Carte Blanche
Yandere! Shigaraki x female reader
College au (no quirks)
This is an idea I’ve had for literal months, and I’ve finally gotten around to writing it, so enjoy :)) Yes this is also part of an event, but as I’ve mentioned, I was in an accident, so I really can’t say when the next few fics will be out
I mention Dabi. He’s tall. Because I said so. Shigaraki still has his blue hair because it’s superior (sorry to all the white-haired Shiggy fans) <33 Big dick Shiggy is canon btw, don’t try to argue with me
Also the amount of dialogue I included in this?? I deserve a pat on the back – a noddy badge, if you will – I suck at dialogue
tw - stalking, kidnapping, threats and violence, noncon, kinda incel Shiggy in the beginning, abuse, oral sex (fem receiving), creampie, belly bulge, yandere, dark content, slapping (not in a sexy way), choking (also not in a sexy way), chasing, drugging, loss of virginity (yeah the reader is a virgin, I thought that writing was all about self projecting), nipple play,
I think that’s all?? Let me know if I missed anything
word count - 21k
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art’s birthday event masterlist
bnha masterlist
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****
You had always believed that life would go exactly as planned - that you would be prepared for any possible outcome, any unforeseen event. And for the first twenty years of your life, it worked. You'd planned everything, down to the most minute detail, and nothing happened that you couldn't prepare for.
High school had been easy, or as easy as it could be. You did well in all of your classes, even if you weren’t the top achiever, you excelled at your extracurriculars, and you were friendly with enough people that you’d been dubbed popular.
Many of the friends you had through high school had moved on with their lives, and those that remained were still overly friendly with you.
University was a whole new experience.
You were still friendly and known somewhat widely throughout campus, and you still did well in both your extracurriculars and academics, but it felt more forced somehow, and you felt the strain it put on you more than you had before.
Juggling all aspects of your life grew tiring, and that same exhaustion you felt showed only within your academics, specifically in the one class you wish you had a choice in taking.
Software engineering was not a class you had expected to take at any point in your university career when you’d applied to university as a fresh faced first year, right out of high school - not that you had to take it at all.
But you grew accustomed to procrastinating the more important aspects of university life, and by your third year, you barely rushed to apply for your classes. So really, it was your own fault for leaving it for so long - long enough that any classes you may have wanted to take were filled up.
It was the only class with any open slots, and by the time you’d applied, you had brushed it off, telling yourself that if you studied hard enough, you’d be able to scrape by with a grade good enough to push you into the next year.
Now however, as you were staring down at the bright red F on your most recent test paper, you were beginning to think you’d bitten off more than you could chew.
****
You lean as far back as the chair allows, stretching your arms as far above your head as you can, letting out a deep groan of relief as your joints pop.
As you’re rolling your neck in an attempt to get rid of a stubborn kink, you feel a heavy palm land on your shoulder, holding you in place.
Flinching back proves to be a mistake, your knee slamming into the desk as you let out an unrestrained yelp. Your leg ached.
Your arms flail around your head, whacking the arm holding you down.
Turning to glare at the culprit, you’re not surprised to find your scarlet haired best friend, standing behind you with a panicked look on his face as he holds his hands up, shushing you quietly.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Kirishima, what the hell?” you yell.
He shoves a calloused palm over your mouth, looking around with a scared look on his face.
“Shh, keep it down, we’re going to get kicked out if you keep yelling.” he whispers in a heated tone.
You give him a deadpan expression, sticking your tongue out to lick over the palm of his hand.
Yuck yuck yuck yuck.
His face twists as he yanks his hand back, rubbing it roughly over his shirt.
“You’re disgusting.” he mutters under his breath.
You’re one to talk, do you know how gross your hand tastes? you think to yourself.
After you manage to compose yourself, you throw him one more glare before pulling out the chair next to yours with your foot, gesturing towards it.
He drops into it, and it rattles with the added weight. He pays the loud creaking no mind, instead stretching out widely before fixing you with a questioning look.
“So, what’s up? It sounded urgent.”
You clear your throat awkwardly, swallowing your pride with a heavy heart before explaining your situation.
“I’m failing," you admit with a frown.
Immediately, his mouth opens, a slew of questions on the tip of his tongue no doubt, but you cut him off with a pointed look.
“I’m failing engineering 374,” you clarify, stressing the course before continuing. “And I needed some advice about what to do. I have a few ideas, but an outside perspective is always appreciated.”
You make a waving gesture with your hand, signalling that he could speak.
He puffs up his cheeks, blowing out in a drawn-out breath, leaning back in his chair with crossed arms.
“Well shit, sorry to hear that. Let’s see, hmm.”
A contemplative look covers his eyes for a few short moments before he nods to himself. He sits up straight, hands coming down on his thighs harshly.
“So! The best course of action would be to talk to the professor -?”
“- Kurogiri,” you clarify.
Kirishima nods in acknowledgement, continuing with a hum.
“Professor Kurogiri, right. He’ll probably assign you a tutor to help you cover the work you’re struggling with. If after that, you haven’t improved – well, then he’ll probably try to supplement your credits through extra assignments or other courses or something like that.”
He looks at you expectantly, waiting to hear your thoughts on his idea.
You hum, thumbing the pages of your textbook.
“Yeah, I thought as much. Thanks Kiri, I appreciate it.”
You throw him a tired smile.
He reaches out to you, almost hesitantly.
“Hey, don’t stress yourself out about it, it’s not a big deal. You look tired, you should take a break.”
Protests fall from your lips before he finishes his sentence.
“Nuh uh, I’m not asking - wait, here we go.”
He grabs your books and pens, shoving them haphazardly into your bag, slinging it over his shoulder and dragging your chair out.
“Wait, I still have to study!”
“Nope,” he pops the p. “You’re coming with me, doctor’s orders.”
He checks his watch. “Besides, we were supposed to meet up soon anyway, and you don’t look ready to me.”
“I - uh,” you avoid his gaze awkwardly, smoothing your hands over your thighs. He scoffs in disbelief.
“Don’t tell me you planned on ditching last minute? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He drags you out of the chair before easily hauling you over his shoulder. You let out a shocked squeak and whisper harshly at him to put you down.
“No. No ifs, ands or buts, you’re coming. Exercise and movement help with mental performance, and being outside is healthy for you. You can’t stay cooped up in here with your books forever.”
“And,” he adds while you struggle in his grip, all too aware of the judgemental stares of your peers, “You made a commitment - you can’t flake out now because things aren’t going your way. You’re the one who insisted we all join this club anyway, and you know Bakugo won’t be happy if you ditch again.”
“Fine! Fine, you win.” You exclaim loudly once the two of you had exited the library. “Now put me down, I’m not a child.”
He laughs lightly, letting you down gently before gesturing for you to lead the way.
The walk back to your dorm is short and filled with mindless chatter between the two of you. That was something you loved about Kirishima - nothing felt forced or draining about being around him. The conversation flowed smoothly and getting along with him was easy.
By the time you’d changed and made your way back to the main campus, everyone else in your small group had arrived, minus a few of your busier members.
Ten minutes after you’d arrived, the lot of you set off.
****
“You're kidding right?” Denki asks in disbelief, blinking with wide eyes as you nod.
After a moment, his face morphs from a thoughtful expression to a wicked one as he smiles mischievously, cackling loudly.
“Hahaha, maaan, it sucks to be you. Not me though,” he says, puffing out his chest almost proudly, “I’m smart enough on my own. I don’t need some wackjob tutor to baby me through my courses.”
Bakugo whacks the back of his head, and the yelp that he lets out is music to your ears.
“Shut up, you’re barely passing as is. You of all people shouldn’t judge.”
He shifts his gaze to you, eyeing you as Kirishima and Sero nod in silent agreement.
“And hey, it isn’t all bad - Professor Kurogiri isn’t unreasonable, I’m sure these tutoring sessions will at least count for your participation mark,” Sero says.
“Besides, he wouldn’t recommend someone he wasn’t sure could help you.”
You smile tightly, nodding when they keep staring at you.
Slapping your hands on your thighs, you rise from your spot on the ground and dust the dirt off your leggings.
“Well, that’s enough moping for today. Let’s head back before it gets dark.”
The five of you pack up the scattered remains of your dinner and tidy up around the clearing you’d chosen to rest in.
Though it had been light when you’d left, night had fallen a lot faster than you’d thought, and you couldn’t help but worry about getting lost. Your company quelled the worst of your fears, what with Bakugo and Sero being two of the most direction-oriented people you knew.
Over dinner, you’d told the group about your failing grade and the plan you and Kirishima had made to improve it. While three of the four took your bad luck gracefully, Denki jumped at the chance to tease you for it.
A large part of you felt at ease after talking with them. What they said must be true, perhaps you would truly end up passing the semester. Then you’d never have to take the dreaded course again.
The thought lifted your spirits, and you instead occupied your mind with ideas of what you would do after you’d passed - celebrating with Mina was a must, you’d neglected your friendship for a brief stint, and though you knew she would never take it to heart, you felt bad whenever you had to turn down plans in favour of studying for a test you were sure to fail.
Sero joked lightly with you on the hike back, most likely trying to ease your worries. Regardless of his intention, it worked.
Thoughts of failing having left your mind, you felt much better than you had all semester.
****
The study room that you’d booked was small, almost cosy.
Private.
A worn old wooden table sat in the corner of the room; three chairs shoved into the small space next to it. Even the window right above it was small.
It was one of the older study areas on campus, built when the university was first established, which meant that not many students used it, instead preferring the more modern rooms with a better internet connection.
Why your tutor chose one of the older study rooms, you weren’t sure. It didn’t do much to ease your nerves.
Regardless, you pulled out your laptop and notes and went about setting everything up while you waited for your tutor to arrive.
After a few minutes, there’s nothing left for you to do but wait.
You tap away at your laptop, pulling up the most recent email sent to you by your professor, the one detailing the specifics of your new tutor.
Shigaraki Tomura, a software engineering student currently completing his doctorate degree, received the highest grades in his classes.
It had stunned you somewhat when you’d seen that he would be your tutor. Not that you knew of him previously or anything. More so, you thought that someone with grades like his had better things to do than help tutor some dumbass who could barely scrape by in what was supposed to be an easy course.
Regardless, you didn’t question the decision, though you almost wish you had when the door swings open harshly and a tired looking man slinks in.
He says nothing as he drops his belongings on the tabletop and drops into a chair, only addressing you when he grabs his laptop out of the worn black backpack.
“So, you’re the one who needs my help?” he mutters. “You look like the type.”
Yep, I already hate him.
You hold back a retort, instead clearing your throat and introducing yourself.
“You must be Shigaraki? It’s nice to meet you. And thank you for this, I really appreciate it," you say with a smile, albeit a forced one.
“Oh, and here,” you hand him a cup of coffee, the cardboard hot beneath your fingers. “I’m not sure if you like coffee but I got one for you anyway.”
You’re still smiling, eyes closed, head tilted to the side.
He stares at you for a long moment, so long that you almost speak again before he scoffs, still hunched over his laptop. “Yeah, yeah. It’s not as if I had a choice in being here, damn Kurogiri.”
Your eyes widen, his blatant disrespect shocking you.
“And I don’t drink coffee,” he spits out. His tone is venomous, and it almost makes you flinch back.
He continues on, either oblivious or uncaring of your inner turmoil.
“So, what exactly do you need help with, huh? The sooner we get done, the better.”
You open your mouth to respond but he rudely cuts you off before you get the chance.
“No, no, wait, let me guess - everything?”
He smirks wickedly when you remain silent, the embarrassment making your face burn.
“Right on the mark, huh?”
You grind your teeth together, forcing yourself to take a deep breath, nodding despite how angry you feel.
“Yeah, haha, you got me there.”
The laugh you let out sounds forced, even to your own ears.
What the fuck is up with this guy.
You aren’t given any time to dwell on the man or his bad attitude as he begins talking, covering the very basics of what you’d already learnt.
He speaks quickly, and you have to ask him to slow down several times, earning a disbelieving scoff each time.
By the end of your first session, you felt drained and on the verge of tears.
He was just so rude - it threw you off, his nasty comments about your intelligence, your appearance, even your damn handwriting. But despite his lack of respect or general decency, you had to admit, he was a wonderful tutor.
Not only had you memorised the material, you actually understood it.
