A/N: There is not enough Tsukoyami shipping in this damn site, and I'll be the one to change that disturbing fact!
Wait… Tsukoyami… Tsukuyomi…
Sharp gasp.
Tokoyami took in the surrounding night.
The lively forestry encompassing the hero school campus had turned a darker shade as the pale moon shone above, giving it a brand new, undervalued essence in the eyes of the Jet Black Hero as a sincere smile pursued his beak.
The cobblestone pathway he walked on broke the unity of the trees as he journeyed, hands dug comfortably into his dark, baggy hoodie's pockets, to his wonted meditation spot, a thick, black prayer mat rolled up and tied under his armpit. His footsteps made no sound as he expertly strolled near the tree line edges, avoiding the camouflaged security cameras plaguing the otherwise green foliage.
Tokoyami reached his destination; one of the school's lakes designed for U.A's aquatic-based students and quirks, edged on one side by a flat rock used as a provisional diving board, but served another use for the raven-headed student. He approached the rock, calming peace was etched in his expression, though inside - besides Dark Shadow's rebellious protests - was a lingering anxiety at the prospect of being discovered during curfew hours.
Due to Tokoyami consistently coming out at night for meditation purposes, Aizawa-sensei had made it a habit of waiting for a few moments before actually catching the bird boy in the act and scolding him to get back to the dorms. At least in the few times he had caught him, since there were more times where he escapes his sensei's prying glare.
Not that he had any choice in the matter. When Dark Shadow starts being particularly defiant, he desperately seeked a quiet place to calm himself down and suppress the rampaging beast his quirk could become. The last thing Tokoyami wanted was a repeat of the summer school trip.
Untying and unrolling the mat onto the hard flat of the stone, the bird boy relaxed with a sigh of relief, sitting down with his legs crossed in a meditative pose and straightening his back. He closed his eyes, exhaling another calming breath as he deprived his mind of any and all thoughts, becoming one with the present reality.
The cool breeze tickles his beak and the crickets chirped rhythmically, a noise Tokoyami welcomed wholeheartedly. It certainly beat the spirited and competitive excitement and screeching gossip during sleepovers from his male and female peers, respectively. Not that he had anything against them, he just preferred peace and quiet over obnoxious noise.
Well, maybe he had one thing against Ashido-san, who had recently started a poll of sorts with their class about pairings and 'ships', however that correlated with each other. The pink girl swarmed her classmates - himself especially included - with questions involving romance and women and men, who they liked, what they loved in a partner, what grossed them out, et cetera, et cetera.
And it definitely didn't help that a certain transparent heroine was making her rounds sneakily during group conversations to gather intel and get a better picture of her class' personal regards towards the others-
Gah! Tokoyami cried out inwardly, slumping out of his meditation as he rubbed his feathery temples. It took him a while to realize he wasn't meditating anymore, but reflecting on the day's events. I do not need this right now, he clutched at his heart, feeling Dark Shadow stirring up a storm in his insides. He groaned painfully, still not completely accustomed to his quirk's drawbacks. He'd hoped this session would help put his mind at ease, but alas, it was to no avail.
"Is somebody out there?" a voice called out, apparently hearing the Jet Black Hero's tense displeasure from the cobblestone road. A female voice, Tokoyami denoted quickly as he gazed up at his intruder. "Oh, Tokoyami, I didn't know it was you, kero," Tsuyu said, a finger propped up on her bottom lip.
At the sight of his froggy friend in her hero outfit, minus the goggles, and a towel hanging from her shoulder, Tokoyami's figure unwinded dramatically. Though he was fairly annoyed at the intrusion, it immediately vanished with the presence of the person who respected him the most, and the person he respected the most. "Asu- Tsuyu-chan," he corrected himself, remembering the frog girl's preference for first name basis. "What're you doing here? And why are you in your hero outfit?"
"I usually come here to swim around in the lake for fun," she said. "My swimming suit's in the wash, so I had to bring my costume. It was the only other waterproof clothing I had,"
"During the night?" Tokoyami cocked a raven brow. "Aren't you susceptible to the cold?" he scanned her up and down, seeing that her long dress and shirt weren't effective in warming her body, and the towel could only dry her so much.
