A/N: Happy New year everyone! In honor of our new year, I have the first chapter of the year. I hope you all enjoy! I hope everyone has had a wonderful Holiday. May blessings to everyone and hopes that 2019 is better than 2018. I have put a few of my own personal theories in here. I would love to hear what you all think about Tokoyami and Hawks in this Chapter. Maybe some thoughts on Kirishima.

Thank you all

Traditional Twist

Chapter 14

Tokoyami stared at his reflection in the mirror over his dresser. He wore a large t-shirt with baggy shorts. He raised his arm up and sighed. The shirt hole exposed part of his torso. "How could someone like this?" He asked with a melancholic tone.

"What are you talking about?" Dark Shadow said, flying out of the teens back. "Look at you!"

"I am. Bakugou is right. I am tiny."

"Are you really fretting over that, Fumikage?"

Tokoyami hung his head. He pulled the shirt over his head. "I'm just going to wear my U.A. Sweats."

"You are over paranoid," Dark Shadow commented as Tokoyami got dressed.

Tokoyami threw on his sweat pants and matching zip up jacket over a black tank top. "I feel weird, knowing people will be looking at me. That people may be thinking about me."

Dark Shadow cooed and placed its head under his master's chin. "Are you that uncomfortable knowing that Shoji has feelings for you?"

"I'm not sure," Tokoyami admitted. "I will confess, I enjoyed his kiss. It was kind. I felt my body warm from it."

"That should be a good sign, right?" Dark Shadow asked.

Tokoyami shook his head. "What if the next time it doesn't feel that way?" Tokoyami gently scratches under the shadow's chin. "What if next time it feels like all the others? I don't…" Tokoyami's voice faded as swallowed a sob. "I don't want to fear my best friend like I fear my grandmother."

Dark Shadow nodded. "How will you know if you don't try?"

"It's not like I can initiate, Dark Shadow." Tokoyami sighed and patted Dark Shadow's head. He returned within Tokoyami's chest. Tokoyami adjusted his jacket before heading out the door to the gym.

When Tokoyami arrived at the gym, he froze in the doorway. Inside, he saw Bakugou bench pressing several large weights. Kirishima stood behind him, spotting and encouraging him.

"That a way Bakubro! Just two more reps!"

"Shut… up… shitty… hair!" Bakugou grunted. He managed his two other reps before.

Kirishima grabbed the bar and pulled it up on the rest. Bakugou sat up and whipped his head. Red eyes met red eyes as Bakugou to a swig from a water bottle. "Took you long enough," Bakugou said to Tokoyami.

Kirishima waved. "Hey, Tokoyami!"

Bakugou eyed Tokoyami's attire. "Tsc. You wore long sleeves to lift? You really don't know what you're doing."

Tokoyami flinched. Great, more reason for him to feel self-conscious. "I don't normally lift weights. I do more pushups and use my body's natural weight."

Kirishima patted Tokoyami on the back. "Don't take anything he says personally. Bakugou is a beast at strength training."

"Exactly! I'm the expert. So, do everything I say, and we won't have issues." Bakugou pointed to Tokoyami's sweatshirt. "Take that off and come over to the bench. I need to figure out your max."

Tokoyami winced at the idea of removing his jacket. "Can I not lift with my jacket?"

"Not if you want to have a good work out. Don't be a bitch. Let's go." Bakugou began removing weight from the bars he was using.

"Just remove it! He already knows your tiny," Dark Shadow said from within.

Tokoyami couldn't argue with that and unzipped his jacket. He balled it up and tossed it along the side of the wall. He walked over to Bakugou, lay down on the bench and readied himself for his work out.

Bakugou's weight lifting was intense. It was two hours of finding his max, then doing as many reps as possible. By the end, Tokoyami's entire body felt sore.

Kirishima must have felt the same way. "Damn! I don't know if I'll be able to lift my arms for the rest of the day."

"Someone needs to make sure you stay stupid strong," Bakugou mumbled.

"Ha ha! Yeah!" Kirishima turned to Tokoyami. "How are you doing man?"

"I cannot believe I still have my arms," Tokoyami said with a small smile.

"You're more toned than I thought you'd be," Kirishima commented, punching Tokoyami in the arm slightly.

"Thanks," Tokoyami grunted.

Dark Shadow poked out of his master's back and peered over Tokoyami's shoulder. "See, there was nothing to worry about."

Bakugou cocked an eyebrow. "What do you have to be worried about?"

Tokoyami cringed and cursed Dark Shadow. Dark Shadow didn't seem to care. "He's been all frazzled since you said his arm were tiny."

