A Room with No Shadows

"I hear you've been asking Dabi about the boy," Shigaraki says.

"Tsukuyomi?" Hawks shrugs. "Sure, I've been keeping tabs on him. I picked him as my intern for a reason: he's got potential. Also the bird thing, but I figure that's obvious."

Hawks flexes his wings, and they brush against the ceiling of the small space. They're in the back room of a small store that apparently belongs to one of the League of Villains' less powerful connections. Hawks isn't surprised that his first official meeting with the League's leader is in a place like this. Shigaraki may finally have agreed to meet with him, but that doesn't mean he trusts Hawks. At least it seems like they didn't come all this way just to jump him. Shigaraki only brought Dabi, Kurogiri, and Mr. Compress with him. That leaves at least three members unaccounted for as far as Hawks knows, and there's no space here to hide them.

Kurogiri eyes the wings distastefully, as if worried they'll make a mess of the tools lining the walls if Hawks so much as turns around. Which is true, but only if Hawks allows it. For the moment, he's more focused on the conversation than annoying the warp gate. His former intern has been missing for three weeks, casting a more figurative dark shadow than usual on all the teachers who swore to his protection and swift recovery. The search and rescue is not part of Hawks' mission, but he couldn't remain in such close contact with the League without asking a few questions.

The heroes have every reason to believe that Tokoyami is still in the League's clutches, and the more information he has the better Hawks will be able to plan his next move. It's a delicate balancing act. If he shares the information too freely and other heroes attempt a rescue, successful or unsuccessful, his cover could be blown. If he does nothing, he's willfully leaving his mentee to suffer. Unless, of course, the more distasteful reporters have the truth of it after all: that Tokoyami is no suffering victim, but a willing participant. He never got a sense of malice or madness from Tokoyami when they worked together, but the kid was hard to read. And with a quirk like that – well, power corrupts, and it's easy to see how the League could turn it against him.

"Since you brought it up," Hawks continues casually, "what is it that you see in him? Assuming you're the ones who took him, of course."

"I'll let Mr. Compress answer. How about it? Want to explain how we ended up with a UA student when I strictly told all of you to stay off the radar?" Shigaraki hisses.

Mr. Compress clears his throat. "Be fair, Shigaraki. No one else has brought you anything but vague promises of negotiations since the Yakuza incident."

"So far, all we have is an extra headache," says Kurogiri.

"And you're evading the question," Dabi adds.

Mr. Compress sighs dramatically and waves his arms. "You know the answer already! I'm just following the original plan, to sow descent and bring a promising young pupil into our ranks. That quirk of his is downright deadly, given the right circumstances. Your first choice was a failure from the start. This one is far more reasonable."

"Qualities I have yet to see," Shigaraki growls. He turns his attention back to Hawks. "That's where you come in. Dabi says you're eager to help us."

"Pretty sure that's what I've been doing for the last month, but yeah. The world's shit the way it is, and you lot are actually doing something about it," Hawks replies.

Shigaraki hums. "I've got a job for you, then. One I think you'll like, given your concern for the boy. As his mentor, you must have some connection with him."

"If you're asking if we tweet at each other, no. I mean, I would if the kid had a Twitter, but I've got a feeling you haven't been letting him on social media lately," Hawks answers.

Dabi laughs out loud at that, ignoring the glare Shigaraki shoots him from beneath the hand on his face.

"I'll do you one better," says Shigaraki. "I'll let you see him in person. You're going to convince him to use his powers for us. Tweet, caw, talk – communicate however you'd like, just get through to him."

"You think I can convince him to be a villain?" Hawks can't hide his surprise. He expected some sort of test, but he never thought it would have anything to do with Tokoyami. He never expected them to let him see Tokoyami, let alone talk to him. Come to the dark side, we have feathers.

"Why not?" says Shigaraki. "You're his mentor. Children need someone to show them the way until they can decide for themselves. He looks up to you, and if he sees you with us perhaps he will be more pliable. You can make him understand why the heroes he believes in will fall."