"Not really, it's only bad in the winter time. This is tolerable," Tsuyu explained. "Besides, there's just something about the water at night that makes it a lot more enjoyable, don't you think?" she looked at the bird boy expectantly.
Tokoyami let out a chuckle, overlooking his and Tsuyu's perfect reflections on the tranquil deep blue. "That it is…" he said in a tone close to a soft whisper.
"Oh well, I guess I'll get out of your hair, or, feathers, in this case," Tsuyu said, turning her back to the sitting bird. "You seem to be doing important stuff, so I'll leave you be, kero," she stepped away from him.
"Hey, wait!" Tokoyami abruptly yelled out, reaching out with a hand towards Tsuyu. He did a double take on his action, bringing his hand back to his side.
Tsuyu stopped in her tracks, rotating her head to look at Tokoyami. "Kero?" she croaked in inquiry, curiosity laced in her voice.
Tokoyami froze in place, eyes turning to pinpricks as he stared at Tsuyu's cute face. He tried as hard as he could to keep his mind afloat, but his undisturbed composure had all but barely deteriorated entirely at the prospect of his friend leaving. Why did he suddenly care? Either way, he needed to think fast on his feet, she was staring too long at this point. "Wha… what if Aizawa-sensei sees you?" he asked nervously, hoping Tsuyu would be none the wiser.
"It's not the first time I've done this, just so you know," she said, with Tokoyami slacking as she took the bait. "I've gotten out of Aizawa's vigilant patrol before,"
"How?" he asked, leaning on the rock, eager to learn the sacred art of dodging Eraserhead.
"I can turn invisible," she said bluntly. "And because Aizawa can't erase mutation type quirks, it makes it easier for me to stay out of his radar. Which is why I wear my hero costume, since it's my only piece of clothing that mimics my invisibility, kero," she tugged at a green stripe in her costume to emphasize her point.
He hummed, scratching his chin in thought. So that's why she's wearing it. It makes sense, when we got out provisional licenses, she did demonstrate that ability, he thought, staring out at the lake, recollecting all of the times Aizawa scolded him. She must be so lucky to have that,
Sucks to be you, hehe!
"So," Tsuyu cut his train of thought as he snapped at her in attention. "Why did you stop me exactly?"
"Ah! Yes, um…" he stuttered, looking away from her to avoid eye contact. "You… don't have to go. If you want, you can stay," he told her, glancing at her from the corner of his vision.
"Are you sure?" she tilted her head, a gesture Tokoyami blushed lightly at. "I don't wanna interrupt anything. You looked to be concentrating on something, kero,"
"It's fine, I promise," he said, still facing the lake, eyes closed again to retake the motion to induce his consciousness. "I enjoy your company, so I see no problem with it," as soon as he uttered the uncharacteristic choice words, Tokoyami's whole body jerked madly because why in the name of the gods would I say that? I meant to just say the second part, where did the first one come from?
Tsuyu, oblivious to the bird boy's internal turmoil, smiled her signature content grin. "Thanks, Tokoyami-chan," she said, a light rose-y tint rising on her froggy cheeks. "I like being with you too,"
If his outburst didn't surprise him, then this sure as hell did. He expected Tsuyu to be as blunt as possible, always speaking what's on her mind, but to the extend of socializing with someone like him, a self proclaimed outcast, and not find it creepy was baffling to him.
"But are you alright with me splashing around when you're… doing your thing?" she asked, approaching Tokoyami's rock and resting the towel near her classmate's feet.
"I don't mind in the least," he said, his eyes still shut, though this time because he didn't want to turn into Izuku Midoriya when a girl gets close to him. "The coursing waters distil the maddening darkness of a carcass that is my soul," Tokoyami poetically added.
Tsuyu blinked. "Okay," she said, facing the enormous body of water and leaping high and far into a dive. Her small figure turned to a silhouette as she dunked headfirst towards the water surface, sinking for a good minute before rising up again, a froggy grin plastered on her visage.
Cute, Tokoyami thought, momentarily watching his frog friend's performance as he went back to his meditation, shutting himself off from his subconscious. and easing himself to reality.
Oooh~ someone has a crush, the internal teenage voice of Dark Shadow cooed teasingly, adding mocking smooching sounds that echoed in his mind.
Quiet down, you, Tokoyami quickly said in thought, furrowing his brows. Dark Shadow digressed, though not without letting out a mischievous cackle.