So, you decided to suck it up. Ignoring his bad attitude, his dislike of you, putting up with him for a while - it would be worth it in the long run. You could handle a few more months.
At least, that’s what you told yourself.
****
You study him out of the corner of your eye while he clicks away on his laptop.
He was older, you decided, four or five years at most.
Though he was skinny, he was also slightly more muscular than you’d expect. His hair was a peculiar shade of blue and looked as if he’d cut it with a pair of kitchen scissors, the shaggy pieces brushing his eyebrows and the top of his ears.
His skin looked pale, dry, and taunt around his neck and eyes, his lips suffering the same fate - caused by a nervous tick, maybe?
Though his clothes sat loosely on his gangly frame, it seemed to suit his style.
What else…
You continue your silent assessment, eyes drifting over his arms, his hands, his pale, spider-like fingers, flying over the keys of his keyboard. Your gaze travels further downwards, and then back up, past his shoulders, curled into himself, past his neck, past his mouth.
Red.
His eyes were red. Brighter than Tokoyami’s, or Kirishima’s, or even Bakugo’s.
They were beautiful. And they were angry.
You’re so distracted by your assessment of him that you almost miss his disapproving glare.
“Are you done yet?” he asks flatly, his eyes hard.
You stutter out an apology, laughing awkwardly, instead grabbing your notes, and flipping to the most challenging material.
“I, um, struggle a lot with this. I figured that since we covered the basics last time, we could move on to the areas I usually have more difficulty with this time.”
He stares at you, through you, fingers twitching where they lay on the keyboard, curling into fists before flexing out. His jaw clenches and he scowls at you.
“You figured, huh?” He laughs, and it’s a dry, rasping sound, one that sounds more painful than melodious.
“Well, I think it’s better if I decide stuff like that - I’m not the one failing, am I? You just sit there and listen while I explain, and maybe pretend to understand what I’m talking about.”
Your hands curl into tight fists on your lap, and you try not to let your anger show on your face. His tone is so mocking, so demeaning. It makes your blood boil.
It must work, your attempt at hiding your anger, covering it up with a smile so forced that it’s more of a grimace, because he just shakes his head and continues speaking.
Despite this being your third session together, he's already made his dislike of you clear. What you’d done to offend him, you didn’t know. You weren’t sure you wanted to ask either. You tried not to let it get to you - you still smiled, still greeted him as warmly as you could, still made an effort to include him in conversation.
Originally, you’d thought he was shy, or rather, he didn’t know how to act around new people. But you had your tutoring sessions twice a week, each being well over an hour long, sometimes easily reaching three or four. Seeing him so often, spending as much time with him as you did, it had done nothing to soften his brash attitude.
But still, you held out in the hopes that he’d warm up to you, even the slightest bit.
You wouldn’t go so far as to say you hoped the two of you would become friends, but you at least wanted him to act more kindly towards you. You’d taken to bringing him small gifts each session. Well, not gifts exactly - small things like drinks or snacks, mainly in a failed attempt to try to get to know him, try to get him to warm up to you.
With your mind made up, you dedicated yourself to listening as he continued to speed through the course work.
****
The silence of the room is broken only by the scratchy sound of pen on paper and the distinct tap tap tap of a keyboard.
You’re comfortable in the quiet, focused intently on the essay you’re currently writing.
Next to you, both Sero and Kirishima are also focused on their work. It had been that way for the past two and a half hours.
Sero breaks the stillness first, leaning back in his chair with a groan as he swipes his hand over his eyes.
“Man, this sucks. Why is Professor Aizawa such a hardass when it comes to essays?” he asks, his tone a whining lilt.
You snort, deciding it’s probably time to take a break.
“Careful there Sero, you’re starting to sound like Kaminari.”
If looks could kill, you’d be five feet under.
“Oh, bite me.”
His death glare lets up only when he hears Kirishima bark out a laugh.
“Sero’s not wrong, this shit sucks,” he states in a flat tone, making you laugh.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m beat. I think I’ll go raid the vending machines upstairs - do you guys want anything?”
You perk up at the mention of snacks, rifling through your bag for a few loose coins that had been discarded near the bottom. You hand him the fistful of change, listing off the snacks you wanted.
Kirishima deadpans, raising an eyebrow as he addresses you.
“What am I, a pack mule?”
“What, you’re the one who offered to go. I can go myself if it’s such a problem.”
He shakes his head, already making his way to the door.
“It’s fine, you owe me though,” he calls over his shoulder.
You scowl at his retreating figure, turning back to face your laptop, though the words had long since started to blur together.
“Hey, how far are you with yours?” Sero asks, leaning over to eye your laptop.
“Uh, I have about two thousand words to go. But hey, that’s further than I was two hours ago,” you say in a joking tone.
Sero’s eyes bulge.
“Two thousand? What’s your topic?” he demands, shifting his chair closer to you.
“Um, ethics versus morality.”
“And you’ve managed to write three thousand words on that in two hours?” he questions you, his expression incredulous.
“Yeah? How far are you?”
His words make you uneasy - had you misunderstood the assignment?
“How far am I? Pfft, I have, like, a thousand five hundred words. Barely,” he emphasises.
“But hey, aren’t you, like, super good at this subject?” he asks, his eyes brightening.
“I mean, I guess? I don’t know, I just enjoy the subject, and Professor Aizawa is a great lecturer,” you state, leaning back in your seat.
“That means you can help me out right?” he insists, grabbing your shoulders when you lean back. “Come on, please? I really suck at this subject.”
You laugh lightly, gripping his forearms. “Sure, I can try to help you, though I really can’t promise you anything.”
His palms squeeze your shoulders, his grin brightening. “Thanks, you’re awesome.”
“She is, isn’t she? I swear, she’s probably the best in the class,” Kirishima says, having entered without you or Sero having noticed.
You jump up, bouncing towards the red head with a big smile, eagerly grabbing your snacks.
“Thanks Eijiro, you’re the best,” you say, falling back into your seat with your snacks in your lap.
“Since I made the trek to get you snacks, do you think you could help me out too?” Kirishima asks sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Sure, I don’t see why not,” you shrug. “But don’t blame me if you guys do badly, you’re the ones asking for my help.”
A chorus of thank you follows, and the two crowd around you with rapid fire questions.
“Wait,” you say before their questions overwhelm you.
“Since I’m basically your tutor right now, what do I get in return?”
They exchange a glance then look back at you.
“Well, there’s that hike at the end of the semester,” Sero mentions.
“Yeah, what about it?” you ask.
“Y’know, you always get too tired to carry your own stuff, so maybe Kirishima and I would be able to help you out with that.”
You’re sold on the offer before he finishes his sentence.
“Deal,” you say, offering up your hand for him to shake.
He looks shocked, but shakes your hand, nonetheless.
“Huh. I wasn’t expecting it to be that easy.”
Kirishima laughs, leaning forward to look at Sero.
“She hates doing the heavy lifting, especially on longer hikes,” he says as you hum in agreement next to him.
The three of you get back to work soon after that, but Kirishima interrupts a few minutes later.
“Hey, uh, how’s that whole tutoring thing going, by the way? The one that Professor Kurogiri arranged for you?” he asks, his focus still on the textbook in front of him as he flips through its pages.
You grimace, shaking your head.
“I mean, the sessions are great, I’m definitely understanding the work now…” you say.
“But?” Kirishima prompts, his focus now fully on you.
“But… Well, my tutor, he’s kind of strange. More rude than strange, I guess.”
You sigh.
“I don’t know, maybe I’m taking it the wrong way, he’s just - he doesn’t really seem to have a filter. But hey, maybe it’s just me.”
The two men look at you with concerned gazes, but you wave them off.
“It’s fine, I promise. And on the brightside, other than his attitude, he’s also, like, super smart, so he’s great at helping me out with the work.”
“Hey, if he’s being rude or overstepping in any way, just let me know. We can sort it out,” Kirishima says, Sero nodding along.
“It’s okay, but thanks for the offer. And really, it’s only for this semester. I can handle it, trust me.”
They drop the topic after that, but you see the concern lingering in their eyes.
I can handle it; you think to yourself.
****
Despite your reassurances to both Kirishima and Sero, by your sixth tutor session, you’re nearing your wits end.
Every little comment he makes manages to worm its way under your skin, and despite your best attempts to ignore him, to pretend his insults don’t bother you, it’s evident he can see the effect his words have on you.
Like right now, for example. He’s been laughing at you under his breath for the last fifteen minutes, and you’re near tears by the time you drag your eyes up to meet his gaze.
His face is turned away from you, his focus on his laptop. It might have looked as though he was ignoring you, but the slight shake of his shoulders gives him away.
When you had arrived, he’d told you, somewhat smugly, that you’d have to try to answer the questions he gave you by yourself.
Initially, you thought you could do it - surely it couldn’t be that difficult? You were proven wrong after sitting, staring at the same problem for the last forty-five minutes. The first question of twenty.
You knew what he wanted - you knew he wanted you to ask him for help. Why, you weren’t sure. Maybe he wanted some sort of twisted power trip? Have you beg him for help with tears of frustration or embarrassment in your eyes? Regardless of his reasoning, and regardless of your previous resolve, you were frustrated and beyond embarrassed, and you wanted the session to end more than anything, but a stipulation of your tutoring was that you weren’t allowed to leave until you’d completed the set work for each session.
If that had been a rule of Shigaraki’s design, you would have laughed and ignored it, but it was a decision made by Professor Kurogiri of all people. Ignoring it would have been disrespectful, considering all that your professor had done for you thus far.
And so, you decide to suck up your pride and ask him for help, even if you’d much rather walk into oncoming traffic or stick pins in your eyes than give him the satisfaction of admitting that you were as dumb as he thought you were.
You shuffle the pile of papers, straighten out your stationery and laptop, take a drink of water, but eventually, you can’t stall any longer, so you pluck up the courage, steel your resolve, and clear your throat.
“Um, Shigaraki?” you address him in a quiet tone, waiting until he turns to look at you with amused eyes. He hums, nodding at you to continue, lips still quirked in what can only be described as a self-satisfied smirk.
You try to smile, though it comes out more strained than you’d like.
“Do, um- Do you think you could help me with this question?” you ask with an averted gaze.
“Please.” It’s added on a long second later, more of an afterthought than a genuine nicety.
He makes you wait for his answer, grabbing his bag and making a show of shuffling through its contents. Eventually, he pulls out an energy drink – a neon green can with spiked writing covering the sides.
It fizzes when he pops the tab, and he gulps down a few mouthfuls before setting it down and wiping what had dribbled out from the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand.
Gross.
“What, you’re so incompetent that you can’t even answer these questions? They’re so easy,” he remarks scornfully, his tone filled with false concern, nose and eyebrows scrunching up in an expression of mocking disappointment.
“I knew you were dumb, but this? This is something else. Have these study sessions taught you nothing, or are you as airheaded as you look?”
You feel yourself growing frustrated, and as hard as you try, you can’t seem to keep the scowl off your face.
“You’re a tutor,” you reply tersely. “You’re here to help me, and that’s all I’m asking for. It’s not like I’m asking for a limb or your first-born child here.”
He smiles more widely at your words, aware that he’s getting under your skin.
When he doesn’t say anything, you huff, turning your back towards him and face your laptop, mumbling under your breath.
“Who shoved a stick up your ass. You’d swear I shit in your cereal with the way you treat me.”
His palm, wide and pale, lands on your shoulder. You jump slightly before tensing up under his grip, all too aware of how close he is.
“You should just drop this course,” he whispers in your ear. “After all, whores don’t have much use for a degree - not when they sleep their way to the top of the corporate ladder.”
A slight ringing fills your ears, and it persists even after he lets go of your shoulder and moves back to his seat.
You try to shut his words out, to swallow down your anger and embarrassment. You try, you really do, but the ringing fills your head, and your anger makes it worse, leaving you dizzy and hot.
You fail miserably, standing abruptly, shoving your chair back without care.
“You know what, no,” you say while shoving your belongings into your bag, slinging it over your shoulder. Tears prickle at your eyes despite how hard you blink to keep them at bay, and your hands curl into tight fists. “No, I’m done here.”
“I don’t care if I fail - I refuse to deal with you for another minute, let alone the rest of the semester. You’re worse than a child, at least they know when to shut up.”
You walk out with a feeling of satisfaction burning in your chest. You only wish you’d said more, told him exactly what you thought about him and his disgusting attitude.
