Chapter Text
On the fifth day of Fumikage’s stay in the hospital, Mera comes by as the deputy president of the commission for a debrief. Hawks isn’t there, because he’s busy cleaning up the aftermath of the raid and also clearing things up with the rest of the world about Fumikage’s double-agent status to assure them that he was never a villain in the first place. Whether Mera came during Hawks’s absence is a coincidence or not, Fumikage can’t quite tell.
By now, Fumikage’s capable of speaking without aggravating his throat, so he answers all of Mera’s questions calmly and honestly, or as much as he can without mentioning One For All.
“So you’re saying that you just knew that Shigaraki was coming after Midoriya Izuku?” Mera asks, sounding quizzical but not quite suspicious.
“He said so, and I believed him.” Fumikage shrugs. If anybody wants answers about One For All, they can ask Midoriya directly. “I’m aware that Shigaraki’s been fixated on Midoriya for a while, so it might have something to do with that.”
“Hmm, alright.” Mera doesn’t seem too interested in pursuing that line of questioning, much to Fumikage’s relief. “So, you deliberately went against the commission’s orders and risked blowing your cover for a very important mission because you didn’t want to sacrifice your classmates for the greater good.”
Fumikage swallows. “Yes.”
“And Hawks helped you,” Mera adds.
“He was forced to help me because I disobeyed orders before he could stop me.” Fumikage is willing to disappoint the commission and bear the consequences, but he will not allow Hawks to be dragged down with him. “He was merely cleaning up after me.”
Mera rolls his eyes. “I’d argue otherwise, but I’m not interested in arguing. I’m too tired for that. I barely get enough sleep as it is.”
Fumikage opts not to respond and simply stares, waiting for Mera to get to the point.
“I know the rest of the commission wouldn’t be pleased about this,” Mera says, waving a hand about to vaguely indicate the powers that govern the commission, “but I think the results are what matter the most right now. You got the job done. The raid and the capture of the League and Liberation Front wouldn’t have succeeded without you, Tokoyami. And for that, we all owe you our thanks.”
“Um.” Fumikage was expecting a lot of things, but not this. “So…what happens now?”
“Well, the commission is going to have to rebuild and restructure a little, especially with the PR disaster about us using a teenager to infiltrate a very dangerous villain organization, but that’s on us adults to figure out.” Mera meets Fumikage’s eyes, and beneath the exhaustion and cynicism, Fumikage sees the man who wants to work for the greater good. To protect people. “But as for you, it’s up to you to decide. Whatever happens next, you’ll deserve it.”
Fumikage’s mouth goes dry. “You’re…saying that I don’t work for the commission anymore?”
“No, you don’t. And neither does Hawks.” Mera nods. “You’ve earned your freedom. If you need any financial support or the like, we can provide that much, but Hawks might have been rather stubborn about getting to be your guardian instead.”
The implications stun Fumikage into speechlessness. He’s free. He is no longer owned by the commission. He’s not sure what that makes him, now. He’s not a normal teenager, not by any means, so where does he go from here?
“I don’t know what to do,” Fumikage admits.
Mera chuckles, which is something so rare that Fumikage is once again stunned speechless. “I don’t know. You still have a provisional license, so maybe you can start with figuring out how you want to use that.”
“I can’t be a hero.” Not after what he’s done.
Mera stands up from his seat, brushing off his slacks and giving Fumikage a knowing look. The kind you bestow upon an ordinary, confused teenager rather than a weapon or a monster. “Are you sure about that?”
-
The next morning, everybody from Class 1-A shows up, crowding around his hospital bed.
“I mean, blowing Shigaraki up sounds badass as hell,” Kaminari says with a frown, “but dude, it’s so not cool to do the suicide bomber thing.”
“Yeah, do you know how freaked Midoriya was?” Hagakure adds.
“The answer is: super mega freaked out,” Sero answers, slapping a hand to Midoriya’s back. “I mean, even for Midoriya standards, it was pretty bad.”
Midoriya blushes. “Well, I was worried, and honestly I wasn’t sure if you were going to pull through, Tokoyami.”
Uraraka leans in to stage-whisper, “Bakugou was really worried, too.”