Readjusting his mat from underneath him, the Jet Black Hero laid his arm on his crisscrossed lower half, his palms flattened on his knees. Tokoyami listened to the pleasant splashing sounds of gushing and rushing water in front of him, a sign that Tsuyu was thoroughly enjoying her time, if the delighted kero's weren't enough of a tell.
Tokoyami peeked for a moment, opening his eyelid to look at the aquatic hero. The green and black striped hero costume contrasted alluringly with the deep blue, the ripples from her breaststrokes swirled the surface back to him. The moonlight shined bright on top of Tsuyu, giving her smooth, soaked green hair a more luminescent appearance, like a halo floated above her.
How Tokoyami envied the frog girl as her hair waved with her motions. Here he was, struggling to maintain control over a part of his body, all the while stressing over the repercussion of his Sensei's scolding - and consequent punishment - and Tsuyu was swimming without a care in the world, having a plan of attack if Sensei ever saw her in one of the cameras.
Of course she'd be like this. Even as she looked at him, her eyes were as blank and expressionless as any expert in the art of evasion-
Realization struck him like a brick, causing to snap his eyelid shut. His beak stayed a thin line, hiding away the mass of fear of his Tsuyu discovering his voyeurism, as if he was turning into a scummy pervert.
God forbid he became like Mineta.
"Tokoyami," Tsuyu called out, her voice sounding a little too close for comfort in Tokoyami's opinion.
Cracking open his eyelids, he peered down at Tsuyu, propping her head with both her arms under her chin, her body still submerged in the lake. "Hmm?" he asked calmly, though internally he was shaking feverishly.
"You were staring at me," she said simply.
Tokoyami was unresponsive, resorting to simply gaping wordlessly at her her large eyeballs, blinking, before lowering his head in shame. "I… apologize." he whispered, regret eating at him. "I didn't mean to…"
"I don't mean it like that," she continued, causing Tokoyami to return eye contact in shock. "You just looked really sad,"
"..." Tokoyami had no answer. It made him sick to his stomach to show his weakness in the most ridiculous way.
"You couldn't concentrate 'cause of me after all, huh?"
"No, it's not that," he admitted sadly. "It's… something else,"
"The license exam?"
Tokoyami shook his head.
"Aizawa-sensei?"
Once again, a shake of his head, no.
Tsuyu tilted her head. "Is it because Lil' Shadow?"
"..." He sighed. "... not exactly,"
Tsuyu removed her arms from their resting spot to the edge, stepping up to the rock and sitting down close to him, careful not to dampen the mat with her long wet hair tied in a bow. "Wanna talk about it?" she offered bluntly.
"I'd rather not," he said. "You already have enough to worry about, I couldn't bear to burden you with my problems,"
"You're not a burden," she retaliated in full. "That's what friends are for, right?"
Uncertainty ate at his heart as he felt his mouth pursue into an admittedly cold-blooded 'no', to end the topic right then and there. However, as he gazed at her big black irises, he found that feeling wash away with another, more soothing and warmer sensation. "Alright," Tokoyami conceded. "But this stays between us, understand? I don't want the others to mull over this with themselves,"
"Gotcha," she nodded in understanding.
He inhaled a small breath, attempting to organize his scrambled thoughts. Never once in his life had he talked about his issues, resorting only to meditating and training as a means to put aside the lingering regret. Alas, he thought, you could bury the darkness in your core for so long until it came bursting out.
"Remember the summer training camp?" he said, beginning to recall the events that led to the current situation. "When all those villains ambushed us while we were split up?"
"Yeah, I do." she said, wanting to tell him that she was personally attacked and almost injured by one of the villains, but digressed, seeing as it was pointless to do so.
