Heroes in the Dark chapter 61
The darkness was all-consuming, swarming his vision and suffocating. He knew this feeling, hated the familiarity, and as panic rose in his chest he could only beg for it to end soon. Tokoyami thought he'd lost sight of everything, of the League and everyone who might have tried to extend their hand to him. In this place, he didn't think anyone would ever extend another hand to him, knowing him to be beyond saving. So the dread and fear that threatened to drown him boiled down into agonizing resignation.
Voices felt so far away, his senses dull in their attempts to shut off everything going on around him. Then one voice came through, closer to him.
"Where're we now?"
It didn't sound scared, just annoyed. And Tokoyami knew who it belonged to. With a single deep breath to calm his wildly thumping heart, he forced his eyes open and gained some awareness. At first he could've sworn that the world was still dark, and he was only truly conscious of his hands trembling as they were grasped onto something like his life depended on it. When his eyes adjusted, Tokoyami realized that he could see the ratty stitches of a dirty trench coat right in front of him. Realization dawned on him, and Tokoyami's focus drifted from his hands up into the judgmental gaze boring down on him.
Tokoyami hastily released his hold on Dabi's coat, muttering a weak apology at the same time. He wasn't sure if it even went heard, but in the moment he felt a wave of shame wash over him for succumbing to that feeling of helplessness. I might never get used to it, but I can at least do better to… to…huh?
Tokoyami had taken a few measly seconds to take in his surroundings, and he regretted it immediately. He'd stepped only a foot away from Dabi when his back leaned up against a cold surface. Looking behind him, Tokoyami saw a hazy dark shape warped by curving glass, and amongst it a set of tired red eyes swimming through black feathers. His reflection, he realized dimly, was the first thing to strike him. It felt so alien to him, looking through the glass in this strange place, and for a brief moment, even knowing what it was, he had to ask himself who it was that stared back at him.
Then his eyes focused, just enough to pick up even darker shapes that were frozen in space behind the glass – tattered black flesh, frayed edges and unreal proportions. The face staring back at him now had no eyes, but instead possessed an unmistakably familiar exposed brain and a distorted, toothy grin with layers of cracked teeth.
Tokoyami felt his blood run cold. He'd seen something like this only one other time before, during a point in his life before all of this happened. In hindsight, that first encounter back in the USJ must've been the event that started this railroad of suffering and anguish. He could never forget the first time these villains had made themselves known, when Shigaraki had appeared from that black mist and unleashed hell upon the class of unsuspecting high school students. Back then Shigaraki had wanted All Might's end. Now he had it, but still this leader of chaos stood to gain more. So why they'd ended up in a place like this, Tokoyami was afraid to find out. He hadn't wanted to be here, and now…
A spandex-covered hand rested gently on his shoulder, making him jump. He whipped around, and the hand quickly backed away. Twice was looking at him, worry written on his face even behind his mask. It looked like he'd already checked to see if Dabi was alright first, but knowing the fire-user to be relatively unshaken even by things like this, he'd turned his attention to him, making his rounds to ensure everyone was alright following… whatever the hell had just happened.
Tokoyami became increasingly conscious of where they'd all ended up… and in all honesty, it scared him. But how could it not? They were everywhere and they looked different from the one he'd seen before. Tokoyami knows that they've been in use elsewhere, that there were a few in the area when Midoriya and some others had gotten involved with the Hero Killer Stain. And then in news reports and what he'd managed to glean from Dabi, there had been one in the forest that night… and even more still in a factory where All Might had fought against All for One. These monstrosities have been a plague on his existence and hero society in general for a while now. But this was the first time he'd been so close to them. Just looking at them, lined up in tubes like an army waiting to move once all weapons are equipped and orders are given, made him feel nauseous.
Tokoyami made sure to stay put between where Dabi and Twice were standing. If there was any sense of security to be had here, it would be in the midst of League members he could tolerate trusting in a worst case scenario.
Dabi was looking around, not so much with the fear he had, but rather with something almost curious. "Nomu…? But unlike any we've seen before."
A bemused laugh echoed from down the hall, bouncing off the glass tubes. Tokoyami tore himself away from the nomus and looked down the pathway – past interlocking wires, pipes and papers – to where a small form was seated in a chair silhouetted by a blinding computer screen. Only the reflections of his glasses, bearing down on the group of them with a sick intensity, were actually visible.
