Hey everyone! This is my official entry into the Tokotober prompt thingy hosted by TraditionalTwist!
I went with a combination of a few of the prompts provided: Hawks takes Tokoyami out, Tokoyami gets drunk, and Dark Shadow gets in trouble with the ladies.
I can honestly say writing Tokoyami is not my strong suit, so consider this an homage to TraditionalTwist since they fucking kill it in that department.
It is also TraditionalTwist's birthday today. So everyone go and wish them a happy birthday and write your own short Tokoyami story RIGHT NOW -bakugo voice-
Happy Birthday, friend. This all is for you.
All hail the Dark Chicken.
"You want me to what?"
Hawks kicked his feet up on the desk. "Say it with me now, 'go to a party.'"
The very fact Hawks wanted him to attend a party was all but lost on Tokoyami. "What sort of party?"
"Just a hero one. It will be full of vanity, expensive things, and the 'elites'. I have to go, and so do you. You don't get out enough. And now that you have your provisional hero license, it's time you joined the community." He held out his arms as if on a stage.
Tokoyami stroked his beak. "Very well."
"Perfect. It's friday night. You have anything to wear? Actually, I'll get you something to wear." Hawks stood up. "Now, let's go out on patrol."
Tokoyami turned around multiple times, looking at himself in the mirror. The suit Hawks had gotten him was probably more expensive than anything he owned, and it looked like it.
Dark Shadow slid from his chest and winded around so it could look at Tokoyami in full. "You look great," it said, fanning out some.
"It's too much," Tokoyami said.
Hawks responded, "Your quirk is right. It's an excellent fit. Now, all you need to do is fix this bowtie a bit." Though he was wearing what looked like a darker, ironed version of his normal clothes, Hawks adjusted Tokoyami's bowtie as if he had worn one all the time. "Much better."
"Thank you." A touch of nervousness brewed in his stomach. It was "just a hero party" as Hawks had put it, but within the hour, Tokoyami knew he would be surrounded by great heroes all in one place. He was soon grateful for the suit.
"Time to go, Tsukuyomi. The party awaits."
Tokoyami felt another stab of nervousness in his gut. He took a deep breath as he stepped into the cab. He was with the number two hero. What could go wrong? He could sit along the sides and observe the heroes when they weren't doing hero work.
Hawks climbed in next to him, and the car took off into the city. Hawks was humming some old song, but he stopped when his eyes hit Tokoyami. "No need to be nervous."
Tokoyami nodded. It's just a party.
Dark Shadow's voice responded within his head. It will be fun. You need to have more fun, like Hawks said.
Even his own quirk was chastising him.
The party was at some conference building, and by the press outside and the many cars rolling up to the main entrance, Tokoyami knew it was a big deal.
Endeavor stepped out of the car in front of them, and he could feel the sense of excitement working within him. Dark Shadow was excited, and his nerves were rapidly firing.
"Didn't consider him a suit man myself…" Hawks chriped.
"Endeavor?" Tokoyami asked.
"Right. I'll have to ask him about it. Come on, now. Showtime." He opened the door and stepped out into the crowd. Tokoyami took a quick moment to compose himself before following after. He felt like there was a certain expectation on him. Hawks was right in that he had stepped into the pro hero world, but he was still only a minor part of it.
Hawks sauntered his way into the party, and though he tried to keep an air of confidence, Tokoyami walked straight inside the building without looking back.
Inside was something short of chaos. There were heroes everywhere, the most famous and the more obscure. Though he didn't expect it, he noted Aizawa was not around. Loud music played from the corner with a live DJ, though few paid attention. There were round booths set out with table numbers everywhere, and Tokoyami briefly wondered which table they would sit at when Hawks plopped down in Endeavor's booth, waving Tokoyami over.
Everything inside him screamed what the hell am I doing here, which was in total contrast to the buzzing of Dark Shadow. Dark Shadow was elated.
Sitting with the number one hero, his quirk said.
He slid into the booth but stayed near the edge. Endeavor was looking over the menu for the evening when he spotted the addition to the table. A young woman with white and red hair sat next to him.
Hawks slid over and threw an arm around Tokoyami. "Endeavor, Fuyumi, have you met Tsukuyomi? He's my intern. I thought I would show him the other side of life as a hero."
Endeavor set the menu down. "Ah, yes. Tsukuyomi. You are in the same class as my Shoto, are you not?"
Tokoyami nodded. "I am."
There was a distant look in Endeavor's eyes, and Tokoyami decided to say no more. The out-of-place feeling grew when Fuyumi spoke up.
"I'm Shoto's sister, Fuyumi. It's nice to meet you."
Tokoyami bowed his head. "A pleasure."
Hawks and Dark Shadow seemed to have the same reaction. Tokoyami felt a familiar sensation coming from Dark Shadow, one he had felt before near a certain girl, and Hawks practically slid across the booth to move in closer to the young woman.
Fuyumi is a cute name, Dark Shadow thought.