"When Shoji and I were given the telepathic notice and the authorization to use our quirks, we were isolated from any other students from the hero course with no way of knowing where he needed to go, Then shortly after, Shoji told me a villain was coming from the trees. We couldn't see who he was at first as he began his attack by shape shifting blades at us from all angles. And since it was night, the thought of the villain strike made my grip on my quirk loosen, and I couldn't think properly for a while,"
"Shoji noticed my hesitation and told me he'd cover for me while I got away, but in the process, he…" Tokoyami stopped abruptly, feeling his anger spike at the memory. "He got his arm cut off by the villain. By then, I had completely forgot about Shoji's replicant abilities, and I lost all control of myself. It didn't help that Midoriya came along, battered and bruised from his own confrontations. I let the darkness in my soul consume me,"
Tokoyami hesitantly glanced at Tsuyu, and seeing her intent and unmoving gaze on him, told him that she was listening keenly and hanging on every word of his tale, even if her expression said otherwise. He continued. "It's was a momentary lapse of judgement, but it was enough to drastically change the course of the battle… and my psyche,"
"Dark shadow came at anything that moved, anything that made a peep, trying to cope with the immense anger I felt in the depths of my heart… even my friends. While I was failing to contain the monster I was becoming, Dark Shadow attacked Shoji and Midoriya with the intent to hurt them. I could see it in his movements, those claws were looking to rid themselves of the pain dwelling within, by any means necessary…"
The 'Hero' hung his head in shame. "I couldn't handle it… my fury, Dark Shadow's rage, the thought of everyone in danger… it drove my quirk to rampage… even if we did take care of the villain who ambushed us, it still didn't erase the damage I've done because of it. At the moment, I knew I needed to control this dark side of me, so that what happened on the school trip would never happen again,"
"Since then, I've been looking for ways on how to calm myself quickly whenever I felt Dark Shadow being a little rowdier than usual. It was purely coincidence that a few months later the dorms would open up for us, and with it a quicker way to get to the lakes, but I'm not one to tempt fate," he ended his speech with a tired sigh, letting silence roam between the duo as he faced the lake's mirror reflection of him. Tokoyami's visage held a deep sorrow, one that he knew all too much.
"Wow," Tsuyu commented, breaking the awkward silence. "You had a lot weighing you down, Tokoyami-chan,"
Tokoyami shrugged one-sidedly. "It's a challenge in the path I walk on," he said, still turned towards the lake. "But to think, despite knowledge that I possess thanks to this, most prestigious school of heroes, that I would sink low enough to hurt the very ones that I was meant to protect…" he huffed indignantly. "I question why you would still want to hang out with someone like me,"
"I regurgitated handcuffs right in front of you, and you still hang out with me," Tsuyu said as bluntly as ever.
"That's… different," Tokoyami croaked out, pushing back the aforementioned end of term exam incident to the back of his mind. "My troubles are more serious than that,"
"I don't really think so," Tsuyu said, with a finger tipping her lip. "If you think about it, Shoji-chan and Midoriya-chan were already prepared for Lil' Shadow's rampage,"
Tokoyami wrinkled his eyes, confusion and slight umbrage evident in his expression. "How so?"
"Well, you said Shoji saw you losing control, kero?"
"Yes…"
"And I assume they knew Lil' Shadow would attack anything he heard or saw, right?"
"... I guess?"
"And if I remember correctly, eventually you calmed down enough to regain your composure, right?"
Tokoyami had yet to wrap his head around her point. "Shoji used his quirk to make sounds so Dark Shadow followed them towards Bakugo and Todoroki. They used their quirks to create light, and subsided Dark Shadow," the bird boy raised a darkened brow. "What're you getting at, Tsuyu-chan?"
Tsuyu gave in a wide mouthed grin. "You know I always say what's on my mind, right?" with a curt nod from Tokoyami, she completed her idea. "So please listen when I say, don't overthink these things," before Tokoyami could speak out in protest, she scooted closer to his side, laying a now dried, large palm on the top of his raven head.
"Shoji-chan, Midoriya-chan, Bakugo-chan, Todoroki-chan…" the shock on his expression died down as she began stroking him, the feeling of a big warmth emanating from her hand melting his worries away, as he looked expectantly at her. "Everyone here, they're all strong people, who've put their life on the life time and time again before to help out the others out of trouble. Lil' Shadow may have had the upper hand when it came to strength, but they found a way around him so they could save you and defeat the villain. Even if you did hurt Shoji-chan, I can tell he still trusts you as much as he always had,"
Sensing Tokoyami twitch under her, she cupped her hands on the Jet Black Hero's avian cheeks, peering up at the slightly taller student, earning an attention stare and a red tint across his face. "That doesn't mean you should beat yourself down like that, Tokoyami-chan," she smiled brightly. "After everything we've been through, there is no way I could think any less of you. You and Lil' Shadow, I know you two are gonna be a dynamic duo. I have faith in you,"
He shouldn't feel grateful. Not in the slightest. He should've been reprimanded for injuring his fellow heroes, and endangering the lives of any student or Pro Hero unlucky enough to stand in front of Dark Shadow's uncontrollable rampage. At best, Aizawa should expel him the second he encountered him here, past curfew hours. If not, then Tokoyami would demand it.
