During your first year of university you once overheard a curious story from a couple of people sat behind you before an early morning lecture. They lived in mixed student dorms and there particular building was a very open place compared to yours, as every floor shared a kitchen which meant sharing with 26 other people, rather than your 8. It was unique in the fact that rooms were placed in single long corridors, meaning that outside the boundary of their small bedroom, there wasn't much privacy to be had. They even had shared bathrooms.

As you were organising your notes you heard the girl tell her friend about how she was tidying her room and organising her laundry, when she heard loud music coming from her neighbour's room. This was apparently a regular occurrence and normally it didn't bother her too much. She was friendly with her neighbour, but they couldn't be considered friends as it was near the start of the first semester, so the two were still essentially strangers. Because of this, for the first couple of times this happened, she didn't confront him as she didn't want to start anything. However this time was different, it was around 9 pm, she was tired from a long day of lectures and she still hadn't had dinner yet. 

So she dumped the pile of clothes she was carrying on her bed and swiftly got out of her room. In a few seconds she outside his door about to knock when without warning it swung open to reveal her neighbour standing in front of her. And he was almost naked, save for the towel around his...yeah (she swore that she wasn't making this up). The scene was awkward, they stared at each other in silence for a bit before hearing people come down the hall which made the girl apologise and run back to her room. After what happened settled in, she buried her head in the previously discarded pile of clothes and laughed.

The girls voices by this point were then being drowned out by the lecturer, who'd just arrived and your attention drifted away from their conversation. You never found out why her neighbour was about to leave his room with just a towel around him and how they moved on from it afterwards. Hopefully, they remained on good terms.

It did make you wonder how you would feel in that sort of situation. Would you laugh it off like she did? Avoid that person for as long as possible? Would you be able to casually tell people like she had? You knew that no hypothetical scenario would be a true imagining of how you would react in that situation; it was one of those things where you can't truly know unless you experience it yourself. Still, you kept coming back to it every once in a while, since you were sure that it would never happen to you. 

Never would you have imagined that a few years later, you would finally experience something similar yourself. Late into the evening, you arrived back at the apartment, happily humming as you approached the door. Clutching the spare packet of mochi that Kirara had given you as thanks for feeding her and Misaki at lunch, you used your key-card to open the front door. You had just taken your shoes and coat off (the apartment was warm like yesterday evening), walking a few paces into the living space, blissfully unaware of the events about to unfold, when you saw him.

Munching on an apple, a half naked Keigo emerged from the kitchen area in just a pair of tan comfy-looking trousers and a couple of leather bracelets around his wrist. He was incredibly toned, even in the bright ceiling lighting you could see clear muscle definition everywhere, from his arms, to his abs to his shoulders. Upon seeing him, your mind went blank, your whole body froze and you fell silent. 

He noticed you come in and beamed, "You're back! Would you say that your first day on the project was...out of this world?"

"...project...? It was..." you mumbled feeling your face burn with embarrassment. Keigo took a few steps towards you, seemingly completely unfazed by the fact that you're seeing him shirtless. Not that you were looking, the second you saw him you tore your eyes away from his figure and tried to focus on literally anything else. Your eyes flickered down to the packet you still held and you inexplicably said, "Mochi! Do you want some?"

Your face as red as a tomato, you held out the now open packet to Keigo. He looked at you then it, before selecting a strawberry one, saying, "Sure, thanks. They look great." While he ate it, you wordlessly side stepped past him and went to put the rest of them into the fridge. Once you'd closed the fridge door, you took a deep breath and walked towards the stairs, looking down as you did. He followed you with his eyes and said, "I've caught up with the work I need to do and am pretty much done for the day, so if you're free I thought that after dinner we could-"

But you had already sprinted up the stairs and gotten to your room, not even hearing the last part of his sentence. 

Well...now you could say that know how you would react in that situation, and funnily enough it was very similar to that girl's reaction. Perhaps if you'd gotten to know her, you could have found more similarities between the two of you. Anyway, you shut the door of your room and threw your work bag onto the floor. Leaping into the room, you dived onto the sofa to take some time and process what had just happened. 

