Summary: There's always a creeping worry rasping his skull whenever you cuddle him, 'cause one mistake is all it would take to lose you forever.
Genre: fluff (?)
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There aren’t many times when you get to spend time tangled in each other arms with no concerns about the world surrounding you, so you enjoy these little moments stretching them as much as possible.
Shigaraki breaths against your neck as you unknot his messy locks gently. You press your nose to his scalp to take in as much of his sharp neutral soap scent as you could, and you sigh, content.
Tomura’s chest is tightening, however. Being close to you feels good in a foreign way. It’s better than any other sensation he can think of. Safer than he ever thought possible. Leaving aside how frightening those matters were, Shigaraki feels especially anxious.
Embraced like this, one mistake is all it takes to lose you forever. That thought creeping at the back of his head generally keeps him from relaxing. It’s annoying, but he knows it’s safer for you to lay away from him. A deep sigh leaves him as he motions off the bed.
“No,” you whisper, clinging to him. “It’s fine, you’re wearing the gloves.”
It’s embarrassing that you know him so well by now. You pressed yourself further against him. The softness of your body along with your calming warmth make him weak.
“It could pass through them. Don’t be spoiled, move,” he commands but does nothing to push you off this time.
You shift to move one of your legs over his thighs, holding him so that his face could rest close to your chest. You rest your cheek on the top of his head, snuggling.
“I won’t be able to sleep,” Tomura whines, voicing his thoughts out loud without noticing.
You pet his head in response. “Stop thinking about me. I’m okay, I’m not afraid that you’ll decay me, so you shouldn’t either.”
Shigaraki scoffs against your chest. “That’s ‘cause you lack self-preservation,” he retorts.
You chuckle, and his tummy tickles with the notion that he made you laugh. Shigaraki sighs.
“You have to be stupid not to be afraid,” he continues, “Or very brave, or…”
He stops right mid-sentence due to the sudden heat on his cheeks
“Or what?” you prompt before you yawn.
“Or you do love me,” he mutters after some time. Tomura's heart skips a beat as he notices each passing day it’s easier to believe.
synopsis: The protagonist's best friend sets her up on a date with someone that comes off as unpleasant. To Hibiki's, the protagonist's best friend, satisfaction the two easily warm up to one another.
word count: 8.2k
Hibiki’s saying goodbye to yet another fling.
What she should be doing is coming into the diner and clocking back in so I could get a fifteen-minute break. The diner was practically dead as per usual but leaning against the counter and staring out the window for fifteen minutes isn’t the same as sitting on the other side of the counter picking at the stale fries that sat in the back from earlier this morning. I couldn’t blame Hibiki though; she has always been flamboyant and loveable at first glance. The work uniform works in her favor as well; however, the short, black skirt with a small apron at the center always has me wondering if the owner of this ridiculously run-down establishment was a pervert.
My eyes stray from the large windows and look around the relatively dead diner. Earl, a regular customer, sat in a corner booth with a cup of coffee and technically yesterday’s newspaper in hand. Apart from him there was a wrecked couple sitting on the opposite end of the counter from where I stand, sipping coffee. They were no doubt trying to drink away the undeniable hangover they were going to have in the morning. It wasn’t a surprise to see the good old 24-Hour Diner dead at twelve in the morning on a Monday though.
The small bell at the door finally rings, letting me know a certain someone has finally come in. “About time!” I snap looking up to the door and seeing Hibiki walk in with a smile spread on her plump lips. “I’ve been waiting for my break,” I whine, slumping into the counter.
“Remember I told you about him? Isn’t he so cute?” She swoons, going around the counter and leaning against it right by my side. Her curly, brown hair tickles at my ears as she tilts her head to rest on my shoulder. “He’s such a hottie,” she continues, appraising him in a tone of voice that sounds dreamy. She probably was dreaming, especially by the look of her half-lidded eyes staring out into the parking lot being illuminated by one single lamp post.
“Yeah, sure,” I say with the roll of my eyes. I stand up, causing her to almost drop her head onto the red counter. “I’m taking a break,” I say, already pushing open the greasy, white double doors that lead to the kitchen. Daisuke, the cook, sat on a bucket hunched over and scrolling through his phone with some earphones on. He’s probably just a tad older than Hibiki and me, or so I think. We’ve both seen him around the college campus, but don’t know his exact age. A while back she made a bet that she could get his age out of him before me, but I say she’s already lost that bet. Daisuke is a tight-lipped guy who, for the most part, keeps his personal life to himself. “How are the fries this fine morning?”
Daisuke doesn’t move from his spot. He merely glances at me from the corner of his eye and lets out an amused sound, something between a chuckle and a scoff. It’s that kind of laugh you give a coworker when they say something that’s not amusing at all, “Oh, you know, very delicious. The strips of potato were lightly sauteed in a thick oil until golden around the edges and seasoned with sea salt. It was then garnished with my sweat and tears,” he jokes in that sarcastic way he always does. The lilt in his tone is very much present when he mentions his bodily fluids.
I nod, reaching for a plate and dumping some fries onto it, “That’s…” I pause staring at the sad and soggy fries, “really gross, Dai.” I look up just in time to see him sit up straight and stretch his arms out.
The sounds of his back popping and screaming in utter bliss to be straightened out make me cringe. “That’s not my name,” he groans, standing up and pocketing his phone. The wire of his earphones dangling freely now from the pocket of his jeans. I turn with my plate in hand and see Hibiki with a wide grin just outside the ordering window. Her hand reaching through and handing Daisuke a piece of paper, presumably with an order scribbled on it.
I don’t bother answering him and just walk back out towards the front of the diner and take a seat at the counter. Hibiki leans her elbows on the counter and steals a fry from my plate. “Look over there,” she mumbles under her breath as she discreetly points her fry in the general direction she’s talking about. “Just came in. I jokingly offered him the Two Story Beef Burger and he took it.”
An amused breath leaves my lungs as I look up slightly interested. It’s not every day someone decides to try the disgustingly tall burger Daisuke hates making. There’s that and the fact that I want to see what nutcase orders a five-patty burger at nearly one in the morning. To the right of us sat a man in a booth with his hood up. Tufts of black hair peek out beyond the hood as he stares down at what looks to be a Gameboy Advance. “So that’s what a weirdo looks like,” I whisper to Hibiki as I throw a fry into my mouth.
The conversation doesn’t linger on the man though, Hibiki is quick to turn her attention back to me. “Did you do that lecture quiz for philosophy yet?”
“I haven’t to be honest, wanna do it together?” I reply, taking my phone out of my apron’s pocket. My fingers swipe around the screen until I find the quiz’s portal.
Hibiki seems to be doing the same, her eyebrows knitting together as if merely thinking about the quiz would succumb her to utter pain. “That’s cheating,” she mumbles to her phone, “Bet I can finish it before you though.” Her brow is raised up and smirk dances on her lips, challenging me into yet another round of her bets. She likes betting, but I honestly don’t remember a time where either of us actually paid each other back if we won.
“Ready?” I smile, thumb hovering over the Start Quiz button.
Maybe we’re seen as childish when we do bets like these in public, but it makes things more fun, “Set?” she inquires, that challenging smirk never leaving her features.
“Go!” Simultaneously we press the button and start at the first question. I see her click an answer before I even have time to read the paragraph long question. Dread fills me for Hibiki. Hopefully the idiot actually read the question, bet or not this is her grade. The first question seems threatening due to its length, but the answer comes to me relatively fast.
The quiz takes Hibiki about three minutes to complete and announces it loudly, “I win!” she exclaims happily and dances in place as she holds her phone to her chest in pure giddy.
“Congrats,” I giggle, submitting my own quiz and setting the phone down on the counter. “Bet I got a higher grade than you though,” I challenge looking up at her while chewing on a salty, stale fry.
Hibiki’s green eyes narrow down at me, “Bet,” she replies as if this were the biggest gamble she would ever take apart of. “What’d’ya get?”
I pick up my phone again and unlock it to see my grade. It was a solid eight out of ten. I just know her grade is lower considering how she probably just skimmed the questions instead of reading them in full. Proudly, I put my phone down and show her the screen. “I’m smart,” I smirk with a playful, haughty tone of voice.
“A smart person would drown those sorry excuse for fries in ketchup,” Hibiki’s lips tremble as if trying to hold back a laugh while I turn around and look to see Earl walking to the door. “Have a good shift, girls.”
In a cheery tone we simultaneously say, “Bye, Earl.” We watch the old man leave the diner and keep an eye on him until he’s safely in his car.
Once he’s haphazardly leaving the parking lot in his beat-up Dodge Ram, Hibiki slumps into the counter, “You win that one.”
I look past her and see Daisuke staring at us with a plate set on the order window, “You can interrupt us ya know.”
His shoulders rise and fall as Hibiki takes hold of the plate. On it sat the greasiest burger with fries I will ever see. It honestly looks like Daisuke put in extra effort to douse oil on the poor thing. “Breaks over!” Hibiki grins widely, pushing the heart attack on a plate into my hands. “I’m cashing in my win with this.”
“Um, cashing in?” I ask unintelligibly. My eyes stay on the plate, thinking about what she means. Like I said, we never really paid each other. Not even favors. Then it hits me like a freight train, “Are you scared of him?” I whisper teasingly, referring to the stranger in the booth playing an old game.
For a second, I feel like I’m right, but I know her. The way her eyes shift to the man and her brows raise means something is up. I know that scheming spark in her eye like I know the back of my hand. Her green eyes are wide as she looks back to me, “Okay, okay,” she says in what sounds like defeat. “He’s a friend. I was thinking about the other night. You said you hadn’t gone out since like practically the civil war-”
“Did you just call me old?”
“-and I was like ‘noooo’ when I went to bed,” she continues dramatically without even acknowledging my interruption. “My poor little heart couldn’t take it. Thinking about your love life being washed up at the ripe age of twenty.”
She finally stops and stares at me. Her dramatics even bring tears to her eyes. “What about him? There’s gotta be something wrong with him.”
Her wide eyes blink once, then twice until the sign of tears have disappeared. “He’s antisocial like you. Doesn’t really have any friends.”
“So, you think he’d make a good boyfriend candidate and I have friends!”
Hibiki rolls her eyes and shoves the plate into my hands, “I’m literally your only friend, but I don’t count b‘cuz we’ve been besties since braces.”
I slowly stand and look at the order window to see Daisuke still standing idly by. He’s no doubt enjoying our exchange. “Dai is my friend!” I say a little too loud for the nearly empty diner. The pitiful couple was gone too. They probably made a getaway when Hibiki and I were taking our quizzes.
“Not my name,” Daisuke mentions once again and doesn’t bother to add anything else that would favor me in this position.
Hibiki tilts her head in the man’s direction, “Go. His name’s Tomura. He’s kind of weird, but he’s nice.”
Begrudgingly, I step away from my nearly empty plate of fries and take my first few steps in Tomura’s direction. He still sat staring down at his Gameboy and this up close I could see, as well as hear, he was playing some RPG with odd Egyptian like music. “Hey, Tomura,” I say, greeting him and setting his plate down. I watch the patties slightly shake at the impact, then look to see Tomura isn’t even bothering to look up at me or reply for that matter. I stand there unsure of what to do before turning my head and looking at Hibiki with wide eyes before looking at her so-called friend.
Her eyes are set in a glare as she gives me a nod and juts her chin in his direction. If I didn’t know this weird girl, I wouldn’t have known what she meant.
Sighing, I set my hands on the table and slide into the seat across from him. The cracked red leather digging into my bare legs as I settle myself in and awkwardly stare at the man. “So…uh, Hibiki said you’re antisocial like me, but I think you’re a few levels ahead,” I say jokingly to him in hopes of at least getting a laugh out of him, or something akin to it.
He sets down the pink game console and finally looks up at me. This doesn’t settle my uneasiness though; a shiver runs up my spine and I can practically feel the hair on the back of my neck rise. Tomura’s eye color is so dark I can’t even distinguish where the pupil meets the iris, but that’s not what causes the primitive fear to stir in me. It’s the dark circles around his eyes mixed with what could only be described as a resting bitch face. The guy looks like he hasn’t had a good night’s rest since 2003. His pale hands push his game aside and pull the plate closer to himself. Tomura looks to the huge grease tower before looking to me and raising a brow, “You gonna get me a fork or something? Or do you expect me to Scooby-Doo this thing?”
A mix of embarrassment and utter disbelief rain over me. I slide out of my seat quickly and smooth down the uniform’s skirt as I walk behind the counter.
“How’s it going?” Hibiki whispers as she leans in close to me while I pick out a knife and fork.
I turn to her quickly, “That guy isn’t socialized,” I whisper harshly, “Did his mom not take him out on walks or something? Literally told me if I was gonna get him a fork or something. Girl, the audacity on that guy!”
She clears her throat, obviously fighting back a laugh. “He’s like that. Took him a while to talk to me in class too.”
“And you’re trying to set him up?” I ask wrapping the knife and fork in a napkin. “You’re a horrible cupid. Letting them out without proper training,” I hiss quietly before making my way around the counter. Looking up at him, I see he’s surprisingly not on his game again, rather his cheek is resting in his palm and his tired eyes on me. The pressure I feel because of this makes me walk faster, “Here, sorry,” I say, setting the knife and fork down beside his plate.
I watch him look at the rolled-up utensils before he decides to rip the napkin off with one hard yank. He takes them and cuts a corner of the burger before shoving the meat and cheese into his mouth. “You just gonna stand there or sit down again?” he asks, waving the fork towards the seat in front of him. “At least pretend we’re making happy so Hibiki gets off my case,” he grumbles as he takes a fry to his mouth.
“Then you know about her setting this up?”
Tomura scoffs and rolls those dark eyes of his before he starts working at cutting off another piece of the burger, “Sit down will you? You’re making me nervous.” I mumble a quick apology and sit down in front of him again before he continues. “We’re in the same Women Studies class. She hasn’t stopped annoying me about meeting up with some friend of hers since she decided to sit next to me.” He looks up at me, resting his chin on the back of his wrist and letting the fork dangle in his light grip. Tomura slowly chews the meat, then says, “Wouldn’t think someone as cute as you struggles for a date…Anyway,” he says looking back to his plate for another forkful, “Told her I’d finally do it if I got a plate of food. Timing kind of sucks though. Was s’pose to help my friend raid a dungeon but free food is free food.”
“Ya really know how to make a girl feel special,” I deadpan. My eyes wander from his face down to his plate to see he’s managed to eat a good chunk of the burger. “What game were you gonna play?”
He looks up at me with a raised brow and sits back. Again, his eyes look me over, almost like he was sizing me up or trying to see if I am really at all interested in his game. He is definitely the type of guy who thinks women can’t play video games because they’re marketed towards men more. Either way, anything was better than hearing Hibiki whine later that I didn’t give this a try. “World of Warcraft.”
I nod hearing the name.
Tomura’s eyes narrow, concluding my speculation. He was sizing me up to see if I knew what a game was. “You don’t know it do you?” he asks.
“No, not at all,” I say glaring back at him, “It’s just one of the most popular MMO games that’s been running for nearly seventeen years.”
The man sucks his teeth before he looks back down to his plate of grease before pushing it in my direction, “You can have a fry,” he says taking the fork and stabbing at a piece of meat, “What kind of games do you play?”
Taking up his offer, I snatch a fry off his plate and slouch back into the crusty leather, “Eh,” I shrug my shoulders and finish off the fry, “a little bit of everything. I hate fps though.”
He raises a brow, “Literally everyone likes fps. You’re either a liar or you haven’t played any good ones.”
I reach over and take another fry. Tomura is still looking at me, waiting for an answer while I chew on its rubber texture. “Name a good one.”
“Classic one is Call of Duty,”
“Pass. It’s so boring,” I scoff, going to grab another fry, but he pulls the plate back towards him. I lean back and look at him, his eyes narrowing once again.
He pushes the tufts of hair away from his eyes and sits up straighter, “Not even Halo?”
“No, besides I think their outfits are ugly.” I confess to him as I look back to Hibiki and see her leaning against the back counter whispering to Daisuke. “I like seeing the characters I control run around,” I say, turning back to him. His eyes were now on the two other people in the diner as well. “You didn’t order anything to drink. Why not?” I ask, effectively changing the conversation.
“My waitress isn’t very attentive,” he says as the corner of his lips lifts into a lopsided smile. He doesn’t look half bad despite his disheveled appearance.
I stand up and smooth out my skit once again. “Would you like anything to drink, sir?” I ask in my practiced customer service voice and even sprinkle in my fake smile for some pizzazz.
Tomura’s brow raises in amusement. That lopsided smirk never leaving his features. “Yeah, I’ll take a milkshake.”
Once hearing his request, I turn on my heel and walk towards Hibiki and Daisuke. “Dai, make two milkshakes,” I say loudly, shooing him off with the wave of my hand.
“Not my name!”
Hibiki shoves her phone in my face just as I seat myself at the counter. “Not gonna lie to you, babes, you two look so cute together!” she squeals as silently as she can, but I don’t doubt that Tomura heard it from his booth.
I raise my hand and place it on the back of my neck before trying to roll out the kinks I’ve been feeling for a while. “He’s not so bad.” I mumble and stop to look back at Tomura in his booth. He wasn’t looking anymore, in fact, he was back to playing his game. His fingers picked at the buttons slowly. The pauses in between make the game seem like something you’d have to think about. Something that’s definitely not a Mario game. “Why’d you take a picture?”
Her curly hair bounces as she leans over the counter and shows me a variety of pictures with me sitting in front of Tomura, “I’m gonna start a scrapbook for you two. You’ll be able to show it to your kids one day.” Her smile is so contagious I can feel my next life smiling as well while we look through the pictures. “He’s not so bad, right? Once Tomura gets talking he’s really decent.”
“The expectation bar is that low for him, huh?” I look away from the phone and at Hibiki before remembering why I’m at the counter again, “Dai, my two shakes!” I stare through the order window and hear his famous reply before I start hearing a blender go wild in the kitchen.
That’s the only noise fixing through the air for a few seconds before silence overtakes the dilapidated establishment. Hibiki turns and looks to the window as well. We wait patiently until Daisuke’s hands appear with a milkshake in each. “About time,” Hibiki says playfully, her tone never really rising above cheery. “Any longer and my little creation would be no more, Daiki!”
Hibiki turns and hands me the shakes, but I stay put in place as I stare through the window. Daisuke’s brown, blank eyes bore into mine as I wait for him to say something about the nickname. “That’s… not your name,” I say as if expecting him to repeat each word after me. He continues to stare straight at me without blinking for another five seconds before turning away into the kitchen. I click my tongue before turning around and heading in Tomura’s direction. He’s still into his game, body slouched over the Gameboy in his hands like his life depends on it. “Your shake,” I say, setting his down next to his plate and sliding into my seat. Again, just like the first time, he doesn’t respond, so I sit there and sip at my vanilla shake.
It feels like a millennium goes by before he glances up at me and pushes the game aside once again. “You got one too?” he asks, then sips at his own shake. “Don’t expect me to pay for that.”
“Please,” I scoff, “You came to a setup because you were promised free food. I don’t expect you to pay for a two-dollar shake.”
“Glad we’re on the same page then,” he chuckles. I smile at this and take a sip of my own shake once again. We were more than on the same page. It was only common sense that someone coming into the nastiest diner due to the promise of free food at nearly two in the morning wouldn’t pay for a thing. Hell, if anything I’ll just tell Hibiki that she must add this to his free tab because I’m part of the deal here. “What were you guys talking about over there?” he asks, nodding towards the counter. “Hibiki was all giggly. More than usual.”
“Oh, that?” I ask moving around the thick liquid with my straw, my opposite hand busy holding up my head. “She was just talking about my future babies with you,” I reply casually just to see if that would get a rise out of him.
Tomura doesn’t disappoint. He’s practically spitting up and choking on his shake. I watch him with a smile until he grabs his napkin and coughs into it. “What the hell?” he asks. “Get me some water!” Without answering back, I dismissively wave a hand and walk to the counter and grab a water bottle behind it. I take my time walking back, figuring he wouldn’t die from choking on some ice-cream. When I get back to the table Tomura practically snatches the bottle from my hands and chugs the water down as I take my seat.
“You good?” I ask out of courtesy as he sets down the water bottle.
He’s obviously still getting over it as his body trembles, trying to hold back a coughing fit. Despite that, he looks up with a glare set on me in an attempt to seem threatening. It doesn’t quite work though as he goes into another coughing fit. I patiently wait for him to stop, then finally he says, “You’re a terrible waitress. You’d let a customer die, wouldn’t you?”
