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Hawks [Takami Keigo] / Reader [M/F]

Title: | BEAST |

Chapter 7: Kotori

Summary:

Reader makes discoveries and the more she finds out, the more her uneasiness increases.

__________________________________________

"Does it hurt?"

You ask the man sitting in front of you with worry written over your features. Keigo is gazing out of the small iron window with his back facing you. You just started the treatment on his wings and can't shake the immense worry to cause him pain by doing something wrong.

The winged man shakes his head slightly. You sigh in relief and continue the task.

And you must admit, treating his gigantic wings is rather an intimidating task.

As it turns out, you aren't supposed to treat them any differently than his other body parts. Keigo's instructions were simple;

cleaning the wounds thoroughly and using a small amount of ointment should suffice.

You are still at the first stage of the treatment, gently dabbing the injuries with a wet cloth. Your face twists in displeasure upon the discovery that you won't be able to treat every wound. The wings are still tied solidly together, making it impossible for you to reach the concealed parts...

A sudden hiss in pain makes you jolt in fear and you withdraw your hand quickly.

"F-forgive me!"

Did you use too much pressure on the wound?!

You feel horrible as you observe the wound, your gaze flicking back and forth between the injury and Keigo's back of the head.

He gives you a glance over the shoulder and upon encountering your terrified expression, a light chuckle leaves his lips.

"No need to worry," he assures you and points his face back towards the window, gazing at the stars high above the sky, "You can't hurt me more than they already did."

Your expression shifts, gaze dropping to the floor you feel a harsh pang of guilt at his words.

You may have not inflicted the wounds on his body but it's still your kind that showed him such cruelty... Even if the cruelty did not come directly from your hands...

The gnawing feeling of guilt never disappearing, you slowly continue your treatment, inwardly cringing at the sight of the wounds. The dried blood is hard to get off from the individual feathers. You must handle the injuries with utmost care to not cause any more pain or worsen their conditions. And that seems like an impossibility because every now and then the winged man let's out a muffled groan, making you flinch in dread. Occasionally you whisper reassuring comments, telling him that it's almost over, that it won't hurt for much longer. The winged man's stiff posture seems to ease at your voice. So you continue doing so.

"This should suffice, for now... ", you announce softly after finishing the procedure.

Gaze fixated on the floor you start tidying up the mess you created. The rattling sound of chains indicates Keigo changing his position. But you don't dare looking up, your gloomy thoughts have rendered you mute.

Suddenly, you feel Keigo lifting your head by gently placing his thumb and index finger on your chin.

His stare is intense, it captivates you instantly.

"None of this is your fault," he says under his breath, his golden orbs flicking back and forth between your eyes, "So be at ease... "

Forming your lips into a thin line you desperately try to keep away the tears swelling up at the corner of your eyes.

This man has endured so much from the hands of your people, your own father, and he still tries to soothe your pain of guilt...

You doubt you will ever feel at ease regarding his situation. Not until you see him escape this hell your own people have created for him.

Not until you watch him fly high into the sky, the essential purpose of his mystical wings.

You give him a slight nod, a single tear flowing down your cheek. The winged man observes it with a frown appearing on his features. Tenderly he wipes the tear away with his thumb, gaze landing on your eyes again.

"Thank you, for the medical care."

You blink a few times, stunned, because if you are remembering it correctly, this is the first time he shows gratitude towards your medical attention.

It stirrs something inside of you and you give him a genuine smile. And yet again you are stunned as you watch the corner of his mouth dissolve into a slight smile.

_____________________________________________

"How do you do it?"

You look up from your current labor; changing the linens of the mayor's bed in his massive chambers and give Agatha a confused expression.

"What do you mean?"

She rolls her eyes at you, halting in her task of cleaning the dust from furnitures.

"Face the beast repeatedly, of course?!"

The servant seems to get irritated at your lack of fear towards the winged man because this isn't the first time she confronts you in the matter. And usually you are easily able to avoid her tantrum by getting busy with your duties but you are currently stuck in a room, alone.

