Heroes in the Dark chapter 3
Tokoyami sat there in the dark for an indistinguishable amount of time. He kept his eyes focused on the little bit of light seeping out from under the door. But it didn't help much to keep out the intrusive thoughts that circled his mind. Dark Shadow had been ceaselessly pestering him within the inner sanctum of his shaken mind since being left alone. While usually he could get his quirk to leave him be, this time the shadow that lurked inside refused to listen to him. It whispered to him constantly, pleading to let it free again. His skin was chill with tension as Dark Shadow sought to escape the boundary of his body. If the cage that held Tokoyami right now, bleak and easily breakable but inescapable for fear of getting a reaction from the villains, was what was holding the student back then Tokoyami's body was a cage of equal significance to the restrained power of Dark Shadow.
But didn't you like having so much power? His quirk urged.
No, I didn't. It was hurting people.
I was defeating your enemies! What kind of hero would be against easily getting rid of those that oppose them?
Not like that! That wasn't me. It's too dangerous. I don't want to win like that. There…there's always a better way.
How selfish, Dark Shadow hissed, more upset now at his master's denial of his own amazing quirk. It seethed with anger, he could tell, but Tokoyami hoped that it would leave it at that. But of course it wouldn't. No, why would it ever leave him alone. So are you saying you'd let the people who hurt you run amuck just because you don't want to use your full potential? Do you mean that you'd let innocent people die because you thought that there was another way? So that you didn't have to dirty your own hands? I know you already feel guilty.
Shut up.
I guess you aren't actually a hero.
"Shut up!" Tokoyami hadn't realized when he had suddenly yelled out loud. Dark Shadow laughed at his discomfort, and the torment that ate away at him had caused him to break out in a cold sweat.
Then the door opened, and the light from the bar flooded in. Dabi poked his head in, annoyed, and he flicked a light back on. "It hasn't been that long since I left you, has it?" He caught sight of Tokoyami, shivering and distressed, and entered the room. Tokoyami shifted to try and see what was going on behind him in the other room, but before he could the door was closed. "Whoa, hey, you're not doing too hot. I know this isn't the most favorable situation to be in, but lighten up a little."
He crossed the room, Tokoyami glaring at him with slanted red eyes all the while. He tried to put up a brave front, but it must've been fairly evident that he was still badly shaken by something the villain couldn't comprehend.
The emaciated flesh of Dabi's face crinkled as he grimaced in might've been construed as concern. "You don't have some sort of medical condition, do you? That Bakugou is such a…lively individual. But you look like you want to drop dead."
Tokoyami shrugged deeper into the folds of his hoodie, taking very little comfort from it. "Strange of you to express worry after leaving me in such deplorable conditions. All I asked was that you leave the lights on," Tokoyami rasped.
Dabi looked down at him with suspicion. "Is that what has you so worked up? It's not like I meant any harm from it. Don't make me out to be the villain here!"
Tokoyami could swear that the strange youth was speaking with sarcasm, but decided it wasn't worth pressing further. The last thing he needed was to anger any one of these unpredictable evildoers. But now that he had the attention of this one, perhaps he could learn some things.
"What's going on in the other room?"
Dabi sat himself on one of the heavy wooden storage boxes. "Why, you worried about your friend?"
"Not particularly, knowing him."
"Sounds about right. Yeah, that kid's a monster; now I understand why the boss wanted him so badly. But we got him under control without too much damage, you should be happy to hear." He reached down to grab a bottle and began to drink. "None of you have made my job any easier. Then again, it's been a hell of a busy night."
"Darkness tends to drain the energy of all living things," Tokoyami agreed solemnly. He trained his gaze towards the floor of the cage. He didn't think the Villain Alliance would intentionally try to hurt either him or Bakugou. Clearly they saw potential in the two of them, so they're of value. But Tokoyami wasn't supposed to be a part of their plan, so his role in all this could only be questioned. These thoughts on the future thoroughly disheartened him, and his body ached from the events of the night. He wanted to sleep, but knew that if he tried he would find it impossible. He was hardly comfortable enough to breathe as it was, the weight of his circumstances pushing down on his shoulders.
All the while, he could tell that he was being diligently watched. The two of them sat in silence for a while before Dabi broke it with a sigh. "If you want to get out of that dingy cage, you can go ahead. It's garbage at this point to keep you in there, and I know it won't stop something like you."