Hawks rubs the back of his neck. "I think you're reading a little too much into our relationship. I never get that close to my sidekicks, let alone my interns. I haven't got the time or interest in that sort of thing. It's one more problem with today's society, and UA especially. Everyone expects you to look after their brats, focus on the next generation. Nobody pays attention to what's happening right now, so the now never changes."

"That's crap!" Shigaraki hisses, scratching at his neck. With each word, his voice rises a little higher, taking on such an edge that Hawks takes a step back towards the exit. "That's an insult to my master, and to all of us. No one becomes something great from nothing. Even you, Hawks – you're always around the new number one, and it isn't just for show. You still need guidance. You still have doubts!"

"Shigaraki, enough!" Kurogiri shouts, cutting into his boss's tantrum. "We cannot drive Hawks away just because of a few…suspicions. He is proving himself, isn't he?"

Shigaraki strains against the hands covering his body, then takes a breath and relaxes, arms falling back to his sides. "Yes, yes. Alright then, I'll ask nicely. Hawks, won't you kindly talk to Tsukuyomi for us? Make him see that he's wasting his potential – wasting his time and mine. Because patience hasn't worked, threats haven't worked, pain hasn't worked, and if this doesn't work I'm not sure I see the use in keeping him around any longer. Or you, for that matter."

Now Hawks has a choice to make, and not much time to make it. Is he Darth Vadar, or Obi Wan? If you strike me down, I'll only become more powerful. Except that's not true at all; Hawks has no desire to be grounded or killed. He doesn't want his mission to fail, either. Not when he's come so far and there are thousands of lives at stake. He sighs. "Yeah, alright, I'll talk to the kid. I don't respond well to threats either, for the record. I just hate to see another bird mutation go to waste. We're a rarity, you know."

"And getting rarer," Shigaraki adds. He gestures to Kurogiri. "Take him through, then. I'm not wasting any more time on this."

Kurogiri nods, and a swirling black mist appears to swallow Hawks whole.

XXX

In the movies villainous lairs and dungeons are awash with shadows, their horrors half-hidden so that your imagination can make them all the more frightful. The reality is usually far more mundane, but this time Hawks stumbles out of the portal into a room filled with light, and there's something about it that makes Hawks' gut twist. He examines the room carefully once his eyes adjust, scoping out escape routes. There are no windows and just one door; it looks to be solid steel, and it has no handle on the inside. There might be just enough space to slide a feather under the door, so it does have some potential as an exit. However, he has no way to know what's waiting for him on the other side.

Hawks hardens his heart and turns his inspection to the hard metal chair in the center of the room. Tokoyami is slumped in it, his beak resting against his chest. His hands and feet are tied to the limbs of the chair. What Hawks can see of his skin is littered with bruises, and the feathers on his head are out of place. Hawks shakes his head and steps closer, squatting down so he can get a look at Tokoyami's face. "Looks like they did a number on you."

Tokoyami blinks slowly, then startles back when he realizes someone is so close to him. "No- no more! I'm not going to—"

"Tsukuyomi, it's ok," says Hawk, sitting back with palms out in front of him. "I'm not going to hurt you. Birds of a feather, right?"

Tokoyami blinks again, then peers at him. "…Hawks?"

"You got it!" Hawks grins.

Tokoyami doesn't look convinced. He squints, tilting his head to the side in a gesture that would be humorously bird if it weren't for the circumstances. "Am I hallucinating now, on top of everything else?"

"Nope, I'm as real as can be," Hawks says, letting his wings gently brush over the boy's arms.

"Then…you've found me? The other heroes – they're taking out the League?" Tokoyami says, his eyes lighting up with hope.

That look hurts Hawks more than the sight of the bruises and blood. He tugs on Tokoyami's restraints instead of answering. "Let's start by taking these off, alright? Can't have a proper talk while you're tied to a chair. I'm gonna use my blade to cut the ropes. Is that okay?"