But as you walk back to your dorm, you lose yourself in your thoughts, and the satisfied feeling is soon replaced with overwhelming anxiety.
What would Professor Kurogiri say when you told him what had happened? Who else would he assign to you? Surely none of his options were worse than Shigaraki. You’d just have to ask him when you went to tell him that you couldn’t deal with the insolent tutor any longer.
****
“I’m sorry, but you need to remain with Mr Shigaraki.”
Your mouth drops open at your professor's words.
“But Professor-!”
He cuts you off with a raise of his hand. “If you’ll give me a chance to explain,” he says with a pointed look.
You huff out, but nod at him anyway, allowing him to continue.
“These tutoring sessions are for your benefit as much as they are for Mr Shigaraki. As you may well know, he’s at the top of his class, but despite that, he too lacks credits in certain areas.”
He looks at you with an expectant gaze. When you say nothing, he sighs and continues.
“Mr Shigaraki is… for lack of a better word, a recluse. While his grades may be exemplary, his participation leaves much to be desired. That being said, I assigned him as a tutor to supplement those credits, and to teach him the valuable life skills of compromise and teamwork.”
His words don’t surprise you - Shigaraki didn’t seem like the type to work well in groups or voluntarily take part in anything. Your only problem with your professor’s plan was that he chose you to help Shigaraki.
Shigaraki’s bad attitude was tolerable, he was harmless - but his hate filled words weren’t something you could handle for another day, let alone the whole semester.
As if he senses your thoughts, he continues, fixing you with a sudden cold, hard look, his golden eyes cutting into you.
“Should you choose to cease these tutoring sessions, not only will Mr Shigaraki fail, but you will as well. Now, as I’ve said, you will need to remain with Mr Shigaraki as your tutor until the end of the semester. Good day.”
You sit in shock, watching as he leaves without waiting for a reply.
Had… Had your professor just threatened you? There was no way.
****
Two hours later, you’re still thinking, sitting in shock from the earlier encounter.
You sit in a cafe off campus, slowly sipping at your drink as you stare off into space. A hand waves in front of your face, grabbing your attention.
“Oh, hi Mina,” you greet the pink haired girl with a forced smile, rising to hug her.
“What’s up with that look?” she asks with a light laugh as she sits across from you.
Sighing heavily, you slump forward, hesitating for only a moment before asking, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.” Mina is leaning forward now, curiosity openly painting her features.
“Shigaraki Tomura - what do you know about him?”
It was something you should have done weeks ago, before meeting with your professor, before your first tutoring session - you should have asked when you found out that he would be your tutor.
Mina was an encyclopaedia of information on the people of your university. No one did anything without Mina finding out about it. She knew everything about everyone and that meant that people often came to her for whatever gossip or advice they needed.
She frowns lightly, drumming her nails against the tabletop as she thinks.
“Well, I know that he’s older than us. I know that he’s a decent student with great marks - like, top of the course kind of great, but his social skills are terrible - did you know he sulks in the corner whenever he’s at a party? He doesn’t even talk to anyone. Like, why even bother showing up,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Oh, and his dad is one of the university's main donors, so he’s, like, totally rich. Major daddy’s boy; gets whatever he wants.”
She falls silent for a moment before shrugging and taking a sip from her own drink.
“That’s about it. Like I said, he isn’t very social, so I don’t know much about him. Plus, the people he hangs around aren’t really my crowd either - they’re, y’know,” she gestures strangely with her hand, twisting her wrist in circles, though it drops down when you shrug, telling her that you don’t understand.
“You know, Dabi and Hawks, all those guys,” she says, wrinkling her nose as if she smelled something bad.
“A bunch of damn creeps,” she mutters under her breath, barely loud enough for you to hear her.
You fix her with a blank stare.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She pauses for a moment, a dark look overshadowing her eyes. The look disappears faster than it appeared, and she laughs again, stirring her drink.
“Yeah, I’m not surprised - all you do these days is study.”
She pouts, pointing the spoon she’d been using in her drink at you in an accusatory way.
“I miss my best friend; we never do anything fun anymore.”
That makes you laugh, and it's a light, carefree sound. You’d forgotten how much you enjoyed Mina’s company, despite having such opposing personalities. After the horrible month you’d had, being around her felt like a breath of fresh air.
“Well maybe if you stayed in the dorms we’d see each other more often,” you tease.
During your first two years at university, most of your friends had lived in the student dormitories alongside you. At the beginning of your third year though, Mina had let you know that she’d managed to find an off-campus apartment that she’d be staying in for the year.
Originally, it had been wonderful - you didn’t have to worry about getting into trouble for staying up late or sneaking people in whenever you slept over at Mina’s, but the novelty soon wore off when classes became more strenuous, and you had to spend more time in your own dorm.
Plans became few and far between, though the two of you remained very close friends.
Mina wrinkles her nose again, her eyebrows scrunching together.
“No way, the dorms were fun and all, but I love having my own space. I don’t think I could ever go back to sharing such a cramped space like that again.”
She deliberates for a moment before speaking again.
“You know, the offer still stands - I don’t mind if you move in with me. In fact, I want you to. It’ll be so fun, just the two of us, exactly like it used to be.”
Her words sound almost pleading, but you’re already shaking your head before she even finishes her sentence.
“I’m sorry,” you say with an apologetic frown, “but you know I can’t. Maybe next year, I promise I’ll think about it. Just… right now isn’t a great time.”
She nods in understanding, quickly changing the topic.
****
You replay Mina’s words in your mind as you walk home.
…his dad is one of the university's main donors, so he's, like, totally rich.
Of course he was rich. It was no wonder you got stuck with him, Professor Kurogiri had probably been pressured by the university’s board to make sure that Shigaraki passed without hassle.
You were furious. Not only did you have to remain with Shigaraki for tutoring - you also had no way out of the arrangement without completely failing your course.
Thoughts of self-pity and anger play on a loop in your mind as you walk home.
You weren’t sure if you’d be able to play pretend for the rest of the semester. Acting as if you didn’t mind his vulgar attitude was difficult on the best of days, never mind the fact that you had already proved that his words got under your skin.
Should I pretend like nothing happened? Should I ignore him whenever he says something rude? Ugh, this is a nightmare.
By the time you get back to your room, you’re too drained to do anything but crawl into bed and bury yourself under the thick duvet.
You wished more than anything that you could just sleep for a few hours, become oblivious to whatever the hell was going on in your life, but you couldn’t.
The hiking club you insisted all your friends join had been fun originally, but now it acted as more of a hindrance than anything else.
But still, you steal the few hours that you can, lightly dozing off a few times before you wake up to the blaring ringtone of your phone.
“Hello,” you mumble blearily, rubbing at your eyes as you check the time on the clock next to your bed.
Oh shit.
“You’re late,” Kirishima states in place of a greeting.
You scramble out of bed, holding your phone between your shoulder and ear as you hurriedly gather your hiking clothes, bumping into the doorframe in your haste. You let out a yelp before answering.
“I know, I know, I’m sorry. Where are you? I’m leaving now.”
“Outside,” he says.
A beat of silence passes before he continues.
“Bakugo’s pissed.”
Your heart drops, and you trip on your way out of your room, barely remembering to grab your keys.
The look on his face when you eventually arrive is one of irritation – the furrow of his eyebrows, the slight downturn of his lips.
Yes, Bakugo Katsuki was not happy.
“I am so sorry, I fell asleep and lost track of time,” you say, dumping your bag on the ground as you shove your shoes on and hurriedly tie up the laces.
“Tch, whatever. Let’s just go. We’re losing daylight.”
He turns and leaves, and you’re left with Kirishima, who you throw an apologetic look.
“Sorry,” you offer sheepishly, busying yourself with your bag so that you don’t have to make eye contact.
He just sighs, gesturing for you to lead the way.
The three of you meet up with Sero and Jirou, the latter of whom greets you with an enthusiasm you haven’t seen in a while. It felt good to be happy again, even if it was just for a few hours.
Hours later, when the five of you are settled down and taking a short halftime break before heading back, Sero sits down next to you and bumps your shoulder with his own.
“Hey, so, what are the plans for the end of semester hike?”
His question catches the attention of the rest of the group, and they all look your way.
“Oh, well, actually I’ve already planned it. But since you brought it up, I’ll tell you all now.”
You reach into your bag, grabbing a small travel journal, flipping to the middle of the book.
“So I was thinking we could do a longer hike than the ones we usually do. I'm estimating the route I chose will take four days, maybe longer if we stop to sightsee. Ooh, there’s this really cool waterfall at the halfway mark, I was thinking we could camp out there for a bit. Oh, and! There’s this cave system nearby that’s safe for exploration, so that would be cool to check out too,” you say, looking up at them when you’ve finished.
“What do you guys think? Of course, we’ll have to let the others know too, and I’m still working out some of the other specifics, but that’s the gist of it so far.”
You huff proudly when you finish talking and fix them with an expectant look.
They seem to mull over your words for a bit, thinking it through.
Bakugo is the first to speak, breaking the silence with the same raspy tone he always has.
“So, it’s a long hike, huh? You sure you won’t drop out at the last minute or forget again?”
Kirishima slaps his shoulder lightly, a noise of indignance escaping him on your behalf.
“Come on dude, don’t be like that. You know how it is, you can’t always plan ahead. You can’t hold it against her.”
Bakugo huffs, rolling his eyes slightly.
“All I’m saying is that if you’re having a hard time with something, you need to say so. We can’t read your mind, and honestly, this guessing game is getting old.”
His words make you pause, fighting off the lump in your throat.
Bakugo Katsuki truly had the strangest way of showing that he cared about his friends. If it had been said by anyone else, you would have assumed that he was acting callously, saying what he did to make you mad. But it was Bakugo - honest, harsh, crude Bakugo, who always spoke his mind, no matter how upsetting it may be.
Sometimes his blunt honesty was exactly what you needed, and right at that moment, he seemed to know that.
Not trusting yourself to speak without your voice cracking, you only nod.
Kirishima and Bakugo seem to have a hushed argument for a moment before Bakugo lets out an exaggerated huff of annoyance, standing and making his way towards you, dropping down onto the log with his heavy limbs. Sero jumps up and heads over to where Kirishima sits.
The log rocks slightly with the added weight, and you have to throw your arms out to stabilise yourself.
“Look, I- uh… I’m sorry about that. It came out wrong, I was too harsh. I just- We’re just concerned about you, y’know,” he says, his face turned away from you. You think you might be imagining it, but it almost looks as if his ears are a few shades pinker than they’d been five minutes ago.
“We just- you have to talk if something is bothering you. We can’t help unless we know what the problem is, y’know?”
You sit there, staring at him in shocked silence. Never in all your years did you think you’d see the day that the Bakugo Katsuki admitted that he cared about anyone, least of all about you. You knew he cared about his friends, though he had a strange way of showing it. You knew that he cared about you. But seeing it like this, seeing him admit that they were all concerned about you - it warmed your heart.
You sniffed, lightly tapping his shoulder.
He turns with an odd mix of protests and apologies dripping from his tongue, but quickly falls silent when you hug him. It’s gentle, you’re barely even touching him, but he sits in stunned silence for a few moments before he awkwardly wraps his arms around your waist and pats your back.
You laugh at that, gently squeezing his sides.
“Thanks Bakugo. I just… This whole tutoring thing is more stress than it’s worth, and I don’t know how to deal with it,” you say, pulling away after a moment.
“Sorry that I’m making this your problem too. That’s the last thing that I wanted to do…” you trail off, deep in thought.
You clear your throat before speaking.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t been a great friend to any of you these past few months,” you say evenly, holding up a palm when Sero and Kirishima jump in to interject.
“No, no, listen to me. I’m sorry. I just… I’ve been so consumed with my problems that I haven’t been able to focus on anything else, and that’s not fair to all of you. I promise, from now on, I’ll tell you about my problems. I won’t try to bury them and ignore you to deal with it alone.”
Bakugo huffs besides you, shoulders shaking in silent laughter that steadily rises in volume. He throws his head back with a relieved sigh, throwing his arm around you and dragging you closer to his side.
“See, that wasn’t so hard, now was it. Told you dumbass, she just needed to admit it,” he says to the stunned redhead.
Kirishima ducks his head in embarrassment, mumbling under his breath.
