#And she knows Dabi can handle himself!!
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airanke · 8 months ago
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I had this weird dream last night that abiteth was in a love triangle with dabi and… fuckin angel dust from hazbin hotel??? Anyways abi chose angel (despite the fact that he’s a canonically gay demon) and dabi was chasing after them on a highway, demanding abi get back together with him, while abi was busy making out with angel aksjksjsj
ANON, HOLD ON, WAIT, HEAR ME OUT--
I DO have some Abiteth/Dabi Hazbin Hotel AU thoughts, and OMFG, I 100% saw her as someone that not only was also a spider demon, but WORKED WITH ANGEL DUST???? On top of being very sought out by (and consistently tempted to make a deal with) Valentino, she always always ALWAYS flocked to Angel Dust when they were on set together and he feels safe with her (like he does with Cheri!!!).
It was stated by Viv that Angel Dust will have sex with women, but naturally charges more for his efforts in that case, though not currently confirmed that he'll do this in the series itself yet, so BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY I CAN 100% SEE WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM AND ABITETH WOULD DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT ANGEL (except make a deal with Valentino because Angel would so so SO not want her to do that, but watch her go make a deal with Alastor Just Because TM. Also realistically, Valentino could force him to do whatever he wants because... Valentino ._. ).
I'm not super sold on Abiteth being a porn star in the way Angel Dust is, BUT she would definitely make appearances as like, a back up dancer or as a body in shots (and I mean also feature in her own solo videos or whatever, she has major femme fatale / dominatrix vibes) if they happened to be in the same video together.
She'd be a HUGE thorn in Valentino's side either way, and I don't know yet if she's actually Hellborn or a Sinner (which I think can affect how powerful she is 🤔🤔I should probably watch Hazbin again just to brush up on my lore in that regard, or actually watch Helluva Boss LOL).
BUT POOR DABI IN UTTER DISBELIEF THAT ABITETH WOULD CHOOSE ANGEL DUST OVER HIM!!!! I see him totally as some kind of Hellhound, but not necessarily a Hellborn hellhound BUT UM!!! We'll see 🤗🤗 I'm just imagining Dabi on a motorcycle barking and carrying on that Abiteth COME THE FUCK BACK RIGHT NOW, and she and Angel are just zooming on down the road in a hearse with someone??? Else driving so they can make out in the backseat HAHAODFSADFSUHO omg love you for telling me this <3333
Totally alternatively, Abiteth would be a fallen angel with spider thematics, and may or may not have been an Exterminator BUT IT'S ALL UP IN THE AIR RIGHT NOW!!! Either way, very protective of Angel Dust, will and definitely has attacked Valentino (when Angel isn't around, which may also unfortunately contribute to how Val treats Angel at times given how he acted when Charlie tried to help... only unlike Charlie, Abiteth is more aggressive/volatile HAHA)
I'M ALSO SORRY MY ANSWER TO THIS IS ALL OVER THE PLACE //WHEEZE
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loveriotss · 3 months ago
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HEY CUTIE ⸻ touya todoroki
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INCLUDES — gn! reader, streamer! au, headcannons, drabbles, smau, fluff, crack, slightly suggestive, around 2k words WARNINGS — dabi and his chat making 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂 jokes read at your own risk, also the pink color used for the y/n's username doesn't depict gender or anything i just wanted to use it. TAGS — @bbluefllame, @seneon
main masterlist — mha masterlist ༊*·˚
[ cutiepatootien/n — is your username. i added n/n (nickname) at the end instead of y/n because we gotta be mysterious. you can use whatever you want for your n/n. ]
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streamer! dabi who created his account because toga wanted a partner to play roblox with her on stream.
the chat was buzzing with excitement, a sea of emojis, animated stickers and exclamation points flowing through the live stream. toga himiko, spinning around in her pink gaming chair with her signature grin plastered across her face. she ceased her spinning, banging her palms onto the desk as she leaned into the camera. her hair was styled in her usual wild, chaotic fashion, and her eyes sparkled with a mix of mischief and anticipation.
"hello my lovelies! welcome back to my channel!" she exclaimed, her voice full of energy. "today’s going to be a blast because i’ve got a special guest joining me!"
the chat exploded with curiosity and speculation. who could it be?
toga's grin widened. "presenting my one and only grumpy roommate, who i’ve bribed with a month of doing his chores to do this with me, dabi!”
a wave of hype flooded the chat, and viewers eagerly waited for this ‘dabi’ to make his entrance. the screen flickered for a moment before his webcam feed appeared. he leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed yet slightly bored, a stark contrast to toga’s exuberance. his room was quite dark, the only way you could make out his face was through the glow of his monitors. his dark hair was tousled and his smirk was casual.
itscandy: woah didn’t know your roommate was a hottie 😻 togasgirlfriend: himiko is hotter 🙄 froggypop: why he look suspiciuroisu  himikoshairclip: the editors are gonna have fun with this stream bunnyrabbit: I WANT BOAF ‼️
"hey, everyone," dabi started, his voice deep and slightly scratchy. he gave a lazy wave to the camera. "let’s get this over with."
toga laughed, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "stop trying to be nonchalant, show some energy!” she exclaimed, a bit too close to her mic which made dabi slightly wince and adjust his headphones. “we’re going to have so much fun! today, we’re diving into a horror game on roblox! hope you’re ready to get scared!"
dabi raised an eyebrow. "horror, huh? sounds like it might be a good laugh."
"alright, let’s do this!" toga said, clicking on the game. the screen transitioned to the game’s loading screen, and the chat erupted with a flurry of messages, many were curious about dabi and how he would handle the scares. 