“Like hell I was!” Bakugou snarls at Uraraka from the other side of Fumikage’s bed.
Kirishima laughs. “Bro, you couldn’t stop talking about how you were gonna personally murder Tokoyami for pulling a suicide stunt that puts Midoriya to shame.”
Fumikage blinks. From Bakugou standards, that amounts to a great deal of concern and caring.
“Shut the fuck up,” Bakugou hisses.
“Anyway,” Tsuyu cuts in before Bakugou can threaten to blow anybody up, “we’re glad you’re okay, Tokoyami. We really wish you’d brought us along instead of going off to face Shigaraki, though.”
“It was indeed very reckless of you!” Iida says, his arms moving rapidly in their usual robotic gestures. “Sensei was very displeased when he realized you were gone!”
“Congratulations, Tokoyami.” Jirou smirks at him. “You’re officially a problem child, now.”
Fumikage stares, the words sinking in. It takes a staggering amount of effort for him to speak in a steady voice, “But…I’m not a student anymore.”
Yaoyorozu’s eyes go wide and round. “Why not?”
Fumikage has no idea where to even start with that. “I thought Hawks explained that I was enrolled in UA purely to monitor the situation. I was never meant to become a hero.”
“So you don’t want to be one?” Shouji asks, his tone gentle, as if he knows more about Fumikage’s inner turmoil than he’s letting on.
Fumikage opens his beak. Clicks it shut. It takes another attempt for him to force words out. “I attacked all of you—”
“Which was kinda mean,” Ashido interrupts, “but you were doing it to protect us, right?”
Ojiro scratches his cheek, offering Fumikage a wan smile. “I mean, it did hurt like hell, but we know you could’ve hurt us all a lot more if you’d really meant any of it.”
Fumikage remembers slamming Ojiro into a tree. He remembers the cries of his peers. The memory of it is still fresh, even two months since the fight happened. His classmates’ distress had been real, as had been the injuries Fumikage had dealt them, but here they were, forgiving him for it anyway.
“I am truly sorry,” Fumikage says, bowing his head to them all. “For lying to you all and for hurting you.”
“We’re sorry, too,” Midoriya says, and Fumikage’s head snaps up. “For not realizing how much trouble you were in and for being unable to help you.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” Fumikage says, his voice a little choked.
We’re still heroes, Kouda signs. And heroes help people who need saving.
Fumikage hadn’t needed to be saved. Or maybe he had. Maybe he’d just needed somebody to tell him he wasn’t a monster.
Satou pats Fumikage’s shoulder with a kindness that Fumikage didn’t expect from any of them anymore, “You’re still our friend, Tokoyami.”
“And we’d like it if you became our classmate again,” Todoroki adds.
Kodai looks him in the eye from where she’s standing at the foot of his bed. “Another chance, remember?”
Fumikage looks at his friends surrounding him, and his throat closes up from sheer gratitude. He wants to thank his friends, to tell them it would be his greatest honor to be claimed as one of theirs, but he can’t quite speak without breaking apart.
Luckily, Dark Shadow is eager enough to poke out of Fumikage’s chest, grinning wide as he says, “We do! We wanna go back to school with you guys!”
Everybody looks relieved to hear that—even Bakugou looks like he might be on the verge of grinning—and Fumikage marvels at how much bigger his world has grown. He’s still not sure how to be a good friend or a good hero, but he thinks that he’ll be able to learn along with his classmates. Together.
-
“You have a lot of catching up to do,” Aizawa says later that day. “But it’s mostly just homework and exams. I doubt you need much catching up to do in terms of training.”
Fumikage squirms as subtly as possible. It’s strange, to finally allow his teacher to see what Fumikage is fully capable of and how he was raised to reach that capability. He wonders if Aizawa will be disappointed in him for lying all this time.
Fumikage hasn’t cared much about an adult’s opinion of him in a long time. But there’s a part of him that wants to live up to Aizawa’s expectations.
“The police did go through your room for investigation and they collected all the surveillance the League had on you, but we haven’t touched your things otherwise.” Aizawa raises an eyebrow. “So whenever you’re ready, you can come back to the dorm.”