Tokoyami nods, and Hawks pulls out one of his smaller feathers to use as a knife. The ropes themselves are not particularly tough, and it makes Hawks wonder just how weak Tokoyami's gotten to remain bound like this. Even with the lights keeping Dark Shadow at bay, it wouldn't have taken much struggling for him to slip his hands out.

The moment his hands are free Tokoyami leans forward, almost like he means to hug Hawks, then thinks better of it and pulls away completely. Hawks lets him have the distance; he can only guess at what the kid's been through, and he's about to make it worse. He reaches slowly for Tokoyami's tied ankles, making sure Tokoyami can see what he's doing.

"You hurt?" he asks as his feathered knife slides through the rope. "I mean, beyond the obvious. Nothing broken?"

Tokoyami shakes his head. "No, I don't think so. They didn't want to damage me. They…they want me to join them."

"And have you joined them?" Hawks asks, sitting back on his thighs so he can watch Tokoyami's expression: the fluffing of his feathers, the widening of his eyes, the coloration at the base of his beak.

"What kind of a question is that? Of course not!" Tokoyami shouts, pushing himself further back into the chair.

"Hey, hey, relax," says Hawks. He sets the knife on the floor so he can show Tokoyami his empty hands. "I only meant it would make sense if you thought about giving in."

"Just because my quirk-"

"No, because you're a teenager going through a major trauma. Anyone would change after something like that. I would."

"Change into a villain?" Tokoyami shoots back.

Hawks' wings shudder nervously. Somehow keeping up appearances is much harder in the presence of his one-time intern. Perhaps it's because he doesn't know which persona he should be displaying. It's like his two worlds have collided, and no matter what he chooses the carnage is going to be spectacular.

He decides to go the philosophical route. Tokoyami enjoys a good discussion, if he remembers correctly. "What is a villain? Or a hero, for that matter. What's the difference?"

"A villain does bad things, things that hurt people. A hero does things to help people," Tokoyami replies.

"That's a simplistic view, especially for you. You can't tell me that's all they taught you at UA, or all you believe after everything you've seen," Hawks says.

"Why does it matter? Shouldn't we be finding a way out of here?" Tokoyami asks.

"Some missions take a little patience," says Hawks.

"You don't have any," says Tokoyami.

"I've got more than you think," Hawks answers. "Just indulge me for a minute, alright? Give yourself time to get your strength together."

Tokoyami watches him for a moment before responding. "I see. You don't have a plan. You're stalling."

Smart kid. Too smart for his own good, really. Hawks isn't going to lie to Tokoyami any more than he has to, so he keeps his mouth shut. Instead he gets to his feet and makes another slow circuit around the room. There is a small camera in the top corner, half hidden by one of the lights. It's confirmation that the League is watching. He wonders how long they'll give him before they consider his mission a failure. Convincing Tokoyami to join the League, or at least acquiesce, is going to be the work of more than one conversation, and the location isn't really helping.

"Have they kept you in here the whole time?" he asks, glancing back at Tokoyami.

Tokoyami shakes his head. "There's a room with a bed, of sorts, and some books. In the beginning they asked what I like to read. They offered to get me anything I wanted, except for freedom."

"Sounds like they were trying to make you comfortable."

"I wouldn't call it comfortable. The lights are just as bright, and they never turn them off."

They're afraid of him, Hawks realizes. Otherwise Shigaraki would have kept Tokoyami in the dark until his quirk took over. The League may want Tokoyami's power, but they know they can't control it. They sent Hawks in hoping he had some way to collar both boy and beast. That could work out to his advantage; some of the League members will give Tokoyami a wide berth. On the other hand, Shigaraki won't hesitate to have him killed, and Dabi's fire is a bad match for Dark Shadow.