However, you weren't looking down and tripped on a metal bar, which sent you flying in the direction of not the cushy sofa, but instead the glass table in the middle of the room. You would have fallen face first onto it had you not been caught by Keigo's feathers, they had attached themselves to your blazer jacket and pulled you away from what could have been a very smashing landing. Once you were righted, you immediately dropped down and hissed at the stinging pain of your front ankle hitting the bar.

"Y/n are you hurt?" you heard Keigo say from the doorway, he looked alarmed as he flew over and crouched next to you. When he saw you holding your ankle, he stuck the apple in his mouth and went to examine it. You were about to let him roll down your sock to see if there was any physical damage when you remembered that this was the same ankle that had the ugly scar from the Nomu attack. 

For some reason you didn't want him to see it. Maybe because you were embarrassed by it, maybe you besides you hated the sight of the discoloured mark so you quickly got to your feet and said, "Yes, but it was just a slight bump." Misaki was right, your injury was unfortunate.

Keigo frowned at you slightly and took the half eaten apple out of his mouth as he also stood up, "Ok but let me know if it starts hurting."

"Right," you said calmly, but in two seconds you had lost your composure again because you remembered the Keigo was still shirtless. 

He had noticed you acting a little strange and asked, "Did something happen at work? You're not acting like yourself."

Turning away, you went towards the door and crouched down to collect your bag, saying quietly, "No, something after work happened."

"What?"

"...You, Keigo!" you admitted going red again, "Are you some kind of exhibitionist? Why are you parading around without a shirt?!"

He blinked a couple of times before taking a bite of his apple, "Other than the fact that I live here and I can do what I want, I'm half undressed because I was about to start cleaning my feathers. But then I got hungry, so I got something to eat before doing so."

"Did you get hungry while undressing or something?" you said sarcastically.

He shrugged, unbothered, before taking another bite, "Pretty much."

You sighed, "Could you please put a shirt on?"  

"There's no point, I'm literally about to go clean my feathers."

"Fine, go do that then."

"I'm in no hurry to leave," he said and tossed his finished apple core, landing it cleanly in the bin by the doorway, "Don't you want to know what this metal thing in the middle of your room is?"

You'd actually forgotten about the contraption you'd tripped over and turned you head to the middle of the room. Getting a better look at it, you realised that was a portable bed with a metal bedframe, an accompanying mattress and even it's own bedding. Confused, you asked, "I can see that it's a bed, but why is it here? Are you having someone over?!" 

"What? No! It's nothing like that," said Keigo as he sat on the armrest of the sofa, "I bought it and had it delivered today, for you."

Carrying your bag, you got up and walked over to it, "Thank you, but I was happy enough with the sofa."

"I wasn't happy with it," Keigo professed and flopped backwards onto the push couch cushions, hands behind his head, "This sofa's comfy enough I suppose, but it's not a bed. Also, I didn't have time to set it up when it was delivered but I'll do it after dinner- and speaking of, you said you had it covered. You gonna get started soon?"

Your face flushed, "I was going to get started right away after I'd sorted through my bag."

"I didn't say to get started right away," he said sitting up again again, "Wanna help me clean my feathers?"

The first time he mentioned it, the fact completely slipped your mind but now it just occurred to you that Keigo preens. Like a bird would. Without thinking, you asked, "You preen?"

He nodded, making his wings expand a little, "How else do you think I keep my feathers in such good condition? Although, due to recent events I haven't had to do it in a while."

"How do you do it?"

"Rather than have me explain it, why not see how yourself?"

To be honest you were curious and if it had been a while then from his perspective it would be nice to have some help. However, this was Keigo, so you were sure that he was probably trying to mess with you and to be honest, you weren't all that comfortable with the idea. Not to forget that he was shirtless, and (Kirara would probably call you a 'nerdy virgin' for this) it bothered you, greatly. Putting your bag on the table you said, "Sorry but I doubt I'll be much help to you, I have no idea how to clean feathers. Go ahead and do your thing, I should have dinner finished when you're done."

His wings fell slightly and he said, "See you in a bit then," before leaving, shutting the door behind him.

