Chapter Text
“Now strip!”
“…what?”
In retrospect, Tsuyu should have known things would get weird the moment she'd agreed to model in Mina's photography final. After all, besides being known as the group's biggest gossip (her specialty being the campus’ latest romantic couplings or break-ups), Mina also had the most eccentric personality in their friend circle, which—coincidentally—worked well for her Art major.
Unfortunately, it was for that very same reason that everyone had been hesitant-slash-wary when she'd asked for one of them to model in her final project. Ochako and Momo had hedged politely, Jiro had refused point-blank, and while Toru would have agreed in a heartbeat, suffice to say, her physical attributes made modeling...a difficult task. By process of elimination (and increasingly big puppy-dog eyes), Mina had roped Tsuyu into modeling for the next week.
How that dissolved into being ordered to strip began four days prior...
“Mina-chan?”
“Oh, Tsuyu-chan! Come in, come in!”
Tsuyu crept through the doorway, peering around curiously at the large airy space that was Mina’s studio. As a senior, Mina had a room all to her own for her projects in the Art department, and while the walls were bare, the vaulted ceiling and nearly floor-to-ceiling windows made it a welcoming place.
Speaking of which, Mina was currently posted by one of those windows, camera in hand, beckoning her over. It was then that Tsuyu realized her friend wasn’t the only one there. Seated on a stool by the window was a third person.
He turned as she came to a stop by Mina, though it was she who spoke first.
“Thanks again for doing this, Tsuyu-chan!” Mina exclaimed, pulling her into a one-armed hug. Releasing her, she waved at the raven-headed man on the chair. "This is the model you'll be working with for the next week! Tsuyu, meet Tokoyami Fumikage. Tokoyami, Asui Tsuyu, but everyone calls her Tsuyu-chan."
Tsuyu ducked her head in response to the low bow he offered her, startled by the depth of his voice.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Asui.”
“Nice to meet you, Tokoyami-chan. May I call you that?” At his nod, she croaked easily, “I look forward to working with you this week.”
“As do I.” Standing, he looked at Mina. “Are we finished for today, Ashido?”
“Yep! You’re free to go, Tokoyami. I’ll send you details for tomorrow’s shoot later.”
“Ah.” With another curt nod to Tsuyu, he left. Blinking, a touch startled by the abruptness of his departure, she turned to Mina who was adjusting the settings on her camera.
"Kero? Did I say something wrong?" she asked Mina, tilting her head after the man who'd just left.
"Hm? Nah, Tokoyami's just a little quiet; he's always like that. I'm sure he'll open up more over the week as you work together. Speaking of," Mina gestured her to sit in the vacated chair, "take a seat! Thanks again for doing this for me by the way!"
Tsuyu shook her head as she sat, mind still half-preoccupied with the man who'd just left. "No worries, Mina-chan. I'm happy to help."
“Strawberry latte for Tsuyu, coffee for Tokoyami, and chai latte for me!” Mina declared, plunking the drinks down in front of their respective parties. Waving away their thanks, she went on, “So nothing too complicated for today’s shoot. All I want you two to do is talk to each other and drink coffee! Easy, right?”
Without intending to, Tsuyu found her gaze flicking to Tokoyami's, finding his expression equally bemused.
"You want us to just...talk?" she repeated. "We don't have to pose or anything?"
"Nope! I have some more scripted shots in mind for later this week but for now, just act normal. Go with the flow, be yourselves, chat it up! I'll be right over there if you need me. Don't need me," Mina whispered in an exaggerated undertone. With a final wave, she sashayed away. "Have fun!"
A beat of silence followed the hasty departure of their common link, their eyes again darting toward, then away from one another.
"So...are you an actual model?" Tsuyu asked after a moment.
"Pardon?"
"What Mina said yesterday, about you being the model I'd be working with this week?"
"Ah. Not at all. I think Ashido was just using that term as a joke. As you can see, I hardly have the height to qualify as one," he remarked drily.
It made her laugh, breaking the tension that had lingered in the wake of Mina's departure. Leaning forward, she asked him a question about his studies and he returned in kind.
It’s a little odd at first. Neither of them is completely certain what they’re doing is to Mina’s standards, but seeing how she’s seated at her own little table, happily sipping away at her chai and snapping photos from time to time, they figured they must have been on the right track.
Besides feeling vaguely like she’s being stalked by the paparazzi (Mina’s camera is not subtle), Tsuyu did find herself slowly relaxing. They mostly stick to topics about their schoolwork, but conversation flows easily enough. He tells her he’s studying mechanical engineering and works as an intern for one of the professors in the department. She in turn tells him that she’s a literature major, specializing in mythology.
His eyes lit up with interest. “Mythology? Like Greek mythology?”
“Kero, definitely some of that. Mythology all over the world really. Right now, I’m helping with the research for a book one of my professors, Tatsuma Ryuko, is writing about mythological creatures. Dragons and selkies and such.”
“It must be a fascinating topic to study.”
“It is. I can share some of the papers I’ve been reading if you’d like.” At his nod, she smiled, returning his curiosity with her own. “But the work you do as a mechanical engineer must be interesting, too. And” she laughed, “I imagine it must have more practical application than my field.”
“That would depend on the project.” To her inquisitive croak, he expanded, “Currently, what I’m trying to help develop is a method of flight for human beings.”
“Flight? Like airplanes?” she asked, tilting her head.
“Not exactly. My advisor and the lead of the project, Takami Keigo, is obsessed with the idea of humans being able to achieve flight without the need for things like planes. He’s trying to develop winglike mechanisms that would allow an individual to fly by themselves.”