"You know that it is my duty to treat his wounds, Agatha." You explain and continue your task, the annoyance in your tone can't be overheard.

"There!", she points at you with the wet cloth in her hand, " You did it again! You always talk about it as if it's a 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯."

She gives you a grimace as if the thought alone of referring to the prisoner as such makes her feel disgusted.

You sigh in exhaustion. It is early in the day and you still have so many tasks before you, you can't deal with a hysteric servant right now. So you ignore her by increasing the speed of your movements, hoping she will take your silence as a sign and stop bothering you.

But you should've known better.

"I mean, 𝘐 could never!," she continues and proceeds on cleaning the surface of the furniture, "I would've killed it the moment I had to face it!"

Gritting your teeth in irritation you keep on ignoring her.

"But soon the beast's end will come."

Abruptly you lift your head at that, brows furrowing warily.

"What do you mean by that?"

She gives you a glance over the shoulder and lifts a brow. "You don't mean to tell me you haven't heard of the rumors?"

Your confused expression earns you a scoffing sound from the servant.

"The people are furious, (Y/N). They, myself included, don't want a monster living in our village. I wouldn't be surprised if someone decides to take the matter into their own hands." She continues her duty, totally oblivious to the way your eyes widen at her words.

"The people are losing their trust in the mayor", she turns around and her next words come out in a hushed tone, "A rebellion is to be expected soon, I'm telling you!"

A chill seizes over your body. You knew of the reluctance of the people towards the winged man but this? Towards the mayor, your father himself?

You didn't realize how destructive the atmosphere has become in the village, not with your busy schedule of duties and the ever present winged man on your mind...

And since most of the people avoid you, you also had to give up on your usual information source for the time being; gossiping with the villagers in the market squares.

You knew that your father's behavior is totally out of character, but you never would've thought his odd fascination of the beast would make him lose sight of his own duties. Of his own people.

If what Agatha just told you is the truth, then you must handle even faster in figuring out a plan of freeing Keigo.

_____________________________________________

Strange.

The cold stony corridor leading to the basement which is usually illuminated by torches hanging on the walls, is dark as the darkest night. It is still early in the day, so you did not think of taking an oil lamp with you; The light shining through the window in the basement usually suffices. But there are no windows in the corridor, which makes it hard for you to see. In fact, you barely see anything.

The situation becomes even more strange upon encountering the wooden basement door unguarded.

Where are the guards?

The hair on your neck rises at the discovery, you can't shake the feeling that something is utterly wrong.

The sound of a loud 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘥 coming directly from within the basement makes you jolt in fear. The pounding of your puls increases, your eyes widening in terror.

Your body reacts without waiting for your mind to comprehend the meaning behind the sound. You push open the door and almost let the basket under your arm fall down at the sight in front of you.

One of the guards is on top of Keigo's laying form, a knife only inches apart from his throat. The winged man is fighting with all his strength, holding onto the arms of his assaulter to keep him from slicing into his throat.

"No!" Screaming from the depth of your lungs you rush towards the scene.

The guard doesn't even acknowledge your presence, he continues on grunting in struggle against the winged man's hard grip on his arms.

"Let him be!" You shriek in panic but the man keeps on ignoring you.

You have to do something!

Desperately you throw the basket in your hands against his back, hoping to distract him but to no avail.

"Don't!" Keigo chokes out.

You don't listen to his warning and grab onto the guards shoulders to draw him away from the winged man. You pull with all your strength.

An irritated growl erupts from him at your interference and the next thing you see is the back of his hand flying towards you. The pain on your face is worse than the pain you feel when your body collides harshly with the stony ground. You open your mouth in a silent scream and for a brief moment you see black dots dancing in your vision.

A sudden feral growl and the sound of chains clanking compels you to blink rapidly. Slowly adjusting your vision you try to make out what's happening;

It's Keigo, your interference must have distracted the guard enough for him to gain the upper hand. The guard is caught under the weight of the winged man who is now pointing the knife at his face.

