Unz Unz Unz

<b>Nathaniel:</b> Hey man, any chance you know of any good gyms in the area? Don't wanna get rusty before classes start.

<b>Tokoyami:</b> Of course! I have a membership at All Might's All-American Dream. It's a part of a chain, but the one I go to is the first one he opened up, so it has all the bells and whistles you could ever want.

<b>Nathaniel:</b> Hell Yea! I've been to the one state side and its low key one of the best gyms I've ever worked out at.

<b>Tokoyami:</b> My membership allows me to bring a guest. If you want, we can go together so you don't have to open up a membership, with classes starting so soon U.A will probably have facilities just as good.

<b>Nathaniel:</b> Dude that would be awesome!

Even though it had only been a week and some change since I last saw my family, the call last night was a breath of fresh air. I had truly missed them. My dad's parting comment though had reminded me that there was a reason to me being in Japan.

So, hoping that Tokoyami liked working out, I had texted him and asked him for some gym recommendations. What I got in return was definitely more than I had hoped for.

"Good afternoon, Nathaniel-san. That's quite an impressive car." Tokoyami greeted in a friendly manner, his eyes approvingly taking in my current pride and joy.

"Appreciate it man, graduation present from the folks. I also appreciate you letting me tag along with you. I meant it when I said that this gym back home had to be the best workout I've ever had."

"Not a problem. I must admit that I look forward to having a workout partner for a change. None of my previous schoolmates had an interest for it and your comment about not wanting to get rusty before classes rang true for me as well, especially after seeing my placement for the practical portion." My new avian friend commented in the formal tone that I now assume is his default.

"Oh shit, that's right. Top 10 hell yea!" I congratulate the guy, since remembering back to the top names list for the practical, he was number 10 overall. "Well then, I haven't been in the gym for a little over a week, so I don't currently have a set plan. Mind if I follow along with your work out while I get comfortable?"

"Not a problem. I must also admit that I wish to see what the number one applicant can do and how I stack up against you. Today I have a Chest and Triceps Day." Tokoyami explains while we make our way into the ginormous complex that is All Might's American Dream. "Since you've already been to one of these in the states then you probably know that every machine in here can withstand use by All Might himself, so feel free to cut loose, within reason of course."

That one little fact is what had practically made All Might a Millionaire. Although gyms were dime a dozen, especially in a society where everyone's dream was to be a Pro Hero, only very few could boast being able to cater to Japan's #1 Hero himself.

When you had beings that could run faster than a speeding bullet, where more powerful than a locomotive, and the ability to leap over a tall building in a single bound, then bench presses that could only handle a maximum of 2,000lbs, quickly became redundant.

So, filling out the necessary waivers and getting a rundown of the do's and don'ts by the muscle head gym bro that greeted us, almost two hours passed in a blink of an eye, as I got to really push myself and get a measure of what I could currently do.

-:][:-

"God bless this country man." I murmur to Tokoyami as we exit my new favorite place, my eyes catching the modelesque woman who entered as we left. "We have beautiful women in Texas but damn man, how do you not fall in love every other second while in there?"

"Hahaha. Tis a wonderful thing my friend."

"Speaking of, what's the party scene around here? I know the drinking age in Japan is 21 but where do the locals go to blow off some steam?" I ask the only local I know, having grown comfortable enough around him as we worked out together.

"Depends on the vices you fancy." My avian friend vaguely answers. "For Highschool students, their best bet are the karaoke bars. Depending on which one you go to you might be able to sneak in a drink or two. There are also the nightclubs in Tokyo, but if you don't know someone that at least knows someone then good luck getting in…"

"I'm sensing you're holding out on me, dawg. Come on, in my experience, cultures who repress their children the most often end up having the best party scenes." I nudge the guy, giving him a knowing smirk. "I could tell you quite a few stories about some of the all-girls Catholic schools from back home."

"Well, are you into EDM?" Tokoyami asks, his tone neutral and his posture relaxed.

"Now we're talking!"

"Hahaha, then there are a couple of… spots that from time to time will host… spontaneous gatherings. The location of said spots only spread from word of mouth, but if you know what to look out for, then finding out where said gatherings happen, isn't too laborious." The beaked young man mysteriously offers, his smile giving away how much he's enjoying building up the suspense.