"Dark Shadow," Tokoyami growled.

"Tsc, your arms are tiny. It's nothing to get all riled up about." Bakugou scoffed.

Tokoyami folded his arms and clenched his jaw. Kirishima could see he was trying to hide how uncomfortable he was.

"Is this at all related to what happened with Shoji?" Kirishima asked.

Did everyone know? Tokoyami exchanged an expression of shock with Kirishima.

Bakugou cocked an eyebrow. "You're not arguing so that sounds like a yes."

"Do you not like Shoji?" Kirishima prodded. "Is that why you feel so uncomfortable?"

"Why would liking or not likening the octopus make him uncomfortable?" Bakugou asked.

"Dude did you not pay attention at breakfast when Shoji confessed to kissing Tokoyami?" Tokoyami slapped a hand to his face as Kirishima spoke.

Bakugou was still not impressed. He turned to Tokoyami. "Okay, octopus kissed you. Just tell him you don't like him and move on."

"It's not that simple." Tokoyami took a seat on the ground. This seemed like it was going to be a much longer conversation.

"You do like him," Bakugou states. "Just tell him that and move on."

"Really dude?" Kirishima said.

"What?"

Tokoyami sighed. "It's not that either."

Kirishima sat down beside Tokoyami. "It's cool man. We don't judge. Was the kiss bad?"

Tokoyami shook his head. Why did everyone become so interested in his private life? "The kiss was nice."

"Then why is this so dramatic?" Bakugou yelled.

"Because what if the next kiss isn't nice?" Tokoyami mumbled.

Kirishima blinked. "You mean you are afraid the next one will be worse?"

Bakugou snaked Kirishima on the head. "No, dumbass." As Kirishima rubbed his head, Bakugou turned to Tokoyami. "Did that woman do the same thing to you as she's doing to your sister?"

Tokoyami nodded. "It was the first kiss that didn't make me feel horrible."

Bakugou scoffed. "Octopus has no idea how confused you are. You either need to move past it or confront it."

Tokoyami nodded. "Thanks." It was a nice perspective to hear. Remove the spectrum of options. Tokoyami could either confront Shoji or move on and forget it.

Bakugou walked out the door. "I'm going to shower."

"I feel like I'm out of the loop." Kirishima stood up. "It's time to hit the showers." He extended a hand to Tokoyami. The bird headed teen took Kirishima's hand and followed him to the locker room showers.

When Tokoyami left the locker room, he was shocked by what he saw. Bakugou was standing in front of Shoji with a dark scowl. It didn't slip past Bakugou that Tokoyami was now out.

Bakugou pointed towards Tokoyami. "You made him feel weird. You can fix it and fix it now! I'm tired of only hearing about this bullshit." The blonde walked away leaving both Shoji and Tokoyami in an awkward stare.

"Tokoyami," Shoji's tentacle mouth spoke.

"Shoji," Tokoyami started, "let's go somewhere more private."

Shoji nodded and followed Tokoyami out to the courtyard. They each sat down by a large tree. Tokoyami folded his arms and crossed his legs. He wasn't sure how to approach this.

"I should apologize," Shoji said. "I should have- "

"Shoji, stop. You don't need to apologize." Tokoyami took a deep breath.

"But I made you uncomfortable," Shoji said. "I don't want our friendship to crumble because I have no impulse control."

"You did not make me uncomfortable," Tokoyami mumbled. Dark Shadow came out from his master's chest. He nodded his head in encouragement. Tokoyami nervously began to pet his quirk. "You did the exact opposite. My grandmother had made me uncomfortable years ago. Every act of intimacy would scare me. What you did was nice. That was different. It had never felt so good to be so close with someone."

Shoji's eyes were still concerned. "Then why does it appear that you are so shaken by it.

Tokoyami exhaled long and deep before breathing in the strength to say his fear. "What if the next kiss isn't as nice? What if you kiss me and I begin to tremble like I did when I was so young? I don't want to fear you?"

Tokoyami tilted his head back. He let the heaviness of his worries fill the air. Shoji was pensively silent.

"Do you want to try and see what happens?" Shoji asked.

Tokoyami's head whipped to look to Shoji. "What?"

Shoji stared back with total sincerity. "What if I kiss you again? Then you will know."

Tokoyami was shocked. This was not how he expected Shoji to react. He thought his friend would be mad or hurt. View this as a warning, that he was damaged. This wasn't a welcoming sign. How could Shoji continue to be so caring to him?

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" Shoji asked.

