Chapter Text
Touya had heard it before, but it never quite set in until it happened to him.
He could now say with complete confidence that, yes, breakups fucking sucked.
And all of his mornings sucked, because his coffee sucked, because he was still drinking the same iced coffee that Geten would always get for him.
It had been part of their morning ritual. Touya would make their lunches while Geten would stop by the nearest coffee shop to get their drinks. He’d trade his bento for the cup of coffee and a kiss, then they’d go their separate ways for work.
It was cold and bitter, just like Geten. But Touya liked it enough… for a time. It was just what he’d always been handed, so that’s what he drank.
Now, it stung his tongue and made him nearly gag.
“Well, what do you want instead?” Himiko had asked with a huff as she crossed her arms.
“I don’t fucking know,” Touya growled. “There’s so much complicated and stupid flavored shit now that has more sugar than caffeine. I don’t want fucking cavities, I just want to stay awake.”
“Then go get it yourself. Ask the barista for a recommendation or something, so you can stop being such a whiny bitch in the mornings.”
So he did— well, tried.
When Touya stepped into the coffee shop the next day, he was thrust into a crowd of chaos. The cacophony of sounds was immediately jarring compared to the peaceful morning walk to the shop he’d had. Blenders whirred, paper bags rustled, microwaves beeped. Dozens of idle conversations and orders being placed made it hard to even think.
It was far too busy for Touya to consider bothering a frazzled barista with his stupid request for a new drink.
“Good morning, Dabi,” the cashier greeted. “What can I get for you?”
He managed a tired smile. “Just a tall iced coffee, please.”
She entered his order and Touya paid before carefully weaving through the crowd to stand near the waiting area.
He pulled out his phone and skimmed through the news page. It must’ve been a slow morning for crime (good), but that meant they needed additional content (bad)— and so, he saw a headline that made his heart drop into his stomach.
‘Iceman and Dabi: Trouble in Paradise?’
Touya sighed. He knew he couldn’t escape the media’s suspicions forever. They’d been a pretty attractive couple, according to the public. Both sporting beautiful light hair and bright eyes, the reporters always loved to try to get a money shot of them together.
He rubbed at the back of his neck as he clicked the link to the article.
‘Numerous reports have come in of movers being spotted outside of the couples’ estate. Furniture and boxes were being taken out of the house, leading sources to believe someone is moving out. Has the couple hit a snag in their relationship?’
Touya supposed that was one way to put it.
He also supposed it wouldn’t be long before Iceman would be making the news again in the coming weeks.
“Dabi?” a voice called out.
Touya locked his phone and glanced up, expecting someone wanting an autograph or a photo. What he saw was… no one, actually. Then, something was moving to the side of his head and he turned to look at it.
A cup of coffee with his hero name scrawled on it was floating near the hand that was still on his neck. He blinked, taking the cup as he furrowed brows, and saw a red feather still hovering in the same spot.
Touya finally caught sight of the barista at the pick-up counter. It was hard to miss him, now that the crowd had dispersed somewhat, and he could see the large wings and tousled blond hair. He was busy preparing another order, but Touya raised his cup in thanks to the other baristas that could see him.
The hero took a sip of his drink. Icy. Bitter. Perfectly made, yet absolutely disgusting. He made a blegh noise under his breath as he turned to leave.
“Excuse me, Dabi!”
Touya looked back, seeing the winged barista waving a hand and locking eyes with him. The feather that had still been floating next to him zipped back to him, returning to a spot within his wing.
“Is your drink not right?” he asked.
Touya raised his drink to his eye level to look at it. “No, it is.”
“Do you not like it?”
He despised it, actually. But he needed the caffeine and wanted to get out of the damn crowd, so he flashed a kind smile. “It’s as I ordered, thank you.”
The barista nodded as Touya stepped through the exit and out into the brisk morning, once again enveloped by a chill inside and out.
“Couldn’t help but notice you’re still a bitch today.”
“Toga, I swear—”
“Why did you get the same drink? What was the point?”
Touya gave an exasperated sigh as he dug the heel of his palm between his eyes. “Because it’s fucking busy in there and I just wanted to get my caffeine and get out.”