-:][:-

The suspense only lasted until that very same weekend. After getting in another glorious pump, as we were leaving the gym Tokoyami had gotten a notification on his phone that had his beak lighting up in a grin.

"Either a girl just asked you to come over or Highschool of the Dead finally got picked up for a second season!"

"Neither my feline friend. How would you like to revel in the dark tonight?"

-:][:-

And that's all he needed to say. After that, the only direction he gave me was to think 2000's Vampire vibe, so I ran with it and ended up coming up with something that made me feel like one of the bad guys out of a Blade movie.

Dressed in a vintage silk red button down, a pair of black leather biker pants, my trusty Rolex, and some black chelsea boots, I was all set for a good night.

"So what should I be expecting?" I ask Tokoyami after picking him up from his parents' house.

"Well like I said before, if you want to have fun in town then you only have so many options. Luckily for us, we live close to one of the top hero universities in the world." My feathered friend begins explaining, taking out a bottle of vodka from the backpack he had brought with him, while I engage the auto pilot that's built into most high-end vehicles these days. "So, they need a way to blow off steam. And since all the good party spots are so far away, the void was filled by the underground scenes."

Now that put a smile on my face.

Although I had snook into a couple of clubs back home, I had always preferred the raves that would get thrown at some abandoned factory or warehouse. Yes, they were a bit on the sketchy side, but as individuals who were looking to become Pro Heroes as a profession, then a little bit of danger just made the experience that more enjoyable.

"Noice!" I express, an excited grin on my face while I knock back the shot offered to me and hit shuffle on one of my party play lists.

Now Playing: Pursuit of Happiness (Steve Aoki Remix) – Kid Cudi

"You know what I just realized. I haven't even asked you about your Quirk. I just assumed it's a mutation quirk like mine…" I start, pointing at my feline ears that I intentionally make twitch for emphasis. "But does it come with any cool abilities, like flying or something?"

"Yo! What's happenin! Paaaarty Peooooople! We gettin laid tonight or what!?"

Instead of Tokoyami answering me though, a black amalgamation of black wisps forming out of his shadow shouts out, catching me entirely by surprise. If the car wasn't driving itself, then I'm sure I would have swerved in that exact moment.

"What the fuck? Hahaha, that's definitely a Jojo reference." I joke after gathering my bearing and seeing that said shadow was doing nothing more than head bobbing to the music.

"9 Hells Dark Shadow, how many times must I tell you to warn me before just popping out like that!" Tokoyami hisses to his unrepentant companion. "Apologize Nate-san, but yes, this is my quirk. I call him Dark Shadow and describing him as a Stand would not be too far off."

"Dope! So, what can you do?" I retort, while asking the now named Dark Shadow a question of my own. "Oh, and to answer your question, I sure do hope so!"

"Ha. I like this guy. As for what I cand do… Be awesome, that's what I can do!" The now more avian looking shadow boasts, flexing what I assume are his arms.

"Humility is something he lacks though." Tokoyami jumps in. "But even so, yes, he is quite awesome. He is a manifestation of the darkness that lies within us all. Gifted to me by the eldritch gods as a weapon to do battle with those who oppose the light."

"I'll take your word for it bud." I easily reply. "Now, more drinks! Let's keep this pre-game going!"

The rest of the ride through town is spent going into greater detail about our quirks and sharing stories about Highschool. From what I could tell, Tokoyami's backstory was very similar to my own.

Although he had a couple of friends in Highschool, his interest in the occult and more supernatural, due to a sentient being literally manifesting out of his body at a young age, made it difficult for him to share common interests with your everyday person.

All in all, he was a cool dude that I was definitely glad to have met.

The drive itself only took around 20mins and as the car pulled into a parking garage that was across the street from the abandoned underground metro, google maps had told us to come to, the thumping bass of the music was a dead giveaway that we were in the right place.

"Hot Damn partner, I'll say it again, how do you not fall in love every other day living here." I mumble to Tokoyami as we get out of the car and are greeted by a scene right out of a movie.

By the looks of it, we got here about the same time as everyone else.

