Chapter 25 - A Deal Made! Truth Revealed!
Tokoyami blinked his eyes open, head pounding, muscles aching and feeling like he'd just been in an accident. There was a dull throbbing pain that echoed in his head, causing him to crinkle his face into a frown. He had not had a headache like that in a long time, not since he was younger.
Glancing upwards, his eyes drifted towards the white ceiling, settling his gaze on a rather bland spot of faded paint to mull over his thoughts. He felt like he'd been put through the ringer and his whole body was aching with a pain that made moving a little difficult. His throat felt scratchy as well, he hadn't drank enough water during his training session with Aizawa then. He'd need to ask his parents for some extra water that morning.
Speaking of which, it was extremely bright but they hadn't woken him up.
"Wait, why is it so bright?" He thought. His room had black wallpaper and a dark ceiling. "Where am I? The living room?"
Craning his neck up, he was greeted with the second surprise of the day. He felt a slight trickle of water on his forehead, noticing for the first time since he'd woken up that for some reason he had a washcloth sitting there. That wasn't a good sign. And if the slight burning sensation on his forehead was anything to go by, he might just be sick.
He looked down at the brown cover that was wrapped around him. It looked like a standard blanket, nothing too special about it aside from it being insanely comfortable keeping him snuggled up on the dark black sofa he was strewn out on.
"Wait a minute. My sofa is green, why is this one black?"
And then the penny dropped. Snapping his neck up, wincing in pain as he did so, catching the cloth on his head before it fell and keeping it there for comfort, he glanced around the room that he was in and finally put the pieces together. "Where am I?" He asked aloud, panic starting to grip him. He was in some stranger's house and sure they were looking after him if appearances were to be believed, but still...
He looked around, noticing a large heater sitting next to him, probably attempting to keep him warm from all the cold and sickness. It did give off a pleasant radiant warmth that felt quite nice on his feathers, but aside from that it was unimportant. A large television sat on the other wall with a dvd player underneath it. He could see many different dvd box sets lining the cabinet that the television sat on.
There was a small coffee table sitting between the sofa and the television where he could see what looked like a box of pills that were labelled as painkillers. Whoever had taken him to their home had spared no expense. His hands shifted around under the covers, now searching for his phone, before his head flashed back to the night before.
He suddenly remembered falling to the ground after missing a text from Shouji. He'd collapsed and knocked himself out from over-exerting himself while heading home at 3 in the morning. And with that memory came the guilt in his stomach, rising up like a tidal wave. His mother and father might not even be aware that he'd left the night before and if they knew, they'd be trying to find him right away. He'd be causing them more worry than he needed.
Suddenly, he heard the creak of floorboards and his eyes shot towards the source, a large doorway that led into what looked like a kitchen. There was nobody in the doorway but he thought he could make out a voice on the other side. "Mrs. Tokoyami?" He heard the voice say, too far away to distinguish who it was. But he heard the words loud and clear. Whoever was talking must not have thought he'd be able to hear. Or maybe they believed he was still asleep.
Stilling himself for a moment, he tried to focus on the voice, trying to get his brain to work with him for a moment so that he could figure out who the heck that was? It was on the tip of his tongue but it just wasn't coming to him. "No wonder he snuck out. You misjudged your son." His eyes widened at that. Whoever it was talking in the next room was going down hard on his mother. And then he heard, "You will let him pursue his dream because he will become a powerful Hero and he will save lives."
That familiar voice. "No way, how'd we get to his house?" He thought, thinking back to the night before. There was no way... Somehow he'd gone from being sprawled out on the roadside to being on the sofa of Mezou Shouji. And that was when his mind flashed back. He remembered the feeling of arms around him, of laying his head across someone's chest.
That had to have been Shouji and he had to have been completely out of it if he was willing to literally sleep in Shouji's arms. He guessed he should be grateful. Nobody else would have been able to find him and he had to imagine what would have happened if he'd been found by someone who didn't know him. Would his parents be angry, would Aizawa be disappointed?
And that was when he heard footsteps, glancing towards the kitchen door where his suspicions were confirmed. Stepping through the doorway, dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white vest, was his best friend, Mezou Shouji. The six-armed man was looking at something in his palm, Tokoyami's phone, but as his glance shifted upwards to meet his eyes, his body froze and so did Tokoyami.
"S-Shouji?" Tokoyami called out, his voice sounding a little more hoarse than normal. It scratched in his throat as he spoke and he knew he'd be taking it easy regardless of what happened.
"Y-Yeah, hi Tokoyami," Shouji replied, waving towards Tokoyami, the boy trying to give Shouji a fed-up look. "Glad to see you're awake." He watched as Shouji took a seat on the sofa, deciding to look around the room for a bit before turning back to his best friend.
"Where am I?" He needed to be sure.