Her brows rose in surprise, and he shook his head in acknowledgement of the gesture.
“It does sound rather unorthodox, but he’s known for coming up with ideas that sound mad on paper, insane in concept, but work surprisingly well once they’re actually brought to life.”
Placing a finger on her chin, she hummed. “It would be something to see in person.”
“You’re welcome to see when it does. If,” he added darkly, “it does. In addition to having a brilliant mind, Hawks has an unwavering tendency to rush off and leave things half-finished.”
“Leaving you to do much of the work?” she guessed, fighting a smile when his head dropped, looking very much put-upon.
“Ah. Admittedly, I’ve learned a lot picking up after him, but I think a steadier mentor like your own would be preferable.” He sighed. “Between dealing with him and Kaminari, sometimes I feel figuring out the schematics of a new design from scratch are easy in comparison.”
At the mention of the electric blond, she perked up. “You know Kaminari-chan too?”
“Ah.”
She supposes it shouldn’t be too strange seeing how he knows Mina. And with Kaminari being in electrical engineering, it only makes sense they’d know each other. When they exchange notes, Tsuyu’s surprised to find they have more people in common than she would have expected. Besides being friends with Kaminari, he’s also acquainted with Kirishima, Midoriya, Todoroki, Jiro, and Momo.
When she mentioned that, he shrugged.
“UA is a very large campus and I’ve found college occupies people like no other, myself included. Especially if one is working in addition to the regular classwork they pile upon us.”
"I guess it makes sense we've never crossed paths till now,” she mused.
After all, their departments are—literally—on opposite ends of the campus. It would hard to run into him by chance on UA. And, her eyes darted up, she’s certain if she’d seen Tokoyami before, she would remember.
"Ah. I'm usually sequestered away in the lab. It probably doesn’t help matters that there's a convenience store nearby, so I rarely go to the cafeteria." His beak quirked. "I think whoever opened it knew exactly who they were targeting when they selected the location."
She laughed. "I know what you mean. When I’m deep into research, I tend to forget about the time. Usually, my friends have to drag me away from my work before I stop to eat."
They both paused to take sips of their drinks, but the silence was comfortable. More comfortable than she'd expect.
She pressed a finger to her cheek, wondering aloud, "Still, it's a bit strange we haven't met before seeing how we have so many mutual friends. You’d think we’d have come across each other at least once before this."
"Well, in addition to my stellar track record of rarely leaving the lab, I tend to avoid large gatherings." He added wryly, "Those parties Kirishima and Ashido are so fond of throwing aren't exactly my cup of tea. Whenever they invite me to one, I usually tell them I'm busy with a project."
"Are you?"
His beak twitched momentarily, before stilling, tone drolly unrepentant. "That depends on who's asking."
The dryness of his response made her giggle and over the rim of his cup, she thought she caught the edges of his beak curl further upward. Lowering his cup, he continued.
“Moreover, I've known Kaminari since high school, so I’ve a fair idea of what those parties entail."
It's another similarity of theirs and she tells him as much. "Me too. I've only gone to a few and the results...weren't pleasant. Trying to get anything done the day after one is brutal. It's probably best to avoid them."
She's not sure how Kaminari and Sero and the rest of their group manage every week. That being said, they're all excellent at beer pong. (Though she's a little concerned about the state of their livers.)
His eyes gleamed, amused. "Noted. Then until there's something worth enticing me out of it, I believe I shall remain in the safety of the lab.”
She laughed. “Not a bad idea at all, Tokoyami-chan.”
“Tsuyu-chan! Over here!”
Following the sound of Mina’s voice, she found her friend and Tokoyami standing beneath one of the campus’ wrought iron lampposts. Suppressing a shiver, she greeted them both and was grateful for the warm hug Mina gave her.
“You look so pretty, Tsuyu-chan!”
“Thank you, Mina-chan.” She smiled at Tokoyami. “You look nice, Tokoyami-chan.”
He inclined his head once. “You as well, Asui.”
Glancing between them, Mina puffed out her cheeks, indignant. “Hey! What about me?”
“You always look pretty, Mina-chan,” Tsuyu assured her, causing Mina to brighten immediately with an exaggerated toss of her short hair.
“Don’t I know it?” she joked. Clapping her hands, she refocused. “So, kind of similar to yesterday, I want you to just walk around campus a little while I snap some pics. I’ll be following along, but don’t mind me at all. In fact, I’m giving you express permission to pretend I don’t exist.” Shooing them forward, she added, “Just act natural, mkay? And stay on the trail where there’s light!”
“Kero.”
With a wave, she and Tokoyami set off, and true to her word, Mina trailed them like a lone paparazzo. Given the fact that it was late at night, the campus was deserted, so they made for a very odd trio—her and Tokoyami in formal wear, Mina with her giant camera.
Tonight, Mina’s orders had been for her to come in a dress; one, Mina stressed, that was of a lighter shade. Seeing how the photos would be in black and white (the only bit of information her friend would divulge about the project), Tsuyu deduced it was so her dress would show up more clearly in the photos and had accordingly worn a light green, A-line dress. Tokoyami, in contrast, was wearing a dark suit, complete with a deep red tie.
With the surroundings as empty as they are, everything feels quieter, and she fumbled for something to say. She liked their conversation from the day before and wanted to get back that easy rapport as soon as possible, deciding to start with the reason they were there to begin with.
“This is certainly a change from yesterday’s set-up.”