“What? You expect me to give you CPR or something? I’m a waitress not an EMT, Tomura.” He clicks his tongue annoyed, then takes another sip of water before setting the bottle down between us. “Do you need an ambulance?”
A smile cracks at the corner of his lips, “After I’m done dying?” he chuckles softly, “You really aren’t attentive at all.” Silence settles between us, and I watch as his hand plays with the bottle cap. I don’t bother breaking the silence this time and take a sip of my shake. If he really wants this to go on, he might as well speak now or forever hold his peace. “What if that old man, Earl, had a heart attack out here? What would you do?”
“Old Earl?” I laugh, looking up at him, “He’d ask for the city morgue’s number before he even thinks about calling someone to save his life. Earl’s a real pessimist.” I say with a low laugh. “Does Hibi talk about work in class?” I only decide to continue with my story when I see him shake his head. “Well, I think it was last year when Earl actually had a heart attack after trying that,” I say gesturing to the tower of grease that had now just become a pile on his plate. “Dai, that’s the cook,” I can faintly hear him yell out to me from the kitchen about his name, but I continue, “he was actually ready to call the paramedics, but Earl weakly clasped his arm and slowly shook his head. Old man really rode it out then left in his rickety old truck like nothing happened.”
Tomura whistles astonished at the story. “That’s a hardcore old man.” He then pushes his plate towards me, “Fry?”
“Or one with no health insurance” I say, reaching for one and taking a bite out of the soggy thing. Tomura smiles and picks up his game again, he holds onto the power button and watches as the dim colors fade to black before pocketing the small thing into his hoodie. “Ready to head out?” I ask, already sliding out of my seat and picking up the empty cups. “Want a to-go box for the rest of your heart attack burger?”
His black hair shakes around as he mumbles, “Nah. Your story kind of scared me away from it.” Tomura slides out of his seat and stands up beside me. He takes his plate and follows me to the counter where he places it in front of Hibiki. “Thanks for the food, Hibiki. Here,” He pulls a few crumpled bills from his hoodie’s pocket and hands them to her, “for her shake.”
Hibiki and I look at each other and give a subtle shrug. “Gonna go then, Tomura?” Hibiki pipes up, taking the plate from the counter.
“Yeah. I’ll see you two around,” he says before walking out into the foggy night.
My best friend is fast to turn towards me the second Tomura is out of sight. “So, what do you think? I know how to pick them, huh?” She says quickly and rather proud.
With a shrug, I place the two cups on top of the plate in her hands before taking it from her and into the kitchen. She follows closely behind me, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet, “I mean, yeah he piqued my interest.”
Out of the corner of my eye, Hibiki seizes her giddy movements, “But?”
The dishes clatter as I drop them into the sink and turn to her with a chuckle, “He didn’t ask for my number, Hibi. He’s obviously not interested.”
She childishly lets out a raspberry and waves her arm dismissively, “That’s like a technicality, babes! Don’t worry about it, there was definitely some chemistry. Right, Daiki?” Hibiki asks, turning to get Daisuke’s input.
On the other hand, I looked to him, waiting once again to hear him chastise Hibiki for using anything but his name. That doesn’t happen though. Instead, we all turn our heads to the door as it rings. “Shifts over!”
Jamie and Rosalind, the late-night waitresses, walk in ready to relieve Hibiki and I. “Thank you!” Hibiki shouts, throwing the small apron off and walking out of the kitchen. “Come on, babes!” I hastily follow her out to her small Honda Civic as I messily fold my apron. “Crash at mine, yeah? We can grab a bite before class.”
“Deal,” I smile as we get into the car.
In the morning, Hibiki and I don’t even find time to grab that bite to eat she mentioned after work. I’m running around her old, little apartment ripping drawers open and looking for the clothes I’ve left before. My brain tingles at the thought of her not having washed them, but that fear skips my mind when I see my jeans and a shirt stuffed into the back of her drawer.
Hibiki, on the other hand, is not as flustered about already running late for our first class. “Find them?” she shouts from the kitchen. She’s been cooking up a storm since she woke up a few minutes ago. That girl has no worries in the world as long as she knows she can make a meal when the sun rises.
I emerge from the battle with her drawers unscathed, but out of breath. “Hibi, you really need to organize your stuff,” I huff, dropping myself into one of the mismatched chairs she uses for her dining table.
When she drops a plate of scrambled eggs and a slice of toast in front of me, she says, “If you found them, then it’s obviously not that bad.” She sits down in a wicker chair with her own breakfast. “Now hurry, my late attendance record cannot be ruined. I’m always exactly five minutes late.”
Sometimes I wonder why she’s always late, it’s not like she lives far. Hibiki managed to get an apartment right down the street from the community college we both attend. “Right, wouldn’t want the professor thinking you don’t care about his class,” I reply with a roll of my eyes.
“Exactly,” she says, already dropping her plate in the sink and walking towards the room. “You wanna walk with me or do you wanna go ahead?”
My eyes travel down to my old wristwatch, and it takes me a while to decipher the time because there are no numbers to help me, “Yeah, I’m gonna get going.” I say, standing up and taking one of the random little journals and a pen that Hibiki likes collecting. “My phone’s charging near the TV btw. I’ll be dropping by after my classes to pick it up.”
Hibiki appears at the bathroom entrance with a toothbrush in her mouth and a thumbs-up before disappearing into it again. With that, I walk out of her apartment and lock the door.
My mind wanders back to the previous night though. To the bet with Hibiki and the odd stranger she had me meet. Tomura was a fun change of pace last night. Night shifts were usually anticlimactic, but he made me feel like there was some kind of action going on in my usual routine. His attitude is weird if I’m being honest with myself and despite that I do in fact feel like seeing him around some more. Seeing him out in the wild would actually be entertaining. Maybe he’s just as awkwardly quiet and rude around other people as he was last night.
Before I know it, the day races by and my hopes of seeing Tomura slowly dwindle. I know he said, “see you two around” and I know that doesn’t necessarily mean the next day. Hell, it was probably just one of those things you say to someone you’ve just met out of some common courtesy.
Currently, I stand in the middle of the school courtyard waiting in line for an iced coffee when Hibiki bounces her way towards me. “Hey, you get your phone yet?” she asks while standing on the tips of her toes to see how long the line is.
“Not yet,” I sigh, glancing down to my watch trying to read the time. “Probably after I get a coffee.” She doesn’t respond and lets silence fall between us as we patiently wait to order. I roll my shoulders and as I do so, I catch sight of a familiar brunette walking by with an enormous backpack. Daisuke passes by staring intently at us but gives no effort to greet us.
“Your coworker sucks,” a voice sounds from behind Hibiki and I. “Think he’d say hi at least.”
Turning around, Hibiki and I come face to face with none other than Tomura himself. Guess ‘see you two around’ did mean today. The sight of him actually makes me feel pleasant. “Yeah? Hi to you too, Tomura.”
The man is wearing identical, if not the same, clothes from the night before. I wouldn’t even put it past him to wear the same clothes a few days in a row. “Hey…” he pauses for a second, staring at me before turning to Hibiki, “Hey, Hibiki.”
I look to her expecting a conversation to blossom between the two. Surprisingly, she just gives a small wave and turns around and takes a few steps forward as the line moves. “So, you’re grabbing an iced coffee too?” I ask, looking him over and noticing he too was carrying a backpack, but it isn’t as stuffed or hiked up his back like Daisuke’s was.
“Yeah?” The tone in his voice makes the response sound like a question. Which in turn makes me feel stupid for asking because the little kiosk we’re waiting at only sells iced coffee. “What? I don’t look like a coffee kind of guy?”
I turn on my heel and face forward in line, hoping to hide the visible embarrassment that’s crossing my face like a hot wave. “You look like the kind of guy who’d chug a Monster for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” I say.
This change in position doesn’t help though. Tomura’s far more active than he was when we were sitting across from each other. He steps right beside me, a teasing smile already crossing his lips. “That so? Well, you’re exactly the kind of girl I thought you were.”
“What would that be?” I’m ready to hear him say I’m a basic girl who likes iced coffee to be honest. What other kind could he be thinking of? Especially with him assuming last night that I didn’t know much about games, he’s definitely the type to go for a stereotype. Just like I did with the Monster drink comment.
Hibiki’s already ordering when he finally opens his mouth to say something, “The airheaded type.”
“What?” I snap, looking up to him. Tomura’s lips only rise into that smirk of his before he’s pushing my forward. I look ahead and smile to the cashier, momentarily forgetting his comment, “An iced coffee,” I turn to look at Tomura again, “What does that mean?”
“Two iced coffees,” he corrects me while placing some crumpled bills on the counter. “It means,” he starts, as he takes hold of both drinks and hands me one. “That you’re a little slow, in my perspective that is.”
We step out of line, and I look around trying to spot Hibiki’s curly head of hair, but she’s nowhere in sight. Great, she’s abandoned me once again. “Whatever,” I huff, finally deciding to look back at him, “Thanks for the coffee, but I have to stop by Hibiki’s apartment and pick up my phone.”
He’s sipping his drink and giving a quick shrug, “I’ll join you,” he says, inviting himself. This catches me by surprise, but I give no objection and just lead the way. He makes no attempt to start a conversation, so I don’t bother trying either. We silently make our way across the street and walk up to Hibiki’s apartment.
“You can come in,” I mumble, opening her door with my key.
He’s quick to note this, “You have a key to your coworker’s apartment? You’re just gonna let in a total stranger?” Despite asking the second question I can hear him step onto the tiled floor.
I glance back to see him looking around the small kitchen that’s right at the entrance. “She's been my best friend since our Proactiv years,” I explain going back to her room and picking my phone up off the dresser where her television is set on.
“You mean that acne medicine?” he snorts from the kitchen.
There’s a loud clang just as he finishes that question, and I’m practically flying down the short hallway to see what damage has been made. “What’d you drop?” I ask, heart beating in my chest as I see him leaning over to pick up a saucepan.
Tomura gives no real response, just a usual shrug and sets the saucepan on the drying rack. “So, you two are really close, huh? Doesn’t explain why you’d let a total stranger into her place,” he says going back to his initial question.
I scan him over, before deciding to push him out. “She said you were friends. Really doubt she’d care if you saw her underwear hanging from the ceiling fan.” I lock the door behind us before glancing at my phone. There are no new notifications, but at least I could finally be able to tell time without feeling like I failed fourth grade. “I’m done for today.” My statement is probably too sudden because when I look to him, his features are twisted in confusion. “My classes I mean,” I clarify for him. So much for me being an airhead, we’re practically on par so far.
“Me too,” he says, tossing his cup, now only ice, into a bin right outside Hibiki’s apartment complex. We stop walking and he looks at me. Those eyes of his that had my primitive instincts tell me to run don’t seem so bad in the sun’s soft glow. “You gonna walk home or should I offer you a ride?”
His attitude just as bleak in the sun though.
I shrug a shoulder as I take a sip of the iced coffee still in my hand. Not exactly chivalrous this one. “I guess I could grace your car with some female presence.”
This time he rolls his eyes, probably realizing that was a shot at his probable lack of dating experience. He then leads the way back to the campus parking lot; the thing looks like a car dealership with the number of cars taking up every single space.
Tomura’s quiet as he leads me through various rows of cars before stopping in front of a navy-blue one. “Hop in,” he says, clicking a button on his remote key. I go around to the passenger side and pull the door open and get in. The inside is surprisingly clean. His appearance really makes me draw a certain conclusion to his character. I’ve been wrong so far though, he’s not a complete slob. “Something tells me you’re judging me again,” he pauses as he starts the car. “Something also tells me you’re feeling bad that you were wrong,” Tomura says, finishing his thought as he’s looking back while pulling out of the space. “Am I right?” he asks before taking off for the lot’s exit.
“You’re not entirely wrong,” I reply, trying to make him believe that he’s not spot on. “Take a right when you leave by the way.”
He nods and stops at the exit for a second before following my directions, “You can turn on the radio,” he says gesturing towards the screen in between us.
I lean over and press at the power button, next thing I know my heart is wanting to jump out of my chest. The volume’s all the way up, and my fingers are anxiously spinning the volume wheel until it’s at ten. “Oh, my god! Are you deaf or something, Tomura?” I shudder in my seat and press a hand to my chest. “That was terrifying.” The fact that it was trap metal didn’t help my heart an ounce. That is the loudest type of music I’ve ever come across. “Keep going straight,” I mutter when I notice we’re at another stop.
Tomura doesn’t seem at all fazed by the music though. He’s sitting there with a grin on his face, obviously in love with the reaction I gave at the sudden raucous. “Here,” he says, digging through his hoodie’s pocket before tossing me his phone.
With a brow raised, I look at him then swipe my thumb across the screen. “You’re really going to let a total stranger look through your phone just like that?”
“She said you’re friends.” He says referring to my previous answer. With that answer, I decide to slide through his apps until I land on Spotify. His entire home page is filled with trap music; however, that doesn’t make me believe it’s his most listened to.
My thumb hovers over his Spotify Wrapped story, then I look up at him to make sure his eyes are still on the road. I tap on it quickly and skip to the fourth slide and wait until his most listened to song is shown. “Awe, Tomura!” I gasp out looking at the song’s title. “Who would have known you’d be into K-pop?” The speed in which his eyes snap from the road to me is almost alarming. “What do you know about K-pop?” I ask smugly looking back at him. K-pop is seen like a more feminine music genre, just like games were seen as something more masculine.
“Don’t be a snob,” he sighs. His initial reaction slowly fades as he looks back to the road ahead of him. “Where to?”
I hum and look up to see we’re in front of the city plaza. I haven’t been paying attention, “Oop, we’ve gone a little too far. Sorry.” I apologize quickly and look back to his phone just to press play on his most played song. “Go back to Mariposa Rd and keep going straight until the road ends.” With that, I set his phone down in the cupholder.
Tomura doesn’t protest or whine at the fact that I wasn’t paying attention. He simply does a U-turn and goes back to the road I told him about. “So, what’s an airhead like you majoring in?”
My attention moves to the passenger window before I decide to respond, “That’s a good question,” but I don’t elaborate further than that. Truth is, I don’t know what I want to major in just yet. No particular subject has piqued my interest. That’s most likely why I decided to go straight to a community college instead of some University. “What does an antisocial person like yourself study?”
“That’s a good question,” he repeats, slowing the car to a stop, “Been stuck on choosing between a computer engineer and a biology major.” Tomura seems almost proud of himself as he begins driving once again. He’s probably making small bets in his head the way Hibiki does at times. “From what I’ve seen, I can probably tell you what you should major in. If you want my opinion-”
“I don’t,” I laugh and turn to look at his profile. He’s looking just as tired as he was the night before. “Thanks though. I’ll find what I like somehow.”
“I was just gonna say you should stick to being a waitress,” he chuckles, pulling the car in front of my house. “This you?”
“Yeah,” I say looking up at my house. The little flowers in front are slowly wilting because of the weather's sudden dip in temperature. I pull out my phone and hand it to him, “Type in your number.”
He stares at the phone in my hand for a few seconds before taking it in his own hands. “Want to know why I think you’re an airhead?” he asks while tapping away at the screen.
I take the phone back as he holds it out and hit call on the number, so he has mine as well. “Yeah, sure. Why am I such an airhead?” I ask as I watch his phone vibrate in the cupholder.
“You haven’t introduced yourself.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know your name.”
For a second, I feel like the world stops as I look up at him with wide eyes. Did he really say what I think he said? Hibiki obviously gave me his name, why wouldn’t she extend the courtesy to him? “Neither have you!” Obviously, I’m ready to throw him under the bus as well. Sure, I know his name, but he should have at least introduced himself too.
Tomura shifts in his seat so he’s partially facing me. “How can I introduce myself when you’re already like “Hi, Tomura!” huh?” He says in a mocking tone of voice. “Don’t waitresses usually introduce themselves anyway?”
Defensively I reply, “Don’t customers usually say hi back when the waitress greets them?”
Tomura sucks his teeth and looks away for a second before opening his mouth a few times like he’s trying to figure out what to say next but decides against it. It takes him a few seconds before it seems like he finally makes a choice. “What’s your name then, airhead?” he finally asks, sitting back.
“Wouldn’t you rather keep calling me airhead?”
“No.”
I chew on my lip, pretending to think about giving him my name. In the end, I just give in after realizing I have no more comebacks to throw at him. “Sakiko.”
His fingers roam to his door and clicks a button, unlocking all the doors. “Get out. All that tension building for a basic name like Sakiko?” He says in a joking tone of voice.
“Puh-lease!” I scoff, crossing my arms. “You’re one to talk, Tomura,” I say, dragging out the last syllable in his name. “That’s literally short for Michael. Your name is literally the blueprint for basic.”
Tomura lifts a hand to his chest as if he’d been wounded. “That stings, Saki!”
“I only speak facts, Michael.” I say feeling a tad bit victorious. Feeling the vibe slowly fade, I smile and reach for the door handle. “I’ll see you around then?”
“Yeah, yeah. Get out of my car,” he teases while waving me away. “Can’t miss you if you’re not gone.”
Hearing that, I don’t even bother asking for a better goodbye and just take his as it is. I make my way up the path and unlock my door. Before walking in, I look back hoping to see Tomura still parked in front, but that’s just wishful thinking. The dude is long gone, there’s not even a care in sight. Shrugging my shoulders, I walk into my home and lock the door behind me. Just as I’m looking down at my phone, it vibrates in my hand and a text from Hibiki pops up at the top.
Instead of replying to the text I decide to call her. “Hey! See my text? Are you still on campus? I can give you a ride home now.” She says quickly as I drop her tiny journal on a coffee table and walk to my room.
“Guess what,” I smile, plopping down on my plush mattress.
This game is one of Hibiki’s favorites. She immediately starts guessing random scenarios. I think I even catch her mentioning if I had somehow met an A-list celebrity, totally disregarding the fact that we live in a washed-up town in nowhere Kentucky. “Wait, did you somehow get a tapeworm in your iced coffee?”
“What? Ew.” I say, feeling a frown pull down my lips. “No, why would you even think that, Hibi?”
I could practically visualize Hibiki shrugging her shoulders, “Dunno, saw it once on a documentary.”
“Really? That’s gross. Which documentary?”
Hibiki laughs and says, “I’ll send you a link, but what happened?”
Remembering why I decided to call her has me sitting up straight. “Oh! It’s about Tomura. Finally got his number, but that doesn’t matter. Why didn’t you tell him my name?”
Her smooth voice hums on her end of the phone softly. I have no secrets to hide, so why hadn’t she just given him my name? “That reminds me of something else!” the line goes quiet for a second before she starts talking again, “I don’t even think his name is Tomura,” she confesses.
Now I’m silent, staring at the phone then quickly hanging up on her. My fingers are quick to call Tomura, or whoever he is. “What’s your name?” I ask the second I hear that he answers the call.
He lets out a loud laugh on his end before anything else. “You just figured that out, Saki? Nearly took you a whole day.”
“Quit playing!” I whine into the phone. “What’s your name?”
“Tenko. It’s nice to meet you, Sakiko.”
A giggle leaves me now that I’ve finally heard a proper introduction. “Nice to meet you too, Tenko.”
The brunette squinted at the sun’s harsh rays as she sat in a secluded area within a park. Shigaraki stood behind her, leaning against a tree’s trunk. “I hate having responsibilities,” Souseiki muttered as she stared at the teenager in front of them. He was still in his school uniform and eating away at a chocolate bar. Today Shigaraki had tasked her with dealing with the rest of the recruits as he felt his social battery had drained after talking to a woman named Magne and some freak with bad teeth. It was only fair if Souseiki’s social battery became as drained as his was. “Okay,” she said, sitting up straight and catching the teenager’s attention. “Why would a teenager like you want to be a villain? Aren’t you all just so hyped to get into a hero course and beat the big bad guys?” Souseiki punched the air to simulate being in a fist fight as she asked this question.
Both adults watched as the kid snapped a bite off the chocolate bar before crumbling the wrapper in his hands and tossing it away from himself. “You’re the leader?” he asks with an inquisitive, yet aggressive tone of voice.
Souseiki looked to Shigaraki and jutted her chin in his direction, “He is.”
“Then why doesn’t he-”
Raising a hand up quickly to interject, Souseiki gave an impatient glare. “He doesn’t care for you. And frankly neither do I unless you tell me your motives.”
The teenager clicked his tongue as his stare intensified tenfold. “So I’m dealing with a lacky?” he asked, leaning back on his hands as his head tilted back in the slightest. He was intentionally looking down at Souseiki, trying to stir her up so the actual leader could step in and talk to him.
Souseiki wasn’t having it though. She smiled widely at the kid and said, “Yeah! A whole lacky that can get you turned into dust if you don’t shut the fuck up and answer my god damn question.”