"Ho ho, can you tell the difference?! Once again, you've got a pair of sharp eyes, Dabi!" There it was again – this had to be the Doctor, but Tokoyami didn't understand why he was praising Dabi of all people. Maybe he was just excited to have other people marveling at his work… but that notion didn't feel like an actual truth for some reason. The old man continued from the comfort of the shadows. "Yep, these little ones are nothing like the mid- and low-level nomu! They're high-end! Super nomu I could almost call masterpieces! Impressive, huh? They're my finest work yet!"
Almost masterpieces? How much do you have to warp something for it to be perfect to you? These things are sick, as much as I hate to use that word. But that's all I can think when I look at them. I can't even consider the amount of havoc they could wreak if they were ever unleashed. These monsters don't need to see the light of day – I already know what a normal one can do!
As dissuaded as Tokoyami was from engaging with this situation and all it entailed, Shigaraki was prepared to step forward and voice his desires. This is what he wanted, after all. "Doctor, I've been looking for you for a reason. I need you to reproduce some bullets I've got."
Tokoyami craned his neck to see past Twice. Shigaraki… after everything, he probably still had that damned box kept on him. If only he'd had the chance to destroy them at some point. No, please, the world doesn't need more of those bullets! They've done enough already!
Tokoyami looked around anxiously and ended up settling for Twice since he was so close. Twice was there with him in Overhaul's hideout, even if he hadn't been around for all of what had happened when he'd faced off against Overhaul himself. "Twice!" Tokoyami whispered, his voice a faint hiss that he struggled to get out. "Those bullets… he can't!"
Twice looked down at him sadly. He bent down low to be close and whisper back. "Shhh, that's not your concern. Maybe nothing will come from it – you can try talking to him about it later, but not now."
Tokoyami buried his fears as best he could with the rest of them. Another time, huh? He didn't really like talking to Shigaraki one-on-one, but it's nothing that he hadn't done before. But that was just as well, because the Doctor didn't seem all too eager to take his request seriously.
The Doctor appraised them all from a distance. "You've let your hair grow out, Shigaraki! How're your father and the others doing?"
Shigaraki tilted his head downwards – Tokoyami could see him shuffling a bit restlessly. "Fine," he mumbled easily enough, as though he wasn't about to say much more on that matter. It only left Tokoyami to wonder what was going through his head.
Mr. Compress had managed to get up off the floor with a hand from Spinner and dust himself off. He'd long lost his hat and his prosthetic was in a sorry state, but he was still inquisitive as ever. Leaning forward, he squinted to where the dark figure sat at the other end of the hall. "Our Doctor, I presume? It's too bright to make anything out."
Without warning, the chair that hosted this strange little man screeched off to a side hallway and out of their sight. "Stay back!" he screamed, a single moment of dropped composure. He recovered swiftly, his voice now coming from the shadows hidden deeper in this twisted laboratory. "Ho ho, sorry 'bout this, but I wouldn't recommend coming any closer. When we need to meet face to face, I'll come to you. And if you break this rule, I'll send you right back to that big old meat grinder."
"You're the one who summoned us, you freaky geezer." Twice said, scowling under his mask.
Dabi sighed, already tired of the whole thing. "Why are we here?"
The scraping of the chair creeping back out from behind walls of pipes and tubes rang through to them. "I'd rather not give out my location, so I transported you all here instead. Besides Shigaraki, you're all fresh faces to me, I guess. We might've met somewhere before, though." Something about the way he said that didn't sound right. Why did that declaration feel threatening? A person like this… they call him Doctor, but is he actually supposed to be one in the normal light of day? "Like Gigantomachia, I'm one of All for One's confidents. Daruma Ujiko is the name I'm giving myself, for now. Anyhow, Shigaraki… I summoned you here out of respect for the boss. My life, my tech, and my little ones here, I offered them all up to the great All for One. Up to now, you've been getting by with just scraps and leftovers of my work."
Tokoyami wracked his brain, trying to think back to what he could remember of the USJ attack. The nomu that had appeared there and caused so much damage to All Might… the idea that a monster like that was just "scraps," like it was a disposable play thing that had wrought so much chaos upon the unassuming class of kids and their equally unprepared teachers.
