angeryboy

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 12- So Sleeping Dogs Lie

RECAP since it's been 1000 years since I updated last: ⦁ Spinner and Dabi start fighting because Spinner dared bring up Dabi's disappearance and the way he left everyone hanging. He also decides to insult Yuna, which is what REALLY sets Dabi off ⦁ You try to stop them fighting, but they're really intent on killing each other. ⦁ Yuna stops them, and then goes off on her own after talking with you for a moment. ⦁ You end up lying in bed most of the day, eager to hear from Tomura again. You text him and ask if you can talk later. ⦁ You're still unsettled by Yuna's distant behavior. She's been off since the night Dabi left. You can't figure out what he possibly could've said ⦁ We find out in a flashback that you and Hawks were assigned to the League of Villains in a double agent case, and how much you'd come to regret it, truly loving your new life with the league. ⦁ But you knew it had to end, especially if the hypnotization on Yuna was going to end. ⦁ Tomura finally calls you to find you crying and you two talk for several hours. ⦁ You finally find some peace in talking to him, which ends abruptly when Yuna knocks on the door ⦁ She drags you out of your room to get some fresh air and you end up in a big field where Yuna teases you a bit, knowing you were talking to Shiggy Diggy ⦁ You drift off to sleep, a dream revealing what you and Hawks were meeting about, the moments before Yuna tried to literally end his life. ⦁ It's also revealed what Hawks tells Yuna up in the air while you're out of earshot, about The Academy and not being able to save her(which I probably should've put somewhere else OOPS) ⦁ Hawks tells you to be careful and you tell him to fuck off ⦁ You wake up promptly and try to figure out if Yuna heard anything, as you tend to talk in your sleep ⦁ It doesn't seem like she does, but she's clearly upset about something. ⦁ You tell her you'll take her back to Dabi, betting ten bucks it'll cheer her up. She promises a stylish picture of Tomura in return ,which makes you wish you were invisible ⦁ CUE NEW CHAPTER GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Once you were back at the hideout, Yuna split promptly, her exact words being ‘I have to go annoy Dabi right this minute or I’ll die.’ You plopped down on your bed, still a little shaken from reopening the wounds from that night. 

Why did you even tell Hawks? You were supposed to distract him, not bare your soul. Though there was a more pressing question at hand. Were you going to tell Yuna? Did she hear something while you were sleeping?

And now there was another detail you missed. Dabi. Why the hell did Dabi just leave? He was supposed to be helping you. And somehow it just ended with you being the one close to death.

The night you came to Dabi for help advice was creeping its way into your mind. It was just supposed to be advice. It was just supposed to be ‘what would you do about Hawks?’ 

Jesus christ, not this again. I don’t wanna think about this shit again... ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“So Hawks wants to meet up with you? I suppose I can help. I’ll go with you. Don’t tell him I’m coming though,” Dabi mused.

“What exactly should I tell him?”

“Up to you. Look, I’m gonna be honest. I’ve been working with Hawks, but I don’t trust that fucker as far as I can throw him. I’m just using him to do my bidding.”

“What exactly are you saying then?” The revelation that that was where Dabi was probably going when he disappeared hit you. So you two had traded places then. Now Dabi was checking in with Hawks and you were like a ghost.

“Well, if he’s tryin’ to get in contact with you, my best guess is that he needs to go.” Your eyes widened at the implication.

“Are you saying we should kill him?” He smirked a bit.

“Let’s say yes. You just do the talking. I’ll take care of the rest.” He didn’t even give a second look as he turned around.

“Wait! Wh-what happens when the Hero Commission finds out?”

“That flimsy excuse for a justice system? Probably nothing. They probably won’t even realize he’s gone. By the time they do, we’ll be gone too. And if worse comes to worse, I’ll take the heat.”

“Fine. What happens if you can’t fight him?”

“Tch. Are you underestimating me? I’ll be fine. And he’ll be burnt to a crisp. That’s what you want anyway, right?” He searched your face for an answer but you didn’t really have one.

“I-guess?”

“You better be a little more sure than that.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he left.

You were too nervous to ask any more questions, and too nervous to give an answer. Perhaps it was a brash decision, but even if your answer was no, would Dabi stop?

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

You decided it was best not to dwell on any of it, though your anger was starting to get the best of you. How could he just fall through on a plan? His own plan? Were you even actually mad that he did? Or were you just angry because you didn’t get what you wanted? You instead chose sleep over plotting how to best hit Dabi over the head with something heavy. For once, it was dreamless. 

 You trotted downstairs and everyone else already seemed to be ready to go. “Good morning sunshine!” Yuna chirped. “Today we meet the mystery special guest. Well, not mystery, but like I said, I wasn’t listening. He’s supposed to contact us first, so we’ll see how that goes-” Before Yuna could even finish her sentence, her phone rang.

“Hello?” She frowned for a moment before putting the phone on speaker.

“Good morning everyone. I’m Doctor Kyudai. I’m sure Shigaraki introduced me already. It’s time to get down to business.” His voice didn’t ring any bells or set off any alarms. Finally, a person you’d actually never met before.

“Shigaraki has a request of all of you, but has asked me to help in making matters easier. I’m sure you all remember Gigantomachia, yes?”

A collective ‘yes’ resounded. Well, from everyone but you. Must’ve been before you were there, or on the mission you’d been forced to sit out.

“Shigaraki believes he can tame this beast, the one who answers only to All for One. And he’ll need your help. I have a package on the way to you with items to help you out. My assistant will be at your door shortly.”

Right on cue, there was a knock at the door. You opened it to a single, fairly small package, staring stupidly at it. Dabi grabbed it out of your hands and shook it around a bit before scoffing.

“How is this tiny thing gonna help us?”

“Patience. And don’t shake it, boy.” He set the package down like his father had just scolded him. “Gigantomachia has an incredibly large amount of stamina, of course. Almost unbeatable. Open the box.”

-------------

You found yourself on the roof after the meeting. The door creaked open, revealing Dabi.

‘Huh? What’re you doing out here?”

“Chillin’, clearly.” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “Thought you were one of the smarter ones.”

“Wow. I didn’t come up here to be roasted.” He leaned against the door lazily, lighting up a cigarette.

“Seems like the damage is already done.”

“Jesus christ, did I do something to you?”

“I just- I’m thinking about how our plan got ruined. And you didn’t even try to stop her.”

“Are you..seriously talking about meeting Hawks on the bridge?” He raised a brow like you’d said something unbelievable. You just left him with a nod. “The fuck was I supposed to do? Yuna took off like a bat out of hell.”

“You could’ve at least stayed. You told me you wanted to get rid of Hawks.” You struggled to reclaim your composure. Every time you looked at him during the meeting, you began to wonder exactly what kind of man he was, if he was the same one when he was with Yuna. You remembered his face as he walked away for two weeks. You remembered how he didn’t even try to get to Hawks. In fact, he told him to fly off.

“Things don’t always go the way we want them to princess. Sometimes people change their minds. Not sure what it is to you, anyway. You didn’t suggest killing him. And you never gave me a straight answer, so of course I didn’t kill him.” He stared you down just a tad too coldly for your liking, none of the usual playfulness in his tone. “I admit Yuna threw a wrench in things, but she wouldn’t have let us just murder him regardless. Where is this coming from anyway? It’s been weeks and you haven’t said a word. So why now?”

“I shoved it under the rug because there were a lot of other things happening, in case you didn’t notice.” Your arms crossed and you could feel the rage you were flying into.

“Wh-getting into a fight? I have bad news for you if one person tryin’ to kill you makes you upset.”

“It wasn’t just one person! It was Yuna!” Obviously Dabi didn’t understand the true gravity of the situation, but he should’ve at least understood that. He knew Yuna was a friend to you.

“Get it together. That’s literally not my problem. You should probably take it up with her. But I’ll tell you now, if you do, I won’t be far behind.” The threat in his voice sent a shiver up your spine, but it lit a fire in your chest. It was getting hot. “I didn’t follow through this one time. You’re not the only one with plans.” He rolled his eyes, which just added fuel to the fire, and you felt your body shoot up on its own, straight towards him. Were you going crazy or something? Since when did something as simple as someone being an ass set you off like this? “I wouldn’t,” he threatened, a hand easily finding its way around your wrist. And it was heating up steadily.

“Fuck you, Dabi. You’re an ass. I don’t fucking know what Yuna sees in you. I don’t know what anyone fucking sees in you.” A swell of fire consumed the right half of his body, a look in his eyes that you’d never seen before. Was this the Dabi that Yuna warned you about?

“Don’t drag her into whatever the fuck this is. You know nothing.” His grip on your wrist got tighter.

“Let me go you fucking psychopath!” Pulling your arm out was no use. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes.

I didn’t wanna have to do this, but if we’re gonna fight, you leave me no choice.

When you opened them again, he was staring straight at you. “Let me go right now.” For a second, his eyes clouded over and his hand dropped before the stupor lifted. He just took a sharp breath and turned around, hand on the door.

“If you ever use your quirk on me again, I’ll kill you.” He didn’t even look at you as he slammed the door.

You had to sit back down and think for a moment. Not that Dabi necessarily had a fantastic approach, but he wasn’t exactly wrong. And after a few minutes of thought, you ended up glad he didn’t kill Hawks anyway. So what was the problem? Was it just the swell of emotions when you thought about all the missteps that led you to this point, all the cunning and cutting corners and keeping secrets? All the mistrust bred from wondering just how much of this easily hateable side of yourself was visible? Was it just that you didn’t really wanna see anyone you knew get hurt? Of course you knew you were acting out of fear.

You didn’t want Hawks dead, though you’d rather have nothing to do with him at this point. You didn’t want Dabi dead, or Yuna, or Tomura, or Twice or Toga- none of their lives were worth all the things you were trying to hide. But you didn’t want Yuna finding out about the free will you stole right out from under her without a second thought either. You didn’t want her finding out about you and Dabi collaborating murder, sure as you were that Dabi never mentioned that part. You just- didn’t want to hurt her any more than you already did.

Good god what is wrong with me? I’m acting like a fucking fool out here. I gotta be careful who I threaten.

No one. You had no one you could just be honest with. Maybe you could, but it was far too late for such things now.

Get your act together. You wanna be a villain, then be one.

--------------

Hawks twirled his phone around in his hand. It felt heavy. He had three calls to make, and none of them were going to be pleasant.

“Tsukauchi. I have some bad news for ya.”

“What’s the problem, Hawks?”

“Himaro’s gone rogue.” There was a telling silence on the other end. “Are you absolutely sure about that?”

“One hundred percent. She tried to have me killed,like, for real,” he chuckled.

“Hawks, that’s a very serious accusation to make against an undercover agent. We won’t be making any moves of our own until we’re sure.”

“That’s fine. I’m just letting you know that at the very least, she needs to be taken out of the field.”

“We’ll assess the situation.” Tsukauchi hung up without another word. One call down. The next had to be her.

"Himaro."

"The hell do you want?"

"Hello to you too. I just wanna know why you did it. Why Yuna? What was she doing when you found her?"

"Why? Gonna tell Tsukauchi I'm a traitor?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," he smiled. "He told you to do what you had to do. This one's personal. I'm sure you guessed already, but if you didn't, I've been looking for her. For a long time I've been wondering what she was up to."

"I swear to god Hawks-"

"I'm asking for me. Come on." She didn't respond for a long time.

"You swear to god you're not gonna use this against me?"

"I know it's weighing you down. Maybe if you talk you'll feel better."

"You're not exactly trustworthy."

"So the pot calls the kettle black, I see."

"Tch. She was looking for some guy, I guess. Some dude named Touya. And you. She was looking for you first and foremost. i didn't find it particularly relevant though. She never said why."

Touya. There was that name again. The one that rang in the wind.

"I see. You didn't think to ask why she was looking for me?"

"Pfft- no. I didn't exactly care. I just saw her use her powers and knew she could help me."

"What the hell? What if she was up to something?"

"She was scared and presumably defenseless. It was spur of the moment decision that I regret. A lot. I told her to forget about all of it. So it's not like it really mattered if she was up to something or not."

It was like pieces of a puzzle were coming together, but it was just a few out of thousands. No big picture was coming into focus.

"Yeah. Nothing relevant to the mission in there anyway. But thanks, I guess." He was hoping some sort of information would slip. Something he could use, but she gave much the same story she did on the bridge.

One call left.

"Dabi! Long time no see. I've got a deal for you."

"I don't make deals with bird brains."

"For the last time it's just the wings-never mind. I have some information on Himaro that you might wanna hear."

"The fuck do I care what she does? As long as she doesn't try to kill me I'm good."

"It's about Yuna too." There was a long silence on the other end.

"Midnight, bird boy. Don't be late. And don't pull any stunts." He hung up abruptly. -------

"This better be worth my damn time."

"Oh, relax. When have I ever given you information that wasn't?" Dabi shot him a look.

"Get to it." The cold look in his eyes was astonishing to Keigo. How could he look at one person with such a fire in his eyes and such a hatred for the next person?

"Okay. I'll start with Himaro then. She's supposed  to be a double agent." There was a spark in his widened eyes, but it disappeared quickly. 

"Not that surprising, really. You're a double agent too. And the hero commission is up to much shadier shit than we are." Dabi shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, not sure that's true but I digress. She told me she's not really feeling' it anymore, basically. I don't know if she's lying or-"

"I don't give a shit what she's up to. If we're completely honest, all she needs to do is not fuck with the people I actually care about and she can keep her life."

"Yeesh. I'm tryin' to help you." Dabi continued to stare daggers into him, but stayed silent. 

 "Let's move on then, since that wasn't shocking enough for you. Yuna." He tensed up. It was why he even came, after all. "She's hypnotized. By Himaro." He waited for some sort of physical reaction, but it never came. Instead there was a grit in his teeth as he spoke.

"What? How do you know that?"

"Himaro told me. She did it to have some help infiltrating, I guess. She said she was looking for me. And someone named Touya."

Dabi felt a knock in his chest. So she was looking for him this whole time. And Himaro didn't even realize she'd led Yuna right to him.Realistically, he knew Himaro had no idea he himself was the rumored Touya, but he had to assume she was so up in arms because it spelled disaster for her hypnotization. It was possible that if she found the people she was originally looking for, it had to mean something in her was trying to break free. And with Himaro pretty frayed at the ends from her apparent charade, he was guessing it wouldn't be long. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to get her to talk.

"Dabi?"

"Why should I trust you?"

"Jeez. Why would I lie about it?"

He just shrugged. "I don't know. Why would you even help me out in the first place?"

"Just- I'm sharing pretty relevant information here don't you think? Why would I lie about Yuna? What would be the point?"

"Like I'd fucking know. I have to go. Is that all?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

As much as he hated the hero standing before him, he was grateful for this particular bit of information. He didn't want to believe it, and he was beyond furious, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Hawks knew what he was talking about for once.

"Oh, do me a favor, bird boy?" Dabi started to walk away, but turned for just a moment.

"What's up?"

"I need another fight with Endeavor. Just me and Himaro. Tell him you want her dead."

"Woah. You don't think that's a little much? She's not that­-"

"I have a theory I wanna test out. And it's not like you're in a position to talk your way out. No one's actually getting hurt. Not this time anyway."

"First of all, Endeavor's not some mindless killing machine. He doesn't just go around ordering death upon people." Dabi scoffed, knowing if anything Hawks said wasn't true, it was that. "Second of all, even if I do manage to get him to say yes, how the hell you gonna hold your own?"

While he wasn't thrilled with the implication, he decided to bite his tongue.

"She's got a hypnotic based quirk that she'll apparently use on anyone for any reason she sees fit. Your little double agent said the reason she joined was because of some shit Endeavor said to her. No matter how untrue it is, if she's got an act to keep up, she'll fight."

"You're gonna force her into a corner? That doesn't sound like a very good idea. She's not exactly-predictable."

"Maybe not. But at this point I know enough to know she's not willing to blow her cover. Even if she told you she changed her mind, she's assuming we don't know anything. She'll fight."

"The hell are you going for with this? What good will that even do? You won't find anything out that way, especially if she's dead!"

"I'm just testing out a theory. If it's true, you can consider yourself safe from me."

"What the-huh? I don't exactly consider you a threat." Dabi turned with a ferocious glint in his eye.

"You should."

"Hey I didn't mean it like that! I meant that I'm your only source of info!" He waved his hands in defense. Honestly, if anyone in the League was a genuine threat to him, it would absolutely be Dabi.

"You think I won't drop you like deadweight? I don't actually give a shit about the info you give me. Are you really that stupid? I don't trust you half as far as I can throw you. But I know you have some sort of connection to Yuna. I don't know what you would lie about just to have the hero commission jerk you off, but you wouldn't lie about her."

So polite, this one.

"I guess that's fair. I'm not promising you anything." Dabi began to walk away before he could do much else to object.

"Call me when the answer is yes. Honestly, the longer it takes, the better." This guy...he really expected Keigo to stage a fight for him. So he could..do what, exactly. Prove a point? Get Himaro killed? But if Dabi asked, he had to deliver. Somehow.