Keigo's expression is livid. You see the way his pupils have formed into slices, mouth shaped into a feral snarl. He growls dangerously loud against the guards face, making him flinch in dread. The guard desperately tries to get the winged man off of him with loud grunting noises.

You need to do something, you realize. But the throbbing in your head and on your left cheek is making it hard for you to act-

Suddenly you hear it, footsteps hurriedly approaching the basement.

The guard from the day before, the same soldier who had made sure of your well being, enters the cold basement.

Panic floods through your very core at the sight of him. You know exactly what he must be thinking. He rushes over at the scene and instantly you force your body to move and crawl towards the both men still fighting for their life's.

Before the guard gets to use his weapon you throw yourself in front of them on your knees and stretch out your arms.

"Don't!"

The guard halts in his tracks, taken aback at your reaction.

"What are you waiting for, Jonathan?!", The guard underneath the winged man suddenly croaks out, earning another feral growl from Keigo.

"Kill the beast!"

"This is not his fault!" You shriek in panic, watching the man called Jonathan give you an utterly confused expression, but he doesn't lower his weapon.

"He is just defending himself!" You add in a desperate attempt of trying to clarify the whole situation. But you know as long as the winged man continues on pointing a knife towards the guard, he will get hurt. Maybe even worse!

So you quickly glance over your shoulder, regarding Keigo with desperate pleading eyes.

"Keigo, please stop!"

The prisoner's dangerous golden orbs flash towards you, giving you an intense stare. Bloodlust is written all over his features.

You plead with your eyes, beg him to understand what he must do in order to survive this situation.

𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦!

His gaze lands on the guard standing in front of you who is still holding tightly onto the sword, watching him with utmost caution. When his attention is back on you again, you watch his pupils dilate slightly.

And finally, he let's go of the man underneath him and slides away from his laying form, backing against the wall.

The guard doesn't waste time and quickly scrambles to his feet, joining Jonathan's side who is still cautiously assessing the whole scenery and ready to strike at any moment.

"T-The monster tried to kill me!" The man tries to convince the other guard, pointing a finger at Keigo.

The winged man let's out a dangerous growl at that.

"It was 𝘺𝘰𝘶 who assaulted him!" You yell at him, still sitting on your knees with the winged man behind you. The blonde is piercing holes into both of the men with his narrowed eyes, observing them warily.

Jonathan's gaze lands on you and slowly he straightens his posture, letting his sword slide into its sheath. His eyes linger on your defensive posture for a short while before he turns his attention towards the soldier beside him, narrowing his eyes at him.

"Leave." He orders in a cold tone.

You can't hide your confusion upon witnessing the way the guard bows slightly towards the other soldier and turns on his heels, leaving the basement in hurried steps.

The guard named Jonathan must have a superior position, there is no other explanation for the soldiers quick obedience to his orders.

Jonathan's eyes switch back and forth between you and the prisoner. You lift your chin at his intense stare.

"We need to report this to the mayor, " he speaks up again, "You should come with me."

"I will treat the prisoner's fresh inflicted injuries first." You answer in an instant, your posture radiating calmness despite of the tumult inside of you at everything that has just transpired.

The soldier forms his lips into a thin line and before he can add anything to his statement you quickly speak up again.

"I will attend the mayor's quarter's, as soon as my duty here is completed."

After a long pause of regarding you intensely, he gives you a slight nod. His gaze lands on the winged man behind you for the last time and slowly he turns around.

Only when you hear the sound of the heavy door's closing, you allow yourself to let out a shaky sigh.

Turning around you lock eyes with the winged man.

Quickly you crawl towards him, taking his face into your palms.

"Are you alright?" you whisper against his face with trembling lips.

The sensations you forcefully kept at bay for the sake of saving this man start to take a toll on you. You feel overwhelmed at what just transpired, your body feels weak.

Agatha's words became reality. So she had spoken the truth... For a guard to dare and try to commit such a crime despite of the mayor's orders is evidence enough that your people are getting out of control.

And you fear, this won't be the first and last attempt at taking the winged man's life.

Keigo's gaze wanders on your figure, his chest is rising and falling heavily.