This man, Ujiko, wasn't done. "Now, I've got nothing against you. I just need to judge if you're worthy of having all this. Cuz so far, you're nothing." That was… unexpectedly harsh. It made Tokoyami wonder just what set of expectations people like him, who'd supposedly known him for however long, had in mind. "Just a twenty year old kid palling around with the dregs of society…"
Wait, he's only twenty?! Tokoyami looked up at Dabi incredulously, who only really shrugged in response as if to say back that it wasn't that important. So what if the villain that was supposed to be the mastermind behind all this scarring against hero society was the same age as a college dropout? It wasn't really a concern for the League of Villains – they all felt varied in age from the beginning, as if society had rejected them separately at different stages in their lives. He already knew that Toga was only a bit older than him – by a year or something – and that Mr. Compress called himself an older gentleman, but everyone else had been a bit more vague about where they stood in relation to that.
"So, what do you have to show me, Tomura Shigaraki?"
That's… a good question. Even I'm not entirely sure. Tokoyami perked up to pay attention. He didn't like any of this, but for the first time in a long while it felt like he was learning something.
Shigaraki hesitated for a moment, thinking of what he could say. His hand drifted down to his coat pocket, where his favorite – was that one on his face supposed to be his favorite…? – hand was kept secure. "I don't… remember much about my life before meeting my Master and you."
"Yeah, I'm aware," Ujiko said easily, urging him to say something he didn't already know.
Shigaraki pulled the hand out, as if to admire it. Tokoyami couldn't see his expression from this angle, but he got the impression that he wasn't looking at the mummified gray hand with fondness. Even from behind, his shoulders, covered as they were with hands, looked rigid and tense, like everything around him was unpleasant. And maybe that's what he truly felt. "And yet… when I equip everyone all over me, my rage just boils over. I can't help it." Is he trying to be angry…? That sounds like a detestable way to deal with the world though. I'm doing everything I can to make sure my anger never gets the best of me like it has in the past, hoping it won't ever hurt anyone, and here you stand to gain from it? To cover yourself in it? What kind of life do you dare to live like that? "Ever since that day, I've done a lot of thinking. All I can really remember is my Master holding me. Before then, I'd been an empty shell – completely hollow."
Spinner perked up at that, eyes wide and entranced by his words. "Shigaraki…" he rasped, as though testing the name in a new frame of light. And it occurred to Tokoyami that those words Shigaraki had just said felt achingly close to what Spinner had been saying back in their little cabin, about him trying to find purpose amongst all this villainy.
Shigaraki stretched his arms wide in a gesture that was marginally grander than what he might usually give, but that didn't make it feel any less threatening. "So when I have the whole family on me, I feel so sick that I want to vomit… but I also kinda feel at peace. It's weird!" Tokoyami hung onto his every word, wondering if this was the kind of stuff he could ask about later. It made him anxious to hear the underlying thoughts of someone like him that had been so closed off for so long now. Maybe Dabi would be able to clarify some of what was being said later on? That way he wouldn't have to ask Shigaraki about it directly – that felt dangerous. But looking at Dabi now, he didn't seem all that invested in what was being said by their leader… none of them did, actually.
"All I've got are these fragmented images, yet it's like there's a lump of lead deep down in my heart providing an endless source of rage that bursts out!" Shigaraki lamented. "It's like I'll never feel good again. Even if this hero society comes crashing down –"
– because we ended All Might.
"—Even if I rise to rule the underworld—"
– because we dethroned Overhaul.
"– That weight in my heart is never gonna go away. It's why I hate everything. Every living, breathing thing just rubs me the wrong way. So why not destroy it all? Why not destroy everything?"
…What? You want what?! Tokoyami stared him down with wide, horrified eyes. Is this the future he strived to grasp through all his crimes and efforts? Was that his incentive for kidnapping a UA student, one with destructive tendencies that could be used in these half-baked plans of his? Even Overhaul had a clear-cut goal – do you really only seek to destroy? Shigaraki!
"I know you see it too – the beautiful horizon just waiting for us." Why does he keep talking like this? Why am I still listening?! "So lend me a hand, won't you, Doctor?" As if you need more hands! "Heaven and Hell – I'll show you!" You've only ever shown me Hell! It took everything in Tokoyami to keep his voice to himself, to not point out the fallacies plaguing Shigaraki's words.
But the Doctor was laughing – a sincere laugh, not exactly at his expense, but still in response to Shigaraki's declaration. "What a childish daydream! Saying all that with such a straight face was quite impressive! Very well, Tomura Shigaraki, I'll help you out, so show me you mean it! Prove to me that you can make your villainous pipe dreams a reality!"