Sighing in relief, you went to your little wardrobe (careful to avoid the metal death-trap) and took out a pair of checked cotton trousers and an oversized white t-shirt that had a fairly large neck hole. You laid them on the table next to the bag and took of your blazer when you heard a couple of quick knocks on the door before it suddenly burst open, revealing who else but...

"Y/n you didn't say what we'll be having!" exclaimed Keigo.

"Get out!" you exploded, grabbing the nearest pillow and throwing it at him. He just laughed and closed the door, making the pillow hit it instead of its actual target. He could be such a bother sometimes. 

Keigo's question echoed in your mind as you finished changing and went downstairs. On the way to the top of the stairs you saw a little red book on the desk where his laptop sat. Curious, you walked over to it and took a look at the cover, which read: Meta Liberation War. Alarm bells started going off in your head, for you recognised the name. Flipping it over, you expected to see the blurb, but oddly enough there was nothing written on the back except for a bit of information on the publishing company. 

'That's bizarre,' you thought and you opened up the book, flicking through random pages as certain phrases like: 'basic human right', 'free to use our meta abilities' and most disturbingly, 'we will tear it all down' stuck in your mind. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What did this mean? What was a book like this doing in Keigo's possession? 

All these questions were buzzing around in your head, but you put it out of your mind for the moment and resolved to ask Keigo about it after you'd eaten. With that, you closed the book and put it back on the desk, cover down, before going into the kitchen. Once you got there, you tied your hair up and got out the ingredients for your meal: pasta noodles, mince beef, various vegetables and a few herbs. You decided to make spaghetti and meatballs.

---

"This is really good, Y/n!" Keigo said earnestly as he tucked into his plate.

"Thanks," you said cutting into a meatball, "It's the only thing I can make consistently well. When I was a first year, I practically lived off pasta sauce."

"I remember you were eating a spag-ball during our last gaming session, before you came here," he said fondly, looking at you, "And now I get to have it myself."

Your eyes met and you blushed. He looked adorable, sat cross-legged on the stool, his hair still wet and dripping under the towel he'd thrown over his head. You yourself had your knee propped up as you ate, so you had no reason to question his strange sitting position- at least he was fully clothed now. Throughout dinner you were telling him about your day, including Kashino's situation, your new team, an overview of your project and yes, the lunchtime shenanigans.

"Misaki suggested it, and we had time to kill," you said, acutely aware of your blush and how stupid it must sound to Keigo, "Silly, isn't it?"

"Hmm...1 in 5," he said, twirling his fork, "Could be better."

"I know right? But to the dismay of researchers all over the world and against Kirara's wishes we didn't calculate the uncertainties- there were too many variables," you replied, regretting telling him about it, "Anyway doesn't matter, it's a not big deal."

Keigo looked to the side before looking at you and saying, "As a scientist you would want to try again right? This time with more accurate measurements?"

"Are you making fun of us?" you jokingly pouted.

He just smirked and went back to eating. Since you finished your food first you got out of your seat and put your used stuff in the dishwasher. Then, deciding that you might as well confront him now, you went upstairs to check the desk on the balcony. As you get to the middle of the spiral staircase, you look back at Keigo to see him finishing his plate, he seems content. Unfortunately, for however nice dinner was, your concerns over the little red book stopped you from feeling any true sense of felicity. 

Just as you reached the top stair, you reluctantly looked at the desk in the corner and upon seeing what was on it, held your breath. The book had a note on it, which read:

Don't be alarmed, I can explain

"Please do," you called over the railing, holding the piece of paper out for him to see. Keigo looked up at you, water droplets from his hair falling onto his shoulders and the hand towel on his head slid down slightly.

"Hey, it's not nice to look through other people's stuff," he said with a half smile.

"Guess you slipped up then," your expression hardened, he must have left the book on the desk by mistake, "Was I not supposed to see this?"

He uncrossed his legs. Your demeanour must have told him that you were serious as he looked uneasy when he said, "I have a copy because there's someone I plan to give it to."

"Why? What is it about?" you said sternly, "A few months ago, when we were talking about quirk reformist groups you brought up this organisation. At the time you said that they were an insignificant group with a small non-existent following, although you admitted that their ideology was dangerous. Now they're publishing books inciting war?"

"They are small," he insisted, "And that book isn't trying to start anything; it's simply a fruitless attempt to recruit more followers."