Droves of young men and women dressed for a night out, ranging from form fitting dresses to rave ready outfits, mingling amongst one another. Some pregaming to the music being provided by whoever's car they were standing next to while others making last minute make up checks or participating in their vice of choice.

Having already pre gamed on the way here though, Tokoyami and myself decide to head into the actual party instead of partaking in what was basically a party before the party.

"Come on man! Can't you like totally cut us a break? Some of our friends bailed so we can't afford the VIP booths anymore, but you know, what about a discount, please?"

I overhear as we walk up to the line, suddenly getting a new perspective on why the parking garage was so full of people. Unfortunately, even though the Underground scene was less regulated than legit night clubs, there was still only so much space to go around.

So, the line that we walked up to, looked like at least a 2hr wait.

"Tell you what sweet cheeks, I'm going on a break here in 15mins or so. You make it worth my while… and I can see about getting you that discount." The bouncer responds with a sly grin on his face to the group of girls who were trying to talk their way into a discount.

Looking at said group of 5 girls an idea pops into my head as my eyes roam up the legs of the leader of said group that was now scoffing at the bouncer's insinuation.

"Tokoyami, follow my lead." I say to my black feathered friend, grabbing him by the arm and making him follow me instead of heading to where the line looked to end.

"Come on Camie, let's just pay the cover and forget about VIP." One of the girls says to her friend, only to twitch at the bouncer's reply.

"What's that boss? Cover just tripled? Roger that, Hahaha!" The bulky bouncer, who looks to have drawn inspiration from Ronnie Coleman himself, barks out, one hand fiddling with his ear peace, his grin growing larger at the annoyed looks he gets from the girls witnessing his obviously fake acting.

"Camie, I've been looking all over for you! Sorry about the wait, ya'll pay for the booth yet or are we too late?" I confidently walk up to the group, making sure to make eye contact with the person I now knew as Camie, and send her a wink.

It takes her a moment to come to a decision on how to handle the situation. Her options where either complain to whoever the bouncer's boss was and hope that they weren't as shady as he was or take the unsaid offer of letting myself and Tokoyami, two strangers, join their group.

"No! Right on time!" She jubilantly yells out, a bright smile forming on her lips as she meets me halfway and wraps me up in what to the spectators looks like a natural hug between two friends. "40,000 yen please!"

"Hahaha, straight to business then." I chuckle out, doing quick mental maths and multiplying the amount she asked for by seven, to make sure the amount tracks for what a booth would cost at a club back home. "I got Tokoyami's half, pearpay work?"

"Yes sir! Let me give you my deats. Knowing you, you tots haven't transferred over your contacts yet." The very gorgeous brunette replies, adding to the cover story as the bouncer looks over at us in annoyance.

Although the man has me beat by quite a few pounds in the muscle department, I'm confident I could take him. But in the world he lives in, money talks, so I doubt he would risk the ire from his boss if it somehow got back to him that he turned down the sale of a booth for the night.

"Nathaniel-san, I can't afford that." Tokoyami whispers, low enough for only me to hear, but being the spoiled rich boy that I am, I only send him a wink and continue to send 80,000 yen over to the girl in the tight black dress in front of me.

Walking over to the larger group, the bouncer looks like he's about to protest, but when a man dressed in a nicer suit than his own, walks over to ask if everything is alright, he quickly shuts his mouth and accepts the payment instead.

The rest of the girls followed Camie's lead, but that only lasted until we got inside and away from the bouncer that was trying to extort whatever it was, he was insinuating.

"Hey, hey! Who are you two? You're really cute? Are those your real ears? Where's your tail? Do you have a tail? Can I see it?" A voluptuous blue haired bundle of energy bounces up to me the moment we enter into a corridor where the music isn't too loud. Her action doing wonderful things to her well developed body, that's currently covered in nothing but a silky light blue dress.

"Hahaha, a pleasure to meet you too, my names Nathaniel Lionheart, feel free to call me Nathaniel. This is my friend Tokoyami Fumikage, and thank you for the compliment, you're very cute yourself." I answer back, earning me a smile from said blue haired girl. "Yes, these are real, yes I have a tail, and yes you can see it, but we'll have to do that in private since I would have to undress for that."

The group chooses to ignore my last comment, but the appraising looks I get and the flushed cheeks reassure me that it was taken in the good-natured manner I had intended it to.

