Summary: "Holy shit, is that Tokoyami?" Tsuyu's curiosity gets her in trouble. Her ballsiness gets her even deeper. [I REGRET NOTHINGWOOOO]
I don't know why I did this. I really don't.
BUT I DID IT ANYWAY SO LETS GO ON A RIDE, KIDDOS.
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Asui Tsuyu wasn't the type to hide away. She normally left that up to her other classmates, like Mineta when he's trying to peek at… certain things. While her emotions weren't laid bare, her intentions were. That was how she preferred it; being up-front and speaking her mind whenever she wanted to- consequences be bloody damned.
So, thinking back to the situation at hand, as she was forced to duck and hide behind various shelves, Tsuyu just had to wonder… How the fuck did this happen?
"Maa… I thought the… that 'thing' was meant to be released by now, Karu-san?"
The teenager released a small, aggravated huff; his crimson eyes scanning the various book covers on the shelves with near aggressive levels of scrutiny. Karu sighed in response, moving out from behind the counter while rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I tried to defend them for as long as I could, but in the end, they didn't last."
"Not even one?"
"I'm afraid so."
An uncharacteristic groan escaped him, the sound of his head falling into his cupped hands resounding in the small store. "I waited for so long, too…"
Tsuyu gulped loudly, retreating further into the 3rd aisle as she clutched the important collection of data against her chest. No one was about to separate her from such precious cargo- over her dead body, in fact! Arima-kun would be hers, and hers alone. Everyone who tried to get in her way would be vanquished; as easy as any foe she faced against-.
"Tsuyu."
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE— "
Her alarmed scream was quickly silenced as the man smothered her mouth with his hands, craning his head over the tops of the shelves to steal a panicked glance at the storekeeper. "Hush! I'm not here to hurt you or anything but, why are yo- is that the last copy of the final instalment of 'Tsuki no Kanojo no Shinjitsu', where Arima-chan is finally confessing to Koari, but whom will ultimately end up in the arms of her dearly beloved Rekuta-san?"
She blinked.
He blinked.
Tsuyu tried to edge away from him.
"You smell bad."
He, silently, edged right along with her.
"Answer the question."
'Fuck it.'
"..Ye."
Tsuyu would be called a liar from this day forth whenever she tried to bring up this moment with any of the other students in Class 1-A—heck, with any person on the planet, even. Nothing could prepare her (or her heart) for what occurred in the matter of 5 seconds.
Tokoyami, the class chuunibyou, edgelord and enthusiast of all things dark, gothic and downright creepy.
Had a fangasm.
His feathers fluffed up, becoming something akin to a bleak, April cloud as it praised the heavens above, while a delighted squawk tore its way out of his sharp beak; his legs performing on odd dance that was perhaps slightly reminiscent of a mating ritual…
Tsuyu was scared.
No.
Tsuyu was downright intimidated and terrified.
Relying on her instincts alone at this point, the woman practically indented the manga against her chest while backing away from him. Seeing as how he was still distracted with his little… 'fanboy shebang', Tsuyu kept her eyes focused on him as she made her way towards the counter- caution present in every fibre of her being.
So close to freedom, she was. Right at the mouth of the aisle, the quirk-user felt a relieved grin slip onto her face while stubbornly squashing down the urge to sob as the overwhelming pressure melted away.
Then it all built back up again when she stole one final glance into the aisle.
'Wait a minute- where'd he go? I swore he was right there!'
Her question was answered as two hands clamped firmly onto her shoulders. 'Please. No.'
"Say… You wouldn't want to give that up to a long-time fan, eh?"
Tsuyu's expression remained set in stone, barely able to let out an alarmed croak as the dark presence behind her seemed to become all-consuming in its potency.
'Not like this.'
"After all, I'm sure you're only a casual reader- you don't seem like the type to read comic books too often, correct?"
Her brow twitched, her pupils dilating as she seemed to feel far more like prey in the clutches of the apex predator, rather than a classmate talking to a fellow comrade about a shared interest.
'Izuku, if I never come back… make out with Uraraka for me.'
"You're not talking, so I'll give the safe assumption that you agree-"
'Curse my blunt nature. Curseth thy honest to the edge of this world, and beyond the mortal coil.'
"No. It's mine."
He went silent immediately, though his hands remained firmly on her shoulders. Even though they tightened a tad, and almost seemed to climb up her neck- as if he were about to choke her.
"W-wh… what was that?"
"I said fuck off."
'Fuckmefuckmefuckme- in fact, someone do that now so I won't die as a virgin.'
She stole a glance at him from her peripheral vision, only able to catch the rapid twitching of his eye- and was it just her, or was the store getting really dark all of a sudden? '…Am I actually about to get killed by Tokoyami, of all people?'
Freezing for a moment, she pursed her lips before ripping herself out of his clutches, a prideful incline to her chin as she raised it to stare at him as she stubbornly ignored the sweat building up along her cheek-bones; thankfully hidden by her bangs, "It's mine, you can't have it. I got it first."
At first sight, the man seemed shell-shocked; frozen like a statue in the centre of the shop. Shrugging, Tsuyu proceeded past him towards the counter, shoulder lightly brushing against his.
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Smiling at Karu as politely as one can as a sobbing bird-human clung to her leg, she wasn't quite sure what to make of her role. Wanting to get out of this situation as quickly as possible, the woman simply dumped all the cash she had and quickly hobbled out of the store, calling back a simple, "keep the change!" as Tokoyami screeched and cried incoherently.
Her tongue slipped out of her mouth of its own accord, she would swear to this day; for the soul purpose of wrapping around the teenager and pitching him as far away from her as she could manage.
Raising a hand to her eyes, she watched his ascent and eventual descent…
Only to realise a distinct lack of a book in her arms, and that annoying smirk on his face as Dark Shadow displayed the volume proudly in their beak.
Her eyes flashed as something within her broke, bunching up the muscles in her legs and practically ejecting herself from the ground. A wicked grin was settled on her face, her mouth stretched out even further in a crooked line- her sable black eyes managed to achieve an even darker hue as she pursued the duo.
Tokoyami's smirk widened as he gave a cocky wave, Dark Shadow deciding to cut their losses and focus more on minimising the shockwave of the incoming ground instead of the utterly pissed off, soon-to-be heroine.
Big mistake.
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"And that's the story of how I tried to kill one of the strongest students at the school!"
"...Was the car really necessary?"
Tsuyu proceeded to ignored him, instead propping her elbows up on top of his head as Recovery Girl worked her magic- the motherly elderly woman quickly reprimanding the pair of aspiring heroes. "Absolutely necessary."
"Anyways, would you like to continue on to the next page? We're near the climax!"
Tokoyami, despite his bruises and dwindling stamina, managed a small smile as he leaned back into the makeshift wall of pillows Tsuyu had set up, in order to make it more comfortable as they read. "Of course, my desire for the outcome of their personal dilemmas is piqued."
She grunted.
"Whatever you say, Shakespeare."