"If it's so insignificant, then why do you care?" 

"As a hero, I need to make sure I stay on top of what goes on in society, no matter how small," he responded, standing up.

"That's any hero's responsibility!" you fired back, "I want to know why you, the number two hero is looking into it himself and not his sidekicks."

"My sidekicks are looking into it; I'm simply overlooking their investigation," he looked up at you, his wings slowly stretching out, "It doesn't how big or small a threat organisations that want to cause a breakdown in society pose, as the number 2 hero I have to be at least aware of everything."

You eyes fell on the book again and narrowed, "Who is this particular edition for?"

He hesitated before saying, "Endeavour."

"The number 1 hero...?" you said slowly. Clutching the piece of paper tightly you let out a shaky breath, "Does this have something to do with the villains you're investigating?"

His eyes widened, "No, this has nothing to do with the League of Villains."

"The what?!" you whispered, backing away from the railing in horror. They're still relevant? The League of Villains were defeated by All Might and the pro heroes that summer. Numerous news articles had all said that there were no longer an active threat anymore. Keigo himself said that criminals who target high school training camps can't be all that scary. You weren't even thinking about the league and yet Keigo brought them up...meaning that they had something to do with this. Something was happening. And it was starting to alarm you.

Keigo had taken flight the moment you had left his vision, soaring up the stairs in the blink of an eye before reappearing in front of you. Trying to sound reassuring, he smiled and said, "It's really nothing to be worried about it."

"My mind would stop worrying if you would explain it to me," you felt a weight on your chest.

"I can't," he quietly said, his smile faltering as his hair fell into his eyes. 

You looked at him for a second, the note in your clenched hand being crushed into a ball. Letting out a defeated sigh you muttered, "Fine," and walked past him, back downstairs to finish cleaning the kitchen.

However, after less than ten steps however you were stopped by Keigo. Not by his feathers though, like he had always done. This time, he held your hand, lightly hooking two of your fingers with his own. The action was small but more than enough to get your full attention, and you looked back with wide eyes, ready to listen.

"I shouldn't have brought up the league; they have nothing to do with it. Everything I've said about them is true; there's been no activity from them since All Might's retirement," Keigo began looking down, such that water drops from his still wet hair fell onto the wooden stair, "As for the Liberation Army. My sidekicks are looking into it and I'm overseeing their progress. I got a copy of that book to give to Endeavour to...prank him."

"Huh?"

"Do you feel better now?"

"No," you scoffed, almost insulted by his lie. The first part you believed, but the second part? Keigo's respect for Endeavour has been known to you from your numerous talks with him and reinforced from their odd phone call. Even Keigo wouldn't dare prank the number one hero, and everything you knew about him told you that he wouldn't ever want to. Taking your hand away from his, you took a step back and said, "Those books must have been released all over the country, not just Fukuoka, I recognise the publishing company. It doesn't make sense for just your sidekicks to be the ones looking into it."

He didn't miss a beat, "It was found that they originated from Fukuoka, and they are working with other agencies."

"I suppose you can't elaborate further?"

"Nope and that's because...it's classified information."

"Okay," you said, "And are you serious about pranking Endeavour?"

"Yeah," he chuckled, "To get back at him for constantly yelling at me when we were working together. It was so annoying."

To be honest you weren't sure if you were buying it. Everything he said seemed to make sense, but something deep inside you told you that he wasn't being truthful. With that being said, until now he has never once lied to you, if he didn't want to tell you something then he never said anything in the first place. So the fact that here he was going out of his way to put you at ease made you want to believe him. You took a deep breath, "Keigo, promise me that everything you're saying is the truth."

He closed his eyes before looking into yours, "I promise."

There was nothing else you needed. He promised that you were safe and he promised that he told you the whole truth. The weight on your chest slowly faded upon hearing those two words. Nodding your head slowly you said, "That's fine then. I trust you. Sorry for getting all in for face about it."

Pushing back his hair, he said, "Don't apologise, you deserve to know."

There was a reference to be said about him doing that, but it probably wouldn't mean much to him, so you kept it to yourself. Satisfied that the issue could be put to bed you turned around to walk downstairs, making room for Keigo next to you, "Do you want to play a game after I've finished clearing the kitchen?"