But that smile… that froggy- no… that Froppy smile of hers. It was so warming, so calming, so… perfect. It eased the darkness permeating his insides and plaguing his nightmarish mind. He couldn't help but smile back at her, with his own thankful grin as she wiped away the trailing tears with her big thumbs.
She was right, he had no problem admitting it. Then again, when wasn't she? Despite her blunt honesty, she was intelligent, perceptive, astute, someone more than worthy of inheriting the title of 'Hero'. Never once has she went out of her way to make someone feel bad for themselves, a trait he admired greatly in her. Tsuyu was truly an inspiration for him, his class and the populac-
"Choo!" Tsuyu's adorable sneeze - You are so smitten~/ Be quiet! - caused her to retract her hands from his cheeks and cover the incoming projectile. Tokoyami whined internally at the loss of the affectionate touch, but was drawn back to Tsuyu as she sniffled. "Sorry, I almost… alm…" her face froze into an unreadable expression with her mouth slightly agape. "Choo!" she sneezed adorably again.
Tokoyami jerked as he noted that she began to shiver slightly. "Tsuyu, you're shaking,"
Tsuyu waved a hand dismissively. "It's okay," she said hoarsely, sniffling softly as she felt her nose clog up. "It's just a cold, there's no need to- kero?" she cut herself off, a pleasant warmth enveloped her being as she stared down her raven headed friend now wearing a black T-shirt with the name of a band she didn't know on it.
In a swift motion, Tokoyami had quickly unzipped and wrapped his hoodie around the frog girl's freezing frame, the baggy fabric making her look even smaller in comparison and hiding her hero costume. Tokoyami tugged at the shoulders of the hoodie, bringing them together and zipping each side again. "You'll catch your death out here," he whispered to her, his face inches from her, focusing on the snugness of the hood, mindful not to pull on Tsuyu's long mane of hair.
Both heroes in training could feel each other's hot breaths as Tokoyami brought the hood up to cover her head, meeting Tsuyu's glistening orbs. The moment they made eye contact, Tokoyami eye's widened with a blush streaking his face, immediately looking the other way to avoid showing her the extent of his panicked emotional state.
Tsuyu gawked in awe at Tokoyami, like a little girl gazing at the beauty of the stars, her eyes passing by the many uncommon features her dark themed friend held; the blush on his black cheeks, his sudden shy demeanor and his stubbornness to hide it were things she found to be quite cute, and the fact that it came from Tokoyami made it all the more worthwhile.
She leaned her hooded temple to his broad shoulder, letting herself enjoy the closeness of the two as she felt Tokoyami jump at the action. "Fumikage-chan," she said.
Tokoyami, sporting a rose tint that now covered his entire profile caused by the first name calling, looked down at her with furrowed brows of anticipation. He didn't pull away from her, because the pleasant warmth had returned tenfold and he didn't want to lose it this time. "Yes, Tsuyu-chan?" he asked, leaning in on her head, rubbing his cheek with the top of her covered scalp.
"You're really cool," she confessed, placing a hand on the Tokoyami's lap.
"I…" Tokoyami uttered out loud, trying to find the right words. "I think you're… pretty cool too,"
Tsuyu giggled happily. "Kero."
That kid again, Aizawa thought in irritation, walked sternly across the same cobblestone pathway he'd strolled through over the past week, the man bun hardly containing the loose strands of hair that fell from the small gusts of wind. I have better things to do at this time than to chase him down to the dorms whenever he decides to take a stroll. Honestly, why can't he just do this crap during the day? It's irrational and it wastes my time.
Much to his chagrin, Aizawa's demand for the bird student to stop going out during curfew hours went unheeded once again, giving leeway to a punishment that the sensei saw fit for someone like him. It would be the second time he's catch him in the act after the fourth time he escaped. Needless to say, it sent him over the edge.