It’s almost too good to be true. There is no way things can be this easy. “And the rest of UA is okay with that? Nezu, the staff, the other students—they all are willing to allow me back into their midst?”
“The ones who matter are okay with it.” Aizawa shifts his weight in his seat by Fumikage’s bedside. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. Some people might have nasty things to say. But officially speaking, you’re good to come back, and if anybody gives you trouble for it, you tell me.”
Fumikage stares. The idea of relying on an adult to help him is such an alien concept that he can’t quite wrap his head around it. Nobody has ever protected him before; at least, nobody other than Hawks. And even then, Hawks had been limited in how much protection he could provide, because he’d been just as collared and leashed as Fumikage was.
Aizawa must have an idea of what’s going through Fumikage’s head, because he clears his throat and crosses his arms. “Look, I’ve gotten the gist of what you grew up through, and I think it’s natural for you to have trouble trusting authority figures, after all that. I can’t blame you if you don’t want to rely on me.”
After a moment of hesitation, Fumikage carefully asks, “Do you want me to come back?”
There’s a world of difference between letting Fumikage return because it’s the right thing to do and welcoming Fumikage back with genuine warmth. And as much as Fumikage wants to be with his classmates again, he can’t—in good conscience—go back if Aizawa doesn’t want him there.
“Tokoyami, I don’t know the real you very well,” Aizawa says in a quiet, steady voice. “But I’d like to. The version of you that I taught until now wasn’t you at your most capable or most honest, but it was still you, and my opinion of you hasn’t changed. You have potential to be a good hero, and you’re an invaluable member of our class. And I want to teach you properly this time.”
Fumikage exhales, shaky and hopeful. He thinks that if he must start learning to trust authority figures, he wants to start with Aizawa. “I…would like that, sensei.”
-
An hour before Fumikage is discharged from the hospital, Kobayashi shows up.
“Hawks says you used the katana,” she says in an off-handed manner, as if it’s not a big deal. “Both on a classmate and a villain.”
Fumikage thinks of Bakugou’s blood dripping down the blade. He thinks of the clean slice that cut off Mr. Compress’s hand. Fumikage hadn’t enjoyed either of the experiences, but both actions had been necessary. “Yes, I did.”
“I heard you killed someone, too.” Kobayashi pauses. “But not with the weapon I gave you.”
“No, I used a throwing knife.” Fumikage thinks of Dabi, choking on his own blood, blue fire flickering to life and dying out in a matter of seconds. “I suppose I have Violet to thank for teaching me that.”
“I’m sure she’d be touched,” Kobayashi says dryly.
“And I have you to thank,” Fumikage says, which makes Kobayashi freeze, “for teaching me how to fight.”
Kobayashi blinks, slow and languid, like she’s taking her time to process his words. Then she huffs, her mouth curling into a faint smile. “I was teaching you to protect yourself, you know.”
“I know,” Fumikage says. The commission had wanted Fumikage to be stronger, for whatever he may need to be shaped into in the future, but Kobayashi’s expectations had always been simple: to survive.
“But I see that you took what you learned and used it to protect other people instead.” Kobayashi raises an eyebrow at him, clearly amused. “Guess you’re going to be a hero after all.”
“And you don’t like heroes,” Fumikage remembers.
“I don’t,” Kobayashi agrees. “But I like you, Tokoyami. So take good care of yourself.”
Fumikage blinks. He’s been surprised by a lot of people in the past few days, but apparently there are still more ways to stun him. “Thank you, Kobayashi.”
“You’re welcome to drop by if you ever want to.” She turns and walks towards the hospital door, throwing one last glance over her shoulder with a grin as she says, “Good luck out there, Tsukuyomi.”
-
When Fumikage is discharged, Hawks personally comes to pick him up, although his version of picking Fumikage up is flying side by side with him all the way to the UA campus.
“Ready to be a real hero student?” Hawks asks, and Fumikage can hear the laughter in his voice. “Now Eraserhead knows that Dark Shadow’s limits are pretty damn high, so he’s gonna run you extra hard.”
Training is going to be absolutely grueling. Fumikage might be looking forward to it. “I’m going to win the sports festival this time.”