"Ah. I’m curious as to what the subject matter of Ashido’s project is exactly. I hadn't expected to wear such formal dress for these photos."
"She wouldn't tell me either. I think only Kirishima is privy to Mina-chan's thought process." Seeing the face he pulled, she asked playfully, "Not a fan of wearing a suit and walking around aimlessly at night, Tokoyami-chan?"
He laughed quietly. "The night component I don’t mind at all. But having to wear a suit isn’t my preferred activity after a full day of classes and work. My usual state of attire would be a hoodie and sweats, which is a far departure from this."
"Sounds comfy," she hummed. She tipped her cheek to a finger, musing. "I don't mind dressing up, but," she paused as a timely breeze passed, causing her to shiver, "I wish Mina-chan had mentioned we'd be taking photos outside, so I would have brought a cardigan or something."
She doesn't mean to imply anything, but a second later, she's much warmer than she's been for the last ten minutes, thanks to the jacket he’s draped over her.
"Tokoyami-chan..."
He stopped her protests with a firm shake of his head, though his motions were gentle as he secured the garment over her shoulders.
"Seeing how cool it's gotten, it would be madness for you to be outdoors without a jacket. Ashido should have had the foresight to tell us where we'd be shooting if it meant us being outside at this late an hour."
(Mina was still trailing them a couple feet away, camera at the ready—for what, Tsuyu didn't know—but she hadn't interrupted them.)
"Besides," he murmured, drawing her attention back to him, noting his gaze had angled off to the side. "I would hate for you to catch a cold, Asui."
Pulling the jacket closer with one hand, she reached over with the other, resting it briefly over his, smiling at his startlement.
"Thank you, Tokoyami-chan."
"Ah."
“So,” she started after a beat, “How did Mina-chan get you to agree to modeling for her? Forgive me for saying so, but this doesn’t seem like something you’d do for fun.”
He shook his head. “No, you are correct. This is certainly far out of my realm of comfort. I was coerced.”
“Coerced?”
“Ah. Because of my dog.”
She tilted her head, echoing him. “Because of your…dog?”
He nodded, sighing. “Yes, Dark Shadow—”
She couldn’t help the giggle that slipped from her lips. “Your dog’s name is Dark Shadow? No, it’s a cute name, just surprising,” she assured him quickly.
Tokoyami’s eyes dipped, clearly flustered, though he drew out his phone in response. Tapping it, he offered the device for her perusal, and she cooed at the sight of the pitch-black dog lying belly-up, a goofy expression on its face, that served as his lock screen.
“What breed is he?”
“Some sort of labrador-pit bull mix, I believe.” At her curious croak, he elaborated. “I got him at the shelter. In all actuality I hadn’t been meaning to adopt a dog. I was merely accompanying my friend, Koda, since he wanted a second opinion on the cat he was going to adopt.”
“But then?” she prompted.
His beak twitched. “But then, I decided to walk around while Koda was signing the papers, and I came across Dark Shadow. He was…unhappy to say the least. Frightened. Temperamental. And hidden deeply in the back of the kennels. The shelter worker told me that black dogs tend to be overlooked, and I could see why. Furthermore, being a pit-bull mix meant any potential interest he’d garner was almost instantaneously lost when people found that out.”
She hummed, sympathetic, and he nodded. “Quite. As bad as I felt for him though, I still wasn’t planning on adopting any animal. But when I stopped for a moment by his cage, he quietened. Simply looked at me and…”
“You couldn’t leave him?”
“Ah,” he coughed. Tsuyu hid the smile threatening to arise on her lips at his fluster. There was clearly more to Tokoyami than met the eye and she wondered if he could see the parallel between him and Dark Shadow. Likely, she thought with a silent laugh, not.
“He’s certainly not without problems. He’s up at odd hours of the night, disrupting my sleep, and for a long while, he had separation anxiety. Plus, it takes a tremendous amount of time for him to warm up to new people,” he went on brusquely, though the tone did little to hide how much he cared about his dog.
“But he’s better now?” she asked.
“Ah. Well,” he sighed. “Besides a recent incident.”
“Kero?”
“I’d brought him over a couple weeks ago to Kirishima and Ashido’s, and while I was out picking up dinner for the three of us, Dark Shadow went on a rampage and destroyed a number of Ashido’s paintings.”
It wasn’t what she had expected at all, blinking at him, thrown. “He destroyed Mina’s paintings?”
He nodded with another heavy exhale. “Ah. Kirishima and Ashido claimed they were occupied with something else,” here, he winced, “and somehow Dark Shadow managed to slip from the living room into her home studio. It was…a banquet of madness to say the least.” Shaking his head, he concluded, “Ashido was understandably upset, but she claimed she’d forgive me if I agreed to help her with this project.”
“I see. I’m sorry to hear that happened,” she said. “Was Dark Shadow okay?”
He looked surprised by her question but nodded. “Ah. He was fine and hasn’t done anything like that before or since. I’m still not sure what triggered him to act the way he did that day, but I’ve been keeping a closer eye on him just to be safe.”
“It’s hard to say since Mina and Kirishima didn’t see either,” she croaked. “But I’m glad to hear he was fine. I doubt he acted out like that without reason.”
"Ah. I believe the worst part about it was he acted completely guileless about the destruction."
She tilted her head. "The worst part?"
He turned away, voice low with embarrassment. "...it made it very difficult to reprimand him for the mayhem.”
She smothered her laughter at that. (Somehow, she's certain his "very difficult" translates to "could not admonish his dog at all.")
"I see."
