Birdie (Hawks x reader)

Paranoia

(Y/N) had no idea how Keigo had survived so much time in the hospital. She'd been in there for an hour already being treated for the aftershocks of a panic attack as well as a nasty burn, and she already hated it. What probably made it worse was the police officers who'd come in to question her about the attack, who'd been promptly shooed out by both her and the nurses, insisting that she was on some heavy pain medicine and wouldn't be able to answer questions. The nurses were right. Her mind felt rather fuzzy, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to think clearly.

"Is she okay?" (Y/N) heard a voice off somewhere in the hallway. Who was that? She heard some response from a nurse. "Can I see her? Please. Just for a few minutes?" There was another response, and she heard the voice thanking the nurse profusely, then fast-moving footsteps. Someone rushed through the door. She turned to see who it was.

"Blondie?" (Y/N) said quietly.

"(Y/N)!" (Y/N) wrapped her boyfriend in a tight hug, and Keigo squeezed her as tight as he dared. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, mostly shaken up," (Y/N) replied shakily.

"I was so worried about you," Keigo murmured, holding her for a few moments before letting her go. "Don't worry. You don't have to talk about it. I just wish I could have helped you."

"Thank you." She paused for a moment. "I'm sorry for pulling you away from your work. And making you worry."

"No, you have nothing to apologize for," Keigo said softly. "I worry because I love you."

"You old sap, you're gonna make me cry."

"And if you do, I'll be right here with you."

(Y/N) laughed quietly. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"I was thinking the same thing about you." Keigo pulled away but held one arm around her waist. "Now. What happened, exactly?"

(Y/N) paused for a moment, her breath falling short. "Dabi," she rasped. "Dabi happened." A pang of guilt gripped her heart, at the reminder of the name that had begun her suspicions towards her boyfriend. Of the reminder that she couldn't fully trust him now.

"Dabi?"

"You know him, right?" She said, looking Keigo in the eye. She knew what she meant. Knowing him personally. From the League. By the look on his face, Keigo probably understood. "The serial arsonist and killer. Works with the League." She looked away. "He asked me what I knew about some stuff. Threatened to light me on fire. Suggested he'd done some research on us or connections to the remnants of the Reapers. Somehow, he knows things about us. He said he has ears everywhere. And he called me a liar, saying I was just like you. And then he burned me and teleported away."

Keigo sat, lost in thought for a moment, but visibly feeling an emotion that was somewhere between fury and something else. But, as soon as (Y/N) had started to pin that emotion down, Keigo's face changed. "Well, that really makes no sense, unless the League or Dabi specifically is trying to come after me," Keigo smiled. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"Blondie," (Y/N) rasped again, trying to avoid saying Keigo's name, in case he was bugged. "Dabi threatened to kill me and had the full ability to do it. He vanished the minute he'd barely burnt me. I think he wants something out of me."

"What?"

"Some kind of information, a favor, something." (Y/N) started shakily listing things. "Or maybe he just wants to watch me have a panic attack at the thought of him coming back," she said bitterly.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. We're gonna take care of this. We've dealt with worse."

"You have!" (Y/N) replied, her voice coming out more strained and a lot louder than she expected. She lowered her voice. "I'm no big-time pro. I stop bank robberies and hostage situations. Back home I dealt with some worse stuff, but the Reapers situation was one of my biggest missions. Before I came to Japan, I never had to fear for my life. The lives of others, maybe, but I shouldn't be getting ready to fight when I wake up and hear you cooking eggs. The sound of a hammer hitting the street shouldn't scare me out of my mind. Now, I don't feel confident I can keep going." Her voice cracked at the end, and maybe all this was a result of whatever pain meds she had been given. Maybe it was because she was loopier than usual. Whatever the reason, Keigo looked at her painfully. He wrapped her in a hug.