“Touya, for the love of god,” Tenko groaned.
“Why is everyone on my case about a fucking coffee?”
“It’s not just the coffee,” Himiko said, reaching to pet Touya’s forearm. “It’s, well… your ex, too.”
“What does Geten have to do with this?”
Himiko glanced at Tenko, who rolled his eyes with a sigh.
“You’re stuck,” he grumbled. “You need to break out of whatever this is. And you can start by getting a different fucking drink that doesn’t make you remember him.”
Touya glared at the ground, his temperature spiking. He sipped the last of his terrible iced coffee with a trembling hand before he ignited the flaming strips on his hero costume. Himiko pulled back and stepped away when Touya tossed his empty cup in the sidewalk’s garbage can.
“I will,” he muttered. “Eventually.”
Touya sparked flames at his feet as he prepared to jump into the air.
“It’s not as busy at night,” Himiko offered. “Maybe try going after patrol?”
Touya pretended not to hear, letting the hurt and anger fuel the flames that shot him toward the sky.
Thankfully, he had the next day off. Touya slept in and opted for a morning soda instead of an iced coffee. Then, he tried to unpack.
He’d been in his new apartment for two weeks already, yet everything was still in boxes. His mattress was on the ground of his bedroom while the bed frame leaned against the wall. The futon they’d had in a spare room was now his living room couch, stiff and uncomfortable. He had dishes and utensils in a box somewhere, but disposable ones were set out on the kitchen counter in the meantime. They were easier.
Unpacking boxes turned into unpacking emotions, which he was not equipped to deal with at the moment (or ever, preferably).
Instead, Touya took a hot shower. He was technically supposed to take cold ones. They helped relieve his skin of the constant risk of burning and scarring from his hero work.
Cold showers. Cold weather. Cold drinks. Cold touches. Cold heart.
He was so fucking sick of the cold.
He wanted hot. He wanted scorching. He wanted to burn.
Touya sat in the shower after he turned off the faucet. He let his temperature rise slowly, causing the water to steam off of his body, dissipating in the air around him. The urge to go hotter crept under his skin like an itch.
He indulged.
Small, blue flames licked at his forearms, crawling up to his shoulders. They grew taller, brighter. Feeling the heat swell around him, hearing the crackles and sizzling by his ears— it felt so good.
Then he smelled burnt fabric and shut it all off.
He yanked the shower curtain down, the rod clanging against the tile as he stomped out his flames. Ash clung to his feet when the fire subsided, leaving him with a very unusable shower curtain.
“Great,” Touya grumbled.
When he finished cleaning up the mess and getting dressed, the sun was already setting. He left the bare apartment to head for the store. Touya passed the coffee shop and couldn’t help but glance through the windows.
It wasn’t nearly as busy as the previous morning. Hell, there wasn’t even anyone waiting for a coffee. The people he did see were sitting at the tables, chatting with friends or engrossed in their computer screens. Someone exited the building as he passed and the wafting smell of coffee carried over to Touya’s nostrils.
Alright, maybe he could stop in after he’d bought what he needed.
He returned to the coffee shop after twenty minutes, carrying a plastic bag with a new shower curtain in it. When he walked inside, his ears weren’t assaulted with the sounds of blenders and names being called out left and right. He could actually hear the soft music playing on the overhead speakers.
As he stepped over to the counter, he looked up at the menus and frowned. Cold foam this, salted that; caramel and chocolate drizzles, hazelnut and raspberry syrups. Jesus Christ. What happened to regular-ass coffee?
“I’ll be right with you,” a familiar voice sounded.
Touya glanced at the swinging door behind the counter, which was being propped open by a few feathers. The barista grunted as he shoved something heavy along the floor. Then he shook out his wings and walked into the bar area, pushing back his bangs with a smile.
As he came closer, Touya was able to give him a quick once-over. His wings were the tallest part of him, fluffy and red. His blond hair was mostly kept out of his face by an elastic band, save for the longer bangs that seemed to flop forward of their own accord. His skin was sunkissed with a smattering of freckles.
But his eyes were what drew his attention. Golden like fresh honey.
And warm.