When Dabi returned, Himaro was fast asleep on the couch. He thought momentarily about how long he'd have to shake her to give her a concussion, but if Hawks did what he asked, he wouldn't have to lift but a finger. He opted to just get some sleep for once. According to Yuna, the big boss would be back tomorrow.

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 11- (Re)Living The Dream

The tears didn't stop. You left everything behind on a whim, which wasn't normal. You left your hero life for one filled with an inner turmoil you never imagined. You ditched Hawks and left him hanging for the sake of a few ragtag villains? You'd risk the general public for a moment of reprieve? Apparently so. You were so wrapped up you almost missed your phone ringing intensely next to you. Tomura. It was like he knew.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Are you.. crying?" He seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"Yeah. It's been a rough day."

"What happened?"

And how could you tell him? How could you ever let him know what had you in tears?

"Just..some stuff from the past digging its way back up. No biggie." You laid back down ,hands gripping at your chest. At least the weight was gone for now.

"It doesn't sound like it's 'no biggie.' What's on your mind? This is what you wanted to call for right?”

"Oh, Tomura. I couldn't tell you if I tried. I wouldn't know where to start. How's your mission going?"

He stayed silent for a moment and it was like you could see him giving you a look. 

"It's fine. Not particularly eventful at the moment." You stared at the ceiling, waiting for more details, but they never came. "How's everyone holding up?"

"Well, if you're really wondering, Dabi finally came back this morning with Yuna, and then him and Spinner immediately tried to kill each other within three minutes." He chuckled a bit.

"That's pretty normal. I'm surprised no one let those assholes kick the shit out of each other."

"I was tempted to let them, but Yuna wasn't having it." You felt a smile creep up on your face. This one was a little different, though. All the stress melted away as Tomura recounted his long nights and intense fighting. The hours slipped away before you knew it.

“You know, I actually kinda miss you..guys.” His slight pause didn’t go unnoticed. You weren’t going to mention it, but your heart pounded out of your chest all the same.

“I think everyone misses you too.” There was a knock on your door, pulling you all at once back to reality. “Shit. I guess I’m needed elsewhere.”

“Good luck. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He hung up abruptly and the phone nearly fell out of your hand. He’d call tomorrow? You weren’t even going to ask, but he was going to anyway?

“Himaro? You in there?” Yuna’s voice called quietly. Another pang of guilt right in the chest.

“Y-yeah! Just a sec!” You finally oriented with you surroundings. It was dusk. The sun was sitting gently on the horizon, painting it pink and orange, air cool. The call time on your phone read four hours and thirty six minutes.

Holy shit! How long would we have gone on?

You couldn’t remember the last time you talked to someone that long about anything as your feet took the steps to the door.

“Have you been in here all day?” Her eyebrows raised in concern. 

“Yeah. Didn’t even realize it,” You grinned sheepishly.

“Well, I’m going for a walk if you wanna come. I think we could use it after these past couple weeks.”

“That sounds nice.” ----- You two found yourselves in a big field, covered in flowers. “Woah. It’s really nice out here.”

“Yeah. I come here when I need to get my thoughts straight. It’s nice for just relaxing, too.” She smiled.

“I love it. Thanks for taking me. I didn’t even realize I’ve been cooped up all day.” The feel of the soft grass on your hands was more than soothing.

“So, who was that on the phone? Don’t think you’re out here all slick,” she elbowed you ribs a few times while you invented a new shade of red.

“D-uh...it was..my mom?”

She let out a loud laugh that didn’t even echo in the expanse of the field. “It was fucking Shigaraki wasn’t it!?” If you were able to sink into the ground, you would’ve done it at that moment.

“I-it’s just-”

“It’s okay. I already said you don’t have to explain that shit to me. I get it. Well, I guess not that, but to each their own.” She was still firing out shit-eating grins left and right every time you shifted uncomfortably.

“He just- he makes me feel comfortable. We have a lot of the same feelings and he knows exactly what I’m going through, so it’s nice to talk to him.” You felt the soft cool breeze run across your burning hot face.

“Huh. Never would’ve expected it from Mr. Gives No Fucks.”

“Is that..is that what you call him? You turned to her, horrified but amused.

“Well, not to his face. But sometimes, yeah. I know he does, but he’s got such a roundabout way of showing it that sometimes I don’t even bother. What are you feeling?” 

God, even if I knew, I could never tell you.

“I mean it’s cool if you don’t wanna talk, but it’s cool if you do, too. I know I tried to kill you and all, but it wasn’t for talking about your feelings. Shigaraki’s not the only one who’s been through some shit.”

She laid back in the grass and you followed suit. It was a perfect night out. Only the occasional cricket sounding while the breeze rustled the grass just a bit. Not too hot, not too cold.

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” You closed your eyes for just a moment, but a wave of exhaustion came over you. It was like you’d been training all day instead of sitting on your bed, and then laying on it.

You found yourself drifting off to sleep. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

You looked down at the ground. You and Hawks. It was the night on the bridge. Did you really need to relive this? Again?

“You have nothing to say? After everything that’s happened? You let a little kid get kidnapped, Himaro!” Hawks was uncharacteristically angry, a fervor in his eyes she’d never seen before.

“Not to you. And I did what I had to do.” Her heart was pounding. Really, all she’d done was run away.

“Not to me? We’re the ones on this mission! You report specifically to me! What happened? What are you doing? Tell me right now, or it’s over.” Before she could even blink he had a feather pointed straight at her throat. Suddenly all the emotion came flooding out, spilling over into the night.

“Whoa. What are you cryin’ for?”

“Hawks, I’m gonna tell you now. I did more damage as a hero than I could ever do as a villain.” His eyes bore into her silently.

“What did you do? I won’t ask again.” She stayed silent for a moment, trying to find her voice, and the right words.

“Yuna! It’s Yuna!” As soon as he heard the name it struck a chord in his heart. “I- the night I dropped of the map, I hypnotized her!” She was openly sobbing now, wracked with guilt for dragging an innocent girl into this. “All she wanted was help! And she was so strong I- I didn’t think of the collateral damage. She was looking for some boy named Touya. And she was looking for you.” She felt the way her heart shrank inside her. Finally admitting her guilt didn’t set her free at all.

He didn’t move a muscle, feather still pointed at her throat, mouth hanging open. When she mentioned Yuna was looking for Touya, he knew.

Yuna. The girl he’d lost to time and god knows what else. He promised himself if he did nothing else, he’d find her and protect her. He’d always sworn he’d know her anywhere. And yet, he didn’t even recognize her name when it was brought up. He didn’t know her from Sally down the street. The feather returned and his hands dropped. He had his own guilt to admit to now.

“I don’t know what to do! I thought I wanted the league gone! But I- I don’t, Hawks. I fucking don’t and I can’t release her until it’s over.” She shuddered at the thought. Despite that, she’d found love and happiness. And who was she to rip it away again? And despite everything, she’d found her own sort of love too. Killing Tomura was absolutely off the table, but she couldn’t tell Hawks that too. 

“I fucked up form the start. I- I don’t know what to do.”

“Well for starters you could’ve told me sooner! And how could you? How could you drag someone you don’t even know into this?”

“You don’t know her either!” Her voice broke at the end. Hawks didn’t say anything. There was an emotion swirling in him not quite akin to anger, but damn close.

“It doesn’t matter now. It’s too late to fix it. You’ll have to deal with what you’ve done.” He’d never felt so defeated, so upset. “You have to keep reporting to me or I’ll tell Tsukauchi you’ve gone rogue. And they’ll be after you in no time.”

“No you won’t. Everything I do is excusable here,” she growled.

“You idiot! Not if you actually turn on us!” She was getting herself in too deep.

“How am I supposed to fix this? How am I supposed to deal with the fucking crushing guilt? I’m fucking-I’m lost here.” Her head hung in defeat, but Hawks didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for her.

“Why...why her? What made you choose her?” He knew the tremble of his voice gave something away.

“I don’t know! She was strong and-she knew who you were. Clearly. I don’t know exactly what I was fucking thinking! I wasn’t thinking anything! It was never in my mission to make someone else help me do my dirty work! But she said your name, and that Touya kid...he sounded so familiar. I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t chance it. I had to make her forget.”

“That’s why you stopped checking in? Because you’re feeling guilty? Because this isn’t what you want?”

“I didn’t know what else to do.”

“ What makes you think I do?” Hawks had never particularly seen red before, but he’d never taken anything so personally. “Deal with it. You did this-”

Before he finished his sentence he heard two voices clear as day. Man, people were really prone to forgetting that he didn’t just have the wings of a predator. Within a split second, two feathers flew straight towards the source.

“What are you-Hawks, no!” They both turned just in time to watch someone bound out of the forest straight towards Hawks. Himaro didn’t miss the way his eyes went wide as he got a look at her, his hands up in defense before he even knew what he was doing.

In the two seconds it took for him to realize who it was, his heart snapped.

Yuna.

“It’s time for you to die!” Yuna yelled, a look in her eyes he couldn’t place. She looked like she was confused and angry, but he was never going to fight her. How could he? 

He could hear the voice in the back of his mind asking him how he could sacrifice the greater good for one girl he didn’t even know anymore. But then again, how could he not?

“Yuna? Yuna stop! Don’t-” She couldn’t even finish her sentence, taken aback by the wind lifting her off her feet.

“Calm down,” he whispered, wanting so desperately to pull her into his arms. This wasn’t how he wanted to find her, but he supposed it would have to do. For a split second, it looked like maybe it worked. She relaxed a bit, like something deep down in her recognized his voice. Before she could swing again, she was pulled to the ground, Dabi standing behind. So that was the other voice. He held Yuna down, a knee to her back.

“I said don’t.” Dabi didn’t even give him a second look, seemingly not interested in whatever was going on. The way his eyes transfixed on Yuna told him everything he needed to know.

“I told you not to do something crazy! I told you not to-” Suddenly Dabi was staring right at him. “You’d better get out of here bird boy. If she catches you, you’re dead.” Judging by the way she came out swinging, he was sure Dabi was right. His broken heart sank to the bottom as he took off, not totally sure he was making the right call.

After about ten minutes, he’d had enough. He couldn’t leave her. He couldn’t just leave now. Not after everything Himaro told him. He turned on his heel swiftly. The view that came into sight wasn’t a pretty one. Yuna was driving her foot straight into Himaro’s throat.

“Shit!” He dove straight for Yuna, scooping her up in his arms and flying high above Himaro, out of earshot. “Woah! You’re a feisty one! I like that.” He blurted out anything he could think of just to keep the real words he wanted to say out of his mouth. There was an ocean of rage and regret crashing inside him. If he could just get through to you, he was sure he could break the spell.  “Yuna, I’m so sorry.” She looked up at him, not moving. Her body went lax. It was working. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find you. And I couldn’t protect you from-this. After I lost you at the Academy, I vowed to find you again-” he was cut short by a stinging hot slap across the face. With a yelp, he let go. Whatever Himaro asked her to do was keeping hold tight.

She took off quickly, leaving Hawks and Himaro to their own devices. “How the hell did you end up with a foot on your throat?” He was genuinely curious, but he’d take anything to get Yuna off his mind.

“Don’t fucking worry about.”

“Look, you seem to have gotten yourself into some pretty deep trouble here. I’m gonna go against my better judgement and warn you to be careful.”

Not that he was too concerned. If Himaro wanted to burn things down and suffocate in the smoke, he wouldn’t take a second look in her direction.

“I don’t need your stupid warnings, asshole. You are not my keeper and certainly not my friend. What were you saying up there?”

“Whatever. Those aren’t the kinds of things I tell to people who don’t consider me their friend. I’m leaving for real this time. Try not to die.”

“Fuck off.”

He flew wordlessly away.

His phone fell from his hands as he opened the door. She was looking for him. Yuna. The girl from the Academy. The one who he was sure disappeared because of him. If he remembered correctly, Touya was a little boy with red hair and blue eyes. He never even knew Touya’s last name, having only ever talked to him during training. That boy disappeared too, covered in burns from his quirk, never to be seen again.

Two weeks later, so did she. She couldn’t have gone off looking for him then, they were only seven. She wouldn’t have known any better. Right? She wouldn’t have had the chance.

It never made any sense to him until now. He always thought it was his fault she left, since he was the last person she spoke to before leaving. He always thought it was something he said about doing what you want in the profound way that only a seven year old could. Now, he knew that was never the case, but it didn’t lift any weight off his chest. It only left more questions that he could never ask. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Your eyes nearly creaked open. You shot up like a rocket. “Yuna!” 

“What?” It looked like she hadn’t even noticed you fell asleep.

“How- how long was I out?” Your words felt like lead in your mouth. How the hell were you going to keep this up?

“Ten minutes, why?” She kept her eyes on the sky.

“I just- it felt like hours.” You rubbed your spinning head. You tended to talk out loud when you were dreaming, but if Yuna heard something, she wasn’t showing it.

“I know the feeling.” She didn’t say anything else, a neither did you, opting to go back to the hideout.

“Are you okay Yuna?”

“I’m peachy!” She forced a smile, but it was atrociously see-through.

“You know what? Let’s get you back to Dabi. Bet you ten dollars that’ll cheer you up.” You stood up and offered her your hand, hopping back through the field.

She scoffed. “And I’ll  tape a picture of crusty boy on your wall for you.”

“Uh..I- let’s- not worry about that,” you breathed.

“I’m serious! I’ll even ask him to pose. I’ll put him in a- well, which sounds better? A fur coat? Or maybe a hoodie? No no, he always wears those. Ooh! a V-neck is always nice too. There’s also button downs.. He’s got potential if we style him just right..” She mockingly put a finger on her chin like she was deep in thought.

“Stop that!” You covered your face, not really inclined to admit that yes, any of those things would most certainly do the trick. She laughed again. “I swear you only laugh at my pain.”

“Girl, I am not embarrassed of anything. If you offered me a picture of a dude I thought was cute dressed to the nines, you know how quickly I’d say yes?” It was your turn to laugh.

Yuna really did have a way of making you feel better without actually forcing you to talk about what was wrong.

And good god there were so many things that there wasn’t enough time on earth.

But at least for now, you weren’t worried about them.

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 10- Bad Intentions

Yuna's eyes went wide for a split second as she watched Dabi's hand reach straight for Spinner's face. His legs were dragged out from under him with a swift kick, his mouth covered by Dabi's hand.

"Dabi, no!" Your shout rang through the air as you hopped the couch without a second thought, aiming for Dabi. He didn't look up for a second, flames spiraling, making the room a hundred degrees.

"You really gonna waste your firepower on me, pretty boy?" You tackled Dabi roughly at that exact moment, knowing he was about to attack. You sat up, scanning his face for some sort of emotion, but he just stared blankly at you.

"Get off me," he muttered. Twice and Toga looked mortified. Spinner looked amused. 

Fuck. I probably shouldn't have done that...

He pushed you off, springing back to life the instant he locked eyes with Spinner. "If you want a fight, I got plenty, asshole."

"Don't call her stupid. And do not tell me what to do." You could see the same look in his eye he had two weeks ago. The one that put a falter in your step. So you couldn't stop Dabi, then.

"Come on guys! What the fuck? Spinner, they already worked it out so what is the problem?"

"My problem is him! He thinks he can do whatever he wants and not suffer the consequences! He thinks he can just step on anyone? Not on my damn watch."

"Look at him! Is that really a man you wanna mess with for no reason? He'll fucking burn you to a crisp! Please think for a minute before you walk straight into death." Both pairs of eyes remained on each other, glares cutting. You'd never seen Dabi at full potential and now you never wanted to, hands trembling as you forced Spinner to make eye contact with you. "If you fight right now, I'll make sure you die." He was so surprised by the force in your tone that he nearly dropped his sword.

"So you're just cool with it? You're cool with the way he acts?"

"It's not my fucking problem," you threatened. With no warning, Spinner rushed towards Dabi once again, swinging full force. Dabi's flames roared, white-hot and huge. He shot off a blast just before Spinner reached him, but suddenly a hurricane-level gust of wind swept through the room, dissipating his flames instantly, and knocking Spinner on his back, along with everyone and everything else.

Yuna's hair settled to reveal the most irritated, angry human being you'd ever seen in your life, lips curled in a snarl. "I didn't wanna do that. I was hoping you two would act your age for a second, but you fucking idiots leave me no choice. What the fuck is wrong with you? You think Shigaraki wants to see this kinda shit? I'm in charge, and if I see one more goddamn move from either of you, I'm throwing you off a fucking building. Do not fuck with him." She pointed an accusing finger at Spinner. "And you," her tone was so cold you almost felt like she was talking to you. "This is how you wanna spend your first day back? Fucking around and starting shit?"

"Well, he just had to say some shit about you-"

"Do I fucking look bothered? Did I look bothered then? Or do I maybe look a little fucking angry now?"

He rubbed his head, not sure how to respond.

"The meeting is over. Everyone get the fuck out. Himaro, come with me, if you will." She motioned for you, quickly taking leave out the front door, with you trailing quickly.

