THERE WERE SIRENS IN THE BEAT OF YOUR HEART

THERE WERE SIRENS IN THE BEAT OF YOUR HEART

dabi x reader x hawks

after running away and living a life of crime with touya, you’re approached by your former flame hawks. you’re faced with the decision to save the world, or the love of your life.

part 1/3

for! @bbluefllame @whenanafallsinlove @satirediary

inspired by getaway car, some ciwyw if you squint

on a hot summer night, walking home to your apartment, you wrote off takami keigo in your head as a pompous asshole. the one who still made sure you got home safe but insisted it was just ‘him being a hero’ and nothing more.

it was one of those nights that you almost wished something would happened. you were beyond exhausted, the screaming match you had with your ex boyfriend taking your everything. it was one of those breakups that just seemed to happen. no foreshadowing, no signs, and no warning. one day, he loved you, and couldn’t shut up about marriage, and the next he packed your things for you.

“you need more than me.” he insisted, repeating it like that was somehow going to stop your tears. he was leaning back against the counter, looking around his apartment. he seemed to savour the clean and organized look, knowing that in just a few days it would look like a disaster without you there.

“i don’t get it, kei.” you choke back a sob, gathering your things already packed into suitcases. “you let me choose a ring last week.”

just seeing you cry makes him want to take it all back, scarlet red feathers drooping by his side. he has no excuse. he loves you, but has to let you go. he’s exhausted, and can’t give you what you need.

if he didn’t no any better he’d marry you anyway. but he’s seen how easy it is to be trapped behind the ring in his own childhood.

he wants to set you free, free from him and everything he can’t give you. but the coward in every men keeps him from admitting that. so instead, he sighs, choking back tears and insisting he knows whats best for you.

“fine. bye.” you finally give up, shedding your armour and sword that fought so hard to keep your relationship afloat. as you dragged your luggage to the door, you paused.

say don’t go. please.

and he’s silent as you leave.

the night you left hawks, was also the day you met touya.

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the walk was long. your, dazed heartbroken state was almost enough to let you ignore the heaving, bleeding man in the alleyway. almost.

hesitantly, you stepped into the dark corridor, looking at the boy who was half-awake. there was some kind of blade lodged into his hip bone. based on his appearance, you’d assume he had difficulty feeling pain anyway. but its hard not to notice when a large blade is trying to swap places with your blood.

you want to turn around. maybe call the police. but you relent, almost with a groan.

“uhm… are you okay?”

blue eyes flicker up to you, with a hint of annoyance.

“i’m great, sweetheart.” he heaves, wiping the blood from his chin. you probably should turn back, but you step closer.

“you’re bleeding..” you point out.

he looks down at the blood staining his jacket, and almost laughs. “wow, really? thanks doc.”

what a dick. you think to yourself with a sigh as you sling his arm over your shoulder. he makes a noise that almost sounds like a protest, but a man who plays with fire is a man who doesn’t fear death.

so you take him back to your apartment, sitting him down on the bathroom floor with a thud. he thinks to himself that he’ll wait till your distracted, and jump out the window. but the major blood loss wasn’t helping his escape efforts.

its at this point that you truly begin to freak out. you, who has only a vague idea of what needs to be done, has a stranger bleeding out on your washroom floor.

and your fiance-to-be dumped you. what a night.

you whine to yourself, dropping onto your knees and gripping the knife. you look at him with tear filled eyes, and he looks right back at you. slowly, you remove the knife by whats probably a centimetre.

and you both yell out in pain.

“fuck, i’m sorry, i-‘’ you almost cry, not knowing what the hell you got yourself into. you expect him to laugh, or to tell you off, and in a way he does. he throws his head back, trying to stay awake while you grip the knife thats causing him this turmoil.

“..you can do it. c’mon.” he bites hit burnt bottom lip, urging you to continue. you push through, wincing at his strangled groans as you slowly extract the knife from his side.

“i’m sorry. i’m sorry.” you whisper, about halfway done. his breathing is ragged, but his eyes remain locked onto you.

someone he doesn’t know. someone who doesn’t know him. who’s maybe seen him on the news, for all his atrocities, is trying to save his life.

although you’re doing a shitty job at it.

you’re almost done when he relents. he places his scared, stapled hand over yours. he firmly holds your hand over the knife, and swiftly removes it.

you both sigh in relief, though theres a bigger problem now.

you waste no time, getting your sewing kit from underneath the sink and threading the hole (despite your anxiety ridden state. he could almost applaud.)

this part hurts less, as you carefully stitch his skin back together. he may still be bleeding internally, and he may still need to receive further attention. but for now, you’re taking care of him.

with one final pass of the needle, he’s fixed. you drop your hands to the floor with a huff, while his hazy turquoise eyes look at you with a look you can’t quite decipher.

so there you sat, in a pool of blood, with a stranger who’s life you just saved right after leaving your ex-fiance.

that was the night you met touya todoroki.

