Shino Tokage

@guiltscorched​

this feathered idiot has impressive boyfriend-sensors and as soon as he hears his man approach, he's spinning to catch him and hold him tight. and just like that, the world slots back into place. his chest expands, breathing in the familiar smell and soaking in the feeling of a heartbeat against his own.

despite all that, he's pretty casual when he speaks - as if he hadn't just spent the last few moments greedily re-familiarising himself.

❝hey there, handsome. come here often?❞

snake-oiled-chief​

❝you made this?❞ it’s a delicate thing, silvery and gorgeous, the glint of the gemstone caught within inevitably drawing keigo’s attention. he turns the ring this way and that, letting it catch the light filtering in through the window - holding it gently in his hands, for some reason, as if he’s forgotten how durable it is and has elected to treat it preciously, like glass. if he’s being honest, he hadn’t known what to expect from shino for a gift - he’d have accepted anything at all, even just the thought of being able to spend the holiday season with him. but a gift that he painstakingly created over months? it wrenches at his heart in the sweetest possible way, this solid reminder that he has - somehow - found a partner who loves him enough to do these things.

keigo has been examining the ring intently for several moments when awareness that he has not given his opinion drags him from his thoughts. he startles, gaze flicking abruptly to shino, who is probably just waiting anxiously to hear if he likes it.

it’s so difficult to word how much he likes it. as hawks, keigo has grown accustomed to always having something to say - but as keigo, he shrinks back into quietness when confronted with things he doesn’t know how to verbalise. he compensates by moving to lean his forehead against shino’s, holding onto him so tightly it’s probably almost painful. he kisses his love’s cheek, nose, chin, lips. gentle, loving touches. and then he removes his glove to slip the ring gently onto his finger, watching it again as the light catches the gem.

finally, he finds his voice. clears his throat and murmurs, ❝i love you. i love it. i’ll wear it every day.❞

@snake-oiled-chief said: "I'm really bad at wrapping gifts, so don't make fun of me...'' Tokage huffed an held out a poorly wrapped green present with a gold bow out for his partner. He ducked his head to hide his blush. "Merry Christmas, Keigo."

❝pssssht, as if i’d make fun. what d'you take me for?❞ ( this, from the man who teases his poor beloved at any given opportunity. with love, naturally; the manner of playful jabbing intended to draw out those cute reactions he adores so much. ) ― he isn’t teasing now, though, despite the temptation to see how much more he can get shino blushing. his hands, wrapped in thick gloves, grip the parcel so gently and carefully that one might mistake it for a delicate thing, sugar-spun and fragile. keigo is simply looking at it: the wrappings ( admittedly, not skilfully presented ) in green and the glimmering gold of the bow catching one’s eyes with that gentle shine. it’s pleasing, to him. it crinkles when he adjusts his hold, moving it into one hand so that he can reach out for shino.

he pulls his beloved close, so that they lean against one another’s sides. there’s an odd feeling clanking around his brain, so noisy that he isn’t too certain how to process it. it isn’t unfamiliar, precisely, to be handed gifts - in his line of work, he’s regularly beset by elderly ladies offering him candy and warm food, and younger fans pressing presents into his hands whether he wants them or not. it’s just that recieving gifts from loved ones is not something he’s all too familiar with. he realises he’s just been staring at it and hastens to begin opening the wrappings, reverent as he does so.

❝you really didn’t hafta get me anything, y'know? hell, you coulda wrapped yourself up in a bow and called yourself my present and i’d have been delighted. actually, if you wanna do that anyway, feel free. still, i really appreciate this - whatever’s in here, i know ’m gonna love it.❞ he’s rambling. weirdly nervous. he’s going to be even more nervous later when he hands over his own gift in return. christmas with a partner - it’s as exciting as it is bizarrely terrifying, uncharted territory.

finally, curiosity getting the better of him, he pulls aside the wrappings to take a look at what’s inside.

That answer didn’t help him at all. “None taken,” Endeavor growled as his glare hardened a little. Honestly if he didn’t need Shino to answer some more of his questions he would have left after hearing that. Possibly add a scorch mark to police chief’s office door. Though hearing how he was trusted did make him rethink leaving in a huff. For now at least. 

That list went with what he had already formed in his own head. Though he didn’t in the least hide his dislike for one particular name. Given the fact that a corner of the file he had been given was now crinkled. To be frank, however, he wasn’t at all surprised to hear that All Might wasn’t exactly retired. Especially after hearing how the former Number 1 had information regarding All For One. Endeavor just wasn’t exactly looking forward to paying his rival a visit. “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind. Thank you, for that list as well.” 

