Tokoyami sat in the underground cafe, trying to make it seem like he wasn't hoping for Raven to show up.
Tokoyami was...simply fascinated with the girl. (Yes fascinated, and nothing else.) And wanted to see if they could be allies of darkness.
But of course, he never got the chance to ask for her phone number the other day, leaving him feeling like the prince in Cinderella. (A movie that Tokoyami swears he has never watched.)
So he decided to sit in the cafe where they met and hoped to see her again. (No it wasn't weird. He came here normally so there is absolutely nothing strange about this.)
"You should have gotten her number." Dark Shadow reminded him.
"Shut up," Tokoyami said.
"Wait! I think that's her!" Dark Shadow exclaimed.
Tokoyami quickly looked at the door and saw Raven walking in. He quickly turned his head back, trying to make himself look inconspicuous.
"Don't let her think you're here for her, it makes you look desperate." Dark Shadow whispered to Tokoyami.
"I know. Shut up." Tokoyami whispered angrily.
"But don't be too unnoticeable, you want her to come over to you after all." Dark Shadow advised.
"You talking to me is not doing me any favors." Tokoyami loudly whispered to his quirk.
"I don't know, I find him weirdly charming."
Tokoyami's head quickly turned to see that Raven had pulled up a chair and was sitting next to him, smirking.
"Hey." She said.
"H-hello," Tokoyami said, being completely caught off guard.
"Thanks for making yourself easy to notice, I was looking for you so seeing you talk to yourself was really useful," Raven said.
Tokoyami was taken aback. On one hand, he was very embarrassed about being seen arguing with Dark Shadow in public. But on the other hand, she was looking for him. Meaning she wanted to see him.
He said nothing as to not let his emotions show, but the mortified look on his face combined with his slight blush made it very obvious to her what he was feeling.
This guy is an absolute dork and it's great. Raven thought as her smirk grew a bit wider.
"So anyway I wanted to say sorry about leaving so quickly the other day," Raven said.
"No, it's fine really," Tokoyami assured her.
There was a short pause before Raven looked at the stage at the person reading, and then back at Tokoyami.
"This guy's boring me." She said. "Wanna hang out somewhere else?"
Tokoyami said yes before he even knew it.
Later, elsewhere.
Out of all the places he expected Raven to take him, a pizzeria was not one of them.
"Yeah, you probably were expecting something darker," Raven noted. "But in my defense, anyone who doesn't like pizza has truly fallen too far into darkness."
"That's fair." Tokoyami agreed.
The two ate their slices in enjoyable silence, eating their pizza slices in peace.
Or at least that's what Tokoyami thought.
Raven was currently struggling to figure out how and when to bring up Hawks. She wasn't exactly a spy or master information gatherer. She was a homeless teenage girl who's only experience with espionage was a few spy movies she snuck into.
So what's working with Hawks like? Do his wings get tired? What is Hawks best at? Raven tried to figure out the least suspicious way possible to word it.
"So what's your boss like?" Raven asked, making sure her poker face was active.
"He's...strange," Tokoyami said. "He seems like he's constantly relaxed and laid back, but whenever we're on patrol he's dead serious, even if he doesn't seem like it. He doesn't seem to hold any reverence for heroes, but he also takes his job very, very seriously."
"Interesting," Raven said, hoping for him to continue but not wanting to ask him to in fear of being found out.
"He's a bit hard to deal with when going on patrol, he goes so fast that most other heroes can't keep up," Tokoyami said. "I can barely keep him within line of sight myself."
"So he rushes into things is what you're saying?" Raven asked.
"No. I would just say that he does things quickly." Tokoyami said.
Raven raised an eyebrow, non verbally asking the question, "Isn't that the same thing?"
"Rushing means you do things with no plan or regard for what consequences your actions will bring." Tokoyami clarified. "Were as doing things quickly simply means you are able to assess the situation, analyze it, and act accordingly within the span of seconds. Hawks is a master of this and can handle villains without evening needing to stop, before quickly moving onto the next thing."
"So he's really good at thinking on his wings," Raven said. "Must suck if he runs into someone faster than him or someone that has a quirk that can limit his movement."
"That would be extremely difficult for a villain to accomplish. Hawks is one of the faster heroes around, he would take down most opponents before they could even see him." Tokoyami said.
"Yeah, guess that's why he's in the top ten," Raven said. That should be enough info for now. I should probably change the topic.
"So does Dark Shadow eat?" Raven asked.
"Yeah, I do!" Dark Shadow said as he reached for a slice of pizza.
"No," Tokoyami said as he swatted Dark Shadow away. "I don't get why you keep trying to eat. You can't taste anything and all you do is mash the food in your beak before it falls onto the floor. You just make a mess."
"I can dream!" Dark Shadow defended.
"So he can't taste anything huh," Raven said.
"Nope." Dark Shadow confirmed. "And you've been asking us a lot of questions! I think it's our turn to ask you a few things!"
"Dark Shadow!" Tokyami shouted.