“Don’t get cocky,” Hawks reminds him with a chuckle. “Midoriya isn’t breaking his fingers anymore, and Todoroki’s using both sides now, isn’t he? Hell, all of your classmates have grown a lot stronger. You’re gonna have to work for it.”
Fumikage thinks about all the work ahead of him. “I’ll have to survive remedial courses first. I’ve missed out on a lot in the past couple months.”
“You’ll do fine,” Hawks says, flashing him a small smile.
The campus comes into view, and they start descending towards Fumikage’s dorm building. There are a few students milling about here and there, and they all come to a standstill to watch Hawks and Fumikage land on the ground.
“Good luck with all the studying,” Hawks teases, knowing that academics has never been Fumikage’s strong suit. “You better pass all your courses if you want to do your next work-study with me again.”
Fumikage wouldn’t miss it for the world. “I’ll pass them.”
“Good.” Hawks doesn’t pull Fumikage in for a hug, which disappoints Dark Shadow but relieves Fumikage, who would rather not be showered with such physical affection in open view of other students. Instead, Hawks gently flicks Fumikage’s forehead. “See you soon, Fumikage.”
With that said, Hawks flies off, and Fumikage watches him go. For one moment, he wavers, wondering if he should simply follow Hawks and not look back. But then from behind him, he hears Bakugou’s voice from the doorway.
“Oy, bird brain! Are you coming in or what?”
Fumikage turns and he sees several of his classmates looking at him expectantly, like they’ve been waiting for him. From inside, Fumikage can faintly hear the sounds of bustling and the oven beeping, Satou’s voice booming from the kitchen as the class prepares for a feast.
“I didn’t mean to keep you waiting,” Fumikage says, moving towards the doorway.
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Midoriya says with a laugh.
Tsuyu smiles at him, reaching a hand out to tug him inside, where his friends are waiting for him. “Welcome back, Tokoyami.”
-
Remedial courses are hell, because Fumikage is squeezing in the whole two months he missed out on into a two week condensed course to make it in time for the beginning of the second year. His classmates are either busy with work-studies or finally spending time with their families, but Fumikage remains in the dorm and works his way through chemistry and English and math.
At least he’s not alone in it; Tsuyu has to catch up with the material she missed while she was recovering in secret, too. So Yaoyorozu tutors them when she can, and on the days she’s unavailable, Midoriya takes over instead and lends them his notes.
At one point, Fumikage watches Hawks speak at a press conference regarding the commission’s treatment of him and Fumikage. Hawks isn’t as scathing as most people would expect him to be, but that’s because at some fundamental level, Hawks and Fumikage had both accepted that their upbringing and training was necessary to protect the public.
The public, on the other hand, doesn’t accept those things as necessary. Hawks’s training to be a public hero was one thing, but Fumikage’s training to be a potential spy since such a young age, the fact that he was sent into the League as a mere teenager, is seen as something outrageous. People are outraged on Hawks’s and Fumikage’s behalf, which is an odd experience. Fumikage had already accepted that the world was unfair and made his peace with it, but everybody else says he deserved better.
“I don’t like that you had to go through all that as a child,” Tsuyu says. She’d asked Fumikage to clarify what kind of training he’d gone through while he was raised by the commission, and Fumikage had been honest about both the banal and the brutal. “But I’m glad the commission sent you here. I guess that’s rather selfish of me.”
They’re both looking up at the stars, sitting on the front steps of their dorm building because they needed some fresh air after a long day of remedial sessions and studying. Fumikage glances sideways to look at Tsuyu.
“Even though I had to stab you?” Fumikage asks.
“Even then, yes.” Tsuyu’s answer is sincere despite Fumikage’s self-deprecating humor. “I’m really glad to be your friend.”
He looks up at the sky once more, then makes a decision. “You can call me Fumikage.”
“Oh.” Tsuyu’s soft exhale of surprise soon morphs into gentle laughter. The sound of it makes Fumikage relax, relieved at the positive reaction. “Thank you, Fumikage.”
For the first time since that freezing New Year’s Day, Fumikage feels like he can forgive himself just a little bit. “No. Thank you, Tsuyu.”
-
Fumikage gets a package in the mail. Inside it, there’s a small book of poetry.