“Now, do you want to tell us what’s wrong?” he says, fixing you with a hard look.
You wet your lips slightly, nodding in mute agreement.
“Yeah. Yeah, I will. It’s just…” you take a deep breath, staring down at the ground, speaking in a rush before you lose your nerve.
“That tutor I told you guys about, the one Professor Kurogiri assigned to me, he was such a creep and he worked so fast I couldn’t keep up, and I tried to tough it out, I really did. I just - I couldn’t. And I tried to speak to the professor, but he basically said tough shit, and that I’d fail if I tried to find a different tutor, and I’m just so tired. I don’t know what to do.”
You let out a shaky gasp when you’re done.
A part of you had thought that you’d feel ashamed admitting that you had to give up, or that you had to ask for help at all, especially from your friends. But now, instead of shame or sadness, you feel relieved.
It felt as though you could breathe easily for the first time in a while, and you regretted not talking to them sooner.
You almost felt bad, to an extent. They were your friends, but you hadn’t trusted them as you should have.
How would you have felt if your roles had been reversed, you wondered?
Jirou slides onto the log next to you, grabbing your hand in hers.
“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” she questions.
“I- I didn’t want to worry anyone,” you huff out a short laugh before continuing, “and honestly, I thought I was overreacting in the beginning. I didn’t want you guys to laugh at me.”
At that, Jirou scoffs.
“Please, as if we’d laugh.”
She pauses for a moment.
“Well, Kaminari might, but we’d put him in his place. And anyway, that’s what we’re here for - friends are meant to help you out and listen to your problems. You’re not a burden.”
You laugh lightly, mainly to stop yourself from tearing up.
It felt good to get all your worries off your chest.
Then, a thought hit you.
“Hey Bakugo,” you call.
He hums, pausing his muted conversation with Sero and Kirishima.
“How’d you know about all that anyway? I haven’t really been around lately, so how’d you know I was feeling off?”
The three men exchange glances with one another, holding a silent conversation before coming to an agreement.
“Ah, well, Mina may or may not have mentioned your meet up earlier today. She, um, said you didn’t look great. Asked us to check up on you. And Sero and Kirishima mentioned that you seemed upset since your study session a few weeks ago, so…” he trails off.
At that, you felt a mixture of embarrassment and gratitude. Embarrassment, because your friends were apparently speaking about you behind your back, and gratitude, because they seemed to have done it out of a place of love and concern.
“I, uh, thanks? I guess? I’ll be honest, I don’t actually know how to feel about that.”
Kirishima makes his way over to you, holding his hand out for you. When you accept it, he pulls you up and pats you on the shoulder.
“Well, try not to think about it too much.”
His grin makes you laugh, and you nod along sarcastically.
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
You glance up at the sky and realise with a start that you’d been so lost in conversation that you hadn’t realised the sun had long since set.
“Oh shit, we should probably pack up and leave, huh?”
A chorus of curses and agreements sound out, and the five of you hurriedly pack up your belongings.
“And um, let me know what you think about that hike. You guys never actually said anything,” you say, laughing awkwardly.
They call out reassurances as you make your way back down the mountains, and on the way, the five of you brainstorm ways to get out of your current predicament.
Unsurprisingly, the only worthwhile solution you manage to come up with is to tough it out.
On the brightside, you think to yourself as you watch your four friends talk as they amble ahead of you, at least now I have people to vent to. That should help some, right?
****
Someone was calling your name.
“Please stay back for a moment. I have something to discuss with you,” Professor Aizawa calls to you with a hard look.
Your stomach drops.
Sero throws you a concerned glance, lingering by your side, but you wave him off, turning instead to make your way through the crushing crowd towards the lecturer’s desk.
While Professor Aizawa might have been your favourite professor, he had a certain reputation amongst the students – an infamous hard ass, one with a slightly off-putting air about him. Being called on in class was something most people dreaded, never mind being asked to stay behind – that was as good as a death sentence in his class. Nothing good ever came from it. What you’d done to deserve it, you weren’t sure.
Eventually, you make your way to his desk. Only a few students still linger about.
“Yes Professor, you wanted to see me?” you question, fidgeting about nervously.
“Would you please meet me in my office in fifteen minutes.”
Oh.
Oh no.
It isn’t a request. You swallow thickly, more nervous than you should be considering you’ve done nothing wrong.
You nod in agreement, but internally, your panic is difficult to contain.
Had you failed a test? Did he think you cheated on a test? Had you forgotten about an assignment?
You aren’t given much time to overthink things, your racing thoughts cut off abruptly as you realise you’re stood outside his office. He holds the door open, ushering you in before shutting it behind him.
He gestures towards the seat opposite his desk.
“Sit, please,” he says as he takes his own seat.
You sit, still shaking and panicked.
“Um, Professor, if you don’t mind me asking – have I done something wrong?” you ask shakily.
And then, he laughs.
It sounds nice, but it’s too serious of a sound for him to actually find anything you said funny.
“Ah, Prof–” you start, but he cuts you off.
“No, don’t worry, you’re not in trouble. I just wanted to have a word with you.”
You breathe a sigh of relief, slumping slightly in your seat.
Oh, thank goodness.
You give him a quizzical look once you’ve collected your thoughts, and he takes that as his sign to continue. His eyes still dance with amusement. Embarrassment burns your cheeks.
“I’ve heard you’re being tutored for an engineering class – Mr Shigaraki, if I’m not mistaken?”
Your stomach drops.
“This is about… Shigaraki, sir?” you clarify. He nods.
“Uh, yeah – yes, he’s my tutor, sir.” You feel stiff and awkward.
What is this about?
Aizawa hums in contemplation, moving a few papers around his desk before addressing you again.
“And… how have you found him?”
How have you found him. Not his methods, not his intelligence – him.
“Professor, I’m not sure what exactly you’re asking me,” you answer cautiously, unsure of what to say.
He lets out a noise of frustration, bringing his hand up to his face, massaging the bridge of his nose while he thinks of how to reword his question.
“Has he said or done anything… How do I put this? Off-putting?”
Your fingers flex, gripping at the bottom of your sweater.
Why was he asking you these questions?
“Uh, well… Professor, do you mind me asking why you want to know?”
You cringe slightly but remain resolute. You deserved to know why he was asking such specific questions, especially since the situation had nothing to do with him.
“Hm, no specific reason – call it a hunch.”
Somehow, you don’t believe him. But you don’t push for an answer, instead leaning back and deliberating for a long moment.
If I tell him, maybe he’ll be able to do something? Get me a different tutor, maybe? Or he can talk to Professor Kurogiri?
Or maybe I shouldn’t say anything.
…Is the situation really so bad that I should go running to other professors for help?
No. No it’s not. This whole debacle has gotten out of hand – Shigaraki isn’t that bad. Sure, he makes me uncomfortable, and he says strange things, but maybe that’s just how he is.
Realisation strikes you then, and you feel horror mounting.
Oh my gosh, what if I’m the rude one. He probably thinks I am. Professor Kurogiri did say he struggles with his social skills – what if I’m just making everything worse?
I’ve really blown this whole thing way out of proportion.
The entire time you spiral down into your own thoughts, Professor Aizawa sits opposite you, watching quietly as your expression shifts from one of suspicion, to neutrality, to realisation, to slight horror.
“I’m so sorry Professor, but I have to go,” you say, jumping up from your seat and hurrying to the door.
Aizawa stops you before you can run out, calling out your name.
“I understand you may not want to tell me about it, but just know, I taught Shigaraki for a brief period. I know what he’s like, I’ve seen it first-hand.”
He sighs heavily, getting up to meet you at the door.
“Have you asked Professor Kurogiri for a different tutor? If you haven’t already, I really think you should.”
You stare at him blankly, thinking about his words. You shake your head a moment later, opening the door and slipping past him.
“Thank you, Professor, I appreciate your concern. I have asked Professor Kurogiri for a different tutor, but he said that the situation doesn’t allow for it. But regardless; I’m fine – really, I am.”
You stare at the ground, missing the concerned look Aizawa sends your way.
“I- I think I may have overreacted a bit, and the last thing I want to do is make the situation worse by involving other people – it’s bad enough as is. Besides, even if I was right, it’s just this semester that I have to deal with him. I’m sure I can handle it.”
Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about, Aizawa thinks, still staring down at you.
You bid him goodbye, quickly leaving his office immediately afterwards.
Aizawa stares at the spot you once stood in, lost in thought. Really, how could you convince him that everything was fine when you yourself didn’t believe it?
****
Asking Shigaraki to meet you for another tutoring session felt like sticking needles in your eyes. It had been painful and awkward, and he barely bothered giving one-word answers to your text messages.
But, against all odds, you’d managed to power through the interaction, and he had agreed to meet you for another session, though he’d made it more than clear that it would be your last.
Instead of the usual private study room the two of you would meet in, Shigaraki had asked you to meet in the main library. It had taken you a while to find the small nook he’d tucked himself into, one shoved in the very back of the library where there were no windows and the overhead lights barely managed to lighten the dense darkness, but when you did, you were shocked to see that he was accompanied by another man.
He’s handsome, you think, in a… messy kind of way. His appearance in general was messy, but somehow, it seemed to suit him.
Black, spiky hair complemented his bright blue eyes. His clothes, mirroring Shigaraki’s, were worn and oversized, and his face was adorned with piercings of various kinds. You were also sure you saw tattoos peeking out from behind his hoodie, reaching up his neck and curling around his face, but you weren’t sure.
You shake your head, chiding yourself for staring. After you’ve calmed your racing mind, you clear your throat, catching their attention.
It makes you uncomfortable, their intense focus, and you feel your skin prickle painfully under watchful eyes.
Silence stretches out, and the two men share a look before the black-haired man stands up, scratching the back of his head.
“Well, that’s my cue, I guess. See you around Dusty.”
You try not to let your shock show, especially when Shigaraki only rolls his eyes, not mentioning the offensive nickname.
He passes by you, pausing when he’s right next to you. It wasn’t clear while he was sitting, but he was lanky – he was tall. He leans down, intruding in your space, his gaze dissecting you.
“Hm, so you’re the one who pissed him off, huh?”
He leans back, thankfully, though still too close for comfort.
“So, you gonna apologise or what? Cause let me tell ya, he’s been a real pain in the ass for the past couple of days because of you.”
You stare up at him, wide eyed and confused, mouth hanging open while he stares at you.
“Wha-? Apologise?” you mumble under your breath, confusion twisting your features.
He hovers over you, leaning closer than he should.
“Yeah. Apologise. You were really rude to my buddy, so I have to insist. You should apologise.”
His eyes seem to bore into you, picking you apart, looking at the pieces of yourself that even you don’t like.
You chance a glance at Shigaraki, hoping that he’ll intervene, tell his friend to back off. But when you look at him, he’s already staring at you, watching the interaction between you and his friend with apathetic eyes.
Never mind that you’d already planned on apologising – something about being told to rubbed you the wrong way.
“Fine,” you mumble. “Okay, I- I’ll apologise.”
Swallowing thickly, you bow your head slightly, lowering your eyes to the ground in a gesture of both respect and humiliation.
“Ah, I’m, um, really sorry about what I said Shigaraki. I… I feel I may have overreacted a bit, and it was unfair of me to treat you like that. Please, keep tutoring me?”
It hurt to swallow your pride like that, but you didn’t have much of a choice.
The dark-haired man laughs lowly, patting you on the back.
“See, that wasn’t so difficult, now was it?” he says, finally taking his leave.
“Oh, my name’s Dabi by the way. I have a feeling we’ll be great friends.”
His words leave you feeling sick, and the feeling is made worse when you turn to look at Shigaraki and find that he’s still staring at you, though his eyes hold more of a spark than they had a moment before. Of interest or amusement, you aren’t sure.
“Are you really sorry? You weren’t just saying that because he made you, right?” he asks you suspiciously, as if not wanting himself to become too hopeful.
You release a heavy breath, slowly walking towards him and setting your bag down on the table.
“Yeah, I’m sorry Shigaraki. I thought about it for a bit, and I think I treated you badly. I apologise.”
You don’t mention how he should apologise too, or that he treated you just as badly, if not worse. Instead, you reach into your bag and grab the can laying near the bottom.
“Here,” you say, shoving the neon green can his way.
He blinks up at you like a shocked owl, looking between you and your outstretched hand.
“You got this for… me?” he asks, still staring up at you.