In a way her response was a bluff, but the kid didn’t know that and he wasn’t too keen on finding out anyway. He slowly sat up and looked the woman in the eye as he began to introduce himself. “I’m Mustard. The whole hero thing never connected with me. You have to wait to be hired and approved. Then there’s all these formal exams you have to go through to even get your license. It’s all troublesome. To be honest, I just want to wipe the heroes' grins right off their faces. They’re so snotty just because they passed a few exams?” Mustard scoffs and slowly starts to count off a number of reasons he hates the heroes, but Souseiki had long tuned out of the conversation. She was letting him go on and on while she picked at lone strands of grass at her feet. There was no real point in listening to him, as long as he said the phrase Shigaraki has been looking for in all his recruits. She waited and waited. It felt like thirty minutes had gone by before he said, “I admire Stain-”
With a sigh, Shigaraki pushed himself off the tree and Souseiki popped her neck before standing up. The two towered over the teenager and the woman gave a half assed smile, “You’re in,” she said tossing him a balled up piece of paper with the bar’s address on it. “Meet us there within a week,” Souseiki muttered before turning around and walking away with Shigaraki. As soon as they were far away from Mustard, Souseiki turned to look up to Shigaraki. “Should you really be out right now?” she asked, referring to the fact that he made an even bigger scandal the other day after the meeting with Giran. He hadn’t personally told her, she had found out via social media. Finding out in such a way did upset her, but she didn’t hold a grudge. She assumed it was just one of those things Shigaraki didn’t exactly feel would be of great importance to her. It was important though; however, she felt it was best not to pry at the moment.
All Shigaraki gave as a response was a sluggish shrug.
The brunette nodded and pulled her phone out of her pocket. The first thing that popped up was her to-do list that only consisted of names. She checked off Mustard’s name and frowned at the name following it. “Mr. Compress?” she asked herself. Her fingers swiped at her screen and looked through her messages to see who she had contacted so far. “Tomura, I don’t-”
“I added him last night,” he responded. Souseiki looked up with furrowed brows and saw him looking down at her with those scarred eyes of his. “What? Can’t take being an equal now?” He smirked down at her in a teasing manner and she knew it was only to strike a nerve.
Instead of giving him a verbal response, Souseiki looks back to her phone and starts walking slower so she was straying a bit behind him. Her to-do list was once only two names long but with Shigaraki’s last minute addition, she now had to interview a total of three people. “Where are we meeting Mr. Compress then?” she sighs looking up from her phone as they leave the park and enter a crowded street.
In front of her, Shigaraki reaches his hand back and takes hold of hers as they begin to walk in the crowded area. “Keep up will you?” He tugs her forward, forcing her stride to match his own as they weave their way through the crowd. Shigaraki was careful to keep his head low and Souseiki made sure to find the easiest route out of the crowded street. “He’s a weird one. Into magic and all that,” Shigaraki said as the two finally stepped into a side street with far fewer people occupying it.
Raising an inquisitive brow at him, Souseiki let out a scoff. “You’re really calling someone weird, Tomura?”
The question, one far out of character, had Shigaraki looking down at the brunette with a confused expression. “What? You think I’m weird?” he asked, pulling his phone out and swiping it open. He quietly waited for a response as he scrolled through the vast amount of messages looking for Mr. Compress’s chat log.
Souseiki hummed in response and leaned against a light post after they stopped walking. “Not really. I just thought I’d get more of a reaction out of you if I called you that,” she shrugged, looking up to the clouded sky. “If anyone’s weird it’d have to be those two oddballs Giran introduced us to,” she said, playing with a strand of her hair by wrapping it and unwrapping it from her index finger. “The teenager, Toga, was weird but in a cute way if that makes sense. She’s very enthusiastic in a blood curdling sort of way. But that dude? Usually people hate when men douse themselves in Axe body spray, but that walking corpse needs it like holy shit, Tomura. How’d you let that motherfucker slide?” As she said that last line, Souseiki glanced up at Shigaraki to see if she could get some sort of reaction from him and was content to see his lips pull into a smirk.
“That’s actually funny,” he chuckled dryly as he tossed his phone at her without warning. Souseiki was startled by the action but was able to catch the small device. “That’s where we’re meeting him. Hit the gps and let's get going.”
With a scowl, she did as she was told and began leading the way forward. “Why’d we have to come out when Kurogiri actually opens the bar?” she muttered, taking his hand once again as they made their way into a residential area. No one was out in their front yard, making it easier for Shigaraki to walk without straining the muscles of his neck. She looked up to him and watched as he slowly rolled his neck before jerking it to one side and loudly popping it and then proceeding to do the same with the opposite side. “You need a massage,” she cringed before looking back down to his phone and minimizing the gps. She stared at his home screen for a second, admiring how his background mirrored his simple clothing choices. A Black screen (aside from the apps). She opened his browser and clicked on the search bar. The things he previously searched popped up under the suggestions, causing Souseiki to raise a brow. “Who knew you were active,” the brunette muttered before typing in How to give a neck massage.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” Shigaraki screeches, with a crack in his voice as he tugs away from her hand and reaches for his phone.
A screech leaves Souseiki too as she dodges his hand and begins running down the road. “Nothing, really! Just looking up something!”
“Give it back!” he shouts, running after her as she rounds a corner.
Souseiki stops and stands behind a light post, just to put an object between her and the scrawny man. “You gave it to me!”
The man stopped on the other side of the pole before jumping out for her, only for Souseiki to dodge his advances once again. “I want it back, idiot!”
Souseiki watches as he reaches for her once more and instead of dodging him again, she grabs him by the sleeve of his shirt and flings him forward with his own moment. She watches as the man skids forward with the added speed and nearly trips on his own feet. “Calm down!” She huffs, walking up to him slowly as he turned to set his infamous glare on her. “Take it easy already,” she repeated with hands raised in front of her like she was trying to tame a group of raptors in a dinosaur film.
Shigaraki straightened his back and slowly made his way towards her, snatching the phone from the palm of her hand and walking ahead of her. His once pale face was now tinted in a soft pink hue that started at the base of his neck and crept up to the tips of his ears. She followed a few steps behind, watching as he tapped away furiously at his phone. He was no doubt deleting his browser history at the moment. “You didn’t see shit, ya hear me?” Shigaraki asks, finally looking back at Souseiki after walking two blocks in silence.
“Tomura, I didn’t mean anything by it!”
“You didn’t see shit!” he repeats himself, with brows furrowed and eyes set in a glare once again.
Reluctantly, the woman nodded.
Souseiki, without a doubt, wanted to explore her leader’s sexual nature, but she knew how shy and reserved he could be and she was no better. If it’d been her in his place she knew she’d just run into his open palm and disintegrate herself if she could. “I’ll look up neck massages later then,” she says, walking behind him once again as he led the way this time. The two walked for a while, crossing streets, managing their way through alleys in order to avoid crowded areas now that it was becoming darker and people were far more aware of their surroundings.
It wasn’t long before they reached the address on the gps. Souseiki followed Shigaraki through the front gate and waited patiently behind him as he rang the doorbell. While waiting, Shigaraki took his father out of his pocket and pressed it on his face. Who would have guessed that this visit would be so domestic. It took a while for a man to open the door, he was clad in a vest suit and wearing a mask.
“You wear a mask in your own house?” Souseiki asks peering around Shigaraki to get a look at him.
The man looks at Shigaraki then turns his head to look at Souseiki “Are you two the League of Villains?” he answers back with his own question.
Lightly, she hums and nods her head. This answer seems adequate enough for him, so he steps away from his doorway, giving the two visitors enough room to step into his home.
As they walk in, Shigaraki keeps his head straight forward and heads straight to the couches in the living room. Souseiki on the other hand slowly walked through the hallway looking at all the family portraits that hung on the walls. “The mask is to hide-”
“That’s unfortunate.” Souseiki quickly interrupted as she pointed to a portrait of the only child in a family portrait. “That you?” she asked, and looked back to him.
Mr. Compress shook his head and raised a hand, three marbles were in between his fingers. “No, the home is borrowed,” he chuckled and walked into the living room where Shigaraki had already made himself at home.
Having heard this, brought forth a gasp from her lips. “That’s like pretty smart,” she commented under her breath as she sat down right beside her leader. “Did you hear that?” She asked, nudging him and jutting her chin his Mr. Compress’s direction. “We could use another person with a brain.”
“Is there no brains on the team?” he asked, crossing his legs and leaning into the palm of his hand.
Souseiki shook her hand dismissively and pointed to Shigaraki, “Biggest brain we have. Enormous in fact,” then she pointed to her temple then quickly created a gun and pretended to pull the trigger. “Mine is half gone after two pm every day.”
This for one made the man laugh as he pointed between the two, “Shigaraki, right? And you are?”
Shigaraki sighe and pointed to his partner with his thumb and said, “Souseiki.”
“I wasn’t in the UA raid,” she says with hands raised up in defense. “It was my birthday so I got a free pass.” Mr. Compress tilted his head and Souseiki continued, “That’s right,” she said gesturing towards him, “we get personal days off upon request!” Out of her periphery, Souseiki could see Shigaraki squinting at her through father’s fingers.
He didn’t bother questioning her at the moment though, because Mr. Compress seemed to like her charisma that seemed non-existent when she was talking to Mustard earlier that day.
“Well, I’m in if you’ll have me,” Mr. Compress said as he continued to suppress his laughter.
Souseiki straightened her back and asked the one deciding question with nothing leading up to it. “Why do you want to join the League of Villains?”
“Stain seemed to love you guys and if you guys do in fact follow his views I want to join. This hero society is suppressing the already oppressed lower class with their hierarchy of quirks. What is the point in existing in a world with a body and skill enhancing gift when you can’t even use it to make your life a tad bit better.”
A smile slowly spread over Souseiki’s face as she heard him say the magic words. “We like your funny words, magic man!” She said standing up the second she saw Shigaraki do so. “You’re in! We’ll give you a call soon then.”
The two began walking out of the house, but Shigaraki stopped right behind Souseiki at the front door and turned to Mr. Compress yet again. “Do they die in there?” he asked referring to Mr. Compress’s marbles he had flashed earlier.
Souseiki was now at the gate and turned back to see the two men chatting away quietly. It wasn’t until now that she recognized Shigaraki’s height. Despite always looking up to her leader she never admired his height. Despite having a slight slouch to him, Shigaraki was decently taller than her. And almost as tall as their new comrade. She pursed her lips and nodded, at this new acknowledgement. Quietly, she waited until he eventually caught up to her and Mr. Compress disappeared back into the borrowed home. “What was that about?”
“Quirk details,” he muttered before he continued out the gate. The two of them went back the way they came, Souseiki once again following close behind him. She didn’t know whether or not she could, rather should, try to talk to him because of the previous conversation they had tried to avoid before entering that house. For now, she felt it was enough walking behind him, staring at his back as he stalked through the neighborhood. His hood was no longer up, which she knew was a mistake, so she took two long strides and grabbed the edge of his hood and pulled it over his head. When walking beside him, she also took note that he still wore father over his face and lightly gripped it and slipped father off his face. The action was gentle, but quick enough to surprise him. His eyes were wide as he stopped walking and looked to her as she put father into his front pocket. “Thanks-”
Souseiki never really needed thanks from him whenever she did something for him, but it always warmed her heart that he bothered to do so. “No problem,” she smiled, ready to step back behind him, but he once again took her hand.
His eyes watched as hers now widened. “We’re heading into the city now,” he said dismissively. Shigaraki didn’t want to make the hand holding a big deal, but immediately regretted it because he felt like a teenager from a bad romantic comedy. Of course he knew that Souseiki knew he was inexperienced, the two have been living together since they were teenagers. Despite that lack of privacy between the two of them though it was still an embarrassing secret. He didn't know why though because she too was inexperienced. Sure, she played it off easier, or maybe she just didn't have an interest in him like he initially thought.
That couldn't be the case though.
He's watched and read a few shoujo manga to understand the basic concept of flirting with someone. Souseiki basically checked off all the boxes for flirting with him. She was sweet, and took into consideration all his wants and needs. Whenever he needed help with something she was faster than Kurogiri to volunteer and even when he was nonverbal about them it was like Souseiki could read his mind and provided what he wanted. It didn't matter what he needed, a sparring partner, a cup of whiskey, or a bath. She gave it all to him. Souseiki unnecessarily treated him like royalty and he loved it.
Unfortunately for him, Shigaraki never knew if he was reciprocating the feeling coherently enough. He did small chores for her and let her be near him despite the fact that he usually hated close contact. Obviously, her quirk had helped him overcome that over the years. But he felt what he did wasn't enough and felt like he was only embarrassing himself. And with the question she had asked earlier. He felt far more embarrassed at that moment and had momentarily wished his quirk worked on himself. He wondered what else he could do for her when he didn't know exactly how to express himself. The most he's done up until this point that can maybe be counted as thoughtful was when he disintegrated her brothers. He could outdo himself and go after her father, but she hadn't really made an effort to mention them in a while. He doubted she had recovered from their negligence;however, he silence concerned him slightly. He knew Souseiki only tagged along with him because he and Kurogiri could provide her with shelter and gave her a chance to bring some closure from her family situation. The thing is if that semi closure was enough, did she not hate the hero society? To be completely transparent with himself, Shigaraki has mulled over this question for the past year and has decided that he didn't care whether she had the same views as him. He just wanted her to remain by his side, even when embarrassing moments arose between the two. He wouldn't change a thing about their relationship if it meant severing their connection.
A hard bump to his shoulder brought Shigaraki out of his thoughts, but it wasn't Souseiki. Instead she was turning on her heel and shouting angrily at someone, "Watch where the fuck you walk, asshole The sidewalk is fucking empty!"
He turned when he heard the guy reply with his own profanities. He was taller than him, more built with a buzzed head. Shigaraki's hand squeezed Souseiki's the second he heard the man say, "Piss of you fucking bitch!" Shigaraki's grip was already loosening on her and was stepping forward.
Shigaraki knew he couldn't do much for her, but he'd kill an entire planet if it made her happy. And despite claiming what felt like years ago that she wasn't a killer, he felt her let go of his hand. He took this as a "Do it."
summary — you and your husband try to keep your careers separate, but it sometimes can’t be helped that ran brings his work home
note — spoilers, blood. ran, rindou, and sanzu are not bonten’s clowns, they are the entire circus. likes and reblogs are always appreciated
“What do you guys think? Is this enough rice?” you inquired, glancing at the chat as thousands of your subscribers and viewers sent in varying responses.
Yes, that looks good
Could use a bit more rice
You’re looking really pretty today!!
That’s a good amount of rice imo
“All right, I think this should be fine,” you conceded after reading a few of the replies, animatedly commentating as you moved on to the next component of your husband’s lunch for tomorrow.
“Why would you ever kiss me? I’m not even half as pretty.
You gave her your sweater; it’s just polyester, but you like her better.”
♫ heather - conan gray ♫
-
You remembered the very first night when he had given you his sweater. It was a cool summer evening, and you two were talking with each other. He was your friend at the time, a close and familiar person amongst the vast array of people that settled at the party.
You were having a good time. Contrary to popular belief, Bakugou Katsuki was a lot of fun to hang out with if you got on his good side. You were playfully arguing with him at the moment, your body letting out amused laughs as the blond boy fumed at your teasing.
“So you’re telling me that this Naruto kid would win against me in a fight?” He narrowed his eyes at you, crossing his arms in a firm, unshakable stance.
“Yes, he would,” you said back, standing your own ground. “He’s the main character of the show! Have you never seen Naruto before?”
“Hah?! Of course not!” He growled. “I’m not a weeb like you!”
”But you seemed really invested when you watched Spirited Away with me the other day!”
“Well, that’s-“ he tried to defend himself but you knew he couldn’t bring it in him to diss his favorite movie. “-Whatever! It was a one time thing anyways!”
Soulmate Au where the reader’s skin burns when they are too far away from their soulmate.
Completed
Part 2
Finding your soulmate was supposed to be something beautiful and magical. Such an endeavor should be a breath of fresh air or a reminder of a new beginning, but it was nothing more than a nuisance to [Name]. She was of the minority with the misfortune of having her skin burn if she wasn’t close to her soulmate.
It didn’t start out with a burn at first, when she was younger it was a mere rash that was bearable. As she became older and her family began moving from home to home due to her mother’s work it got worse. Many nights [Name] writhed in pain as the burn on her body spread to new parts and every night she cried wishing to have that lovely bond where she could write to her life partner on her skin instead. This was hell.
No amount of ice or cold water healed her burns, if anything, all it did was cause more pain with the interaction. [Name] lived with this pain day in and day out without consulting anyone. How embarrassing would it be to tell your family and friends that your soulmate bond was physically hurting you? Not to mention that this was obviously hurting someone else as well. [Name] kept this a secret until she couldn’t.
As she became an adult and found her calling as a hero, [Name] fled to her hometown to become a sidekick there. The pain seemed to lessen and become somewhat bearable as she settled in her new town. No matter who she met at the hero’s agency she worked for the burn did not diminish. At this point in her life all [Name] wanted to do was find this person and end her suffering.
[Name] sat in Kamui’s hero agency bouncing one leg over the other as she took her only break for the day. A sigh escaped her lips as her gaze stayed on those passing by the building. Her hand reached for her coffee mug on the side of the couch she was on and brought it to her lips.
“[Name], how are you today?” Smiled Kamui’s eyes as he walked out of the elevator doors.
Before she could even take a sip [Name] set the mug down and smiled up at the hero. “Fine, I’m just a bit sore from running early,” she chuckled. She then did take a sip and watched as Kamui flopped in the arm chair beside her. “I take it you’re beat too?”
Kamui rubbed his temples as he slowly shook his head, “Mentally exhausted. The new interns were crazy chipper today.”
“It’s always the younger ones. They’re all just so eager..” Her voice slowed as she felt her burn begin to cool.
The pro hero noticed her change in demeanor and suddenly became alert, “Is there something wrong?” He watched the woman slowly set her mug down and begin to run out the door. “[Name]!”
Her feet fell heavy on the steps as she made her way down. The burn significantly cooling and leading the way. She stopped just outside the agency’s doors and ran left, but stopped mid track as she felt the burn flare. [Name] turned on her heel and almost slammed into her superior, “I’m sorry this is very important!” She continued back until she felt the skin cool once again and felt relief flood her nerves. “Please, please,” she begged in her mind. If she found this person everything would end. The search and the pain would cease to exist and she could live on without any of these nuisances. Her heart pounded at this possibility, then it stopped.
That unforgivable, yet subtle sting returned full force as she looked at the forgotten grocery bag on the pavement, “[Name]!” Called Kamui’s voice once again, “We have an emergency down town!” The sidekick looked at the discarded bag before picking it up and running back along Kamui. “There’s new of a large villain terrorizing the civilians. I want you to clear the perimeter and be on stand by as first aide if anyone is injured,” he ordered.
“Roger dodger,” [Name] smiled as she tried to regain her nerves. As they arrived to the scene she was surprised by the extremely tall villain that towered over the buildings. She quickly set the bag of food aside and began escorting civilians out. All her energy was centered on saving those too close to the scene and setting up a first aide center a few blocks down from the catastrophe.
Half a hour passed and it seemed like Kamui, with the help of other heroes, managed to subdue the villain. [Name] sat at her makeshift firs aide center using her quirk to regenerate their cells at a faster rate of those who had come out scathed. “There she is,” Kamui’s voice came from a distance. [Name] looked up from her last patient and watched Kamui approach with a man clad in black; with the exception of his scarf and yellow goggles. “Could you do us a favor and help Eraser Head? He got a nasty cut on his leg,” he spoke.
“That’s no problem,” she smiled as the hero took a seat on the ground next to her.
She raised the hem of his pants and then he spoke, “I have another injury there too, but don’t bother it’s just-“ his words trailed as he finally realized something. “Never mind I guess,” he mumbled eyeing the healed skin.
[Name] gave a small laugh, “Don’t worry I hear that a lot, ya know? People get hurt in the heat of the moment and suddenly think their wounds are worse than they think,” she said as she placed her palm on the open wound that was bleeding. “We’re going to have to wait a little longer. I think I’ve exhausted my quirk for the day,” she sighed in the end.
Kamui stood near them with his hands on his hips as he stared off at the villain’s unconscious body that was being taken into custody, “What were you after earlier, [Name]?”
His sidekick hummed as she pushed her hair up, “It’s silly. I thought I felt my soulmate close by. I- oh my god,” she muttered pulling up the sleeve of her unoccupied hand with her teeth. “It doesn’t hurt? Kamui! They’re close by,” she shouted over excited like a child.
