I present chapter 2! Sorry for the long almost one month wait, but I hope this chapter is worth it.
Enjoy!^-^
Chapter 2: Lunchroom Chatter and Imagination
The day went by slowly with Kosuke checking either the clock over his classroom or the time on his cell phone. Waiting patiently as he could to talk to his new friend again. Maybe casually stopping by his class and invite him to come to sit with him at Lunch. When the bell finally rang, Kosuke sprang into motion like a five-year old on a sugar rush. Sadly, Hitoshi dragged him to the cafeteria kicking and screaming. Kosuke stands on his chair. Eyes jumping from student to student. His hands cup together like binoculars for better visuals.
"Sit down", Shinso says, annoyed, "you look like a creep."
"I'm not doing anything wrong", Kosuke replies, not taking his eyes off his search.
"If Tokoyami wants to sit with us, he'll do it with his own free will. He would probably avoid you at all costs with how your presence is embarrassing as it is."
"Toko's going to sit with us, Toshi!"
Shinso takes a bite off his French fries. "I'm impressed." That statement made his friend drop his imaginary binoculars and pause his search to give him a questionable stare. "I never seen you act, what's the word I'm looking for? Dopey? Sure, let's go with dopey. It makes you look pathetic; well, more than usual."
Kosuke sits down across his friend. His burger and fries remain untouched. "The moment our eyes met, I felt a spark between us, and I know deep down Toko feels the same."
"What if Tokoyami doesn't return your affection?" Shinso knows Kosuke has a knack to jump back from defeat. With a nonchalant shrug and a smile on his lips, his best friend moves on; however, the grin on his face and a menacing chuckle say a different story.
"Why, I thought you never ask." Kosuke strikes a dynamic pose. He steps his foot on the table and points his forefinger sans at the sky. Students stare at the blond like he's mentally unstable. Shinso tries to cover his face while staring at Kosuke with unbelief in his eyes. "I HAVE A BATTLE PLAN!" Unbelief turns to doubt. Kosuke's plan of action is just that, action, jumping ahead without thinking or hesitating. Kosuke never makes plans; so, he's slightly concerned. The blond slinks his arm around Shinso's shoulders and extend his free arm like he's presenting the world on a silver platter. "Picture it…"
"I don't want to."
"Jump humor me."
"I do it every day."
"Here we go. Picture it…
"Me and Toko start out as friends. He enjoys my company day by day at school. He'll get used to me that he wants to hang out after school. We'll go to the amusement parks, movies, beach…"
A chibi Hitoshi Shinso, uniform and all, pops in the scene. "Question. Aren't those places what couple go to?" he asks, his little arm raise up.
A chibi Kosuke Gushiken follows suit. " Yes, but we'll be going as friends. PLAY!
"Six months later, I'll take him to Paris where I'll proclaim my love to him on top of the Eiffel Tower and ask him to be my boyfriend. If he says no, I'll wait for another six months. If he says yes, though, I'll treat him like royalty. First date, dinner under the stars at a grassy hill. The moon shines upon us, yet it'll be jealous of Toko's beauty. After dinner, I'll walk him home. We stare into each other eyes.
"Gushiken", he whispers his majestic voice.
"Call me Kosuke", I would say.
"We date for three – maybe four – until I propose to him. We dine in the most expensive restaurant in the city. At the right moment, I'll bend down on one knee and present him with an engagement ring that captivates the essence of Toko. Hopefully, he'll say yes, and we'll have a big ass wedding! Or a small one… still working out the details. Obviously, you're my best, Tosh."
Chibi Shinso: What kind of suit will I wear?
Chibi Kosuke: Does it matter?
Chibi Shinso: Yes.
Chibi Kosuke: Fine. You'll be wearing a tuxedo. The color is between navy blue or lavender.
Chibi Shinso: Why lavender?
Chibi Kosuke: It brings out the doom and gloom in your eyes.
Chibi Shinso: Your color scheming could use work.
Chibi Kosuke: I'll work on it. Continue!