“Yeah, I, um – I saw you drinking it the other day and you never accept anything I give you, so I thought I’d try my luck. If you don’t want it that’s cool too,” you say, withdrawing your hand.
“No,” he says quickly, grabbing your wrist. You suck in a shocked breath, eyes wide and heart pounding.
“No, I want it… Thank you.”
He takes the can but doesn’t let go of your wrist. His hand is cold and dry, and it feels like your skin is on fire wherever he touches you.
“Um, Shigaraki?”
He hums, still staring, still holding your wrist.
“Could you please let go of my hand?”
He starts, dropping your wrist as if it burned him.
“Right, sorry about that,” he says, not meeting your gaze.
He clears his throat, gesturing to the seat next to him.
“Let’s get to work, you’re pretty far behind.”
You sit.
****
Months have passed and the two of you seem to have fallen into something of a comfortable rhythm.
You still can’t stand him, but you hide your feelings well, buttering him up with flowery words and empty admiration. He seems to enjoy it, always leaving your tutoring sessions with a small, satisfied smirk on his face.
As much as you tried to keep your spirits up, internally you were counting down the days until the end of the semester.
Currently, there were three weeks left until your final engineering exam, and that meant that every waking hour not spent studying for other exams was spent with Shigaraki, crammed in a tiny study room for hours on end with nothing but the blue-haired man and your own thoughts for company.
Shigaraki himself had developed a few strange habits over the past few months.
For one, he always arrived before you did, which had never happened before. He also tended to slow his pace if he noticed you struggling to keep up.
You didn’t mention it, intent on getting through the remaining few weeks without stirring up any trouble.
But it bothered you, his change in personality.
He now accepted your gifts, though why you kept bringing them, you weren’t sure. It probably helped that you now knew what he liked, as opposed to guessing randomly as you had been.
Possibly the most jarring change though, was that he’d suddenly dropped all honorifics a month after your tutoring sessions had resumed.
You’d been mid-sentence, busy asking him to specify a question, when he spoke over you.
“So here, question eight, it says that I need to explain the types of models used in software engineering, but it’s only for four marks, so would I list all four models, or would I list only two and explain each?”
You tap your pen against your lips in contemplation, waiting for an answer. After the silence lingers long enough to become awkward, you look up, towards Shigaraki.
“Um, should I repeat the question?” you ask, reaching towards him a moment later. “Shigaraki, are you okay–?”
His hand jumps up, grasping your wrist. His hand is cold today, and smooth too, and his palm is large, entirely encircling your wrist. He’d become comfortable around you, sometimes laying lingering, awkward touches on your back and arms.
“Tomura,” he says, still gripping your wrist too tightly.
“Huh?” you ask dumbly, blinking up at him.
“Call me Tomura from now on. There’s no point bothering with honorifics, it’s so old-fashioned.”
While his tone is disinterested, he turns his face away from you and you’re sure you see a flush of red creep up his neck and over his ears.
To say you’re confused would be an understatement, but you shake your head and clear your throat.
“Okay then. Well, Shiga– Tomura, could you help me with this question?”
“Sure,” he says, leaning in too close once again. You don’t mention it, shoving your feelings of discomfort down, locking them up to deal with at a later date – later, after you’d completed this wretched module.
“To be safe, I’d say list all four models and give a brief description of each. Go ahead, list them off.”
And that was that. From then on, the two of you had been on a first name basis.
“Here,” you say, handing Shigaraki a bright blue can. “They had a new flavour that I thought you might like to try. I hope you like it.”
He stares at you wide-eyed, reaching out with a hesitant hand to take the can from you.
It confused you. He confused you. He acted all high and mighty, so full of pride before, but now he was all shaking hands and barely concealed blushes. What had happened, you weren’t sure, but you looked forward to the end of your arrangement.
But you did wonder, more often than you’d like to admit, where exactly that harsh, opinionated man from before had gone. He’d been so rude, so full of venom and rage, all aimed at you. Now, he was worse than a teenage boy.
You hoped that when the semester finally ended, you would never have to see or think about this class or Shigaraki ever again.
For now, you could play along, act sweetly, and pretend as if you didn’t mind his company. You didn’t think he was delusional enough to view the two of you as friends, but if that’s what it took to get you through to the end, then so be it.
****
“Our next session won’t be in the library.”
You freeze, pen halting over the page.
“What do you mean?” you ask after a beat, refusing to look at him.
“Aren’t you sick of this place already? I am, and I think a change of scenery would be nice. There’s this bar off-campus that we could go to.”
It isn’t a suggestion.
Shigaraki and his understanding of boundaries have changed over the last few weeks, more rapidly than you could keep track of.
So instead of arguing or sneering at him, or complaining about his complete lack of boundaries, you nod.
“Yeah, sure. That sounds nice,” you lie, though he doesn’t seem to notice or care, sitting back with a satisfied huff.
The bar he mentioned was the closest thing to abandoned you could possibly get. To say it looked run down would be an understatement.
Though when you step inside, against your better judgement, you find that the interior makes up for what the outside lacks.
It’s decadent, all dark stained wood and low lighting. There are a few patrons inside when you arrive, though they’re all tucked away in corners too dark to see in the low light.
You decide to mind your own business, walking intently towards a corner booth, nearly hidden from sight.
A part of you cursed yourself for agreeing to meet him in such an isolated area. Really, anything other than the university library was an isolated location.
But there was no backing out of it now, especially not with him sliding into the booth next to you, caging you in between himself and the wall.
And the look on his face –
Is he… Is he happy?
He must have been.
There was no other explanation, not with his shining eyes, loose, open body language, even the quirk of his lips. Instead of his usual cruel smirk, he sported a soft smile, a gentle lift of the corners of his lips.
If you didn’t know him personally, you might have thought he looked handsome at that moment.
“Hey,” he says, his voice breathless and light.
“Hi,” you reply, looking around while he stares at you. “Um, Tomura, how did you find out about this place? It seems a bit… out of the way.”
You try to put it as delicately as you can, intent on not upsetting him. Saying it looked like something out of a murder mystery or a crime scene didn’t seem like the best way to keep him in a good mood.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, my dad owns this place. Do you like it?”
There’s that look again, that hopeful, childlike look. You feel as though someone had dropped a weight in your stomach.
You felt uneasy, though you couldn’t place exactly why that was. He hadn’t said or done anything to warrant that kind of reaction. You chaste yourself, smiling at him as you respond.
“Yeah, um, it’s great. The inside is nice.”
“You think so? I like it too, and the outside makes sure that not too many people come inside, so it’s never too busy.”
His words don’t help your anxiety, but you shove it down and pull out a notebook.
“What are you doing?” he questions you.
“I’m getting ready for our study session?” you reply in a tone just as questioning as his own.
“Already?” he says with a disappointed look.
“We just got here, there’s plenty of time for that later. Here, take this, let’s have something to eat first.”
He shoves a menu your way, your protests falling on deaf ears.
“Come on, my treat.”
You hesitate a second longer before allowing your shoulders to slump, holding your hand out to accept the menu from his outstretched hand.
While you browse over the options, Shigaraki leans back in the booth, stretching his arms out so that they lay along the top of the seat while he surveys the area beyond the booth.
It makes you uneasy, the way he has you all but trapped next to him.
But you play it off, pretending to be focused on the menu instead.
A waiter comes around a few minutes later, taking your order with a bright smile. His smile seems forced when he looks at Shigaraki, his body language tense and nervous. You think it must be because Shigaraki’s father owns the bar.
You wonder, not for the first time, if this was how he was always treated by people who knew his father. Did they all look at him with fear? Surely some people had to admire him, or at least hold an amount of respect or even envy?
Perhaps that’s why he acted as he did. No one treated him normally, so maybe his sense of self-worth was what made him so insufferable.
A small part of you felt bad for him. It couldn’t have been easy having everyone handle you in such a careful, calculated manner.
Shigaraki pulls you out of your thoughts, nodding towards the menu.
“See anything you like?”
You shake your head, glancing back at the menu before choosing one of the more generic options on the list before setting it aside.
Hands folded on the tabletop; you try not to look him in the eye as silence fills the small gap between the two of you.
“You, uh- you look nice. That colour suits you,” he says to you, glancing at you from the corner of his eye.
That makes you pause for a moment.
Now that you’re actually looking at him, you see he’s wearing an ironed long sleeve shirt and what appears to be a new pair of jeans. Not to mention, his hair looked fluffy, like a cloud, and his skin was pale and clear.
Your stomach drops.
Does… Does he think this is a date?
No, you laugh internally.
No, there’s no way. There’s no way. He probably has a date after this. Or maybe it’s not a date at all, maybe he just wanted to dress up, right?
You placate yourself with nonsensical excuses, forcing a smile as you thank him.
“Thanks Tomura, you look great too.”
He seems to take your compliment to heart, puffing his chest out slightly, straightening his posture and jutting his chin out. The change is barely noticeable, but he seems to have a different air about him, one of a more self-assured confidence.
As soon as he opens his mouth to speak, the waiter reappears to take your order.
While you’re thankful for the interruption, gladly calling for his attention, Shigaraki clearly doesn’t feel the same.
The look he gives the poor boy is venomous, and he scurries away as soon as he can.
“Could we get to the work now? I have a few questions from out last session,” you say to him, bringing your notes out once again.
He huffs in annoyance, grabbing the notes and your bag, to place them next to him – just outside the booth, and completely out of your reach.
“Relax, why’re you in such a rush? What, do you have plans after this or something?” he pouts, scowling slightly.
You sit there, staring at him. After a deep breath, one in which you try to bury your annoyance as best you can, you speak to him again.
“Tomura,” you say cautiously, “I’m not in a rush, it’s just… well, my final exam is coming up soon, so our time together is very important to me, and I’d like to make the most of it while I can. You understand that, don’t you?”
You felt a bit bad, playing on his feelings like that.
But no one could really blame you, could they? You never said outright that you liked spending time with him because the two of you were friends. Rather, you meant that his time with you as your tutor was important to you. Whether or not he understood it like that wasn’t really your concern. Or at least, that’s what you told yourself.
He seems to take it exactly how you thought he would, and he leans closer to you as he speaks.
“Yes,” he says, lower than you’d like, almost a purr, “Yes, I understand.”
He pauses, thinking over his words for a moment.
“In that case… Well, let’s not study today. Let’s leave that for next time. Breaks are as important as studying is, so why don’t we take a break today?”
He looks at you expectantly, unaware of your inner panic.
No no no no, that’s not what I meant!
You feel like screaming, but instead you hum and nod, fiddling with your fingers as he relaxes next to you.
Of course your plan backfired.
And you couldn’t correct him now, not without putting him into a terrible mood.
You’d become more accustomed to his moods than you’d like, but in a way, it had acted as your saving grace during these study sessions.
At least now you knew where his limit was, and how far you could push your luck before he got upset. Toeing that line was a stressful affair, but it was something you’d become surprisingly good at.
That was unfortunate.
Hours later, after you had several drinks, dinner, and dessert, all by Shigaraki’s insistences, you were home.
He had walked you right to your dorm, leaving only after you insisted that you would be fine getting to your room by yourself.
You’d taken a long, hot shower after that, numbing your mind and body so that you wouldn’t have to think about anything – not Shigaraki, not his friends, not your professors, Aizawa or Kurogiri, not your friends, not anything.
Crawling into bed, you prepare to pass out as soon as you head hits the pillow.
You realise as you fall asleep that the two of you really didn’t end up studying after all. The thought didn’t shock you as much as it should have.
****
You’d done it.
You’d actually passed your exam.
When it came time to check your results, you had been prepared for disappointment, for the big red F you were so used to seeing on your paper.
But instead, you were greeted with an A+ and a small, satisfied smile from your professor.
Relief had never felt so good.
It was a shame that Shigaraki had to ruin it for you.
Twenty minutes after you’d received your results, Shigaraki had messaged you, asking if you were able to meet him at a nearby café for a bit.
You sent him a slew of texts in response, asking why he wanted to meet so urgently, but your messages were ignored, and against your better judgement, you’d gone to meet up with him.
That led to your current predicament.
While Shigaraki was usually confident in his own kind of way, mean and proud, content to look down upon anyone who got too close, now, he looked like a completely different person. One you weren’t sure you recognised.
