Strings (BNHA x OC) [Rewrite]

42 || Intern

Tokoyami's eyes slowly opened. Once he gathered back his memories of what had transpired beforehand, he decided that his first course of action should be to get a bearing on where he was.

All he remembered was that he was taken and knocked out by Puppet's souls. He didn't know what happened to Eraser Head, nor Asui or Midoriya, but he hoped that they were safe and unharmed.

He currently was sitting against a tree with his hands tied behind his back by Puppets black strings along with his arms and ankles tied together to keep him in place.

"Heya, kid."

Tokoyami looked up, finding Hawks standing a few yards away from him.

"..Hawks?" he questioned, his voice still sounding a bit groggy after waking up from the sedative. He didn't panic, as Hawks was someone he felt relatively safe in the presence of. Even though he was considered a villain, he really didn't think Hawks would harm him. He was the teen's former mentor, and if he had ill-intent, he likely would've been injured already.

He noticed that he still didn't feel the presence of Dark Shadow. "What happened to my quirk?" he asked trepidatiously.

"It's been temporarily removed." Hawks shrugged. "It's really just a safety precaution; think of it as you being strong enough to spook a guy like me." He gestured to himself, then changed the topic. "You're not hurt are you?"

"No."

The winged man nodded in approval.

"Why.. Why am I here?" the teen asked his second question.

"I wanted to see how you were doing." Hawks thought to himself for a moment. "You know what? Let's go for a walk."

Tokoyami felt the strings holding his hands behind his back get cut by one of Hawks' feathers. The feather then did the same with the strings tied around his arms and ankles.

He stood up. The thought of running briefly crossed his mind, but he knew that Hawks would easily catch him. He also knew that he couldn't fight back either; even if he did have his quirk, Hawks was much more skilled than him. So as soon as the thoughts occurred, he pushed them away.

Hawks started to walk away and Tokoyami followed, walking beside the winged man and matching his pace.

As the two walked, Hawks started asking questions. "How've you been doing in the hero course? These days UA's tight-lipped."

"I'm adequate — one of the top, though I could be better," Tokoyami responded.

Hawks reached out and pat Tokoyami on the back in a friendly manner. "You always strive to be better, Tokoyami. Never change."

"Hawks, can I ask you something?"

"Ask away."

"Why did you switch sides?"

That question made Hawks' thoughts momentarily come to a halt. He hadn't expected the question from someone as stoic as Tokoyami.

Hawks thought for a moment before he answered. "It was really a series of events. I saw something in a villain, then I was suspected to be a turncoat and was betrayed. One thing led to another and now I'm here. There isn't really any going back."

"I'm sure you can try," Tokoyami reasoned. He really did think Hawks was redeemable.

"That's not how it works, kid," Hawks told him. "I'm a villain now, and it's getting harder to see me as any different — once wanted, always wanted."

The teen grimaced. The saying wasn't unfamiliar to him, though he never thought that it would apply to the former number two hero — the man that had once been his mentor.