Hawks flicks his wings and taps his fingers against his leg, thoughts racing and plans changing as fast as they can take shape in his head. He can't leave Tokoyami here to face that kind of threat. He can't let his infiltration fail because of his personal concerns, either. There's got to be a third option.

"Where's Dark Shadow?" he asks.

Tokoyami gestures mildly to the bright room. "You know our weakness as well as they do. They were smart enough to put lights on the walls and ceiling; there are few shadows here, even from my own body."

"How do they move you from one room to the other? And why?"

"Dabi has a fire quirk. He escorts me here, and the others keep their weapons on me. As to why – this is where they ask questions," says Tokoyami.

"Do you know your way around the compound?" asks Hawks.

"Some," Tokoyami replies. He stands, stretches slowly, and then points to the door. "I know there's a hallway out there, and if you go left, then right, you'll reach the room where I sleep. There's a bathroom at the end of the hall. That's all. No way out, no way up."

Hawks perks up. "Up?"

Tokoyami steps back, nearly tripping over the chair. "Oh, I just assumed we're in a basement. There are no windows. Is that wrong?"

Hawks shrugs. "It sounds right to me. I entered in an unconventional way."

"Through one of those portals. How did you get one?" Tokoyami asks.

Hawks shrugs. "The warp gate guy made one for me. I'm pretty sure that makes us buddies now."

"What?"

The best lies are based on a kernel of truth; Hawks' lies are based on large peach pits of truth, filled with cyanide and best left unswallowed. "Yup. See, I've been thinking a lot lately about that question I asked you earlier, about what makes a hero or a villain. Right now, it's society: approval ratings, the commissions board, schools like UA. The government. They find a few people who check off the right boxes and call them heroes, while anyone who doesn't fit and uses their quirk to its fullest is a villain. I'm aiming to change that."

"You sound like Stain," Tokoyami hisses.

"He had a couple of points, but that guy went about things all wrong. Namely, the part where he was a murderer," says Hawks. "I'm not a killer. But sometimes for society to make progress, someone's got to be left behind." That's not it either, his mind protests. You're the winged hero, faster than anyone else. You don't leave a single civilian behind, and you're not going to start now.

"Someone like me." Tokoyami doesn't sound surprised, only resigned. He rests his arms over the back of the chair and leans against it, like he can barely keep himself on his feet and the weight of the world is finally becoming too much. Hawks feels his heart squeeze.

"That's not what I said."

"I've been here for nearly a month, Hawks. They make sure I know what day it is. I thought they were lying at first, trying to mess with my sense of time. Now I'm sure they knew the truth would be worse. No one's coming for me."

"I'm here, aren't I?" says Hawks.

"You're here and we're talking. This is a trick. And if it's not…I don't think I want to know," Tokoyami replies. He digs his fingers into the chair and shuts his eyes.

Tokoyami's despair permeates the air like a bad cologne. It wouldn't be difficult to push him one way or another now, to give him hope that Hawks has a plan to get them out or to make him believe the League are the only ones who truly care about him. Hawks could bide his time. He could make Tokoyami stay with the villains for now and hope that he never went beyond redemption, that when the time came to take down the League Tokoyami wouldn't go down with them.

Or - he could do better than hope. He could try to make Tokoyami understand what kind of game they're playing. He could turn their conversation into a code. He already knows the kid is smart enough to figure it out, and Tokoyami would make an excellent spy.

But that would put him in a lot of danger. Hawks knew going in that sacrifices were necessary, but purposely leaving a student in the middle of a snake pit is different from testing the mettle of a full-fledged hero like Endeavor. For all his stoicism, Tokoyami isstill a teenager, and Hawks can't forget that.

As he watches Tokoyami struggle to hold himself together Hawks barely stops himself from reaching out to embrace the boy, leaving one wing awkwardly extended. He drops his gaze to the floor and notices that there are more shadows than before. His wing acts like curtain, leaving a pattern of feathers on the concrete. If he stretched out a little more, the shadows would reach Tokoyami.