"In any case," he continued, shaking off the traces of his fluster. "Ashido said there would be no hard feelings if I did one task for her. Which turned out to be this."
"Kero. Well, hopefully this isn't too painful a punishment for you, Tokoyami-chan?" she queried, finger to her chin.
She hopes not anyways and is gladdened to see his beak curve.
"Not at all."
Day three began like this:
“Take off your shirt.”
“What.”
Seeing how early it was (the sun barely peeking through the studio windows), Tsuyu didn’t blame Tokoyami for his bewilderment. Like him, she thought she’d misheard Mina.
Nope.
“Take off your shirt, Tokoyami!” Mina demanded shrilly, causing them both to wince. They’d finished around midnight the previous evening and Tsuyu had fallen into bed, exhausted and anticipating sleeping in the next day—only to see a text from Mina telling her to be at the studio at five the next morning. Which was now.
While Tokoyami didn’t look quite as tired as she felt, he was also far from Mina’s energy level. Her friend was practically bouncing off the walls, like she’d slammed five energy drinks in a row (and knowing Mina, that wasn’t an unlikely possibility).
“Ashido—" Tokoyami started, only to be cut off.
“You promised you’d do anything to make up for Dark Shadow’s rampage,” Mina said, brandishing a finger sternly to his beak. Tsuyu vacillated between sympathy and amusement, seeing the emotions that warred across Tokoyami’s face. He was probably leaning toward acquiescence, but Mina wasn’t willing to wait for him to decide to do so.
"For the project!" she cried, proceeding to all but yank at the front of Tokoyami's shirt until he sidestepped her reach, shedding the garment in question with a scowl.
Perched on the table Mina had instructed her to sit upon, Tsuyu had to press her lips together to prevent the gasp that almost slipped out. For a guy who claimed to be stuck in the lab all day, Tokoyami was remarkably well-built, in a lean muscled sort of way that she (furtively) found she liked. The line of his forearm flexed in a way she couldn’t help staring at as he handed his shirt off to the side, still frowning. Silently, she wondered if the machines he dealt with required a lot of hands-on work, though her musings were interrupted by a brightly exuberant Mina.
“Here, put this on!”
Tsuyu blinked at the button-up Mina proffered, realizing it was the one she’d just wrestled away from Tokoyami.
“Mina-chan…”
Twisting her face in a pleading expression, Mina was off. “Please, Tsuyu-chan! It’s for my project! And I have good reason for all this, I swear! Just put it on! Please, please, pleaseeeeeeee!”
Tsuyu sighed. It was too early to put up a fight, and at the very least, she hadn’t been told to strip down. “Kero.”
“You’re the best, Tsuyu-chan!” Mina cheered. “Tokoyami, get over here, please!”
Tsuyu pulled on the shirt, flushing slightly. He’s far from the tallest guy she knows, but Tokoyami’s shirt is still overly large on her and even buttoned, it hangs loosely on her frame. She’d just finished doing up the last button when she heard a slight noise, looking up to find Tokoyami’s startled gaze on her.
"Is that..." he cut himself off with a roughened cough. "I'm sorry, Asui. I wasn't aware this was why Ashido insisted I remove my shirt. Had I known—”
Before Tsuyu could reply, Mina interjected, appearing out of the blue. "What are you talking about, Tokoyami? It fits Tsuyu-chan like a glove! It's exactly what I envisioned. Now these are for you.” Here, she handed them each a mug of coffee. “Tokoyami, you sit here. And Tsuyu-chan, you stay there. I’ll be back!"
“…”
Holding a mug of coffee, enveloped in Tokoyami’s white button-up, she couldn’t think of anything to say; mind preoccupied with her state of dress. His shirt on her really was quite large, long enough to reach mid-thigh and seeing how Mina had asked her to wear shorts and a white t-shirt today, it…probably looked like she wasn’t wearing anything but his shirt.
"Here's some creamer!" Mina trilled, again, popping out of nowhere and proceeding to sprinkle a liberal amount of the stuff into Tokoyami's cup. "Ooo, let me get you guys a spoon."
Catching the dismay on his face looking down into his now white-flecked coffee, Tsuyu wanted to giggle, though she pushed it aside in favor of holding out her untainted cup.
"Did you want mine instead? You prefer your coffee black, right?"
He looked startled by the comment. "Ah. How did you...?"
"That's what you were drinking at the café," she said, smiling. "Would you like mine?"
Tokoyami shook his head. "No, this is...fine." Giving the mug a cautious swirl, he brought it to his beak and took a sip, visibly wincing.
Again, suppressing the urge to laugh, she added a (much more restrained) amount of powdered creamer to her coffee, mimicking his motions, seeing as no spoon was forthcoming. (Mina, it seemed, had become distracted talking on her phone.)
Pulling the cup from her lips, she couldn't help flinching as the chunky, undissolved granules of creamer hit her tongue. Before her, Tokoyami's face remained impassive, though she thought she detected a glint of amusement in his eye.
"I don't care to speak ill of people and their kindness, but in this particular case, this coffee is..."
"Disgusting?" she finished.
He chuckled. "I was going to say, non-palatable, but yes. Disgusting works, too."
"I think drinking it black might have been better than this," she said, looking sadly at the still-floating lumps of creamer in her coffee. They were gradually ebbing away, but at a pace that would rival a snail’s. Tokoyami's coffee, on the other hand, still contained a barrage of ice cap-like chunks of creamer, making it impossible to drink without inhaling a clump of the stuff.