"After the wedding, we ride away on a white stallion and off to our honeymoon! A hotel with the best love suite there is!"
Chibi Shinso: Where are you getting the money?
Chibi Kosuke: Dude, you know who my parents are and what they do, right? Besides, they'll be all over the idea… I think.
"Back to the honeymoon! I swiftly pick him up bridal style and carry him to our heart-shaped waterbed. We stare longingly until I close the gap."
Meanwhile, in the real world, Kosuke has his back facing his friend as his arms wrap around himself and making kissing noises. Shinso blankly stares at him. He knows his blond friend is in his Fantasyland and when he's in there Kosuke himself is the one person who can get himself out. Shinso notices someone standing close to him. He peers up. An idea immediately pops into his cranium. He might as well get a few laughs out of this.
~MHA~
Tokoyami enters the cafeteria along with most of his classmates. He prefers to remain in the back with Mezo Shoji and Koji Koda. They are quiet and not as loud as the others. There are a lot of unique individuals in his class. He doesn't feel insecure about his appearance. Class 1-A has a welcoming vibe that Tokoyami accepts wholeheartedly. After grabbing his lunch, the raven kindly excuses himself and went off in search of Shinso and Gushiken. He steadies his breathing. He doesn't know why he's nervous. Does he want acceptance outside the class? Why does he want to be accepted by these two specific duos? Sure, their witty arguments – as ridiculous as they are – maybe uncomfortable to be in the middle of but it's humorous. He witnessed that kind of behavior from his former classmates from afar. He remembered how envious he was that he will never have that connection they do. Then, he remembers he has Dark Shadow by his side and envy soon disintegrated. But talking to a shadow does bring up a lot of raised eyebrows. At least, Gushiken and Shinso welcomes him with open arms… well, Gushiken does.
'You just want him to hear the blond guy calls you hot again', Dark Shadow mentally jests.
'First, Gushiken gestures me as beautiful', Tokoyami counters, 'Secondly, he is the first person who accepts me as for myself.'
'Keep telling yourself that love bird. Oooo~ what if he calls you love bird. I would love to see your reaction if that happens.' Yes, Gushiken accepts him. Shinso… it's hard to tell. He can't be bad, right?
Tokoyami spots a fluff of purple hair and easily recognizes it as Shinso. As he got closer, the raven notice Gushiken has his back turn and he's… kissing himself? As he inches himself closer, yes, Gushiken is kissing himself. He's afraid to ask what's going on.
Shinso notices his presence and a Devil's grin spreads across his face. The purple-haired boy lifts his forefinger onto his lips, telling the raven to stay silent. "Hey, Kosuke ", he calls, his grin remains plaster.
"Not now", Gushiken rejects not turning around, "still in my honeymoon. Oooh~ I'm sensitive there." Tokoyami tilts his head. Honeymoon? Ah, Gushiken is in a daydreaming state and judging from Shinso's stoic expression as he got near them, his friend is used to it.
'You hear that? He has a sensitive spot', the bird-headed teenager chooses to ignore his pesky quirk.
"Yeah sure whatever", Shinso retorts, offhandedly, "I was wondering… after the honeymoon, are you going to have kids?"
"Of course, we will! We're going to have a bundle of adorable, beautiful bird babies!" Tokoyami's feathers puff up. If his feathers weren't covering his head, then it would be proof of how red his face has become. Gushiken continues talking, which doesn't stop Tokoyami's flustering, "A lot of bird babies! I'm not sure if bird anatomies apply. If we can't produce offspring, we'll adopt. I'm cool either way. Orphans need love, too."
Dark Shadow's laugh echoes in his mind. 'This is rich! He wants to have a family with you! This guy is hilarious, and he doesn't know we're here!'
Tokoyami ignores his quirk and speaks, "Are you all right, Gushiken?"