"okay so the goal is to go through as many doors as we can while surviving the monsters," toga explained, her tone taking on a serious note. "stick with me and don’t go running off by yourself."
dabi nodded, his expression shifting into one of mild amusement. "yes ma’am, lead the way."
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streamer! dabi who ended up enjoying the games a lot and decided to start doing some solo streams.
dabi sat in front of his gaming setup, the glow of his computer monitor illuminating his sharp features in the dimly lit room.
he hit the “go live” button and watched as the chat box began to fill with greetings and excited comments from his growing fanbase. dabi’s expression softened, a rare hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. the anticipation in the chat was palpable. he took a moment to compose himself, then looked directly into the camera.
“hey, everyone. dabi here,” he said, his voice a smooth, controlled monotone. “you may know me as the hot and better roommate from toga's roblox stream a few days ago." he leaned back into his chair, tilting his head slightly as he scanned the chat box. "i wanted to do a stream of my own, just for fun. so tonight, I’m diving into one of the scariest horror games out there. don't piss you pants, yeah?”
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streamer! dabi who gained a huge following quite quickly. his name popping up on every platform and eventually, he catches your attention.
"2 am, huh?" dabi says, finally clicking out of the game he had chosen to play for tonight, staring at his small desk clock. it had been over 3 hours since he first started the stream. he stretched his body slightly, slight muscles flexing under the shirt he wore as he leaned closer to the camera, checking himself out. "fuck chat, i can see my roots." he says, ruffling up his hair slightly.
chococat donated $30
back away from the camera youre making me nervous
loverriots donated $15
you look hot either way king
menkisser donated $50
DYE MY HAIR WITH ME STREAM WHEN???
he grinned at the donations, leaning back into his chair and lighting up a cigarette as he scanned the chat box. "maybe i should do one..this white hair makes me feel old."
cutiepatootien/n donated $5
i didn’t know you had dyed hair, it really suits you
dabi's fiery gaze lingered on your donation for a bit too long. he takes a drag from his cigarette before replying. "m'flattered really. interesting name you got there by the way".
cutiepatootien/n: oh my god my friends changed it as a joke but now i can’t reset it 😭
he grinned at your response, leaning closer slightly, his piercings gleaming from the light of his monitor. "i think it suits you, cutie".
dabislefttoe: GAH DAMN juicebox: if i close my eyes i can pretend he’s saying that to me #staydelulu ❤️ ihateorangecandy: n/n won joinmystreamforfreerobux: i was orginally here to promote this bot but heyyy 😻 alphawolf: that’s it im getting you pregnant
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streamer! dabi who's mind lingers on you for too long, even after the stream has ended. he find's himself getting too silly and clicking on your twitch profile.
it's been two hours since dabi clicked on your social links from your twitch profile. he shamelessly scrolled through your instagram and tiktok, scanning each picture and video, carefully making sure he that he doesn't accidentally like anything. he's so engrossed in this that he doesn't even notice when his blonde roommate enters the room and stands behind him, staring at his screen.
"they're cute," toga says, one hand on the arm of his chair while the other one rests on his desk. "yeah.." dabi mindlessly replies before snapping his head to look at her, quickly closing his tabs. "what the fuck toga i told you to knock before coming in" he sneers at her, clearly annoyed.
"oh come on, i would've busted down the door by how loudly i was knocking," she replies, spinning around and slumping herself on his bed "but you were too busy stalking your new crush! who are they by the way? tell me the deets!" she says, excitedly kicking her feet.
"it's none of your business, get lost," he mumbles, grabbing a drink from his mini fridge, snapping it open with his middle finger and taking a sip.
toga skips over to his desk, snagging a drink for herself which earns her a scowl from dabi, before she speaks, "mhm sure! let me know if your loser ass needs some advice."
"get out."
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streamer! dabi who decides to give in to his chat's requests and go live while dyeing his hair.
dabi’s bathroom was lit up by the harsh, overhead fluorescent lights. he was leaning over the sink, one hand gripping a box of black hair dye and the other clutching a pair of disposable gloves. the mirror was fogged up from the hot water he’d run earlier, but the camera in front of him was crystal clear, broadcasting his every move to a growing audience.
“hey degenerates, what's ip?” dabi’s voice crackled with a hint of amusement as he adjusted the camera angle. “welcome to the chaos. you all wanted me to touch up my roots on stream for whatever freaky reason so, here we are—dyeing my hair live.”
he chuckled, the sound mingling with the chatter of his chat. The screen was a whirlwind of comments, emojis, and questions. before he did anything, he looked down at his shirt pondering for a moment. "i should take this off right? don't want it to get stained or anything" he says nonchalantly as he pulls it over his head.
now some might think this was unnecessary, i mean — taking off his black shirt because he was scared it was going to get stained with black dye? it almost seemed like he had done it on purpose..but the chat didn't seem to care.
touyaslefttit: the first thing i look at in a man is his heart. the fact that his tits are in front of his heart is NOT MY FAULT hellokittylvr: GIRL DINNER 😻😻 pookieschmookie: no guillotine could take away the head im about to give him ilovefictionalmen: i wanna take a shower with him I MEAN i wanna keep him as a pet I MEAN loverriots: very demure shigaraki: 🍅🍅🍅
he tossed his shirt aside, constantly eyeing the screen and reading the chat box and donations carefully as he put on his gloves and squeezed dye into a bowl.
cutiepatootien/n donated $10
just opened the stream and the first thing i see is your chest 😓 not complaining tho 🙏🙏
dabi immediately looks down, keeping his eyes on the dye. "i can show you more than my chest cutie" he says boldly, trying to hide the stupid smirk on his face. [a/n: fake nonchalant dreadhead!! i see him chalanting!!]
streamer! dabi who was waiting for you to join his stream.