“Welcome back,” he said. “Another iced coffee for you?”
“Please, no,” Touya groaned. The barista (whose name tag he could finally see— ‘Keigo’) blinked before laughing behind his hand. His nose wrinkled as he did, showcasing the freckles along his cheeks.
“So I was right. You didn’t like it.”
“I don’t know if I ever liked the damn thing, to be honest.”
Keigo hummed, leaning forward to glance up at the menus. “Do you see anything else that looks good?”
Yes, he did. But Keigo wasn’t listed there.
“Listen,” Touya muttered. “I don’t know the first thing about these drinks. I just want plain caffeine in the morning, that’s it. None of that chocolate sprinkled raspberry crunch bullshit.”
“Well, that helps to narrow down your choices,” Keigo smiled. “Would you still like a cold one?”
“No. I’m not… super fond of the cold anymore.” Touya pretended to study the pastry case, despite it being mostly empty since it was near closing time.
“I did hear about that,” Keigo said, his voice softer; less customer service and more genuine. When Touya looked back at him, the blond’s empathetic eyes matched his warm tone as he continued, “I’m sorry.”
Touya held the inhale in his chest until it ached. He finally released it with a halfhearted smile. “It is what it is.”
“Alright, so a plain hot drink with caffeine, yeah?” Touya gave a nod and Keigo sent out a few feathers to rummage through ingredients as he tapped his chin in thought. “I think I have something in mind.”
Keigo turned around and got to work making the drink. Touya placed his bag on one of the nearby tables, sitting in the chair next to it. He studied the decorated walls— exposed brick on the columns, artificial tea lights over tables, framed photographs of coffee beans and latte art hanging on the walls. Paired with the gentle background noise of calm conversations at other tables and the idle humming from Keigo as he worked, Touya was overcome with a sense of warmth that didn’t originate from within.
A feather carried a clear, glass mug over to him. He carefully took it, immediately pleased by the steam rising from its translucent contents. It didn’t smell like coffee, though. Touya glanced up to see Keigo leaning over the counter, chin resting on his propped-up hand with a smile.
Touya gripped the mug with both hands and carefully blew over the liquid. Then, he took a sip.
Oh, shit.
It was tea with a spicy, almost earthy taste. It washed over his tongue and slid down his throat, leaving the same, comforting warmth in its wake. There was a small aftertaste of something sweet.
His eyebrows nearly hit his hairline.
“Chai tea with a little bit of honey,” Keigo said. “Do you like it?”
“It’s… great,” Touya exhaled. He took another drink, letting his eyes slip shut as the heat blossomed and spread from the center of his chest. “Would’ve never thought to ask for tea at a coffee shop.”
“You’d be surprised what all they have us carry nowadays,” Keigo chuckled. He recalled the feather to give it a small paper bag to take back to Touya. “Take one of these, too.”
Touya glanced in the bag to see a dark chocolate-drizzled biscotti. “What do I owe you?”
“You weren’t satisfied with your drink yesterday, so consider this a remake. Plus a little treat, on the house,” Keigo smiled, leaning his cheek onto his hand. “I would’ve had to throw it out tonight, anyway.”
For the first time in a few weeks, Touya felt his lips curl into a smile without needing to force it.
“Aww, he can smile!” Keigo laughed before turning to head back through the swinging door. “Enjoy your tea, Dabi.”
Touya stayed at his table— sipping his tea, munching his biscotti, scrolling through his phone, and answering a few emails he’d been putting off. The atmosphere was so relaxing, and as the remaining guests filtered out while he was preoccupied, it took a few feathers fluttering around him to finally draw his attention.
He glanced at the time on his phone. Holy shit, it was ten o’clock. What time did he even come in? How long had he been sitting there?
“Closing time, mister hero,” he heard Keigo call.
A few feathers turned chairs upside-down to hang on table tops, while others took Touya’s empty glass to the sink and his trash to the garbage can. Touya stood just in time before his chair was also put up. He grabbed his plastic bag and looked around.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stay so late,” Touya said. Keigo stepped out from behind the bar, his apron having been replaced by a garishly-patterned jacket.
