for you to show the others-it's probably shit and maybe you'll destroy it, but it's all I can do. Just. Just hurry and go.

Ya joked about bein' watched.... ya really think that's tellin' me somethin' so important and crucial like this. Ya joked about this like ya did with everythin' else, huh?

[it would be insulting if keigo pulled out his phone and showed him some offhanded comment that wasn't ever meant to tell him or inform him of what was going on. just keigo trying to cover his tracks again.

but what does it matter anymore?]

What were ya supposed to do? Tell me. But I guess ya didn't even consider that part. That wasn't somethin' you were ever plannin' to do.

[he doesn't believe it anymore. he doesn't believe anything. he has nothing left inside of him to fight this either. he already sees what the truth of it was, and keigo just keeps digging himself into a deeper hole.

he stops when keigo runs out in front of him, looking at the other man dully. he pulls away when he's touched, though, body tensing up hard. he barely manages to catch his clothes when keigo shoves them at him, just watching keigo's face.

dabi had wanted to be with him. so badly that he went back for him. he wanted...

he stops thinking about it after that, realizing that this is probably it. keigo is shoving something else against him and he looks down at it as he takes it, feeling dizzy with the heat building up inside of him.]

You're givin' me a head start, huh? How generous of ya.

[he would have saved keigo. he would have killed those commission fuckers and got him away from there. they could have... no. keigo never wanted that in the first place, dabi is sure of that now. even now, when he's been trying to get them away, keigo did this. he burned his final bridge with dabi... for what? dabi is sure that it's because keigo really isn't on his side. that's why things went down like this.]

I should've known, right? Someone like you... ya never would've been with someone like me. Not by choice. Hope it was worth it for ya, hero. Hope ya know that this is what makes villains. What you're doin'? That's why we exist. Say hi to my dad for me.

[he shoves past Keigo and keeps going, ignoring the way blood streams down his face. they're all gonna die. he's going to kill every last one of them.]

[keigo shakes his head. he can't even explain it all because dabi is taking it all out of proportion. he's not sure how to even say it, or if there's anymore he can say. it doesn't seem to help and maybe he should have kept his mouth shut.

he'd at least get to remain with dabi in safety. but he can see how much this is affecting dabi, that the villain is on the verge of a breakdown, and he really needed to get back to the base. he had to be safe.

going with keigo would mean danger. the hero isn't trying to put them in any, but he somehow makes it all worst. he didn't deserve dabi. maybe he never did. the villain was so special to him, and keigo felt they could make it through all of this. it was a selfish thought. he even considered he'd be attacked and harmed immensely returning to the base, but it was worth it.

nothing he says or do can prove it. it wasn't like dabi could believe him. wouldn't either. he was a liar, a traitor.

maybe...he just kind of wished dabi had tried. but he can't blame him either. not after everything he's gone through.

as much as his heart pulls to go after dabi, to try and work it out, he was only going to get the man killed. it hurts beyond anything he's felt and keigo slides down to the ground, wrapping his arms around himself.]

I've..only wanted to be with you.

[he whispers brokenly and softly, and he's sure dabi is too far away to hear. it didn't matter. he's alone again. he would have to hide himself away, somewhere far away from this place. from there, he can figure out what to do.]

[ the crazy part is that keigo thinks dabi is the one blowing this out of proportion. as if he's the one making a big deal out of something so small. keigo has given him nothing but lies, bits and pieces of the truth just to get them where they were going, and then just stopped them in their tracks completely.

what else is dabi to think but that keigo either wasn't going to go along with him either way, or that now that his plans are thwarted, he's retreating? dabi did the one thing keigo had asked for. the one thing he wanted, and that dabi had prayed over and over again as a child that would happen to him. he went back for him. he wanted to save him. he would have protected him at the base, of course. and still there were so many lies and things keigo just hadn't told him about, that it made it impossible.

and to think that keigo thinks he hadn't tried. that he wasn't ready to push everything aside to try so damn hard, and still keigo put them in this position.