He shouldn't. He can't rescue Tokoyami the way All Might or Endeavor might, blowing out walls and taking down the villains in an all-out rampage. All he can do is try to improve Tokoyami's chances of survival and sanity. He can't make rash decisions that are likely to get them both killed.

So why are his wings moving to block out the lights?

He draws them back and plucks one feather, hardening it into a blade. He twists it around and offers the hilt to Tokoyami, who simply stares. Hawks raises an eyebrow. "You've got shitty teachers if you only know one way to fight. I guess I was one of them, so take this. You could use some talons of your own."

Tokoyami's arm snaps out, then slows, like he's trying to keep himself from being too eager. The kid still doesn't trust him, and Hawks can only applaud the instinct. He pushes the hilt into Tokoyami's outstretched hand anyway and closes his fingers around it. "I don't have the time to teach you any fencing moves now, but maybe if you stay here I can come back and train you."

Tokoyami pulls away immediately, taking the blade with him. "I was right. You're not here to rescue me."

"I'm not here to take you home, but I am here for you," Hawks promises.

"Then what do you want?" Tokoyami asks, desperation bleeding into his voice. "If you're just trying to trick me I don't see the point in looking like him, of all people. I wasn't his student for very long, and he doesn't care about anyone."

"Ok, first of all, that was hurtful," says Hawks. "I care plenty about you. What else can I do to make you believe it? I'm here, I'm real."

Tokoyami shakes his head. "That's not possible. Kurogiri wouldn't just let you in here, and it would be far too dangerous to sneak through his portal and then stand around and talk to me. Unless…"

"Unless I was telling the truth earlier," says Hawks. "Unless I've actually partnered with him and the League."

There's silence. Tokoyami's grip on the sword tightens and he draws it closer to himself. He wouldn't be the first to commit suicide in the face of capture, and Hawks is beginning to wonder what sort of idiot gives a traumatized child a sword. He's half ready to dive for him when Tokoyami growls at him. "You're a traitor. You're a traitor and a coward, hiding behind your hero persona while you work for the underworld. I can't think of anyone I admire less."

Hawks was prepared for the words, but they still sting. "It's complicated. Right now I can help everyone best, including you, by keeping this place secret. I don't expect you to understand my reasons, or even to accept them. But you need to look at the bigger picture."

"It's a little hard to do that when I'm trapped in this room!" Tokoyami shouts.

"Then get out of it. Stop being the canary in a cage, start being the crow that rides the storm," says Hawks.

"You just told me that it was better to stay here. You're not making any sense. Do you even know what side you're on? Because I don't, and someone like you could never understand what that means. Everyone trusts you, everyone thinks you're a hero, and you never needed to prove it."

"That's not true, I-"

"Look at us!" Tokoyami shouts. "We aren't birds in the eyes of anyone else. They see you as an angel, and I've got a demon inside me. You keep talking about the difference between heroes and villains, but you don't really understand it. It's not some government conspiracy theory; it's the very fabric of our being. Everyone thinks I'm going to be a villain because of Dark Shadow. Maybe I can't control what they think, maybe I can't control my quirk, but I can control this."

Tokoyami raises the blade, and Hawks makes his choice. He moves before he can fully process what he's doing, trusting his mind to catch up with his body. He wraps his arms tightly around the boy, trapping Tokoyami's arms at his sides, and curls his wings around them like a tent.

"Don't," he whispers. "Don't let this be the end. You're right, and I wish I could just shut up and listen. I wish I'd done that a long time ago. But there's no time for it now and they're watching us. I know it's asking a lot for you to trust me right now. All I can say is that I trust you, I know you're stronger than they can imagine. Play their game, use all those stereotypes to your advantage and let them think what they want. If you hold on for as long as you can, I swear I'll come back for you. When the time comes, I won't leave you behind."

"Do you promise? Is that the truth?" Tokoyami exhales against his neck.

"I swear it," Hawks replies.