“Don’t apologize,” Keigo smiled. “That’s part of the coffee shop charm. I’d’ve let you stay longer, but my boss would probably fire me if I locked someone in here.”
Touya chuckled. “It’s fine, I’m going.”
He headed toward the exit. One by one, the lights in the shop turned off. Keigo was behind him when he pushed open the door. He pulled out a set of keys, the last of his feathers zipping out through the door’s crack to reattach to his wing before he closed and locked it.
“Is it… always that chill around here at night?” Touya asked.
“Weekends are a little dicey, but yes, most of the time it’s pretty chill,” Keigo said, pocketing the keys and his hands. “Why? You wanna come hang out with me some more, Dabi?”
Touya was grateful that it was dark outside, so Keigo couldn’t see what he assumed to be a blush dusting his cheeks. “You can call me Touya… when I’m not working.”
Keigo’s eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment from the distant streetlamps. “I’m honored. You can call me Keigo.”
Touya’s heart seemed to flutter, much like the blond’s wings did before they tucked close to his back.
“Well, I’m beat. I’ll see you later… Touya.”
He nodded, waving a hand before turning in the direction of his apartment. Touya mumbled under his breath, “Thank you, Keigo.”
Touya stopped by the coffee shop a lot more often than he’d care to admit to anyone.
He’d gone in there a few times when Keigo wasn’t working. The other baristas were friendly and the environment was still relaxing. His tea was usually fine, too, but it didn’t taste as… special?
Which didn’t make sense to him. Tea was tea.
But when Keigo prepared it, Touya swore it was always the best thing he’d ever drank.
He was sitting at his usual table near the back, out of the way enough from the flow of foot-traffic. It was early afternoon and Touya was sipping his tea while typing away at his phone, mentally preparing for his evening patrol. He got an email notification from his realtor who’d been helping him get his old house ready to list for sale.
‘Touya,
Everything has been cleared out and the cleaners have gone through. If you’re still set on not hiring stagers, then the house is ready to list now.
Let me know!’
The hero scratched into the back of his hair.
He didn’t want to see the house staged like something that it wasn’t. Like something happy and optimistic; warm and inviting. To him, the house was none of those things. All the more reason for him to want to sell it. Someone else could make their own memories there.
And Touya could forget his.
He typed a short response— ‘Go ahead and list it. Thank you.’
“Heyo! Sorry I’m late!”
Touya glanced up at the familiar voice, feeling his heart skip a beat when he saw Keigo.
The weather was chillier and the blond had opted to wear an oversized, pastel blue sweater. When the door closed behind him, his wings puffed up as he shook the cold out of them and tugged the sleeves up to his elbows.
Blue looked amazing on him. The tint of pink on his nose and cheeks from the cold made his smile seem so much brighter. It was cold outside and dreary inside, but Keigo’s sunny disposition was enough to make it feel like the brightest day of summer.
Touya had to remember how to breathe after a second.
Keigo was about to head behind the counter when he spotted Touya. His eyes seemed to immediately brighten as he grinned and waved.
“Oh, hi Dabi!” he greeted, taking note of the hero wearing his costume.
Touya’s gaze softened as he smiled warmly. “Afternoon, Keigo.”
“Headed out for patrol soon?”
He nodded, idly swirling the last of his tea. “In a few, yeah.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll let you finish your drink before you go, then. It was nice to see you!”
“You, too,” he said, waving when Keigo disappeared behind the counter’s back door.
Touya took the next couple of minutes to finish clearing out his email inbox. When he stood and took his trash to the garbage can, Keigo appeared from around the counter with another cup in hand.
“Hey, I have this for you,” the blond said under his breath. He held out the drink and Touya took it, arching a brow.
“What’s this for?”
“Well, it’s pretty chilly outside today. And I know you probably don’t actually get cold, but y’know… a warm drink couldn’t hurt, right?”
Touya thought he noticed a flush along Keigo’s cheeks. Then again, it could’ve just been his face warming up from being outside.
“You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it,” Touya smiled. “Thank you, Keigo.”
Keigo grinned. His wings fluttered a little, fiddling with his sleeves that kept threatening to fall down from his elbows, as he replied a little softer, “Thank you for keeping us safe, Touya.”