"Perhaps." He took another reluctant sip. "But I did try it before Ashido soiled it with creamer and candidly, it was still some of the worst coffee I've ever had the misfortune to drink. There's not a lot going for my department, but I will say, comparatively speaking, the coffee we have is better than this."
Her lips twitched. "It's possible they have something better here too, but from what I know, Mina mostly survives on energy drinks."
"Somehow I find that...not at all surprising," he remarked drily.
Like an errant waitress, Mina swooped in, spiriting away the bottle of creamer, calling over her shoulder what’s become the usual refrain.
“Act natural, you two!”
Shaking her head at Mina’s erratic behavior, Tsuyu took another swallow. It’s still pretty bad in her opinion, but it must be ten times worse for Tokoyami and she says as much. "This must be torture for your, Tokoyami-chan, seeing how you're a coffee aficionado."
He dipped his head, words and motion humble. "Aficionado is too praiseworthy a descriptor. More like coffee is my life blood. With all the time I spend at the lab, it’s a given," he explained. Swirling the liquid in a fruitless attempt to get the creamer to dissolve further, he continued, “Arguably, it's both necessity and preference for me. Even in the instances I'm away of the lab, I drink it. There are a handful of decent cafes around the university on the West end of campus that I like to frequent in my spare time."
She hummed thoughtfully. "That must be nice. The East side of campus just has big-chain coffee shops, and they're always packed to the brim with students. It makes it a bit of a hassle to even get a drink, so I rarely go."
"Do you drink coffee? Besides...whatever this is," he grimaced into his cup, drawing a laugh from her.
"From time to time, mostly on outings with friends. I like lattes, strawberry lattes in particular. But I don't drink it half as much as you do, I’m guessing," she added teasingly.
He smirked. "Probably a good thing."
It's a captivating expression, a detail she'll remember clearly when she thinks back to that early morning shoot.
Later, she'll treasure that moment, along with a collection of other small, inconsequential details from that day.
The pebbling of his skin in the brisk early dawn. The red of his eyes looking up at her. The way his forearm accidentally brushes against the inside of her knee when he lowers his cup (sending a jolt of warmth through her stomach, even as he stammers out an apology).
Atrocious coffee aside, it's one of the best mornings she's ever had.
“Ta-da! You asked for it, so today we’re doing poses!”
Emphasizing her words, Mina twirled excitedly in place, then threw up a peace sign before the large floor-length mirror propped against one of her studio’s walls.
“I don’t believe we ever asked for it,” Tokoyami murmured to her in a low undertone, sighing. “But at this point, sure. Why not?”
Tsuyu had to bite her lip to prevent a laugh from slipping out, agreeing with his droll observation, but knowing Mina would only get more worked up if she overheard them, she contained herself. Still, it’s nice to be on a level where they can quietly joke with one another and know they’re not alone in the face of Mina’s tyranny.
Today, at least, there were no outfit changes. She was back in his shirt, while he was again, shirtless, but they’d come to terms with the fact that what Mina wanted, Mina got. And the sooner they agreed to her terms, the sooner they could return to the normalcy that still existed outside her studio.
Glancing sideways at Tokoyami, her lips twitched a little at the growing familiarity between them.
He's a little less flustered today at the sight of her in his shirt, just as she's a little (a lot) more comfortable wearing it. All that was thrown out the window though, the minute Mina opened her mouth.
"Now hold her."
She gets a double view of Tokoyami's bemusement, on his actual face and in the mirror, his feathers cresting slightly, panicked.
"What?"
Contrasting the disquieted inflection in his tone, Mina was blatantly militant. "I said, hold her."
"It's fine, Tokoyami-chan," Tsuyu croaked. She knew he was primarily speaking up on her behalf—knew he was worried he’d make her uncomfortable if he did as Mina ordered—but she didn’t mind and told him so.
His beak opened and closed, sighing in defeat. Motions hesitant, his hands rose, resting themselves gingerly on her hips.
"Act like you mean it! Act like you like her!"
Painstakingly slow, his hands curled a little more securely around her. In the mirror, Tsuyu could see him looking off to the side, discomfort evident.
Even in the short amount of time she's known him, she's figured out Tokoyami isn't one for casual touch, especially such an intimate gesture like they're doing now. It’s not like she’s one for casual physical intimacy either, but she also finds she doesn't mind too much. She’s surprisingly okay with having Tokoyami hold her, but she wants him to go at his own pace; can tell this is already a lot for him.
Mina, on the other hand, has no such qualms.
Marching over, she wrenched Tokoyami's hands away from her hips, positioning them so they were wrapped snugly around her waist instead. She then grabbed his head, angling it unapologetically until it rested on her shoulder.
"Like that! Now don't move! And remember, just act natural!" Mina chirped, suddenly buoyant as she skipped back to her camera set up. There was a beat of silence, though Tsuyu was surprised when he spoke first.
"You know, she keeps saying that, and yet, I've never done this in my life," he muttered grimly.
Her lips twitched. "Not a fan of the morning after?"
He huffed a reluctant laugh of his own. "Not really." His eyes rose to meet hers in the glass. "You?"
"No. And I don't think I've ever done this."
This, being standing in front of a mirror, in the arms of a guy she met only three days ago. Who, incidentally, also happened to be shirtless.
Thinking it only solidifies the actuality of it—the reality that she's standing in Tokoyami's arms with only his shirt covering her and little else. The thought makes her cheeks flame just a little.
Fortunately, his voice took on a tone of dry amusement, breaking her from her train of thought.