Once Aizawa's was satisfied with the punishment he had in mind for Tokoyami - a week of cleaning 1-A's classroom after afterschool activities - he swiftly made his way towards the usual spot aside the lake where Tokoyami was always found meditating, the nylon scarf covering his mouth from the chill breeze he was used to.
Emerging from a tree line, Aizawa faced the lake, seeing the side of Tokoyami in a seated position atop the diving rock, causing him to raise his brow at the sight. In his student's previous escapades, he'd always bolt out running as soon as his sensei was nearby. The training Aizawa gave him made sure that he would be able to sense the presence of others in his vicinity and act accordingly.
But this time was different. Instead of Tokoyami sitting alone with a solemn look, Asui sat beside him, head leaning on the bird boy's shoulder, content palpable on her lip's thin line. From the looks of it, Tokoyami seemed to have taken off his black hoodie and wrapped it around her form.
Another detail that drove him to question was Tokoyami's expression, more specifically, the apparently tiny, yet elated smile pursuing his beak. Compared to the other times he'd seen him at night, Aizawa witnessed his body visibly relaxing with every breath he took, seemingly enjoying the friendly company as the two did not exchange a single word.
Tsk, Aizawa huffed inwardly. So that was you, Asui, that other student that kept getting away from me. I should've known better, that invisibility of hers gives me a major disadvantage.
It couldn't have been more perfect for the homeroom teacher. Two of his students, who were due hefty disciplinary action for their persistent rule breaking, were sitting only a few feet away from him, their defenses lowered and unexpectant of the Pro Hero. All he needed to do was secure their capture with his cloth and give out the punishment.
Then he could call it a night. Yep, that was exactly what he needed to do to solve that issue.
However, the scarf remained draped over Aizawa's shoulders, not moving an inch towards the designated targets. The homeroom gawked at the duo, watching as Tsuyu exchanged a few silent words to Tokoyami's way without opening her eyelids, causing Tokoyami to snuggle closer to her, rubbing his feathery cheek on her green hair, his beak lighting up with joy.
These kids are gonna be the death of me, Aizawa sighed in defeat, picking up a faggot of sticks from his feet and holding the bundle on his palms, his hands in parallel. Shifting back behind the tree bark, Aizawa twisted the sticks in his hand, the wood splitting audibly in the dead of the night as he could almost feel the bird boy jumping in his spot.
"Oh no, it's Sensei!"
"Wow, that's kind of slow for someone like Aizawa-sensei,"
"It doesn't matter, he's here now and he'll catch us if we don't hurry!"
"You're right, but I don't think we can outrun him like this,"
"Come with me, I know a shortcut. Dark Shadow, the mat!"
"Ugh! I have to do everything, don't I?"
Aizawa stayed where he was, resting his head and back on the wood as he heard the pair of rapid footsteps hitting stone, distancing from him until they were they were like drops of water on an ocean. Peering around the corner of the tree, he saw a faint glimmer of two shadows on the treelines before it faded away from the teacher's dry eyes.
Sighing again, this time in relief, Eraserhead came off the tree's bark, making his way towards the U.A. building.
"I'll scold them tomorrow," Were his final mutters, hands dug into his pockets as he finally allowed himself to relax. "Makes no sense to do it now."
A/N:
CTC sat at his darkened desk lit by a solitary table lamp, peering up at the meticulously pinned stacks of papers on the wall. Each thumbtack connected to a sheet was intertwined by an elastic, red rubber band, knotted and looped within themselves at certain intersections, ending in another thumbtack, and another, and another, until it turned to an endless loop of twists and turns.
The Author, known as the magnificently gorgeous ClimatingTheChange, mulled insanely over a chosen set on pins, correlated between the words Tsukuyomi, with a picture of Tokoyami holding his hero name, and Tsukoyami, held by a crayon drawing of Tsuyu and Tokoyami passionately holding hands. The letters 'U' and 'O' from Tsukuyomi strained the rubber band as it intertwined with the letters 'O' and 'A' from Tsukoyami.
"There is a conspiracy here, I tell ya," Climating rasped out in his deep and majestic tenor. "And I'm gonna expose it-"
Climating suddenly snapped as he heard a word of protest from nearby. "Bah! Who needs a job when you have this ship, mom?!"