Nothing good lasts forever, not for people like him.

When the Hero Public Safety Commission recruited him, it was a beacon of light, his ticket out. Those people snatched the dream out of his small, eager hands, contorting and reshaping it into their vision. And so it began, the hardships, the lies, the bloodshed, they were trying to make a weapon, not a hero. Amidst the training and exploitation Keigo found an escape that is you. Another child prodigy they got their hands on, no doubt bound to endure the same hell he did. A connection felt inevitable.

The mistake was turning it into something more, the mistake was letting them see your happiness. Keigo needed this, and in a way that chained him to the organization tautly, and you— well they had you wrapped around their finger a long time ago. So when his higher up demanded it be over, he became the cold soldier he had been taught to be, weapons don't attach to anything, weapons don't weep when the only source of love he has walks out of his life, after he had pushed it away. For safe measure they sent you off overseas to finish your courses, making it easier for him to forget.

He didn't.

Fast forward and now he's the number two hero, rising quickly, mastered in the arts of illusion and fabrication, a fan favourite. It's another heroes get together, the posh version of an after party for a charity event. Hawks is in his prime, mingling and flirting, returning every fake smile, laughing at every insufferable joke. The mask stays in place, until he spots a familiar face.

It felt like a hit to the chest, his heart doing a very strange thing in his chest. You were back, you were back and you looked as breathtaking as he remembers. He scrambles internally, trying to get a hold of himself. His eyes stay trained on you for the rest of the night, and takes the chance of your hasty excuse to follow you unto the rooftop. The night air is biting, whipping his hair against his cheeks. "Long time no see stranger" he calls out, determined to stay cheerful.

long time no see.