"Y-Yuuki?" Tokoyami was holding an apple in one hand. He was going to just leave it by her side and hope she will eat it on her own when she will wake up.
"That's my name."
"Y-you're awake."
"Very much so." Yuuki was awake and she was happily wagging her tail. She looked happy to see him, but she wondered why he doesn't look happy to see her. She could tell he looked troubled. "Come here, come here."
Tokoyami took a step forward.
"Closer."
He took another step.
"Closer."
And another.
"A little more." When he was finally within arm's reach, she grabbed hold of three of his fingers and she looked up at him, "Sit here."
Tokoyami at on a chair and he looked down at the floor with guilt.
Yuuki smiled, "Is that apple for me? Can I have it?" She asked with a gentle smile.
Tokoyami was a little shy but he handed her the apple. Yuuki took the apple from her and she took a bite out of it. "Thank you~."
He was truly happy to see her awake and all, but knowing that she was here in the very first place all because of him continued to chain him down. He couldn't help but think if only he didn't injure her, the video of her being beaten wouldn't have the chance to surface. He was angry at himself, angry that he could have been the cause of her death. He wanted to protect Yuuki...but does he still have the rights to protect her?
"Yuuki, I'm sorry." It wasn't his own voice, it was Dark Shadow coming out on his own volition. "Fumikage is very sorry too."
"Dark Shadow?!" Tokoyami ended up making a rather comical face!
"Don't worry about it, I've already forgiven him."
"Yuuki?!"
"Because it got so dark! And the bad people hurt Shouji!" Dark Shadow continued with his words.
"Hm! Even I'd be pissed!" Yuuki took a bigger bite out of the apple, "I am a little dumb, but I understand common sense!"
"Yuuki!" Tokoyami closed his eyes and he shouted her name. He got up from the chair and he got into the traditional dogeza position! "I'm so sorry! From now on, I'll dedicate my life to protect you from danger!" He couldn't do anything by dwelling in the past, but if he could move forward little by little, it's enough. He never want to see a video like that ever again, he never want to feel this weight of guilt again, and he never want to see the person he cared for being hurt ever again.
"Tokoyami, I should be the one to say sorry to you."
"Huh?" He looked at her to see her legs were down the edge of the bed and the apple was in front of his view. He looked up at her face to see her sad smile.
"I didn't think of the consequences. I would have made this guilt weigh heavier for you." Yuuki moved her head down, "I'm sorry." If she had died due to her injuries, her death would have scarred him for life. She could have made Tokoyami hate himself. And by the time she realized of the consequences, she was already sleeping in hospital and not waking up until this morning.
"No, Yuuki. I'm the one who stopped you from using your powers properly."
"I'm the one who is sorry."
"It's me!"
"No, it's me!"
The two of them argued back and forth until they ran out of breath. It was getting nowhere.
"Tokoyami, am I really worth you protecting me? I might stupidly jump into a situation where I will risk my all."
He knew that though. He gently held one of her hand, removing one hold from the bitten apple. "I'll be there to protect you if you wish to do something like that."
The ears on her head perked up, "You're not going to scold me for trying to win a losing fight?"
"I won't scold you. Because you are doing what you feel is right. Even if I don't agree with you, I will always be the first to support you."
Just like light and darkness, neither the two have to agree with one another but they still support one another.
Yuuki was happy to know he will defend her decisions, even if they were risky. "Tokoyami, is it okay if I cry against your shoulder?"
'She must be frustrated that she lost. As a honey badger, she must be taking the loss very hard.' Because Yuuki was used to winning in her own world, defeating both heroes and villains, unless she had a reason that she HAD to surrender, she would never back down from a fight. Knowing that she was defeated, it hurts.
Tokoyami sat on her bed and then Yuuki moved closer to him so she could grasp onto his shirt and then cry against his shoulder. Yuuki whimpered and she cried into the cotton of his shirt.
"Yuuki..."
She turned her face away from his shoulder to take a few more bites from the red fruit before continuing to cry.
Dark Shadow patted her on the head, trying to comfort her.
"I'm sad and hungry. Please don't mind me."
"I don't mind." Tokoyami closed his eyes and he fold his arms, "Cry if you wish, eat if you must. As long as you are happy, that's all it matters."
"Hm!" She took another bite from the apple. "I'm going to become stronger. I'll become stronger so no one can beat me!"
"And I'll be there to support you. I won't be your burden, I'll become your strength." Apologizing will not solve anything for the person he loved. If he could become her strength, even a little, that's enough.