"Being so kind," Tokoyami said with frustration. "Can't you see that I am incapable of being cared for?"

Shoji reached over and grabbed Tokoyami's hand. "That's not true."

"It is. I'm tarnished and disgusting. I look at myself in the mirror and my skin crawls. After she's… after she's done so much. I feel spoiled like a rotten apple. Why would you settle for bad fruit?"

Shoji's grip tightened. "You are not bad fruit. You are a victim, and you are also someone afraid of the unknown. I'm not going to try to push you into anything that makes you uncomfortable. I'm just trying to help you in the only ways I know how."

"Fumikage," Dark Shadow said, "you have to start to heal. Shoji is just trying to help. It can't hurt."

"What if I begin to fear him? I don't want to be afraid of best friend." Tokoyami lowered his head.

"It seems to me you already are afraid," Dark Shadow commented.

Tokoyami thought about that. He was acting a bit cowardice towards Shoji. Shoji was offering. He did not hate Tokoyami. He didn't view him in the same as Tokoyami saw himself. Dark Shadow really knew him so well.

"Okay," Tokoyami whispered. "Let's try."

Shoji jumped. "Are you sure, Tokoyami?"

Tokoyami nodded his head. He exhaled trying to relax. Shoji intertwined his fingers with Tokoyami's. The larger teens thumb gently rubbed over the back of Tokoyami's hand. Tokoyami closed his eyes, focused on Shoji's hand.

Perhaps he assumed Shoji would have counted down. Or that Shoji would have given any kind of warning. No. Shoji's tentacle mouth pressed its lips gently on the side of Tokoyami's beak.

Tokoyami eyes popped open. It was a short moment. And as Shoji awaited some sort of reaction from his friend, Tokoyami's mind swam with feelings of warmth and happiness.

Dark Shadow began to dance around. "See! It was nice."

Tokoyami smiled and looked at Shoji. "It was. It was just as nice as the first."

"I'm glad," Shoji said with a large grin.

At that moment, Tokoyami's stomach growled. Shoji laughed at the sound. "I'm hungry as well. Would you like to get lunch together?"

"I would like that a lot," Tokoyami said. The two stood up and walked to the cafeteria.

Hawks certainly had a large home for a single living male. His living room was rather large. A giant flat screen was mounted on the wall across from a large "L" shaped sofa. Hawks sat flipping through channels on the television while Sora lay asleep on the couch beside him. The entire outing to the carnival had wiped her out. True to his word, Hawks ordered some pizza. Now he sat waiting for it to arrive.

Hawks was more or less using the television for a meditative purpose. His mind continued to wander back to his encounter with Dabi. "He wouldn't actually go after a kid, would he? No, He will use this as a way of control. She is just extra insurance. I can't alter anything he wants from me. This really pushed me back from getting to meet their boss."

Ding! The doorbell rang, and Hawks walked to the door to get the pizza. He paid the man and slammed the door. Sora was startled awake by the slamming door!

"No!" Sora yelled, and she huddled underneath the large back pillow.

"Pizza's here!" Hawks walked back over to the couch as he tore out a piece from the box. He placed the pizza on the couch cushion between himself and Sora. "Come eat!" He said while chewing.

Sora shook her head. A small squeak came out of her beak. She dove deeper behind the pillow.

Hawks cocked an eyebrow. "What's going on, Red?"

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"Sorry? For what?" Hawks moved a bit closer to Sora. Suddenly, his nose became aware of what had happened. The smell of urine overwhelmed his senses. "Shit," he said.

Hawks realized that he shouldn't have cursed. The moments following involved Sora wailing. Hawks could only stare. What was he supposed to do? How could he fix this?

"Red," he tried to speak over her. "Red, it's okay. I'm sorry I cursed. I shouldn't have cursed."

"Now…You… won't… want… Fumi… cuz… of… me!" Sora gasped out as she began to hyperventilate.

Hawks waved his hands in front of him frantically. "No! No, no, no, no, no, no! I'm not upset. I'm just… I'm just not used to taking care of other people. I... damn! I'm sorry. I'm not sure what to do."

Sora hugged her knees and rocked. She sniffled. "Grandma makes me take a bath."

"You probably do need to get cleaned up," Hawks aid.

"Can I take a bath alone?" Sora's voice was soft. Hawks could hear the fear.

"Of course. I don't know much about giving kids baths," Hawks said. He saw the girl stop rocking. He must have said something right. "Come here, let me show you the bathroom." He stuck out his hand to the small girl. Sora took it and followed Hawks to the bathroom.