dabi knows he really has to let go now. he should have let go a long time ago, but he couldn't. he had found something in his heart again- something to fill even the tiniest bits of broken cracks, and now... now the darkness comes rushing back again.

he walks down the dark, quiet streets without thinking, finally coming upon his hideout. it's probably not safe here, but he can't go back to the base just yet. he can't be sure he isn't going to cause any kind of danger... and he just can't be there right now anyway, not when he's so devastated that he can barely breathe. he can barely keep it together.

in the end he doesn't manage to do so. with a yell of anguish, he burnst the entire building down, and then the next. he doesn't even care if there are people inside. why should he. he burns another after that, until he hears police and fire truck sirens from all directions and helicopters from above.

he'd light the whole city on fire if he could and kill himself in the process. he very nearly does, but there's still others he needs to kill first. he escapes in the sewers underground, burned and bleeding from overusing his Quirk. he sends a message to the League to get out, and then he passes out. ]

[keigo isn't sure how long he sits there. it feels both too long yet short. he has his arms wrapped around his knees, staring into nothingness. he isn't sure what to do from here at all. he needs to get away, but he can't even be bothered to do that yet.

he's still close to dabi's base. what if they found him? because of the hero?

keigo isn't sure how much more they can track him, but to be on the safe side, he uses a feather to stab into the middle of his cellphone. technology was always so fickle and easy to track, after all.

the sounds of an nearby explosion startles him from his empty thoughts. it isn't so much of an explosion but of a strong heat, and he can feel it, even from here. dabi. it has to be. immediately, keigo stands up, worried that a hero found him. did they really track the two of them here?

hurriedly, he heads to the exit of the alley where he can see people screaming and running. more and more, the fire burns. it takes over buildings nearby, and keigo can hear the screams of those caught in it. yet, he tries to find dabi in the mess. he does his best to send feathers out, to help where he can, but none of them can locate the villain. he's not the biggest fan of fire, far from it, but as he stares at the old hideout of the villain, keigo shakes. he could lose dabi here.

he might.

through the mass of people, keigo forces his way into the building, sending more feathers out, anything to try and find the villain. he can hear another building taking up in flames, so the villain has to be nearby. but the flames are so hot, burning his skin and wings, taking plenty of his feathers. when he thinks he officially has possibly lost dabi to a hero, one lone feather is able to find the villain, and keigo quickly forces the feather to attach to the villain.

he forces himself to find an exit, coughing as the flames begin to burn his lungs. with no nearby exits in place, keigo breaks a window, leaping through it and into an alley. it's still not safe, still the fire burns here, but he can force his way out, covering his mouth, eyes watering from the pain and smoke inhalation. all the feathers of his wings have been burned, even his hair has burnt from the backside. he can feel the base of his wings, still protected by his clothes. he'll deal with that later, too focused on finding and locating dabi.

feeling for his feather, keigo heads to a sewer, and once he can confirm that no one watches, he falls inside, stumbling as he lands. he spends a good few minutes coughing, trying to clear the smoke in his chest. it hurts to breathe, much less talk, so he can't call out to the villain, even if he wanted to. with his feather, he slowly starts to track dabi, until coming upon the heap of the villain, unconscious.

he's still unsure which hero was involved, if even was there. it doesn't matter to him. with the feather placed on dabi's body, he lifts up the villain, and slowly carries him, careful to not disrupt any possible injuries.

keigo isn't sure how long he walks for honestly, waits until he can't hear screaming for miles and miles. he's close to passing out, but the need to protect the villain outweighs his own pain. the hero quietly leaves the sewer, making sure they're far enough away. it's dark out, quiet. the lights of the area are dim. probably somewhere far east. all warehouses and abandoned buildings. carefully from here, keigo uses the feather to carry dabi up, and once checking for any prying eyes, takes them to a building hidden down two more streets. it's dark, with broken, tinted windows. gently, he lays dabi on an old couch there, placing the feather on the villain's chest, just so he can keep a feel for him.

as a hero, he keeps a small set of first aid on him. he uses the little products to wrap up some of the burns and injuries on dabi's body, and once he can confirm no one around their position to the best of his ability, keigo curls near the wall, hoping if someone opened the door there, the vibration would disrupt him. but he can't keep his eyes opened any longer. the burns hurt, and his throat was on fire. it would take three days for his feathers to form back too. they were helpless for now.

if luck is on their side though, perhaps no one noticed him.]