"Sorry. I thought maybe-"

"It's cool. I mean, I didn't say anything because Spinner's not really wrong. He's just...a stupid idiot that has zero communication skills. There could literally not be a worse way to approach Dabi. And honestly? If you fight I'll make sure you die? Icon status. That's coldest thing I've heard since I've been here." You chuckled a bit, glad she was in a good mood.

"I figured maybe he'd chill if they stopped looking at each other. I figured wrong."

"These boys are perpetual twelve year olds. I honestly don't know what they'd do without us around."

"Well, apparently, they'd kill each other." She laughed a little, but it seemed off. Her eyes seemed far away, like she was looking for something she'd never find. "Are you okay?" You asked, tilting your head a bit.

"Y-yeah. I was gonna have you come with me for something, but if it's cool, I'm gonna take off alone." She glanced at you as you nodded. ---- You stared at the call log on your phone. You were growing desperate to hear his voice again. You'd never mention it, but he was starting to become the only thing you thought about. When things went south, when you were hurting or confused, anything, really. It was easier the second time to ask him.

Can I call you again tonight?

Yeah. Something going on?

Not really. Just checking in, I guess.

Usually I have Yuna do that. If there's something else you want, just tell me.

Well, oops.

I guess I just wanna talk? Is that...weird? I'm sure it is.

I'm not really a conversationalist. But I suppose if it helps, I don't really mind.

You didn't even realize you were holding your breath until it escaped you.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

I'll call as soon as I can.

You felt a little tug at your heartstrings. Everyone seemed to make him out to be such a detached dude who didn't care about anything, but from all the talks you had, it seemed like maybe his passion was just misappropriated, misunderstood. Yeah, that was what he seemed like. Misunderstood.

Something was bothering you still, though, making your stomach turn a bit, making your shoulders tense. The way Yuna was acting was... off. She seemed so distant. The only time she didn't was this morning. But as soon as she was out of Dabi's sight, she was back to staring emptily and keeping quiet. You couldn't help but wonder what Hawks said to her. She'd given you a bit of info on it, but not enough to truly satisfy you. You didn't really know what she meant by 'The Academy', but that was all you had to go off of.

The day passed as you laid in bed, toying with the thought for hours and trying to dissect what little verbiage you could. Soon, though, the taste of guilt rose up in the back of your throat, thinking back on what landed you here in the first place, a lazy daydream of five months ago, when you dropped off the map. It happened often, usually with no warning, and no way to stop it. The visions of that cold police room would take over every thought in your head.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Hawks, Siren, we have a new mission for you." You grabbed the file from Tsukauchi hesitantly. Rarely did the police ever approach heroes one on one like this for a mission. "We've been thinking long and hard about how to put this together, so please read these files carefully. As you know, we have almost no intel on the League of Villains. But they've dropped of the map recently, and we can't even find them. I want you two to dig up as much intel as you can." Hawks gazed at you from the corner of his eye, watching for your reaction.

"What do you need us to do?" 

"Well, realistically, if you find them, I want you to join them. Specifically you, Siren. With your quirk, it should be easy. There's a reason we chose you two. Between your quirk and cunning," he motioned to you. "and Hawks' intelligence and speed, we should be able to take them down." ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Even now, just from daydreaming, you could feel the same trembling from back then. Nothing about this had ever sat well, forcing a dissonance between you the information you truly needed. It didn't five months ago, and, for totally different reasons than you expected, it didn't now. Your chest felt tight again, breath slow and labored. You could feel the familiar sting of tears at your eyes.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "The goal here is authenticity. A couple of the members are known to be quite intelligent, especially their leader, Shigaraki. Siren, you'll join if given the chance, and Hawks will stage a rescue mission to gather your intel. We'll have you drop off the map first for a few weeks to create a buzz. I'll only stay in contact with Hawks. You and I will not interact going forward. Only a couple heroes are in the loop right now: Mirko and Endeavor. The police are coordinating this, and your cover cannot be blown. You are not to break your oath of silence. Should you meet with any other heroes, I trust you'll fight like you would against anyone else." ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What were you thinking? Stealth? Lying? Covert operations? You weren't made for that. Maybe Hawks had trained his whole life for stuff like this, but you hadn't. You weren't prepared for this. You never were. And now you were wishing you'd handed it off to anyone else. You found yourself in way too deep, heart beating in your throat right about now.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

You found the room silent and tense. "Please read your files. If you have any questions when I return, we'll go over them. This is all the info we have, as well as the outline for the mission. Any question that arise later on, please collaborate with Hawks as discreetly as possible. No phones or anything else that can be recorded."

"Gotcha, chief," Hawks smirked, taking a seat and cracking open his file.

"Oh, and while I expect you to speak with each other, please keep the details outlined in your files private. The less both of you know about each other from this point on, the better. I'll be back in an hour." He excused himself, leaving you two to your own devices.

"You look pale, kid." 

"Hawks I'm older than you, first of all. And second, please try to pay attention. We can't afford to fuck this up. And yes. I'm nervous."

"Ah. Yeah this is the biggest mission you've ever gone on huh? No one and done here." He thumbed through the pages carefully, raising his brow as he read through his objectives.

"If they wanted us to know as little as possible, why would they brief us at the same time? It would be easier to honestly say I don't know what you're doing than lie about it."

"Please save your questions until the end,"he replied lightly, like he wasn't just asked to undertake an overthrow operation with one other person.

You skimmed through the files of the information they had on the league. About as much as anyone else did. "Well that was almost unnecessary," You sat back. "They don't know much, do they? This seems a little.."

"Vague?" You finished.

"To say the least." After ten more minutes, Tsukauchi strolled back in.

"Do you have any questions? I know the files are pretty bare at this point."

"I don't think so. Even as minimal as the information is, the objective is clear."

"Very well. Hawks, you'll be scouting for Shigaraki and keeping tabs on him to make it easier for Siren to find him. Report to her the second you see any of them." He gave a nonchalant thumbs up and was dismissed, leaving just you and Tsukauchi.

"There are a few more things before you leave. Your mission is decidedly more difficult in the degree of stealth necessary. Use your quirk however you must to gain information. Any actions you deem necessary will be excused to the highest power. I'm sure you understand that the heroes who cross your path won't go easy on you."

You nodded. "I understand." ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

You bolted up, breathless and on fire. How? How could you let this happen? How did such a simple mission go so,so wrong? Now you had no clue what your objective was. Getting rid of Tomura was no longer an option for you. Getting rid of Dabi and Yuna and Toga and Twice was no longer an option for you. But it had to be. You paced around the room, dizzy and frantic, hoping the call from Tomura came sooner rather than later.

Now it made sense. Now the last thing Hawks said to you before you started this mission rang true and clear: "The only one you really have to convince is yourself. The rest will fall into place. But if you lose your way, if you play along too well, you're done."

You weren't really sure what it meant back then, but it was just like experiencing an emotion. It didn't ring true until it happened to you. You'd played along too well. You were so sure you'd never play along too well. You'd let them take over your heart. You'd let them into a place they didn't belong. You'd seen their weaknesses and their strengths, and their heartaches and their triumphs and losses. You weren't supposed to make them human. 

This was supposed to be black and white. Now you'd lost your way. Hawks wasn't having it. Tomura would never forgive you, if he even believed your heart was in it in the first place. Yuna couldn't possibly be so forgiving twice. She already knew you were a liar at best.

Your heart was on fire. It felt like someone had a hold on your lungs, vision peppering with white dots. Was it really so easy to falter? To crumble under the weight of one decision? Hot tears covered your open palms. They didn't stop flowing. Tomura’s call couldn’t come fast enough.

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 9- Lost on City Streets

You pulled your phone out. Several texts and a missed call from Tomura.

Shit! I forgot all about calling him!

You’d asked him for some of his time, which he probably carved out just for you. And then you totally ignored him.

Himaro? I thought you wanted to talk. It’s fine if you don’t, but just answer me. Missed Call-Tomura

It was two and a half hours later. Maybe he wouldn’t rip your head off if you responded now.

I’m sorry! Yuna and I ended up going on a search for Dabi. He disappeared for a couple days on us. We found him, but it took way longer than expected.

You were wracking your brain for a way to let Tomura know what happened without explaining why.

Call me.

Without a second thought you hit the call button.

“What the hell is that rat bastard getting up to now?”

All things considered, all that was said and done, you genuinely had no idea. “Not sure, honestly. He really doesn’t say much about what he’s doing.”

“Whatever. Tell me what you wanted to talk about.” You felt a little jolt, imagining him chilling casually somewhere in his little furry coat.

“Well, I’ve just been feeling run down lately. I’ve been nauseous, and I’ve had a headache for a week. Every time I hear something that makes me nervous, I break out in a sweat. And I can’t concentrate.” It felt weird to unload on him. He didn’t seem like the kind, but he also didn’t seem like he minded.

“Hmm..have you been eating? Sleeping?”

“Not really now that I think about it. This past week has been crazy. And then with Dabi leaving..”

There was a curious silence on the other end.“It sounds like anxiety.”

Of course. How could I not put two and two together?

With one sentence, he figured out everything that had been wrong  with you for two weeks.

“Uh, oh. That’s- that sounds right.”

“Is it hard to breathe sometimes?”

“All the time,”You confessed.

“Yeah. Anxiety. I feel it all the time. Not a day goes by where I don’t. The only thing you can do is try to get some rest and eat a lot. Don’t forget about it. Even if you’re not hungry, if it’s been more than three hours, eat.”

The amount of relief you felt at that moment was infinite. It had never even crossed your mind. All the other thoughts racing around didn’t give you time to think about why they were racing.

“Jeez. It seems so simple when you put it like that.”

“It always does.” You could feel an air about his comment, like he wanted to say something else, but couldn’t do it. Strange, considering he always said whatever he was thinking. “But it never is, really.”

Strangely enough, the silence on the other end was just as comforting as talking.

“Was that..all?” He asked.

“I guess,yeah. I thought there would be more.” In the distance you heard a large explosion of some sort.

“Shit. I gotta go. Goodnight. Try to get some sleep.” He hung up without letting you reply, but it didn’t matter. His voice brought you more comfort than you cared to admit, making the walk back much easier.

 ---------------------- 

The two stared each other for a long moment before Yuna broke into tears, burying herself in Dabi’s chest. He didn’t move.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed.

Dabi let out a sigh before wrapping his arms around her. “Me too.” He laid his head on hers, caging her in his embrace. It felt so nice to hold her again, whether he liked it or not.

“What the hell, by the way. What the hell were you thinking back there?” Now for the part where she rightfully tore him to shreds for leaving.

“I was thinking exactly what I said. I was feeling like you don’t trust me. I need you to let me do what I need to do.”

So Himaro was right after all.

“I-”

“Before you say anything, let me make this clear: you’re important to me, no matter what I’m scheming up. Even if it doesn’t involve you, you’re gonna be right here at the end of it. But you don’t seem to believe me.” He’d long since let go of her, leaving her feeling a little cold.

“I guess I just-I’m worried on day you’ll actually leave. I’m worried Hawks wants your head on a platter. And if he does, how the fuck am I gonna stop him? He’ll bring reinforcements. How am I gonna keep you safe?”

“Yuna, I’m not a scared little kid anymore. Touya is gone. Everything he was, everything he believed, in, everything he was afraid of, it’s all gone. I’m not him anymore. You don’t have to protect me like you did him.”

“Dabi, I can’t. You know I can’t. I still see that little boy crying. Every time.”

“You can,” he breathed. “Stop protecting him. Let me protect you this time. I can do it. We both know each other better than this.” They both stayed silent for a long time, gentle wind blowing in the night.

“I don’t even care about this right now. I’m just glad to see you again.”

He couldn’t say he disagreed.

“I’m more interested in HImaro.”

He smiled a bit. “Right back down to business huh? It’s been five minutes.” Her hand met his chest lightly.

“Hush! I know she’s doing something. I just don’t know what. And I know you’ve been gone looking for answers. Have you seen Hawks?”

“Nah. I’d like to say that I got something, but I’m empty handed. Maybe she really did fuck it up. I have no idea.”

“Do you ever?” She joked, wiping the tears from her face. “She may have. But something doesn’t sit right with me. Why did she even answer his call? In front of me, no less.” She looked up at him, a hint of mischief in her eyes. He hated to admit it, tried to deny it, but he watched a breath of life return to her as she looked him over gently.

“She’s really interested in what I have planned for Hawks.” His hand ruffled her hair.

“Oh yeah! That other thing I should beat you up for. What is your plan, exactly?”

“Oh, I won’t be telling you either. It’s that keep you safe thing I was just talking about.” He smirked a bit, but Yuna wasn’t impressed. “Speaking of, Himaro said you tried to kill her? I take it that’s where these came from.” His thumbs gently traced the extra dark circles under her eyes, a hint of a smile on his face.

“I may have stepped right on her throat in some sort of attempt to have her life leave her body.”

“Jesus, love.” His eyebrows lifted in concern  before knitting together. “So I’m guessing she nearly ripped your leg off then?” He followed her form down to her ankle, wrapped in bandages.

“She’s like an animal, dude. She got some good hits in.”

“That probably hurts, no?” He knelt down to inspect her handiwork, scoffing at her sad excuse for medical precision.

“Quite a bit, yeah.” Their eyes met when he looked up at her.

“Guess I’ll have to carry you then.”

“Okay first of all, I can control the wind. I can take the pressure off it myself. And second, don’t go getting all lovey on me now you burnt chicken nugget!”

An honest to goodness laugh escaped him.

“I just feel like maybe you should be taking it easy.”

“Look who’s talking, Mr. One Hit Done.”

“That old man hit with the strength of at least twelve old men. Stop acting like you’d have stayed conscious,”he teased a bit.

“Old man strength is impressive.. But anyway, I’ve been out here for 12 days walking around trying to find your dumb ass. Your little ‘get a major concussion and then leave’ stunt has earned you the shoulder of scorn.

“Then let me make it up to you.” He turned on his heel, motioning for her to climb on his back. Immediately, she relaxed, head falling into the crook of his shoulder. “I think you should talk to Hawks. You know, since you’re going on dates with him anyway. I saw the look on his face. He clearly wasn’t surprised we were there, so I wanna know what had him so riled up. I wanna know what Himaro said.”

“Yeah, first of all, gross. Second, calm down, killer. We’ll get there. Let’s get some sleep first. I can tell you’re exhausted.”

“Do you know what Hawks said to me?” She started, acting like he’d never said anything. He sighed dramatically.

“What did he say?”

“He said ‘I swore I’d know you anywhere. But I let you down. And The Academy let you down too. I’m sorry Yuna.’ Like, what? How the fuck does he know my name? Himaro may have met with him, but she’s not a fucking idiot.”

Dabi was glad she couldn’t see his mouth fall open a bit, her eyes having closed long ago. He was sure now. He wasn’t before, but now it was very clear. Pieces that seemed random were now falling into place. She was definitely right. He needed to meet with Hawks sooner rather than later. 

---------------------------------------------- 

You tossed and turned all night, waiting to hear some semblance of Dabi and Yuna coming back, but sleep came before you ever heard the door open, only flits of talking to Tomura swirling around your head.

When you came downstairs in the morning, Yuna and Dabi were both sitting on the countertop laughing. It was really nice to have them back. On their own, they were aloof and threatening, but together, they were really just more like a soft pile of marshmallows.

“Morning meeting in five,” Yuna chirped. It was nice to see her glowing again, acting like she was hanging out with her crush for the first time. There was a new wave of life in the league. Everyone was murmuring with excitement, trying to pry for answers from Dabi, who waved them off with ease. He had nothing he cared to tell them, which wasn’t surprising, but it did put your mind at ease.

You were, however, starting feel a certain emptiness that you could place immediately. Longing. It had been two weeks since you’d seen Tomura, and you were starting to miss his awkward smiles and out of place but not altogether unwelcome touches. Even though you’d just called him, maybe another call was in order. There was a lot in your life you could pretend to hate just to talk to him.

“All right , assholes. Here’s the deal. Shigaraki’s stay has been extended a while longer. But he has a guest he wants us to meet with tomorrow at noon. This guy’s got some important shit to say I guess? I don’t know. I wasn’t really listening. Don’t ask me his name either. So besides being here tomorrow at noon, you can do whatever you want until I get more orders.” She clapped her hands together, obviously hoping everyone would leave at that exact moment.

You noticed Spinner’s sour face before he opened his mouth. “So you guys gonna go make out until then? Or maybe you’ll both disappear this time?” His biting comments seemed to reach Dabi’s ears first. You knew there was something about him Dabi didn’t quite like, and Spinner returned the favor vehemently.

“Dude,” Twice commented. “Not very Gucci of you.”

“This bitch has been Walmart since we picked him up,” Dabi muttered. You couldn’t help but laugh. How unbothered could this dude be?

“Screw you, Dabi! You left us fucking hanging! You left Yuna hanging!” He didn’t back down from his taunts and suddenly the room was full of tension. You could almost see a cloud forming around Yuna. Her eyes weren’t even visible, looking down with a stare so cold you felt a chill.

