I sighed, rubbing my eyes. I had been laying in bed, staring at the ceiling for hours, trying to will myself to sleep. I finally gave up on sleeping tonight and I reached over for my phone, reading the time.
"Ugh, my alarm goes off in a couple of hours." I groan into my pillow. I throw the covers off of myself and I grabbed a shirt and pair of sweatpants off of the floor. I got myself dressed and grabbed my phone. I opened the door, stepping out, running a hand through my hair.
I head down to the common area, thinking I may as well get a snack and go for a walk. My bare feet padded against the wooden floors in the kitchen and I open the fridge, trying to find something to eat.
I rifled through the fridge for a few moments, trying to find something that looked appetizing when I hear a deep voice.
"You're up late. Or early, depending on your perspective." I hear behind me. I jumped and dropped a candy bar on the ground.
"Jeez!" I laughed, trying to calm my nerves by taking a few deep breaths.
"Apologies." Tokoyami said with a smirk. We bent down to pick up the candy bar at the same time and bumped our heads.
"Oof!" He grunts.
"Sorry!" I say awkwardly as I rubbed my head.
We looked up at each other and laughed. I swiped up the candy bar from the floor and I looked at him with a curious expression.
"Can't sleep?" I ask. He shakes his head.
"Same here." I shrug, putting the snack back in the fridge.
"Dark Shadow has been more active at night than usual." Fumikage says. Upon hearing his name, the shadow emerges out of Tokoyami's back and swoops over his shoulder.
"I'm bored!" He exclaimed with a low purr. Tokoyami huffed in annoyance and turned away from Dark Shadow.
"Well, do you guys wanna go for a walk?" I suggest.
"Yeah!" Dark Shadow cheered.
"Do you think that'd be okay, considering it's still dark outside?" Tokoyami wondered.
"We can just say we got up extra early for training. And we won't go too far." I reassured him.
"Alright." He agreed. Dark Shadow smiled widely and we went over to the door. I slipped on my shoes and Tokoyami held the door open for me.
"Thanks," I smile at him as I pass him. I could faintly smell the smoke of the incense that he always burned on his clothes.
The stars shone brightly in the sky and I looked, up taking a deep breath. The air was cool and crisp and nipped at my cheeks.
"Feels good out here." I mused.
"It does." Fumikage agreed. There was a long pause before he broke the silence.
"How long have you been having trouble sleeping?" He asks. I look over at him and his red eyes bore into mine. I drop my gaze to the ground, focusing on putting one foot after the other.
"Ever since the training camp." I admit. He looks down too. I know that he had a lot to reflect on after the incident.
"I-I feel like it's stupid of me to be upset about what happened. Considering everything that everyone else went through. Midoryia and Yao-Momo ended up in the hospital and you being taken and Bakugo being actually kidnapped by-"
"It does no good to compare your hardships to others. You were in just as much danger as the rest of us and your feelings are valid." Tokoyami says abruptly.
"I just... I ended up all alone and I was so scared. I kept second guessing myself and I just wonder how I'm going to be a pro when I couldn't keep my emotions under control at a time like that." I sighed.
I feel a warm hand on my arm and I stop. I look up from my feet to see Tokoyami in front of me. He wore an expression I couldn't read and I gave him a confused look.
"You're going to be an amazing hero." Fumikage said firmly. He squeezed my arm and I bit my lip to keep it from warbling.
"You have an incredibly kind heart and have grown so much as a hero and a person since I met you. Don't talk down on yourself like that. Take that experience and learn from it." Tokoyami's voice softened and the feathers on his head fluffed out a bit.
I suddenly wrapped my arms around his shoulders, burying my head in his neck, inhaling his scent. The smoke of the incense and a warm woodsy smell saturated his shirt, adding to the comfort that the hug gave me. I felt his arms around my waist and I squeezed him harder.
Dark Shadow emerged out of his back and nuzzled his beak against my cheek and I stroke the side of his face.
"Thank you." I say into Tokoyami's neck. I pull away from the hug, but grab onto his hand, holding it tight.
"Um, you wanna go watch the sunrise?" I ask. "Probably have time to make it to the beach and back before we need to get ready for school."
"That sounds lovely." He smiles. We walked hand in hand towards the beach. The sky was turning lilac and the streetlights overhead turned off.
We made it to the beach just in time to see the sun rising over the ocean. Seagulls were flying, swooping down in the water with high pitched trills.
"Wow," I breathed. "So pretty." I say.
"Yeah," Tokoyami agrees whilst smiling at me.
We sat down at a bench and I turned to face Tokoyami. He sat with his ankle resting over his knee. One hand was on his lap and the other was still laced with mine.
"Hey, if you're ever having trouble sleeping, you can text or call me. I'll probably be up." I offer.
"Same goes for you, Y/N." He said with a grateful nod. "Do you want go on a walk again tomorrow morning?" He offers.
"That sounds amazing!" I say with a grin. I had unknowingly leaned in closer while talking to him and I just realized how little space there was between us. Fumikage seemed to notice it too because his feathers ruffled and I could see the blush on his neck.
I smirked and squeezed his hand again. He looked alike a deer caught in the headlights as I leaned towards him a little more with heavy eyes.
"Are you guys gonna kiss?" Dark Shadow piped up. I sit back and laugh a little.
"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami scolded, covering his face in embarrassment. Dark Shadow chuckled before disappearing again.
"I'm so sorry!" Tokoyami said quickly. I take his hands in mine, pulling them away from his face. He looked at me with panicked eyes and I stroke a hand along the soft, black feathers on his cheek. I lean in and place a soft kiss on the tip of his beak.
"You've got nothing to be sorry for." I say once I pull away. His feathers were fully puffed out now and I resisted a giggle at how cute he looked. Fumikage leaned in and pressed his forehead to mine, nuzzling against me a little bit and I wrap my arms around him in a tight hug.