He sat in his chair, eyes wide, shocked plastered across his face for the world to see, mouth hanging agape. After you’d spoken, his shoulders and back had hunched over, as if he hoped to shield himself from you.
“What? What do you mean?” he says with heavy, laboured breaths.
“Shigaraki, I –”
“No!” he says, raising his voice to cut you off.
“No, you call me Tomura. Tomura, not Shigaraki.”
His tone is firm, but he’s still shaking, hands now reaching out to you.
“I’m sorry,” you say, taking a measured step back, “but I don’t think that’s appropriate. I– I appreciate your help, I really do, but we’re not…”
You take a deep breath and fix him with a hard look, steeling your nerves. You will yourself not to feel too badly about what you’re about to say. At least you aren’t being too mean about it.
“We’re not friends. You were my tutor, and you’ve done your job. Thank you. But we don’t have to see one another again. So please, stop contacting me.”
He’s shocked. He doesn’t respond to any of your words, still sitting, still staring. He does nothing as you stand, and he does nothing as you leave.
You don’t look back after you leave.
****
“You all packed?”
You nod, distracted, double checking all of your supplies. It was important that you had all of your supplies - you didn’t want to end up having to ask to borrow something belonging to someone else, and you couldn’t exactly go back home or stop by a convenience store to pick up whatever you needed.
“Oh my gosh,” Mina squeals, “I am so excited, I could barely sleep last night. This is going to be so much fun.”
You stand up and stretch.
For the first time in months, you felt as though you could actually breathe. The semester was finally over, and that meant that you never had to look at Shigaraki stupid face or listen to his stupid voice ever again.
A small part of you almost felt bad, but the feeling was easily extinguished when you realised that you would never have to see him or spend any amount of time with him again. The thought filled you with more relief than it should have.
Around you, your friends chatter about, all double checking their own supplies before loading them into the minivan the group of you had rented for the next two weeks.
Originally, you’d planned for a shorter four-day trip, with a group of five or six people, but apparently word had gotten around, and people were eager to come along.
You’d been forced to become selective with who you accepted, and in the end, you ended up with a group of twelve people - double what you had expected.
Of course, Bakugo, Kirishima, Sero, Jirou and Mina had accepted right off the bat, signing up before you’d even told them about the trip.
The others that you’d chosen were people you weren’t as shocked by as you could have been - after all, most of them occasionally joined your group on the smaller hikes you had every week.
Denki, Shinsou, Izuku, Shoto, Tokoyami, and Mirio. Hiking club regulars, when they had the time.
It was a shame that you couldn’t include more people, and it was even more upsetting that there were certain people who couldn’t make it.
You loved all of your friends, but being in such cramped quarters with so many men for as long as you would be - that was bound to get on your nerves. To say that you were thankful that Jirou and Mina had come along would be an understatement.
Rising with a groan, you lug your bag over to Kirishima and Mirio, dropping it down in a pile of other bags for them to organise in the bus.
“Thanks Kiri,” you say with a cheeky grin.
He rolls his eyes and scoffs, “Yeah, yeah, treat me like a slave, why don’t you.”
You pat him on the back and walk over to where Mina stands, conversing with Denki and Shinsou.
“Hey lover boys, how’s it going?” you ask, leaning back as Mina envelopes you in a hug.
Denki splutters and chokes out disagreements, pausing with a flushed face only when you and Mina burst out laughing.
“We are not ‘lover boys’,” Denki mutters under his breath, pouting like an angry child.
“Suure,” you say, throwing him a knowing look.
Shinsou rolls his eyes, though he turns away and leaves soon after that to hide his own laughter.
“I’m serious,” Denki exclaims, running his hand through his hair.
“Woah, calm down, I know.”
You pause, leaning in closer for a moment to whisper to him.
“You’ve got the hots for Jirou, don’t you?”
You didn’t think it was possible, the shade of red his face turned was reminiscent of a fire truck.
He looks everywhere but your face, adamantly avoiding eye contact.
“I-,” he coughs lightly, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Your brain must be fried from all those tests. Ah, Kirishima looks like he needs help. Well, I’ll be leaving now.”
He runs off in a hurry as you and Mina break down into a fit of giggles, grasping at one another in a sorry attempt to stay standing.
“Hey, what was that about? Kaminari looked all hot and bothered.”
The two of you look up, and your small giggles turn to gasping laughter as you catch sight of Jirou, her brow furrowed in confusion as you and Mina lay breathlessly on the floor.
“N-Nothing! It’s nothing, we’re all good,” you say through spluttered gasps.
She shrugs and walks off, leaving the two of you to dust off.
Your large group departs soon after that, the lot of you piling into the minivan and setting off.
By the time you arrive, the sun is near its peak, and you’re all antsy, eager to get started.
Bakugo, the unspoken leader of your group, claps his hands twice to gain everyone’s attention.
“Okay people let’s get going. I hope you’ve all emptied your bladders, there won’t be any rest stops for a while.”
He pauses, looking around, his gaze stopping pointedly in your direction before you shake your head, and he continues.
“No? No one? Great, let’s go.”
****
It’s dumb. It’s so dumb.
It’s such a stupid, risky idea, but you do it anyway.
Kirishima, Jirou, Denki and Sero come with you, so it’s not that stupid, right?
Right?
Regardless, it’s too late to back out now.
The five of you dump your belongings on the bank next to the lake and shuffle out of your clothing, giggling all the while.
Once you’re all stripped down to your underwear, you sprint to the lake, Kirishima hauling you over his shoulder and running headlong into the now icy water.
You squeal and wriggle in his grip, trying and failing to hold him down beneath the water.
He plays along for a bit, pretending to splutter when he rises for air, before breaking out into a string of laughter with you.
Next to you, Denki splashes at Sero and Jirou, chasing them around as he flails his arms.
Your small group continues on like that for an hour and a half, splashing about, talking about how the year was, your plans for the next few months off, classes you wanted to take next year.
It was nice - peaceful. Exactly why you’d been looking forward to this trip so much.
Granted, Bakugo would probably blow a fuse if he found out that the five of you had snuck off in the dark without letting anyone know, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right?
Besides, this was the final day of your trip, and despite your earlier reservations, everyone - namely Denki - had managed to behave themselves. You felt as though a bit of recklessness had been earned. And it wasn’t as if this was something you did regularly.
“Ah, I’m getting kinda cold. I think I’ll head back now,” you say to the remaining duo.
Sero and Kirishima had long since left, probably back to camp to convince Shinsou to join them in lighting up a joint.
Jirou and Denki called out to you as you waddled out of the water.
“Are you sure?”
“Do you want us to come with you?”
You wave them off as you pull on your shorts.
“I’ll be fine. Camp is like, barely a ten-minute walk away. You guys have fun.”
You finish dressing, crouching down to gather your shoes and bag.
“See you later,” you smile at them, throwing Denki a knowing look as you wave goodbye to the pair, making your way down the narrow, overgrown pathway back towards the campsite.
The sound of splashing and squeals of laughter follow you.
Barely five minutes later, you’re ambling down the path, mindful of the upturned roots while still enjoying the darkened scenery and fresh, crisp air.
While you didn’t go on hikes like this one often, it was something you enjoyed. Just getting away from civilisation for a bit always did wonders for your mind, and it made you appreciate the modern niceties you had back home.
You’re so lost in thought, you don’t hear the quiet snap of a branch next to you, nor do you see the shock of bright hair slowly stalking after you.
A thick tree root almost trips you up, and you stumble slightly before coming to a halt, laughing out loud in slight embarrassment.
“Geez, what a fucking klutz. Thank God no one saw that, they’d never let me live it down,” you mumble to yourself, placing your palm over your racing heart.
You huff out loudly before continuing on.
There’s a sound then, one that’s barely audible. It’s a small puff of air, almost like a scoff or a muffled laugh.
It’s so slight, so quiet, you almost don’t catch it.
But you do.
And stupidly, you turn around.
What did you expect, you think.
Maybe an animal? Maybe Denki or Sero trying to pull a prank? Maybe Jirou, coming to walk back with you despite your earlier protests?
It’s none of those things.
Eyes.
Red eyes.
They seem to glow in the low moonlight.
Your heart jumps, breath catching in your throat for a moment.
The two of you stand there for a moment, neither of you moving, neither of your breathing or even blinking.
Your shock wears off first, and you bolt as soon as he straightens up.
He’s right behind you, descending upon you like the grim reaper.
You run, pushing yourself to go faster, just a bit faster, but it’s not enough. You know it’s not enough. You felt it even before you’d started running.
A pathetic whimper breaks through your panting, and you feel your legs shake. From fear or exertion, you wonder.
You don’t try to weave through the trees, or veer back around to where Denki and Jirou were. Maybe if you’d had a clearer head, you could have come up with a better plan than just run. You didn’t - you couldn’t. You ran and ran and ran, even when it felt as though his outstretched fingertips brushed against the back of your neck, you ignored it and just kept running.
Soon, the campsite is within view, and you can see the slight flicker of the fire Todoroki had made hours earlier. You push yourself, willing your body past its limits, not stopping even when you feel like the relief makes your body sag.
Come on! You think to yourself as you let out a choked sob.
You’re so close, don’t stop, don’t slow down.
You’re a hair's breadth away from the treeline when two arms shoot out from the darkness behind you, one circling your waist, knocking what little air you’d had out of your lungs, the other coming around to cover your mouth. You don’t have any time to draw in a breath, to scream or even process what’s happening.
The cloth over your mouth and nose smells sickly sweet, and you’re too shocked, too out of breath from the sudden chase to think about holding your breath.
Before you lose consciousness, the last thing you see is the outline of several figures sitting around the fire, barely a hundred metres away from your place in the thick forest of trees.
You really wish you’d taken Denki and Jirou up on their offer.
****
The room you wake up in is dark, the collection of computer monitors against the opposite wall acting as the only light source.
It’s bright, and the sharp light hurts your head. You have to shut your eyes for a few moments to rid it of the slow pounding building up behind your eyes.
Your mouth is dry, and your limbs feel heavy. By all means, your condition is cause for panic. But strangely, your emotions feel muted.
The door opens with a silent woosh, and there’s a flood of brighter light from the corridor beyond.
You wince, turning your head away from the light.
It closes soon after that, and you hear slow, measured footsteps make their way closer to you before they stop.
The bed dips slightly, and you want to turn to see who waits behind you. You want to, but you don’t – you can’t. Your mind still feels hazy, unresponsive, but you’re aware enough to realise that you should be scared.
So, you don’t move, and you don’t open your eyes.
You lay there, still, silent, waiting with bated breath for whatever comes next.
There’s a hand on your shoulder, and then some pressure. You’re turning, being forced onto your back.
“Come on, open your eyes. I know you’re awake.”
That dry, raspy voice. It’s familiar in ways you wish you could forget.
You open your eyes.
He smiles.
Everything makes sense now, and the fog over your mind dissipates.
He’s still staring at you. He was always staring at you. Why?
“Shigaraki?” you rasp out, your throat aching.
His smile drops, eyes darkening as he leers at you from above.
“Tomura.”
“Wha-?”
“I hate it when you act like that. Call me Tomura, like you used to.”
You ignore his words, continuing despite the alarm bells blaring in your head.
“Where am I? What happened? I was with Kirishima and the others, and then I got separated, I think. Or maybe I left? I don’t remember.”
He doesn’t say a word, still staring, waiting.
Had he not heard you? You’re about to repeat yourself when he speaks again.
“Say my name. Say my name and I’ll answer your questions.”
“Shiga– Tomura,” you quickly correct yourself, the look on his face turning to one of cold, hard fury with your words.
“Tomura, sorry. Tomura,” you say, taking a deep breath, “please, I– what am I– what are we doing here? Where is ‘here’ anyway? I don’t remember anything and you’re really starting to freak me out.”
He calms down after you correct yourself, though only slightly. He shifts in place, fixing you with a look as he answers.
“What does that matter? You’re fine, so stop asking all these pointless questions.”
It felt as though you’d travelled back in time, back to when you’d first met him.
His attitude, his words, and mannerisms, they were all the exact same as they’d been originally, back when you’d openly admitted you couldn’t stand him.
Truthfully, you’d felt off from the moment you’d made eye contact with Shigaraki, a feeling of subtle fear boiling away in your gut, growing stronger with every passing moment. You tried to control your panic, but it was becoming difficult to hide it, and it was clear that Shigaraki saw it too, if the sour expression on his face was anything to go by.