[ dabi is out of it the whole time. there are moments when something comes into a blur of thought, but it's nothing significant enough to wake him. a dangerous thing, but he figured he hid himself away enough when he passed.

when he wakes, he's in pain, but it's not any more than his usual. in fact, maybe even less... he feels numb in some parts of his limbs that he hadn't felt numb before. but that isn't the part that gets him. it's where he wakes.

it's dark and dingy, but it's definitely not a sewer. it's far too soft and doesn't stink as much. he sits up with a start, hissing a bit, but pushes past it so he can look around to see where he is. that's when he notices the bandages around his arms and torso... what the fuck?

he looks around, gaze falling on the figure against the wall. he narrows his eyes to try and see, but he realizes he's having trouble with that too. what the fuck.

but then he notices the red feather in his lap, and his gaze slides back to the figure on the floor. ]

...Keigo?

[keigo dreams of blue fire and smoke, of anguish to losing something dear. it's like a nightmare without terrifying him. it makes the evening rough, but he does manage to get some sleep.

the sensitivity to his lone feather does somewhat stir the hero a bit. but the voice is what fully wakes him up. immediately, golden eyes snap open and he moves forward, ends up slipping from the ache in his back. pushing it off, he half-stumbles, half-crawls to dabi's figure.

he's naturally worried that the villain will overdo it with his injuries, so he opens his mouth, with every intent to tell dabi to relax, and-

immediately, a strong and sharp pain is there at his throat and he realizes it's coming from trying to talk. he presses a hand there, trying to calm the sensation down. it takes a moment, so he tries to examine the injuries on dabi's arms instead one-handed. mentally, he notes they'll need more gauze. maybe some ointment. the villain outdid himself with his flames last night.

he shouldn't move too much either. dabi must be completely exhausted.

he can't tell verbally explain it, so he tries pressing down on the villain's shoulder softly, to not disrupt any more injuries.]

[ keigo is at his side so quickly that it almost makes him dizzy. or maybe that's his body telling him it's overworked and stressed. he burned so much of the city tonight. he wonders if the fires are still blazing bright.

it's hard to see, but he can still sense that something's wrong. keigo is moving strangely, and doesn't make a sound. maybe it's his vision playing tricks on him again, but he doesn't see any flashes of bright red wings. ]

What are ya...

[he starts, but he's winded, and then keigo presses at his shoulder and dabi falls easily back against the couch with another pained sound. but he reaches out anyway, grabbing at the arm that is trying to examine him, fingers curling loosely around the other man's wrist.]

What happened?

[dabi's reaction earns a curious look from the hero. can he not see the burn marks on keigo's body and clothes? maybe something was wrong with the villain's eyes?

if that's true, their situation became even more sticky.

dabi has never used this kind of firepower around him before. it gets keigo worried and fretting. he has some eyedrops on him, to be used in case of an emergency like dirt or dust. he doesn't want to harm dabi's eyes further though...

they both needed a doctor, unfortunately. and keigo couldn't exactly take dabi up to see one.

in the midst of his fretting, he feels the hand around his wrist and looks up, not realizing he averted his gaze. he doesn't have a phone to use to translate what he wants to say either. he has to start out small here, explain where he can.

he takes the hand softly with his and presses it to his neck, where his flesh is burned and sensitive. keigo hasn't dressed it. it's this instance he kind of wishes dabi had a cold quirk, just so he could cool down the sensitive flesh there. nonetheless, he's hoping it's maybe enough to explain his quietness.]