Behind Shigaraki, the rest of the League muttered amongst themselves in a not-so-subtle way.
"So easy-going," Mr. Compress grumbled.
"Tomura seems kind of disturbed, huh?" she pondered, as if she were one to talk. Her eyes narrowed to deadly slits, focusing on Shigaraki when something occurred to her. And really, it must've been floating in the thoughts of everyone, but she was the first to voice it aloud. "Wait. You want to destroy even the things I love?"
Shigaraki didn't need much time to consider that. He quirked a brow at her as if the answer would be obvious. "My allies are exceptions. You guys should get what you want in life."
Toga bounced with a delighted cheer. The others didn't seem quite as excited, as Spinner fiddled nervously with his bright red scarf and Mr. Compress adjusted the sleeve over his mangled prosthetic. But they were at the very least interested. This might be the only thing they ever actually wanted from being in this group – what they want in life after being shunned by society.
Tokoyami wished he could be happier for them… but everything Shigaraki said excluded him entirely. It was a reminder that he was just a prisoner to this group of villains. No matter how nice Twice was or how friendly Toga could be or how relatable Spinner acted, he was no equal to them. If he was, then Shigaraki would've extended that to him, or at the very least feel remorse for ruining his life. All of them should. But even now, he couldn't bring himself to be angry. He didn't want to bear the kind of hatred in himself that Shigaraki chose to carry on his shoulders. He didn't want to forgive any of them, either, for putting him through all this. But Tokoyami decided that if wasn't ever able to get away from the League… then maybe one day Shigaraki would be willing to give him what he wanted in life as well.
All the while, the Doctor was still tickled by what this kid standing before him had to say. "Ha ha, you've passed with flying colors, Shigaraki!" for the first time, he turned the chair towards them and slid down off of it to stand. He was a portly old man with a bushy mustache and wild eyes that appraised them all from behind thick, multipurpose glasses. If he didn't give off such an obsessive air, he might've looked right at home in a normal doctor's office. But here Tokoyami could only see him for the mad scientist that he was.
"You were testing me?" Shigaraki asked with an edge of annoyance.
"Sure, I wanted to see how much you've grown! But the plan was always to help you out. And these little ones are the first thing that'll do just that." He gestured to the army of nomu being constructed around him, and Tokoyami felt that familiar sinking feeling in the pit of his gut. "As well as… some research I've put together, all to give you power. But I can't give you that second thing yet, because without a doubt you're all weak!" Tokoyami understood why he would be considered that given his current condition, but then he was left to wonder what the implications of weak actually were. After all, if it was physical strength or fighting ability he referred to, then yeah most of the League could be considered weak. Dabi was their only long-distance fighter, the only one who was even able to get something resembling a hit on that monster they'd been fighting when Shigaraki wasn't able to get close. Everyone else were probably better off in support roles with their quirks and abilities.
"You'll need to prove yourselves first! The big guy – simple as he is – is a different story. Unlike me, he hasn't accepted you yet! That's right – make Gigantomachia submit to you! And then… everything I have will be yours to use as you see fit!" Ujiko declared triumphantly, a twinkle in his eye as he considered what this rag-tag group might be able to accomplish.
Shigaraki straightened, no doubt a smile on his face. He heard exactly what he wanted, after all. "Right. This sure has been one looong tutorial."
Dabi shifted next to him, taking a step away from the rest of the group as though to distance himself even though there was nowhere to go. "Do what you want, Mr. Leader, but I ain't helping."
"You're just pouting cause your fire didn't work," Toga teased, to which Dabi huffed indignantly. And sure she meant it in a playful way, but if Dabi's fire was really so ineffective, then what chance did any of them stand to defeat that monster?
"Shut up, Crazy," Dabi sneered, rolling his eyes. "I've found a good potential ally, so I'm putting my time towards that." There he goes, talking about somebody I don't know about. I want to know… but I'm worried about what I'll find. "Well, that and you still have me looking after the kid. Count yourself lucky that I'm doing this much for you, because you're asking a lot as it is. I'm not about to go out in a blaze of glory next to our leader here. I'm more focused on looking out for myself and the responsibilities I've already been dumped with, okay?"