"Not that we don't appreciate the help, but you're not expecting anything other than a seat at the booth and the drinks that it comes with, right? I don't want to trade one creep for two more." One of the girls of the group voices out her opinion, her demeanor a lot more cautious than the two girls I had talked to so far.

"I'm still following his lead." Tokoyami blurts out, since the question was directed in his direction, causing me to let out an unintentional laugh that somewhat diffuses some of the girl's aggression.

Throwing an arm over Tokoyami's shoulder, I send a hopefully disarming smile to the rightfully cautious girl and answer her question truthfully.

"From how long the line was, by the point we finally got to the entrance our pregame buzz would have probably been all but gone. I overheard your conversation…" I explain, twitching my ears and getting the giggles and starry eyes I was looking for. "And well, I'm rich so the money part wasn't a big deal, didn't want to wait in line, saw a hot group of girls Tokoyami and I could hang with, and the rest would be up to how the night goes."

Although the girl who asked the question gives me a huff and rolls her eyes, I can still tell the compliment did its job in charming her since she doesn't object further.

By this point we had finally made it to the area the guy in the expensive suit had instructed us to, the VIP sign a dead giveaway. Flashing our wristbands and getting shown to our booths, any awkward tension that had existed between us and the group of girls, quickly washes away as Camie starts distributing the first round of drinks.

"Hey! Your head is really cool! Is it part of your quirk? Do you have wings? That would be so cool! You would be like some kind of Dark Angel or something!" The blue haired young woman begins rattling off, this time Tokoyami getting the brunt of the questioning.

"Sorry about her, she means well but she can be quite a handful at times." Camie, the girl I had pinged as the ringleader, says, coming over and handing me what looks like a vodka soda. "But you and your friend really did us a solid and you said we were hot so come on, spill, which one of us caught your eye?! Maybe I'll put in a good word for you as thanks."

"I doubt Tokoyami is offended that a cute girl is giving him attention, and who's to say you weren't the one that caught my eye?" I flirt, pointedly giving the girl an up and down. "You and your friends usually roll this deep, or is the booth a celebration of sorts?"

"Celebratin. Most of us just got our results for the entrance exams to the universities we were hoping to get into, as for me catching your eye… play your cards right and we'll see." The brunette cheekily replies, giving me an up and down of her own before moving on to distribute the next drink but not before throwing a wink over her shoulder and saying, "Afterall, Nejire wasn't capping. You're definitely cute."

Filing away that the blue haired girls name is Nejire, I do a quick look around the club and properly take in the atmosphere of the place.

2000's vampire movie definitely fit the aesthetic. Young hot bodies grinding up against one another, the House Music controlling the tempo of the party, and the ambiance of strobes and lasers giving just enough anominity for the liquid courage running through most people's system to do its job and let them cut loose.

"Hey, hey, hey! Can I touch your ears?! I've never had a pet cat! My parents always said no, but I've always wanted to pet a cat's ears. Do you really have a tail? Where do you hide it?" Nejire rattles off after once again invading my personal space and this time going further by poking at my body in search of a tail.

"You know, in some cultures a girl asking a guy for permission to rub his ears would be considered as a marriage proposal and as cute as you are, you'll have to at least take me out to dinner before I let you do something like that." I tell the bubbly girl, leaning over so my mouth is closer to her ear, using the intensely loud music as a logical excuse.

Pulling back to gauge her reaction, the blue haired girl blinks a couple times before her perpetual smile grows even larger.

"Oh, you're fun! Are you from around here? Your Japanese is really good but I'm pretty sure I can detect a bit of an accent. Are you from somewhere in Europe? Ooo, ooo, did you apply to one of the nearby hero universities? Are you here celebrating like my friends are?" Nejire asks with genuine interest, her inquisitive nature proving to be quite endearing with how much excitement she asks her questions with.

"Has anyone ever told you that you would make a good detective? Hahaha, but no I'm from Texas and yes Tokoyami and I are here celebrating our acceptance into U.A." I humbly brag, but before I can go about asking some questions of my own, my last statement gets a noticeable reaction.

"NO WAY! I go to U.A!" Nejire excitedly proclaims, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Ahhh! That means I'm your senpai!"