"I'm gonna become so strong that I can eat an entire apple tree!"
"Good for you, Yuuki."
"And you'll be there to watch me eat it!"
"When you are prepared for it, call me."
He put a hand over her hand that's grasping his shirt. Through touch alone, the two of them were able to convey their feelings in silence. Because sometimes silence was better than words.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tokoyami was the type of boyfriend who showed his affections through actions rather than words; words were meaningless without actions behind it. He liked how their relationship was a quiet and calm one with many warm affection behind each actions.
Right now, they're in the middle of a class lesson. The theme behind the lesson was courage vs fear; as students training to become heroes, it's only natural heroes will sometimes have to face something they feared. So the lesson composed of students, going in pairs, having to go through a horror themed building from the first floor all the way up to the 4th floor. The pair with the loudest screaming volume will lose!
"Well aren't us two a perfect pair?" Honey badgers were naturally fearless creatures, she was skipping in the darkness of the building while shining the light at Tokoyai to keep Dark Shadow at bay. There was a random but realistic head dropping down from a thin wire. The eye socket was missing an eye ball and the other eyeball was barely hanging on from the other eye. "Wow, look at the details from this! Did the students from the Support Department do this?!"
And Tokoyami was naturally used to the darkness as long as he had a bit of light shining on him. He merely smiled from how fearless she was. They will get perfect score for sure, wasn't this test made exactly for them?
The two of them were in their hero costume. Tokoyami and his black robe, and Yuuki with her white boob tube and a pair of dark shorts, and army boots.
"Coast is clear!" Dark Shadow said to both of them. He was ahead of the pair as a lookout.
"You look like you really enjoy the darkness." He said to her.
"I am a night animal after all! I thrive in the dark!" She looked so excited to go up another level and the excitement was on her face.
"You really are fearless, you live up to your name, Ratel."
"Hee~, how can I be a hero if I am scared of things like this?" A random ghost like figure was standing far away, but she just wagged her tail when she saw it crawl on all fours. "Haha! That looks funny!" When she saw Tokoyami walk ahead of the crawling mechanism, she followed after him. She was smiling softly as she walked beside him. "If I tell you there is something I fear, will you laugh at me?" She innocently tug his hero costume.
"I will never laugh when you're opening your heart to me."
"...I'm scared of losing you or the others. After losing against the villains, I started feeling scared. What if something happen to those around me? What if I am too weak to do anything about it?" She had been worried about it for the past few days. She kept her troubles to herself because she feared Tokoyami would find her ridiculous.
Tokoyami looked at her briefly and then he looked ahead again. No matter what scary thing came at them, they just walked past it as if they were having a stroll at the park. He gently removed her hand from his robe and he held her hand properly. "Contrary to what people think, fear is important. If we don't consider our fears, then we can't consider unforeseen circumstances and respond accordingly." He gave her hand an assuring squeeze, "To be honest, I feel the same."
"How do I fix this fear of mine?"
"Anything is good."
"You can do anything to relief your fear."
"Is that so?"
"Hm."
Yuuki smiled and she stepped closer so she was hugging his arm. She leaned the side of her head against his shoulder and she closed her eyes. She liked that there was a shoulder for her to lean on. Just like back in the hospital room, he was there when she was feeling at her worst.
Tokoyami faked a cough and he he was thankful for the darkness that masked the tint of pink on his face. "If this can relieve you of your fear, I do not mind."
"Thank you."
The two of them were about to head up to the fourth floor, but they stopped in the middle of going up the stairs because Dark Shadow suddenly came right back into their faces. "Fumikage! There are traps up here! Lots of them! I've disarmed it all up!"
"...!" Tokoyami ended up falling backwards and he took Yuuki down with him due to shock. Ah, wasn't he supposed to protect her?!
The two of them rolled down the stairs!
"Guh...! Yuuki, are you oka-" He was looking straight at her boobs because she pushed herself up with her hands against the floor. Her boob tube was down on her stomach. Tokoyami looked at where his right hand was and he realized it was on the boob tube.
"Tokoyami, are you okay? That really hurts!"
"...!" He was choking on nothing!
"Hm?"
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"
At the end of their turn, they were placed in last because Tokoyami's scream was so loud that the whole of U.A heard him!
Also, for the following week, Tokoyami Fumikage will be unable to look at Yuuki in the eyes, leaving her rather confused.