The hero blinked, a warmth spreading from his chest at the sight of the sparkle in Keigo’s eyes. He laughed quietly, “You’re welcome. That’s my job.”
“And making drinks is mine, so I better get back.” He took a few steps back before saying, “I hope you have a good day!”
Touya raised his drink in thanks. He took notice of the way his name was written carefully on the cup, instead of a quick scrawling like it usually was. The little heart over the ‘i’ in ‘Dabi’ didn’t go unseen, either.
He took a sip as he walked out into the brisk day.
The tea tasted ten times better.
Touya vaulted off of the rooftop, projecting himself in a downward spiral toward the villain. He knocked them out of the air with a swift kick and caught hold of their shirt before they plummeted to the ground. The hero landed firmly, his flames extinguishing.
“Stealing an elderly woman’s purse?” Touya grunted. “Fuck’s wrong with you?”
The villain growled underneath him, but ultimately gave up struggling. He stayed laying on the ground underneath Touya’s boot.
“Toga?” he said into the comms.
“Cops on your six, ETA two minutes.”
Touya hummed. He stood with a purse in one hand and a roaring flame in the other, keeping it aimed at the villain.
“Uh… Dabi?”
“Hm?”
“Have you heard from Geten lately?”
Touya’s heart lurched at the name. “No, why?”
“I just saw him head into the League’s neighborhood,” Tenko’s voice gritted through the speaker.
“What was he doing?”
“He went around to the back of one of the dive bars, then disappeared.”
Touya squeezed his eyes shut with a sigh. “That’s probably not good.”
“There’s nothing to go off of yet. Just wanted to let you know.”
“Keep an eye out. I suspect he’ll make some kind of move soon.”
“Ten-four,” Tenko said as he signed off.
Touya groaned, the fire roaring a little stronger over his fingers. He was not in the mood for this today.
The sirens of the police car were heard as it rounded the corner. His flames slowly subsided as he hauled the villain up by his shirt collar. One of the police men hopped out and ran over to him, breaking out his handcuffs.
“Thank you for your help, Dabi,” he said as he cuffed the villain’s wrists.
“No problem,” he nodded, holding up the purse. “I’m off to return this to its rightful owner.”
The police saluted and Touya hopped into the air, propelling himself with his flames. He’d chased the villain for a few blocks, so he glanced around, trying to remember the way he’d come from.
“Do you know what Geten would be planning to do with the villains?” Toga asked.
Touya gave a hollow laugh. “I have no idea about any of his actual plans. Honestly, I feel like he might just be winging it.”
“Sounds like a recipe for failure.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s always been one to make impulsive decisions.” Touya said as he located the woman on the sidewalks. He lowered himself down gently and handed over the purse. She shook Touya’s hand with a grateful smile, thanking him, and he gave a nod before walking away.
“Hopefully we’ll have a chance to stop him before he does anything too incriminating.”
Touya couldn’t help but think back to his and Geten’s countless arguments.
Geten hated heroes, despite being a low-level one himself. He wanted change from the constant double-standard and corruption. He wanted to dismantle it all from the inside out.
Touya agreed that there was some imbalance of power to an extent, and to appease Geten, he’d tried to propose some changes to the Commission. Nothing was ever entertained, which Touya had expected. But it just made his then-boyfriend more agitated and more resentful.
Despite that, Touya thought he was an exception to Geten’s hatred… for a while, at least.
That didn’t last long.
The constant fighting about, “You don’t care how I feel,” and, “You just don’t love me, do you?” haunted Touya.
He was in battle after battle in the war of his life. Fighting with villains during the day; fighting with his boyfriend at night. Enduring physical injuries at work and emotional ones at home.
There was nothing he could’ve done. He couldn’t change hero society on his own. He couldn’t change how Geten felt about heroes. And he couldn’t change how Geten felt about him.
Touya had been given an ultimatum—
He could quit being a pro hero.
Or Geten could leave.
At that point, there was really no choice for Touya.
So Geten had left, but not without making it clear that the hero would see him again— on the opposite side of the battlefield.
Touya sighed. “Unfortunately, Toga, I have my doubts.”