“Where are my friends?” you ask, your voice surprisingly steady considering your mental state.
“They’re probably back at the university by now, I guess.”
He brushes off your question, shifting closer towards you with a strange look in his eyes.
“You… You didn’t mean all that, right? What you said before, I mean, about us not being friends and all that.”
His gaze is intense, but you feel yourself growing angry with his words.
“Is that what this is about? You got me alone to ask about that? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
You roll your eyes, knocking his hand away from your shoulder, sitting up and shuffling further away from him.
“Listen, I don’t know what’s going through your head, but I meant what I said, and this is exactly why. You clearly don’t understand boundaries, and you throw the worst temper tantrums when you don’t get your way,” you say, raising your voice to cut him off when he opens his mouth with an indignant look to interject.
“No, you need to listen, I’m serious. This is weird - you’re weird. You need help – this isn’t normal. We’re not friends, and we never were. You were my tutor, and now you’re not. You have no reason to contact me, and frankly, I wouldn’t want to talk to you either way. I mean, I don’t think we’d be very good friends anyway, but that’s beside the point. And this? This is just too far. What kind of creep basically kidnaps someone just to talk to them?”
You finish your rant with a huff, breathing heavily. You nearly felt bad about getting so worked up, but he truly had freaked you out. You meant what you’d said about his lack of understanding when it came to your boundaries.
He sits unmoving before you, hands curled into tight fists on his lap.
“Say something,” you demand after a few moments.
He says nothing, still staring down at his lap. You reach for him, your hand grabbing his shoulder in a firm grip.
“Hey, say somethin–”
Smack!
You’re not facing him anymore. You’re not even upright. You lay sprawled across the bed, cheek burning painfully where he’d struck you.
He descends on you, flipping you onto your back and pinning you down when you begin thrashing around.
You whimper slightly, especially when you catch a glimpse of the cold fury on his face.
“You’re such a goddamn bitch,” he hisses, hunched over you with his face so close to your own that you can see each of his individual eyelashes, the small mole next to his mouth, the slight furrow of his eyebrows.
“Always whining and bitching and moaning. Fuck, I should’ve smacked the shit out of you earlier. Not so mouthy now, are you?” he says, grabbing your jaw and shaking your head from side to side.
“Let me go,” you say.
It sounds pathetic, even to your own ears, and he laughs cruelly in your face, lightly slapping your cheek as he coos down at you.
“Aw, are you not having fun? Are you scared? What a shame.”
He straightens up, cocking his head to the side.
“I’m too nice, considering how you’ve treated me. Here I am, planning to make you feel good, to make you happy, despite your bad attitude. You really should act more grateful.”
“What are you talking about?” you question, still filled with enough burning anger that you can ignore your fear.
“Huh? Well...” he trails off, running his hand over your chest, gently squeezing at your chest, “I think I’m owed this - after all, I’ve done so much for you. Don’t worry, it’ll feel good.”
He pauses, squeezing your waist tightly.
“To be completely honest with you,” he laughs breathlessly, “God, this is so embarrassing - fuck, I’ve thought about this since the first moment we met. You looked so cute, staring up at me with those eyes.”
He groans deeply, shutting his eyes for a moment.
“Ah fuck, you have no idea what you do to me, do you?”
You flinch back, curling away from him in disgust.
“There’s no way in hell I’ll let you touch me. You’re such a goddamn pervert - get off,” you say, thrashing around.
He keeps you pinned in place easily, and you might have been embarrassed, had the situation been different.
“Hey, stop moving so much. And don’t call me a pervert.”
You ignore him, bucking your hips to try and throw his body off of your own. It doesn’t work, and he stares at you in annoyance, huffing after a few minutes.
He grabs your shoulders and pushes them down. It’s painful and he knows it, sneering when your eyes scrunch up to stop the tears.
“Stop moving or I’ll tie you down,” he spits at you, and you flinch back as if he spews venom.
“I tried to do this the nice way, but you’ve been such a bitch about it,” he rants on, ignoring how you try to melt into the bed below.
“I was nice to you, wasn’t I? I smiled at you and talked all sweet. Hell, I even took you on a date. But no, nothing’s good enough for you.”
He pauses, shifting on top of you. Surprisingly, despite his seemingly slight frame, his weight is crushing, and you can barely breath as he lays on top of you.
“Well, I’m done being nice. Dabi and Hawks, my father, they were right – if I want something, I should take it. I’m going to take what I want, and you’re going to lay there and take it,” he tells you, his hand sliding down between your bodies to paw at your clothed cunt.
It was as if a fire had lit under you, and you renew your struggles once more, writhing and kicking beneath him, trying to buck him off of you.
You fail miserably, of course, only serving to upset him even more than you already had. He makes his anger clear, fitting his hand around the column of your neck, pining you in place so roughly that you can hardly draw in a breath.
He watches with an apathetic eye as you splutter and gasp beneath his grip, nails cutting into his skin harshly.
A thin trail of blood drips down the side of his hand and onto the pristine white bed sheets, and he watches with flat interest as his own blood stains it.
He grows tired of your struggles soon after that, moving his hand towards your jaw and dragging you forward to force your lips against his. It hurts, his teeth clashing against yours, drawing blood when he sinks his teeth into your bottom lip.
You whimper pathetically, still trying to pull away.
He pulls away only when the lack of oxygen forces him to, and he watches, panting, with a heavy-lidded gaze as you gasp for air.
“Please,” you whisper, one last attempt to get him to empathise with you.
“Please, don’t do this.”
He seems to think it over for a moment, but his contemplative look soon turns wicked, a nasty grin splitting his face, one like you’ve never seen before.
“I’ll do whatever I want.”
That seals your fate.
He lifts off of you slightly, only enough to rip your shirt down, stretching the material so that it lay scrunched up beneath your bra. He palms your tits through the fabric, roughly kneading them like stress balls.
Throughout that time, he had the same strange look on his face, one of intense focus. His brow furrowed slightly, and his mouth hung open as he stared down at your chest.
You lay there, stock still, breathing heavily. Despite your previously iron will, tears were quickly gathering in the corners of your eyes, and you couldn’t bring yourself to care enough to blink them away, so you let them stream silently down your temples.
Shigaraki looks up at you then and gives you what he must believe to be a reassuring smile.
It makes your stomach turn.
“Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy this too. I’ll–” he draws in a sharp breath, “I’ll try to be gentle.”
You’ll enjoy this too.
…enjoy this?
He’s delusional, you think, he has to be.
Surely there was no other explanation. There was no way he thought you’d actually enjoy what he was about to do to you. And his reassurance that he’d try to be gentle only made your panic that much worse.
But you know, deep down, that there was no getting out of this. Not when he had such a focused aura about him, and definitely not when you saw how violent he could become when you fought back. Or rather when you tried to.
So, mentally, you resigned yourself to your fate.
I’ll let him do what he wants. He’ll get it out of his system, and I’ll get to leave once he’s done. Just get it over and done with. Suck it up for a bit and deal with this later.
Your self-reassurance does little to comfort you, but you continue to lay there, silent and unmoving as Shigaraki moves to strip you of your shirt and bra.
“God, you have no idea how long I’ve waited for this. You’re so perfect, and you’re all mine.”
His words are possessive, mirroring his hands as they map the expanse of exposed skin, running up and down your sides. His palms, as usual, are smooth and cold, and they cover your skin with goosebumps wherever he touches you.
“Mine. Mine, mine, mine,” he mumbles under his breath as he takes your breasts into his large palms, breathing heavily. His pupils are blown wide, and he lets out a low moan when he squeezes your bare breasts, watching as your nipples harden in the cool air.
He leans forward, somewhat hesitantly, before prodding it with his tongue. His eyes jump to your face for a reaction, though you disappoint him when all he gets in return is a teary, fearful look.
Humming, he gently kisses your nipple before sucking it into his mouth.
The groan he lets out is pornographic, and it makes you wiggle in discomfort beneath him.
He seems to take that as a sign that you’re enjoying it, becoming more confident in his movements. His right hand moves to fondle your other breast, and you think that he must have never touched a woman before - not with the way he gropes your chest so painfully, as if he hopes to pin you down and tear you apart.
Eventually, after he’s had his fill of pawing at your chest, he pulls away, chin slick with his own saliva, breathing heavily and pupils blown wide.
“I can’t wait anymore.”
You say nothing, turning your head to the side and screwing your eyes shut.
He pays your misery no mind, shuffling down your body to strip you of your remaining clothing.
Once you’re completely bare, he takes a moment, one longer than you’d like, to appreciate the sight of you, naked and vulnerable beneath him.
He touches you, just once, his hands ghosting over your waist as he draws in a quick, sharp, staggered breath.
“I can’t believe you’re all mine,” he whispers to himself.
“I love you,” he says to you, his eyes filled with a sick, twisted adoration.
He wastes no more time after that, hurriedly ridding himself of his own clothing.
Once he’s bare above you, he grasps his cock in his hand, gently pumping the shaft while he stares at you, brows furrowed in pleasure.
You try your hardest not to look at him, at his cock, but his other hand shoots up to grab at your jaw, fingers digging painfully into skin and bone.
“Look at me.”
You do.
You avoid his face, instead staring directly at his chest.
He’s muscular, and so very pale. It almost looks as if he glows in the low light of the room.
The panes of his chest and stomach show exactly how strong he is. It was no wonder he hadn’t had a problem manhandling you. Muscles rippled under his skin, abs tensing with every slow pump of his cock.
He angles your face downwards so that you have no choice but to stare down at his obvious erection.
If you weren’t terrified before, you definitely were now.
He was massive.
Breaking your streak of silence, your eyes shoot up to meet with his as you plead with him.
“Please, that– you’ll never fit.”
Your face burns with embarrassment and you want nothing more than to turn away and bury your face in your hands.
But you don’t.
You can’t.
While you feel yourself cringe back at the words, they seem to amuse him. His eyes lighten and crinkle slightly at the corners, lips quirking at the corners.
“Don’t worry. It will.”
He pulls you towards himself by your hips, his large hands caressing your smooth skin.
“I’ll make it.”
His thumbs trace small circles on your hips.
Was he trying to comfort you, you wondered?
“No one else I’ve been with was as perfect as you are. None of them,” he tells you softly, his tone passionate and hard.
His words shock you. Both his demeanour and his attitude had made you think that he was a virgin. You would never have imagined that someone more… experienced would hold such a clumsy, carnal desire in their movements.
“I’ll be that for you, too. After I’m done with you, you won’t remember anyone else. Just me. Only me.”
Do I tell him? No… No, it’ll only make his ego worse.
You scoff lightly instead, covering up your fear with silent false confidence.
“Sure. If you say so.”
His gaze hardens and he digs his fingers into your hips, flexing them slightly before swiping them across your pelvis. His movements are slow and calculated, going back and forth, lower, and lower with each swipe, before he reaches your core.
Though his fingers barely brush over your clit, your hips jump forward, a knee jerk reaction to him touching the one part of yourself that you’d never let anyone else see or touch.
He laughs under his breath, watching your face intently.
“So sensitive,” he murmurs, now rubbing slow circles onto the bud.
Your hands fly up to your face, slapping over your mouth to stop the moan you nearly let loose. It comes out sounding strangled and whiny, barely audible at all.
He pulls his hand away abruptly, straightening up.
“Don’t. Don’t do that. I want to hear you.”
You shake your head from side to side, hands still clasped tightly over your mouth.
“Fine,” he sighs, “then I’ll do this the hard way.”
You would never have thought that Shigaraki would be the type to willingly pleasure anyone but himself, but as he lowers himself between your legs, softly nipping at the flesh of your thighs, you think that you might not know him as well as you believed.
Then again, you never thought that he’d be capable of something like this – kidnapping you, being so violent, assaulting you.
His breath is hot against your naked cunt, and heavy as he stares at the juncture between your legs with rapt attention. He shifts your thighs so that they lay over his shoulders, his palms sliding beneath your ass to prop you up slightly.
You want to beg him to stop. You want to scream and cry and hit him upside the head. But you never get the chance.
He descends, his tongue hot and wet where it meets your slit.
Your eyes scrunch up when he moans into your cunt, mumbling about how good you taste.
It seemed as though the taste of you had set something off within him, and he plunged back down to lose himself between your legs.