"Why did you not listen?" he hisses suddenly.

You blink, perplexed.

"I-...." , Your hands sink from his face, slowly.

The winged man lifts his hand and gently grabs your face, examining your cheek. You flinch at the sudden sensation of pain and hold back a hiss. The bruise forming on the left side of your cheek is an unfortunate reminder of how weak you are. Your gaze drops to the ground. But Keigo grabs yor chin, slowly lifting your head.

"You will not interfere again." He orders in a slightly calmer tone, piercing golden eyes are regarding you intensely.

Taken aback by his words you feel irritation and disbelief swelling inside of your body. How can he expect of you such a thing?! He wants you just stand there and do nothing?

No, you had pledged that you would do everything in your might to prevent any further harm towards the prisoner.

Eyes hardening you give him a stare equalling the intensity of his own.

"I do not want to stand by any longer and allow violence to be inflicted on the innocent."

His expression remains the same, but so does yours.

"I refuse to discard common sense."

The silence in the room is thick, the only sound present is the heavy breathing leaving Keigo's lips. You are certain you've stopped breathing all together while waiting for a response from the winged man. But his expression doesn't waver, his features provide no hints of his thoughts.

Just then, there is a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. You would've missed it if not for the intense stare you've been giving him. His lips curl into a smile, the thumb on your chin slowly starts caressing your cheek.

"Tsuyoi Kotori..." He whispers in a foreign language against your face, making you blink in bewilderment.

You tilt your head slightly in question, but the man doesn't answer. Instead, his gaze flickers over your face, searching for something unknown to you.

Times stretches and you can't hide your nervousness at the change of atmosphere anymore. He is close. So close, your face tickles at every breath he exhales. Nervously you moisturise your lips with the tip of your tongue.

Keigo's eyes flash towards the movement, pupils going wide. His golden orbs are so fixated on your slightly parted lips, it's nerve wrecking. It leads your thoughts to wander towards dangerous territories...

"Breathe."

You gasp at the order and immediately let out the breath you've been holding in. Your cheeks burn from all the heat that has been building on them.

Keigo only chuckles lightly at your reaction. Withdrawing his fingers from your face, he leans back against the wall. With the slight smile still written over his features he regards you with half lidded eyes.

"Well then," he starts, totally ignoring your heated face, "You have my gratitude."

This man...

He was about to get killed and he still has the strength to be amused on your account!

But you guess this is better...

Indeed, it's better than giving up on hope in any kind of way.

Letting out a sigh you huff at him and immediately get to work of healing his injuries.

Keigo's soft eyes never leave your figure throughout the whole procedure.

_____________________________________________

After treating the wounds of the prisoner- and finally coming back to your senses, you are on your way to the mayor's working chambers.

And truly, the change of atmosphere is evident in the whole village. It seems even more people are avoiding the streets now. Side glances and chatters in hushed tones follow your every step. The uneasiness in your body only increases the longer you observe the people around you.

You can't believe how blind you've been to the immense changes in your surroundings.

With the speed you are walking, it doesn't take you long and you are standing in front of the immense oak door of the working chamber of your father.

Taking in a deep breath, you knock on the door.

Silence.

You knock again, more intent this time.

Again, only silence greets you. You frown in confusion and are about to try and enter the room when you hear footsteps behind you.

Turning around you are greeted with the sight of the soldier named Jonathan. He comes to an abrupt halt a few meters away from you, giving you a slight bow.

"The mayor is not present in his quarters." He informs you.

Your brows knit in confusion. You are about to ask him where to find the mayor, but Jonathan answers you the moment your lips part.

"The mayor is currently not on village grounds."

"But where-"

"I'm afraid I'm not allowed to share the information regarding his whereabouts with you." He cuts in, his expression twisting in a way you can't decipher.

What is that supposed to mean?

Why would your father hold such simple information from you? For what reason?

What is he hiding from you...?

Sealing your lips, you give him a slight nod. Expecting the soldier to leave, you are about to turn around.