"Too bad."

Sharp, hot pain pierces Hawks' side. He glances down to see his own feather embedded in his stomach, and when he looks back up Tokoyami's face is slipping away like mud. He's holding a naked girl. "…Toga?"

"Caught you!" The girl sings and pulls the blade from his skin.

Hawks stumbles back, shock and horror making him slow. A portal opens behind him and two sets of hands take hold of his wings. He tries to wrench away, then cries out as one wing begins to disintegrate.

"You stabbed him? I told you no knives!" Shigaraki hisses.

Toga just laughs, twirling the feather blade in one hand and a needle in the other. "It was a present from Hawks! Besides, we need his blood, and his expression looks so much cuter now."

"We need him alive." Shigaraki lets out a frustrated sigh. "Just get it done!"

Toga salutes, then darts forward and jams the needle into Hawks' neck. Hawks immediately sinks into the villains' deadly grip and his world goes fuzzy around the edges.

"Night, night, birdie! I promise I'll remember what you said," says Toga. She waves at him, and as the world goes dark Hawks can only linger on one final question:

If he's been talking to Toga all this time, where is Tokoyami?

XXX

Hawks wakes in a room with lights so bright they sear his eyes even when they are closed; then again, that may just be part of the ache that seems to have settled throughout his entire body. There's a dull buzzing in the background, like people talking on the other side of a wall. He groans and shifts, only to find himself restrained by shackles. His wings are awkwardly trapped between his back and a chair, and the pain radiating from them is stronger than the rest of his body. Shigaraki's fingerprints have left blisters, and the skin along the edges feels raw and swollen. His feathers have been plucked practically down to the bone. He takes a moment to be grateful his wings are still there at all.

At least the pain in Hawks' side is no more than a dull throb, numbed by whatever was done to keep him from bleeding out. The memory that trickles in with it, however, feels like a punch to the gut. Hawks curses himself. How could he be so stupid as to forget Toga's quirk? For all his talk about playing the game and choosing sides, it seems he's lost both.

With a steadying breath, Hawks opens his eyes and forces them to adjust to the light. He's in another basement room with cinderblock walls, a cold stone floor, and array of fluorescent lights. He's shirtless, and when he looks down he can see a small, neat line of stitching on his side. There's an IV in his arm, but it's not attached to anything. He vaguely remembers something about needing his blood.

The floor beneath his feet is spattered with drops of red, and at first Hawks thinks they've wasted his blood. Then he squints and the shapes resolve themselves into feathers. They're mostly down feathers, too damaged and too long disconnected from his body to be of any use. Scattered among those, however, are a few longer feathers that make his blood run cold.

They're black.

Hawks whips his head up and searches the rest of the room. There are signs of Tokoyami – a cot with black down on the pillow, a book of mythology, an apple core – but the boy himself is nowhere in Hawks' line of sight.

Instead there is a television. It's old and the screen is dim, especially compared to the other lights, but he can make out a pair of reporters on screen with grim expressions. They gesture to live footage displaying an aerial shot of a smoking city. His smoking city. As Hawks watches the buzzing voices of the reporters become clearer, and his dread turns to horror.

"…casualties. The attack has caught the city's heroes completely unaware. There is no doubt that they are as shocked as the rest of us. We have now received confirmed reports that the villain at the center of this catastrophe is none other than the former number 2 hero."

A picture of Hawks' own grinning face appears on the screen, an army of nomu pouring from a warp gate behind him. Endeavor is running for him, his fire burning white-hot in his fury, but the Hawks on screen merely gestures for the nomu to swarm him. Another hero, one of Hawks' own sidekicks, calls his name and rushes forwards. The villain plucks a blade from his wing and throws it into his chest.

Somewhere deep underground, Hawks screams.

This is a one-shot for now, but if you want to see how (if) Hawks gets out of this one, let me know! I have some ideas about what happens next. And what do you think happened to the real Tokoyami?