Fly High, Burn Bright

Chapter 5

I looked at Keigo - the way his hair was a little messy, the way he had a tiny cut on his cheek, the way he smirked playfully as his hand locked around one of my wrists. I leaned forward a little, my lips centimeters from his, making even Keigo blush a little. I stopped myself a few millimeters away from him teasing him as our breaths mixed, and I raised one hand, simultaneously pulling the other out of his grip before pushing him away. Keigo stumbled backwards, a pout on his face, and I had to force the laugh building up inside me away. 

"Keep it in your pants, you overgrown chicken," I ordered him with a chuckle, making us both giggle. "Thanks to someone, I'm already on thin ice with Niko."

"But I didn't even do anything!" He whined, and I rolled my eyes, ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, whatever you say, bird boy." I pulled out the chair, lowering myself onto it and grabbing the first paper. "I'm not getting Niko even more mad at me - they'll probably kill me one day. Come back when you're done with your paperwork, alright?"

Keigo groaned and dodged my hands that were shooing him away and placed a kiss on my forehead before slipping out of my office. With an annoyed grunt, I took out one of my pens and scanned over the form, my hands moving on their own as I filled out the paper I'd already done countless amounts of times before. Still, even though I was already used to the process of writing down every single detail of the interaction with the villains, it took me hours to go through the stack, and by the time I was done, my back was aching and the sun was already setting, painting the sky with it's colorful rays. I put the pen back into the holder and stood up lazily, stretching myself out a little.

I decided to take a few minutes to relax and actually think about the day, and walked in circles around the office. Sitting still for so long really made me uncomfortable. Today had started off the same as any other day would've, and I'd gone on my usual patrol in a thirty kilometer radius of the agency. Technically, I should've stayed within the twenty kilometer circle since there were a few other agencies nearby, but there wasn't any fun in that. I was just scanning an area around one of the more wealthy shopping malls when the walkie-talkie on my hip buzzed, calling for all available heroes nearby to get to  Seijin high school because there'd been an attack from the League of Villains.

I'd sprinted straight to the school, getting to it in minutes - I was in the area anyway, and it had been a while since I'd been in actual combat. I missed the feeling of fighting. The battle, however, was already moved from the school to an abandoned store maybe half a kilometer away, the building shuddering from the stress of the villains fighting. I was one of the first heroes there, but had used my quirk to make it look as though there were several others with me in an attempt to make the League admit defeat, but it hadn't worked. Luckily, back-up arrived soon enough, and within moments, the fight was on even ground.

As soon as Keigo had come, he landed on the ground beside me, checking briefly to make sure I was alright, but I'd waved him off. I was more than capable of taking care of some villain on my own, and his help was needed elsewhere. From there, the fight with the League lasted for maybe fifteen minutes, each one both feeling like an eternity and like a brief second. This is wrong, I'd thought while fighting. I'm a hero. I shouldn't be hurting others. Then, my other half took over. No. They deserve it. They're villains, and they deserve to be punished. Besides, people get hurt no matter what side I'm on, so it shouldn't matter whether or not I'm fighting them. 

Even now, I still felt a little conflicted. I didn't know what it was that took over me near the end of that fight. A part of me understood that I should've stopped when Keigo had restrained Spinner, but still, a voice seemed to whisper at the back of my mind. You did nothing wrong, it said, he's a villain who committed thousands of crimes. He deserves a little pain. I pushed that voice away. I was pretty good at controlling it, but it seemed to appear more and more often lately. I sighed in annoyance and grabbed the completed stack under one arm, dragging myself to the office of one of the other department heads. To my surprise, Keigo was already there, chatting with some of the workers, paperwork in one hand.

I set my pile down on the department head's desk, waving to Keigo as soon as he noticed me. He rushed over, putting his own papers down, too, and gave me a brief kiss on the lips which I returned to him before pulling away and gently pressing on the tip of his nose. We were already free to leave, seeing as we'd stayed after hours anyway, and I waved to Niko, who grumbled something about me being annoying as he walked by us. After a quick goodbye to the rest of the agency, Keigo and I left the building behind, walking to the apartment complex a few minutes away. As we got to the door, I patted my pockets and pulled out my keys, swiping through the entrance door with the card and stepping into the lobby.

Keigo waved at the receptionist before leading us to the elevator, pressing on the seventh button. I leaned into him a little as the doors slid closed, the cramped space rising to the top floor of the complex, my head  pushing a little against his shoulder. I really didn't know how he was still so energetic after fighting and then sitting around for hours, because I was exhausted. The doors chimed softly before sliding open once again, and I had to practically drag myself down the hall towards the door that would lead us into the apartment that Keigo and I shared. I managed to unlock the door and change out of my hero outfit into a pair of sweatpants and an oversized shirt instead, carefully folding the all-black costume and placing the belt of knives and poisons behind a fake book on my shelf.

As soon as the costume was off, I collapsed onto the couch in the living room, sinking into the cushions as my eyes fluttered closed and I enjoyed the quiet. My peace didn't last for long, because not even a minute later, I felt Keigo pick me up and toss me gently into the air before catching me again, letting me dangle in his arms. If I hadn't been so tired, I would've already jumped out of his grasp and tackled him into the couch, but I was drained. Using my quirk on so many people at once was exhausting. I weakly punched Keigo's chest without putting in any actual effort, and he chuckled, pulling me even closer into his grasp.

"Let go of me," I grumbled in annoyance with another half-assed attempt at getting Keigo to lower me. 

"Whatever my little dove wants," he cooed in my ear and dropped me onto the couch, making me bounce with the cushion's springs. I frowned slightly, but Keigo already left the living room. "I'm gonna order some fried chicken, want anything?" He called out from the kitchen, probably grabbing one of those flyers he picked up from every fast food place he ever saw.

"Just get me whatever you're getting," I shouted back and curled up into a ball on the couch. After a few minutes of what I assumed was a phone call, Keigo came back into the living room and sat down beside me, pulling me up a little so that I leaned against him. With one hand, he grabbed the remote that lay on the arm of the couch and turned on the television across from us, playing a random show about some weird society that lived within literal walls. After maybe half an hour, the doorbell rang, and Keigo left to check who it was, returning with two orders of still-hot fried chicken. 

We ate from the couch, still watching the same show. I'd pause it occasionally to point out a plot hole or state one of my theories, and Keigo smiled at me every time. Eventually, I dragged myself off of the couch to throw out the trash from our little take-out feast and wash up a little before curling up beside Keigo again, whose eyes were still glued to the screen. I felt him wrap one arm around me, pulling me into his chest and keeping me warmer than any blanket, and wrapped in his embrace, I felt myself drift off to sleep.