"Hey, Toko – TOKO!" The blond turns too swiftly it causes him to lose his balance on his seat and fall. Shinso's smirk didn't waver. Gushiken repositions himself a few times until he props his elbow on the lunch table, head resting on his knuckles, and he gives the avian a charming smile. "Hey, beautiful", he says in a deep, suave voice. At this point, the raven couldn't help but release a small, unnoticeable smile. Tokoyami puts his tray on the table and sits next to the charming blond. "Could you give us a moment?" Gushiken grabs some fries and thrust it at his smirking target. The latter lifts his hands to shield himself from the missiles. "You asshole! You let him listen to talk!"
"Pulease. He got here like a minute ago", Shinso defends, "but if it makes you feel better, I'll give him a quick summary of your future with your birdy boyfriend."
"You'll say nothing!"
Tokoyami would've laughed if a familiar voice didn't come towards their table. "Can you keep your voices down!" Tokoyami looks towards the loud voice. It is the boy with glasses from his class. His movements, such as the first time he saw him, are stiff and robotic.
"Why do I get the feeling he's in your class?" Gushiken whispers to Tokoyami.
"I am Tenya Iida of Class 1-A!" the newcomer yells as the blond adds quietly to his lunch buddies "called it". "You are disrespecting your fellow peers with your tomfoolery and shenanigans! You're drawing attention to yourselves. Have you no decorum?"
"Dude, you're drawing attention the moment you walk up to us. We're just having fun, or do your circuits can't compute what fun is?" Tokoyami is flabbergasted. Gushiken has the nerve to speak to someone with such audacity; he envies his new friend's integrity.
"How dare you speak to me in such a manner!" Iida yells, waving his arms with friction like he's chopping air; any faster and he will create fire. "Have you no respect? We are in one of the elite schools of Japan! It is an honor – no, a privilege – to be in a prestigious school! And as students of UA, we need to represent it with maturity and posture!" Ida is VERY loud. Shinso rolls eyes. Gushiken yawns in boredom.
'Make the robot man stop talking', Dark Shadow whines.
"He's right, Kosuke ", Shinso says, eyes forward to him, "we are UA students where All Might graduates. We should honor it. Apologize to our fellow schoolmate." Tokoyami glances at the blond beside him who blinks a few times. Suddenly, Gushiken's eyes widen in realization.
"You're right!" Gushiken stands and sashays over to Iida. "My mannerisms don't define this prestigious school. I agree with you, Ito."
"Iida", the glasses-wearing teen corrects.
"Whatever", Nirishima waves it off with his hand, "and I'm sorry for being impolite and acting like a buffon." Okay, that sounds suspicious. Nirishima lifts his hand. "Let's start over, friend." He touches Iida's left shoulder. Immediately, Iida falls fast asleep standing up. Nirishima releases a haughty laugh. "Man, he's so easy. Didn't suspect a damn thing. Hey, Toshi, got a marker?" In request, Shinso tosses him a black marker. "Sweeet!" He went straight to work after uncapping the marker.
Tokoyami blinks, processing of what occurs. "What happened?"
"It's my quirk, nap time", Gushiken explains, drawing a curly mustache, "pretty cool name, huh?"
"Isn't it supposed to be sleep touch?" Shinso asks, "if you're going to change its name, change it to something that sounds like a five-year-old nickname."
"If you could rename your quirk that doesn't explain your complete power, I'm happy to hear with open ears." The artist adds a goatee.
"Point one to Kosuke… you're missing an eyepatch."
"Damn, you're right and when you're right you're not wrong. Hold this will ya." Gushiken gently takes off the glasses and gives it to the reluctant bird-headed teenager.
'We should stop this madness', Tokoyami ponders.
'No way!' Dark Shadow argues, 'this guy is HILARIOUS, he likes you, and you love getting compliments! Do you know what will make it better? If he strips in front of us! Oooo~ you're already thinking about it!'
'AWAY PERVERTED THOUGHTS!'
"Done! What do you guys think? I'm open to criticism." Gushiken presents his masterpiece. The sleeping canvas has a curly mustache, a small triangle goatee, a black eyepatch over the right eye, a cartoon eye with fluttering eyelashes, and a crude drawing of a tongue sticking out his mouth.