“I’m gonna chalk this all up to you no knowing shit about shit. Ever consider that  Yuna is the only one that has to forgive me?” Dabi snapped back.

“I know enough. I knew that you left the other night, and Yuna almost killed Himaro!” Everyone’s mouths fell open. You three weren’t sure how the hell he knew that, but you were keen on figuring it out. “You left and let her take her rage out on someone else! Let her take it out us! You think we’re stupid? You think we can’t put two and two together?” He had a finger in Dabi’s face, but he didn’t seem the least bit concerned.

“I think you’re kind of an idiot.” He was still smirking a bit. At least until Spinner opened his stupid mouth again.

“Control your stupid woman, you motherfucker.” Uh-oh. Your heart sunk as your hands shot up in an instant, understanding that there was only one thing that could set them both off simultaneously.

Seriously? How much of an idiot can you be?

Surprisingly, the only movement from either of them was Dabi grabbing Yuna’s hand.

“Say it again, asshole. I fucking dare you.” His voice was low and his hand was clenched, brandishing fire like a sword.

“Shit,” you muttered, muscles tensing in reaction. Something that was about to happen for a long time was unfolding right in front of you. How were you gonna handle this one?

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 8- To Fall Together

The rest of the week seemed to be rough for the both of you. Your headache didn’t seem to ever go away, and Yuna was looking more and more pale every day, clearly falling apart under the stress. The light in her eyes didn’t seem to return either. 

She spent as much time sleeping as you did, waking up at all hours of the night and nearly sleeping through the day. What was this awful feeling you had? You weren’t sick. You didn’t have a fever, and you weren’t tossing your cookies. Your energy was just so low you couldn’t even make yourself take a shower.

You both seemed like ghosts, passing each other in the hallway without so much as a glance in the other’s direction. All the conversations just seemed like background noise, one amalgamation of sound. The only thing that ever played in your head was the change of tides that led to this moment.

Hawks, silent but ferocious, heavy eyes conveying an emotion you couldn’t understand. Yuna charging out of the forest, only everyone’s best interests at heart, hurt and angry. Dabi tearing her down in a instant before disappearing and leaving a mess. You, utterly confused and disheartened, angry and feeling guilty about something you could never tell anyone about. All the wondering what the hell Hawks could have possibly said to Yuna. The way she ran off into the night without a second thought, but still returned in the morning.

More often than not, your finger was hovering over the dial button, aching to call Tomura, but never going through with it. He had to have some experience comforting people right? He’d made you feel like more than enough more than once. But apparently his mission was so important that it could set the League up for years to come. Who were you to disturb him? If he even answered, you were sure he’d tell you not to call again.

“Maybe I’ll settle for a text,” you mused.

Hey, when you’re not busy, is it okay if I give you call?

You shuddered a bit, immediately embarrassed after reading it over. You sounded like a teenager talking to a tentative new friend, not a worker talking to their boss. To your surprise, he answered immediately.

Sure. Call me tonight at 11. Everything okay over there?

Your heart did a back flip, you were certain. It was the most adrenaline you’d felt in a week and a half. Now it was more like a teenager talking to their high school crush, the way you buried your face in your pillow with a smile.

Everything’s running smoothly here. I’m just having some..personal issues.

Why did every thing you could think to say sound so embarrassing? So common, and so awkward at the same time.

Personal issues? And you want to talk to me about it?

You bit your lip in frustration. What an idiot.

Well, yeah. We’ve had a couple talks in the past and they always made me feel better. Kinda hoping for the same thing again.

There wasn’t another reply for thirty minutes.

Well...I guess, then.

You sputtered a bit as you sprang out of bed. “Thirty minutes! For that!? He really is bad at this.” Regardless, for the first time, you couldn’t feel the weight that had been pressing on your chest for a week. And your head wasn’t hurting as bad either. You felt giddy. And good. You figured now was as good a time as any to try and talk to Yuna. You two couldn’t stay silent forever.

You figured Yuna was tired of not having anyone to talk to about this, and you were kind of missing her too. Before you could knock on the door, you heard her crying. It was barely noticeable, but unmistakable for anything else.

As soon as she heard the knock her sniffles stopped. You finally took a really good look at her face. Her eyes and cheeks were red and puffy(obviously), and though the bruises had mostly healed, they were still evident under her eyes, doing nothing to mask the dark circles accompanying them. She still had bandages on her ankle, and was definitely not pleased to see you.

“What?” For a moment you thought maybe this was the wrong decision, but this was Yuna. This was the girl who lied to Tomura for you even though she knew you weren’t honest. This was the girl who comforted you on the roof after you lied straight to her face. 

The worst she could do is try to kill me again. But it doesn’t look like she has any fight in her.

“Look, I- it’s been a really rough two weeks for both of us. All I hear is you crying before you leave to go look around for Dabi all night. I’m sorry I lied to you about Bakugo but-I was sure you’d throw me off the roof if I told you the truth. But I didn’t lie about Hawks. My only plan was to ask Dabi for advice. But you can thank Hawks for me even knowing about it. He’s the one that told me to bring Dabi-”

She held up a hand, intent on stopping you from continuing to ramble.

“Okay. Do I really seem like the kind of person who’d throw you off a roof for having a moment of weakness?”

Your heart nearly flat-lined at the ridiculous question. “Yuna, you tried to kill me.”

“Yeah. I did. And I’m sorry about that, but having a moment of weakness and deliberately deciding to meet with sneaky-ass heroes with my man while you both hide it from me are two totally different things.”

“That’s fair. I said some, uh, things I didn’t mean.” You rubbed the back of your head.

“Me too. I don’t think you’re weak. It takes a lot of guts to directly disobey an order from our favorite crusty boy. And it wasn’t..really your fault Dabi left. It was mine.” She choked up a little at the end, but you couldn’t help the soft smile forming on your face. So you were right about her. She was just angry that it was her fault, and probably feeling pretty bad that she tried to literally murder you.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” She seemed to relax after that. “If you can forgive me for nearly crushing your windpipe, I can forgive you for lying about some shit I don’t even care about.”

“Oh, I do kind of have a question, though.” 

“Oh, yeah what’s up?”

“Wh-what did Hawks say to you?” Her eyebrow shot up, an accusing look wracking her face.

“When?” It looked like the answer you got would depend on the one you gave her.

“When he pulled you off of me. I just- I mean you tried to kill him and then you let him hold you. I wondered what the hell he could possibly be saying to make you stay calm like that. It’s not like he knows you,” you waved your hand, clearly being sarcastic, but her eyes went wide just long enough for you to catch it. 

She nodded her head before continuing, a sly smile on her face. “I almost forgot about that. And honestly, it was all nonsense to me. Some shit about the Academy. Don’t know what he was talking about. I was just so upset that I didn’t care who he was. I was just chilling up there. Then, as I’m sure you saw, I snapped out of it.”

   She seemed pretty sincere about it. The only thing you figured was that whatever he said wasn’t nonsense to her at all.

“Do you want me to help you find Dabi?” You offered.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll come back soon. But it would make me feel better.”

“Good. You look like you could use the help. And a nap, probably.”

“Let’s calm down there. Still not exactly happy.” She propped the door open, walking back to her bed.

“Pack a bag. We’re gonna be out for a while.” --------- “Okay. Don’t get into anything stupid. And try not to insult anybody. We find Dabi, and then we come home.”

“Got it.” You brushed off the underhanded comment, choosing not to sass back. The cool night was helping to ease your seemingly constant nausea. You’d gotten used to it by now, but the night always helped. 

“So, what is it about him, if you don’t mind me asking?” You were hoping to just return to normal conversation with her. She stayed silent for a long time before she spoke.

“You don’t get it, huh?” She asked, shooting a glance your in your direction.

“I-it’s not that I don’t get it!” You face was turning bright red, but Yuna just smirked.

“There’s not a lot I can tell you. Let’s just say I knew him in a past life. When he was gentle and kind and not broken yet. I swore I would protect him. And I lost that Dabi forever. At his core, he’s hiding...a lot. and it takes its toll, living the life he does. He’s still the same boy I lost. It just-it’s way deep down and difficult to draw out.”

You didn’t respond. 

Knew him in a past life? The boy she lost? What the hell is she talking about?

It didn’t sit well. Your nerves were raging again, even though Yuna seemed as calm as a lake.

“He isn’t easy to love now, but he usually makes the effort and that means the world to me. That I’ve meant enough to him this whole time to try.”

This whole..time? What the fuck? How have I never asked her this before?

There was a falter in your step, and you slowed down a bit. “Wh- a past...life?” You questioned.

“Yeah. I can’t say anything. He made me promise that as long as he was alive I wouldn’t breathe a word.”

She apparently didn’t notice the change in your demeanor. Your nausea was tenfold.

Shake it off. Shake it off! Don’t do this now!

“Just- if you never know anything else about him, know this:he’s hurt. Bad. Just keep that in mind. And also understand that as much as I’m trying to fix the parts of him that just need love, there are miracles I can’t work. He’s the most important person in my life for a reason.”

“..o--oh. I’ll keep it in mind then.” She gave you bit of side eye, but whatever she was thinking never came to light. You two walked for several more hours until you were ready to give up.

Your feet were aching and you could barely keep your eyes open. “Yuna, we may have to call it quits,” you whined. Before she responded, you saw a mess of black hair glinting in the moonlight, and heard heavy boots crunching on the ground. “Actually, I’m gonna check this last alley.” She waved you off and you darted down the rocky path.

“Dabi!” You half-whispered. He stopped for a moment, shoulders tensing. “What the shit, dude? Where have you been?” He stared distantly before answering.

“I’ve been around.”

“You know that answer’s not good enough! Yuna’s practically dead inside and that’s all you can say?” He laughed humorlessly.

“Yeah. To you.”

“I’m not sure what it is I did to make you so intent on shutting me out, but I’m not fucking having this! What happened two weeks ago? What was your fucking plan?” You had him by the collar of his jacket, his half-lidded eyes filling you with a sense of dread as he stared down at you.

“Y’know, you’re smart to keep an eye on me, but I ain’t tellin’ you nothin’. And don’t go getting all excited. I’m not telling Yuna either. It’s bold of you to assume you’re the only one who gets shut out.”

“Goddammit Dabi. What the hell happened? Yuna almost killed me and Hawks! Is that what you want? Is that what you’re going for?” He rolled his eyes before pulling your hands away from him.

“She was angry. So was I. So were you. And so was Hawks. I should be asking you what you said to him. But it doesn’t matter. The least of my worries is what made you cry.” His tone was so flat you weren’t sure if he knew he was talking to a human being.

“Why did you even come then?” You found your voice trembling with anger. 

“To be on lookout. I don’t know what birdboy is up to, but he’s not an idiot. And he wanted to meet with you, and that’s a fucking red flag.”

“I’m not buying it. You’re talking with him too, so what’s the fucking difference? Nobody knows why you’re doing it either!” You growled, hands balling into fists.

“The difference is that everyone trusts me, and I’ve made it very clear I have no interest in helping or hurting the League. Whatever happens happens. The only thing you’ve made clear is that you’re a fucking liar who can’t handle her shit.” 

You’d never seen red so fast, hand immediately swinging for his jaw. In an instant, a strong wind forced your hand back, knocking you several feet away from Dabi.

“So, you’ll just punch anyone, then? Hands off. It’s time for you to fucking leave.” Yuna pushed you out of the alley, standing there until you were out of eyesight, essentially forcing you out of earshot.

Shit. Shit! What the hell is he gonna tell her?

You walked back to the hideout. You wouldn’t win this one tonight.

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 7- To Break Apart

“What the hell was that?” You asked, almost to afraid to break the silence.

“You idiot! What the hell are you doing meeting up with Hawks!?” Yuna was clearly still in the middle of a rampage, Dabi now struggling to keep his hold.

 “You told him you wouldn’t give him the time of day! Why did you lie? Why did you bring-” One of Dabi’s hands covered her mouth hastily, muffling her question.

“I didn’t-lie about this. I wasn’t planning on it, but-”

“I already told you,” Dabi cut in. “I told you I asked her to set up a meeting! You always do this! You just rush into shit without thinking! You always just do what you think is best! You never fucking just-trust me!” With that, you watched Yuna go limp under his grip. She stopped fighting completely, tears forming in her eyes.

He removed his hand from her face, not willing to do anything unnecessary to her.

“I trust you,” she choked.

“No. You don’t.” He stood up, putting his hands in his pockets. He began to walk away, brushing past you without so much as an explanation.

“Wait, where are you going?” You asked. “I think you might owe me-”

“I don’t owe you shit,” he spat, not bothering to slow down. Your heart was in your throat. Everyone behaved in such a confusing way that you weren’t even sure where to look. Hawks was gone, Yuna was on the ground crying, and Dabi was walking away.

What the hell just happened? This was just supposed to be an easy way to get Hawks off my back. And now I have more questions than answers.

“Dabi, please! Please don’t leave,”Yuna’s small voice called as she hopped off the ground, reaching out to him. Before she made contact, he swatted her hand away, turning to face her with wide eyes. He didn’t say anything for a long moment.

“I’ll see you later, Yuna,” he said flatly before continuing to walk away. You didn’t feel the need to chase after him. Even Yuna wasn’t moving her feet, shallow breaths hitching in her throat as she watched him walk away.

“Shit. Shit! God dammit!” Her hands covered her face for what seemed like hours. You were a little too stunned, your own tears clouding everything up while you looked at her. You didn’t think you’d ever watch a heart break, but there was a first for everything. You did feel a little pang of regret. You should’ve just gone alone like you were planning.

“I’m not ever going to forgive you for dragging him into your shit,” she glowered.

“He was already in this!” Now you weren’t feeling regret. You could feel your face getting hot. Was she really going to stand there and accuse you of doing something that made Dabi leave? Any sadness you’d had moments before dried up immediately, words filled with venom instead of comfort. “He didn’t even question who I was talking about! He knew! How the hell can you blame me for your inability to control yourself? You were the one who charged out after Dabi clearly told you not to!”

  “I need him safe,” she muttered.

“You need to let him do what he needs to! You’re fucking obsessed with him!” Maybe you hadn’t meant to take it quite that far, but you were seeing red, seething with rage. It wasn’t up for debate: Yuna fucked it up. And now she thought she would take it out on you.

“Don’t fucking act like you know what he needs,” she threatened. “And look at you, trying to act like you even know what it means to care about someone. You don’t give a fuck about anyone but your damn self. Like you even know. Like you even know!” She screamed before charging for you.

It’s okay. This is okay. She’s angry. But you can deal with this. This isn’t the worst that could’ve happened.

Her hand came up above your head, but it never made contact. You grabbed her wrist and twisted her around, locking her arm into place behind her, wind dying down around the two of you. “I don’t want to have to hurt you, Yuna. But you’ve seen me training these past few weeks. I can keep up if I need to.” She let out a frustrated scream, leg kicking behind her furiously, knocking your knee almost completely out of its socket.

“I am not so fucking weak that you are gonna stop me!” With a gust of wind, your legs were swept out from under you as Yuna spun around, her foot connecting with your chest. The fall already knocked the air out of you, and her foot was making you dizzy, almost no air entering your lungs. Without thinking, you pulled her down with you, landing a hit square across her face. She looked disoriented, but her eyes connected with yours again ferociously.

“I’m not fucking weak! At least a stupid boy doesn’t keep me tied to my job!” Your mind was disconnected from your mouth, any insult you could get your hands on flying out. You didn’t even see her hands grab at your face, sending you backward a few feet, the wind like daggers.

You opened your eyes when her foot connected with you again. Just like she wanted in the first place.

“You got somethin’ to say about me and Dabi, say it then.” She swayed a bit, equilibrium thrown off by your hit.

“You’re only doing this for him. The fuck does it matter anyway? He’s just some dude.” Not a smart move. The pressure from her foot increased tenfold on your sternum.

“You are weak.  I’m not fucking stupid. You let Bakugo go. I heard you, you fucking idiot. And then I heard you lie to me.” Her eyes were dark and lifeless as she stared down at you. “I gave you a chance to change your answer on the rooftop. But you didn’t. And out of the kindness of my heart, I even lied to your precious Shigaraki about it. For you! I covered for a liar. A bad one. I’m the one that’s been giving you chance after chance and easing Shigaraki’s doubts about you. Give me one good reason not to crush you right now.”

Your head started to pound as adrenaline flowed through your veins.

“So you saw right though me. I must seem like some sort of traitor. But what about it? I lied about one kid? You’re not really that worried about what the league wants, right?” Her foot moved up to your windpipe, and your hands wrapped around her ankle out of reflex.

“Heh. Fine. I’ll give you that. But I am worried about Dabi. Who wouldn’t have been here if you hadn’t asked him. So I’ll ask you again. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t stomp you the fuck out.”