Pressed between its pages is a single violet and a note written in a clean, sharp script: I knew you would make a decent hero.
‘Straight to the point as usual,’ Fumikage thinks, amused in spite of himself.
‘Do you think we’ll ever see her again?’ Dark Shadow asks.
‘Probably not,’ Fumikage thinks. Violet herself had said they would never cross paths again. However, she was also the person who showed him the possibilities that he’d never considered before. ‘But…you never know.’
-
Fumikage manages to pass all his remedial courses and start the second year with his classmates together. Shinsou joins their class, making them an even number of 20 once more. Somehow, his presence makes the class feel Aoyama’s absence even more keenly, and Fumikage can’t help but ache a little at the thought of their old classmate.
He mentions it to Hawks over their weekly call, and Hawks sighs.
“You didn’t hear this from me,” Hawks says over the phone, “but the police are going to be releasing Aoyama from custody pretty soon. It’s been proven that he was working under All For One under duress, and he’s suffered enough. I heard that his parents are planning to take him abroad. He probably wouldn’t be able to get into a hero school in Japan.”
Fumikage’s heart unclenches a little, relieved to hear that Aoyama will be free once more. It’s still disheartening to hear that Aoyama will have to leave the country to pursue his dreams, but hopefully in the future, Fumikage will get to meet Aoyama as fellow heroes, working to save other children from fates such as theirs.
“I suppose he wouldn’t want to hear an apology from me,” Fumikage says.
“Who knows? Maybe he won’t wanna hear it. Maybe it’ll give him closure.” Hawks’s voice is gentle. “There’s only one way to find out.”
Fumikage remembers the fear and pain in Aoyama’s voice the last time they spoke. A knife to the throat, a threat invoking Aoyama’s parents. Fumikage wouldn’t blame Aoyama if he never wanted to hear from him ever again.
But, even if it might be selfish, Fumikage wants to offer an apology. If only because he thinks Aoyama deserves one.
-
Aoyama doesn’t meet anybody from their class even after he is released from custody, citing that he is too ashamed to see their faces, but he writes each of them letters.
In Fumikage’s, Aoyama tells him to not apologize. He understands that Fumikage was trying to do his best, just like Aoyama himself had been doing under All For One’s thumb. He knows what it’s like, to be at the whim of someone more powerful and more dangerous. He knows what it’s like to have no choice.
I hope we can be friends again in the future, Aoyama’s letter says. Once I have paid for my deeds, I hope you would be willing to have a meal with me, mon ami.
Aoyama’s letter doesn’t absolve Fumikage of what he’s done, but it gives him hope for the future where Aoyama can be welcomed back as a friend. It lets him look forward to meeting Aoyama again, someday.
-
“I’m thinking about telling the class about One For All,” Midoriya admits during a study session where it’s just the two of them. “Kacchan said it’s a stupid idea, but everybody already thinks I’m hiding something already anyway, thanks to the League coming after me and all.”
Fumikage thinks it over. “It would be risky, given how some of our classmates are exceedingly poor at keeping secrets.”
Midoriya chuckles. “Yeah, Kacchan said that, too. In a less nicer way.”
“But they’ll still support you regardless,” Fumikage says without an iota of doubt. “And that’s what matters.”
“I guess so.” Midoriya smiles at Fumikage, wide and bright. It’s the kind of light that Fumikage doesn’t mind being blinded by. “We really got lucky, meeting such amazing friends.”
Fumikage nods. “We really did.”
-
“Is it just me,” Shouji wonders aloud, “or is Dark Shadow even more…protective of us these days?”
They’re at a field exercise, facing off against rather mediocre bank robbers. Fumikage’s group includes Shouji and Kodai and Tsuyu, and they’ve successfully apprehended the criminals and are waiting for the police to arrive.
One of the robbers had pulled out a gun, aiming it at Shouji, and Dark Shadow had rushed out with an enraged scream, tackling the robber and then pummeling him into submission. Fumikage hadn’t bothered to put a stop to it; he was reluctantly resigned to the fact that Aizawa was going to have to dock points for overkill.
“Dark Shadow’s always a little protective,” Kodai says, “but today is worse than usual.”