"Why do you do it? It is wrong", Tokoyami tries convincing the mischievous blond. The said boy gently grabs the glasses off the raven's delicate fingers and puts it back on Iida's sleeping face.
"Relax. It's not like Kosuke's kicking your classmate's balls or anything sinister like shoving a stick up his stiff ass which there's already a yard measuring stick lodged in there", Shinso counters, which doesn't please Tokoyami at all.
"And the pièce de résistance", Gushiken writes KISS ME over Iida's forehead and he stands back to admire his handiwork. "I wish I could save this memory. Tosh, get your camera ready!"
The purple-haired boy positions his cell phone. "Say douchebag."
"Douchebag", the blond wraps his arm around the sleeping boy's shoulders as he gives a thumbs up with a wide, toothy grin. "Hey, Toko, you want in?"
'Yes.'
"NO!"
"Okay." Gushiken shrugs off the sudden high voice. "How about you, Tosh? Wanna pose with me?"
"Maybe another time." Shinso hides his phone. "Now would be a good time to wake up Sleeping Beauty."
"Yeah! Send me the pic later." Gushiken lifts his arm. His hand hovers above Iida's left shoulder. "Three. Two. One. Aaannnnnd~ ACTION!" At the touch, Iida wakes from his slumber in a daze. "You certainly taught me a valuable lesson today, Ito. I'll pass it down to my children and my children will pass it to their children and so on and so forth. I'll never do anything diabolical ever again!"
Iida looks around him. "Wha… what happened?"
"I was apologizing about my mischievous behavior, good sir."
"Ah, yes. If you realize your mistakes and won't repeat the same transaction, it's water under the bridge. Good day, gentlemen." Tokoyami's classmate walks away without noticing the marking on his face.
"Have you no shame of the act you committed?" Tokoyami scolds to the two grinning boys. "Iida will return when he sees your artwork."
"Don't worry your pretty lil' head, Toko", Gushiken reassures him, "I'm twenty-five percent certain it's NOT permanent." A shrill scream can be heard across the cafeteria. "Whelp, he saw my Award-Winning Face Tattoos."
"It's not even worth a nomination, but I'll give it a solid B", Shinso inputs is opinion.
Gushiken sits next to the bewildered raven. "Since I told you my quirk, it's fair you tell yours."
Tokoyami's shoulders become stiff. It's too soon. He needs to stall. "Wha… what about Shinso? He did not present his quirk." At the mention of his name, the boy across him gives Tokoyami a raised eyebrow then turns to his friend implying to speak for him.
"Uh… he's not much of a… show-and-teller kind of guy. Unlike me, I'm not afraid to show off."
His friend snorts.
"What now?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Don't mind me. I'm allergic to the pollen in the air. Oh, wait, it's bullshit."
"Asshole", Gushiken mutters, but after, he turns his attention back to Tokoyami. "What's your quirk?"
Without uttering a command, a black mass leaks out of Tokoyami's backside. The embodiment of it resembles a lavender, blackbird with piercing yellow eyes, no pupils, or white sclera. "Hiya! I'm Fumi's quirk, Dark Shadow!" The three boys' eyes widen at Cark Shadow's sudden appearance.
"Fumi?" the blond blinks. He looks to his friend for compensation. Shinso simply points to Tokoyami. "You have a nickname for Toko?" he asks the quirk.
"Yep!" Dark Shadow chirps. Tokoyami wants the floor to swallow him whole, a meteor to hit the school, a tsunami engulfs Japan, or all the above; anything but withstand the aftermath of his newfound comrade's expression. They will think he's a freak. Flashbacks plague his mind; each unpleasant as the last. He shuts his eyes to avoid their disgusted looks and pretends to be deaf to avoid their hurtful words.