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streamer! dabi who shamelessly flirts with you on stream, causing many fans to talk about you and try to speculate who this 'cutie' could be.
"so their name is y/n!" toga yells into dabi's ear. she was once again in his room, uninvited, staring at him with sparkly and excited eyes. she had somehow found out your name and was now shoving her phone which had twitter open in his face. the tweets were from his viewers, all about who this 'cutie' could be.
dabi groans. yeah he was the one who drew attention to you but, uh oh! he's now facing the consequences of his own actions as he stares at your account which is now on private. you were smart and new it was best to keep your socials private and out of view from any jealous or crazy fans dabi might have.
"just send them a follow request if you wanna see them so bad!" toga says, getting slightly impatient and snatching dabi's phone out of his hand and speed walking away. "TOGA STOP DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!" he yells as he chases her. "you're too much of a pussy dabi, you have a crush and you should confess!" she says, tossing the phone back to dabi. he hurriedly grabs it and stares at the screen in shock.
there your account was..now public? no. he was following it.
"you actually sent them a follow request?" he says, glaring at the blonde who just flashes him a cheeky smile. "but they accepted right? shoot your shot!"
"i'm going to kick you out of my house."
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streamer! dabi who spends a lot of time with you floating around in his mind and eventually musters up the courage to text you.
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NOTE — i fear i yapped too much for this one, dabi having a silly internet crush is just so cutesy to me. did you guys notice me and shigaraki sneaking into this fic i thought it was funny. might make this into a series?? idk.
©loveriotss — all rights reserved to me. please don’t try to copy/steal my work. please do not use any of my ideas/translate my work without my permission.
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xazse · 19 days ago
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mr compress x kittygirl hybrid! reader and i will worship the ground you walk 😣😣🙏🙏🙏
SWEET GIRL
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Synopsis: Mr.Compress feels a certain inkling and intensity within himself.
Notes: this is great I know you just submitted this really recent but I wanted to let some of my fans know that I will now write for MHA!!! SEND ME SOME STUFF (don’t worry to my others who have sent jjk requests I’m working on them<333)) (sorry I just had to do something with the league and them meeting kitty girl)
Pairings: Mr.Compress x KittyGirl!Hybrid
Warnings: Smut + mean!League Members + rough handling + rough kissing + fingering + penetration + Fem!reader + Hybrid!reader
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Mr.Compress had dragged in another stray: you he had known for at least a month before introducing you to the league. He found you digging through some rubble searching for food. He had felt extremely bad and just felt the need to take you.
So that’s what he did, he took you and you didn’t fight at all he just went, scooped you up. You looked a tad bit confused but when he gave you some food you were attached, he gave you plenty of opportunities to leave but every time you’d look around for him and once you found him you’d loop your arms with his and follow. It was downright adorable.
After some time had passed he chose to introduce you to his beloved league.
“She looks stupid, get her out.”
“That’s so mean Tomura! I think she looks adoreable!”
“You are very right Toga, Shigaraki isn’t used to cutesy things.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” The blue haired man exclaimed from the bar.
“Why not give er’ a change Shigaraki? She could prove to be useful.” Spinner is always trying to be the middle man, Mr.Compress can certainly rely on him to get you in good with everyone.
“Useful my ass.” Dabi’s the one who speaks up.
“It wouldn’t be wise for you to talk, you’re in the same boat as her.” Shigaraki backfires.
“Tried to help you, dick.”
It hadn’t even been 40 minutes sitting as the league chats and discusses various things, Toga and Twice won’t leave you alone they insist on playing with your tail and rubbing your pointy ears: pushing them back just to watch them pop right back in place.
You aren’t complaining one bit, you love the extra attention they’re giving you, you can’t quite make out what they’re saying but nonetheless you know it’s nothing but sweet words minus twice sometimes blurting random crude things.
Leaving them proves to be the worst, “tears” are exchanged when Mr. Compress is ready to depart and you have to leave the new friends you just made. He reassures you that you’ll be able to see everyone again very soon.
Mr compress loves you a tenth fold you’re impressed by his tricks others find to be unfunny but you will sit for hours and watch him show off, clapping with the biggest smile on your cute face. It drives him mad to have his own personal fan.
It makes his cock throb when he’s doing one of his tricks and you look so curious to find out what’s next, he can’t focus on finishing it when you’re swooning right in front of him, he basically attacks you with sloppy kisses.
His thick tongue invades your mouth, his actions aren’t careful, he needs to be inside you right now.
He sits on his hind legs and traps you with his thighs on either side. He takes his hard cock out and jerks himself a few times right over your exposed stomach. you’ve all of a sudden gone shy on him, trying to avoid the intense way he’s staring down at you.
He stops for a moment to rid you of your bra, then your panties whilst also undressing himself fully too.
Even after all this time you’re still hiding your body from him like he hasn’t explored every single inch of you. He pays that no mind and moves to rub your cunt, he makes sure not to directly touch your clit.
He moves his skillful fingers around your lips, dipping in and out of your hole to get you used to the feeling. Sweet moans slip from your throat, your breath hitches everytime he so much as grazes the englared bud.
Impatient Compress starts full on fucking you with his fingers, he has to use a little of his strength to keep your leg nice and still for him. You’re full on moaning, it feels so damn good, the way his fingers abuse your wet hole in the meanest motions he can muster.
