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Whenever Tokoyami flew, Hawks would always hold his hand.
He didn't think too much of it the first few times, especially when he was just learning - Dark Shadow tended to be unpredictable when he was trying new things. So to avoid falling to his death, Tokoyami would grasp Hawks' hand as tightly as he could, terrified of the city that splayed out beneath him.
After a while, a few months or so, it got easier. Dark Shadow became stronger and Tokoyami got used to seeing the city from a bird's eye view. But still, Hawks always offered his hand, and Tokoyami would always take it. They didn't talk about it. It was just something they did, as natural as breathing. Fingers interlocked, Hawks' thumb tracing small circles on the back of Tokoyami's hand.
They still didn't talk about it when it stopped being about flying. It was on ground patrol, too, walking through the city, hand in hand, ignoring the fans that would try to mob them on the streets, few of which noticed the small gesture. And if they did, they didn't say anything, which Tokoyami was just fine with.
After a particularly long patrol, the sun long set and the stars glittering in the navy sky, both Tokoyami and Hawks were ready to collapse for the night, exhausted from all the excitement of the day. Hawks could tell how tired Tokoyami was - his eyes were lidded and the grip he had on Hawks' hand was loose.
"Sleepy?" Hawks teased, a wing arched protectively around his intern even though they had already entered the safety of the Hawks Agency building. Even though everyone else had gone home for the day and it was just the two of them. Because Hawks liked to be as close to Tokoyami as he could.
"A little," Tokoyami mumbled, blinking slowly and leaning into Hawks as the pair stumbled into the elevator. 'Sleepy' was a very mild way of putting it. "Long day."
"Hmm," Hawks hummed. Tokoyami noticed concerned golden eyes flicker to his face. "It's quite the hike back to campus," he said quietly, pressing a button on the elevator panel. "Do you want to stay the night?"
Almost immediately, Tokoyami shook his head. Staying the night put unnecessary pressure on Hawks - the hero would be responsible for him in the hours he was away from the school. Plus, he would be in a lot of trouble with his teachers. Staying the night elsewhere without any paperwork or prior notice could put him on probation. "No. I'm fine."
Hawks extended his wing farther, pulling Tokoyami in close as the elevator came to a halt. "Wasn't really a question." The elevator doors slid open and Tokoyami realized this wasn't the office floor. For one, it was a lot smaller, the size of an average bedroom. It looked well lived in, with a pile of blankets stacked in a corner and shelves full of books and various other trinkets scattered over the floor. In place of a solid wall, the room was encased with windows, providing an immaculate view of the city below. "You're staying the night."
Tokoyami hesitated. "Hawks, I appreciate the offer, but I don't think-"
"I'll let Aizawa know," Hawks said dismissively. "He'll understand."
Tokoyami opened his beak to argue, but ultimately thought better of it. Hawks had made up his mind, and Tokoyami knew he couldn't change it.
Hawks stretched his wings, which appeared bigger than normal in such a small space. Now that Tokoyami could get a good look at him, the hero seemed absolutely exhausted, his posture stooping and his eyes dark. His hair was more wild than usual, windblown from the day's patrol. He had ditched his visor and gloves, and reluctantly let go of Tokoyami's hand to hang up his jacket on its hook.
He flashed a brief smile in Tokoyami's direction. "Make yourself at home," he said, heading towards a smaller room that branched off the main one. "I'll get you a change of clothes."
Tokoyami blinked, taken aback by the offer. "Thank you," he mumbled, moving to sit at a table near the corner of the room. Hawks nodded before disappearing into the other room.
Tokoyami crossed his legs, eyes searching over the apartment. It looked more like an office space, without any partitions, other than the small room that Tokoyami assumed was a bathroom. There wasn't really much actual furniture, and Tokoyami supposed it was because Hawks didn't spend so much time at home (if he could call it that). Most of the stuff lying around was separated into little piles - a stack of books, a heap of clothes, and a small collection of take-out containers all caught Tokoyami's eye. The moonlight bathed the otherwise dark room in pale silver, an environment that Tokoyami was very accustomed to. The whole thing was unusually peaceful, and for a brief moment, Tokoyami wondered if there was a reason Hawks kept this part of himself a secret from everyone.
Everyone except Tokoyami. Because what they had together was different from what Hawks had with anyone else.
"Here," Hawks said, placing a set of folded clothes on the table, stirring Tokoyami from his thoughts. "Might be a bit big for you." He sat down opposite of the raven, now wearing a plain black t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants.