"That. Is. AWESOME!" The avian-headed teenager quickly turns his head to his blond tablemate. His forest-green eyes brimming with excitement and wonder. Shinso, well, is neutral; his expression is as passive as pleasant weather. "I have SOOOO many questions! Do you prefer to he, she, or it? Can you go through walls like a ghost? How strong are you? Can you punch a hole in a wall? How strong is your bitch slap? Do you know how to bitch slap? You just' slap 'em from your backhand, or talon in your case, and yell "bitch"! Pimps do that a lot to their hos! It's easy!" Dark Shadow nods in acknowledgment. There's no way he's letting his quirk do a bitch slap on a poor unfortunate soul for practice. Tokoyami won't allow it.
Shinso sighs. "I know you're excited, trust me I'm jumping for joy in my shoes." Your tone and face do not match your excitement… is what Tokoyami wants to say, but he withholds his tongue. He knows Shinso does not like him. It's best not to tread on thin ice. "But I don't think your future boyfriend wants to get a one-way ticket to detention; let alone to the police station." He'll ignore the future boyfriend bit. At the very least, he can count on the purple-haired boy to be the voice of reason among the two.
Gushiken rubs his nape almost loosening his hair tie. "I can't help it! Toko's quirk reminds me of a familiar!" The two birds tilt their heads. Familiar? Why does that word sound… familiar (pun unintended)? "Oh, right. You don't know what I'm talking about. Familiars are spirits who take forms of animals to guide witches or help them in their time of need." Huh, he never would have thought Gushiken would be the type to know such intriguing information; don't judge a book by its cover. Gushiken tenderly pets Dark Shadow which the quirk coos affectionately. "Thinking how strong for a quirk to have a manifestation of solid form is amazing." He looks into Tokoyami's ruby eyes. "You're amazing."
The raven couldn't speak. Throughout his life, everyone who witnesses Dark Shadow's raw power calls him a monster or a demon and he, as a host, is a spawn for harboring such a creature. Children call him cruel names. Adults believe he will become a villain with a dangerous quirk. With all the disbeliefs following him, he loses himself to the negativities. Until he saw All Might rescuing many civilians in his arms on a news program. That ambition wants him to become a hero like All Might. That's ONE of the reasons why Tokoyami wants to be a pro hero. He wants to prove to everyone, not just to himself, but those with misunderstood quirks can become a hero with the right drive and passion; and UA High School is the best place to start achieving such goals. Now, one person opens his eyes to see the positive side of his quirk. Yet… if Gushiken sees Dark Shadow at his true power, would he fall back on his words? Will Gushiken and Shinso be terrified and scream?
Will they call him a monster?
Will Gushiken call him a monster?
Tokoyami continues to gaze into Gushiken's eyes. They are soft and sincere. Not an ounce of reluctance or falsehood in them. Why does Gushiken's words make his heart swoon? He needs to say something. Anything! Open your stupid beak and talk, you silent fool! He notices something amiss in the blond's eyes. "Your eyes…" he speaks, softly.
"I know my eyes are great, but they're not as great as yours", Gushiken smoothly counters, as cheesy as it sounds.
Tokoyami shakes his head. "Yes, thank you, but that is not what I was implying. I thought your eye color was green…"
"Wha…" A few fries, used as missiles, were thrown at the gazing teens. Dark Shadow helps himself to the free food while Gushiken's eyebrow twitches. "Hold that thought", he says in a bittersweet smile. He glares at his friend across the table. "What is your problem? Can't you see we're having a moment?!" he sneers, gesturing between him and Tokoyami.
"You have an appointment to go to", Shinso calmly retorts, sipping his drink.
"No, I don't." The response makes Shinso narrows his eyes.
"You. Have. An. Appointment."
"No. I. Don't."
"Yes. You. Do." His comeback involves Shinso tapping his head beside his eyes, indicating a code if Tokoyami ever saw one. Gushiken picks up his cell phone and looks at it. He yelps.
"Right! I totally forgot! I need to go to THAT appointment! Tosh, I love it when you're my personal assistant; entertain Toko while I'm gone! Toko, I'll text ya later! Gotta go, bye!" he bolts swiftly as Ida's speed… rather, close to it.