Kamui chuckled in his place as he watched his sidekick look at her arm then all around her at the crowds of people. “Who could it be?” He teased.
Eraser Head sat still watching the woman look around with haste. The sight made his heart tear in two. He finally found her. His soulmate was right in front of him, healing his wounds like an angel. The problem was that he had already found somebody and they were far more important to him than any soul bond he could possibly imagine. “I think I’m okay now, [Name],” he interrupted.
“Oh! I’m sorry,” she said hurriedly and removed her hand. “Kamui, do I just ask? What do I do?” [Name]’s voice began to crack as she looked at all the faces around her desperately. “Eraser Head!” She smiled as she turned to him with slight hope, “I’m sorry, but could you be my-?”
Aizawa’s irritated eyes stared into those hopeful ones and shook his head. “I’ve found mine,” he lied through his teeth as the crowd began to slowly disperse. Then the idea sprang to him. He could leave with the crowd and she still wouldn’t know. He began to walk back to his own agency as he said his goodbyes to the two.
From afar he could still hear the woman talking to Kamui desperately, “Who are they?” She voiced with tears slowly making their way down her face, “They know, Shinji. They should know,” [Name] hiccuped while she wiped tears with her wrist. “I just want this to end,” she cried to Kamui as the burn began to sting once more. “Shinji, why don’t they care?” [Name] said as he embraced her out of sympathy.
He held her close as he eyed the disperse crowd. “Is it getting better?” He asked in a soft voice.
“No,” she muffled into his chest. Kamui watched each person closely trying to see a wince or at least a hint of them being her soulmate, yet he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
The pro hero shook his head and stepped away from the embrace, “We should head back for now,” he said in a low voice as he raised a hand to wipe her cheek. “You’ll find them.”
Soulmate Au where the reader’s skin burns when they are too far away from their soulmate.
completed
Part 1
Days passed and Kamui watched as his sidekick worked to the bone to busy her mind from the disastrous ordeal she had faced weeks prior. He remembers that day like it was mere hours before; [Name] sobbed in his arms that day until her throat was raw and voice hoarse. He had left work early that day with her. Kamui had made a silent promise to stay by her side and help calm her down. The best he could do for her, as a superior and friend, was maintain her thoughts on something positive; however, it proved to be near impossible.
That scorched skin screamed at her every morning when she awoke and left for work. It mocked her. Never had she been so close to her so-called soulmate and they just walked away. They walked away. That person preferred to suffer the rest of their life with a burn rather than find relief with their fated soulmate. Since that horrific day, [Name] has felt empty. In her mind someone gouged her heart straight out of her chest and stomped it into the ground. Her heart was mishandled and ruined. Why should she bother putting together such a mess now? “Just work,” she whispered to herself everyday like a mantra.
Kamui had heard her mutter these words to herself occasionally. He concluded that they were words to help her press on with her life, but hearing them made him feel as if he were unable to help. He even wished he could sympathize with her, but he didn’t understand the pain. The pro hero had not found his own soulmate, but he also didn’t have such a horrific bond. Whoever his soulmate was merely whispered sweet melodies to him once in a while. What [Name] was experiencing literally burned. Despite that, his heart grew heavy knowing his sidekick was suffering.
He wanted to help find the bastard who hurt her.
After a long shift, [Name] walked to the sidekick locker room and changed out of her hero suit and into her pedestrian clothes. Her thighs ached from leaping buildings and running after villains. Aside from muscle pain there was a new bruise forming on her left hip. A fleeing villain had tossed a dumpster her way earlier in the shift. “Being a sidekick is going to be the end of me,” she said to a coworker.
“Tell me about it,” they responded with a little scoff. “My patrol had to pull out some civs from a burning building and a kid bit into my shoulder.”
[Name]’s lips pulled back into a scowl as she eyed her co-worker's red shoulder, “Well that’s not fun,” she mutters softly as she holds the door open for them. “Did you have that checked out?”
The coworker’s brows rose as they threw a cardigan over their shoulder and rushed out, “Shit, I forgot!” They ran out, nearly knocking over Kamui in the process, “Sorry, Shinji!” They shouted as they rounded a corner and in the direction of the company infirmary.
Kamui looked back at the employee and then back to [Name]. “What was that?” He chuckled softly as he pulled his helmet off. [Name] shrugged softly as she watched him turn and looked back at the corner they disappeared off too. “Well,” he chuckled, turning back to [Name], “Wait for me? I’m off right now too.”
With a tinge of excitement, she gave a small nod and sat down in one of the single sofas in the common area right outside the locker rooms. She watched Kamui flex his back muscles in a stretch as he walked into his own locker room. Within mere minutes he walked out in a pair of jeans and a simple brick red t-shirt. “Ready to head out then?” [Name] questioned as she stood up to shoulder her bag.
Kamui smiled and led the way out of the building. "Have anything planned for the rest of your day?" He quarried as he held the agency's door open for the sidekick.
"Well," she smiled teasingly looking up at him, "if a certain someone doesn't need help with a villain I think I'll just stay home and relax."
The two stared at each other with a slight smirk adorning their lips. Both parties enjoyed teasing the other and it had become their favorite form of communication. "Let me make it easier for today," he started as they began to walk down the street, "grab dinner with me. If something comes up then we can go out together."
[Name]'s lips opened and closed before she could even get a single word out. This was out of character for Kamui in her opinion. He had never shown interest in her and neither had she in him. Why would they? It was kind of an unspoken rule that you don't date anyone because you already have a soulmate. Her's obviously didn't care though; that much was certain.
No harm, no foul.
Right?
"Shinji," [Name] replied with a wide smile on her lips, "are you asking me out on a date?"
The corner of the pro hero's lips twitched in a smirk as he shrugged, "Would you consider hanging out at my place and eating scrambled eggs as a date?"
"Eggs?"
"Eggs," he confirmed.
[Name]’s lips tilted in a smirk as she craned her neck to stare up at the hero, “Your soulmate wouldn’t kill me?” She teased the man.
Kamui scoffed and turned, brushing into her shoulder with his in the process, “You, [Name], don’t have to worry your pretty little head about something like that,” he said, already leading the way to his home. “I haven’t found my soulmate either,” he mentions.
The woman’s brows raise in surprise as she follows him. Statistics say that soulmates usually find each other by the time they finish high school. It was rare to see someone in [Name] and Kamui’s age range without theirs. “Really? You haven’t found them?”
With the shake of his head Kamui replies, “Really. I’ve just been too busy with work to go on a full search for them. I’ve got a general idea of where they live if I’m being honest,”
Hearing such news, [Name] looks up to him then back to the path ahead of them, just in time to dodge another pedestrian in her way. “How is that possible?”
A laugh resonated from the man and lingered in the air for a moment, “They’re rather intelligent,” he says with a smile crossing his lips. “We can only communicate through songs. They’ve been relaying information through that,” His voice trails off as he stares into the distance with a look of longing lingering in his eyes.
[Name] looks up at him again as they continue walking and notices this. Her stomach churns in guilt and frustration. She quickly looks ahead of them again, her teeth catching her bottom lip aggressively. Her thoughts trailed off as she wondered if her own soulmate thought of her like that once. Her brain wondered if they held a forlorn look once when they cared for her. Should she even be accepting Kamui’s kind gesture?
“Oh, this way, [Name].” His call broke the woman out of her thoughts quickly as he set a warm hand on the small of her back. He lightly brought her around the corner of the street and continued walking. “Besides, why would I look for someone when I’ve found someone just as intelligent in my agency?” [Name] could practically hear the smile in his voice. She skids to a stop as he turns into a building. “How do you like your eggs by the way?” he asks as he walks to the elevator in the lobby. “”Personally, I like mine scrambled with sauteed vegetables.”
“Good question,” she says, stopping right behind him as they wait for the elevator. She played with the strap of her bag as she tried to remember how she liked her eggs, but the burn on her arm slowly started flaring up. The growing pain caused her train of thought to derail, until the ding of the elevator brought her back to Kamui. “Sunny side up,” she finally replies as they settle into the elevator. “Nothing too fancy, Mr. Sauteed veggies.”
Kamui snorts as he presses his floor’s button and watches the doors close. “Didn’t know setting some veggies in a skillet was fancy to you,” he retorted. [Name] gave a half-assed smile instead of a verbal reply while watching the floor numbers tick by slowly. The burn finally settled on a seven out of ten. How far did that bastard go? “You alright there?” Kamui asks as he feels the silence becoming heavier in the cramped elevator.
“Yeah,” she breathes out a little too quickly. “Perfectly fine,” she smiles and adjusts the strap of her purse on her shoulder. The elevator doors finally open to Kamui’s floor. He walks out first and leads her down a hall to a white wooden door with elaborate engravings on it. “Fancy,” she chides once again, looking up to the man’s eyes.
He rolls his brown eyes at the woman before unlocking the door and letting her in, “Welcome to my fancy abode then, [Name].”
Stepping in, [Name] immediately looks around and takes in Kamui’s living space. The far wall wasn’t even a wall, just a bird’s eye view of the entire city, “Woah,” she says, slipping her shoes off and dropping her bag at the entrance. “That’s a pretty nice view, Shinji,” she says, completely taken aback by the gorgeous sight before her.
Shinji could be heard already in the kitchen, clattering around the refrigerator and moving skillets around. “It’s the same view I get on patrols so it’s nothing new.”
The woman turns on her heel and looks around more. His place was really open. The living room had two brown, leather couches with a few throw pillows. They were placed in a way to frame the flat screen television on the wall adjacent to the view. Right behind the farthest couch was a bar with stools, separating the kitchen from the living room. There was an island right in the center of the kitchen with pots and pans hanging right over it. White cabinets lined the apartment’s walls and wrapped around a stove and a fridge. “You have a really nice place and the view!”
Kamui rolled his eyes again as he began making the eggs, “Again with the view? I told you-”
“Yeah, but I don’t get views like that on patrols,” [Name] butt-in as she walked into the kitchen and practically leaned against the man to get a view of how he was preparing the eggs. “Awe, are you making mine first, Shinji?” she asks, squeezing his bicep in the process, “You’re such a gentleman.”
The man’s face slowly grew hot, so he tried concealing his embarrassment with a scoff, “I can’t let my best sidekick starve now can I?” There was no lie in that statement either. Kamui cared a lot for all his sidekicks, but there was something about [Name] that caught his eye. At first, he thought it was her quirk that made her stand out. Usually medic-type quirk users applied for a job in the medical field, a hospital per say. Not this one obviously. When interviewed, he remembered asking why she would prefer being a sidekick rather than a doctor and she had replied with, “Someone has to take care of the injured on the frontlines, sir. Immediate attention to any injury is a matter of life or death for a patient. I can prevent death if possible.” That had been years ago, and she had stayed true to her philosophy to this day. It didn’t matter how fast Kamui was or any other hero, [Name] was hot on their heels. She was almost as fast as Endeavor himself. This woman, despite not having a quirk equipped for combat, rushed into the brunt of the action to look for any wounded. Even if there weren't any wounded, she did her best to assist the heroes at the scene.
That’s what he loves about her.
Love?
“You’re funny,” she says and leaves his side. [Name] didn’t know if she should believe him or not, so she opted to step back and open his fridge. She was already making herself at home. “Got any bacon? What are eggs without bacon?”
Kamui turns his head and sees the woman bent at the waist, looking into the fridge. He immediately turns away and looks at the skillet, embarrassed even more. “Yeah, they should be to your right,” he says to the yellow yolk that stares back at him tauntingly. He heard her shuffling around, then heard her shout in victory when she had found the thin strips of meat. It doesn’t take her long to begin making a ruckus right behind him, hell it even scares him
He turns immediately only to see the petite woman trying to reach for the hanging skillets, “Think I need a little help, Shinj,” she admits sheepishly in her position with one hand on the kitchen island and the other reaching helpless for the pan that was a tad bit too far out of reach. Kamui doesn’t hesitate to fully turn and hand her a skillet, “Thanks,” she smiles, turning and standing beside him at the stove. “Can I ask you a question?” Kamui hums in response as he turns to the cabinets and grabs a plate for her two eggs. “What made you want to become a hero?”
Kamui slips the eggs with ease onto the plate before cracking a few more into the skillet for his own. Sauteeing the vegetables would be a hassle. He could make ones like hers so they could eat together. “I like helping people,” he says matter of factly as he eyes her setting six strips of bacon on her skillet.
“Elaborate, idiot,” she laughs, bumping her hip into his own.
At this gesture, Kamui smiles. There was something about being so domestic with someone that filled his heart with joy. Usually, he was alone and was left to make meals just for himself, but here she was filling that empty space in his heart. He could only hope at the moment that [Name] was feeling the same and forgetting that wretched soulmate that ignored her. “Well, when I was a kid I always watched the news for hero activity like any other kid, you know? At first, I didn’t see my quirk as something helpful compared to the heroes on TV. Nothing compared to All Might, so I didn’t think I stood a chance. That’s what I felt until I actually did help someone,” he laughs as the memory comes to the forefront of his mind. “Or something. I saved a cat from a tall pine tree. Little thing somehow made it to the top and began wailing. Being the only one close, I felt compelled to help. When it was finally down I felt every inch of my skin crawl with excitement and pride. I had done that, I had saved a life.”
[Name] smiles down at the sizzling meat as she tries to imagine a young Kamui, gapped tooth and saving a feline. “That’s really cute,” she confesses as she flips the meat onto its opposite side. “I just knew your little origin story would be admirable. You never fail to amaze me, Shinji,” she pauses and looks up to him, only to find his dark eyes already looking at her. She swallows thick and turns her attention back to the skillet before continuing, “When you do meet your soulmate, I know they’ll just be ecstatic and overjoyed to know who you are.”
Kamui’s heart flutters at the admiration, but just as quickly falls to the pit of his stomach. What was he doing? He promised himself that he’d get her mind off of soulmates and here they were back on the topic.
“I bet they’re no hero,” she says, going around Kamui and picking up her plate. “A hero would understand that breaking someone’s heart is just as bad as physically hurting them.” She sets three strips of bacon on her plate and sets it beside her on the counter. “Right, Shinji? A hero wouldn’t hurt someone like that.”
The man was now looking at his own plate and setting two eggs on it, “I agree,” he says softly.
[Name] takes his plate and sets the rest of the bacon on it. She picks up her own and walks to the bar and sets them down. Kamui is right behind her with the silverware. He politely waits for her to choose a spot before sitting down right beside her. The home fills with the noise of silverware clashing against glass plates as they eat in silence. [Name] seeming to pay close attention to every bite as she turns to look out the large window. Her eyes roam over the tops of buildings, before landing on the horizon. "Can I be real with you?" She asks suddenly. "I envy your soulmate. You're everything I used to wish mine would be."
Kamui was quiet in his seat with his last slice of bacon in his fingertips. It hovered just over his closed lips as he looked to the back of her head. He set the food down and wiped his hands on a napkin before clearing his throat. "To hell with my soulmate then."
In her seat, [Name] turns to look at the Pro-Hero with wide eyes. "What?" She asks believing she had heard him wrong.
The Pro-Hero finds himself leaning into the woman, his hand reaching up and pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "To hell with my soulmate," he chimes one more time before easing her into a soft and light kiss. One that felt like it never happened if [Name] wasn't intently looking at the man. "I'll make you happy. You'll even forget about that mark, [Name]. You won't even remember what it's for or why you have it if you'll let me be with you."
[Name] sits in shock, staring at the hero. His dark eyes are serious. There was no sign of his playful attitude. She takes a shaky breath and says, "You mean it?"
"I do," he replies, caressing her cheek with his cold hand. He watches her lean into his touch and let out another shaky breath. "I mean it," he says, confirming his words once again.
A stray tear runs down the woman's cheek and she's quick to move away from the man and wipe it. "Sorry. I'm just so happy," she apologizes. [Name] doesn't know what she's happy for to be totally honest with herself. She likes Kamui enough to explore this unwritten rule of not dating people who aren't your soulmate, but she also can't help but wonder if she's accepting him because she simply wants someone to love.
Regardless of the reason, [Name] is happy for the moment.
Weeks pass and Kamui is true to his word. The Pro-Hero does his greatest and even goes out of his way to make his new lover immensely happy. He provides her with gifts, flowers and even brings extravagant lunches for the sidekicks in her department. Everyone in the agency is well aware of their relationship, despite the lovebirds never revealing anything verbally. It was seen in the way Kamui sought her out after she returned from a mission, when he opened doors for her, but especially in the way Kamui’s dark eyes looked into her own with adoration and care. He always seemed so caring and gentle when he reached an arm towards her because to him [Name] was like beautiful glass he dared not leave a scratch on. Kamui saw beauty in her at every angle: from the way she healed the injured to the way that unrelenting burn shrank and grew , the man saw unaltered perfection in her.
Some of the times it was even hard for Kamui to go on missions alongside her due to the worry that swelled up within him. Like always, [Name] was hot on Kamui’s heels as closed in on an on-going battle. A few heroes were struggling to subdue an airborne villain dropping what seemed to be home made bombs. Kamui was called in, as well as asked to bring in reinforcements for the injured. The Pro-hero was specifically called in to create a dome to close in and minimize the damage to one area, so he’d have to be in the middle of the battle. “Handle the injured from out here, [Name],” he ordered as you two closed in on the affected area. “Leave everything inside to the heroes.”
“Is that an order as a boyfriend or my boss?” she asks rather loudly as he continues on.
Kamui looks back at her for a second and screams out, “Both!” before disappearing into the ongoing battle.
[Name] on the other hand, stopped and quickly turned to the makeshift first aid area other sidekicks had already made. She is quick to handle the gravely injured before moving on to the more minor cases that slowly trickle out of Kamui’s woods. “That can’t be everyone,” she mumbled to a sidekick from Dragoon Hero Ryukyu’s agency.
The sidekick she spoke to immediately agreed and pointed out the size and area of the dome. “I don't think so. There’s got to be some stuck in there,” they said with a click of their tongue.
[Name] chewed on her lips and rushed into Kamui’s thick wood. Despite the words of caution and the orders, she couldn’t just stand on the sidelines and wait for more injured to crawl out. What if they couldn’t? What if some were stuck under rubble, or worse already bleeding out on the hard pavement. Once past the thick layer of wood, [Name] immediately starts shouting if anyone needs help. “Anyone need help? Hello?!” She continues down streets yelling this same phrase into rubble and dilapidated buildings. Her heart races in her chest each time she does hear someone asking for help and is quick to relieve them of pain and sends them off to the closest exit near the dome.
Everything is going well, that is until she sees said villain flying over head. Her eyes squint as she tries to catch a glimpse of the villain through the few rays of sunshine that have made it through the wood, but it's all too late. In place of the villain is a small, metal object with wires coming out of it. “[Name] run!” Kamui’s rings through the cold air, but [Name] is stuck in place; eyes planted on the mechanism in fear and awe.
“Idiot, move!” another gruff voice shouts just as fabric tightly wraps around her waist and pulls her back. As she’s flying back, [Name] watches as the mechanism explodes as it touches ground. Her soft eyes widened in surprise as she crashes into a body behind her just as the bomb explodes where she once stood. Surprised, she turns to face her savior and comes face to face with Eraserhead. His dark eyes stared at [Name] behind his barred goggles with an intense glare. “Mind your surroundings. You can’t help the injured if you join them,” he chides as he pulls back the fabric around her.
Planted in her spot, the sidekick remains staring at the Pro-hero. “You,” she murmurs as she clenches the arm that seems to always have a constant burn, but at the moment there was none. Not even a dull pain. It was healed at this very moment.
The hero’s eyes only narrow as he nods, knowing he’s been found out. “Keep looking for civilians for now.”
[Name] took her bottom lip between her teeth before running off in the opposite direction. She continued her work and as she did so her suspicions of the man only grew to reaffirm themselves as the burn never came back. Not even that dull pain she was sometimes used to. It had healed now that she knew who he was. Despite this new found knowledge, the sidekick did everything in her power to continue saving the rest of the civilians scattered around the area. A few hours after Ryukyu had finally caught the villain and Eraserhead subdued him, [Name] and the other sidekicks were able to gather and heal all the wounded.
Kamui was quick to make his way to her once all the aftermath precautions were taken. To be honest, he expected a cute greeting, maybe even a hug, but all he saw in her eyes was pure disdain as he watched her speak to Eraserhead. His pace slowed as he strained his ears to listen to what she was so animatedly talking about with such a look in her eyes. In the end, he decided to not grow closer and stayed a few ways behind to give the two some space.