[it's dark in here,enough where he might not be able to see properly anyway, but its even worse at this point. There are times when Dabi is pretty sure he's burning up all his nerve endings, but maybe he really is frying his brain, too.

Keigo still doesn't respond, and Dabi wonders if someone might be listening, but then he feels the burns on the very tips of his fingers, all along Keigo's neck, and he tries to sit up again.]

You're burned. You're fuckin' burned. There was a fire?

[was it his fire? It all feels hazy in his head.]

Ah, fuck... My head. Were we together?

[keigo quickly frets, shaking his head despite dabi’s obvious sight issues. but the villain is trying to sit up and he can’t have that. dabi needed to relax while they were safe.

with all that fire, there was going to be a bigger manhunt for the villain. and keigo can’t properly protect until his feathers are restored.

his eyebrows furrow though, as dabi asks about the fire. it was so big, how could he not remember it? amnesia? if keigo had any feathers left on his wings, they’d certainly would be coming off from the fretting.

he does need to explain it better. dabi has his questions and so does keigo.

after pushing down dabi to rest again, the hero starts to search for the villain’s phone. he taps along dabi’s pockets, hoping maybe he’ll understand what keigo was doing. he isn’t trying to grope him purposely here after all.]

[Dabi can't imagine he's in worse shape than Keigo is. He's dealt with burns before- all his life, actually. He really doubts Keigo has taken care of his own.

But it doesn't take much to get him to lay back down. His brain feels so fuzzy, he knows this is worse than usual. But Keigo is here. At least Keigo is here and they can figure this out together. ]

What about you? Your burns... Kei, ya gotta treat those burns. I'll be fine.

[He feels the other man feeling around and he gets it, fishing his phone out and handing it over. He has a really bad feeling about this. All of this. Why is everything so hazy in his head?]

We gotta get you help...

[he mutters quietly.]

[all keigo thinks about is that if hasn’t found dabi, if he didn’t follow him to the sewer, then the villain would be far worst off. there’s something going on with his eyes, and they needed to fix it. he didn’t want the villain to suffer even more. he’s gone though so much.

at least the villain lays down. it gets a relieved look from the hero. he even almost smiles when dabi understands him and produces the phone. instead of the smile, he squeezes dabi’s upper arm in gratitude before taking the phone so he can download a voice app.

his eyebrows furrow like earlier when dabi brings up getting help involved. he’d agree, but only because he wants dabi to receive help. it was going to be hard moving both of them. keigo really needed his feathers.

trying not to focus so much on that, he quickly types up a question, hitting the audio function after.]

Your eyes? Can you see at all?

[trying to piece it all together is something he knows he needs to do, but he's so tired. He feels so drained. Not only that, but he's damn worried about Keigo and he knows how stubborn his stupid bird can be.]

Where are we?

[he mutters that as well, because he can't stop the questions from forming, even though he knows Keigo isn't speaking. How did things get so bad?

Luckily Keigo is smart enough to find a voice app and Dabi turns his head towards him, trying to take in whatever details he can.]

I... It's hazy. My whole fuckin' head. Can't see anythin' clear.

Warehouse near the fishing ports.

[keigo had made sure he had carried dabi that far. he didn't want the villain caught. the hero could handle it being taken away, but he'd be broken apart to lose dabi to tartarus. or worst. no. he wouldn't let dabi die either.

when the villain answers his question, keigo looks at him worriedly. he's not sure if it's good or not. could dabi be affected by smoke inhalation? given the damage of new burns, keigo can safely say that dabi's own fire affects him greatly. he wonders why. he also is worried that they need to see someone about them.

there was that shady doctor, right? keigo can't help but grimace inwardly at the thought of either of them going to him. not without his feathers. he had to protect dabi, who can't see.]

I have eye drops on me. You need a doctor though. I'm worried you'll go blind if we don't get help.