He makes eye contact with you when he pulls his fingers out and licks them, making sure to clean them dry.
He’s got you plenty wet, he rubs the tip of his cock in between your lips even touching your sensitive clit, he hadn’t even made you cum and you’re already so jumpy.
His thick cock starts to push inside you, slowly filling you of him, taking him is no walk in the park, he’s more long than anything, you grip whatever you can as he pushes past your tight hole.
Atsuhiro lets you adjust to him, he can hear slight sniffling from you, poor thing, he’ll make you happy in just a moment: that moment being now, he pushes your legs a little towards your torso angling his cock more snuggly.
Atushiro is never one to rush sex with you, he likes to be in the moment so he can enjoy and really feel you but now he can’t wait, he starts thrusting fast and deep, your fat cunt accepting every inch so easily now.
He’s been obsessed with your pussy the first day you and him had sex, you’re so tight and warm, he draws his hips back all the way letting his cock fall out to admire the slick it’s covered in, just to slam right back into you.
“Nnng..”
“Feels… so good Sako..” your moans sound so choked up in your throat, making you all the more desperate for more clearly.
His face is a beautiful shade of pink, groans mixed with yours slipping from his bitten lips, you truly don’t know the effects your cunt has on him, everytime he pulls back you suck him right back in.
Your tail has a mind of its own when it wraps around his torso, moving along with the rhythm of his hips.
You wipe the tears that have found their way to your face, your body spasms in that familiar way, along with your pussy tightening even more around him. He holds you down by your tummy, securing you in place so you don’t thrash everywhere.
He slams down in you one last time, pushing you right over the edge you cum with a loud yelp followed by quiet whines that die down, through this whole thing he’s praising you, kissing your soddened cheeks.
Your chest rapidly tries to calm down, feeling the aftershocks of a nasty orgasm.
Later that night he makes sure to rub your pointy ears and cuddle you as close as possible.
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mya-valentine · 2 months ago
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Headcanons for how the League Of Villains act when drunk?.. and Would they do stupid things while drunk? P.S: I love your writing
Headcanon: How The League of Villains Act When Drunk
A/N: Thank you☺️ I'm so glad you enjoy my work. Sorry if this took long, I've been very busy
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Tomura Shigaraki
Shigaraki would be the moody type when drunk. He’d probably go from brooding in a corner, muttering about heroes, to suddenly ranting loudly about his disdain for All Might or Deku.
His usual “don’t touch me” attitude would flip. He might get oddly clingy, pulling people into bear hugs, much to everyone’s confusion and discomfort.
Shigaraki’s coordination would be all over the place, and his decay quirk would activate accidentally, leaving things crumbling everywhere—tables, chairs, even door handles, all turning to dust without him meaning to.
Dabi
Dabi would get even more sarcastic than usual, throwing snarky comments left and right. He’d probably flirt with everyone in the room, completely deadpan, even with people who have no interest. “Oh, Toga, you look so sharp today. Literally.”
In his drunken state, he’d accidentally set small things on fire—couches, curtains, even the occasional bottle of alcohol in his hand—just because he’s too distracted or careless to control his quirk properly.
He’d probably start stupid dares, like challenging Shigaraki to see who can destroy more things or asking Toga to "cut shapes" into walls with her knife.
Himiko Toga
Toga would become super giggly and affectionate, trying to hug and nuzzle everyone, especially the people she has a crush on. She might even start poking fun at people for how “cute” their blood would taste.
She’d playfully challenge others to knife games, laughing hysterically when she almost cuts herself or others, not caring about the danger.
She’d drink some blood, attempt to transform into someone else, and then forget halfway through who she was supposed to be. This would lead to hilarious transformations where she’s stuck as a weird mix of multiple people.
Twice
Twice would become even more chaotic when drunk, with his split personality going haywire. He’d swing from being super confident and boastful to panicking about trivial things like, "What if I’ve already drunk too much and cloned myself and don’t even know it!?"
In his confusion, he’d start cloning himself uncontrollably, leading to dozens of Twice clones running around, all with different levels of drunkenness and confusion, some trying to clean up while others make even more of a mess.
He’d constantly get into weird, loud arguments with his clones, debating who’s the “real” Twice, which would escalate into drunken wrestling matches with himself.
Toga and Twice would absolutely team up in their drunken state, pulling pranks on everyone. Twice would clone himself to create distractions while Toga sneaks up behind others, surprising them with her knives or transforming into random League members just to freak everyone out.
Spinner
Spinner would get very philosophical when drunk, going on long rants about Stain’s ideology, questioning the morality of their actions, and asking deep questions like, "Are we truly villains, or just misunderstood heroes?"
He’d probably unsheath his sword and start swinging it around clumsily, knocking things over, and hitting furniture while trying to show off his "heroic" skills, only to trip over his tail.
At some point, he’d drunkenly start insisting everyone play an old video game with him, like Tetris or Street Fighter, getting overly competitive and emotional about it.
Mr. Compress
Mr. Compress would turn into an exaggerated version of himself when drunk, speaking in grand, dramatic gestures, like he’s performing a show. He’d likely challenge others to card tricks or sleight-of-hand games, only to drop the cards everywhere.
He’d start compressing random items in the room—bottles, plates, even Twice’s clones—without much thought, laughing about the chaos it causes.
He’d try to tell elaborate, fantastical stories about his past or the League’s adventures, getting increasingly nonsensical and confusing as he rambles on, leaving everyone unsure of what he’s talking about.