Shigaraki was looking over his shoulder, staring straight through Dabi. His slanted red eyes betrayed nothing, but Tokoyami could detect the faintest bit of interest in his tone when he spoke. "Bring this ally, then. I'll be waiting." And for some reason, those words struck a chord with Tokoyami in a bad way.
"Perfect, Dabi! If you won't be as involved with the others, then you can help me test out a high-end nomu!"
Tokoyami blanched, his feathers prickling instinctively. "Wh-what now?"
The Doctor was excited now, bragging about his creations. "I know just the one! The perfect match for your… let's say "aesthetics." You two will get along great!"
Dabi blinked slowly in tired disbelief. "Did you even pay attention to what I was saying? I got enough going on right now," he grumbled.
The Doctor leaned forward, adjusting his glasses. "Between this ally… and that kid beside you, correct? I know a fair bit about that one with the bird head, making a splash in the underground! If he ever becomes too much for you, you could always turn him over to me! What say you, Shigaraki?"
Tokoyami's blood chilled, his muscles tensing. For the first time, this person finally had his full focus on him. And seeing those deranged, analytical eyes peering out at him from behind those glasses put him on edge. It was like he was being inspected, even from a distance.
Actually, everyone had their eyes on him now.
Shigaraki considered the doctor. "Well… truthfully, the kid's quirk is something far different from anything you've probably ever seen. And right now it's not even working, so I'm kinda stumped about what we're supposed to do with him. Needless to say, he won't be getting involved with Gigantomachia."
Eh? Wait. What's going on?
"But of course!" the Doctor exclaimed, a bit too excitedly. "Fumikage Tokoyami, with the sentient quirk. Everyone knows about it! Something wrong with it, you say? I'm a bit of a quirk specialist, so I can't say I'm not intrigued!"
Tokoyami looked back and forth between the villains in his midst, this doctor person, and the jet-black bodies of these quirk amalgamations. In the back of his head, he remembered something that Shigaraki had said a long time ago, back when he'd first talked with him in the bar: "If it's gonna be this way with a damn quirk I never asked for, then I swear I'll send him to Master just to be done with it. If the kid can't use his quirk, then what's even the point?" Those words had been a threat back then with underlying indications, and now standing here in this room of nomu Tokoyami finally had a far greater understanding of what he had meant.
"I-I don't – it's fine! It's… Dabi?" Tokoyami looked up at him pleadingly. By now he was practically using him as a barrier between him and the Doctor, which didn't go unnoticed. "Dabi, Twice, I don't need this guy's help, I promise!"
Shigaraki glared at him skeptically. "Even if it stands to benefit you? This man's been my doctor as long as I can remember. He could fix that stubborn quirk of yours, and probably heal the last of those damn wounds you got from trying too hard to play the hero."
Twice pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Yeah and you turned out just fine with that doctor! I don't know, man, doctor's kinda freak me out. The one we saw last time was really nice! So we can leave him alone!" There was a thick layer of sarcasm in there somewhere, but Tokoyami was too preoccupied with everything else happening to pay attention.
"I've been a bit worried about young Tokoyami's recovery as well…" Mr. Compress mused.
"Hey, Fumikage, you're lonely without Dark Shadow, aren't you?" Toga asked curiously. "I'm still rooting for you to figure it out on your own, but it's been over a month since then, right?"
Spinner grimaced at Ujiko. "I thought you weren't willing to help us out just yet? Why do Dabi and Tokoyami get special attention? They don't even want what you're offering!" Spinner objected.
Ujiko waved his hands in front of him. "Ahh, don't misread me here – it's a separation of interests, I should say! Can you really blame me?"
Tokoyami clutched at his cloak until his knuckles were white. "H-hey, don't I get any say in this? Don't just disregard me here!" Don't you have anything to say, Dark Shadow?! Tokoyami's scars throbbed with painful memories and premonitions.
A frown of dissatisfaction pulled at the corners of Shigaraki's cracked lips. "Then how do you plan on fixing your quirk? You'll end up a dead bird if you don't have a way to protect yourself. That's not a threat, either – that's just what's likely to happen if we continue down this route. And you may just be along for the ride, but I still have expectations for what you can do when we end up in these worse-case scenario situations, like with today."
Panic jumbled his thoughts even as Tokoyami struggled to defend himself. "It's a work in progress! We've been – er, I've been talking to him, and maybe he can… I can…" He couldn't help the way his hands were beginning to shake. He didn't want to appear weak in front of any one of them, but it was getting increasingly harder to hold his composure under all this pressure. It felt like he could crack at any moment. It was the same crushing sensation of hopelessness he felt when Overhaul had stood before him in that room with the blood-stained chair – coming closer to him after shooting him with that bullet, surrounded by metal utensils, reaching his hand out…!