But Jonathan remains on his place, his face displaying uncertainty. You arch a brow, giving him a questioning look. As if waking up from a trance, the soldier blinks a few times and gives you another slight bow before leaving you be.

You don't even take your time to ponder behind the reason of his behavior and immediately try to open the oak door to your father's working chambers.

Luck is on your side it seems, it is not locked!

You know that you are not allowed to enter the working quarters of the mayor. No one is. But the gnawing feeling of uneasiness compells you to act out of character. You are not entirely sure what you are looking for, maybe traces that would lead you to his whereabouts? Perhaps you'd figure out the reason behind his secrecy? Hints of plans in any kind of way regarding the prisoner?

You don't know. The only thing you know is that you can't ignore the feelings churning your insides and stirring your mind.

Swiftly you enter and abruptly halt in your tracks upon witnessing the state of the room; Piles of paper and books in various different sizes are sprawled on the ground. The massive bookshelves seizing the walls are almost empty. The mahagony wooden desk is hard to locate in the unorganized state of the room.

You entered looking for traces... But where to start?

Biting the insides of your cheeks you slowly make your way towards the mahagony furniture. Inspecting the surface of it, you frown upon your rather obscure discovery; various different maps are displayed in an unorganized matter upon the desk. You try to examine them, but scarcely understand any of them.

Until one of them peaks your interest. Several red crosses are marking different places on the map. And most of them on territories where mountains are displayed. Even areas of woods have the same crossed out markings.

Is the mayor in search of something...?

And what do these markings indicate?

You need more time to find answers to your question but you can't risk getting caught!

So, you quickly roll up the parchment and stuff it under your skirt on your hips. This should suffice for now, you think to yourself and swiftly make your way out of the room.

_______________________________________________

The day goes by quickly while you're busy with your duties and your restless thoughts. So when it's time for supper in the early evening, you welcome it with an exhausted sigh.

Preparations for the meal doesn't take long, fortunately. It seems many of the higher ups are absent, just like the mayor himself. It is not a good sign, obviously. But it quickens the arrival of the time for your next duty you are so eager to fulfill.

As the day before, you hide the extra portion of meal under layers of linen in your basket and make your way to the basement.

You feel a little more at ease as soon as you're standing in front of the heavy basement doors; apart from Jonathan, the other guard has been replaced. You know not of what happened to him, but you are glad you don't have to see his face.

Jonathan's tired expression shifts the moment you come to sight, he straightens his posture and gives you a nod. You mirror his greeting by giving him a slight nod yourself and swiftly enter the cold basement the moment he opens the doors.

There, leaning against the wall with his gaze fixated at the iron window is Keigo. His expression seems thoughtful. But as soon as you are standing a few meters apart from him he lifts his head, expression softening ever so slightly.

"How are you feeling?" Kneeling in front of him, you slowly free your hands by putting the basket right in between yourself and the captured.

Keigo let's out a huff at your question, watching you unpack the contents from the basket.

Placing the slightly heated bowl of supper right in between his open legs, you give him a slight smile.

"I hope you like stew." You say meekly and take out the cup of water, placing it right beside the meal.

Keigo's eyes wander down and you watch as his nostrils flare, sniffing the food. The display is rather endearing, you decide and try to hide your smile.

Looking up from the supper he arches a bushy brow, giving you an expectant look.

Your brows furrowing in confusion you tilt your head. And immediately feel the heat forming on your face.

He can't mean to...

"Y-you want me to feed you again?" You ask, abashed.

An unexpected snort leaves his lips, clearly amused with your question.

"I surely wouldn't mind." He answers, his smile widening upon your embarrassed features. "Or, you could provide me with a spoon, so I can consume the food myself."

Oh.

Oh god.

You are a fool for forgetting to take out the cutlery from the basket.

Quickly you reach inside of it and offer it to the winged man with a muttering of apology. Feeling the heat increasing on your features you avoid looking at his face and instead point your gaze to the iron window.

Time passes and your embarrassment shifts into a feeling of relief. The winged man seems to enjoy the supper, you hear the way he eagerly swallows it down.