Kurogiri
Kurogiri would try to stay responsible at first, keeping an eye on the others and making sure no one gets hurt. But after a few drinks, even he’d loosen up a bit, though he’d never fully lose his calm demeanor.
As he gets drunk, Kurogiri might accidentally start teleporting people or objects to random places, sending Dabi across the room or making Twice reappear in the kitchen without meaning to.
He’d start talking in circles about the importance of balance and order, even as he drunkenly sends half the room into his portals, much to everyone’s frustration.
.
.
.
Masterlist
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transhawks · 4 months ago
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Why does everyone treat Hawks having always been an assassin as canon? I know he was brought in as a replacement for Nagant but as far as I’m aware there’s no actual proof he killed anyone before twice
You're right! We've never been explicitly told he has a kill-count of anything but 1 (rip Jin). However (honestly you knew this would make me actually write, didn't you?)....
1. The HSPC has changed (somewhat)
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It's spelled out to us that Madame Prez wasn't like her predecessor. Her methods weren't as brutal, she was way into a war of information. In some ways, crueler. Kaina wasn't executed - instead she had her hair shorn and was defamed, humiliated.
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Nagant assumes Keigo has been used like her. Horikoshi says Madame Prez groomed Keigo from a much earlier age than the middle school-aged Kaina so he had way less ability to leave or question (additionally, he was so sheltered from society and marginalized that he simply would have been incapable until he was an adult).
This is what the story says outright. So, yes, you're right - everything else is speculation. But then the question is why people believe this is canon outside of the typical abysmal literacy found in this fandom?
2. But Hawks being Hawks doesn't Make It Easier
Truth be told, I'm on your side. I used to very much doubt he had much of a body/kill count. I still think it might be single digits if we consider actually murdering someone with his own hands/quirk, though I suspect he might be responsible for deaths in other ways. I would have completely accepted Jin being his first (and only at this point) murder.
So why did I change my mind about this? Simply; Keigo's a fucking freak. I say this with love.
Every so often Keigo says or does something in this manga that both confirms he's kind of insane and in a very different moral space than everyone else, and just off-handedly mentioning he went and, after being subjected to third degree burns and essentially losing limbs, immediately went to eliminate every last sample even after the battle (where he was carried off by Tokoyami mind you) as in....destroying Jin's body or ensuring no one can use it. He's offended when it's clear Dabi got the better of him with this.
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Mind you, he's the world champion at repressing his feelings, duh, but the fascinating way he speaks about this (a minute after screaming they NEED TO KILL JIN AGAIN) speaks volumes. Keigo's completely undaunted about handling death and its aftermath. If he's never killed before, he's been certainly trained to in a way that he handles it professionally.
There's one more thing that makes me think Keigo did kill before Jin. We can argue over how much Keigo hesitated killing Jin, but I think it's a point in that he did in how much he ABSOLUTELY does not with All For One.
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Like he does not hesitate. Immediately tries to put a feather-knife through his brain. Logically, I mean, I think anyone would try to one-shot AFO because the more time the man that has (until he rewound himself) the more time he has to fuck you up, but still. He tries to stab through his man's head as soon as he gets out of the portal.
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Here's Keigo just admitting it, albeit saying he expected it wouldn't work, but really, he's more apologizing he can't immediately kill this man.
No hesitance.
My final piece of evidence is that Keigo is currently walking around Japan in a suit with a katana begging mfers to "try it bitch". Like being quirkless, not a hero, none of that is stopping him if he needs to defend himself. And it's not like he can pin someone away with his feathers. Nor does he have dozens of daggers at his disposal anymore, just one blade. He's the type to try and finish things quickly as the manga has shown time and time again. I really hope no one actually tries to assassinate him because there's an extreme likelihood he'll just decapitate them in the SPC boardroom.
3. Red, Red Hands
To recap, we know Keigo has been trained to kill, in a multitude of ways (and not only with his quirk), and has always seen killing as option/tool he can use. The HSPC might not be as eager to kill as Kaina's era was, but they raised Keigo with the intent to use him to be able to kill people and cover it up. While there's no proof of other murders, there's proof he's been given the training, tools, and expectation to kill. And his attitude towards killing isn't making it seem like he's not done it before. Of course, he's not agonizing over it like Kaina, which makes me think he was used sparingly to kill.
But the other thing to ask is - will Keigo continue to kill (and not like in personal defense) or lead to the deaths of others? He's already set on reforming the Public Safety Commission by allowing for the reform of Villains who cooperate, renaming the Commission to distance itself from solely heroism... We're still a few chapters away of seeing what this new president has in store for society and how he'll distinguish his methods from the people who created him, but we also have two hundred and fifty chapters of him expressing dislike of how he's used, so perhaps it's fair to say he's not continuing the cycle?
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existentialfailure · 4 months ago
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This new old body
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Pairing: N/A (Possible Reader x Hawks in future)
Length: Oneshot, 2384
Description: The aftermath of war, Keigo is OK with it all. He is OK with how things have gone. He is OK with how things have changed. He knows if he keeps telling himself it's OK, then maybe it'll be OK.
He just needs to learn to keep walking.
Warnings: Past violence, blood and injury, injury recovery, permanent injury, quirkless hawks.
Notes: Post-war, may continue later
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He doesn’t recall too much of the aftermath of his part of the war. The first few glimpses of the world are cloudy, unfocused; like watching an old movie through sandy goggles. 