"It's fine. Ask away." Raven said. It would be really suspicious if I just interrogated him this whole time. Hopefully, he doesn't ask anything too personal.
Tokoyami looked slightly nervous but decided to take her up on her offer. "We've talked a lot about my quirk but you've said nothing about yours. I'm curious."
That's not too complicated. I'll just keep it simple. Raven thought.
Raven's eyes turned red and the shadow under the table suddenly started moving and changing shape, until suddenly what looked like a second Dark Shadow without eyes was formed right in front of the actual Dark Shadow.
"Woah! Another me!" Dark Shadow exclaimed.
"I can make shadows solid and manipulate them," Raven said. "It's actually kinda similar to your quirk now that I think about it. I think our shadow things are made of the same energy."
"Hmmm. So we both can manipulate shadows, but it seems that your quirk is a bit more versatile." Tokoyami noted.
"As if." Raven scoffed as she dispelled the shadow. "Your quirk is way better than mine."
"How so?" Tokoyami asked.
"Well for starters...you'll never be alone," Raven replied truthfully.
While she hadn't told him the true extent of her capabilities, her words were truthful. She would trade all her quirks for his in a heartbeat for the anti-loneliness factor alone.
"You seem very...lonely," Tokoyami commented.
Raven sighed. "Well...you're not wrong. Let's just say my dad has made it difficult for me to make any friends."
"Overprotective parent?" Tokoyami asked.
Raven scoffed. "Definitely not...you know what. I...don't really want to talk about it."
"Understandable," Tokoyami said, not wanting to push it.
There was a long, uncomfortable pause as neither of them knew how to continue the conversation after that.
Well great. Way to kill the conversation me. Raven mentally scolded herself. I can't leave yet. I don't know when the attack is happening so I need to get as much information as I can without looking suspicious.
After a bit more silence Tokoyami's phone rang.
"Pardon me," Tokoyami said before answering his phone. "Hello...I'm busy...I know but...fine."
Tokoyami sighed as he put the phone away. "I apologize. I must depart. Hawks had demanded that I purchase him more chicken. As well as many other supplies for the agency."
"I never understood how you can have bird wings but your favorite food is chicken," Raven muttered.
"It's a bird eat bird world out there." Dark Shadow said.
"Truly a mad banquet of darkness," Tokoyami said in his usual fully serious tone.
Raven snickered while attempting to stifle a full laugh.
Then suddenly she got an idea.
"Hey, why don't I go with you?" Raven asked.
"Are you sure?" Tokoyami asked. "I will have to go back to the agency to collect the money form Hawks. And I'll likely receive a large list of items to collect, that will require me to go to multiple stores all around the city." He sighed. "He likes making me do that with the excuse of, testing my speed."
"More like testing your patients," Raven replied. "It's not like I had anything better to do anyway. I haven't been in this city long but so far your the most entertaining thing here."
"O-oh." Tokoyami stuttered, turning slightly to hide his blush. "Well, I suppose there would be no issue with joining me in this endeavor."
"Great. Now would you mind paying for the pizza? I'd do it but I have no money." Raven said.
Twenty minutes later
After paying for the pizza and taking a train and a short walk, they had finally made it to Hawks's hero agency.
"Hawks said to wait for him outside," Tokoyami said.
"Well, that shouldn't take too long," Raven said.
"He should be out soon. I already told him we would be coming." Tokoyami said.
Ten minutes later
"You know for one of the fastest heroes around, he sure is taking a long time," Raven complained.
"He's only the fastest when it comes to hero work," Tokoyami said, sounding equally as annoyed.
"Hey, I'd say I'm a quick thinker on any occasion."
The two looked up and saw that Hawks was flying right above them.
"About time you got here," Raven said as Hawks descended. "You must really like wasting other people's time huh."
"Yeah sorry about that. Me and Endeavor had a little...talk." Hawks said.
"Not sure why anyone would want to talk to that maniac but ok," Raven said. "Just give us the money and the list so we can go already."
"Well, you could have left at any time but whatever." Hawks said. He then pulled out some money and a long list. "Here you go."
Tokoyami looks the money and then the list.
Raven looked over Tokoyami's shoulder at the list, closeness of their faces causing Tokoyami to blush once more.
"Like I said. You really like wasting people's time." Raven deadpanned.
"Can't say I don't." Hawks said before taking off. "See ya."
And like that he was gone.
Tokoyami sighed. "He's actually not that dreadful in comparison to what I've heard from others about their superiors."
"When he's not being late and ordering you run around the entire city for supplies," Raven said sarcastically.
"Indeed," Tokoyami said. "Shall we depart?"
"Yeah, let's go," Raven said.
Later, at Bespin SuperMarket
Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were diligently looking at several different brands of toilet paper, wondering which one to get.
"Hey, I know this brand," Raven said pulling out a pack from the bottom row. "Get this one it's cheap."
Tokoyami looked at the price tag with a skeptical gaze. "Cheaper toilet paper typically means it's lower quality. And toilet paper is not something you want to be low quality."