Tsuyu hops a little closer to Dark Shadow, who whines and nuzzles into her shoulder. “Fumikage, is everything okay?”
Fumikage swallows. He personally wasn’t too affected, but he should have expected this. “My parents died in a bank robbery like this one. I don’t remember much of it, but Dark Shadow does.”
“Oh,” Kodai murmurs.
Shouji settles a tentative hand on Fumikage’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”
Fumikage doesn’t remember much of the incident anymore. It was over seven years ago. His mind has discarded all the horrible, ugly parts. All that’s left in his memory is a warm hand on his nape and a kind voice and red wings.
“I’m alright,” Fumikage says, and he means it. He isn’t alone, and that’s why he’s unafraid and able to stay steady on his feet.
After all, now he has a home to return to.
-
Fumikage steps into Hawks’s agency once more, and all the staff welcome him. They know who he really is now, and they tell him how proud they are, how glad they are that he’s okay, and they laugh about how it makes sense that Hawks is so attached to him. Hawks sings Fumikage’s praises like a proud older brother showing off their younger sibling, and Fumikage grows embarrassed enough to shove a laughing Hawks into the elevator.
“Your staff are never going to take me seriously if you keep giving them the idea that I’m here based on nepotism,” Fumikage says. The barbs in his words are dulled away in the warmth of the tight hug that Hawks pulls him into.
Hawks chuckles. “Well then, guess you’re gonna have to show just how scary Dark Shadow can be even in the daylight now. That’ll clear up any rumors of nepotism right away.”
Dark Shadow comes out to join the hug by coiling around Hawks. “I can be really scary!”
“Let’s remember that we should only scare the villains and not the general public,” Fumikage reminds his quirk. “We’re heroes now, after all.”
Hawks releases him from the hug, a soft smile stealing over his face. “Yeah, you’re a hero, now. Both of you.”
“Yep, we are!” Dark Shadow purrs with satisfaction and disappears back into Fumikage just as the elevator dings and the doors open.
They’re in the penthouse that Hawks lives in at the top of the agency, only accessible by handprint on the scanner, and Fumikage’s handprint was just added earlier today. This is his home now, too. With Hawks as his guardian and the money he’s been able to put away in a bank account after selling off the remaining diamonds from Violet, Fumikage is officially completely free of the commission’s influence.
“We made it,” Hawks murmurs. His gaze shifts from Fumikage’s face to the windows behind him, towards the wide-open view of the city skyline. “We’re free to be whatever we want.”
No longer owned by the commission. No longer having to hide their loyalty to each other. After so many years of being convinced that he would never get to walk in the light beside Hawks, Fumikage is now allowed to be the one to have Hawks’s back in a fight.
“We made it,” Fumikage echoes.
The both of them stand side by side, looking out the floor to ceiling windows for a long while.
Then, Hawks quietly asks, “Do you want to fly away from it all?”
Fumikage blinks. He looks at the view outside the windows. He thinks of his friends back at school. He thinks of being Tsukuyomi, a protector of the public. These are all things that he was never meant to have, but he earned them anyway, and he wants to keep them so very badly.
“No,” Fumikage says after a moment. “I think…I’m happy where I am.”
Hawks bumps a shoulder against his, and Fumikage can see the small smile on Hawks’s face. “Yeah, me too.”
They bask in quiet joy for a while, before Hawks nudges Fumikage towards the balcony.
“C’mon, let’s get to work!” Hawks grins, wide and mischievous. “Time to show the villains just how terrifying we can be.”
“I would wager that I can scare them more than you do,” Fumikage says, following Hawks onto the balcony. His cloak flaps in the wind, and the sunshine is bright. But Dark Shadow does not drop Fumikage when they jump off the balcony, taking him soaring over the city right beside Hawks.
“Alright, I’ll take that bet,” Hawks says. “If I win, you have to call me your big brother for the rest of your work-study.”
“And if I win,” Fumikage says, “I’m going to ask Aizawa sensei to refer to you exclusively as my father, seeing that you’re my legal guardian right now.”
“Hey! I’m not that old!” Hawks yelps.
Fumikage laughs at that, and soon Hawks joins in. The both of them laugh for a long time, happy and loud and utterly, completely free.