Dabi stepped in front of him, blocking him from the Doctor's sight. "The kid stays with me. His recovery is coming along fine enough on its own. And besides, you all are worried about his quirk, but none of you even saw him use it today."
…Huh?
"Ho ho ho, is that how it is?" Ujiko chuckled, a bit disappointed.
"…When was this?" Shigaraki asked.
Tokoyami looked up at Dabi incredulously. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would lie for his sake. So then…
"During the fight against that big guy, I was keeping my eye on Tokoyami, unlike everyone else," Dabi explained. "A lot happened all at once, but there was definitely a point where I saw Dark Shadow come out to help you. I don't know if you called for him or what, but you were falling after one of those big attacks and I looked over to see you being held up by those shadowy claws of his. There was no mistake – I know what your quirk is like by now."
Tokoyami couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had that really happened? And he hadn't even realized? Dark Shadow, I know you're still there. You know you can talk to me! It would make everything so much easier if you did…
"Ah, so it sounds like you've got a handle on that after all," Ujiko sighed. "Well, my offer still stands if you ever need it! In the meantime, your group can use these to keep in touch with me!" A robotic arm collapsed out from his chair and extended towards them, handing over a small box containing six communication devices. They were passed out to everyone except him, and the League appraised the little ear pieces with varying degrees of lacking excitement.
"So that's settled then? We have our next quest laid out for us. As for Dabi…" Shigaraki pocketed his hand and faced him directly. "You better keep me updated on what's happening. I don't want to be kept out of the loop on these things." When his focus traveled down to Tokoyami, still standing in Dabi's shadow, he couldn't help but stare back defiantly this time. Their red eyes met, conveying each other's own distinct paths in life until now. Whatever experiences you've had in life to make you this way… I won't let them become mine. I'm not just some project to you or your Doctor or your Master. So don't try to confuse that!
Dabi shrugged, as if it made relatively little difference to him. "That depends on just how much progress gets made. But I've kept you informed enough up until now, haven't I?"
Shigaraki didn't respond to that. "Alright, Doctor, I think we're done here. You can send us back. I have a mountain to face, and I'm ready to take on the world!"
Ujiko chuckled, more to himself than anything. Tokoyami saw a strange little monstrosity waddle out of the shadows of the Doctor's desk and crawl into his lap like some Frankenstein cat. It also had that tell-tale exposed brain that Tokoyami had come to associate with nomu… and weird stick-like legs that ended in sneakers. "Here we go, Johnny. Let's send them back to Gigantomachia!"
He went to do something to the little monster, but before that Dabi raised his hand, immediately grabbing his attention. "Actually, can you just send me and the kid back home? I think we're done here. I already said we're not planning on going up against that thing."
"You're just gonna leave us like this?" Twice protested. "Good idea, I wish I could go with you!"
Ujiko let out a hum in contemplation. "I suppose you did make that quite clear. But I still expect you to stay in touch as well with the others! There's still much to be done here, you must realize! For now, though, it's fine to do that much."
Shigaraki sighed. "Do as you will, Dabi. Just don't disappoint me or dream of feeding me lies."
Spinner spoke up above the others. "Ah, you're leaving already?!" Spinner… you tried to spill your heart to everyone. I hope you know that I heard you, even though we ended up getting interrupted. Spinner pushed through everyone else to get to him. "I don't know when you and Dabi will be back with what's happening now, but just in case you should take this!" And he pulled out one of his swords, presenting the hilt to Tokoyami.
He looked at it in stunned silence, not sure what he was supposed to be doing here. Was this really alright?
Dabi scoffed. "You're really gonna give the edgy teen that lives in my apartment a sword? Do you even think these things through? He'll just stab me when my back's turned."
Spinner wilted, his offer becoming uncertain. "I-I just thought that if his quirk is still gonna be finicky and we keep getting into situations like this, then I didn't want him to be defenseless. Besides, it's not that sharp! It should be fine!"
Tokoyami reached out his hand hesitantly for the hilt, only for Dabi to snatch it instead. Spinner began to protest, but Dabi cut him off before he could get any words out. "Okay, fine, this can have the kid's name on it, but it stays in my room if it's not being used for training. Hey, Mr. Ujiko, you gonna send us back or what?"