"I guess," Raven admitted. "But, you said that one of these was for the bathroom in Hawks's office right?"
"Well, then we'll just give him the cheap one," Raven smirked.
"You're truly are a maiden of darkness," Tokoyami said. "And given how he made us wait ten minutes so we can move on with a task that will take us all day, I feel like sinking deeper into the darkness myself."
The two chuckled darkly, as they condemned the number six hero a week or so of cheap toilet paper.
A few items later.
"Blue cheese?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow at the list. "Who even eats blue cheese?"
"Foreigners," Tokoyami answered. "I have a classmate who very much enjoys all types of cheese."
Raven was about to ask a question when Tokoyami suddenly spoke up.
"Yes, he is french." He answered.
"Figured," Raven said.
She looked back at the list and then to Tokoyami. "I think that's all we can get from here. Let's-"
Raven stopped when she saw Tokoyami eating an apple.
There was a short pause as Tokoyami continued to eat the apple until he realized she was staring at him.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing it's just...weird seeing something with a beak eating," Raven admitted.
"But you saw me eating pizza earlier." Tokoyami pointed out.
"I know but I guess I just didn't notice it." Raven shrugged. "Anyway, what is it like eating with a beak?"
"It's not too difficult," Tokoyami said. "I have to eat from the sides of my mouth. And I find chopsticks better than utensils."
"Huh." Raven shrugged. "Anyway. Let's go."
Later, at Alderaan Mall
"So this...this place...is the number six hero Hawks...favorite place to eat," Raven said, confusion written all over her face.
The place Raven was referring to, was a small restaurant called, Chikin Tengoku. A chicken-themed restaurant.
"That was my reaction as well," Tokoyami said. "But to be fair the food here is actually quite good."
The two walked in and were immediately greeted by the person taking orders.
"Tokoyami!Hawks sent you on errands again." The woman said.
Tokoyami sighed. "Unfortunately. He wants Yakitori. The usual amount."
The woman rubbed her hands with glee. "Get Hawks's order out! Get ready to make some money!"
"Guessing Hawks is a big eater?" Raven asked.
"He uses a lot of energy while flying. So it makes sense." Tokoyami explained.
Suddenly a very large amount of food in bags was placed in front of them.
"How...did you get this out so fast?" Raven asked.
"We pride ourselves on our preparedness." The woman said.
"That doesn't answer my question." Raven deadpanned.
"Hey uh...how are you going to carry all this?" The woman asked.
It was then that the three of them noticed exactly how much they had to carry. Dark Shadows arms were full, as were Tokoyami's. Raven could still carry a few things but she wouldn't be able to carry all of this food.
Tokoyami glared at the food as he tried to figure out a solution to their predicament.
"Ah, man. If only I had more arms!" Dark Shadow said.
Raven's eyes widened in realization. "Actually. I have an idea."
Her eyes turned red, and Dark Shadow's body began to shift, as two new arms suddenly sprouted from his sides.
"Neat! My wish came true!" Dark Shadow exclaimed, quickly picking up all the bags with his new appendages.
"So you can manipulate Dark Shadow as well," Tokoyami said. "It is fortunate that you are not my adversary. A battle against you would be rather one-sided."
Raven turned her head in hopes that Tokoyami wouldn't see her sad expression. "Yeah...that would suck...for both of us."
Another hour later.
Tokoyami and Raven walked away from Hawks's hero agency, they had given the items to Hawks who took them away with ease with his feathers. (Making Raven wonder why he didn't get the damn things himself.) And the two were now absolutely exhausted.
"I apologize for taking up your entire day with such trivial errands," Tokoyami said. "I know you said you had nothing better to do, but to be honest I would rather gaze into the void for twelve hours then do this."
"...You know...I kinda feel the same, but I also don't." Raven said. "My arms and legs feel like they want to fall off from all the walking and carrying, but all and all it wasn't the worst thing I've had to do. Not by far. Guess good company can make anything bearable."
Tokoyami blushed, once again, for the third time. "W-well...on second reflection. Gazing into the void for that long might have been more tedious than today. Unless...I was gazing into the void with you."
Raven had no idea how to respond to that. On one hand, the line was so weird and cheesy that she wanted to laugh. And on the other, it was so awkward and genuine that it was actually really touching.
Not having a response, Raven ended up blushing herself, for the first time.
"Well, I guess void gazing doesn't sound too bad," Raven said eventually.
The two of them walked silently and aimlessly for a while, avoiding each other's gaze.
Later, at the L.O.V. hideout.
Raven slammed open the door to the bar and walked as quickly as she could past Tomura and Kurogiri.
"How was your mission?" Tomura managed to ask her.
"Fuck off before I use Kurogiri to warp your head up your ass." Raven said, quickly throwing him a middle finger before going to her room.
"I really fucking hate that girl," Tomura muttered before looking at Kurogiri. "Can she actually control your body?"
Kurogiri shrugged.