After filling the bathtub with water, Hawks left Sora to clean herself. "Don't drown," he instructed as he left the room. He walked into the living room running his hands through his hair.

His eyes fell on the wet spot on the couch. "How do you clean a couch cushion?" He asked himself. He looked to the bag Tokoyami packed. "Hopefully Tokoyami packed an extra pair of clothes."

He unzipped the backpack. The first thing he saw was a bottle labeled Kids and Pets accident remover. Hawks frowned. "Tokoyami knew this was a possibility," he thought. "That must mean this happens quite a bit." He dug through the bag and found some spare clothes for Sora. He easily left the clothes in a place where Sora could get to them, while getting a towel to clean up the couch.

"Come out when you are done," Hawks called to Sora. "I will keep the pizza warm." He went back to the living room and followed the instructions on the bottle, hoping to remove the stain.

Twenty minutes later, Sora stuck her head out around the corner. Hawks smiled and patted the spot on the couch next to her. "Hey, Red! I waited for you! Pizza is still here."

"You're not mad?" Sora squeaked. "I can still have pizza?"

"Why wouldn't you still get pizza?" Hawks shrugged. "It isn't something that can't be cleaned up."

"Dad would normally send me away when he was mad. He doesn't like to see me when he is mad. I just go to my room and stay there until the next day."

"Did I seem mad?" Hawks asked. Sora nodded her head. Hawks sighed. He thought about what happened and how he reacted. "Is it cuz I cussed?" Sora paused but slowly nodded her.

Hawks felt his heart sink. He didn't mean to scare the girl. He also certainly didn't want to appear like her dad. An even worse thought crept in Hawks' mind. If he tried to get out of this custody thing, Sora would blame herself. There is no way he could explain the complicated situation he was in with the League of Villains. If he wanted this little girl to feel better, he was going to have to take care of her.

He opened the box of pizza. He had taken the tie to grab plates and used one to place a slide on it. "Come eat this," he said standing up. "I'll be right back."

Hawks walked away and entered his bedroom. On his bed, sat an old Endeavor doll. He picked it up and stared at the novelty toy for a moment. "I need to be strong Endeavor. I need your help." He walked back out of the room.

Sora sat on the couch. She carefully placed the piece in the side of her beak to take a bite. Hawks walked over and sat down beside her. Sora stopped and stared at him, as if waiting for him to yell again. Her eyes were wide, and her grip on the pizza a bit shaky.

Hawks cleared his throat and set the Endeavor doll down on his knee. "Do you know who this is?"

"That's Endeavor," Sora said.

Hawks nodded his head. "Yes. This is our current number one hero. To me, he has always been the number one hero, even when All Might was still around. Do you want to know why?"

"Sure," Sora said, swallowing her pizza. She didn't quite understand what Hawks wanted, but he wasn't yelling, so it must be okay.

"When I was young, I was able to fly around faster than anyone. I never really thought about what it meant to have such freedom to fly and move quickly. One day, I saw a semi-truck and a family's car on the course to collision. They couldn't move fast enough to react, but I could. I flew in and got everyone out before the cars collided. That's when a hero was called."

Hawks stared at the doll with a soft smile. "Endeavor showed up and found out that I was the one who saved the family. He was so impressed. He declared I must be a hero. He provided for me and my family, excelling me through school. I moved as fast as I could. My family took advantage of this. They used me, and Endeavor' money to get whatever they wanted. They thought that the hero life would make their lives easier. They never wanted to work to make things better for the world. So, I disowned them when I became a pro hero and could provide for myself. I have been Hawks ever since. No family attached. I have been able to accomplish great things. I never would have seen that potential in myself if it hadn't been for Endeavor."

"So, you had a bad family, too?" Sora asked.

Hawks nodded. "I did. And if it weren't for someone else seeing my potential, I would have never been able to be as successful as I am now. When I look at Fumikage, I feel like I see the same kind of potential that perhaps Endeavor saw in me. I even see it when I look at you, Red." He patted the girl on the head. "I wouldn't be where I am without someone else giving me the opportunity. Do you see what I am saying?"

"Maybe?" Sora said questioningly.

"I'm saying that I'm going to make sure that I give you and Fumikage the best opportunity for a better life. And if that is with me, then that is with me."

Sora stared at Hawks in silent contemplation. She put her pizza down, and then stood up on the couch. She wrapped her arms tightly around the hero's neck. "I'm glad you like us. I like you too. You're a much better dad."

"Red." Hawks wrapped his arms around the girl and hugged her back. "You really are something special."