Erasehead stood in front of his soulmate, skin no longer burning as well, and listened to her complaints. He knew this would happen, but he wasn’t about to let her be blown to bits. “All I want to know is why. You let me…no, you let us keep hurting and for what? You could have ended all these years of suffering, couldn’t you? Why didn’t you relieve me of this pain? Why couldn’t you just let me be free! I’ve been tied to you for so long, asshole! I don’t even love you like a soul mate should!” she yelled, tears threatening to spill from her eyes already.
The black haired man stood, staring down at the girl as she spilled her heart out. He listened in silence and didn’t dare break her monologue. “You don’t love me then?” he finally asked. He had no right to though because of his own infidelity. Eraserhead, Aizawa, had found someone he thought he could spend the rest of his life with in peace, but he knew this wasn’t the same as being with a soulmate. His partner knew that as well and had left him not long ago for their own soulmate. This meeting here wasn’t by chance either. The second Aizawwa laid eyes on [Name] in that dome he knew he had to end their suffering. Him saving her was his last resort. He knew how she would react, but he could only hope she’d accept him as his soulmate after all the pain and suffering he had allowed to exist.
“Love you?” she scoffed, tearing her eyes away from him and looking at Kamui far off in the distance. “It’s impossible to hate your soulmate. You know that,” she said annoyed and repulsed with herself. [Name] lifted her hand and used her sleeve to wipe away her tears. “I can’t hate you. I just want to know why.”
Aizawa let out a soft sigh. Relief flooded him hearing those words as he gave his truth. He explained his situation, his partner, and what he knew about her before she even knew about him. “I was a fool to try and find happiness outside of this life contract.”
[Name] kept her eyes on Kamui before waving him over. “That’s a shame,” she says looking back to Aizawa. “I’m currently trying to find happiness outside of said contract too. The burn is gone, but I hope a new wound finds itself in your heart. I hope you feel the pain I did all these years. Aizawa Shouta, I wish nothing but pain on you until the day we meet each other again as two lonesome people.” With that said, she takes Kamui’s hand and the two walk away leaving Aizawa with a dull pain slowly growing within his chest.
Right behind Shigaraki, Souseiki sat on a wooden stool with a can of cold coffee in her hands. Her feet slowly swing from side to side as she watches the interaction before her. She had been introduced to Giran the second she woke up at noon. Shigaraki had hoped she would stay passed out for another hour so he could take care of business, but he also knew that she’d have to meet the new recruits as well.
The sight of her stumbling out was quite comedic. Her hand was rubbing at her eyes as she tried to make her way to them in a straight line, but utterly failed. The brunette was holding onto the walls until she came close to the people in the bar. Once she saw the guests, Souseiki mumbled a greeting before making her way as far away from them as possible. She didn’t know who they were and quite frankly didn’t need them knowing her so personally at the moment. She wasn’t expecting guests and just walked out without brushing her teeth.
“Why so far away?” Giran teased, looking her way.
Souseiki smiled lazily and said “I don’t like being near men I don’t know.” Beside the broker was a tall man with scars and what seemed to be staples holding up his face. It kind of reminded her of the Joker in the comics. It was slightly frightening if she was being honest with herself. There was also a young girl, a very overzealous one at that, bouncing on the balls of her feet and looking around with wide eyes. They looked, despite their weird appearances or expressions, overall harmless. Well, to her standards because she doesn’t think they could do any more harm or damage than Shigaraki has. “What kinda quirks ya got?” she questions half heartedly as she sips at her cold drink and looks at them over the rim of the can.
It’s no surprise to her that the teenager, Toga, is the first to scream out an answer, “I like drinking blood, especially when it's from the people I love most. It lets me become them!” she said over excited and with a large, toothy smile.
“And you?” the brunette asks, looking to the taller man beside her.
There was a moment of silence as she stared at the man over the rim of the coffee can. He tilted his head as he held eye contact for a while. That may have been a little too long, because Shigaraki began scratching at the skin on his neck before the man replied with, “And you are?”
Souseiki hummed and didn’t respond this time. She instead glanced at Shigaraki, seeing him already subtly shaking with rage. “Kurogiri, get rid of these guys,” Shigaraki rasped out, turning in his seat and pointing straight at the two potential recruits. Beside him, Souseiki’s brows furrowed as she listened to his reasoning. It was obvious he was irritated, but who was she to tell him to calm down over this? Now she knew they were equals, but he was still her leader.
Kurogiri was the one who tried talking sense into the man in an attempt to calm him down. She remained in her seat, her eyes flitting from one man to the other. Seeing his body slowly rise, and hearing Shigraki’s tone of voice slightly pitch, Souseiki puts down her can and presses her bare feet onto the ground. From years of fighting with him, she’s come to know his fighting style and his silent call. He was ready to reduce someone to nothing but ash. Just as her eyes landed on the exit behind all of them her feet pressed forward to relieve the guest of their quirks and allow Shigaraki a chance to do what he wanted. However, Kurogiri was quick to bring warp gates up the second he was out of Souseiki’s erasure range.
Whereas everyone else’s hands were transported within the same vicinity, Souseiki was entirely transported back to Shigaraki’s room. She stumbled into the middle of his room, almost knocking into the desk. Her jaw clenched as she held onto the edge of the desk before letting out a loud and outraged cry. “Damn it, Kurogiri!” she seethed looking down at the cluttered desk. She was ready to turn on her heel, and head out to give him a piece of her mind, but the blinking of her phone distracts her. Shigaraki had put it to charge for her in the middle of the night when it slipped out of his hoodie’s pocket.
A small envelope icon flashed annoyingly, so she swiped at the screen. She clicked at the notification and slowly read over the forwarded message. Seeing the email from a Aizawa sensei read about a training camp had her forgetting her previous bout of rage. A smile spread across her face as she spun around and nearly ripped the door off its hinges to get to the common area. “Tomura!” she said loudly with a tone that could compete with the teenager’s excited one. “I got-” she stopped herself as she looked around the common area but only saw Giran, the broker, and his two tag-alongs, but not Shigaraki. “Oh,” she mumbled, staring at them. Her attention then turned to the fire hazard she was currently upset with, “Kurogiri,” The man visibly flinched, hearing his full name come from such a friendly person, “Where did Tomura go?”
Obviously, she was hoping for a response, but the one who answered was the teenager, Toga, as she was early introduced. “Tomura left right now. It looked like you really wanted to kill us,” Toga said rather quickly and in one breath.
Souseiki gave a soft smile as she looked down at her phone and sent a quick text to Shigaraki as she said, “We did.” She looked up at the blonde, her smile growing wider. Now they were both smiling at one another.
“I’m really happy you didn’t,” Toga announces with a laugh.
With raised brows, Souseiki tilted her head then looked at the scarred man and lastly to Giran. “Are we all done here? I’d like to get back to doing nothing.” She lightly shook her phone in her hand, indicating she would rather be on it. With that, the three people dismissed themselves silently and Souseiki made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth,
Her phone was balanced on the edge of the porcelain sink as she impatiently waited for a response from Shigaraki. When one wasn’t received, she walked to the bar and sat on the stool she was previously on. “Yabe Souseiki…” Kurogiri started, as he watched her scroll through a website on her phone. “What was done earlier-"
“It’s fine,” she said, quickly cutting him off. “They were recruits and we need them. I was only acting on Tomura’s orders.”
The man’s brows furrowed as she set the phone down and looked up to him, “Orders?” he questioned.
Souseiki nodded, “When Tomura wants to decay someone his voice becomes a little more high-pitched if he’s talking. If he isn’t speaking, I look at his hands. They slightly twitch, specifically his ring finger on his right hand,” she says, waving her hand dismissively. “He has tell-tales.”
Silence, for the second time that afternoon, enveloped the room.
Both people remain quiet. One polishing a glass spotless and the other staring at their phone hoping for a notification.
One doesn’t come through, instead the woman hears a voice come from the monitor at the end of the bar. “Hello, Souseiki. Mind telling me more of those tell-tales?” From her spot, the brunette straightens up and looks at the Sound Only displayed on the monitor. “Of course we all know the obvious tell of his annoyance and rage. Are there any more?”
“Sen…sei?” she addressed him, rather unsure even after all these years if she was supposed to do it that way. She has never heard his name, but calling him All For One was just too long of a title. It wasn’t even a formal name. “You were listening?”
A laugh, more like an amused exhale, resonated from the speakers, “Yes, I occasionally listen in. Today especially, I wanted to overhear the meeting. Now, dear, back to the tells.”
Souseiki cleared her throat as she looked at Kurogiri and then her eyes went back to her phone. Why would he want to know something like that? Despite knowing that these two men have a close relationship, Souseiki couldn’t help but to think that Shigaraki needs to have certain aspects about him hidden. Sensei has known him longer, if he hadn’t seen or noticed the tells before, he obviously doesn’t truly care for Shigaraki. Why should she tell him these anyhow? There were a few more, but they had nothing to do with combat. If anything, the rest of his tells had to do with affection. This had to do with her too and their quiet intimacy. “That's it, Sensei. I only really noticed it because of the quests we’ve been on together, ya know? I’ve had time to read him.”
He laughed once again and said, “You’ve also acquired his form of speech over the years. Anyhow, thank you for your cooperation, Souseiki.”
Souseiki smiled as if he could see her, maybe he actually could, and responded with a simple, “Anytime.” After that, there was no response. Both people in the room settled back into their silence. Souseiki was back on her phone, mind now racing and heart pounding inside her chest. She had just lied to Shigaraki’s sensei. She had just lied to the most infamous villain to have ever lived in the past century. “Fuck,” she mouthed while scrolling on her phone again, but amongst all her inner turmoil, there was a sort of relief and contentment lingering. She had decided to give him privacy, one thing she was sure Shigaraki didn’t have much of when it came to personal feelings.
The phone vibrating cut her thoughts off their course. She quickly tapped at the text that popped up at the top of her screen. When her messages with Shigaraki loaded, her brow furrowed in confusion. His text simply read, “I know.”
She responded with a few question marks and waited for a response, but all that showed up was the little bubble indicating he was typing; however, a reply didn’t follow. This did rub her the wrong way, but that annoyance quickly subsided as she thought of him probably being busy. “Kurogiri, I’m going out,” Souseiki announced, pushing herself off the bar stool.
“Yabe Souseiki,” Kurogiri called quickly. The brunette turned to him and tilted her head. “Are you…upset with me?”
There was a bit of surprise in her eyes, not at the question, but at his forwardness.It was rare when he was forward about his own feelings as well. Most of the time he kept to himself, emotionally anyway. “A bit,” Souseiki nodded, but despite her answer there was a smile resting on her lips. “I shouldn’t be though.You were only doing what was in Tomura’s best interest. I’m sorry, Kuro.” She shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the bar’s exit. “If Tomura comes back before me, let him know I went out to buy a few things.”
“What necessities will you be purchasing?”
Instead of providing an intelligent response, Souseiki stuck her tongue out at the man and walked out of the place. She hummed a small tune to herself as she walked down the short hallway and pushed her phone into the pocket of her jeans. There was no point in remaining within the bar for the day, or for the rest of her life that is. She wouldn’t be doing anything dangerous so she knew it was safe to go out into the wild, just as Shigaraki had. There was one place she liked frequenting once in a while across town, so she hopped on the first bus she caught sight of. For it being a little late into the afternoon, the bus was relatively empty. This allowed her to grab a seat at the far back next to a window. Before she could even sit down, the driver started off down the road quickly causing her to fall into her seat hard.
This prompted a giggle from someone across the aisle. Souseiki cleared her throat, quickly glanced at the person, and adjusted herself in the lumpy seat. She was now looking away from the person who had found her stumbling amusing. It embarrassed her even if it hadn’t been her fault. She pulled out her phone and typed a quick message, “I hate people.” The words quickly popped up on her timeline and with that she quickly put her phone away and watched as buildings passed her by. Even though there were no comments from the random person, Souseiki felt pain and worry swell up within her. The embarrassment was overwhelming.
Finally, the bus made its first stop since she got on. Hurriedly, Souseiki stood up and walked right off. On the sidewalk, she watched the bus leave before walking across the street. On the other side was a small convenience store. It was far from home, but it has always been worth the trip. She walked in with her hands holding each other against her chest. The aisles were so short she could actually see over them, but despite that they were so densely packed that each item touched the one behind and next to it. The owner, an older woman with grayed hair, sat in her stool behind the counter watching reruns of an old novella. She was nice and minded her business whenever she, or anyone for that matter, walked in. It was nice shopping without someone hovering over you and listening to some really silent religious music.
Her footsteps were light as she walked down the snack aisle, then she stopped. Her eyes scanned the wall of salty chips and sour gummies until they landed on a specific brand of gummies that contained a spicy flavor to them. Souseiki squatted down when she noticed a new flavor she’d never seen in her last few visits. “No way,” she mumbled to herself with a smile as she picked up the pack. Souseiki read over the new flavors to each gummy before picking up another pack to share with Shigaraki. The brunette was ready to stand when she heard a loud bang. Quickly, Souseiki dropped down again, eyes wide as she listened closely. The loud noise was definitely something hitting and shattering glass.
“Open the register!” came a loud voice. Souseiki gulped hearing this and slowly lowered the plastic bags she was holding to the ground. If she made any noise it's probable that she’d catch the thief’s attention and she didn’t want that. Hell, she wanted to run. Every inch of her being was telling her to run for the door, but her heart was thinking about the old woman. “Open the goddamn register, lady, or I will shoot you!”
Shoot?
The brunette sat on the floor and slowly started crawling to the end of the aisle. She peaked around the corner and didn’t see anyone else; meaning whoever was at the register had no acquaintance. A gun though could be tricky. She continued to crawl as she heard the register ding, indicating the old woman had finally opened it. There was rustling as she peaked around the corner and caught sight of a man in a ski mask, classic, with his hand held up. There was no gun though. So it’s a quirk.
“Hurry up!” The man screamed loudly and desperately as he pointed his hand, thumb up and index finger extended, up in the air. He flexed his thumb and a loud crash sounded as the ceiling tiles shook.
Souseiki moved back and hid, looking up with terrified eyes. There would be no problem if his quirk wasn’t a projectile one. She could have played hero for this old woman, just like her mother had taught her as a teenager, but if the man was quick to react then she could possibly get hurt in the process and endanger the woman. That wasn’t her only worry though, what if a hero arrived, if she saved the woman before one came she could run off just as fast. She wasn’t a hero, but she was a terrified customer. Would the woman hold this against her if she stayed put or would she hate her because she’s younger and could have done something?
Whatever she’d feel still made Souseiki shake with fear. She was only ever brave with Shigaraki by her side. Souseiki only ever felt safe with him around. “Fuck me,” she hissed quietly, shaking her head as she scrambled to her feet then ran down the aisle.
The man with the ski mask quickly reacted and turned to Souseiki. His finger raised to her and quickly flexed his thumb. Souseiki took a sharp breath as she ducked, hoping she’d be able to dodge his invisible bullets. Her hands blindly grabbed at an object on the shelf and threw it at him with all her strength before tackling him. Souseiki’s wide eyes stared terrified into the man’s own wide ones as she lay on top of him on the floor.
He tried to shake her off, but Souseiki pushed down his hands by holding his wrists to the ground. “Stay down!” She said with a quiver in her voice as she looked back at the shop keeper. “Call a hero, call someone!” she begged, body shaking as she looked back down at the man. His cold, blue eyes stared back at her as he formed his makeshift pistol. She watched his thumb flex, and nothing came.
“What the-”
“You’ve been erased,” Souseiki muttered, staring straight at the man. “You’re a piece of shit attacking an old lady,” she hissed, voice still on edge as she looked up at the store’s entrance. It felt like hours when she finally saw some chump hero run in with their cheap spandex outfit. When the hero was close, she hopped off the man quickly. The hero was quick to take the man into his own hands. “He can blast people with his hands,” she said quickly and walked out with haste. The hero called back to her, but she didn’t listen. Souseiki was in no way going to wait for cops or more heroes to come in for questioning. As she came further down the street, she started in a full off sprint until she turned into a dark alley. Her hands aggressively shook as she unlocked her phone and sent Kurogiri her location. In a matter of seconds there was a warpgate. She stumbled in and found herself in the bar. “Tomura!” she cried out loudly as her hands held onto the bar trying to stabilize herself. “Tomura!” she cried out once again, tears streaming down her face as she looked around.
The man she’d been calling for ran out of his room, red eyes wide as he looked at her. When he realized she was physically unharmed, his eyes softened and he walked up to her trembling form. “You’re okay,” he muttered, taking one of her hands and leading her to a couch. He settled her down and sat beside her, watching as she held her arms close to her chest and stared at the blank television screen until her shaking stopped. And even when it did, her breathing was still uneven. Shigaraki didn’t speak anymore though, as he watched over her. Listening to her small sniffles and her ragged breathing. He didn’t know how to comfort her. When he cried his sensei only watched, so that’s all he knew what to do for her.
It took time for her nerves to settle down and when they finally did, Souseiki bit her thumb. She glanced at Shigaraki, eyes still red and irritated despite no tears dripping out. “Sorry,” she smiled weakly. “I played hero and I got scared.”
With his back to the arm rest, Shigaraki raised a brow at Souseiki. One of his hands harshly scratched the palm of the other as he asked for clarification, “What do you mean by played hero?” He listened carefully to Souseiki retelling the events that took place in the small convenience store. By the end of it he only nodded in reassurance to her story. What stood out to him most though wasn’t her honesty regarding how she feels safe with him, but the fact that she decided to help the woman. He wasn’t sure whether he liked the fact that she went in even if her fear was this strong or if he was upset about her being exposed to danger without him there. “At least you’re not dead,” he said, a wide, jarring smile spreading across his lips.
Souseiki smiled around her thumb and gave a nod, “Yeah, at least I’m not dead.”
Souseiki rested an arm against the bar’s counter as she dipped her head underneath, looking for some fresh limes. All she caught sight of was some melting ice, radishes and garnishes for the drinks Kurogiri makes on occasion. With a groan, she stood up straight and scanned the common area as if wishful thinking would make a few limes appear anywhere in the room. She sucked her teeth in annoyance and pushed her balled up fists into the pocket of her hoodie. “Just great,” she huffed, turning around and making her way into the kitchen. The mess she had created previously now felt all for naught. A while after Shigaraki had long made his way into his room, Souseiki had made it her night’s mission to try and make it up to him. Making a key lime pie was, for some reason, the first thing that came to mind. Knowing Shigaraki had a palette for things that are slightly bitter, she had thought maybe making it would be a good idea. And it would have been a good idea if there were limes. “What kind of bar doesn’t have limes?” Souseiki muttered to herself as she stared at the finely stretched out dough for crust in a sad saucepan she had found. She tried to make do with what was available to her, but she overestimated the bar’s resources.
The brunette leaned against the doorframe; one leg crossed over the other as she stared down at the mess. She reached back into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone. The little battery icon was now red, but as it had enough juice for one last search it was all good for her. Those slender fingers of hers tapped away at the screen almost too quickly causing the letters to lag by half a second, but it still gave way to a result nonetheless. The first results caused her to sigh, but she continued scrolling until she found a new recipe. Pie Crust Cookies .
So much for a bitter taste.
Pushing off the door frame, Souseiki walked to the saucepan and stared down at the dough laying neatly in the pan. It felt almost unfair thinking about the fact that she has to uproot the whole thing after spending almost an entire hour trying to spread it out evenly in the old pan and stretch it out to the right height out to the sides.
It was nearly comical the way her trembling fingers dipped back into the saucepan and folded the raised dough into the base. Then she padded the tips of her fingers into the raised creases in an attempt to knead the dough to become one. It wasn’t until she was satisfied that she stepped back and stared at the mess that was to become one huge cookie.
This wasn’t enough though. Now she wanted to make it the Frankenstein of all cookies. She hastily took the bottle of vanilla and poured some relentlessly, then dumped in a lot of cinnamon before going in to knead it all together one last time. This time around though, she didn’t bother making the top smooth and just tossed it as it was into the heating oven. Her brown eyes watched the dough take in the heat for a while before walking back out to the front of the bar. There she pulled a bottle of whiskey off the back shelf, the one Shigaraki always drank from, and poured a generous amount into a glass. Flustered and tired, she leaned against the bar on her elbows and looked out towards the common area. She watched as the television quietly showed reruns of a seventies anime that always aired at three in the morning. She scoffed at the antics and took a short sip of the drink, the liquid stinging at her throat, but it didn’t bother her much. Tired, she pushed her hair back and watched the television through irritated eyes until she wasn’t even paying attention to the plot.