His face brightened as he joined you, "Sure! Do you wanna pick what we play, or should I?"

"Hmm, I'll pick," you said then you gestured to his hair, "You shouldn't leave your hair wet for too long, where'd your hand towel go?"

Keigo put his hands in his pockets, "Not too sure, it probably fell off when I flew up to you."

"Be sure to pick it up when we pass i- AH!" you squeaked as you suddenly fell down.

By sheer coincidence, at the moment you said that, you slipped up that very hand towel and fell on where else but your ankle. Keigo caught you before you could tumble down any further down the stairs, but that didn't do much for your abused right ankle. The ankle that once had been impaled by a shard of glass had now just been slammed onto a wooden stair. Pairing that with the metal bar accident from an hour or two ago and suffice to say, you were in quite a bit of pain.

"Sweet merciful Buddha! What the f-ow!" you wailed, struggling to free your leg. 

Your sympathetic roommate started laughing at you while helping you up. In one swift motion, he picked you up and flew you over to the sofa in the living room- area. He landed on the carpet and once you were seated caught the towel from his feathers that had brought it over. They even displayed the wretched thing, positioning themselves around it like a picture frame as he said, "Found it."

"So it would seem," you glared at him and propped your right foot on the sofa cushion, gingerly circling your fingers around the bony part that jutted out. 

Keigo pulled his feathers back, flung the material around his neck and sat next to you, "Kinda clumsy aren't you?"

"This is a bit of an off day for me," you retorted, slowly moving your foot and stretching your leg out, "Still, my ankle seems to be relatively unharmed."

"Let me see," Keigo said, reaching out, "That tumble looked worse than the metal bar incident."

"Didn't know you were a doctor," you asked sarcastically, rearing away from him like a startled horse. 

"I've had extensive first aid training," he said, raising an eyebrow, "And don't be dramatic, it's not serious enough to warrant a doctor."

"Oh, so now you suddenly care?" you said, with an inaudible grumble, "Just a minute ago you were tickled pink."

"That was because of your reaction! Where did 'sweet merciful Buddha' come from?! I've never heard anyone say that," he said with a chuckle, taking your leg in a couple of crimson feathers.

"Gee, I'm glad my pain is amusing to you," you huffed, tugging your leg free.

Keigo's feathers tugged back at your leg and he ceased chuckling, "I'm glad you're glad, now let me see your ankle."

"You said yourself that it's nothing," you said, now resorting to using your hands to try and free yourself, fully aware that the two of you were engaged in some sort of tug of war with your leg.

He didn't budge, "Y/n. Why don't you want me to look at it?"

"I'm not hurt," you lied, "It would just be a waste of your time."

"You don't know that for sure," he said resolutely, "What's this really about?"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." you said in a quiet voice.

"Are you lying...?" he leaned in a little closer.

You met his steadfast gaze for a split second before letting go of your leg and exhaling in defeat, "That's the same ankle that had the glass in it, from the nomu attack."

"And?"

"I told you that there's a scar there now."

"So?"

You paused before tentatively saying, "...it's gross."

"Scars aren't gross," he said like it was obvious, "Why do you think that?"

"It's silly...but...well, Misaki said something about scars on a woman decreasing her value and that sort of echoed what my mothers always told me about how she didn't want my skin to be ruined by marks," you explained, slowly going red with shame. Before eating dinner you'd taken your hair out of it's ponytail and now you were hiding behind your loose hair, "Although I don't really care about any of that- that's just dumb old fashioned rhetoric...I just don't like the sight of it- personally speaking. I don't think scars in general are gross...but mine are...to me."

Keigo didn't respond right away and you wondered if he finally thought that might have bitten off more than he could chew by forcing this out of you. You finally got control of your leg again as you felt his feathers let go of you and sat with your knees to your chest. Leaning your head against the back on the sofa, you sank a little into the cushions, "I'm disappointed Keigo. You usually have something inspiring to say to me whenever I open up to you."

"You haven't shown me yet."

At this point you might as well show him. Crossing your arms you said, "Go ahead, I can't stop you."