That was when you felt it. You felt a snap in your head. If Yuna wanted to play, you’d play. Did she really think that just because you were calm and quiet that you couldn’t be something different? Your life was in danger now, and you weren’t about to go down like this, crushed like an ant. 

An uncontrollable grin spread across your face.

“What the fuck are you smiling for? I’m about to kill you.” The sneer on her face turned to a look of surprise as you explained yourself.

“If you were gonna kill me, you’d have done it already. But for some reason, you can’t, right? I know why-” Her eyes went wide for a split second before nearly all her weight came crashing down on your windpipe, cutting your sentence short.

“If you want a villain, Himaro, I’ll give you one.” Your nails dug into the skin around her ankle, but she didn’t let up, even as blood leaked down her foot. You were tearing at her fiercely, and it was evident she was feeling it, but ignoring it.

Fine. We’ll both die without answers.

Before you could make another move, Hawks came back at the last second, scooping Yuna up. The breath returned to your body in a flash, with you coughing and heaving on the ground, tears forming in your eyes. You took a look at your bloodied hands, having definitely ripped some skin away from her leg. You nearly threw up as you shook your hand clean.

“Woah! You’re a feisty one. I like that,” Hawks smiled. Surprisingly, she didn’t retaliate. She didn’t move. You could see Hawks’ lips moving, but you couldn’t hear what he was saying.

He stayed suspended in midair much longer than you cared for. What the hell was he doing up there? Yuna didn’t budge. She just..let him hold her. The man that she just tried to kill five minutes ago. The man that she nearly killed you for consorting with. And you were sure you could see her shoulders shaking like she was crying.

In an immediate twist of events, you heard her hand make contact with his face, a yell escaping him as he dropped her. She gave you one last glare before taking off, presumably back to the hideout. And it would be a long time before she even looked at you again.

“How the hell did you end up with a foot on your throat?” He rubbed his cheek, now red with a slap mark.

“Don’t fucking worry about it,” you groaned, voice more like nails in your throat.  It was going to be a while before you recovered from this one.

“Look, you seem to have gotten yourself into some pretty deep trouble here. I’m gonna go against my better judgement and warn you to be careful.”

“I don’t need your stupid warnings, asshole. You are not my keeper, and certainly not my friend. What were you saying up there?” He put his hands up in surrender.

“Whatever. Those aren’t the kinds of things I tell to people who don’t consider me their friend. I’m leaving for real this time. Try not to die okay?”

“Fuck off,” you grumbled. You watched Hawks take off into the night, stumbling back to the hideout. -------- When you woke up in the morning, your head was pounding. You had one long, continuous nightmare about that night. It ended with you nearly jumping out of bed, starved for oxygen. You surveyed the damage. You had two footprint shaped bruises on your chest and neck, and your voice was almost completely gone, throat aching fiercely and feeling swollen. You groaned as your fingers traced the bruises.

“Not the reason I was expecting to have bruises on my neck,” you muttered. 

You were hoping there was someone you could go to for advice, but Yuna was beyond out of the question. You had to admit, you did lie to her, and you said a couple things you mostly didn’t mean. But she was still in the wrong too. Maybe this was something you could go to Tomura about. Maybe he had some sort of underhandedly poignant advice. You looked everywhere but you couldn’t find him. You couldn’t find Kurogiri either. Your search only turned up Toga and Twice, passed out on their beds.

Your stare was blank as you sat at the bar.

What was that? What did Hawks say to her?

All you could replay in your mind was the instant Hawks pulled Yuna off of you. All you could hear when you imagined it was the wind rustling the trees. No words, no movement, nothing. Like it was just a dream. All you could see when you closed your eyes was Hawks’ face, staring at you like you had two heads. 

The backdoor slamming pulled you straight out of your daydreams.

Yuna stormed in, evidently in pain. She was limping, blood-stained makeshift bandages around her ankle. Her jaw was swollen where your hand connected with her face, and somehow both eyes were black. You couldn’t tell if she’d slept or not, the dark blue rings covering her eyes, but from the look of it, she’d been out all night. Most likely trying to find Dabi.

Even though you were the only one there, she didn’t even look in your direction, sitting on the couch until everyone else trailed in.

“Good morning!” Twice had definitely not read the room, eyes first scanning Yuna’s beat up face before they stopped on your throat. You didn’t exactly have anything to cover it with; it was way too hot for your usual hoodie. You felt a blush creep up your ears as he stared shamelessly, turning away after a few seconds.

“Here’s the deal. Shigaraki and Kurogiri aren’t going to be back for quite a while. Per Shigaraki’s orders, I’m in charge until he gets back.” You weren’t facing her, and thank god you weren’t. Your eyes felt like they were going to pop out of your face, heartbeat immediately picking up.

Shit! How could I forget? Yuna’s second in command! She’s gonna order me to die...

“He left some stuff for us to take care of in preparation for his return. We’re down three, so don’t go looking for trouble.

“Three..?” It took everyone a moment to notice that Dabi wasn’t in the room either.

“What happened to Dabi?” Toga asked.

“He’s MIA.” Her answer was short and you could feel her anger rolling off in waves, even without looking at her.

“Yuna, what the hell happened to you two?” Twice pointed a finger at both of you and if you weren’t red before, you sure were now. You could feel sweat dripping off you at this point, too nervous to turn and face them both. “You guys look like you got beat up.”

“Clearly. Don’t worry about it. Just do what you need to do and then come back.” Twice didn’t say anything else, but he continued to stare, eyes following Yuna as she walked out.

“Himaro, what’s going on?” He stepped a bit closer. “Yuna’s usually not this mad about anything. She’s mad about everything!”

“Twice, it’s really nothing to worry about. She’s just mad Dabi is gone, is all.” You hoped he would stop trying to pry, but ever the idiot, he kept on.

“Nah that isn’t it! He does that all the time! She expects it by now. It must be something else..”

A lightbulb went off in your head. You weren’t sure what it meant, but it was sure a thought

. Of course. She’d expect him to leave, but not ever because of her. Right? I’m sure that’s why she’s so angry. She’s not stupid. She knows it wasn’t my fault.

“I don’t know, Twice. I’m not going to ask. It’s not our business anyway.” You buried your head in your hands, hoping the throbbing would go away. Twice and his two personalities weren’t helping.

“Well you were there, right? Judging by the way you look, you guys had to have been-”

“Fucking drop it!” Your shout startled even you. “Just- if she tells you she tells you, and if she doesn’t, don’t worry.” You’d tell Twice anything to make this headache go away. Anything to quell the nausea that slowly started bubbling in your stomach.

What the fuck is this feeling?

Your hands and legs were shaky as you slipped off the bar stool and back to your room.

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 6- Starcrossed and Fated

When you woke early in the morning, you could hear the distinct sound of someone struggling to get out of bed. You figured it was Dabi. The low, pained sighs seeming to waft through the shared wall. It was so impossibly early that you figured now was as good a time as any. You had to ask him about Hawks. Carefully, you snaked your head out of the open door, listening for the one next to you to start creaking. Soon enough, you could hear his labored breathing hitching in his throat with every heavy step.

Jeez. I forgot about his concussion. He sounds awful.

“Uh, are you okay feeling okay today Dabi?” He slowed with all the enthusiasm you would get from a particularly bored seven year old.

“No.”

You both stared for a very long moment. Dabi’s eyebrows raised a bit in concern. Your mouth opened and closed a few times before you decided it was best to just continue.

“Is there somethin-”

“I have a weird question for you. Well, not really a question but-”

“Wow. Impressive. What is it?” He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“Well, I got a phone call from an old colleague of mine last night. He wanted to meet with me. But he told me if I didn’t want to go alone, I should bring you. Any idea what that’s about?” He didn’t say anything, but you could see his smirk behind his hands clasped in front of his face.

“I take it this old colleague of yours is...Hawks?”

“The very same.” He sighed, like he knew this would happen eventually.

“Guess we should find out what that idiot wants, then. You should give him a call.” He stood up and began walking to the kitchen. “Don’t tell him I’m coming, though.” ---- The phone rang twice before he picked up. “Himaro! I was beginning to think you’d never call me again.”

“Where do you want to meet?” You were trying to keep this as short as possible for a lot of reasons.

“No hello?”

“Tell me where to fucking meet you, Keigo!” You barked.

“Yeesh! Okay. Meet me at the old phone booth by Kibastu Bridge. Will you be bringing Dabi?”

“I already told you I’m not dragging him into this. I’ll be alone.”

“Thought you didn’t wanna show up alone?”

“No. I didn’t. But I’m also not handing Dabi off to you like that. So I’ll meet you there. At midnight.”

“The bewitching hour. How mysterious of you.” You hung up before he could get another word in.

Dabi was lingering at the bar, waiting for you. “Did you set up a meeting?” “Yeah. Midnight at the phone booth by Kibatsu bridge.” You took a second to look him over.

“Why did he ask for you?” He took a pause.

“Little fucker thinks I trust him. Or at least hopes I do. I have a plan in mind though.”

“I suppose you won’t be sharing?”

“Not a chance,” he smirked.

“Fair enough. What about Yuna?” You could see his shoulders tense when you asked. Soft spot? Or touchy subject?

“What about her? She’s obviously coming with me, whatever it is I do. Best to always assume she’s part of my plan.” He looked at you sternly for a moment. “Always. That didn’t clear things up. Normally, people were easy for you to pin down, but you couldn’t get a read on Dabi.

“Sorry. I just feel a little sneaky without her here.”

“She’ll be fine. She’s a little too...much for this one. Don’t go around running your mouth though. It’s not worth ruining.” Dabi’s words made you feel a little uneasy.

 “What’s that look on your face for?” His face twisted a bit when he asked.

“It’s nothing. If you’re sure, I guess I should trust you.”

“Don’t trust this asshole as far as you can throw him,” Yuna quipped, slipping in relatively unnoticed. Your eyes stayed on Dabi, trusting him to take over from here. “Why are we trusting him?” She asked.

“I’m throwing a little plan together. Crusty boy gave us a mission. Got somethin’ to do.

“Oh? You’re gonna do stuff with a major concussion? I seem to recall someone was unable to make his own food just hours ago...”

His eyes rolled. “I was being lazy. I like when you make food for me.”

“You like when I do anything for you.”

“True. We’ll be gone tonight, doll. Don’t wait up.” He strolled out of the room casually but his terse tone didn’t go unnoticed. His hand stopped on her shoulder momentarily before he left.

“Uh? Guess he’s not too happy about it. Or he’s thrilled. It’s really up in the air at this point,” she shrugged and plopped down on the couch next to you.

“I can’t get a read on that guy.”

“Me either,” she smiled.

“Himaro.” Tomura stood suddenly and awkwardly at the kitchen entrance.

“Uh, yes?” Hearing him say your name felt so strange. He hadn’t even looked at you once in the past day, excluding you from the appointed missions and meeting, and just generally avoiding you. 

“I need you to come with me for a moment.” His hands curled and uncurled into fists, and he wouldn’t look at you. Yuna didn’t miss the way you hopped up a little too eagerly, shooting you a look with a raised brow as you turned. To your surprise, he led you to the back door into the alley.

Ah, so my death was more certain than I thought..

“Let’s go for a little walk.” ------- When Tomura stopped, seemingly at the place he wanted you to be, you finally took a look up. The walk was more silent than you were prepared for, but Tomura had led you to...

“An empty house?” You asked. It shouldn’t have been that surprising, you’d found out quite quickly he enjoyed hanging around at odd places. “This is actually where I lived as a kid.” He looked up at the decrepit ruins of a house, an unknowable look on his face.

“Oh. Is there...a reason we’re here?” You asked. It was always hard to place exactly what Tomura’s motivations were when he clearly had something planned. You figured it was his way of apologizing somehow.

“It helps me clear my head.” He turned to you swiftly, causing you to jump. You still weren’t totally sure he was going to leave you alive.

“I told you I want this world at my fingertips. And I trust you guys to help me. I know the things the heroes said about you. I want you know, I believe you can do this. And I’m expecting a lot from you. That’s why I got so angry.” He didn’t move, staring distantly at the crumbled remains before him.

“I failed you. And I’m tired of failing. I’m tired of people telling me I can’t do something.” You felt your hands ball into fists automatically, Tomura’s words swirling in your head lazily.

“Then why are you working so hard to destroy your success? What is there to be afraid of? Hurting people? Getting caught? A good villain doesn’t worry themselves with that nonsense.” His head whipped around to you quickly, his resolute expression causing your heart to jump a bit. “Do you want this?”

You had to take a moment. How finely could you walk the line between hero and villain? How many people could you let get away while still being the best you could for Tomura? How resolute could you make yourself? Could you drop everything from before these past few months?

“All the doubt, lay it to rest. If you want this, want it. Stop letting doubt hold you back. Stop holding yourself to your own standards. Hold yourself to mine.” His voice was rising steadily, dripping with authority and demand. “I want you all ruling this disgusting world next to me. I want you looking out over this pathetic excuse for a society with me until it’s good again. Haven’t you had enough yet? Haven’t you had enough of the people that think they’re better than you because their quirk is better? Because they had money? Because they want to protect?” You hadn’t noticed that his hand was gripping yours tightly with every sentence.

You felt a little awkward. So Tomura thought that was exactly why you were here. Which worked for you. Kind of. He was really making some sense, and he definitely had conviction. You felt a fire starting in your heart. A change of heart, but not the one you’d expected. 

“Make this all yours. And don’t let me down again,” he breathed.

“I couldn’t if I tried,” you smiled. He didn’t let go of your hand. ------- “You ready?” Dabi asked, pulling a small bag over his shoulder.

“Yeah.” You hadn’t expected nerves to get the best of you. It was just Hawks. It was just a guy who wasn’t going to try anything funny. Yuna was nowhere in sight, and for once you were thankful for it. You weren’t sure you could hold your tongue. The walk to the bridge was silent, and you were grateful that Dabi was a man of few words. Right before the bridge was in your sight line, Dabi cut through the forest behind, throwing a peace sign as he disappeared in the shadows. With the bridge coming into view, you could see a huge pair of wings fluttering, and a spiky mess of hair outlined by moonlight.

“Nice to see you Himaro,” he smiled.

“Can’t say the same.”

“Oi oi! Not sure what I did to deserve this treatment.  I don’t wanna waste any time here, so I’ll get right down to it. Why don’t you tell me what the hell is going on here?” His tone was challenging. And with the night surrounding him, his eyes still visible and cutting, it was clear why he chose the name Hawks.

“I have nothing to tell you. Why don’t you go first?” ----------- Dabi stared, bored, from along the tree line. If Hawks was true to his name, he already knew someone else was with her, despite her insistence on going alone. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he was counting on Himaro to fill him in anyway. He really was just there in case Hawks tried anything funny. He was sure the hero wasn’t that stupid, but he couldn’t be too sure. He watched their faces change from calm to angry to... crying? Why the hell was Himaro crying? 

He was sure she said Hawks was just an old coworker, but his coworkers never made him cry before. He looked to Hawks, who looked beyond devastated, too shocked for words. 

He was about to get up when he heard the soft sound of footsteps on the grass behind him. When he turned, Yuna was staring expectantly, eyes boring holes into him. He simply held a finger up to his lips, standing now to lead Yuna out of earshot. Once he was sure they wouldn’t be heard, Yuna let him have it.

“What the fuck is going on here? What is she doing talking to him? And what are you doing watching?” Her arms crossed.

“Look, I don’t want Hawks to know I’m here. So can you please keep it down?” He winced as soon as the words left his mouth.

“Keep it down!?” Despite challenging him, her voice was barely a whisper. “I need answers. You said Shigaraki gave you a mission. But I’ll bet you a million Yen he has no idea about Hawks and whatever the fuck is going on with Himaro. Unless you suddenly were somehow aware that Himaro was talking to him the night we got Bakugo? And you suddenly had the urge to tell him?”

“Huh? What-I found out about the call this morning. I literally don’t care enough to tell that crust bucket anything. But Hawks had a weird request to see me too. So I told Himaro to lie.”

“What the fuck? He wanted to see you too?” Her eyes widened as she suddenly recalled Himaro very clearly saying “I’m not dragging him into this.” So was she so sure then? Or was she lying?

“Why didn’t you just tell me that?” She asked.

“Look, there are a lot of reasons I didn’t want you coming with. One, because I know you, and I know you’ll do something crazy in about three minutes, and two, because I don’t want you in danger.” He grabbed her shoulders.

“If he’s such a fucking burden, why don’t we just kill him?” She asked, fuming now. “In fact, why don’t I just kill you all?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Jeez. This is exactly what I’m talking about. No one needs to die right here. Just, please, let us handle this one. We wanna see if Himaro is worth her weight in gold, right?”

He watched as her face twisted viciously. She was too angry. She wasn’t listening right now. The wind started kicking up and Dabi sighed heavily. He wasn’t winning this one.

“Please, doll. Don’t ruin this. She’s this close. I’m this close.” His fingers pinched together.

“Close to what?” She growled.

“Well, I guess I was going to tell you eventually. But I’ve been working with Hawks.” Dabi watched her eyes widen until they looked like they would explode. 