He felt like a doll, stuffed full of cotton and weighed down with a belly full of rice; fat, heavy, and easily tipped over. There was only one thing that consistently felt out of place, one thought that kept nagging incessantly every time he found himself stumbling forward into a consciousness that was always too bright-
“Can… someone roll… off… back? Wings… ’ll cramp.”
Nobody would answer, or if they did, they were too busy talking slowly and with their mouths full of marbles. It was irrelevant anyway, Keigo was too tired to pay attention, and the heaviness of his eyes pulled him right back into the veil of quiet dreamless sleep.
He learned later that he was too banged up for any quirks to be used as an immediate fix all. Funnily enough to add insult to injury, nobody was really quite sure what exactly to do with Pro Hero Hawks- or rather, Former Pro Hero Hawks. As the triage team had moved in the aftermath of AFO’s grisly departure, he was tagged swiftly as an immediate evacuee- a civilian evacuee. ‘A high ranking civilian,’ he was told, as if to placate his offense. It did, and it didn’t, but he was too exhausted and fucked up on narcotics to care and muddle through his feelings. Besides, he was a reasonable man, and he knew they couldn’t send him to where the wounded Pros were going. He was a waste of resources; they were trying to get all possible weapons back on their feet to deploy right the fuck back out to fight. What could he do by that point? 
He’d have been a cute cheerleader if they gave him a shot, he thinks. Rah, rah, go team go.
The initial shock of waking up quirkless was easy to handle, in the way that he didn’t handle it. He was still blitzed out of his mind on what he was humorously calling ‘The Good Shit’, and it was easy to float in and out of the reality he was currently occupying. He had never been hospitalized to this degree - even when Dabi had tried to flame broil him- and it was apparent that the damage the villains caused had put a definitive strain on the healthcare system. The hospitals were stuck relying on hands-on techniques as quirk usage was being stretched thin and reserved for the critical patients who could survive their application, or couldn’t survive without it.
Keigo certainly wasn’t critical. The nurses and therapists visited him every so often each and every day, wrangling the flailing former hero out of his bed, disentangling him from all his lines and wires like a freshly caught fish. He was encouraged to walk to use the restroom, he was encouraged to walk to sit in a chair, he was encouraged to sit up and eat and talk and laugh and engage.
Walk, walk, walk.
Keigo certainly wasn’t critical. He doesn’t know who the hell his doctor is, the staff was stretched thin, and he really didn’t care, but he liked the practitioner who came in and congratulated him on his progress as time went on. The sound of her voice was nice, but he remembers fuck all she said, just that her voice warbled when she went over all the shit they did to him throughout the day.
Staff continued with their routine. Get up, walk, sit, stand up, move, sit, stand up, walk.
Walk, walk, walk.
Keigo certainly wasn’t critical. He was one of the lucky ones. He got out of the hospital with his face stitched from AFO trying to split his skull open like an egg, his body covered in miscellaneous bruises that looked like constellations if he stared hard and squinted. Furthermore, he felt like one giant exposed nerve, the surrounding air causing his skin to feel like it was electrified and ready to crawl off and leave him hanging there naked and wet. He probably would’ve felt better if it did.
But he was alive, which some others couldn’t say the same. He was supposed to be grateful, he knows. He is, he thinks, somewhere in the hollow of his chest. Nestled between the black of broken ribs, in the sick sinking in his gut, he is ok with the fact he is alive. He is ok with it, and he will repeat it until it's true, because it is, it has to be, or else… 
Keigo walks.
Keigo walks because he isn’t critical. Keigo walks because he is one of the lucky ones. Keigo walks because he is alive. He walks because he is ok with it.
Keigo walks because there is a thrumming emptiness in the hollow of his beating heart where something is supposed to be and there isn’t anymore. He walks because there is no longer a heaviness at his back pulling him up. He walks because there is no longer a heat in his spine, a pressure in his skull, a vibration in his mind, a purpose, a warmth-
He is caught off guard as flashing flames of blue take his vision from him, hands flying up to drive the heels of his palms rough, and harsh into his eyes. The phantom heat licks his cheeks, snapping at his nose like razor sharp teeth. He can feel it just as he had that day when he stood over Bubaigawara, fierce and unforgiving. Keigo bends, hands falling to brace himself at his knees as he is overwhelmed with the need to just breathe.
Eyes wild, and his brain lagging to catch up to the fact that there is no fire and there certainly is no cremation villain anymore, Keigo finally takes a look at where his feet have taken him. For the last several years, since earning his so-called freedom with the HPSC, he spent so much of his time seeing the city from a birds eye view. Now, he found himself feeling out of place; small and insignificant under the looming branches of blossoming trees and their bowing trunks. He doesn’t recall this particular park, or maybe he does, and his mind is just too fluffy with wool to piece together a name. Maybe he just doesn’t particularly care at the moment where he is.
The park is empty from what he can tell. Despite the haze of dusk beginning to fall, he can clearly see the rubble of what was left of benches and stone carved animals. They must’ve stood proud surrounded by well-placed flowers, if the squashed pedals and shattered colorful stones are anything to go by. Keigo takes his time meandering around the remnants of what had probably been one of the smaller parks in the city. A quiet spot for your average office worker to find respite during lunch hour, or a group of kids to sit and study.
Keigo rounds a few trees, bark scorched and bare wood carved- whether by knives or claws, he doesn’t care to investigate. He pointedly ignores the skulking shadows that follow in his peripherals, diving between bush, tree, and rock as they watch. Those piercing but empty bright yellow eyes that feel like weights on his shoulders. Bodies blackened, smokey, curled and twisted; broken in ways that made no sense but powerful in every move. Phantom muscles at his back twitch with need. He can see their talons now, glinting ebony and sharp, curling over every bit of debris ready to pierce, cut, shred, eviscerate-
“Hey, are you alright?”