"This, being the charming experience of being yelled at by a deranged art student as you acquiesce to her every demented wish and whim?"
She giggled, catching the curl of his beak in the mirror.
"Exactly."
In a way, it helped having the “deranged” art student yelling at them. With all the instructions Mina was hollering at them, there really wasn’t any time to ponder too deeply about the intimacy of their position, or how good Tokoyami’s arms felt wrapped around her. It seemed every other minute was occupied by a new instruction: tilting her head, tilting his head, move to the left, no, move back to the right, adjust your foot, Tsuyu-chan, lower your right hand, Tokoyami.
It felt like a very oddly coordinated dance, and after a while, she and Tokoyami were going through all the motions with little thought on what they were being told what to do. It wasn’t until Mina called a final set of instructions that they broke out of their mutual stupor.
“Now get closer, Tokoyami! Put your head right by Tsuyu’s! Closer, closer, closer, yes, just like that! Hold it!”
At this point, Tokoyami’s arms were already snug around her waist, her hands lightly resting atop his forearms, and fearful of Mina’s wrath, Tsuyu didn’t dare move. She watched in the mirror as he lowered his beak to rest atop her shoulder, pressing his face far closer than it’d been in any previous position.
“Ke-kero.”
“Asui? Are you alright?”
He’d drawn back at the sound of her smothered laughter, brow pinched with concern, almost causing her to laugh again. (Fortunately, Mina was too occupied adjusting the lighting to scold them for moving.)
"No, it's nothing." At his doubtful look, she explained. "Your feathers tickled me a little, that's all."
"Ah, my apologies, Asu—”
She shook her head, cutting him off gently. "It's fine, Tokoyami-chan. Really." As he laid his beak back down carefully at the juncture of her neck, she found herself lifting a hand, resting it gently against the feathers of his cheek with a smile. "It feels nice."
"…thank you."
There’s a hint of embarrassment in his tone, but in the mirror, she could also see the gratitude quietly reflected in his eyes. It had her smile widening, brushing her thumb idly over his feathers.
Nice, indeed.
"So, I'm not going to make you wear Tokoyami's shirt today."
"Kero? That's good," Tsuyu said. There's the smallest inflection in her voice, but she thinks she’s managed to hide the (tiny) bite of disappointment in reaction to Mina's news. More pressingly, with her pink-haired friend, she should know there’s always more to the story.
"Are you wearing a strapless bra? Actually, no, don't answer that. Here you go! Think of it as a thank you gift for helping me with this project!" Mina sang, all but shoving a pink tissue paper-stuffed bag into her hands, then shoving Tsuyu into the little changing closet that sat in the corner of the studio. "Now put that on and come out when you’re ready! Just that! Nothing else, mkay?"
Despite the overflow of tissue paper, the actual contents of the bag were minimal.
Literally.
Holding up the scraps of lingerie (a rather cute set in green and black, actually), she couldn't help the croak of trepidation that came from her lips. Even after she changed, it took her a second to gather her nerve and—still bundled in her cardigan—step out uncertainly.
"Tsuyuuuuuuu-channnnnnnnnn, I told you to wear only what I gave you," Mina whined.
She'd been making adjustments to her camera set up while Tokoyami was seated on...a bed. How Mina managed to get a bed in the space, Tsuyu had no idea. Once again though, that question was pushed aside in favor of the bigger concern that was Mina's orders.
“I am,” Tsuyu said, forcing her voice to remain calm. Knowing she was wearing next to nothing while Tokoyami was just a few feet away was rattling her nerves in a way they’d never been shaken before. “Mina…”
"I promise I won't make you do anything weird! Just a couple shots of you and Tokoyami in bed, but I promise that’s it! This is the last shot and then it'll be over." Pressing her palms together, her friend chanted, "Please, please, please, please!"
"Mina-chan, this is all very weird already," Tsuyu stated, matter-of-fact. Still, in the face of her friend's rapid-fire pleas, she caved. They're pretty much at the end of Mina's assignment and as left field as she can be, Tsuyu's also sure that Mina won’t push them completely out of their comfort zone (no more than she had already, anyways). At the very least, she thought, making her way over to Tokoyami, she's not alone in this.
He straightened, eyes seeking hers right away, the grimace on his beak softening as he spoke. "Ashido explained to me what today's shoot would be and if it makes you uncomfortable—"
She shook her head. "It's fine. It's just one more. Unless you don't...?"
He coughed, turning away.
"It's fine," he echoed.
There was no time for the silence to turn awkward, seeing how Mina was upon them already, clapping her hands vigorously and making it awkward in her own uniquely horrible way.
“Everyone ready? Last shoot and then you’ll be free~”
“Kero.”
“Ah.”
"Great!" Mina exclaimed, paraphrasing liberally. “Now strip!”
“…what?”
They both blinked at her and after a minute of inaction, Mina began to scowl at them.
"Mina. This feels vaguely..." She couldn’t imagine anything involving her in lingerie, Tokoyami, shirtless, and a bed wouldn’t be… Hm. As blunt as Tsuyu could be, she couldn’t quite find the correct word to finish her sentence. Wrong? Pornographic?
Blinking, Mina seemed to catch her meaning, waving her hand with an airy laugh. "Don't worry, Tsuyu-chan! I promise there won't be anything inappropriate in these photos; they'll look classy, I swear! Only from the shoulder up, promise!"
Glancing to the side, eyeing the sunlight streaming in, she clapped her hands. “Now let’s move with some expediency please, people! The light is burning away as we speak! So off with the outerwear and under the covers. Arms around Tsuyu, Tokoyami, just like yesterday!”