The Doctor watched their exchange in amusement. "I hear you loud and clear. You all do your best out there, now! Don't take too long getting back to me with some actual results."
Something on the Doctor's lap monster clicked, and black sludge exploded around everyone once again. But this time, instead or reaching out desperately for emptiness, Tokoyami felt a hand on his shoulder.
This time around the transportation quirk came as less of a surprise. He was somewhat prepared for it, even though it still left him with a hollow sensation of nausea.
When the darkness faded and the foul taste in his mouth left from the inky goop began to fade, Tokoyami realized he was back in the real world surrounded by city noises. He coughed up the last of it, retching on his hands and knees as sunlight trickled back into his swimming vision. Everything appeared blinding at first, but he could feel the concrete floor warmed by October sun and could smell the acrid but familiar stench of car fumes and dumpsters. This is what he was used to.
When he blinked, all his senses coming back, he saw the last little dribbles of sludge disappearing on the ground between his clenched fists. His chest was heaving, but he was able to steady his breathing after a long minute.
With an exhausted sigh, he eased himself into a sitting position and looked around him. At first it didn't understand the view in front of him, and then with a jolt he realized that this must be the top of the hotel building. This building was higher than he thought, and for the first time he got a clear view of the whole world stretched out before him, without walls or barriers to keep him from it. An open sky stretched above him, and for a moment it felt like it was just him seeing all this.
"I guess he got the coordinates right. I didn't even have to tell him my address, though…" Dabi grumbled, walking up behind him. "Hey, kid, let's head back already. I'm tired, and we got several flights of stairs ahead of us." He gave pause, looking out at what Tokoyami was trying to see. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. The sun was beginning to get low in the sky, and the distant sound of traffic drifted up to them, but to him there wasn't such worth actually seeing. But he waited regardless, mindlessly inspected the old sword that he'd grabbed from Spinner.
Tokoyami looked out into the distance until his vision grew hazy. A cool breeze washed over the rooftops, and he pulled his cloak around him. At some point during that exchange with the Doctor, when everyone had their eyes on him, he'd felt his eyes begin to water. And now he was dimly aware of the feathers beneath his eyes becoming tinged with wetness.
Tokoyami sighed. "It took me by surprise, you know."
He listened to Dabi's foot-steps come up right behind him. "Oh yeah? Which part of it?"
Tokoyami didn't respond, but his silence was enough of a response on its own.
The edge of Spinner's sword drifted into view, and Tokoyami looked over to see Dabi leaning on the pommel. "You know, it wasn't expressly stated, but you can expect that we're running on a time limit now. It doesn't matter what your relationship with your quirk is at the moment – we need to start training again. Otherwise I can't guarantee that I can keep Mr. Ujiko away from you. The Leader's getting impatient with you, too."
Tokoyami felt his heart sink, even knowing this was coming. "…I understand. I just wish there was more time. Or at the very least more certainty for what's to come. I didn't ever want to face these things alone," Tokoyami whispered, more to himself and his quirk than anyone else.
Dabi gave it a few minutes before saying anything after that. When he did, it wasn't what he expected to hear. "Hey. Tokoyami. How old are you?"
Tokoyami knit his brow. It occurred to him that he had to think seriously about that. "…That depends. What day is it?"
Dabi gave him a curious look, but took him seriously enough to give his phone a cursory glance. "It's… the 29th of October? Why?"
Tokoyami dwelled on that for a moment, thinking of just how long he'd been in this situation, surrounded by these dangers and these people. He wondered how much longer he'd have to be here before something could change. "I guess I'm 16," Tokoyami said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. But Dabi wasn't ignorant – he knew the sadness tinging his answer.
"That's too young," he said. And Tokoyami thought he could feel years of bitterness in those words. "It always is, though. No amount of time in the world can prepare you for a world like this."
Tokoyami wasn't in the mood to ask what he meant, so the conversation ended there. Tokoyami didn't ask anything of him, and Dabi kept quiet after that, as though caught up in thoughts of his own. They looked out over the buildings while minutes ticked by until Tokoyami had mentally prepared himself. With a weary sigh, he pushed himself off the ground to return to that dingy room. Leaving the roof behind felt like he was accepting his fate, and descending the steps was him signing away his freedom yet again.