~𝔏𝔬𝔳𝔢 ℌ𝔞𝔰 𝔑𝔬 𝔅𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔰~ (Tokoyami Fumikage X Reader)

Chapter 19

The air was still warm as the stars twinkled overhead, the camp slowly settling down after a long day. Niko wrapped a towel around herself as she walked back toward the girls’ tent after the hot springs, her muscles still tingling from the heat.

“Maybe I can finally get a decent night’s sleep,” she muttered, smiling to herself.

As she passed by the boys' tent area, something caught her attention. From the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of movement — a familiar figure stepping outside his tent.

Tokoyami.

For a brief moment, Niko froze, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes widened. Tokoyami, standing just a few feet away, was shirtless. His usually covered chest and torso were on full display, his feathers sleek and shimmering slightly in the moonlight. He looked so different — not just in appearance but in the way he carried himself. There was a quiet strength to him, a calm yet confident presence she hadn’t quite noticed before.

Niko’s heart skipped a beat.

She knew it was rude to stare, but her brain seemed to short-circuit, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away. The moonlight glistened off his feathers, highlighting the sharp contours of his form in a way that made him seem almost ethereal.

As if sensing her gaze, Tokoyami turned, his sharp crimson eyes locking onto hers. For a second, neither of them spoke. Niko felt her face heating up, her mind scrambling for something — anything — to say.

“I—uh—” Niko stammered, her voice catching in her throat. She immediately turned away, mentally kicking herself for staring. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to… um…”

Tokoyami, surprisingly calm, didn’t seem flustered. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, his gaze steady. “No need to apologize,” he said in his usual deep, calm voice. “It’s just… me.”

Niko blinked, her cheeks still burning. “Yeah, I know! I just—uh—” She quickly glanced back at him, trying to recover. “I didn’t expect to see you like… that.”

A small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Tokoyami’s beak. “My apologies for the surprise. I didn’t mean to alarm you.”

Niko shook her head, feeling more embarrassed by the second. “No, no! It’s fine. I was just, um… heading back to the tent.” She pointed awkwardly in the direction of the girls’ tents, feeling her pulse race in her ears. “I should… go.”

Before she could take another step, Tokoyami spoke again, his voice softer this time. “Niko-chan"

She froze, her eyes widening at the sound of her name from his lips. Slowly, she turned back to him.

Tokoyami took a step closer, the moonlight casting shadows across his sharp features. There was a calm intensity in his eyes that made her breath catch once more.

“I wanted to thank you,” he said, his voice low. “For earlier today. During training. You… protected me.”

Niko swallowed hard, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks again. “Of course. That’s what teammates do.”

He studied her for a moment, his eyes searching hers as though there was more he wanted to say. But instead, he simply nodded.

“Still, it means something,” he said quietly. “And I appreciate it.”

There was a moment of silence between them, the world around them seeming to disappear as Niko met his gaze. Her heart thudded in her chest, and for a brief moment, she forgot all about her earlier embarrassment.

Then, with a graceful turn, Tokoyami slipped back into his tent, leaving Niko standing in the moonlight, still processing what had just happened.

Niko let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, her hand going to her chest. Her thoughts were a mess, but one thing was certain — Tokoyami was more than she had ever expected. And that realization made her stomach do strange flips.

“Pull yourself together,” she whispered to herself, turning on her heel and making her way back to the girls’ tent.

As she lay down in her sleeping bag that night, her mind wandered back to the look in his eyes — that quiet intensity. She couldn’t shake it, even as sleep finally claimed her.