"Ashido—"
"Mina—"
"Now!" Mina barked, eyes steely with determination. Orders given, she flounced away to her camera, leaving them to exchange hesitant eye contact.
"And here I'd been so certain it couldn't get stranger than what occurred yesterday," Tokoyami sighed.
"With Mina-chan in charge, there's never any telling what will happen," Tsuyu returned. One hand rising to the edge of her cardigan, she croaked gingerly, "Do you mind turning around?"
"Ah. Just let me know when you're..." he coughed, "...ready."
Pulling off her cardigan quickly, she discarded it on a chair just outside the camera’s frame, slipping under the covers in the same fluid motion, back still turned to Tokoyami.
“Ready,” she said softly.
“Ah.”
Somehow not seeing him get in bed heightens everything else about the action—the way the sheet over her folds back just slightly, the dip of the mattress with his added weight, the thread of apprehension hanging between him and her as he hesitates to move closer.
"Arms around Tsuyu-chan, Tokoyami! Don't make me come over there," Mina warned.
Feeling him slide closer, she lifted her head, allowing him to place one arm beneath her neck, while the other settled on her sheet-covered hip. Even through the material, the heat of it burns into her skin.
"Sorry about this, Asui," he murmured. The apology, and the low exhale that accompanies it, brushes the fine hairs along the nape of her neck. Glad she was facing away from him just then, she fought to keep her voice neutral.
"It's fine, Tokoyami-chan."
Consciously, she eased herself into his arms, leaning back ever so slightly, her hands sandwiched between the pillow and her rapidly warming cheek, staring straight ahead at his arm stretched out in front of her.
She's not quite sure what she's supposed to "do." Just lay there she supposes, which is...not an easy task, considering how wired her body feels; a flush rising to her cheeks that has absolutely nothing to do with the room's temperature (which is moderately chilly) and everything to do with the proximity of the man behind her.
Though she imagines it's even worse for Tokoyami who has to keep his arms around her, holding her in a way that's bound to feel uncomfortable for him, the sheer proximity alone an antithesis to his reserved nature.
He manages to maintain a modicum of distance between his and her hips, but her back is flush against his chest.
"Sorry, Asui."
It's the second time he's expressed the sentiment today and despite her previous reassurance, she can tell he's still concerned she's uncomfortable in their current position. Which isn't true at all. Not in the way he’s thinking anyways.
She shook her head, then remembered he was right behind him and stilled. She doesn't want him to get a beakful of hair after all. "Don't worry, Tokoyami-chan. It's fine."
It doesn't help much. She knows she could repeat those same reassurances several times over, but it wouldn't ease his discomfort.
Even without looking, she can feel how tense he is pressed against her back, muscles held perfectly still, his form locked against (but also not against) her—somehow managing to maintain the merest millimeter between him and her best he can without drawing Mina's unhappy attention.
As uncomfortable as this makes him, she knows he’s determined to see this through, to keep his promise to Mina. She only wishes she could help alleviate the tension hovering between them, if only by a little.
With a blink of realization, she remembered how he'd gradually relaxed the day before, at the touch of her hand to his cheek.
Reaching out, following the line of his outstretched arm, she took ahold of his hand, carefully weaving her fingers through his. For a second, his body stiffened, and she could hear his faint inhale beside her ear.
"Kero, is this okay?"
"Ah."
Slowly (so slowly she’d think she were imagining it, were it not for the fact that she's looking straight at their hands), she feels the way his fingers card more securely in hers, curling them together in a gentle pulse of gratitude; the rigidity in his body ebbing away, softening and molding more closely around her.
They don't say anything else until Mina orders them to change positions, but in that moment, Tsuyu thinks she could lie in his arms, her fingers interwoven with his, for quite a long time.
***
It takes a while to set up the next and (according to Mina), final, shot. She has them face one another, ordering Tokoyami to lie still while she spends an inordinate amount of time fussing with Tsuyu's hair. Finally finished fanning it gently out, she gave Tsuyu the same order—to stay still—but otherwise gave them permission to talk.
And, as was the "normal" for the shoots: “Just act natural!”
Tsuyu’s always been a decent speaker; if anything, the fault has generally lied in her blurting out her thoughts too candidly. But she finds herself at a loss for words just then.
Despite the distance gained between this and the previous shot, somehow this position feels strangely more intimate than the last.
Maybe it’s because she can actually see the line of his shoulders and the shape of his chest (the memory of how solid it felt against her back still fresh in her mind).
Or maybe it's the awareness that she, too, is scarcely dressed; body thrumming at the thought that, just as she's trying her best not to look too closely at him, he likewise must be doing the same of her.
Hard as she tries not to, her eyes instinctively follow the movement of the sheet whenever one of them shifts. Inevitable, then, that she’d caught a glimpse (or two) of Tokoyami's bare torso, just as she’s certain he’s likely caught similar glimpses of hers. Not that he's staring or anything, but from the fixedness of his gaze—locked somewhere over her shoulder—she’s sure he has.
Or (and she thinks this is the real reason) it's the fact that she's facing him directly, her eyeline level with his, in a position that's inherently more open. More vulnerable. Though, she thinks, the emotion flickering in her chest right then, is far from fear.
It makes her blush just a little.
It isn't (just) the lingerie she's wearing. (After all, she's worn equally revealing swimwear without batting an eye; she's not ashamed of her body.)
Nor is it the fact that they're lying in bed together. (Admittedly, that's a little out of the ordinary, but she's shared beds platonically with friends before without issue.)