Instead, her thoughts roamed to the events that had previously taken place. Shigaraki had finished what was shortly left of the level he was on before placing the controller between the two. He stared quietly at the television set until it turned off. The black screen mirrored the two in a colorless haze. Souseiki had remained with her knees pulled to her chest and her forehead set down on her knees. She hadn’t moved at all, not even made a sound after apologizing. It honestly pulled at his heart strings to have scolded her as if she were a child that didn’t understand the probable consequences of her actions. Shigaraki knew she meant well, but the idea of losing her ruins him. He wouldn’t even be able to go after her, to fight for her. His sensei would just call her a loose end at that point and force him to stay put.
He wanted to apologize too, but he knew he couldn’t do that, so he stood from his spot and slid away into his room. If he would have stayed any longer he knew he’d seem weak willed and would give mixed messages to her. Messages relaying that it was okay to defy his orders when she found a loophole. He needed her to know she was punished.
In Souseiki’s mind; however, all she saw was her closest friend leaving her pissed off. The message was received, but she felt somewhere within herself that Shigaraki would end their friendship if he felt she was a liability. She couldn’t lose him, not over something so meaningless. Not over a stupid quirk.
Again, she sucked her teeth in annoyance and glanced down the corridor. His door was closed shut, but a soft glow emanated from the bottom. No doubt he was still up either scheming or playing some video game on his computer again. Either way, she hadn't bothered to check on him empty handed. She wanted to show him she was genuinely sorry and a treat would portray just that. He'd have to know she didn't mean to possibly compromise him, his sensei, or even the arrogant doctor. Hopefully the Frankenstein cookie would relay such a message. If not she'd try her best to simply tell him just so she wouldn't complicate things.
Not that anything having to do with Shigaraki was simple to begin with. The cookie would just be a sort of ground breaking introduction to her soon to be extended apology.
Realizing she'd finished her drink, Souseiki stood up and dropped the glass into the sink behind the bar before making her way back to the kitchen. The soft scent of the dough mixed with the rich vanilla slowly wafted from the oven and permeated the air. Shigaraki was sure to smell the apology before he even got to taste it. Obviously that didn't so much as matter to the brunette. She squatted down in front of the oven and peered through the small window. The so-called cookie was now begging to spill over the saucepans' edges. It wouldn't be long before her creation made its first steps into the real world and hopefully between Shigaraki's lips.
A smile crossed her lips as she stood up straight and pushed her hands into her black hoodie. His hoodie. Shigaraki had left it draped over the back of the couch. The night had gotten chilly and instead of going back to her room and grabbing her own, she took his. It smelled just like him. His scent, that of lavender and a hint of cinnamon, was ever present and made her wish even more that she wasn’t being punished. Aside from just wanting him to be content, Souseiki was doing all this for self interest. All she wanted was to crawl into his bed and fall asleep beside him. Hell, just falling asleep in the same room as him was more than enough to quench her thirst for him.
Souseiki has come to the conclusion that everything she does and ever will do is in order to make Shigaraki happy. She’ll admit that over the years she’s messed up a few times, but every time that a mistake was made he accepted her back with open arms. It amazed her and warmed her heart knowing that despite it all the man had found it in himself to keep her aboard. If she was being honest, she knew Shigaraki probably saw her like he sees all things, a game. Souseiki was a player in his party and every mistake is an area for improvement. Even she has noticed, despite not training her quirk, he’s been able to train her physically. At some point she realized her stamina and speed had gotten better as well as her timing.
The idea caused her to giggle. She really was just a player. It was silly, but she could accept that. Hopefully, a player that holds some value to him though.
Finally, the oven gave a little jingle, indicating that the cookie was done. Souseiki dipped down and looked at the cookie. His teeth were definitely going to bite into that and change his mind maybe. And maybe not even bite straight into it either. So before deciding to take it out of the oven, the brunette rummaged through the drawers until she found a fork. Embarrassingly, it took longer than it should have. Kurogiri was one to always hand the two their meals, silverware as well, so she never got around to getting to know the kitchen. Hell, she hoped she could clean this up in the morning before Kurogiri came in from wherever he came from.
Carefully, with a mitten on, she pulled out the saucepan and set it on top of the stove. The top of the pastry was a rich golden color with small specks of the cinnamon she had poured in visible. Not to mention the smell was so rich and thick, even she wanted a piece of the Frankenstein cookie. She allowed the thing to sit for a few minutes before being brave enough to handle the pan barehanded. The handle was just warm enough to not be uncomfortable and content with it, she walked it down the hall.
At his door, Souseiki stared at the doorknob for a second before deciding to let herself in. There was no point in hesitating, if she wanted to make their situation better, then the ideal thing to do was to do things as normal. She had to put herself on equal footing with Shigaraki once more. The second she stepped in, Shigaraki snapped his head in her direction quickly before going back to the video game he was playing. “Hi,” she said, closing the door behind her and once again letting the room be only lit by the monitor’s bright colors.
Shigaraki clicked away at his mouse and keyboard for a second before asking, “What the hell is that?” The response made Souseiki smile as she picked up a few empty water bottles off the edge of his desk and set them in the tiny trash can he seemed to refuse to use. He glanced at it once more before muttering something into his headset’s microphone and taking it off. “It smells kinda good,” he says, turning his chair to face you and the pastry.
Smiling, Souseiki hands him the fork, “It’s a Nomu cookie,” she jokes and pulls up a huge bean bag to sit beside him. “It’s also an I'm-sorry-for-putting-the-mission-in-jeopardy cookie.”
Shigaraki looks at her skeptically before stabbing the fork into the cookie only to find the top surprisingly soft. He scoops some of it onto the fork and hastily shoves it into his mouth before any could fall onto his lap. Souseiki watches his expression closely, and is pleasantly amused to see his red eyes slightly widen. He then quickly takes another scoop of it and through a mouthful replies, “Tastes like a please-forgive-and-pay-attention-to-me-Tomura sorta cookie.”
A reply like that, and as spot on, has Souseiki sitting up straight and furrowing her brow, “Okay, yeah,” she pauses and watches him take another bite, but this one is slower as he watches for her reaction this time. His eyes stay on her as she bites her down on the inside of her cheek and looks away. “Is that bad? I honestly don’t like being in a bad place with you. I’m not sorry for getting the dude, but I’m sorry for the way I went about it without caution.”
He nods slowly and takes another bite before turning to look back at his screen. His character was alone now compared to earlier. His teammates had moved on from one location to a different location without him. “You took initiative and that’s good by itself, but I think you’ve been taking too many liberties as of late,” he comments, picking up the headset again. “You either tone it down or come to me with ideas. A party has a leader for a reason. We’re equals, but I do the planning.” Shigaraki puts the headphones back on and returns to his game after said comment.
“Equals?”
Shigaraki nods and gestures to the cookie, “Eat some. Or do you expect me to eat it by myself?” Silence falls between the two as he returns to clicking away at his keyboard and she goes to take a few bites of the cookie she had made. Once in a while, she leads the fork to his mouth and he takes a bite without bothering to move his eyes from the computer monitor. Their silence continues for a long while until they finish the Frankenstein cookie together. “Damn, it’s all gone?” Shigaraki sucks his teeth after quickly glancing at the empty pan then looks back to his screen. “Get some sleep, Souseiki.”
Hearing those words was all she needed. Souseiki’s tired eyes smiled up at the man before she decided to push herself out of the bean bag and lazily crawled into his bed. She pulled a pillow under her head and curled up under the sheets, “G’night, Tomura.”
There was no reply from the man. He continued to play the game until his party members got offline one by one throughout the next two hours. When he was alone, Shigaraki pushed back his chair and rolled his neck. With each pop, Shigaraki felt relief in his muscles, neck and shoulders. He glanced back to his bed and saw Souseiki’s mouth slightly ajar, and now that there wasn’t any noise coming from his headset, he could hear her soft snoring. Seeing her like this almost made him feel normal. He felt like any regular man spending a night with…whatever Souseiki was to him. Be it a team player or a friend, he was happy to see her curled up in peace. In peace with him in the same room.
It felt like this was his first time realizing this in the years they’ve spent together. Souseiki found peace by his side. “Idiot,” he scoffs, pulling his headphones off before laying down beside her. Shigaraki pulls her close to his chest and mutters, “Don’t make me worry like that again.”
Helloo, I just fell in love with your writing, I'm always checking if there are new chapters for your touch. I wanted to ask you what day new episodes come out?
Hi! It makes me so happy knowing you like my writing 😭 There is honestly no schedule. I write when I'm not doing school work, but if tagging you helps I would be glad to do so!
Upon the Red Hair Pirates's ship, [Name] sat on deck with head in her hands rethinking the past few hours. Shanks sat across from her, the ship was now sailing away from Marineford. He wanted to console his old friend, but he knew nothing would cheer up Luffy's crew mate. Not when she'd just seen what could have very well been his corpse be hauled off by an unlikely savior.
Her thin fingers curled around her long, brown locks and clenched tightly as tears still stream down her cheeks. Lips were pulled tight and jaw clenched as she tried to not make anymore noise. She didn't want to cause any more disturbances to Shanks and his crew, but the thought of losing Ace, a man that was practically her brother as well, and nearly losing Luffy was tearing her up inside.
"You can cry, angel," murmurs Shanks as he falls out of his seat and kneels before the younger woman. "You've lost someone important and you've been separated by your captain. It's okay."
The brunette sniffles and looks up to the red haired pirate. "Shanks..." She sits up and wipes her eyes but only more tears spill, "I..I could have done more if only I wasn't so scared. If only I was better!" She swallows thickly as the image of Ace being impaled flashes through her mind. "I can still hear Luffy screaming and I couldn't do a thing."
Shanks pulls [Name] off her seat and into his chest for a hug. "You did your best, angel," he mutters into her hair as she lets out a loud sob into his chest. "Remember when you were first learning to throw your knives? You were so scared of throwing them until Luffy got in a fight with a rowdy group of kids." He chuckles, trying to lighten the mood. "After that, he couldn't stop thanking you enough for saving his little ass out of that situation," Shanks could then feel her lips pull into a smile against his bare chest. "When I first met you two, all you did was hide behind Luffy but you still stuck around. You were brave then and you're even braver now. So don't say those things, [Name]."
Pulling back, the brunette looked up into Shanks eyes. Despite them being irritated and red from all the crying, Shanks smiles down at her and wiped her cheeks. He admired how beautiful and courageous she had become. "Thank you, Shanks." The two stand up and look out to sea. Marineford now a good distance away, [Name] let go of Shanks and bowed her head in respect for Ace. "I'm still not strong enough," she admits, turning on her heel and looking to the man again. "I'll work on that though. Right now, I have to get back to Luffy. Jinbe's strong, but I'm sure Luffy would feel a lot more at ease if another one of his crew were there."
With a shake of his head, the man said, "Look, it was a miracle you could get to Marineford on your own. It would take another to get you to find a submarine ship."
"Lady luck is always on my side," she said with features set on determination.
"Let lady luck have a day off. Sail with us for a while until you hear from Luffy again." He says and watches her chew on the inside of her cheek. She looks out to sea once again.
Shanks still couldn't believe the sight before him. The once snot nosed kid he met years ago was a fully developed woman, and one who could take care of herself at that. She'd somehow survived an all out war. She's not only brave, but stronger than she thinks she is. All that was needed was a bit of training to sharpen up her skills. Instinctively, Shanks reaches a hand out and pushes her hair back, gently guiding her to look at him again. "Yeah," she murmurs, leaning her head into his warm touch. "Maybe you're right," she finishes as she looks up to him.
His heart pangs as his eyes meet her own. "Come on," he says, his hand sliding down her side and making its way into her hand. He softly pulls at her and leads the way into his quarters. "Its been a very long day for you. I'm sure you'd like some rest." He turns to her once in his space and gives a gently smile. "We don't have guest bedrooms," he jokes, "but I see no harm us sharing a room. How old are you now? Seventeen? You've gotten over the idea that guys have cooties, right? He continues to tease, pinching at her cheek until the skin slowly became a soft pink.
"You're so funny," she says, swatting his hand away. Slowly, she could feel her worry and pain slip away, even if for just a moment. Shanks has always had a way of making everyone around him feel appreciated and safe. "You're thinking of Luffy. I'm nineteen, old man." [Name] watches amused as Shanks lifts his hand to his chest, acting as if he were shot.
"You wound me, angel. I'm not that old!" He replies, feigning his hurt.
She gives a soft chuckle as she climbed into his large bed. "Being like fifteen years older is old, Shanks," she says as she curls up under his cover without another word.
Shanks smiles seeing her get comfortable and walks to the door, "Guess it is." He quietly agrees as he leaves the room, shutting the door behind him.
2 YEARS LATER
The sun's rays pour through the porthole, causing [Name] to stir in bed. Groggily, she moves to lift sheets over her head, but finds her self pinned by Shanks's heavy hand. "Shanks," she lazily moans, turning in her spot and opting to hide in his bare chest from the sun's bright calling.
At the movement, the man lazily opens his eyes and looks down at the woman. "Morning, angel " his deep voice mutters before laying a kiss on top of her head. "Excited for today?"
"Today?" She asks, still in a sleep like daze. It's too early in the morning for her to be realizing what she needs to get ready for. Yesterday was painful. Yassop and Rockstar had trained with her until she felt like she'd collapse. Not to mention, Shanks was his energetic self that night as well.
The man sat up from his spot, causing the heavy sheets to fall off his naked torso. "Does Sabaody ring a bell up there?" He asks, flicking her in the forehead. Shanks, could practically see the gears turning in her head as her eyebrows knitted together.
A smile blooms on his lips as her wide eyes snap open. "Sabaody!? Are we there already?" She asks. Pushing herself off the the mattress and sitting on her heels.
Shanks chuckles, lifting the sheets once again and covering her exposed body. Despite no one being in the room, or ever coming in for that matter, he always wanted to protect her modesty. "We should be close," he responds, as he watches her hold onto the sheets to cover herself up.
She always thought he did this to shield her from the sea's cold breeze every morning and found it so sweet. "Can't believe it's been two years!" She smiles looking up at Shanks tan complexion. To her, it had gone by too soon and too slow all at once. She missed Luffy, her life long companion, and the rest of the crew; however, this meant leaving her new found love. Shanks.
Her smile falls at the thought. After finding out that Luffy had a plan for them, she immediately fell at ease. She gratefully trained with the Red Hair Pirates and somehow amongst all the pain and laughter, she and Shanks became a little more than just mentor and student. From the start, [Name] had a childish crush on the red haired man. When she hid behind Luffy as a kid, it wasn't out of fear, but from embarrassment. Never in her life would she have thought though that she'd end up here.
Her eyes never leave his face as his hand caresses her cheek. "Don't look at me like that," he smiles, leaning down and kissing her gently, but her response is anything but. [Name] releases her hold on the sheets and presses a firm hand on his chest, kissing the man fervently. He quickly responds to her hungry advances, his hand resting at her waist, holding her. [Name] is quick to settling Shanks between her legs and as she straddles him, her hand gently leads him to lay back down onto the mattress. She wants to continue on, but Shanks knows better than to do so. "How am I going to let you go if you do that?" He asks against her lips.
[Name] leans back, sitting on his abdomen as she stares down at him. "Painful, isn't it?" She asks with her hands settling lightly on his chest.
"It is," her replies staring back at her, his thumb rubbing small, gentle circles on her bare skin. "Does that mean you're willing to stay with me?" He asks with a toothy grin.
Raising a brow, [Name] looks at him curiously. "It's been fun, Shanks," she chuckles, swinging one leg over him and jumps off the bed. She looks down at him from where she stands and returns the wide smile. "My favorite people in the world wait for me," she says, running a hand through her dark locks.
"I have to admit, [Name], I am worried," he confesses as he sits up and pulls on a pair of pants.
[Name]'s putting on her underwear as she turns to look at the man. "Luffy's fine, I'll tell him you said hi," she replies, picking up her bra and clasping the thing on.
Shanks shoulders on a shirt and turns to look at her, "It's not him I'm worried about," the man walks up to her, kissing her forehead lovingly, "Stay with me. Nothing will happen to you here."
"If I wanted to stay free of danger I would have come looking for your crew from the start," she says, pulling away and going to grab her shirt.
"What makes you think I would have let you join my crew then?" He teases her as he grabs his coat and shoulders that on over his shirt.
[Name] feigns disappointment by giving a gasp. "You wouldn't have?" Her demeanor is quick to change though, "I wouldn't have joined anyway, being a helpless damsel isn't in my cards."
He looks to her, worry slowly over taking his features again. "It's not about being a helpless damsel, [Name]," he pauses for a minute thinking of a way to convince her, but [Name] is quick to reply with a counter.
"Look," she says while changing into her clothes. "You guys have already seen it all, you guys are crazy strong. There would be no adventure for me. I'd be stuck on the sidelines. You might say, "we fight all the time." Sure, but you're all stronger than me and before I could even throw a knife you or Rockstar would already have the person on the ground." She explains as she walks to a drawer on her side of the bed. [Name] begins taking out her clothing that she's accumulated over the two years and sets it in a small bag. "I want to go on my own adventures and fight my own battles. Besides, if I stay here I won't be able to witness Luffy become King of the pirates. I'm plenty safe with them as I am with you. Your bounty is higher, so you'd be aimed at way more," She reasons.
"I'm stronger," Shanks points out with a smirk.
With a roll of her eyes, [Name] sticks her tongue out. "I'd like you to also remember that I too have a bounty."
"I'd like you to also remember," he starts to mock her verbiage, "that no one knowswho you are, Invisible Mate."
"Oh my god," she groans shoving the last pair of underwear into her bag. "That's such a horrible name. It's so stupid too. Why would they name me that? Regardless! My place is beside Luffy!"
The man crosses the room laughing loudly before cutting back with, "That's not what I heard last night, angel. Oh, Shanks! More, harder! " He howls mocking [Name]'s wanton screams from the previous night.
From deck, howls of laughter could be heard and "Get her, Captain!" Filled the air. This only causing the woman to brighten up.
She watches the door close behind him and listens to the laughter slowly fade as they start talking amongst themselves. [Name] knew she couldn't stay with Shanks, no matter how wonderful it had been with him and his crew the past few years. They were all wonderful to her and Shanks even more. He's a dream to be with and to have a relationship blossom with him was more than exhilarating; however, long ago she had pled her allegiance to Luffy. She wouldn't leave Luffy even for the most charming pirate in all the Blue Seas.
After gathering her belongings, [Name] walks out of the shared room and onto deck. Yassop sat polishing off his rifle, the sight of him always bemused the woman and made her feel at home almost. Despite him not being as cowardly as his son, he very much reminded her of Usopp. She couldn't believe she even missed him of all people. Her eyes roamed to sea and not far off she saw Sabaody slowly approaching. "I'm gonna miss you guys!" She screams suddenly out to the crew. "Thank you for everything," and just as how she came onto the ship, she was leaving, crying. "You've all been so good to me. It's like you all never left me on Dawn Island."
Benn let's out a loud, earth shattering laugh, "Shanks definitely left you back on Dawn, angel! You're a whole new person to him." With that comment the crew laughed out loud once again as Shanks smiled beside the man.
The ship docked and everyone stood up from their seats on deck. "It was good having you, [Name]. Say hi to my kiddo for me," Yassop says, taking her hand and shaking it.
"I'm gonna miss all of you," she smiles looking at all the crewmates. "You've all been good to me."
Lastly, she turns to Shanks. He walks up to her and gives a wide, toothy smile. "Its been a hell of a ride, angel. I'll see ya around." Shanks leans over, giving the woman one last kiss. "Stay safe."
[Name] steps back and smiles softly. "You too," she says before jumping off the ship and onto land. Not wanting to prolong their goodbye, the woman begins walking off without looking back to them. Her heart beginning to rearrange itself back to loving Luffy and leaving behind her new love.
Research was only half of the mission and Souseiki knew that. So when she finally figured out where this man was she was ready to leave. That is, until she kept scrolling through his instagram late into the afternoon. She clicked her tongue as she realized where would be the easiest place to corner the man and did not like the idea one bit. From the pictures on there she gathered that he was a DJ at a club in a nearby town. Not only was she going to have to snatch money from her leader, she’d have to find a suitable outfit for the event.
Souseiki sat on the couch in the common area with her knees pulled to her chest and thumb against her lips. In her opposite hand was the phone, her unmanicured thumb scrolling through the timeline. “Damn it,” she mumbled against her thumb before gently biting at the nail as she craned her neck back to see if Shigaraki had woken up. When she saw the door was still ajar, just like she left it, Souseiki looked back content. She quickly opened up her maps and checked how much the fare would be before getting up and slowly padding over to her room. She quickly walked towards her closet and opened it up to reveal her small collection of clothes she’d built over the last few years. To be honest, the majority of her clothes were the ones she had shoved into a duffel back the night she died. Being a pronounced dead runaway didn’t yield much cash to spend without a second thought. The only money they had was really spent on food, bills, and supporting Shigaraki’s gaming addiction.