Tokoyami and Dark Shadow blink. That was odd. Was it natural for Gushiken? What is normality between the two friends?
"So…" the raven turns his attention to Shinso, who appears to be uncomfortable being alone with him, "do you like scary movies?"
~MHA~
"Out of all times, my opponent chose now to come to me! Me and Toko were having a moment and they friggin' ruined it! I can't wait to wipe the floor with their stupid face!" Kosuke rants as he runs down the halls. He can feel his eyes burning. He needs to transform into Arcadia soon or whoever is his opponent is will act before he gets there. When he turns a sharp right, he collides into a tall pile of paper and someone behind it. Papers fluttering down and scatters around them. The blond sits up. "Damn it!" he says, nursing his injured head by rubbing it, "I really need to look where I was going…"
"Goodness me, are you alright?" Kosuke looks up to see a small white polar bear (or was it a mouse?) with a scar over his right eye. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"I should be asking you that, lil' guy." The blond looks at the mess. "Sorry about the papers, though."
"It's fine. I should've asked someone to assist me before this mishap."
Kosuke shrugs, nonchalantly. "It happens. I'd love to help, but I gotta go to the infirmary. Not feeling too well."
"I see. Does it have something to do with your eyes being on fire?" the small creature tilts his head curiously.
Kosuke's shoulders went stiff. Shit, he needs to go like YESTERDAY! "Uh, yeah. My eye medication was sent to the head nurse and I need to take it before my eyes go into wildfire mode. All part of my quirk! Yeah, quirk! Gotta go take my medicine!" he runs down the hallway, "Sorry about not helping you! I'll make it up to ya as soon as I see ya again!"
The small creature stares at the retreating student. What an odd boy. He needs to work on his tall tales, otherwise, anyone with a half a brain can figure him out. He's obviously not going to the infirmary. After all, he did go in the wrong direction; or he has a bad sense of direction.
"Nezu!" the said creature looks up at a thin, skeleton man with long, blond hair. "Need some help?"
Nezu smiles. "Certainly, All Might! You know when to show up when someone needs rescue."
"Of course." The thin man, known as All Might, assist Nezu in picking up the scattered papers. "You're not normally this clumsy."
"Oh, I just stumbled upon a student. He was in such a hurry he didn't tell me his name."
"Well, that's just rude. He could've apologized and helped with how much energy he puts in running into you."
"Not to worry", Nezu says, offhandedly, "he says he will make it up to me as soon as we meet again." His small paws one paper after another with care. "And I'll make sure we do meet again."
Chapter 2 Fin
While I was writing Tokoyami's monologues I feel like I didn't grasp his true mannerisms, yet I did my best and I'm proud of it. I enjoyed writing this chapter, especially Yoru's idiocy. I think there are some fanfics out there who did a terrific job of grasping Tokoyami better than me; look it up when you have the time or out of curiosity.
1) Osculum ut Rostro by DutchChesireCat (Archive of Our Own)
2) The Date by Gechi_gotchu (Archive of Our Own)
3) Corkscrew or Cloaca? Tokoyami Fumikage's worst day ever by Gechi_gotchu
4) Forest Survival Exercise - or alternately, 'How To Get a Boyfriend Whilst Balls Deep in the Middle of Nowhere At Least a Hundred Miles From Home' by unavoidablekoishi (Archive of Our Own)
5) Shadow of the Moon by Tenkku (Archive of Our Own and Fanfiction)
6) My Land (Archive of Our Own and Fanfiction)
7) Danse Macabre (Archive of Our Own and Fanfiction)
I really do love reading these A LOT.
Now... I'm gonna let my brain rest. Again, sorry for the long wait. I write before my shift starts at work (which I work in the morning shift, mind you), and as soon as I lay on my bed (which I become lazy and tired).
I know how Chapter 3 will play out bits and pieces in my mind, putting it together is a different story. It's like working on a jigsaw puzzle; some pieces look the same but they won't fit together.
Until next time!
From, BC-Angel