"You can," he said with a half smile, "If you started kicking me I'd back off."

"How can I? I'm injured remember?"

"If you really objected, you would do it even if both your legs were broken. Hell, you'd probably somehow manage it without legs."

Finally, you smiled, "Do what you want."

"I'll be gentle," he assured you, and slowly pulled your leg towards him. 

The action made your body shift to maintain balance and your t-shirt slipped to reveal part of your bare shoulder. You winced as he peeled off your fluffy ankle sock to reveal an unsightly patch of skin that was an unmistakable different pigment to skin around it, in a shape that vaguely resembled a line about the length of your middle finger. Hating the sight of it, you looked away and said, "It's hideous."

"No it isn't," he remarked gazing at the discoloured skin.

"Please, don't give me that. Look at it properly, it's ugly."

"I disagree," he said softly as he reached out and touched it. Delicately holding your ankle in his hand, he traced his thumb over the scar. He thought this action was compassionate but in reality it was very uncomfortable for you. One, because his hands were moderately rough and callused. And two, your scar actually had noticeably less layers skin on it, making it a little more sensitive compared to the rest of your body. The sensation of him touching your scar was like if he was rubbing you with a warn sheet of sandpaper.  

You reacted quickly. Reaching over and grabbing his hand, you said, "Appreciate the thought Keigo, but don't do that."

Alarmed, he instantly withdrew his hand, asking, "Am I hurting you?"

You shook your head and held your ankle, "It didn't hurt, it just didn't feel great."

"I'm sorry," he said swallowing hard, "...your ankle doesn't seem to be injured though, despite it taking a bit of a beating today."

"Aren't I lucky," you mused.

Keigo copied your sitting position, bringing a knee to his chest and resting his cheek on it. The place went quiet for a bit as you thought about how to segway from this awkward conversation to a gaming session. Yet it was broken when Keigo muttered, "Misaki is some friend."

"Hm?"

"She made you feel bad about your scar," he said with an irritated expression, "A good friend wouldn't do that."

Rolling your eyes you explained, "It was a one off remark, Keigo. She didn't mean it like that."

"But it's made you insecure."

"She was just speaking her mind," you said. It wasn't Misaki's fault you'd clung onto what she said, it was your mind that twisted the off-handed comment to fuel your insecurity. Before seeing her in the hospital you already hated your scar- in fact if you had relayed this to her she probably would have given you a hearty dose of aggressive positivity and support. So you didn't blame her, or your mother, who loves you and only wants you to look beautiful. Even though she never really had a way with words.

"That doesn't matter, it's hurt you!" he shook his head making his hair fall in his face again, "Well she's fucking wrong and you have more value than she ever will. Scar or no scar."

"You don't know her at all, so kindly lay off," your words were sharp, but you gave a small laugh at his attempt to comfort you. Getting up so that you were on your knees, you reached around keigo's neck for his towel, saying, "Also, it's not good to leave your hair wet for too long- wow, your hair smells nice," and drying his hair with the towel. Keigo's wings puffed up when you did this and his body momentarily froze.

"Do you feel better about it?" Keigo asked hopefully, leaning forward so that you wouldn't have to reach as much. 

You stopped drying his hair, flipped the towel around the back of his head and pulled up slightly so that his eyes met yours. His cheeks were dusted an undetectable blush and his golden eyes widened. "You...didn't give me an inspiring speech and insulted my friend, so I'll have to subtract points for that," you said.

"I'll come back to you on that first one and as for the second," he looked up at you through his hair, "I won't take it back."

"In that case, I only feel a little bit better," you told him. Now going back to drying his hair, you were tenderly taking handfuls of his long hair and squeezing the water out. He hummed when you did this and closed his eyes. 

After a bit of time, in which the only sounds that could be heard were that of the ruffling of the towel and Keigo's hair, he asked, "Shall I show you mine?"

"Your what?"

"My scars, from my training days," he responded. Not even giving you time to respond however, he began to take his shirt off saying, "They're mostly on my back, but I could grab a mirror and tell you the story behind-"

"Keigo no!" you squealed, taking the damp towel and throwing it over his face, "Please keep your clothes on, we talked about this!"

---

Word count: 5496