Both those things might be contributing factors, but truthfully, Tsuyu knows the heat that's arisen to her face isn't because she's lying in bed with a somewhat stranger.
It's because she's lying in bed with Tokoyami, who's no longer a stranger, but isn't someone she'd categorize as something as simple as a friend. Not with the way her heart is pounding the way it is now, anyways.
She almost jumps when he speaks, his gaze still fixed politely near her face, but also very pointedly away from her sheet-covered body.
"You never mentioned why you're doing this for Ashido. Purely out of friendship? Or does she have some sort of perverse leverage against you as well?"
The reminder of his reason for being there made her giggle. “Fortunately, Mina-chan doesn’t have anything to use against me.” Nodding in acknowledgement of his responding grimace, she continued. "Of our friends, I think I just happen to be the least camera-shy and Mina seemed like she really needed the help."
She described the arduous process Mina had gone through asking them all, concluding:
"Everyone had various reasons for begging off, but I think given the choice, Mina would have preferred Yaomomo for this project."
Tokoyami’s brows furrowed. "Yaoyorozu?"
"Kero. She so tall and beautiful, the perfect model really." Tsuyu smiled. "Did you know she used to do some actual modeling?" When he shook his head, she explained, "Even though she was good at it, I think the experience wasn't the best and Yaomomo's never liked the spotlight."
"A relatable feeling."
Her lips curled. "I agree. I don't think of myself as particularly photogenic, but this isn't really about me."
This time, his brows rose, bemused. "Not about you?"
"Not about the way I look, I mean," she clarified. "If I look good in these photos, or if this is my best angle. Which," She squished her cheek pointedly into the pillow with a laugh, "I suspect isn't. That isn’t the point of the photos, which is partially why I didn’t mind volunteering to do this.
“It's not so much about how I look in these pictures as it is Mina's photography skills. She might be really extreme about it, but I know Mina-chan has some sort of vision for all this madness. If I'm able to help her convey the concept she's envisioned, then that's all that matters."
With a quirk of her lips, she finished simply, "I've never particularly cared how others perceived me in person, let alone through a camera lens. So, I was okay with modeling for this project."
"In that regard…"
His voice trailed off, causing her eyes to meet his inquisitively. His gaze slid to the side, before capturing hers once more, voice soft.
"Whether it be a perception of your physical beauty or the beauty of your character, you've nothing to worry about."
She hears what he's said (and the quieter implications of what's not said), with a blush. A blush that only deepens when his hand rises, brushing a lock of hair back behind her ear tenderly.
In that instance, she almost gives in to the unexpected bolt of impulse snaking through her belly. Almost leans forward to offer him her own tender gesture in exchange for his. She wants to press her lips to his beak and her body closer to his. Is only a few centimeters away from doing so, seeing as he’s right there…
Fortunately (or not), a bright flash startles them both out of the moment.
"Perfect!" Looking down at her camera screen, Mina nodded approvingly. "That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to capture. And that’s a wrap, people! Thank you both so much!”
“Kero.”
“Ah.”
The aftermath feels like a blur. She slips out of the bed, tugging on her cardigan, rushing to the changing room to yank on her clothes just as hurriedly. By the time she’s dressed, she still doesn’t know what exactly she’ll say to Tokoyami, but she knows she wants to say something.
Only… only he’s gone by the time she comes out.
It’s just Mina in the studio, perched on the stool that’s been there since the first day. The stool Tokoyami had been seated in when they’d first been introduced. At her footsteps, Mina looked up, offering her an uncharacteristically quiet smile.
"He had to run off. Said something urgent came up in his lab or something."
"Kero."
Tsuyu's not sure why that information is so disappointing. Maybe because she thought there’d been something in that last moment. Or from the first moment. Or all the moments in between, as incomprehensible as it seems from a purely rational standpoint.
They met only five days ago. She shouldn’t be feeling such a sharp pang in her chest.
At the very least, it would have been nice to exchange contact info with him. Strange as the reason they’d met might have been, she did feel they hit it off well enough to be friends. Her mouth opened, considering asking Mina for his number, before closing abruptly.
Recalling the fluster on Tokoyami's face whenever they’d been in close proximity during the shoot, she stops herself. Maybe he was simply glad to be done with the project (it was technically a punishment of sorts for him) and had just been polite enough to make conversation with her. Now that it was all over and with no reason to stay, he probably wanted to leave the experience behind him as quickly as possible.
Mina eyed her, something knowing in her expression, but simply went on. "Oh yeah, you should come to my department's showing of our final projects! It'll be a good one and there's free wine~"
Tsuyu forced a laugh, pushing all thoughts of Tokoyami away for the moment. "What an enticing offer, Mina-chan. And I'll finally be able to see the photos?"
(Mina's been keeping a tight lock on the pictures thus far. Every time Tsuyu’s so much as looked in the direction of the camera screen, Mina would hunch her shoulders in a stunning imitation of a snarling, overprotective gremlin.)
"Yep! You'll finally get to see the big reveal," Mina grinned. Snapping her fingers, she added. "Oh yeah, I invited Tokoyami too before he zipped out. Hopefully he'll get out of that lab of his long enough to come."
"I see." Again, there's a quality in Mina's voice she can't quite place, but Tsuyu shook it off in favor of noting down the time and location of the showing. "Thank you, Mina-chan. I'll see you then."
"Thank you, Tsuyu-chan! You were a lifesaver! And don’t worry,” Mina winked, “I think you’ll be very happy with the results!”