In a low tone, Hawks leaned into the girl. "So when are you going on a date with me?"
"Never," Endeavor answered and stood up. "I'm watching you."
"How parental of you." Hawks sat back nonchalantly and grinned.
Tokoyami wasn't sure where he was off to, but he watched Endeavor make his way through the crowd. Conversation flowed naturally around him as different heroes came up to the table to talk to Hawks. Some of them, Tokoyami knew, others he didn't. A group stayed at the table, the lot of them talking about the ins and outs of hero society, or chicken. Hawks talked about chicken a lot.
Tokoyami was somewhat impressed, listening to them all speak. He knew someday he would be welcomed into the discourse. Perhaps not today, but he and his class were all striving to be heroes—to be this way. He couldn't help but compare the group to those of his class.
At some point, Hawks had a drink brought to him. He sipped it once, made a face and slid it to Tokoyami. "You drink this. You'll like it."
Tokoyami was hesitant, but he didn't think Hawks would lead him astray. Taking a sip, the drink was foul at first. Something bitter mixed in with the sweet. The aftertaste was nice, though, and he found himself drinking again.
The effects were almost immediate. Tokoyami's nerves began to calm, and he relaxed as he slunk back into the booth. The somber notes in the upbeat music seemed to stand out more against the rest, and before he knew it, the drink was gone. Hawks got him another, and in a similar time span, that one too was gone.
Dark Shadow moved from his chest, and it seemed darker in color to Tokoyami. The eruption of Dark Shadow brought more attention to their table, and soon there was a crowd of people surrounding the them.
"Wow," some young female hero said, holding out her hand. "Is this your quirk?"
Tokoyami lazily crossed his arms. "Indeed."
"It's amazing!" she called out, and Dark Shadow shifted so it was face to face with her.
"You are amazing," it cooed.
The hero blushed. "Watch yourself," she muttered.
Some of the people pushed a bit closer to Dark Shadow, and Tokoyami felt some symptoms of the crowd.
"It can talk?" some guy questioned, his arm wrapped around another nice hero.
Dark Shadow twisted around to him, and reached for the woman's hand. She gave her hand to it, intrigued. "I'm Dark Shadow."
The guy looked annoyed, but the woman laughed.
That was when it hit Tokoyami. He hadn't ever seen Dark Shadow act such a way. In a way, it was somewhat funny until he realized these were heroes, his comrades, his potential superiors. A deep red blush coated his beak, but whether that was from embarrassment or the rising heat of the room, he didn't know. He couldn't tell.
He was sharp enough to know Dark Shadow probably needed to return.
It had extended its way through the legs of Mirko, the Rabbit Hero, and she shouted a whole slew of profanity, the likes of which Tokoyami had only ever heard before coming from the mouth of Bakugo. She attempted to crush it between he legs when Dark Shadow retreated under the table.
Fuyumi also blushed and glared heavily at Hawks. "You did this to him! You are so irresponsible. To think, they named you the number one hero."
Hawks threw his head back and laughed, the group at the table laughing with him. "You're so uptight, Fuyumi. It's all in good fun. We all need more fun."
"Dark Shadow. Return," Tokoyami commanded, his words sliding together a touch, when his mind truly caught up with the situation. How had he let this happen? What had been in those drinks?
Dark Shadow dutifully returned to Tokoyami's chest, though it still poked its head out, much to his annoyance, and the amusement of the others.
He too shot a look to Hawks, but the bird hero only smirked. "Admit it. For a split second, you loosened up some."
The cocky grin was smacked away, and Hawks had to lift his hands to shield himself from Fuyumi.
"I think it's time I take you home," a familiar voice said from… below him?
Tokoyami looked down and saw a fluffy yellow sleeping and an annoyed Aizawa looking up at him. He nearly jumped out of his skin, sobering instantaneously. He didn't want his teacher to see him in such a state.
"Aizawa-sensei." Tokoyami swallowed hard. "I did not know you would be here, sir." Dark Shadow disappeared within Tokoyami.
Hawks slid over in the booth and wrapped his arms around the bird boy. "Eraserhead! Here to ruin the party?"
"I'm here to look after my st—"
"Whoa, Tokoyami! Nice to see you here." Present Mic appeared from behind the booth and patted Tokoyami's head.
It was awkward seeing his teachers outside of school, and while the crowd of heroes was dispersing, probably due to the return of Endeavor, Tokoyami felt even less at ease.
Aizawa was out of the sleeping bag in a second, the sleeping bag now rolled up and stored, and nodded for Tokoyami to stand. " Let's get you home, and we won't mention any of this ever again."
Hawks and Aizawa exchanged annoyed looks, but it was only an instant before the two regained their normal composure.
"Have a good night, Tsukuyomi," Hawks said.
Fuyumi waved, and Dark Shadow slipped from his torso to wave back at her. "Goodbye, beautiful."
"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami growled and sped out of the party ahead of Aizawa.
Like he promised, Aizawa never said a word about it. Hawks, on the other hand, never let him live it down.