“I swear to fucking god, Dabi! This is fucking over!” Before she could turn, two feathers came flying at the speed of light towards the them. Yuna ducked gracefully before pushing Dabi down, immediately charging for Hawks, forceful wind blowing the trees and snapping branches.

“No!” Dabi yelled after her, but she was too quick, charging through the line of trees ahead with no hesitation. ---------- “Hawks, no!” You grabbed for his jacket, but before you could do anything, Yuna came charging out from the trees, a look in her eyes you couldn’t explain.

“It’s time for you to die!” She tried to come down on him, but she wasn’t prepared for how fast he was. He dodged her attacks easily, wind doing nothing but speeding him up.

“Yuna! Yuna, stop! Don’t-” You felt your feet lifting off the ground. Was she really this strong? Her speed was beginning to increase, matching Hawks now. Not that he seemed worried. He still dodged her attacks, even grabbing her shoulders to quell her rage.

“Calm down,” he whispered. You could’ve sworn you saw her relax for a moment before swinging again. His reluctance to fight her didn’t sit well in your stomach. You knew Hawks. You knew if something could be done for the better, he’d do it, no hesitation. 

So what was with the hesitation now? Before you could ponder too long, Dabi bounded out of the trees himself, grabbing Yuna’s ankle and pulling her all the way down to the ground, driving a knee into her back. You’d never seen him so alight with emotion.

“I said don’t,” he growled. You couldn’t recall a time you heard Dabi so threatening., holding Yuna’s arms behind her with ease. She grunted and tried to fight back, but Dabi’s grip was too overpowering.

Your head was spinning. All you could do was hope they didn’t overhear your conversation, nerves bubbling up inside of you ferociously. You could barely think straight after the way you unloaded on Hawks, and this wasn’t helping.

“I told you not to do something crazy! I told you not to-” he stopped suddenly, switching his gaze between you and Hawks. “You’d better get out of here, bird boy. If she catches you, you’re dead.” Hawks didn’t say a word, eyes wide and pained. Dabi didn’t bother explaining himself as he watched Hawks fly off, leaving you in stunned silence.

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 5- Himaro and Yuna

Before his hand could close completely around your throat, Yuna pushed herself onto her feet and kicked him off with a brutal hit to the shoulder that sent him flying into the bar. "Fucking stop it." Her glare made the room feel several degrees colder as she laced her hand through yours and pulled you up, your red teary-eyed face feeling hot as you coughed and sputtered.

"She ruined everything," he muttered, scratching his neck ten times faster than you'd ever seen before.

"You gave me more than a couple chances too! The least you could do is afford everyone else the same kindness! And it wouldn't have mattered anyway! The heroes had a plan before Bakugo even woke up. It would've always ended like this, Himaro or not." She stood resolutely in front of you, and even though she was significantly shorter, you felt safe. Everyone looked at you both with a defeated look in their eyes. So this was why Yuna was a leader among them. She was level-headed and passionate at the same time.

Tomura's eyes never left you, big and vicious. But he didn't seem keen on taking Yuna on just to get to you.

"We didn't plan for this. It's not just her fault. And you idiots didn't see the look on her face when Bakugo escaped. So you can get off her back, or you can take it up with me," she spat, scanning the room for anyone brave enough to do it. No one seemed willing to go toe-to-toe with her. They just sat there, shocked and tired looking. "Now if you'll excuse me, the love of my life is knocked out and he isn't waking up." Carefully, she treaded over to Dabi, never taking her eyes off Tomura, wound up tight and ready to explode. She picked him up with stunning ease and left the rest of you in silence.

The only thing you could do was sink to your knees, forehead hitting the floor. There were so many feelings swirling around in your heart.

Why did I do that? Why did I tell him to escape? I just proved again that I'm not good enough. And I almost lost my life this time.

Nobody moved from their spots on the floor for what seemed like a long time. --------- Eventually, you picked your head up. Tomura was still sitting in the same spot he'd landed in, but he had a distant, far off look in his eyes. It was like he never tried to murder you ten minutes ago.

"Tomura, I'm sorry." You could barely see his hazy face through the tears, but you could tell his eyes met yours slowly.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. I have something I need to do." He vanished seemingly into thin air, and you found yourself on the roof. You also found Yuna on the roof.

"Did Dabi wake up?" You asked gently.

"Yeah. He's okay. Major concussion, but nothing time won't fix. Are you okay?" She turned a wary eye in your direction.

"Yeah. Thanks to you I am."

She smiled a bit, still covered in dirt and blood. "I wasn't expecting him to react like that. I thought he got better at it, but I guess genuine compassion is hard to come by. He'll come around."

"I fucked it up," you blurted.

"Yeah. So what? Fucking All Might was there. What were we supposed to do? Fight the man who nearly killed All for One? You did fuck it up. If he was under your control, it would've been impossible for those kids to save him. I know that, and Shigaraki knows that. But it seems like your quirk didn't work on him anyway. So learn from this. What happened out there?" 

Your feet found their way to the ledge right next to her, pulling your knees to your chest as you sat down. "I froze up. He's-he's just a kid, Yuna. He's a little fucking kid and I-he looked like me. He reminded me of me. Determined to prove everyone wrong, but terrified, like-like someone who knows they don't have the power to do it. I couldn't force him into this-” You motioned to yourself.

“It’s okay. I get that. But if that’s the case, then why did you insist on joining? Recruiting is the most basic thing we do. We were never going to hurt him.” She raised a brow, but you weren’t sure what kind of answer she was expecting.

“I don’t know now. I wanted the support for my own selfish reasons. Because I have people to prove wrong. But now I- I don’t even know how to explain it.” You looked up at the moonless night sky, no light from the stars coming through. Everything was lost to the dark up there.

“Most of us did. But most of the people in this League are batshit crazy, too.”

You laughed softly. “Are you including Dabi?”

“Oh, absolutely. He’s terrifying and often times more like a feral boar than a man. But we love a man with no inhibitions. He’s got his convictions, and I don’t necessarily agree, but I haven’t been able to do much about them. Can’t say I blame him for feeling the way he does. I just wish-never mind.” She shook the whole thought out of her head before looking over the edge.

“So you joined for the support too?” You asked.

“Not exactly. Honestly- and I’ve never told anyone this, so don’t repeat it-but I joined to keep tabs on Dabi. Not that that would be shocking information to anyone, but people think that makes me weak or stupid, and then I prove them wrong by kicking their ass smartly. They think that you can’t do something for someone else without losing yourself. And I think if you’re smart about it, you can love someone as much as you want and be as amazing as you can be a the same time.” She started pacing around the roof, hands in her pockets. “People think I’m just living my life for him. But I lived without him for a long time. And I was fine, but I wasn’t, ya know? I’d rather have him, whatever that means.”

“I think loving someone means accepting every part of them. Even the bad ones. Or the feral ones. I’m a little jealous, honestly. You make it look so easy.” She let out a startlingly loud laugh.

“Hah! Don’t be. A man like Dabi would eat you alive and you wouldn’t even notice. It’s...a lot of work to stay out of the mouth of the beast. But I guess we’re both into bad boys,huh?” She was leaning over your shoulder now, giving you a suggestive look with her eyebrows raised.

“What are you-?”

“I saw that look on your face when Shigaraki jumped on you. It wasn’t all terror,” she mentioned slyly, patting you on the shoulder. You could feel your face heating up forty degrees and turning bright red.

“Listen, I-that isn’t-” You didn’t really honestly have words. You yourself didn’t even notice it until she pointed it out.

“Ah ah. No need for explanations,” she held a hand up to stop you talking. “I get it. Obviously. Just be careful. Shigaraki is the successor of a very dangerous man. He’s been cultivated in a darkness I’m sure we haven’t experienced. You know, because we’re relatively normal. And obviously, he’ll kill you. So there’s that.”

“I don’t think he will-”

“Were you, uh, in there twenty minutes ago?” She interjected.

“I really don’t. A couple of weeks ago when he took me out, we sat on top of a building and talked. He told me not to be afraid of my failures.”

“Oooohhhh. So when he says it, you’ll listen? I see how it is. But when I say it, you cry on the floor for ten minutes.” She pouted for a moment.

“I clearly didn’t. You said it yourself. I was useless, my quirk was useless, and I was so embarrassed about it I couldn’t move a muscle, and I couldn’t even make it up later. My fears got the best of me again. You said I wasn’t ready, and you were right. I’m sorry I got mad about that. You do seem to be in tune with those kinds of things.”

She smiled again. “You can do this. That much I know for sure. Honestly, the way you are is you. The less time you spend trying to fight it, and the more time you spend trying to cultivate it into something you can use, the better off you’ll be. We all have glaring weaknesses that we have to overcome.”

“Wow. My whole personality is a weakness, huh?”

“Well that’s-maybe for being a villain. But you’ll just have to find a way around it. Don’t ask me for any tips thought. I got-” Yuna was interrupted by the roof door creaking open again, Dabi spilling awkwardly out onto the concrete. “What the hell are you doing out of bed!?” She yelled.

“I’m hungry,”he mumbled.

“Are you also seven? In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t fucking Denny’s: Rooftop Edition. And you can make yourself something if you can get all the way up here.”

He groaned for a good twenty seconds. “But I was hopin’ you’d make me somethin’, doll. I got pretty banged up back there,” he whined, rubbing at his head.

Yuna’s face fell flat and she responded just as flatly. “You passed out after you got kicked in the head by an old man.” You couldn’t hold in the wholehearted laugh.

“See? It’s really just funny.”

“Please?”He pouted.

“Jesus Christ, fine! Just go back to bed and I’ll make you something in a minute. We’re having girl time.”

His eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Gross.”

“Get out of here!” She shooed him down the stairs before sitting back down.

“Did you-do you really think I’m not ready for this?” You weren’t totally sure you were ready to hear the answer to that.

“I told you we’ll see. And we saw didn’t we? Luckily this time it wan’t just a major failure on your part. We lost Bakugo to a bunch of kids and a giant lady. And seeing as how your quirk didn’t work on him, we would’ve been dead in the water anyway. But I don’t know if I can save you again. There’s no telling if that was a fluke because Bakugo is stubborn, or if there’s something you don’t know about your quirk. The best I can do is get Shigaraki off your back for a while.”

You didn’t respond, understanding now that Yuna had just saved you from a beat down even more well deserved than you first thought. Her quick thinking made the blame on everyone else a little heavier so yours didn’t hold as much weight.

  “Did you really hypnotize him?” She asked. Of course she was skeptical.

“I did.” And really, you had.

“What did you tell him to do?”

“I told him...” This was a moment of truth. You had to take a gamble on whether or not you could trust Yuna to the fullest. She was Tomura’s correspondent after all. Would she tell him? It sounded like she already had an idea that you didn’t say what you were supposed  to. “...to let the league take him back. And it didn’t work.” Maybe not today.

“Oh. Well.” After a moment of silence, she spoke up again. “Have you ever heard the word Kintsukuroi?”

“I think I’ve heard of it, but I don’t really know what it means.”

“Its’ literal definition is to repair broken pottery with gold or silver, understanding that the pottery is more beautiful for having been broken. But I think about it a lot when I’m lost or I’ve failed. It makes me feel like maybe it was supposed to happen so I can be better next time.”

“Wow. That’s pretty intense.” You felt a little weight on your chest, knowing you’d just lied to her face and she tried to comfort you anyway.

“Well I’ll leave you alone now. Take some time to think up here. It’s nice out tonight. I gotta go make that fucker some sustenance.” She smiled again and left, leaving you in the cool summer breeze.

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 4-Boss Fight

Tomura turned on the news, giggling at the mention of the training camp fiasco. You hadn't looked at it the whole time they were there, but it was starting to come to light how much damage they did. Why did they want this one? You turned and looked at his tired face.

"I'm really grateful for all the publicity we've been getting. Hey, don't you agree, Katsuki Bakguo?" Tomura took on an entirely different tone. He seemed condescending and decidedly psychotic. Nothing like any other time. Was this the act he put on for others? "I'll ask you one more time, aspiring hero Katsuki Bakugo. Will you join me?" He held out his hand, but Bakugo just stared  angrily.

"If you're gonna talk in your sleep,you should just go to sleep and die." Jesus, this kid was out of his mind talking like that to a bunch of people with the strength and willpower to kill him.

"It's so strange," Tomura continued like a kid hadn't just told him to die. "Why are the heroes being criticized? The way they were dealing with things was just a little off the mark. Is it because it's their job to protect? Everyone makes a mistake or two. Are they supposed to be perfect? Modern-day heroes are so uptight. Don't you think, Bakugo?” There were goosebumps forming on your arms. Why was Tomura talking like that? It was unsettling, but Bakugo didn't look even a little bit impressed.

Spinner weighed in as well, drawing your attention back to Bakugo. "Once heroes receive compensation, they aren't heroes anymore. That's Stain's teaching."

"The strange system of transforming people's lives into money or glory, the society that sticks to those tight rules, the citizens who blame the losers rather than encourage them, our fight is to question: What is a hero? What is justice? Is this society truly just? We'll have everyone thinking about it. We're planning on winning. You like winning too, right? Dabi, release his restraints." Tomura pointed at the huge metal cuffs on Bakugo's arms.

"Huh? This guy's gonna fight, you know." Dabi's arm's crossed and his eyebrow raised. He was right. This kid was shameless and a bit reckless too.

"It's fine. We need to treat him like an equal, since we're scouting him. Besides, you can tell if you'll win or not if you fight in this situation, right, U.A student?" Dabi's immediate reaction was to force someone else take the risk. "Twice, you do it."

"What, me? No way!"

"Do it."

"Man.."Twice groaned as he cautiously lowered himself to the same level as the cuffs, key in hand.

"I do apologize for using such forceful methods. But please understand that we are not just a mob trying to commit crimes." Bakugo's eyebrows furrowed together in disgust. This was, without a doubt, the strangest attempt at recruiting you'd ever seen. You scanned the room a few times. Everyone was just...staring at Bakugo. And waiting.

"We didn't kidnap you by accident," Twice muttered as he fiddled with the locks. That was the first time you noticed. Bakugo looked scared. You'd almost forgotten he was just a 15 year old boy, but when his eyes widened at the explanation, you felt it.

He looks so..scared. No, not scared. Hopeless? Nervous? 

Your thoughts were drowned out by Tomura picking up the spiel again. "Even though our situations differ,everyone here has been restricted and suffered because of people, rules, and heroes. I'm sure you also-"

He was interrupted abruptly, Bakugo shoving a knee into Twice's face, and landing an explosion right in his. Your breath caught as his hand apparatus hit the floor. Your heart was in your stomach at this point. It'd take a lot less to make Tomura kill someone.

"I listened quietly to your endless talking. Idiots can't get to the point, so they're always talking for a long time. Basically, you mean 'we wanna harass people ,so please join us,' right? Don't bother. I want to win like All Might. No matter what anyone says, that will never change!" The U.A press conference droned on in the background, Eraserhead finishing his sentence with the thought that you guys had no idea what you were getting into. Bakugo chuckled. "You said it, U.A and Mr. Aizawa. That's how it is you damn scum of a league!" He looked around the room more a couple times, surveying everyone."Just so you know, I'm still allowed to fight!" He growled.

"You know exactly what your position is, huh? What a smart boy!"

Magne's right. He's not bluffing. He has a plan. But he knows he can't fight us all at the same time...it's fear. Holy shit, it's fear. He's terrified.

"No, he's an idiot."

"Clearly he's not, Dabi," you mumbled, too quiet for him to hear.

"I'll stick you," Toga threatened. The atmosphere was tensing up, and Tomura still hadn't asked you to move a muscle. 

"Even if he wasn't going to join us, he should have pretended we were winning him over..He's done it now."

"I won't do something I don't want to even if I'm only faking it. And I don't wanna be in an annoying place like this for very long." Your heart was racing. Tomura hadn't moved a muscle since he got blasted, hair covering his face and making his expression impossible to read. And Bakugo wasn't exactly being an exemplary hostage, throwing insults out left and right. You were worried Tomura was going to snap. Soon enough, his right hand raised as he called on All for One.

"Father.."

"Don't, Shigaraki! Calm down!"Kuogiri made a move for him, but it proved to be unnecessary. His hand simply swung out in defense, clearly motioning for everyone to stay in their places.

"Don't touch him, any of you." He reached rather calmly for his hand on the ground, much to your relief. "This guy is a valuable piece." The breath you were holding escaped in a hiss. You were ready to take off when Tomura finally called on you.

"Himaro. Now is the time to prove yourself useful." You uncrossed your arms. Your legs may as well have been made out of jello. Bakugo made direct eye contact with you right as you activated your quirk, but you couldn't find the words. You were choked up, nothing coming out of your open mouth. He kept staring, giving you plenty opportunity to tell him what to do. But that damn look in his eyes...you knew it all too well. The look of knowing you weren't going to be strong enough.

"Himaro!" Tomura called roughly, taking you out of your trance.