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the world knew dabi. they knew the bloodthirsty arsonist, who’s skin was held together by metal and whose heart was frozen over like an eternal winter. they knew the man who could cremate you alive, who’s blue flames were a sign of immediate danger.

you, however, had the privilege of knowing (and subsequently loving) touya.

touya loved autumn. he loved the crunchy leaves and the brisk air that contrasted with his quirk. he loved little action figures, of all the heroes he hoped to one day be like. he loved soba. he loved his mom. he loved his siblings.

key word: loved.

he didn’t lose that love per say, but if it was still there, it was buried deep between promises of vengeance and salvation.

most of all, touya loves you.

he’s never the type to say it out loud. but he will show you.

he shows it when he breaks into the florist you talk so much about and hands you a crude bouquet of roses, saying he saw it on tv somewhere. he shows it in his careful care to hide your existence away from the league and away from the media, knowing he could very well be what endangers you the most. he shows it when fixes the leak you didn’t even know was there, when he replaces your empty shampoo bottles, when he makes you coffee (though its terrible, he never gets the milk and cream right) and when he stares at the stab-scar you stitched up for him.

touya shows you that he loves you when he reminds you, once again, that you don’t need to save him.

but.

“..will you run away with me?”

you smile.

“yes.”

and for once in the world, it seems like you and touya found the best of all crimes. the single strike of a match blew your mind. you went from dating heroes who broke your heart, to villains who love you like you’re brand new.

the tiniest part of you, however, still thinks about keigo. your keigo. but you’re able to push that down, all until that night came.

it was the night before you agreed to make your great escape with touya. it would be perfect. you’d pack the car and drive off to some city you couldn’t pronounce. you’d live on, maybe rob a store or two just for the fun of it. you’d be happy because its him.

your daydreaming is interrupted by your lack of sleep.

you’re staring out the balcony, just admiring the moon while touya’s arm was lazily draped around you. he’s a surprisingly heavy sleeper, despite his lack of trust and loved ones.

he felt a wave of peace and contentment wash over him as he slept beside you, your body pressed against his in a tangle of limbs and sheets. he’s constantly pulling you closer in his sleep, his arms encircling you like he’s protecting you. for the first time in his life, he felt completely safe. love is what kept him safe.

but you’re restless, and you need air. so you carefully untangle yourself from his arm, and quietly head out to the balcony.

the cool, night air serenaded you in a way that only isolation would understand. you’re worried about this. worried about touya.

was this really the solution? is he still a villain even after loving you?

do you care?

would keigo get it?

well, maybe he would, considering he’s standing next to you, perched on the balcony railing.

you stifle a curse at his sudden appearance, careful not to wake your sleeping boyfriend inside. he places a gloved finger to his lips, signalling for you to be quiet.

you honestly should scream. but its like he still has that hold on you.

“holy shit. what are you doing here!?”’ you whisper-yell at him, having half a mind to push his winged ass off the railing. he holds his hands up in surrender.

“just checking on you, babe.” he says, that familiar nickname pissing you off and making your heart throb all at once. you grit your teeth.

“relax, i’m not here to arrest you or anything.” he explains, stepping down from the railing and onto the balcony. “i just wanna talk.”

you cross your arms, mentally slapping yourself for even thinking about going outside onto this balcony ever again.

“fine. spill it.” you hiss.

keigo leans against the balcony railing, his demeanor casual yet cautious as he speaks to you.

“you know, I never expected you'd end up with dabi. I always thought you had better taste." theres almost a playful smirk on his face, and you’re not sure if its hate or hatred-filled-unresolved-feelings that makes you want to smack him.

so you remind him of the obvious. “you broke up with me, kei.”

he lets out a small sigh, his smirk satisfyingly faltering at the reminder. “i… i know babe. i won’t forget it… but i still care about you.”

you click your tongue in frustration, placing both your hands on the railing and looking out at the stars.

“then why did you end things the way you did? one second you love me and want to marry me, the next you have all your things packed up.”

you almost tear up, recounting the moments you went from your first kiss, to marriage, to walking out of his apartment alone. you two were starry eyed kids, embroidering the memories of each other onto your hearts.

he almost wants to cry too.

keigo’s expression turns remorseful, his eyes avoiding yours like the coward in every man does.

"i don't know. i just... realized that i couldn't give you what you needed." he admits like confessing to a crime, his voice heavy with guilt.

“at the time.. i thought it would be better to let you go, let you find someone who could give you everything you deserved. i didn’t wanna cage you. i wanted you to be free, birdie.”

you sigh, and consider your ex-lovers words. maybe he was right. but this topic was becoming too painful for you to bare.

“but thats not why you’re here, is it?” you whisper.

he sighs again, realizing he’s already gotten distracted. he shakes his head.

keigo takes a deep breath, steeling himself as he prepares to say the words he knew he has to say.

"i’m here to ask you to bring dabi in." *he states, his voice steady and firm, despite the hint of regret in his eyes. he knows how much this’ll hurt you, and he hates it.

you blink.

“…what?”

keigo reaches out, gently placing a hand on your shoulder as if trying to provide you with comfort or even just reassurance.