When the sounds of his chewing subsides, you glance back at his figure and abruptly your eyes widen.

The bowl half empty, he is pointing a full spoon towards you. Understanding the indication your heart warms at the offer and you give him a genuine smile while gesturing with your hands.

"Oh, thank you. But I've already had my fill!"

"Do you take me for a fool?"

Letting your hands sink on your laps, you blink perplexed.

"I hear the sound of your stomach rumbling."

"I-"

"I'm aware that this is your own meal, " A slight scowl is forming on his features whereas his hand with the full spoon is still pointing at you, "As it was the day before."

You close your mouth in recognition. He knows his worth as the prisoner, as much as the amount of nourishment that comes with it.

"Indeed, but I assure you I am not hungry.", you insist and try to explain yourself but the scowl on his features only expands at your words. The displeasure of your argumentative words is evident on his face. You want to protest, make him understand that he needs the nourishment more than you.

But ultimately you realize, you shouldn't argue any further with an otherworldly man about a subject such as small as this. Letting out a defeated sigh you can't hide the annoyance on your face.

Well, if he insits.

Abruptly you take the spoon into your mouth and withdraw yourself just as quick, chewing the food fiercely. Your expression indicating the words '𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥'?

Keigo's brows go wide at your behavior, a cunning smile slowly forming on his face.

You almost choke on the food at his reaction and quickly swallow. He takes another spoon full of stew, slowly shoving it towards you.

Your snappy behavior has lead to this outcome, you realize. Swallowing down the embarrassment, you repeat the action slowly this time, eyes fixated on the spoon. You don't dare to look up throughout the whole procedure, not until the last spoon.

Keigo is observing you, the amusement still present on his features.

"Kyōretsuna kotori." The winged man says as you chew on the last portion of stew, a light chuckle following right after. You watch as he places the bowl down to the ground and leans against the wall, lips curling into a pleased smirk.

You swallow hard, your cheeks still burning. Quickly you try to change the subject by asking about the meaning behind of his words.

He takes the cup from the ground and before taking a sip he glances at you slyly. "Feisty little bird."

Oh.

Heat increases all over your body as you watch him consume the liquid.

Trying to distract yourself, you pick up the now empty bowl and stash it inside of the basket. By doing so, you suddenly feel the parchment you had hidden under the many linens.

You glance from under you lashes towards the blonde and consider showing the map you had discovered with him.

After all, it's because of him you've gone through the lengths of searching through the mayor's working chambers. Perhaps he'll be able to help you in deciphering the meaning behind the markings on the map...

You don't have to ponder long about it and quickly take out the map.

Keigo places the now empty cup to the ground, brows knitting together upon discovering the parchment in your hands.

"It's a map, " you clarify before he can ask you about it, "I thought... Perhaps you could help me figure out something...?"

It seems his curiosity has been peaked, he stretches one hand out towards you. You place it into his palms and start explaining the reason why and how you've come to the possession of the item.

In the middle of your explanation you abruptly halt. Keigo's expression has shifted into something that makes your gut churn in worry. Golden orbs are fixated on a point of the map you can't quite see.

"What is it?" You ask cautiously.

His eyes flash towards you, and the intensity of them compells you to lean back slightly. They land on the map again, and you watch as a snarl forms on his lips. He hisses something in his own language, you jerk back at the strong exclamation.

Uneasiness forms inside of you at his demeanor and without a thought you gently place your hand on his lower arm.

"Keigo?" You whisper gently.

Lifting his head, he regards you with an expression mixed of anxiety and utter fury.

"Your people are looking for the territory of my kind."

_________________________________________

BAM!

I'm sorry that was insensitive of me ;-; faFfasvagsgs

And yep, I made Japanese an unknown language in the world of my fic. Does it matter? I hope not ;-;

Thanks for reading! ♡

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#reblog #fan fic update #keigo takami x reader #takami keigo x reader #keigo takami #takami keigo #hawks x you #my hero academia hawks #hawks x reader #bnha fic #bnha #bnha fanfiction #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia

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