Her shouts manage to grab everyone else's attention, all of them looking over curiously at us, no doubt wondering what got the blue haired girl more worked up than usual.

"You two look like you're having fun." Camie says, as she walks over with a couple more drinks in hand. This time though, her more cautious friend, that had questioned our intentions, tagging along.

"Camie-chan, Camie-chan! Nat-chan got accepted into U.A! I'm going to be his senpai!" Nejire exclaims, giving me what I guess is going to be her nickname for me.

"Wooo, well aren't you mister hotshot!" Camie grins, handing me another drink even though I'm not done with my first one. "How was the exam? I thought about applying but was offered a recommendation to Shiketsu University, so I decided to go there instead."

"Come on! How do we know this guy's telling the truth? For all we know he's just a tourist looking to get in our pants and lying." Their friend chimes in, my perception of her being the final boss you have to defeat before you can hook up with one of the girls becoming more and more solid.

"Well, the beautiful Nejire here, said she's already attending so I don't know if it was the same for her, but the acceptance letters weren't really letters but a hologram video message, oh wait, I have a pic of the top ten leader board on my phone." I answer, getting confirmation from Nejire as she dives into a story of how she got her letter while I pull up the picture of the rankings.

"Wo hotshot, you got first place over all?!" Camie shouts, taking the phone from my hand and zooming in on my name. "Damnnnnn, #2 didn't even stand a chance! Either you're the next coming of All Might or the talent pool for U.A. isn't as awesome as I maybe thought."

"No way! Let me see!" Nejire excitedly replies, taking the phone next while the rest of the group starts to shift over to see what the commotion is all about. "Hey! You are number 1! Miri-chan is tots going to want to meet you, and look! Toko-chan got 10th place too!"

That gets the group talking, and soon Tokoyami and I are both roped into doing shots while regaling the girls with tails of our conquest… Tokoyami's words not mine.

As the night progresses and the drinks continuously flow, it doesn't take long for our group to migrate to the dance floor. For the most part I gravitated closer to Nejire and Camie, both of them reciprocating my carefree vibe as we danced with one another.

The great thing about techno music is that there really isn't a wrong way to dance to it. But with the way the girls' bodies kept on grinding against my own, there definitely was a right way.

-:][:-

"Food! I want food!" The girl that had been doing her best to cockblock both Tokoyami and I, whines as we exit the underground club. Her aim probably set on getting the girls, who are now down to only four, after one of them left with some guy she knew, to ditch us.

Sadly, for her, this wasn't my first rodeo.

"God yes, I could definitely go for some Pizza. If ya'll want, I can order some to my place and we can all head there. My car has auto pilot and it's big enough for all of us if we squeeze a bit." I offer, Nejire and Camie both perking up at my words.

"Yes! Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!" Nejire cheers, her steps a little wobbly, but whether it's from the drink we've consumed or she's just having fun, the act is still adorable.

"Tots down. Some wings and cheese sticks would high key hit the spot too!" Camie agrees as well, a dopey grin appearing on her face when she thinks of more food we can order.

"Hahaha, How about you two?" I ask Tokoyami and the girl he's been spending most of the night with.

"Sustenance would be much appreciated." Tokoyami responds, his attention more focused on making out with the girl in his arms.

Said girl only humming in response.

"It's a plan then! I'll put in the order." I tell the group, getting various degrees of agreements.

Squeezing into the car was even easier than I had hoped. I let Tokoyami and his girl take the driver's side, since the car has auto pilot, him being distracted by the girl on his lap isn't much of a problem.

The grateful smile I got from him made the choice a no brainer, since rule #13 of the bro code reads, 'always wingman thy bro'.

I relegated the girl who had done nothing but cockblock the whole night to the passenger's side, while I squished myself between Camie and Nejire in the back. The girl up front had protested, but Camie had already pulled me into the car before she could get much traction with her logical argument of being smaller than me.

Luckily, it looked like the drinks and dancing had gotten her tired enough to ignore us for the most part.

Not that I had time to worry about such things though. I had spent the night dancing exclusively with both Camie and Nejire, so by this point we were quite comfortable around one another. Mixed with some liquid courage and I had somehow managed to get both girls to be quite touchy feely.