"i know you care about him- hell, you may even love him, but you have to see that what he’s doing is wrong. he needs to face the consequences of his actions."

and there it is. theres keigo being a hero again. and its breaking your heart in the worst possible way.

you look down, your lip beginning to tremble.

fact: touya was a criminal.

fact: touya was a murderer.

fact: you love him.

you knew it was wrong, hearing sirens and his heartbeat all the same. you had to have known it would catch up to you eventually.

but you thought maybe, you could drive away from all of it. wishful thinking.

keigo notices this turmoil, and rubs his hand up and down your back. he may have lost you, but he hasn’t lost how much he cares for you. he hates seeing you like this.

“i love him.” you whisper, voice cracking as that familiar salt streams down your face.

he nods, pushing down his jealousy in order to put you first. his heart aches as you confess your love for the criminal, mostly because he wondered if some of that love could still be for him.

“i know you do, babe.” he starts. “but love alone can't justify or excuse his actions. nothing can.”

you nod, forcing yourself to come to terms with it. he pulls you into a hug, and you don’t fight him. his embrace is familiar, something you find yourself wanting to run to more and more. he places a kiss to your forehead, letting his lips sit there while he whispers to you that its okay. (its not.)

“if love could save people, we’d live forever.” he says, stroking your hair. you agree with him, granting him a small nod.

he steels himself once more, knowing he has to get you to say yes. but before he can press further, you ask:

“…how many people are gonna die?”

keigo pausesfor a moment, his expression grave as he considers your question. he didn't want to give you a number, a tangible representation of the destruction touya could cause, but he knew he owed you honesty.

"hundreds, probably. maybe thousands, with the way his power works. and that's just counting the civilian casualties. the list of Pro Heroes he could potentially take down... it's not a pretty picture." he confesses, knowing he owes you the truth and nothing less.

still pressed against his chest, your eyes wander back to touya, peacefully asleep on the bed. if you could capture the rare moment tranquility touya was feeling right now, you would. its something he rarely ever felt, and something you wished you could grant him a lifetime of.

“its his life of the life of thousands.” you whisper, not even daring to say it louder.

keigo hates that its come to this. he feels like a failure, to you and to touya, that he was driven to this point of villainy. but he can’t undo whats been done.

his amber eyes watch you as your gaze flickers back to where touya sleep. his heart breaks at the conflict on your face. he continues to hold you close, though he knows these words will likely push you away further.

"you can't choose him, babe… the lives of thousands... the fate of the whole city... that's more important than what you feel for one person. you know that. you have to know that.”

more tears fall as keigo pulls back slightly, cupping your face and calling your attention to him. but you don’t want to listen, instead opting to pull away. your hand lands on the balcony door, back to your hotel room.

but right before, you turn around, and silently give keigo a nod.

he remains silent, but his eyes understand as he takes off into the night.

the pain that swells in your heart increases as you lay back down next to touya. he unconsciously wraps his arm around you, pulling your body closer to his as he continues to sleep. even in his deep slumber, his instincts seem to sense that something is bothering you, as though his body naturally seeks to comfort you.

“i love you.” you whisper, choking back your sob as you screw your eyes shut. he’s is still fast asleep, his breathing slow and steady, but you can feel his grip tighten slightly around you as if he heard your whispered confession. a shy hint of a smile graces his lips, even in his unconscious state.

it wasn’t such a mystery, and neither of you could pretend it was. nothing good starts in a getaway like this.

if i think about this too much i will sob my heart out

was having this discussion with my bsf and i want another opinion: SOUR or GUTS?

personalllyyyyyyyy, i like guts more 🤍🫧🫧 but they’re both such good albums. for me its kinda like folklore and evermore where folklore is better album but evermore has better songs (cuz folklore is one story while evermore is a collection of short stories) idk if im making sense anyway 😭😭

NGL you lost me when you said evermore has better songs than folklore 😭😭 definitely guts over sour though!! I feel like guts is more refined and cohesive than sour and I just personally prefer music that leans toward rock!!

thinking about shouto naming his first son touya. hear me out.

he has a lot of really complicated feelings towards his family, specifically his eldest brother. he never really knew him as a brother, more so as a murderer or a villain. any chances he had to truly know touya and not dabi had been burned away in the ashes of their childhood.

he wishes he could have done something. maybe he could have had a brother. (rip natsuo but you get what i mean)

he’s laying next to your swollen belly, his hand just gently resting overtop feeling the life inside. when he brings up the name suggestion to you, you’re quick to point out the obvious- that touya was, in fact a criminal, an arsonist, and a murderer. and shouto understands that better than anyone. however.

he doesn’t want to name his son after a criminal. no, not at all. he wants to name his son after his brother, the memory of who he was before the world ruined him. he wants to remember touya todoroki, the boy who just wanted to please his father, who was so excited about his quirk, who probably did love his family, even just a little bit.

he couldn’t save touya. he couldn’t save the life that could have been. and he’ll never fully forgive himself for that. but if he can’t save his brother, he’ll save his name.

he’s determined to.

oh and that gap in my resume is when i was digging my own grave