Despite how violated you felt, his earlier ministrations had gotten you all worked up and sensitive, and you had trouble staying still while he had his way with you.
He alternated between long swipes against your slit and short, harsh nips at your clit. A part of you felt as if he was doing it to punish you for your so-called ‘wrongdoings’, though you told yourself that that was probably just how he acted.
The grip he has on your hips loosens for a moment before he hauls you closer towards him, sliding one of his hands down to join his mouth between your legs.
“Fuck, you’re so perfect. So, so perfect,” he mumbles against your cunt, gently working a long, slender finger into your dripping cunt.
By now your moans are undisguisable, especially when they echo out in the room. They’re the only audible noise besides the slurping sounds Shigaraki lets out and his own groans and mumbles against the wet smack of your cunt.
When he adds a second and then a third finger, you nearly cry.
Out of pain or pleasure, you aren’t sure. Maybe panic.
He chuckles at your moaned garbles, cooing at you from his place between your legs.
“Yeah, that’s it. Come on, come on.”
Your orgasm hits you like a freight train, taking you completely off guard. You hadn’t felt anywhere near ready, and it steals the air from your lungs, leaving you a shaking, gasping mess beneath him.
He leaves his place between your legs with one last loving kiss to your clit, laughing when you twitch.
“See, you enjoyed that, didn’t you?”
You ignore his question, trying instead to calm your rapid breathing.
His hand, still covered in a disgusting mixture of your slick and his saliva, pumps up and down his cock.
It’s as pale as the rest of him, and his cockhead had turned a strange shade of red, so dark it almost looked purple.
He catches you staring, snorting at your terrified expression.
“Don’t look so worried,” he says, grasping your thighs, easily widening them so that he could sit comfortably.
“I’ll go slow. Promise.”
With that, he guides his tip towards your entrance, pressing softly into you.
Your eyes bulge slightly as your panic comes to a peak.
“No! Please don’t do this. Please!”
You had reached for his hand while you begged him, but he grabbed your hand as soon as you got near him, crushing it in his grip, ignoring the pained yelp you let out.
He huffs out, nostrils flaring in anger.
“How many times do I have to tell you; this is happening whether you want it to or not. So stop struggling,” he says, pushing your shoulders to get you to lay back down.
“Please, you don’t understand, I’m- I-”
You pause, breathing laboured and strained.
The two of you sit in complete silence, Shigaraki staring at you while stare at the wall opposite the bed. The last thing you wanted was to make eye contact now of all times.
His fingertips find your chin, gently prying your gaze away from the wall and back to his face.
“Are you a virgin?” he asks, so, so quietly, as if it was a curse word.
You nod silently, hesitantly.
A part of you hoped that he’d decide not to go through with it. It was a stupid hope, one that you hadn’t put too much faith in. But that small kernel of hope was still there all the same.
So it stung when, instead of climbing off of you, his face widened into the most vile grin you’ve ever seen.
A choked sob tears its way out of your throat as he leans forward again.
“Really? That’s… I- See? I knew you didn’t mean it,” he stutters as he caresses your face.
“You saved yourself for me. Me. I- Thank you. I won’t disappoint you; I promise. I’ll be your first and last.”
His delusion made you sick, and if you could, you would have gouged his eyes out.
But you’re given no more time to linger on his words as he begins pushing his hips forward.
He was true to his word, at least - going as slowly as he could. He really was trying not to hurt you.
Too bad it wasn’t working.
He pushed in as far as he could before meeting resistance. He tried to get you to loosen up, to relax, he really did.
But he was no saint, and he only had so much patience.
His palm covered the side of your face, thumb rubbing calming circles over your cheek as you cried out, trying to soothe you as he pummelled his cock through your walls.
Soon, you feel the head of his cock nudge at your cervix.
You’re relieved - he’s done, right? He’s touched - violated - every part of you that he could reach. He was done, he had to be.
Except he was still pushing forward, into you, through you.
You let out a strangled cry, blubbering, begging him to stop.
And he does.
He’s panting, all but gasping for breath as he hunches over you, shoulders shaking slightly.
“I’m - oh fuck - I’m going to move now,” he says, voice strained.
The only response you give is a whimper.
It hurts.
It hurts, until it doesn’t. Until the painful throbbing, the uncomfortable stretch, turns into waves of pleasure, short zings of ecstasy that start from where your bodies meet.
The sounds that fill the room are filthy, and the atmosphere is stifling.
A harsh pap pap pap sound coming from between your bodies, Shigaraki’s groans - his whimpers, your own whiny moans; they all mesh together, drowning out your thoughts.
Shigaraki pauses for a moment, and you think for a split second that he may have been done with you, but then he’s lifting your legs, throwing them over his shoulders, pushing down, into you, and-
“Fuuck.”
The two of you moan in unison.
Shigaraki glances down and lets out a soft exclamation of surprise.
You glance down too.
He starts up slowly again, locking your head into place with his arms, making you watch the small bump from underneath your stomach move with each thrust.
Is that…?
It is.
The imprint of his dick, visible through your stomach.
You whimper again, but somehow, it's not as pained of a sound as you had expected.
His hand slides between your bodies, coming to rest lightly over the bump, feeling himself through you.
“Holy shit, that’s so hot - here.”
He grabs one of your hands, bringing it down, making you feel his cock as it moves inside you.
Your mouth drops open, but his hand leaves yours there, moving lower and lower, until he reaches your clit.
“Come on, cum for me pretty girl,” he mumbles to you, sweat now dripping down his face.
Your eyes roll back as he rubs steady, harsh circles onto your clit. Your hand remains where he left it, feeling the slight jab of his cock with every thrust.
It doesn’t take him long after that, he has you cumming on his cock in minutes.
You hope that he’s done - he must have cum too, right? You hadn’t felt anything, but he must be done now.
He leans back, but pushes your legs down further, pinning them next to your head so that you’re completely folded in half.
“Now it’s my turn,” he says, biting his lip as he stares at you with a heavy-lidded gaze.
You’d thought his pace was harsh before, but that was nothing compared to the way he brutally pounded into you now.
Grasping the sheets next to your head to ground yourself, you feel your body slide up and down the bed, hear the headboard slam against the wall with each thrust.
By now you’re gasping for breath - it feels like his cock is in your lungs, and a glance down shows that his pubes - light blue and curly - are soaked in a mixture of cum and other liquids, both yours and his.
Not only that, but his cock, the massive cock you’d been so terrified of earlier, was completely buried inside of you, to the very hilt, his balls slapping against your ass with every thrust.
He hits a spot deep inside you, one that has you seeing stars, and you throw your head back with a moan as he abuses that sensitive spot.
You should ask him to slow down - you should demand that he stops all together, but you can barely string together a coherent sentence.
Thankfully, he seems to be reaching his own end, massaging your clit as he mumbles to himself.
“...with me - you have to cum with me. Cum. Come on, do it.”
You do.
Your exhausted body wrings out yet another orgasm, twitching pathetically as his hips stutter and you feel warmth flood your insides.
He flops down on top of you, smothering you under his weight. He lays like that for a while, panting, shoving his face into the crook of your neck as his breathing evens out and his cock softens inside of you.
Eventually, when the heat becomes almost unbearable, he rolls off of you, his cock pulling out of you with a nasty plop sound.
You feel empty.
Empty and cold.
He’s still laying there, eyes on the ceiling.
You sit up and shuffle to the end of the bed, still in a daze.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” he asks, propping himself up on one arm to watch you.
“I’m going home,” you mumble, looking around the room. “Where are my clothes?”
He snickers at that, sitting up straight to watch you flit around the room, picking up your discarded clothing, putting items on as you find them.
Underwear, check. Bra, check. Shorts, check.
“You think you’re going home? Don’t be ridiculous.”
You freeze, not turning to face him, shirt still clutched tightly in your hands.
Clearing your throat, you ask him, “W- What do you mean?”
“What do you mean ‘what do I mean’?"
He moves, coming to sit at the edge of the bed.
“Do you really think I went through all that trouble for a quick fuck?”
It’s a rhetorical question, you know it is, but-
“I’m not staying here. I want to go home. Now.”
“No,” he says, finally standing and approaching you.
“I’m not asking. I’m leaving. You got what you wanted, so there’s no reason for me to stay.”
He scoffs, glaring at you.
“‘Got what I wanted?’ Don’t play dumb, you know exactly what I want. Like I said, one quick fuck does nothing for me - I went through all that effort to get your attention, then even more to get you - you’re not going anywhere. You’re staying right here, with me.”
You don’t bother trying to put your shirt on, instead running straight for the door.
He curses as he stops to throw on a pair of shorts, trying to catch up to you as you sprint down corridor after corridor in search of an exit.
This time, you had a good head start against him, so you made it further than you had in the forest.
But of course, nothing ever went your way.
You run down several flights of stairs, coming out in what appears to be a large living room, several massive couches filling the space.
Couches and people.
No, not people - his friends.
You don’t pause though, still sprinting through the space.
Shigaraki yells out and you’re stopped abruptly in your tracks.
Standing in front of you with that stupid fucking smirk is Dabi.
“Man, you’ve got to learn to train your pets. They’ll keep running away if you don’t.”
That smug motherfucker.
“Nice tits babe.”
Your arms fly up to cover your chest as Shigaraki runs up behind you, panting and out of breath, clothed only in a dark pair of boxer briefs - blue and decorated with cartoon dinosaurs.
His hair is a mess, and his face is all red and sweaty. But besides that, he looks pissed.
The grip he has on your forearm is painful.
“Mind your own business,” he hisses at Dabi.
He holds his hands up in mock surrender.
“Woah woah woah, just trying to help - isn’t that right guys?”
The group of people seated on the couches all look away, not making eye contact with anyone in the small group. You don’t recognise any of them.
“Fuck off. And you,” he addresses you, a crazed look in his eyes.
“You’re fucking dead.”
He drags you back to his room.
No one comes to help you.
****
You sit with Shigaraki, watching the news on the huge TV in his lounge.
“Police and locals alike are searching for a young woman reported missing several months ago after a university hiking trip near Mount Natagumo.”
There’s a picture now, one of you and your friends, taken on the day you left for your trip.
It’s grainy and some people are blurry, but you’re all smiling widely, and you’re circled with a bright red line.
“The young woman in question was last seen on the 24th of July at around 2 a.m. Japanese Standard Time, in the Okurama region of the area, about 200 kilometres south of Mount Fujikasane, on the border of Mount Natagumo, according to the Okurama local police. Her sudden disappearance has shocked many of the local residents, many of whom -”
The screen goes black.
Your ears ring in the silence and you try your best to school your features, keeping your face neutral.
“Damn it, why won’t they just drop it already?” Shigaraki mutters next to you, running his hand through his hair in frustration.
He lets out a deep groan, throwing his arm around your shoulder and pulling you closer to his side before shoving his face into the crook of your neck. He inhales loudly, sighing briefly before he continues.
“You wouldn’t leave me, right? They’re being ridiculous. I really thought they would have given up by now, it’s been months,” he pauses, squinting up at you.
“Ugh, this is so annoying. If this goes on for any longer, I’ll have to ask my father to take care of it.”
You’re still stiff next to him. You should answer him soon, you know, but you can’t bring yourself to muster up the energy, or to think of the words he wants to hear. You can’t even lift your hand to pet his hair.
Placating him was exhausting, but you’d done a good enough job over the past few months.
Today though - today you were just so tired.
“Don’t worry,” he says, sitting up straight and pulling you into his lap. “They won’t find you. I’ll make sure they don’t.”
“They might.”
He stops.
“What?”
“They might find me. I hope they do.”
He pushes your hair to the side, covering your neck with soft, wet kisses as he laughs breathlessly.
“You won’t leave me,” he mumbles against your neck.
You’ve stopped wondering about if he thinks that makes you feel better.
He said it to get a rise out of you, and he sighs in annoyance when you remain tense and still in his lap. His hands grip at your waist, fingers flexing every few moments.
“Even if they find out it was me, you won’t leave this place. You won’t leave my side. Never.”
His hold on your waist remains steady as he stands up.
“Well, come on. That ruined my mood, why don’t you make it up to me?”
He’s not asking.
The two of you walk to his room - Shigaraki Tomura chattering all the while, you, holding back tears.
You’re so tired.
You won’t leave my side.
Never.
That sounded more accurate than you’d like.
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