For the second time today, Keigo is pulled back into reality feeling as though his chest has caved in on itself. Each rib has shattered itself free, and pierced through his lungs like daggers to fill them up with blood and drown him. His head jerks to the side, noticing now the benign shadows of the trees as they sway with the breeze that filters down to them. Yellow eyes have winked out of existence, there are no talons digging fresh lines into the damaged earth of the park, no great black beast looming around a tree ready to take on the wingless wonder.
Keigo takes his first deep breath and feels like he is going to vomit.
“Hey?” The voice cuts in again, and Keigo turns to give his frazzled attention to his current witness.
You’re not a Pro, is his first thought as his eyes sweep over you. You’re dressed rather plainly, if not smartly for what it looks like you’re doing. Keigo’s eyes flash down to the bucket in your hand, filled with an assortment of flora that you must’ve been pulling from around the shattered statue he notices just behind you. Keigo turns his mind onto investigating you, chest still heaving as he tries to get his body to remember it's supposed to breathe.
He notices you’re wearing an apron, bits of trash sticking out of pockets that you may have haphazardly stowed away as you worked. Your forearms are dusty, if not altogether filthy, and your pants are slick with dark earth.
“What’re you doing?” Keigo fires back, breathless, but jerking his head towards you almost accusingly.
Your eyebrows raise immediately, probably not expecting the minor hostility in his tone. You were a local in the area, trying to do your part in cleaning up the neighborhood after the antics of the war. This particular park had been special to you, and you had joined the neighborhood established cleanup crew trying to salvage as much of the original foliage as you could before the others came in to finish tearing down what the villains had already started. And maybe also swipe a couple of root balls of some of the flowers you’d been eyeballing since you were a kid.
You had just been coming up on one of the flower patches that used to surround the ugliest cement statue of a duck when you had noticed the blonde down near what had formerly been a fountain. Initially you were just going to ignore him, but his thousand yard stare, pale face, and accentuating ‘i’ve-had-the-shit-kicked-out-of-me’ look had drawn you over to investigate.
“Cleaning,” You answered breezily, “and are you OK?”
Keigo tilts his head slightly, bringing a hand up to rub uneasily at his chest. Of course, he is ok. He has to be ok. He is ok.
“Of course.” He answers smoothly, pulling a smile that's all teeth. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes, and you raise a brow at it. The act causes his stitches to scrunch up at his cheek. You imagine he thinks he is charming, but the look falls flat. Keigo’s smile falters a little, and he sighs.
“Really, thanks. I’m alright. Just got a little winded from walking,” He winks, dropping his hand from his chest to stuff both into his pant pocket. He walks around you, swaying a little. You watch him, eyebrow still raised.
“You looked a little more than winded.” You mutter, slightly concerned. You’ve learned over the course of the last few weeks that a lot of people were dealing with the aftermath of the villain's act of war in different ways. While a small minority of people had managed to skate by unaffected, a large portion of the population ended up scarred in some way. Some people lost loved ones, family members, friends. Others who never got to make it into a shelter were left to defend themselves or hide from the roaming villains. Some managed to avoid encountering a villain altogether, while others… Well, they’re left with the scars of their encounter. Some physical, some mental. Some both.
You’re not sure where this guy fell on that spectrum. Studying him, you could tell he didn’t have an easy way of things during the war, if the sheer amount of visible bruising and freshly knitted gashes were anything to go by. His hair looked like it was shorn by someone inexperienced with clippers, uneven and lopsided in spots, what must’ve been bangs clipped impossibly short and laid back.
You watch him as he moves to stand in front of the desecrated cement statue of the duck, his head tilted and lips twisted as though he were lost in thought. His nostrils were flared, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d guess he was trying to hide the fact that he was still struggling to maintain his erratic breathing. You look between him and the remains of the park decor, before finally catching him watching you back.
For a moment you feel glued to the spot. His eyes look sharp and predatory, like there is something that should be there that isn’t. The gold feels molten as it's trained on you, and the deep black discoloration that tips his waterline makes them seem simply feral. He blinks, and the moment is cut, his eyes honey warm and mirthful. You aren’t sure what you feel.
“So, got a name?”
You give him your name, and he nods as he repeats it, as if committing it to memory. He lifts a hand from his pocket again, rubbing mindlessly at his chest. You sidle up beside him, staring down at the defeated duck. He returns his attention to it as well, though he tilts his head slightly acknowledging you beside him. Gently, you pry,
“And you?”
He doesn’t answer for a moment, breathing shallow and calm. His chest still feels tight, and the phantom pain of something webs out from between his shoulder blades. He thinks he wants to cry, but his eyes feel dry and his mouth stays curled in a not-smile grin. His eyes rove over the ruined cement statue, how it had once clearly been a duck with wings spread, neck curled and feet outstretched. Left in a stasis of both flight and landing, neither airborne nor grounded, something in between. Now it was nothing but a crumbled up bit of dust and rock, shattered and broken, and probably not worth the effort to repair. Replaceable with something better, surely. It's just a silly statue, after all, a background piece. Decor.
“You can call me Kei.”
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lesinquietes · 5 months ago
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Grower!Dabi is in his thirties. He spent some time in the clink on drug charges — seven years, to be exact. He got arrested for sloppy dealing while he was high on his own supply. It took him mandatory rehab to realize he can’t handle being around hard drugs. No more coke for him. Painkillers are off the table, too. Being around them is the only temptation he can’t resist. He blames his fucked up childhood for that.