A frown spread at her lips as she pulled out the only thing that could possibly be called “club worthy”: a fitted, v-neck, crop top. In her opinion, which wasn’t much considering her knowledge of nightclubs comes from movies she’d seen, this would be perfect. She continued sorting through her closet until she found her old, navy blue, school skirt. A grimace rose to her lips at the idea, so she dropped it instead and opted for a pair of regular jeans. She quickly pulled on her clothes and a pair of sneakers before tip-toeing into Shigaraki’s room again.
In his room, she snuck across quietly and pulled open his desk drawer. Inside the dark drawer was a clip of cash, stray gum wrappers, and a tube of peach scented lotion. Souseiki smiled widely, “Oh my god” she whispered happily as she pocketed her scented lotion. She had lost that a while back. Second thing she pocketed was a few bills from the money clip before turning around and walking out. As she made her way into the common area, she caught sight of Kurogiri’s dark self walk into the room as well. “Hi,” she squeaked when he caught sight of her as well.
Her arms wrapped around her waist to hide her exposed abdomen as he walked closer to her, “Are you leaving now?” he asked as his clouds slowly disappeared.
Souseiki nodded sheepishly as a response. There was no lying to Kurogiri. It probably would have been easy, but she knew she’d feel guilty lying to such an innocent party.
Kurogiri glanced down the hall behind her, to Shigaraki’s room, then back to her. “Are you leaving us?”
Hearing this, Souseiki let out a little laugh. “What? No,” she smiled, dropping her arms and tilting her head to the side. “No, I just want to finish a mission for Tomura. He’s tired right now so I thought I’d do it.”
The older man’s lips pulled down as he gave an understanding nod. “Would you like my help then? I imagine you’d have to make a long journey.”
Souseiki smiled as she gave a nod, “That would be very helpful,” she replied, taking a few steps back so he wouldn’t be in her quirks area of activation. Kurogiri’s “natural” form came back as he himself took a step back. “Next town. Know where Vinx’s nightclub is at?”
“Is the alley fine?
Her brow rose at the suggestion, “That would actually be perfect, Kuro.”
He didn’t hesitate to open a warp gate beside her. “You know how to get a second one back,” Kurogiri finished as she stepped through.
On the other end, Souseiki found herself right in the alley as Kurogiri promised. She smiled and walked out towards the main street. The first building to the right was exactly the building she was looking for. At the door she saw a burly, thick man with scaly skin with his hands in his pocket, no doubt attempting to look tough. She walked up to him and gave a small smile, as the scales disappeared and the tough look melted into one of a pouting soft boy. “I.D. and 2,000 yen,” he demanded, looking down at the brunette.
Souseiki’s eyes grew wide as she slowly shook her head. Being dead meant no identification. “I don’t have one.”
The man looked her over once before saying, “4,000 yen then.”
Her jaw dropped hearing the price, “That’s double the price, dude!” she shouts. “That’s a total rip off.”
The guard shrugged his shoulders, “Should’ve brought your I.D.”
Angrily, Souseiki fished the cash out of her pocket and handed the grubby man the money. “There,” she hissed and shoved past him without a second glance. “Fucking asshole,”she whispered under her breath as she walked down a dark hallway. As she grew closer to the end of the hallway, the music started slowly rising. The noise began seeping into her bones as she turned the corner and found herself inside the nightclub. The neon, flashing lights blinding her upon entrance. The air was filled with the scent of perfume, sweat, and alcohol. Before her, was the dance floor, to the right the bar and to the left the DJ booth. She eyed the DJ booth with squinted eyes, trying to look for Matsuno Kaito’s bright orange hair.
When she didn’t see him, she walked herself around the crowd and made her way closer to the booth, but somehow managed to be gently pushed into the crowd of sweaty people. A groan left her lips as she felt cool hands rest on her hips and pull her flush against someone’s chest. “You look so good, girl!” Someone shouted in her ear.
Craning her neck back, Souseiki caught the eye of a black haired girl with the eyes strikingly similar to a serpent. Must be contact lenses, Souseiki thought as she returned a smile. She was thinking this would be enough, a polite smile, but all these years hanging out with only Shigaraki and Kurogiri seemed to have stunted her social growth.
She was ready to pull away and move on with her self appointed mission, but this girl had other ideas I'm mind. With a devilish smirk. The serpent-eyed girl sounds Souseiki in her spot so they'd face one another. "Come on, babes! Have a little fun with me," she said. That smirk turning into a playful pout. He cold hands, moved from Souseiki’s hips and guided her arms around her own neck. "Calle Koi!" She shouted, putting her hands at Souseiki’s waist and forcing her to sway to the music's beat mechanically.
Defeated, Souseiki's hands limply rested on Koi's shoulders. She willed herself to try and sway to the music, but she had never danced anywhere else other than her bedroom. This was slightly intimidating. She then leaned into Koi's ear and shouted, "Souseiki!"
Hearing this, caused Koi's lips to pull into a smile. "Here alone?" Such a question had Souseiki shaking her head quickly. She technically wasn't anyway, she had a date with Matsuno Kaito. "Shame!" She smiled, letting go of Souseiki.
The brunette didn't let go though, instead she pulled Koi close. Their legs interlocked as they swayed, more like grinded, to the beat of the music. With her lips close to Koi's ear, she said, "I'm a little lost. Can you point me to the DJ? That's my date."
Koi took this approach as a an invitation to set her hands back on Souseiki. "So you're not here with someone," she said coyly, brushing her lips against Souseiki's ear. This ruse only last for a second before the dark haired girl leaned back with a smile on her face. She pushed back stray strands of Souseiki’s brown hair and pointed behind her. "Go straight that way." The childish personality that Koi presented made Souseiki laugh awkwardly as she was ready to turn away from Koi. "Hold up though!" She said, tugging her arm back. Koi dug through her small purse strapped across her thigh and pulled out a pen. "If you don't like him. You can always give me a call," she remarked while writing her number down on Souseiki's forearm.
Souseiki looked down at the dark ink and smiled widely thinking that she actually made a friend aside from Shigaraki after all these years. "Thank you!" She shouted before turning away once again and making it through the crowd. At the far end she found herself in front of the DJ booth just as Matsuno Kaito's bright orange hair disappeared towards the bar.
Sucking her teeth, she followed and fixed her top as she approached him. He was now sitting at the bar with his back towards the crowd as another DJ announced his set. The seat beside him was occupied, so she made her way to his opposite side next to a wall. She squeezed her frame between him and the wall, leaning over the counter to wave down the bartender. "Can I get a Zombie!" She yells over the music just as the bartender caught her eye.
She settles down as she sees him turn to make her drink. "A zombie?" Matsuno pipes up next to her with a beer in hand. "What's that?"
Turning her head, Souseiki looks to Matsuno and replies, "A drink my friend usually makes me. It's really good, but it'll get you tipsy real quick." When the bartender comes back with her drink, she pays him and turns to the orange haired man again. "You're just a beer guy I take it?"
"Yeah," he laughs, tapping the tip of his bottle to her glass in a "cheers". Souseiki smiles despite her disgust. Shigaraki was more into Whiskey on the rocks. If he was so much as offered a beer he'd scowl at the thought. "Here with a date?" He asked before taking a swig of his drink and letting his eyes roam over the brunette.
"Was thinking the cute DJ could be my date," she teased behind her drink. Matsuno watched as she took a sip of her drink before standing up straight and standing close to him. Her empty hand lifted up and wrapped around the back of his neck. Souseiki's slender fingers lightly scratched at his nape like she did with Shigaraki. This man however, was nothing like Shigaraki. She had to pretend it was him though, otherwise she knew this wouldn't be happening. If anything, this man and his stench of beer repulsed her.
Matusno on the other hand, couldn't tell if that was the case. With his free hand he practically hiked Souseiki into his lap, who was he to decline such a forward approach? "Yeah, I could do that," he smirked, his lips close to her own. "We could go out for a little more privacy."
With heavy lids, in hopes of looking somewhat desirable or sexy, Souseiki nodded, "I'd like that." Gently, he slid her off his lap and took her hand in his own. He helped her maneuver through the thick crowd and to a door behind the DJ booth. Souseiki took one last look at the crowd of sweaty people and caught sight of Koi dancing against another girl. She chuckled to herself and took a sip from her drink that she had brought along. Half of it was gone at this point and she could feel a light fog take over her mind as the cold air assaulted her.
The door led to the alley.
“Out here okay for you?” he asks, dropping his bear to the floor and letting it shatter upon impact.
With her drink still in hand, the brunette gave a slight nod and bent over to set the glass on the floor. “Out here’s fi-” Souseiki swallowed her words as the orange Matsuno pushed her back against the cold, brick wall and attacked her bare collarbone with pure lust. Her nose scrunched at the speed this was going. How could she even get a man this low interested in her so quickly but couldn’t even get Shigaraki to look at her the way lovers do in films? Regardless of this worry, Souseiki lifted a hand and pushed the man’s head further into the crook of her neck as he kissed her fervently in order to feign interest. She let out a fake mewl as her other hand roamed lightly over his clothed length.
She almost wretched away from the man once she felt how excited he was. He had barely even touched her for christ’s sake! Matsuno, on the other hand, bucked into her hold and let out a moan of gratitude.
Finally deciding this ruse had gone on a few steps too far, Souseiki pulled the man’s head back harshly by tugging at his hair. He hissed in pain, but despite that, he smirked down at the brunette with a suggesting look. “Boys are always in a hurry,” Souseiki’s tone dripped with venom before she pulled him back further then slammed his forehead with all her might into the brick wall behind her. His body went limp against her and pushed the unconscious man to the ground when she felt how heavy he was.
Fortunately, Kurogiri had offered his help, otherwise she doesn’t know how in the world she would have gotten the man back to her town. Souseiki pulled out her phone and dialled Kurogiri. After a few seconds, a warp gate appeared a few feet ahead of her and out he walked. “Yabe Souseiki,” he greeted before looking at the unconscious man on the ground, “the mission is a success.”
“Not yet, Kuro. I need a gate to the usual drop off case if you don’t mind,” she smiled. She watched Kurogiri form a second gate to her right. “Is he still asleep?” she asked as she picked up both of the man’s arms to drag him along.
Kurogiri looked at Souseiki, not an ounce of emotion able to be read through that fog of his. He cleared his throat and held his hands behind his back in formal posture. “Shigaraki Tomura would like a word with you once you’ve returned.”
Souseiki looked up quickly as she felt her heart drop to her stomach. “He knows?” she asked in a whisper. “You told him, Kuro?”
The man didn’t waver as he gave a small nod, “Call me for another gate.” He waited and watched as Souseiki slowly pulled Matsuno into the gate.
On the other side, Souseiki dropped the man’s arms and stood up straight to look around the old laboratory she hadn’t visited in over a year. “Doc? I got a delivery for you,” she called out. Compared to last time, Dr. Kyudai had added in large tanks full of his bio-enhancing serum he had been trying to perfect. He even had more Nomu lined up in them. “Love what you’ve done with the place.”
“Who is that?” called a voice. Slow footsteps could be heard and echoed throughout the place. Souseiki turned in place to see the small man nearing her with two large Nomu on either side of him. “Nomu-”
Quickly, Souseiki raised her hands, “Just me! I came in Tomura’s place!” she shouted, fear gripping at her heart strings. If Shigaraki wasn’t going to kill her with his little talk, these Nomu surely would. “Matsuno Kaito! I brought him over.”
Dr. Kyudai finally stepped into the light and eyed her, “The girl?” he laughed before going around him and analyzing at the man on the floor, “Alive right? Quirk is no good to me when he’s dead.”
“I’m not incompetent. I’ve done this with Tomura dozens of times,” she scoffed, insulted by the man’s haughty attitude. “If that’s all you need, I’m leaving,” she said, already dialling Kurogiri for the second time.
“Tell Shigaraki he should keep a tighter leash on you,” he muttered before ordering one of the Nomu to pick up the body. “Don’t need a rogue erasure type roaming without a master.”
Souseiki didn’t bother entertaining the man any further and watched as a gate appeared in front of her. She entered it without giving the man a second glance.
The gate closed right behind her without a sound.
Before her sat Shigaraki on the peeling couch with one foot propped up and a hand resting on his knee. His stare on the television that showed his live game of Super Mario, “Souseiki,” just hearing her name leave his lips caused Souseiki to shrink back. “What did I say earlier today?”
Souseiki sucked in a breath and stood up straight. She knew that she had promised to obey him, but that didn’t mean she had to fear him if she had disobeyed. Shigaraki, as scary as the man could appear to be, he’d never once raised a threatening hand to her. “I did as I was told.”
His eyes flicked from the television set to her for a fleeting moment before returning to Mario jumping on a tortoise shell. “I only told you to search for him.”
“And I did. I found him and turned him over to the doc,” she surmised.
Shigaraki rolled his neck and a loud pop reverbated in the room, “Looks like you did a little more than that,” he hissed at the screen.
Souseiki looked down at herself, trying to see what she meant, before seeing the bright red numbers Koi had sloppily written down on her forearm. “Oh!” she laughed, lifting her arm up. “That’s just a girl I met at the club. Nothing big. She seemed very nice.”
“Why didn't you just ask to tag along when I went?” He asked, feeling the couch’s cushion dip down as Souseiki’s weight was added to it. “You’re just exposing yourself to unnecessary attention.”
Souseiki kicked her shoes off and shook her head quickly. She turned her spot to face his profile, “Koi only showed me where the DJ booth was… oh Matsuno was the DJ by the way,” she rambled.
“Oh my god, then no big deal then,” he said mimicking a stereotypical high pitched voice of a girl. “What happens when people notice him gone? When the club does a wellness check on their employee? What happens when fucking Koi,” he says spitting the girl’s name, “mentions that you were looking for the DJ booth the night he disappeared?” Out of sheer anger he dropped his controller and stood up, towering over Souseiki. “Do you even know Koi’s quirk, Souseiki? Maybe she has a photographic memory that can provide impeccable images of people she’s met. God forbid she can produce a fucking picture or a good idea of what you look like to a fucking sketch artist!” He reached out and squished her cheeks in one hand, pressing her body to the back of the couch, “Then stupidass Flux sees it, claiming his daughter, then a wild manhunt begins for the new criminal, the daughter of a Pro-Hero. They’d find you, babe, and they'll tear you away from me. Me! I’d lose you and never will you get a glimpse of me. Do you understand? We’d never see each other again.”
Souseiki sat stunned, staring into his wide, red eyes. She doesn’t know when, but tears fell from her eyes and hit Shigaraki’s pale skin. “I...I-” she stuttered, looking at the man, but couldn’t produce a coherent sentence.
“Use that pretty head of yours sometime, Souseiki,” he said, releasing her and taking a seat beside her once again. “Next time you feel like helping again, you’re coming with me.”
The brunette watched him pick up his controller again through blurry vision. She pulled her knees to her chest and sniffled in her spot as she watched him start playing again. The fluorescent light of the television screen itched her eyes and she swiped at them with the heel of her palm before sniffling. “I don’t want to leave you Tomura,” she mumbled out, but received no verbal reply from him. The best she received was his heavy hand settling on the top of her head and ruffling her hair. Then just like that, he returned to his main quest: Saving Princess Peach.
All the so-called fireworks Shigaraki mentioned were nothing like the one’s Souseiki saw on New Year’s day. They’re supposed to be a celebration of success but what she saw was absolute chaos. Not a thing that Shigaraki wanted to happen came to fruition; however, despite the negative response from the leader, Souseiki felt electricity run through her veins as she watched the burning Nomus fly through the air. The smell of their burnt carcasses made her nose twitch and her skin crawl, yet she wasn’t dissuaded by all the carnage.
“That was fucking terrible.” Souseiki looked up from her laptop and looked at Shigaraki. The blue haired man was sitting hunched over his desk scrolling through news articles mentioning the previous night’s disaster. “All they’re talking about is those stupid kids and Stain,” he said with venom dripping in every word.
Sitting on Shigaraki’s bed, Souseiki uncurled her feet from under her and pulled his blanket over her cold toes. “People usually want to read about the positive things after an awful night,” she muttered while scrolling through videos pedestrians had taken and posted all over social media. She wanted so desperately to relive through all the sensations that had rolled through her body a few hours ago.
Neither of them had slept a wink. Souseiki had been on her search and Shigaraki on his. Each had their own separate endeavors to go through, yet they did it together despite the vast difference. “Why do they want to hear about some brats?” Shigaraki hissed as he turned in his seat to look at her.
Souseiki shrugged her shoulders as she rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her pink sweater. “They’re to-be heroes, Tomura. They’re here to serve and protect us from the evil villains,” she said in a mock news anchor voice.
“They can bite my ass,” Shigaraki said with a click of his tongue. He pushed himself off the chair and walked to his bed. “How’s your search going?”
“Not good,” she muttered as she felt the mattress begin to sink beside her. “I’m not getting the same feeling again.” Her eyes looked away from the screen and up at Shigaraki.
His beady, red eyes stared down at her laptop’s screen. They scanned the recommended videos on the side, but they all had that red line at the bottom signifying she had already watched most of them. “What about when I killed your brothers? Did you feel anything then?” He watched as she turned to her screen once again and paused the video. The room became quiet as the Nomu’s screeches ceased.
Her shoulders shake as she lets out a little chuckle, “No. That was-” she let out a sigh as she remembered the day Shigaraki laid both his hands on her brothers, and watched their ashes flutter to the ground, “it didn’t give me a feeling like this. That day I was relieved. Like some sort of burden was taken off my shoulders.”
Shigaraki reached for her laptop and closed the screen. “I’m tired,” he said as he picked it up and carefully set it on the ground beside the bed. He pulled his shirt off and grimaced at the sharp pain in his shoulders.
“Noted,” the girl smiled and she started to get up.
His calloused hands wrapped around her wrist and gently pulled her back. “We need to sleep,” Shigaraki corrected himself, while he pulled Souseiki down beside him.
As her shoulder hit the mattress, Shigaraki wrapped an arm around her waist. He pulled her flush against him and nuzzled his face into the back of her neck. Years had passed since the first time they slept in the same bed together. She remembered how embarrassed she was the first time, but that embarrassment was nonexistent now. Since then the two have indulged in cuddling once in a while. Now, Souseiki didn’t mind his hugs or his touch, she even reveled in it. Everything seemed okay and calm whenever he wrapped an arm around her.
For him though?
She didn’t know whether he held the same pleasure in this as she did and sometimes that’s what kept her up at night studying the dilapidated ceiling. The brunette could only hope that the man behind her found comfort and ease in what he could only possibly think is a platonic act.
Souseiki laid in silence and regulated her breathing to mimic it when she was asleep. She could feel his chest slowly rise and fall against her back. His hand had gone limp at her side. He was asleep within seconds. At least one of them could sleep after the long night. She couldn’t quite close her eyes just yet. The feeling still lingered on her skin the way butterflies flutter in her stomach when she gets a chill. The only practical conclusion she could come up with was the chaotic atmosphere. Not the act itself.
For a second she even thought it was an adrenaline high, but she's experienced adrenaline before. It didn't leave a wonderful taste in her mouth like last night had. No. The only thing she could have felt was euphoria. She remembered the way her brain buzzed and her skin crawled. She could even hear the blood rushing through her veins.
That was it. It was euphoric.
Souseiki smiled to herself and closed her eyes. Euphoria. She thought to herself as she cuddled further into the pillow and allowed Shigaraki's soft snoring to lull her into a comfortable sleep.
--
"-ke up," sounded a voice. Souseki kept her eyes closed trying to will her foggy brain into a deeper sleep. "Shigaraki Tomura. Wake up," called the voice once again.
Behind her, Shigaraki stirred in his spot. "What?" He mumbled into the crook of the brunette's neck. This caused Souseiki to shudder in her place. His warm breath made shivers roll up her spine. "I'm sleeping here," he breathed out as the grip he had on Souseiki tightened.
"He is calling,” Kurogiri said.
The man groaned and shifted in his place to sit up; however, the second Souseiki felt his arm slowly start retreating, she grabbed onto him and pulled him down again with a rough yank. "Don't go. Please," she mumbled through her sleep as she turned her head and opened her eye that wasn't squished into the pillow in order to look up at him.
He looked down at her. The corner of his lip slightly raised, it was just shy of a smirk. “I’ll be back,” he said. Shigaraki stood on the bed and stepped over her. He slowly, and painfully, pulled on a black shirt. “Get some more sleep, okay?” he said, setting his hand on her head and slowly massaging his fingers through her scalp before heading towards the door.