"Don't come near me!" Bakugo's voice faltered, not nearly threatening enough to put you off.

You have to do this. You have to.

"I need you to something for me." His eyes glazed over as you worked up the courage to continue. He didn't move. The room was silent and you could feel Tomura's eyes on you.

Think of something! Say anything! Tell him to join the league-

There was a knock at the door before you could collect your thoughts. "Hello, this is Pizza-La, Camino Store," A voice called from the door. Everyone stopped in a moment of confusion. Before anyone could react, All Might busted through the side of the wall with several other heroes in tow.

"Kurogiri! Gate!" Tomura shouted above the commotion. You tried to cut through. The least you could do now was stop them from getting any further, but before you could reach, something wrapped around your entire body, covering you in darkness, covering your eyes.

"Keep her face covered Kamui! She has a hypnotism quirk!" You didn't recognize the voice shouting out, but you heard a loud crack. A hit to someone, you were sure.

"Dabi!" Yuna shouted, the wind kicking up ferociously. "Don't think you fucking won because you have us tied up!" The sound of wood cracking filled the air, and you could only assume Yuna was free. Struggling against the wood was useless for you though, and now you couldn't use your quirk either. The sound of Yuna gasping hit the air, followed swiftly by a loud thud, then nothing else for a long moment. "You son of a bitch!" She shrieked. Another crack of wood and an even louder thud. It was getting hard to breathe with the wood constricting your chest and covering your face. 

When you came to, a strange black liquid was bursting from your mouth freely, a sting in your eyes from the pungent smell and taste. Your eyes opened to a night sky, and All for One was in your view, holding his arms out to Tomura.

All Might had trailed after with impressive speed, trading blows will All for One in an instant. In the aftershock, you were nearly blown away. The damage was extensive now that you could see it. Dabi was knocked out, Kurogiri was knocked out, Yuna seemed to have a deep gash across her forehead bleeding profusely, and that kid... Still so determined to survive, and still so terrified. The whole League had him surrounded, but they weren't paying him much mind, looking over to All for One and waiting for a command.

The least I could do is make up for my mistake. 

Your hand found his shoulder, whipping him around. For some reason he didn't even try to push you off.  "You- Why aren't you fighting me?"

"As if I'd fucking tell you!"

"It doesn't matter. I need you to do something for me." His stance relaxed again. It was a long moment before you spoke a command. You sighed.

I have to do this now while no one is paying attention. It's the least I could do. Thank god Tomura isn't listening.

"If you see a chance to escape, do it. And if you don't, please don't be afraid." You hoped you'd said it quietly enough that you weren't overheard.

"Himaro! Get ready to fight!" Spinner called. When you turned, All for One had forcibly activated Kurogiri's quirk.

"Go, Tomura. Take your comrades and your hostage and get somewhere safe!"

"Shigaraki! Take your piece and let's go!" Mr. Compress yelled with urgency after noticing that he hadn't moved and inch.

"Get him!" Everyone closed in. Only you seemed to notice the dull hypnotic fog in his eyes as he shrank back, clearly ready to fight for his freedom.

Time to put on an act. I hope I was born to be an actress.

"You son of a bitch! I thought I hypnotized you!" You charged for him, stopping short of his landing. Before you could see his face clearly, a green blur shot across the sky, and a yell came from the the group far above your heads. Bakugo's hands moved down to his sides and he shot off toward them like a rocket. Magne began magnetizing her body, getting ready to shoot Twice off after him.

"Go, Twice!" He shot off into the sky at much the same speed, stopped by Mount Lady popping up to block him.

"Go, you stupid kids!" She shouted as she hit the ground with a huge thud.

"It-didn't work? It didn't work on him? It didn't fucking work!?"There was a ringing in your ears as your heart beat out of your chest. All for One threw you all one by one into the portal as you bounded off towards them.

"Master? Master!" Tomura shouted as you all landed roughly on the ground of the hideout. Tomura rushed over to you, eyes wide with anger.

Your eyes shut quickly. You failed again, and this time it was on purpose. Why? Because you didn't want a little kid to get hurt? This was literally a league of villains, and here you were, unwilling to be one.

"You...you did this! This is your fault!" He screeched. "I knew I couldn't trust you! If you would have just done what you were supposed to do he would've been ours before the heroes showed up!" His screams pierced the air and his hand went straight for your throat ,wrapping four fingers around it and constricting the blood flow as his palm crushed your windpipe. "Because of you my master is fighting all alone! This is what happens when you betray me." His words came out in a hiss, teeth bared.

You were frozen in shock, too scared to move and too embarrassed to stick up for yourself, consciousness fading as he cut off your air supply.  Trying to grab for him proved useless; he just swatted your weak hands away with little effort.

"Die!"

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 3- The Waiting Game

You were feeling such mixed emotions after talking with Tomura He'd handed you acceptance on a silver platter, along with regret and shame. What a mix. You plopped onto your bed, scrolling through news segments endlessly when there was a soft knock at the door.

"Himaro, can I come in?" Yuna's voice carried softly.

"Uh, yeah." You threw your phone to the side.

"Shigaraki told me what happened tonight. Do you wanna train with me?" She sat herself precariously on the edge of the bed.

"He told you?"

"Look, Dabi like to think he's the right hand man, but it's really me," she winked with a smile. "And there's a reason for that. I know my quirk inside out and how to twist it to my advantage whenever I need. I understand how this stuff works. Half the people on this team would still be useless without me."

"Oh. Well maybe in the future. I'm kind of exhausted tonight." Her eyebrow raised like she was taking something into consideration.

"Whatever happened today, forget the embarrassment of it all. That shit only holds you back. You can't be ashamed to fall, especially if you learn how to soften the blow next time. He didn't tell me what you talked about, and I won't ask, but it seems like maybe he touched a nerve?" She raised a brow again, clearly waiting for an answer.

"Uh, I-"

"It's okay," she chuckled. "Don't worry about answering. I already know the answer anyway. Just let me know if you wanna take me up on that offer." Her face conveyed sympathy as she strolled out casually. ----- The days passed, and all your recruits and your plans were in order. Even though you wouldn't be on the front lines, you were filled with exhilaration. You were just told to be ready when they returned.

"It's time, Kurogiri." He created a portal and you watched as everyone strolled through except you and Yuna. It stung a little. Did Tomura still not think you were good enough at this point? You'd now spent so many days training with Yuna you could counter her in your sleep, and you hadn't used your quirk once. Yuna wasn't going because of some previous injuries, but you were fine. You had your assignment: when they returned, you were to hypnotize their hostage. It seemed simple enough. Did they think you wouldn't be able to do it if you fought first?

"Yuna?"

"What's up?"

"Does Tomura not trust me with this?" You felt a little awkward asking. You hadn't become particularly close with anyone in the League, but it felt easy to talk to Yuna.

"It's not that he doesn't trust you. It's just that-well, he asks me for my information and opinions on every recruit that we bring in. And I have to be honest with him. If anyone here doesn't think you're ready, it's me." You were a little stunned at her response. She was always encouraging you, and this was how she felt the whole time? That made you a little unsettled, whipping around from the window.

"You don't think I'm ready?" She took a look at you before shrugging her shoulders.

"No. I've been watching you, and I've been looking up information about you. Shigaraki's intuition is usually spot on. You haven't had a change of heart. You're still too concerned with the well being of others. I'm the one that doesn't think you've changed enough." Your mouth fell open. All this time, you thought she was proud of you for getting stronger, but here she was telling Tomura that she didn't think you were good enough?

"So you're just...you just tell him you don't think I'm good enough and then I sit on the sidelines for the rest of my life?" The look in her eyes went from relaxed to defensive. 

"Don't. Don't twist my words like that. Everything I've ever said to you has been true. When I told you I was excited to see you getting stronger, I meant it. When I told you that it's okay to be embarrassed but you can't let it hold you back, I meant it. And just now, when I told you you're still not ready, I meant that too. Your first mistake is thinking that just because I say something that hurts your feelings that all the things I said before that are false now."

"But I am ready!" You shouted. 

"We'll see." She returned her eyes to her phone screen, not saying anything else. You were left to stare out the window, aching a little at Yuna's outright rescinding of her support. After a long silence, your phone rang. It took you a second to recognize the number, not having seen it in months.

"What do you want?" You snapped. Yuna raised an eyebrow in concern, but didn't lift her head.

"We need to talk." The voice on the other end startled you a bit more than you were ready for.

"So, you want to just disappear of the face of this earth and then call me demanding my time? I'm busy anyway," you scoffed, holding the phone just a bit too tight.

"Well, yeah. Meet me in-"

"I'm not meeting you anywhere,Keigo," you spat, nearly throwing the phone as you hung up. You could feel the tears again. Why was everything threatening to tear apart your resolve? Why was everything resurfacing now, on top of your doubts? On top of your fresh feelings of inadequacy?

"Who was that?" Yuna asked, perking up a bit.

"An old coworker." Your arms crossed and she relaxed back onto the couch.

"Not a good one, I'm guessing."

"No. Not at all." ----- You were growing impatient waiting for the others. It had been two hours since they left and Yuna hadn't said a word. Part of you did kind of want to find out what Keigo could possibly want. You'd kept yourself under wraps pretty well, only talking to villains who'd never willingly cooperate with heroes. So what did Hawks want? Your finger hovered over the call button for a long minute.

"The hell are you doing?" Yuna asked.

"I'm curious. I wanna know what he wants."

"I don't think that's-"

"Fuck it." It rang twice before he picked up.

"Thought I'd hear from you soon," he answered smugly.

"What the fuck do you want? What could you possibly want?" You nearly cut him off again.

"I thought it was pretty obvious. I want to talk to you. Haven't seen you in weeks!"

"Funny. You sound pretty unaffected for someone so concerned about me. What do you want to talk about?" You were acutely aware of Yuna's eyes searching your face.

"I'm not telling you over the phone. Please, come meet me."

"You're a whole fucking fool if you think I'm just gonna show up alone somewhere to talk to you. You'll tell me now or you won't tell me at all." You hadn't felt this riled up in a while, thinking your hero life left you behind as quickly as you left it. He simply laughed lightheartedly before continuing. 

"Not a chance. Let's just lead with this: I know what you've been up to. Pretty disappointed, honestly." Your heart stopped beating completely.

"What have I been doing, then?"

"Still not a chance."

"If you're so sure, why would you even call me? What makes you think I would trust you?" Yuna stood up this time, clearly tired of hearing you talk about meeting up. You ducked into the kitchen, waving her away.

"Relax, tough stuff. I don't have time to fight you, if that's what you're thinking. Honestly with your quirk and you very apparent anger, I wouldn't dream of it. But if you're so worried, you can bring Dabi." Although the strange suggestion caught you of guard, it didn't instill as much fear as him confirming that he definitely knew. Your silence didn't help.

Your eyes darted immediately to Yuna, barely visible from the couch but most certainly listening. "I'm not dragging him into this. I have work to do, so please, don't bother me again." You hung up once more, time still ticking away. Yuna didn't speak a word, but the stress was written all over her face. ----- You were ready to fall asleep by time you felt the wind kick up and Yuna bold straight up. "They're here." Six hours had passed since Tomura told you to be ready.

Sure enough, Kurogiri appeared, Tomura walking through with one of Mr. Compress' beads in his hand. When Mr. Compress released his quirk, a little kid popped out, unconscious. To your surprise, it was a kid from U.A. One that you recognized immediately. You were with Hawks at the Sports Festival, helping scout recruits when you watched him fight. "The Bakugo kid?" You mumbled. They couldn't have picked someone less...intense? Did they even watch this kid fight? Everyone stood quietly as Dabi restrained him in a chair.

"There," Dabi stood, admiring his handiwork for a moment. You took that moment to recall Hawks telling you to bring him with you. You decided to shake it off for now, an unconscious fifteen year old taking precedence. After ten minutes, Bakugo woke up. You could see the anger in his eyes, but there was something else. 

He looked..scared. Suddenly you felt a little less confident in whatever Tomura was going to ask you to do.

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Part 2- Above City Lights

Your hands trembled with excitement as he handed you the paper.

 Before this, you were a hero. No one was looking for you any longer. You'd been out of the spotlight just long enough to be forgotten and this was the first real task you'd been entrusted with since you joined.

"Everyone has something do, so do it." Everyone dispersed, leaving you and Shigaraki to your own devices in the small room. He sat carefully on the couch, one leg over the other, staring out the window. Part of you wondered why he hadn't told you to leave yet."I forgot to ask," he mused rather quietly. "Why did you want to join?" His eyes suddenly turned to you, piercing you right through the heart.

With shaky breath you replied,"I thought it was what I wanted. The fame and fortune, the recognition. But it wasn't. Hero work is a cold, dark world full of imbeciles and people who don't even deserve to have a quirk. It's all contests and politics. I just wanted to help people." He was already staring out the window again, fingers tapping aimlessly on his leg.

"That's not a terrible answer. But I'm warning you now, if you have a change of heart suddenly, I won't hesitate. I gave you a a very important and difficult task. The locations on that paper are just the last known places they were seen."

You took another look at the list that seemed to get longer the more you looked at it. Why were you nervous now? It's not like you'd never been threatened.

"I'm glad for the concern, but there's no need for it. The only thing I'll say is that the less you know, the better for both of us." His eyebrow raised, seemingly offended, but he never took his eyes from the street below.

"Man, I say that and no one lets me get away with it. You guys bothered me about my name for weeks," Dabi cut in. You hadn't even noticed him trail into the room, Yuna leaning against the doorway waiting.

"That's because you look like a fucking dead man who'd come to life out of spite." It was hard not to laugh at that one.

"That's because I am," he snapped, taking a small notebook off the table and shoving it in his pocket. Yuna's eyes rolled as they continued to bicker on their way out.

"Anyway, please go now. We don't have a lot of time for this." He shooed you out the door.

"Magne," you whispered. The street you found yourself on was quiet, no people or cars in sight. Nervous wasn't quite the right word to describe how you felt. Neither was excited. You weren't sure what was brewing inside of you.

--------

You spent countless hours searching up and down for even a single person on that stupid list before deciding you needed help. The thought of asking Shigaraki was nerve-wracking. Maybe Yuna was done with whatever she was doing, so you chanced it and gave her a call.

"What's up girl?" She asked cooly.

"Hey. If you were, uh, tasked with finding everyone on a list of possible recruits with only their last known locations, how would you go about it? I'm having some trouble, and Shigaraki's expecting results."

"Oh. Wow. That's- honestly? I'd give up and make Dabi do it. Do you...want him to do it?"

Okay. Probably why he didn't ask her to do it, you thought.

"Uh, that's okay. I'll just figure it out, I guess." There weren’t many other options, except hoping Shigaraki was more forgiving than he seemed. -------

"Shigaraki, is there someone you talked to for this information?"

"I'm surprised you didn't ask me sooner." Your nerves felt like they were on fire. The last thing you wanted to do was bother him. "There is someone. His name is Kagero Okuta. He deals in weapons and the like. You'll find him at the bar on Hoshin Street."

You bowed graciously and made your way to the exit.

"Oh, and Himaro? If you don't come back with at least four of the people on that list, I'll consider methods to get rid of you."A chill ran down your spin at the curt tone of his voice.

"Yes sir. I'll come back with five then," you boasted before taking your leave. ------

"Okuta-san?" You peered around the door to reveal an older man with gray hair and a mustache to match. If there was anyone that looked like they knew something about criminals, it was this guy. A skeevy smile spread across his face.

"Come in. To what do I owe the pleasure, beautiful?"

You tried not to smirk as your eyes darkened. "I need you to do something for me." The smile on his face disappeared as you slipped through the door.

"What is it?

"I need you to tell me everything you can about the people on this list. I need to know their real names, what the look like, and the last time you or someone you know saw them. And then when I leave, I want you to forget this ever happened." He trudged over and grabbed the list from your hand. Soon enough, you had as much information as you could fit into your head. "Thank you, Okuta. It's been a pleasure."

You scouted the areas people were last seen, but all of your handiwork turned up only three of them. Thankfully, it didn't take much talking to convince them to help out. They were also particularly tired of the heroes. But there was still a pit in your stomach.Was Shigaraki really going to kill you if you didn't come back with at least four? You were exhausted climbing and searching all day.

 He asked for four and naievely, you promised five without understanding how difficult it would be to track them down, even with your quirk.The sound of your cell phone ringing sharply pulled you out of your daze.

"Himaro, it's time for you to come back. I hope you kept your promise." Shigaraki hung up abruptly.One last attempt.

"Have any of you guys seen any of the other people on this list?" They all passed it around, but to no avail. Why had you assumed all villains knew each other?

"Thanks for trying, guys. It's time to face my doom," you muttered, turning to lead them back to the hideout. -------

Nervously, you pushed the door open. "How did you do?" Kurogiri asked quietly.

"I-only found three. Shigaraki said he'd get rid of me if I didn't come back with four and-"

"There's no need to worry, Miss Himaro. Shigaraki will do no such thing. He's much more intelligent than that."You felt  a weight lift off your chest. If anyone knew for sure, it was Kurogiri.