"My house," Shouji replied calmly. "I found you passed out on the road last night."
"I passed out?" He replied grimly, feeling himself tense up at that confirmation. "So that wasn't a dream," He thought to himself, remembering the feeling of Shouji scooping him up in his arms. It was awkward but it wasn't uncomfortable at all. It was more embarrassing if anything. The whole point of the Hero course was to build their independence and here he was being rescued by Shouji. It didn't sit well with him. "Right... I fell over. And you found me?"
"Yeah. You were beyond exhausted," His friend replied. "I've never seen such a collapse before. What the hell did you learn in your training session?"
Tokoyami hesitated for a moment, resting his head on his left arm. It only took him a moment to recall the training, although as he went to speak, he felt a few coughs erupt from his throat, making him grimace before he finally got the words out. "I learned to separate the energy between myself and Dark Shadow." He explained, watching Shouji's reaction, which was a mix of confusion and interest. "I used up a lot of my energy to account for Dark Shadow's weakn-"
Interrupting himself, he slammed his hand to his mouth, eyes widening in surprise. Had he really just let that slip so easily? Admittedly, he was sick so his mind wasn't as sharp as it normally was but he'd been keeping his weakness a secret every since he joined U.A.
"Weaknesses?" Shouji replied, looking straight at Tokoyami with a gaze that suggested he wasn't getting out of this conversation that easily. "Didn't know you had any."
All Tokoyami could reply with was, "Damnit." He was ticked off at himself for slipping up some crucial info.
"Can't tell me or something?" His friend asked, now leaning towards him slightly. "I did save you from freezing to death, you may as well be honest with me here Tokoyami." Shouji knew exactly what to say and just how to use his leverage. Tokoyami had to admit, Shouji had a way with words that could definitely help with negotiations and stuff to that effect. He just hated that it was being used on him.
"Fine..." He finally grumbled, pulling up the brown blanket over him in annoyance. If he had to reveal his weakness, he had the right to be as childish as he wanted. "Dark Shadow is..." He felt his Quirk stirring in the pit of his stomach, definitely listening in to the conversation. "Well... He's weak to light."
"Oh," He heard Shouji mutter.
"That's all the reaction I'm getting?" He thought to himself incredulously. That was a little underwhelming given not many people even knew about Tokoyami's weakness. That being said, if he could avoid bringing up how Dark Shadow can sometimes gain control, he'd use the light weakness as a white lie to keep that info from coming out.
"So you used your energy to compensate for Dark Shadow's lack of energy," Shouji stated, now understanding the situation.
"Mhm, but I did not have much luck when it came to using that energy to get home. I overdid my training and it only caught up to me after I was about halfway home." As he said this, his eyes slowly drifted down to his hands, feeling a sense of uselessness building up inside of him. The whole situation was just a big smack in the face. "And then I collapsed like that. Some Hero I am..."
"You are a great Hero Tokoyami!" He looked up, staring at Shouji with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment. That was some seriously blatant cheering up his friend was trying to do.
"If you say so, then I guess I am indeed," He chuckled, although deep down he wasn't so sure how he felt. But he knew it would be best to just leave the conversation where it was. He had other things to worry about.
The next few minutes went by in a flash. Tokoyami discovered that he was, well and truly, sick and that Shouji had decided to look after him for the day, not that he needed looking after or anything. He tried to fight back and explain that he was fine but a rather poorly timed sneeze and a slight pain in his muscles convinced him otherwise. And then he remembered something.
"Were you sassing my mother on the phone earlier?" He asked politely, watching as his friend completely froze up from those words.
"I mean, I wasn't- I didn-"
"You said that they misjudged me and that I'd one day become a powerful hero who can save lives," He replied, remembering the conversation he had woken up to overhear. "Right?"
"Y-Yes," Shouji finally admitted, looking away guiltily.
But really, Tokoyami wasn't upset. Not many people in the world would stand up for him, especially to his own parents. But at U.A. he felt like he really had friends that would have his back and Shouji was no exception. Leaning against the sofa, letting a rare smile grace his beak, he simply whispered, "Thanks..."
And though Shouji was sure he'd hidden it, Tokoyami could see a slight blush peeking out from behind the other boy's face mask. He imagined that Shouji wasn't used to compliments like that and he knew if it had been the other way around, he'd be mortified from the situation. "N-No problem."
After their little moment, Tokoyami was forced to make himself comfortable on Shouji's couch. Shouji had given him a painkiller to take which would help with the fever, as well as picking out a few DVDs for a movie day since being sick meant Tokoyami couldn't do normal things like train or work-out.
"I need to pick up your school uniform first, actually," Shouji explained after he'd picked out a few DVDs. It made sense, if Tokoyami was staying the night, he'd need his clothes for school the next day. "And you need to phone your mother."