"I appreciate it, Keigo," Tokoyami murmured, taking the clothes in his arms and started heading to the other room. He glanced at Keigo just before he left, noticing a grin spread over his face. Tokoyami knew he loved it when he called him by his actual name, because Tokoyami only did it when they were alone. Because everyone else knew him as Hawks, and Tokoyami knew him better than anybody.
Tokoyami shut the door behind him as he entered the bathroom. He set the clothes down on the counter, shedding his cloak and catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror - and, wow, he looked dead on his feet. His eyes were half closed and dim. His feathers were out of place and unkempt, bent up at awkward angles here and there. His shoulders slumped and his movements were lethargic and lazy. The day had certainly taken its toll on him.
Tokoyami unfolded the t-shirt Keigo had given him. It was plain black, just like the one Keigo had on, with silky fabric that felt cool to the touch. The sweatpants matched Keigo's, too, and Tokoyami had no doubt that he had done that on purpose. He shrugged the shirt over his shoulders and soon stepped into gray sweats, lined with fleece that felt impossibly soft on his skin.
When he stepped out of the bathroom, Keigo was sitting on the blankets tucked in a corner of the room, scrolling on his phone and only glancing at Tokoyami to beckon him over. Feeling as if he were about to collapse, he summoned the energy to walk over to where Keigo was and laid next to him, falling on his back with his arms sprawled about.
"Tch," Keigo scoffed. "Comfortable?"
"Hmm," Tokoyami hummed, closing his eyes but holding himself back from drifting off to sleep. "Very much so."
Keigo closed his phone, setting it face down on his chest and turning his attention to Tokoyami. "C'mere," he murmured, stretching out his wings towards his sidekick. Tokoyami shuffled closer to him, turning on his side, feeling feathers brush past his own. Keigo gently draped a wing over Tokoyami, running a hand through black feathers.
For a while, the two laid like that in silence, pressed against each other, with Keigo sorting out Tokoyami's feathers that were askew. Tokoyami had opened his eyes, absently staring across the room, mind totally blank. It was Keigo who broke that silence, with a question. "How're you feeling, Fumi?"
More silence followed. Keigo didn't stop playing with Tokoyami's feathers and just patiently waited for an answer. Tokoyami opened his beak to respond, but then hesitated, biting back his typical response of 'fine'. Because this was Keigo, and if there was one thing Tokoyami had learned during his internship and the subsequent years after, it was that Keigo could always tell when he was lying. And Tokoyami didn't want to lie to Keigo, anyway. "I've been better."
Keigo rolled his eyes. He didn't pry - just met Tokoyami's dark gaze and blinked at him slowly. "Anything you need from me?"
Tokoyami thought about that for a moment. He knew he could ask Keigo for almost anything, anything he wanted, but he didn't. Tokoyami nudged his beak under Keigo's chin, shutting his eyes and releasing a steady sigh. "Just hold me for a bit?"
Keigo's fingers laced themselves between Tokoyami's feathers. "I can do that," he said softly, wrapping his wings tighter around Tokoyami. The raven sunk into the touch, relaxing his body and attempting to let go of all the tension he'd been building up in the past few days. He closed his eyes, focusing on Keigo's hand that gently ran through his feathers. Such a comforting feeling was rare, Tokoyami realized. He only really felt at ease when he was around Keigo, when it was just the two of them. Which wasn't very often - they were so busy, usually around the public or their friends or other heroes. Moments like these were few and far between.
Keigo's hand took Tokoyami's, fingers interlocking. "You know I love you, right?" Keigo asked, before placing a light kiss on the top of Tokoyami's beak.
Tokoyami's response was immediate this time. He didn't have to think about it. "Yes."
Keigo ruffled his feathers. "Good," he murmured, resting his head on Tokoyami's.
Tokoyami wasn't sure what it was - maybe it was the setting, maybe it was what Keigo had said, maybe it had just been a long day - but he felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. His grip in Keigo's hand tightened, which Keigo noticed, of course.
"It's all right," Keigo murmured, sounding just as exhausted as Tokoyami felt. "You're allowed to cry."
Tokoyami wasn't really much of a crier. He didn't like how the tears felt on his feathers or the way his chest tightened when it got difficult to breathe. But he couldn't hold himself back this time. Curling into Keigo's wings, molding his body to match his, Tokoyami felt his eyes starting to water. His body was numb and the only thing that connected him to reality was Keigo's hand in his. It made him think of flying, high over the city, just him and Keigo, late at night beneath a blanket of stars.
At some point, Keigo had drifted off, face buried in Tokoyami's feathers. His breathing was steady, chest rising and falling in an even rhythm. Tokoyami soon followed, still pressed close to him, finding so much safety and comfort in the red wings enveloping him that he finally allowed himself to shut his eyes.