Tokoyami scowled. "No, I'm fine, thank you – "
Dark Shadow took Dabi's words as an invitation and sliced through the flimsy metal bars of the cage, obliterating it in an instant before receding back into him. I never said you could do that!
The villain blinked in surprise, but didn't make a move. It was his fault anyway.
Tokoyami growled as he pushed aside the remains of the cage. He rose to his feet, wincing as his muscles protested after being cramped for so long. He looked around the room, but even from this perspective there still wasn't anything special about it. It remained a storage room where things were left and forgotten about until someone came and acknowledged their existence. Dust coated many of the boxes, and shelves lining the walls were filled with cluttered bottles, books, and old weapons. He remembered that the room they'd first been in had been something like a bar setup. It all seemed like an odd choice for a villain hideout, but at the same time wasn't very conspicuous, so they had that going for them.
The student eyed Dabi warily as he took a few steps across the room. He shifted in his seat, but again left him alone, although it was evident that his hands were ready to blast fire if he made a wrong move. The villain didn't look that much older than himself, but his tired eyes and deliberate movements spoke of his experience. Whatever he'd been through in his life had molded him into a potentially frightening adversary. The last thing Tokoyami wanted was to mess with him, especially with his poor quirk compatibility.
He stopped and reached down into a container filled with plastic water bottles, unscrewing the cap and drinking from the side of his beak. He had no way of knowing how much time had passed since the attack in the forest, but he was horribly thirsty at this point.
The villain fiddled with a bottle cap. It looked like he wanted to say something, but was waiting until he was done. Only when Tokoyami emptied the bottle with a sigh and dropped it back into the box did he begin talking.
"I'm going to level with you, Bird. We actually don't know what to do with you. The other student, well, we've seen enough of his personality to know that he'd make a great villain. Everyone's thinking that, too, not just us. I'm sure you've thought the same thing." Tokoyami nodded begrudgingly. He hated that they were right, but he couldn't so easily forget the explosive boy's raw power and anger during the sports festival. Of course he had been such a prime target. So then what does that make me? "But you're pretty impressive yourself," he continued. "At least, your quirk is anyway. We don't know the first thing about you except from what was seen of the tournament."
"I suppose you mean to flatter me, but I promise my quirk isn't that great," Tokoyami grumbled. His quirk hissed in his mind, hurt by the comment directed at it.
Dabi laughed at that, a hoarse sound that scraped from his burned throat. "Yeah, well, others are thinking differently. And if we're to take Compress's word for it, then there's much more to it than what most people know from your televised performance." He stood from his seat and stretched, coming to stand much taller than the rather short-statured student. "Buuut that's neither here nor there. Would be cool if you could control it, though there's other ways of getting ahold of a quirk."
"I don't like what you're saying. There's nothing wrong with Dark Shadow, you people just have a misconception of it."
"Is that so? In that case, do feel free to explain it to the group. Better yet, use it on me right now." His calm demeanor had quickly turned serious, and the villain stared him down with such insistence that Tokoyami knew he couldn't meet his challenge.
"This is hardly the place to be acting so carelessly," Tokoyami muttered.
"Then that makes you smarter than the other one." Dabi tousled his messy black hair, slipping back into the laid back façade that concealed a burning threat. "In that case, you wanna see the situation in the other room, right? Same rules apply: don't cause any trouble and nothing bad happens."
This new proposition surprised him. He hadn't considered that the scarred villain would be so lenient with his watch over him, especially after the first impression of being stuffed into a cage. He briefly wondered if this was a trap of some sort, but that wouldn't serve to progress whatever plans they might have. He was already within their control. If the Villain Alliance wanted something, he would hardly be able to do anything about it. And although he was hesitant to take the words of a villain, Tokoyami wanted to believe that nothing would befall him so long as he did what he was told for now. And so long as Dark Shadow also does what it's told.
In the end the Jet Black hero didn't see how he could refuse this offer and nodded in agreement.
Dabi smiled, causing the crinkled skin and surgical staples keeping his face together to contort in a way that looked painful. "We're glad to have you join us this evening. Come on over this way." He walked over and opened the door back up, waving the bird-headed boy through into a whole new field of threatening faces.