"Oooooh, can't wait to see that phone call go down," Dark Shadow laughed, causing Tokoyami to jump, widening his eyes in annoyance. "I have nothing to say to her. I refuse." The last thing he wanted to do was talk with his lovely mother who didn't want him to be a Hero in the first place. She'd totally rip his head off just for the stunt he pulled last night.
"You do and you won't refuse," Shouji grumbled to himself, clicking something on Tokoyami's phone. And then he tossed the fun towards Tokoyami, stating "Have fun, I'll be back in about thirty minutes." And as Shouji left the building, Tokoyami made sure to glare at the taller boy with a look of absolute betrayal.
He heard the door close and his eyes glanced to his phone, finally deciding it was time to face the music. He placed the phone to his ear and waited, feeling Dark Shadow listening in on the impending conversation, taking a lot of pleasure from the guilt that Tokoyami was feeling as he heard the phone pick up on the other side.
"Fumikage? Is that you?" His mother's voice rang through, shrill and loud. He was expecting her to be concerned but the rather forceful tone in her voice was the opposite of what he'd expected.
"Y-yes," He stammered out, giving a small cough at the end to try and punctuate his health.
There was silence for a few moments as he heard a sigh on the other end of the phone. "What are we going to do with you, Fumikage?"
He didn't even know how to reply. He was expecting her to shout at him or to scream at him, to tell him he was grounded or that he was leaving U.A. but somehow that one question felt more weighted and impactful than anything else at that point. "I don't know," He finally replied.
"I'm not happy with you Fumikage. You left the house after we forbid you from going to that lesson, you end up getting sick and having to stay the night at Shouji's house and all of this would have been avoided had you stayed at home." Her points made sense, he knew that, but...
"I took a risk," He replied quietly, leaning back on the sofa. "I made the choice to go out so I could better myself and further my training."
"You walked through town in the middle of the night at 15 years of age."
"I knew what I was doing," He growled.
"Okay, you knew what you were doing. Clearly, you don't need me around bothering you, right?" His mother stated, her voice beginning to rise again. He could hear it wobbling as she spoke.
"That's not what I sa-"
"I don't care, Fumikage. If you want to be independent and make your own choices then fine, but not under our roof."
At that, his eyes widened. Was she saying what he thought she was saying. "Mother, what are yo-"
"Move out. That's what I'm saying." His whole world seemed to freeze for a moment. Just what had happened between the night before and right now? This wasn't like her at all. His mother's whole deal was keeping him inside and safe, not letting him go out into the outside world.
"That's crazy! I can't just move out, I've got nowhere to go!" He angrily replied, worry coursing through him. His parents were insane. And his mother was losing it, she had to be.
"You should have thought about that before you snuck out last night," She stated angrily. "I was worried sick when we found your note this morning and you hadn't come home. I was absolutely terrified and you didn't even bother to let us know you were okay. I had to hear that you were sick from your friend!"
"And you have to worry about everything I do! You don't even support my dream and you're actively trying to prevent me from moving forwards! And Dad's never around long enough to even talk with! Neither of you make time to actually ask me what I want or what I've been up to!" He snapped, feeling a few tears forming in his eyes. He refused to let his mother know he was crying. He didn't need this.
"Well I don't want to have to come home one day to find my son in a body bag!" She cried out, Tokoyami left speechless at those few words.
She really did worry too much, but she cared about him after all.
"Every job has risks, Mother. I happened to pick a job that, yeah, is very dangerous. Indeed, I could end up meeting an early end if I choose to walk this path, but it's my choice to make. We all die eventually and if it's my fate to die saving someone's life, then I have a right to uphold that fate and meet it head on."
There was silence for a moment and all he could hear was muffled breathing on the other end. And then her reply was curt and quiet. All the fight had seemingly left her, but her words were still just as hard-hitting. "If that's your choice, fine. As your mother, I cannot support your decision, but I won't fight against you anymore. But by the end of the week, we want you to move out."
His blood ran cold and his face paled beneath his feathers. "You can't actually kick me out. I'm fifteen."
"I was working a job at your age, Fumikage."
"You weren't training to be a Hero," He replied, now frustrated. "Can we at least make a deal?"
"I'm listening."
"The Sports Festival. It's this week. If I can win the Sports Festival and prove my prowess as a Hero, you don't kick me out. If I lose, then fine, I'll go." The words were out of his mouth before he could even finish comprehending them, but it was too late to back-out when his mother replied.
"Okay, I'll accept those terms. We're teaching you the hard way what it means to be an adult Fumikag- Oh, it seems your friend just arrived. I'll talk with you tomorrow," His mother replied, hanging up the phone as she did so, leaving him tense and shaky.