"How many did you get?" Shiagarki appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Th-three." He didn't look pleased, but he didn't look particularly angry. That just set you even further on edge. What was he thinking?

"After this meeting, I want to talk to you." Your head nodded emptily as everyone else came trailing in behind you.

Dabi first, a smirk on his face. Soon after, Toga and Twice. Ten minutes after that, Yuna rushed in, breathless. Before you could even think of asking, Shigaraki spoke up.

"Himaro, please introduce our new recruits." He had his back turned to everyone, eyes glued to the TV.

"Uh, this is Magne. Her quirk is attraction. She can polarize her body and manipulate metal." Magne took a grand  bow.

"I'm excited to work with you all! The passion and the glamour is almost too much!" She hid her face in the crook of her arm, lip quivering.

"...Glamour..?" Yuna's eyebrow raised.

"This is Mr. Compress. His quirk is, well, compress. He can capture anything into a small marble without damaging it." You waited a moment for another outburst, but none came. Mr. Compress just bowed.

"And this is Spinner. He wouldn't tell me his quirk, but he has a really big sword."

"Hah! My quirk is my supernatural ability to wield all these swords at once!" He idiotically brandished his weapon in close quarters with everyone, starting a commotion.

"Hey! Watch where you're swingin' that thing, Lizard!" Dabi griped, just barely stepping out of the way.

"It looks like your quirk is being really stupid," Yuna quipped, ducking under his swings calmly.

"It's Spinner, you asshole!"

"Enough!" Shigaraki yelled. "That's-enough. Everyone is welcome to stay here. I have something to do." As he walked by he grabbed your wrist and pulled you toward Kurogiri. You felt your heart race, though you weren't sure if it was because of the thought of him killing you, or something else entirely...

You found yourself at the top of a particularly tall building, the blowing wind biting at your cheeks.

"Do you see all of this? This could be ours, if we want it." You took note of the vast landscape sprawling before you. It was calming and endearing to watch all the lights of the cars and buildings cover the city. "But we have to get this right. Do you understand what went wrong for you today?" He turned his eye to you from beside.

You remained silent, body frigid in the cold wind as he stared at the city below. Why did he make you so nervous? You were sure that even without a defensive quirk you could knock him out in one hit if you needed to. Yet there was something to intimidating about him.

"You didn't manage your time wisely. If you want to be a part of this team, I need you to sop thinking your quirk will take care of everything for you. Did you use it today?"

"Yes. On Okuta." As soon as the sentence left your mouth you felt a foot there instead.

"Why?"

"To get information," you faltered, suddenly aware that that wasn't the answer he was looking for.

"Was it necessary?" He took the hand off his face just to stare at you pensively.

"I-I'm guessing not since you're asking me that."

"You could have just told him I sent you, and asked politely. You have to understand that we have a goal in mind. We aren't here just to wreak havoc. We can't achieve this goal by cheating everyone out of their free will and trust. Next time, I expect better. As for your recruitment skills, what did you say to them?" You could feel yourself shrinking down with embarrassment.

"I just told them what we had planned. You've already made a name for yourself, so explaining everything was unnecessary."

"Hmm. There are ways to do better. You could have asked them to branch off and pull in the others. Any other person under my command right now would have had them all in much less time. I expect these little shortcomings to be taken care of before I give you another mission."

It was so awkward to stand there in the silence, only the sound of distant sirens playing through the air. You hadn't even realized you had better ways to do things, and now your shortcomings were abundantly clear. That sent a pang through your heart.You were doing this to prove everyone wrong, but if even Shigaraki was saying the same thing, maybe it was time for a change of plans. He sat cross-legged on the ground, patting the space next to him.

"Don't be discouraged by this. Learn from it. I want you to try not to use your quirk at all the next time I send you out." Your nerves were set on fire by that. He wanted you to act like you didn't have a quirk? That made you feel beyond uneasy. But you supposed that was the point.

"Don't take that as a punishment. Think of it as a way to improve. You can be strong without using your quirk all the time. I want you to thrive here with us. But you're holding yourself back."

Ouch. You took a look at the starry sky, mostly blocked out by the lights below, but just enough glistening to give you comfort. "I will get it right," you whispered. You could feel the familiar feeling of tears welling in your eyes, the hollow ache in your chest that preceded crying.

"Why are you crying?" He asked.

Could you really explain all of the heartache brought on from hearing those words? It was the same thing everyone else always told you, the same words that shamed you out of being a hero. There were so many complex emotions tied to the things he'd said to you. 

"It's just- there's a lot of bad feelings tied to hearing that. I'll keep it simple. It has a lot to do with why I'm here right now." He looked at you, a little surprised and a little uncomfortable, mouth agape as a couple tears fell from your eyes. Your knees pulled to your chest and you wrapped your arms around them, trying to hide your face.

"I-didn't mean to make you cry."

"I know you didn't Shigaraki. It wasn't you that did it."

"You can call me Tomura," he smiled. It was a fairly awkward smile, like he'd heard about it somewhere but never done it himself. But it was so heartfelt that you even warmed up from the chill, returning his smile without a second thought.

"Thank you, Tomura."

[angeryboy]

Kintsukuroi

Name-Siren( Himaro Hana)

Quirk- Persuasion

Hair-purple

Eyes-gray

Appearance- sexual af

Personality- more serious type.nice to SHIGGY, he makes you real dumb. A little closed off with everyone else.(I’m not talking to them because they’re not SHIGGY) not mean though.

Garb- BLACK HOODIE, with HUGE hood. Short maroon skirt, combat boots w/knee high socks

About- Your mans SHIGGY

Loves-rice/rice balls

Name- Whirlwind (Yuna Niko)

Quirk- Wind/Oxygen Control

Hair- Blue

Eyes- Golden

Appearance- thicc af

Personality- sarcastic little shit, sweet to her mans sometimes.

Garb- I’m too lazy to type it lol

Loves- hanging out and causing mischief.

Part 1- Meet and Greet

You sat your purse nervously on the ground, not entirely sure what to expect. The meeting room was nice enough, but you were dealing with villains here. No telling what they had in store.

When you’d gotten the call, you almost couldn’t believe it.

“I want you to meet with me,” a surprisingly calm, calculating voice droned on the other end. “Be at the address I send you in thirty minutes.”

You had a feeling you’d just had contact with the League of Villains the second he hung up.

The first one to walk around the corner looked less like a person and more like a purple mist pretending to be someone.

Trailing in after him, a skinny, tall man with a mess of black hair, covered in scars and clasps all over his face and arms,and three little nose piercings glinting in the sunlight, his blue eyes looking bored.

He seemed maybe just a touch dramatic, the same clasps covering his trench coat too. Ever since you’d delved into the theories about the League and it’s members, you assumed this guy was the one people said was second in command.

After him, two girls. One who seemed way too excited to be there, her dirty blonde hair pulled up in pigtails and a school uniform covering her. She was really cute, but her smile was unsettling, to say the least. And was that a knife in her hands?

The other girl had dark blue hair cascading down her back. Her golden eyes bored into you as you squirmed around nervously. She was almost annoyingly pretty, all kinds of straps wrapped around her legs, which were adorned with fishnets and a pair of just a little too tight shorts that accentuated her curves. She did, however, have the cutest choker on that you’d ever seen. She was also very very bored-looking, strolling and standing next to Mr. Dramatic with a lean in her stance.

A man in a black bodysuit followed next, face completely covered by his mask, half grey and half black.

With every entrance, you were growing more nervous. How many of them were there? They looked like such a ragtag group at first glance, but also somehow incredibly intimidating.

Lastly,from around the corner you could see a man even skinnier than the second dressed in all black, his face and arms covered in strange hand apparatuses, his collarbones protruding through his boatneck tee.

His white hair fell carelessly around his obscured face. He looked like maybe he needed a meal and a hug, not nearly as domineering as you recalled from the news segments. The only thing you could think was ‘Mr. Handman’, struggling not to laugh out loud as he stared at you.

You’d heard a lot about him and after watching a few things he’d done, you were anxious to get in contact. Shigaraki took a slow seat on the couch across from you.

“Siren. I’ve heard a lot about you. I hear you’ve been trying to contact me.” You couldn’t tell if he was looking at you or not, sitting up straight now.

“Yes. I-“

“I only have one requirement for joining.”

Your mouth snapped shut at the abrupt interruption.

“Which is..?”

“You have to prove to me why you’re valuable to us. We can’t go around just accepting any old villain. Especially not one with such a short history of supporting our cause.”

All you could muster was a blank stare. How the hell were you supposed to prove yourself in this short meeting?

“This is where you’re supposed to do something,” the black-haired man quipped.

Your breath caught as you tried to speak. They were all just staring, waiting for something. “I-my quirk is persuasion.” You could barely hear yourself.

“Don’t be afraid of this asshole. He’s practically harmless.” The girl with the blue hair smiled, and did well to quell your nerves with that.

He shot her a glare, but didn’t say another word.

“I can make anybody do anything I want.”

“Anything else?” Shigaraki didn’t seem impressed. You were blowing it already?

“Anything...else?” You repeated.

“Just because you have a nice quirk doesn’t mean you’re useful. If someone without a quirk could do a better job, I’ll take them instead. So what else?”

“Tomura, perhaps it’s best if she demonstrates. She’s already attempted to get into contact, so I think we should just give her a chance.” You’d have to remember to thank purple mist man later for that.

“Yeah. If she doesn’t work out, we’ll kick her out! No! We’ll kill her!” The man in the mask interjected suddenly, nearly interrupting himself.

“Please, Siren. Demonstrate for us. You may use me as the target.”

“Well, actually, it would probably be better on someone who doesn’t seem willing to participate. That’d be much more convincing, right?”

Everyone eyed each other for a tense moment before Shigaraki spoke up.

“Fine. You can use it on me.” His hands started scratching at his neck.You looked at him, your grey eyes getting seemingly darker as your quirk activated.

“I need you to get me something.” There was a sudden shift in the room as your newfound confidence flowed through the room, voice much lower and smoother than a minute ago. His hands relaxed, shoulders slacking as you continued.

“What is it?”

“I need you to get me an important little notebook that I left in my apartment. This is the address.” You handed him a slip of paper. Slowly, he took to his feet.

“Kurogiri. Warp me.”

“No,” you commanded. “You’ll walk.” He turned to look at you for a moment before heading out the door. Everyone looked around for a solid minute, wondering when Shigaraki would return.

“Should we...”

“I say we leave him,”the black-haired man shrugged, crossing his arms. The girl standing next to him gave him a swift backhand across his shoulder. “I’ll go get him. That’s good, Siren. You can stop now.”

You looked at her with an awkward smile. “He won’t stop until he’s done.

She pursed her lips for a moment. “Hmm. Then it’s settled. We leave him. On behalf of Shigaraki, welcome to the league. I’m Whirlwind, but you can call me Yuna,” she smiled.

“I’m Twice. But you can call me Jin. No you can’t!” You raised a brow in concern.

“I am Kurogiri.” The mist man bowed.

“I’m Toga!” The blonde girl jumped at you, grabbing your hands. “I’m excited to get to know you!”

Yuna nudged the man next to him before he spoke up. “Name’s Dabi. Just Dabi.”

“Uh, well I’m Himaro Hana. It’s nice to meet you all.”

“I think you’ll fit in well,” Yuna smiled again, this time dragging Dabi with her as she left the room.

“The hell are you takin me for, woman?”

“Because you’re rude and no one wants to be around you.”

“You do.”

“I didn’t say I was smart.” You noticed a small smile on Dabi’s face as he turned the corner.

“They’re cute,” you mentioned.

“Say what you want. Those two are a pain in my ass,” Twice huffed.

———————

After Shigaraki finally came back, he seemed a little more willing to accept the assets you had to offer.

“I see now how useful that can be. But it could also be dangerous. Who’s to say you won’t use it on us to do your bidding?” He asked so calmly it didn’t feel like he was accusing you of anything. You leaned forward in concentration, thinking carefully about how to reply.

“That was just a test run. If I wanted to do something perverse,I’d have just made you all do it right then and there. See, the thing about my quirk is that once I use it on someone, they have to follow through with whatever it is I ask. Even deactivating my quirk can’t stop them. So it’s very important that I think it through before I ask someone to do something. I have to be observant and quick thinking to avoid unnecessary hold-ups. That’s really the only downfall. I can use it on as many people as I want as much as I want. I’d like to say that I’m very powerful. And I want in.”

“Very well.” You couldn’t see the smile, but you could hear it in his voice. “If that’s the case, I need you to do something for me, too.”

For the next week, Shigaraki had you running all kinds of errands for him, some criminal and others, not so much. You weren’t sure what he was getting at. You’d asked the other members what they had to do, but Dabi seemed to be the only one who came to the League rather than have the league come to him, and he didn’t have to say much to join.

“I guess it’s my charm.”

“Your fucking what?” Yuna interrupted. “You are the least charming person here.” His lazy eyes turned to her slowly.

“So you like me for...?”

“Easy. Your insanely good looks.” She shrugged and you stifled a laugh. So far, Yuna was the only one that seemed relatively normal.

After a few days, it became slightly less awkward to be in the hideout, especially if Yuna and Dabi were there. They kept the mood light and entertaining. It was a swift change of pace from Toga’s incessant questions and Shigaraki’s utter detachment from..really everything. Did this guy have an interest in anything? Jin didn’t bother you too much either, and was actually rather pleasant to have around.

————

That Monday, a meeting was called.

“Everyone, I’m going on a mission. When I get back, I’ll have some news for you.” Shigaraki donned a black hoodie before gently setting his hand apparatus on the bar, back turned to you. With that, he left through Kurogiri’s warp gate and didn’t return for several hours.

It was a little awkward to sit in the small room. Kurogiri and Twice had their eyes glued to the news, and Toga once again seemed way too intent on getting to know you.

“So what-“

“Toga, I’m going to stop you right there.” Your hand waved around.

“I’d like to just watch the news,” you smiled a bit, hoping it would encourage her to shut the hell up. She huffed, but obliged.

A few seconds after what was the first moment of silence since you got here, there was a humongous, loud boom from the kitchen.

“Agh! You half-baked asshole!” Yuna shouted from the other room. “I swear to god I will blast you so high into the sky the sun kills you!”

“I didn’t mean to. And that doesn’t even make sense,” Dabi mentioned flatly. You chuckled a bit, imagining the stoic look on Dabi’s face.

“You didn’t mean to make the flames so intense that the pot exploded? Into my face?”

“I mean, maybe you deserved it.”

“Fuck you! Get a job! Who raised you?You-you beautiful bastard! I’m gonna make a tornado and send you to a different continent with it!”

“You know who raised me.”

“It’s- you’re not supposed to say anything.” Yuna’s exasperated tone was still light-hearted.

“Are they dating?” You asked, eyes never leaving the TV. You’d been wondering since you joined a week ago, but never figured it was the right time to ask.

“Yeah. They’re always like that. Don’t let them fool you though. They’re super in love.” Toga answered cheerfully.

“No we’re not!” Yuna called. “I hate this man!”

Finally, Shigaraki returned, and for the first time since you got here, he wasn’t wearing any hands and you could see his face. Which meant you could finally see his eyes. Bright red like rubies, and a small smile gracing his lips. Now you understood why he kept his face covered. Well, not you personally. There was a silent charm to his awkward, quiet personality.

Actually, he was...kind of cute.

You shook the thought from your head as your face flushed.

Come on, Himaro. That’s your boss! Get it together!

“Yuna, Dabi, get in here. I have something to go over.”

“Dabi owes me new eyebrows,” she scowled, definitely missing half of one.

“I like that look on you. It makes you look kinda stupid.” His lopsided smile was indeed charming. Yuna just continued to scowl as Shigaraki returned to his normal clothing.

“The UA training camp has a location now. We need to put together a plan for getting him.”

“Who’s him?” You blurted.

“Himaro, you’ll be sitting this one out. I have plans for you now, and when we get back.”

That made you a little excited. Were you finally going to see some action? You’d been raring to go for quite some time now, having dropped off the map weeks before you showed up at the hideout.

“Here’s the location for the camp. We’re going to need recruits. That’s where you come in, Himaro. This is a list of all the backup I want in this mission. I want you to find them and if they say no, persuade them. I’m counting on you.”

[angeryboy]

If It’s Convenient For You, Pt.1

Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I wrote anything I felt was worth posting.

I got into My Hero Academia recently and wanna try my hand at writing again. Please read and let me know, is it too slow of a burn? Is it worth a part two? (Fact: The story will be written regardless of whether I post the rest)

This bitch is written in first person and there is nothing you can do to stop me. You’re also getting a name and there is, once again, nothing you can do to stop me. Writing in second person is a little awkward for me, but if you think it suits the story then I’ll keep it like that. I’m not the most poetic so please on be a little mean!

Summary:

You work at a convenience store in a small town where heroes are hardly ever needed, and suddenly three of the top four new heroes walk into your store. Why are they here? And why is one of them so…hot?

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