It took him a second to register what exactly Shino had said. But the moment his brain processed the information, he abruptly stood as his flames flared. “You’ve what?!” How could a villain get close to his agency without his knowing? He was going have to have a talk with his sidekicks about this. Getting his temper under control, Endeavor gritted his teeth as he asked, “When was the last time you spotted him near my agency?” 

Well, personally, Nezu through that was hardly fair. It wasn’t as if anywhere in the city was equipped to ward off a ‘mob’ of high-end nomu. Although given some of the security features he hadn’t included in the files, UA was probably one of the places with the highest chance of allowing people to escape a situation like that.

Of course, the whole mess with the traitor meant he wasn’t able to bring up some of his better defenses, just in case. Not that he believed the man in front of him to be affiliated with villains (though it wasn’t an impossibility), but there were a number of ways someone could be listening in, depending on their quirk or skill with technology.

“…” He carefully put his tea down, nodding. He did understand the urgency that the man had, that time. His cub was there in their school, after all. It was as much a personal matter as a professional one. “We have eliminated the possibility of a traitor among the staff, and the students are being closely monitored. So far, we’ve seen no definitive evidence from any of them, either.” The rest of the staff were happy to trust their students. Nezu… was not so sure. There was a traitor somewhere. Perhaps a sleeper agent, or someone under duress, but it was still a security risk.

“However, we have the advantage of knowing that there is a traitor, which is more valuable than it seems. I am working on the assumption that the villains already know everything in that file.” It seemed the safest way. “Of course, that does not mean I will just spread it around. It would be best to act as if we don’t suspect they know.”

"what's that guy lookin' at? he got a problem?"  tokage's second in command seems not to like keigo. hasn't from the second keigo started hanging around. so keigo's started looking back, gauging reactions, figuring things out. first thing he realised was that the man looked even more pissed whenever keigo draped himself over the boss. so he starts doing that a whole lot more, perching on his lap like a pretty pet and whispering sweet nothings in his ear at any given opportunity. currently he's digging his fangs playfully into shino's shoulder.  "jealous, i think. who could blame him?"  /   villain boyssss

snake-oiled-chief​:

          oh, keigo enjoys catching this man off-guard. he wants to do it again. wants to watch how his blush deepens the colour of those pretty, bloodied-up scales. he sticks his tongue out, blood red and stark upon it, just to see how his would-be killer might react. this is so much more fun than killing him or stealing from him. he’s so much more fun alive and calling keigo pretty and laying atop him. his attention is an intense thing, a weight keigo can physically feel upon himself, and one that provokes a hungry insistence for more. 

“you’re special,” keigo purrs. it is entirely possible that the velvety fervor of his tone may prompt false impressions of lies. this isn’t a lie. this is true. keigo’s smile is an unhinged thing as he professes his snap-decision interest in the man who could have ended him. “so special. so pretty. so strong.” a good partner, a deadly one, yes. 

he seems entirely more interested in squirming playfully beneath the man, than in paying particular attention to his offer. keigo’s listening, though. his eyes are sharp, his head tilted aside as if considering. he does not deny any accusations upon his sanity; only grins, as if pleased.

“how would you like a discount? special offer just for you,” he drawls, and rattles off the price his former employers had offered. “i’ll cut that price by a quarter if you promise me you’ll take the whole fuckin’ lot of them out. with my help, obviously. i wanna be there to watch you do it.”

snake-oiled-chief​:

          it’s less a battle and more a clash of the baser instincts - tactical consideration wrenched away by the vicious urging of fangs and claws and the bitterness of blood upon the tongue. keigo, grin sharp upon his lips in spite of his torn clothing and skin, might actually enjoy himself if not for the threat upon his life. he really, really didn’t come here to go risking his ass. not for the fuckers he’s elected to work for. not for the bastards who couldn’t even be bothered to verify their intel before sending him into the maw of the serpent. 

he’s panting as he sprawls upon the ground, chest rising and falling rapidly and claws digging into the man’s hips as if attempting to shift his weight enough to throw him aside. a tinge of panic has filtered into his expression now, blurred through the adrenaline-rush and the thrill of the fight, but present nevertheless and encouraging him to struggle harder. 

“y’know what, handsome?” he murmurs, “they ain’t worth dyin’ for.”

that said, he leans slowly-slowly-slowly up onto his elbows - nonthreatening now, wary of those talons, easing his way nearer with golden eyes half-lidded to lick blood from the corner of his opponent’s mouth. 

“fuckers sent me on a mission i had no chance in. why shouldn’t i give ‘em up, huh? just for you.”