He'd just made a deal with the devil. He had to win the Sports Festival or he'd be kicked out of his house. What the hell just happened? And how the heck was he supposed to explain this to his friends, who would all be trying to win the Festival just as much as he was.
Resting his head in his hands for a moment, he tried to calm himself down, but he'd done something irreversible.
"Can I have a word with you, Shouji?" The voice of Mr. Tokoyami called out as Mrs. Tokoyami handed Shouji his friend's school uniform, as well as some weird feather based cleaning products.
Shouji had arrived at the house in about fifteen minutes, noticing that Mrs. Tokoyami had just gotten off the phone as he'd arrived, probably after chatting with Tokoyami. She looked extremely upset and uncertain, like what she'd been saying was something she didn't exactly believe in. He had to feel for her as a parent, but as someone holding Tokoyami back, he understood where his friend was coming from.
"Of course," Shouji replied, glancing over at Tokoyami's father, a middle aged business man of sorts, who led the boy into the house's study. "What do you need?"
"My wife told me what you said on the phone this morning. About how we misjudged our son," He stated calmly, smiling as he spoke. But the atmosphere in the room felt like it could be cut like butter. "I'll admit, I am a little disconcerted."
"You told your son that you'd transfer him from the first school he's been to where he actually fits in," Shouji drawled.
"I see my son's sarcasm has rubbed off on you," The man replied with a chuckle. "You must understand, I do care for my son. I don't always have the time to speak with him but I do care. My wife is just concerned. She'd rather he become a business man like myself. Although Air
"I don't see why you'd hire someone for three years to teach your son how to use his Quirk if he wasn't planning on being a Hero initially," Shouji stated, shifting the topic slightly. It was something that had been bothering him. Did Tokoyami's mother even have a say in the Quirk training?
"Actually, I've always supported my son's career choice. My wife, she's an advocate for proper safety procedures at Hero Training Schools, but that really just means she dislikes the job. And I do want my son to succeed, but I had a second reason for hiring my son's tutor, a more important reason than Hero training." This piqued Shouji's interest. He had heard from Tokoyami that his parents, initially during the first week of U.A. had completely supported his training.
He imagined that USJ had really flung Tokoyami's mother into a spiral of worries and this was the result. They felt like very different people to the parents that Tokoyami had described in their first week.
"My son's Quirk is a mutation. A being all of it's own and when two beings share the same body, there tend to be... problems," Mr. Tokoyami explained, Shouji clearly interested. "Have you ever wondered why Tokoyami always has a dim light on in his room, regardless of time?"
"Not particularly. Is it important?"
"Why yes, it is. When he was younger, back when we still let him go to public school, some bullies locked him inside a closet. It was dark and he was scared, but something happened. His Quirk grew more powerful in the darkness and smashed open the closet door. The bullies that were standing on the other side were seriously injured and our son had no idea what had happened."
"You mean he used his Quirk accidentally?"
"No, that's not what I mean," Mr. Tokoyami frowned. "It was more like Dark Shadow took control of Tokoyami's body."
It was at this small piece of information that Shouji's eyes widened in surprise. "Dark Shadow possessed Tokoyami?"
"Yes. We hired a teacher to help him control his Quirk. I assume that means he hasn't told anybody about Dark Shadow having the possibility to take him over in dark spaces or at night?"
"No, he hasn't," Shouji replied, tensing up. He needed a moment, bringing up every time that Dark Shadow had been brought up in conversation. Every time Tokoyami had explained it's usefulness but never once had he mentioned that Dark Shadow could possess him. That was something he had no clue about. "I had no idea."
"My wife is just worried about him. He's had so many problems and she knows how dangerous Hero programmes can be," Mr. Tokoyami explained, giving the boy sitting before him a sigh. "I have faith that my son will break through to her. He has my support, even if I can't always talk to him."
"I'll let him know," Shouji replied, pushing himself up. He needed to get back to Tokoyami, they needed to have a serious chat.
A/N - I swear, Tokoyami's parents are weird. When I first wrote them in back in Chapter 4, I didn't plan for Tokoyami's mother to sort of fly off the deep end with concerns, but her style of parenting is actually very similar to mothers I've interacted with IRL, my own included, so I'm basing her actions off of actual scenarios.
That being said, it's tough writing a parental figure who, as a parent, is so in the right, but as an obstacle for Tokoyami to overcome, is so in the way. Ultimately though, I needed to have that "Moving Out" threat as a way to give Tokoyami some extra stakes during the Sports Festival.
The Sports Festival arc is literally dedicated to sorting out his parents and their arcs as well as his growth of Dark Shadow's powers, so you'll have to bear with the melodrama a little bit longer.
Next Chapter - Shouji confronts Tokoyami about Dark Shadow's little possession problem, they have a movie day with a few friends and we get the last bits of light-heartedness before I time-skip to the Day of the Sports Festival!