Once again, Souseki turned her head just in time to catch the back of Shigarkai’s blue head disappearing out the door. “Bye,” she whispered to the air before closing her eyes once again.
It felt like hours had passed when she finally woke up. Groggily, she pushed herself up and rubbed her eyes with the back of her wrist. Looking around the room, she became disheartened when she didn’t see Shigaraki at his desk or in bed beside her. That’s when she got out of bed and walked towards the bedroom door. Her nimble fingers wrapped around the doorknob, but they didn’t turn it. She stared intently at the brass handle when she heard footsteps on the other end of the door. “I’ll go find them tomorrow,” a voice groaned. It was Shigaraki and she knew it.
“About the girl,” the voice boomed throughout the room. Like a child, a groan rose from Shigaraki’s throat. “Her quirk is very valuable. We need it as part of our arsenal.”
“I need it,” he said darkly. “There is no we with her. This is about me.”
The man on the other end was quiet for a minute and Souseiki stayed put in her spot waiting to hear more. “Keep her close then if it cannot be added. The time will come when she will be necessary in battle.” There was then a loud click before it became deadly silent.
Shigaraki mocked his voice and that’s when Souseiki slowly opened the door. “Tomura?” she called faking a sluggish voice. “You didn’t come back.”
He looked up quickly from where he stood in front of the bar. His hand was erratically scratching at his neck. The skin now red and irritated, old scars were breaking and slowly seeping with blood. “Go back.” he said, the scratching not relenting.
She opened her mouth and closed it once again when she saw his sharp eyes narrow at the action. With pursed lips, Souseiki nodded and turned on her heel. Her eyes flew between Shigaraki’s open door then to her closed one before her feet decided to walk back to her room. Her hand reached out towards the doorknob, but never reached it. Shigaraki had silently and quickly made his way behind her. His rough hand was wrapped around her wrist.
“My room, idiot.” he rasped out. He let go of her wrist and led the way back into his room. In there he picked up her laptop off the floor and sat on the covers with it on his lap. “Sleep again,” he said as he opened the device up and inputted her password.
Souseiki walked in behind him and scratched the back of her head in slight confusion, “You didn’t sleep much…” she paused as she sat down on the bed close to the headboard. “Tomura you should be the one sleeping.”
Shigaraki’s fingers typed away at the pink keyboard quickly. “Just gotta find this guy real quick,” he murmured. “Then I’ll go to sleep.”
The room filled with his typing and the soft hum of the laptop running. She watched from her spot as he opened tabs and closed them quickly when he didn’t find what he was looking for. “Would be nice to have an internet based quirk, huh?” she half-heartedly joked.
A scoff came from the man as he typed away. “Yeah, that would come in handy,” he said before falling into silence. The joke seemed to slowly set in because then he let out a laugh. “Fuck, would someone with that quirk actually retain everything on the internet?”
With knitted brows, Souseiki tilted her head in thought. “Huh,” she hummed to herself as she looked down at the crinkled comforter. “Well, I suppose if they had a great memory, but otherwise I highly doubt it. Must be nice for school or work though.”
“Or finding someone,” he suggested closing another window.
Souseiki crawled towards the leader and sat with her legs tucked beneath her. She rested her chin on his shoulder and peered at the screen. “Can I ask you something?” She questioned before asking her initial question. She watched his blue locks slightly tussle as he gave a curt nod. “Well,” she swallowed thickly, unsure if the question would even be answered, “What were you talking about with…” she paused looking for the right word, or name. Gosh, what even was his name? “Well with you know-”
There was another change in tab once again, “You heard the last part huh?” Souseiki nodded against his shoulder, but this caused him to wince, “Careful with my shoulder…” his head lulled to the side and rested against hers, “He wants to make your quirk his own.” Remembering the conversation made his mouth pull down into a frown, “By that he meant taking your quirk from you and making it one of his own an-”
“Will it help you?” she cut in.
Shigaraki turned quickly and she leaned back as he faced her. “What?” he asked with wide eyes.
The brunette took a deep breath and clarified, “If it would help you defeat the heroes, Tomura, I want you to have it.”
His red eyes went wide as he stared at her. The scars around them accentuating with the action. “No.” he said softly.
It was her turn to question him, “No?”
As if a switch inside him had flipped, Shigaraki’s wide eyes narrowed and his voice became low, “He’d take you for himself. You’re here with me,” His hand caressed her cheek before harshly taking hold of her chin, so she would look him straight in the eye, “You’re mine,” he whispered.
Unsure if she should answer, Souseiki opted to give a nod in response.
“Your quirk stays with you, and you stay with me. Understood?”
She nodded again.
“Answer me,” he growled.
In a voice barely above a whisper she replied, “Okay.”
He let her go and turned back to the laptop, “Remember, I saved you. Not the heroes, not your father. It was me. You owe me everything.”
“You’re right,” she smiled. Unexpectedly, Souseiki wrapped her arms around his shoulders and nuzzled her face into his cheek, “Let me help you then. Who are we looking for, Tomura?”
The man let out a deep chuckle as he looked at the screen, “You want to do the searching then?”
Shigaraki could feel her nod and her breath fan over his skin as she said, “Yes. Please sleep for a while?” Souseiki let go of him and snatched the laptop, “Rest,” she insisted.
“His name is in the search bar,” he murmured as he lay down on his bed. “Sleep some more when you find him.”
Through sleepy eyes, Shigaraki saw her nod. What he didn’t know was that Souseiki was already plotting to look for the man on her own.
Matsuno Kaito.
That was their target. He was possibly like any other target. If anything it was just the doctor who wanted to see him. She needed more details though. A name and past experiences alone would not help.
So with that in mind, Souseiki looked to Shigaraki and watched as his chest slowly rose and fell. His lips were slightly parted and his eyes were shut. He was sound asleep now and that was all she could have asked for.
Quietly, she made her way off the bed and left the room. In the hallway she slowly closed the door behind herself. Down the hall she could see the common area and the monitor that man always spoke from. She set the laptop on the counter before walking to the monitor. “Now how do I call you?” she murmured to herself as her fingers felt around the monitor’s edges looking for a button or a switch that should call the man. When her fingers felt a button, she pressed it without much thought. Her brown eyes watched as the monitor buzzed to life and an “audio on” message came up.
“Tomura?” a voice boomed throughout the room.
Frightened, Souseiki quickly reached for the volume button and turned it down hoping it wouldn’t wake up Shigaraki. Then in a shaky voice she replied, “No.”
What followed, made goosebumps rise all over her skin. “Ah,” he chuckled darkly, “the girl.” She swallowed thickly, but did not answer. His voice alone froze her and dried up her throat. “Souseiki was it? I hear you’re rather special to my dear Tomura. He’s grown quite fond of you over the past five years, hasn't he?”
“Umm...I would say so,” she replied back to the screen. “Speaking of him-”
“Don’t be shy, Souseiki. I’m fond of you as well. Go on, you can ask me for anything,” He said quickly in a voice that sounded like he was trying to coax a child into believing he was a trustworthy person.
Souseiki looked behind her and made sure the door to Shigaraki’s room was still closed. “I want to help Tomura. He’s had enough lately. Matsuno Kaito. What do you want me to do with him?”
He laughed again, this time it seemed far more mocking than the first. “You’re going to fetch him for me?”
A frown pulled at her lips, “No. For Tomura.”
The line went silent for a minute before he replied once again, “Matsuno Kaito is a man with a remarkable quirk. He is able to manipulate atoms in midair and create a powerful blast strong enough to topple skyscrapers. I want you to find him, incapacitate him and bring him to the doctor. You haven’t done a drop off in a while with Tomura,” he mentions with a dry chuckle, “Do you remember where the drop off is?”
The brunette thought hard and chewed on her lip, “With the doctor. Right outside the city limits.”
Fear is never something to be proud of or something to bother having on display. Souseiki knew this after years of watching Shigaraki fight the impossible. The man never showed an ounce of fear, not even when all of his limbs were bound and wounded. Only thing he showed was anger and he had enough of that to use for a lifetime. Souseiki however, had enough fears to last her three lifetimes over. One of them stood a block away from where she stood, hiding behind a trash bin.
Her father stood outside his home doing the most domestic thing, watering the potted plants. She watched the stoic expression of his that she hated so much. Don’t get her wrong, she feared him finding her out while she snooped on the neighbor. Such a discovery wouldn’t go well for her. If the sperm donor were to catch her and found out she was alive, things would go well for him and bad for her. The man would exploit his miraculously alive daughter for fifteen minutes of fame. Souseiki would then have to live the rest of her life as an only daughter to one of the most insufferable humans alive in Japan.
The faux hero takes his time watering in the dead of night, so Souseiki slides down against the wall behind her and pulls out her phone. It lights up the dark space around her and causes her to squint at the brightness emanating from it. She stared at the screensaver with the text notification obscuring half of it. Regardless of the obstruction, she smiled at the picture. It was of Shigaraki pointing an accusing finger at Kurogiri when he found vegetables finely minced into his curry.
“Where are you?” read the text.
Scrawled over the message was Shigaraki’s username: Komura.
Souseiki swiped at the screen and sent a reply. “Suffering through a quarter life crisis at the moment. Please visit me within five to seven hours.”
Three animated dots immediately appeared and so did his reply, “Don’t die.”
That would be the closest thing to affection she could get from Shigaraki, but it was enough to put her at ease. “You too,” she whispered to the air.
Just as if those words were magic, she heard the water hose turn off in the distance. Souseiki crawled to all fours and peeked her head around the bin just in time to catch a glimpse of the most pathetic man alive walking into his home, but she didn’t move. She allowed minutes to tick by until she was certain neither of her parents would come crawling out of their pit.
Once satisfied, Souseiki made her way out into the street and jumped the Bakugou household fence. All lights were on upstairs, except for one room. Souseiki smiled to herself as she climbed up to the balcony and eyed the teenager’s room. The blonde was dead asleep and his phone sat charging beside him.
It was almost too easy.
Ever so slowly, her hands slid the window open and quietly stepped through. She stared at the sleeping boy and smiled. He seemed nicer when he was asleep with a track of drool down his cheek. If only he was like that when he was younger. Souseiki sighed at the memories as she picked up his phone and turned down the brightness. She hovered the screen over his sleeping face before looking back at the screen to see it now unlocked.
Without a problem, Souseiki found his email app and sure enough he received updates and assignments from UA on there.
Souseiki quickly went to the email settings and input a throwaway email to have all his new incoming emails forwarded to her. Finishing that business, she plugged the phone to charge once again and left the property.
The miniature adventure felt odd to her. Who knew such a thing would be so easy? Especially for a family like the Bakugous. Anyone would have thought a designer and a model would at the very least have a mediocre security system in order to protect their home. Especially for when their angry dog had fallen asleep. There was nothing though; not even a measly camera at the front door.
It was rather obvious that they trusted the hero system to protect them to the very end. Maybe they even thought shitty hero Flux next door would rush over if there was as much as a rustle in the trees.
Such a thought soured the woman’s mood as she walked back to her home.
Her father wouldn’t move a muscle unless there were cameramen hanging around. The man was as selfish as his wife and deceased boys. Any ounce of recognition he received from the media was his bread and butter, but he never received it by any normal means. All the news surrounding him was thirty percent positive and seventy percent a tragedy, but he didn't care if there were casualties when he was out on duty. As long as the media had his name in the tabloids he was fine with it.
On one occasion, he got home from "saving" people from a horrendous flood. What did he do? He used his quirk to create a concrete wall to stop the raging water from going any further inland. Sounds like he did good, right? The news wouldn't tell you what Souseiki heard from her father that night as he bragged to her mother. Flux saw cars, motorists, people on foot desperately yelling at him to wait on them. "I couldn't. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a few to save the masses," is what he had said. Those people were never mentioned. It was just another successful day in the hero world for everyone else.
Flux was part of the problem Shigaraki was fighting against. Heroes weren't heroes. They only wanted the fame and fortune that came with the title. If anything, vigilantes were the only heroes around but they were always labeled as criminals.
To Souseiki, Shigaraki was a sort of vigilante. He's the one taking the problem into his own hands and correcting the system. If the "symbol of peace" is taken down there will be a throng of heroes exposing themselves. They won't be able to catch up with the work All Might was burdening himself with. The people would know what true evil hides behind the closed doors of the hero society.
No one would be able to hide behind the great hero's smile anymore.
Souseiki let out a deep breath as she stared up at her old home. She knew about Shigaraki's mission, but she didn't have the conviction to kill anyone. Nor the sheer power. She would help in her own way though. "We can make this world for us," she mumbled to herself, as she gripped her phone tight and began her walk back to Shigaraki and Kurogiri.
Inside her home, Souseiki called out to the two men, but only received one reply, "I'm in the bathroom!" Shouted Shigaraki. "Don't go into the warp gate!"
"What gate?" Souseiki asked, as she stood outside the bathroom door. "I didn't see one coming in."
All that came as a response was the flushing water and the faucet running. “He probably closed it then,” he mumbled as he opened the door and looked at Souseiki. Shigaraki gave her a once over and raised a brow. “Aren’t you currently having another quarter life crisis?” he asked, gesturing to her empty arms.
Usually, when she mentioned some kind of fractured life crisis it meant it was her monthly leak. Souseiki wasn’t shy about mentioning it, nor was Shigaraki embarrassed to talk about it. “Oh, that...It turned out to be a false alarm so I put off buying pads.”
“That so?” He moved around her and walked up to the bar. “Pour me something will you?” Shigaraki didn’t need to ask twice, Souseiki was quick to move to the opposite side of the bar as he took a seat. “You know I’ve wanted to meet that shithead Stain?” Souseiki nodded her head slowly while she poured his drink, “Kurogiri is fetching him,” he continued as his slender fingers wrapped around the glass. “I was thinking of sending you, but that would be too risky. He may be a hero killer, but I don’t think he’s above hurting someone like you.”
Souseiki tilted her head to the side questioningly, “Like me?”
He took a swig of his drink as he gave an almost obvious shrug. “He’d most likely attack anyone, even if that someone is pretty...like you… if they didn't approach him right.”
Normally, a mind would race to the idea of someone calling them appealing, but Souseiki’s mind stuck to something else. “Are you saying I wouldn’t be able to bring him back? What makes you think I wouldn’t know how to approach a guy like Stain. Apart from that, he seems sensible enough to talk to.”
The blue haired man stared at her incredulously. Such a response left him wondering why she hadn't acknowledged his blatant compliment? Shigaraki was previously left with the impression that women liked to be complimented. She was an outlier. "Are you serious?" He grumbled setting down his drink, "I thought of you. Why would I want you to get hurt?"
"Hurt?" She said in disbelief. "I've been attacked by other villains, chased by a gorgon, and nearly killed by random people after you. I've been hurt, Tomura. I can take going after-”
"Nothing has happened to you because of me!"
Souseiki turned around and walked out toward him so they were face to face. "Everything has happened to me because of you," she said, putting emphasis on her last word. "I'm not complaining. I'm just asking for a little more credit. All this chasing, finding documents, and perfect quirks or whatever- I don't know what much of this is for but I do it because you ask me to. Ask me not to die like always and I won't. I promise. Just let me do more."
For a fraction of a second there seems to be consideration in his gaze, but that slowly fades as he stands to look down on her. “So you understand you only do what I need you to do? That you do what I ask you to?”
The brunette’s tall stance slowly disintegrates as Shigaraki’s voice obviously grows deeper. She grows smaller and nods as a response.
“Good,” he says, satisfied with her submissive response. Just as he’s ready to give her a degrading order, a warp gate appears in the common room. Shigaraki sucks his teeth as they both catch sight of the ominous gate “Go to your room," he says, pushing her in said direction. "Don't come out unless I call for you."
She clicked her tongue and held her gaze firm to the wooden floorboards as she walked to her room. Souseiki scowled at the splitting wood as she silently closed her room’s door behind her. Carefully though, she pressed her ear against the white wooden door and tried to listen in on the conversation down the hall. To her misfortune, everything was muffled. It didn’t matter how hard she pressed against the door either, she couldn’t distinguish a single word.
“Lame,” she muttered and sank down to the floor. Souseiki huffed out annoyedly and banged her head against the door softly. “So lame,” she said again after a while and pulled her phone out to distract herself. On the bright screen was the email app she hadn’t closed. A new email had showed up from what she guessed was the teacher again. “Don’t they sleep?” she frowned and opened the email to see a graded paper.
Perfect score.
Souseiki stood up and walked to her desk. She opened her laptop and began a quick search. One she had done on various occasions. How to improve your quirk? By now the first ten pages have been scrolled through and read, so Souseiki skipped to the eleventh. She knew what the doctor said may have some truth, but she also knew that it wasn’t impossible to train it to be better. The problem is there hasn’t been much, or any progress.
The only times she “trains” is when Shigaraki is around and holding something. The brunette is willing to risk his playstation controller or a glass cup, but nothing has happened yet. All that she could continue doing is will her quirk to have a smaller circumference, regardless of the lack of results, and read up on methods to improve her quirk. Preferably methods that don’t involve home recipes. Kurogiri would lecture her if his kitchen was ruined.
Then she heard it.
A struggle.
Her legs flexed ready to run to the rescue, but she willed her limbs to remain still. There hadn’t been an order just yet, so she stayed put.
She strained her ears trying to listen in again, but nothing came as she had hoped.There was silence for a while and such ear piercing silence caused Souseiki to break out in a slight sweat.
“Come on,” she said, anxiety ran through her as she stared at the white door.
“Souseiki!”
Immediately, Souseiki pushed herself out of her chair and practically flew down the hallway. “I’m coming!” she shouted as she came to a halt.
On the couch, Shigaraki held a bloodied washcloth to his right shoulder and Kurogiri held one too on the other. “Take that from Kurogiri,” he said and gestured to the man by nodding to his general direction.
Slowly, she made her way over and took the washcloth. “Tomura, you needed me. Why didn’t you call?”
Shigaraki glanced over at her, “I recall your quirk being able to erase quirks not stop people in their tracks. Can you suddenly stop knives now?”
“You’re able to dodge knives well enough,” Souseiki muttered.
“Thought we made an agreement?” He snapped at her. He knew where she was taking this conversation again and was simply not in the mood for it.
Souseiki sighed and gave a nod. “Let me go get some gauze.” She stood up and walked to the bathroom where Kurogiri kept the first aid kit. “I did something by the way,” she confessed while walking back to him with the small kit in her arms.
From his spot on the couch, Shigaraki looked over at her with narrowed eyes. “What?” he asked, thinking of all the concerning things she could do in the little time he was getting mutilated.
“I went home. Well to the neighbor’s house. Bakugou was one of the contestants at the UA sport’s festival, remember?” Souseiki balanced the first aid kit on the back rest of the couch, “Sit against the arm rest, will you?”
Shigaraki scooted in her direction and faced away from her as he responded, “Didn’t know you were so close with one of those brats.”
“Two of those brats. Midoriya Izuku was…” she trailed off as she took a pair of scissors and cut away at the black fabric to reveal his bloodied shoulders. “I don’t know what they were to be honest. Most I know is that they hung out a lot. Bakugou actually bullied the hell out of that kid.”
“Get on with it, Souseiki.”
Souseiki clicked her tongue annoyed. He was always ushering her. “I snuck into his house and set his phone to forward his emails to my phone. Thought it would come in handy in the near future or something,” she muttered quietly as she strapped gauze to both his bloodied shoulders. He was quiet and still. Souseiki mentally started preparing herself for a scolding.
“You did good, Souseiki.”
Hearing this, Souseiki looked at the back of his head with wide eyes rather surprised. Was he okay with this? Was he okay if she only brought back positive responses? “I’m glad,” she smiled and reached hand out. Her slender fingers slowly took a hold of the back of his neck and scratched at the skin in a loving manner.
Shigaraki leaned his head back into her touch and looked up to her, “That would actually be of some help,” he said and closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling. “Thank you.”
Her heart fluttered at the words. She stared at his screed, closed eyes, then her sight went to his lips. Souseiki’s hands softly gripped either side of his head and in doing so, she leaned down to hover her lips over his.
She could feel her lips quiver in anticipation. She wanted to kiss him.
“Shigaraki Tomura,” Kurogiri’s deep voice pierced the air. Suddenly realizing he was still in the room, Souseiki stepped away from their leader quickly and looked at Kurogiri with a bashful expression. “We must go.”
“Gotta watch the grand finale,” Shigaraki groaned and stood up from his spot. “Want to tag along, Souseiki?” The brunette wrung her hands together as she stared at him as he closed his eyes and popped his neck. “Well?”
“Will there be fireworks?”
Shigaraki smirked as a warp gate opened beside them, “Only the best for us.”