In prison, they teach you the ways of botony to calm the urge to use. He cared for plants and they healed his addiction. So, naturally, once he got released, he started growing weed. Indica, mainly; it tend to grow faster. He never meant to sell it — until Twice came begging for a whole ounce. He said something about his strains making the voices stop. Dabi doesn’t know what this means, but he’s happy to take his cash.
After a year of selling to friends and acquaintances, he started making a profit. Soon, he was stacked enough to move. He relocated to the mountains across the country, where other cannabis cultivators operate their illicit craft. The cops don’t touch them up here; they can’t. There are no laws, save for the ones they’ve made for each other.
Point blank: don’t touch each other’s shit.
His grow op is recognized far and wide. Grower!Dabi recruits trimmers every time he harvests. It’s easy. Bus loads of people come into the city beneath the mountains in hope of being chosen by a cannabis facility. The money is decent. It’s damn well better than the crap they’ll make working retail or fast food, that’s for sure. Plus, they get to smoke on the job. He can see why this place would attract a certain type of person.
He likes cruising by the bus shelters to scope out potential targets. He doesn’t want locals. Travellers have no idea what to expect. A lot of them are blind to the true dangers of this sees — the real monsters lurking in these mountains. Many don’t make it out alive. He’s been the culprit of more than a few.
Last year, he shot three trimmers in the head after catching them stealing some of his product. It was only a couple of grams, but still. He had to set a precedent, didn’t he? No one saw the act; nevertheless, the others he picked up knew what had happened. He left some of the blood mess behind for them to discover. When their families called for them, he hung their missing posters up, merely to add insult to injury.
Again, he blames his fucked up childhood.
He drives by the bus stop one evening and sees you standing on the corner. Initially, he thinks you’re a lady of the night; then, he clocks that you’re here to find work. A smirk graces his lips. Well, he might have a job or two for you.
You’re dumb, from the city. He grins when he notices the skimpy outfit you’re wearing. You obviously don’t care what sort of attention you attract in that. He accepts you she a few others in the back of his truck and takes you into the hills. He lets you sit in the front seat with him, warm hand on your thigh, asking you what you like to toke, and promising you he’ll smoke you on something potent when he gets you back to the trim house. You giggle when his fingertips rest on the hem of your panties.
Grower!Dabi is absolutely shocked at the luck he’s been having in recent years. First, his own business. Now, a beautiful woman to trim his weed and warm his bed. He pulls you closer to him as he drives. He doesn’t see himself letting you go.
Next l
𝔉𝔞𝔯𝔪𝔢𝔯 𝔞𝔲
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medusasea · 3 months ago
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Touya's Reasons
Now, let's make this clear from the beginning. Endeavour was a bad father. His quirk marriage to father a child with a specific quirk in order to make them his successor is messed up. The way he handled Touya's was messed up. What he did to the rest of the family after Touya's supposed death was downright disgusting. But was his treatment of Touya really that bad that he would turn him into a murderer?
From what we see, Endeavour used to be very cheerful and nice during training with Touya. After Touya started getting burns he put an end to the training and he even did this peacefully. Some Dabi defenders point out that Endeavour pushed Touya to the side and that he should've started a different activity with Touya. I don't see it like that at all. We see Endeavour talk to Touya way more than he does to the rest of the kids before Shoto was born. It was only after Touya tried burning baby Shoto that Endeavour largely isolated Shoto from the rest of the siblings. Now, considering Endeavour wanted to train Shoto but not Touya, it is likely he would've spent more time with Shoto anyway, but Touya tried to kill or at least harm Shoto as a baby, way before the training started. The thing is, the Endeavour never trained Fuyumi nor Natsuo, who are younger than him. Enji never told Touya about his plans to get a successor, Touya found out by himself, but I don't know how. Since nobody told him about the plan and neither of his siblings got training at that point, what made him think his parents were trying to bring a child with a specific quirk into the world? Shoto was also just a baby. It is nomal for older siblings to feel jealousy, but Shoto was way too young to start the training and he was just a baby while Touya was around 10. He should've felt more sympathy for a defenseless baby. As for Endeavour starting a new activity with Touya, I agree that Touya needed that, but do you think Touya himself would've realized this? He was burning himself up to prove himself to his father, even though the latter told him multiple times to stop. Do you seriously think Touya would've been open for a new activity when he was so obsessed with becoming a hero? If your child is burning themselves, would starting a new activity really seem like it would help? Or at least it wouldn't be the first thing to pop into your mind. What Touya needed was first and foremost counseling and self control. I do not condone any of Endeavours actions, in fact they were very stupid, I just don't see how they would drive Touya to murder.
After Touya escapes the hospital he wants to return to his family only to see Endeavour being even more abusive than before with Rei and SHoto being his (biggest) victims and his family overall living on after his supposed death. This finally drives him to villainy. Except there have been 3 years since his family thought he died. They did not abandon him and they did not move on right away, Touya only didn't see them mourn because it has been 3 years since he disappeared and he knows this things. So he shouldn't have any reason to get revenge on them sans Endeavour and maybe Rei, since she was an accomplice in her husband's plan to get a successor and she didn't stand up for herself as much as she should.
I agree that his experience was hard. His father was very proud of him when they did gero training only for that to get stripped away from him once he got burns and his father not dealing with it in a professional way. However, he was getting burned. There is a difference between being stubborn and being desperate. I can still sympathize with his disappointment, but I can't sympathize with his obsession to the point of getting burned, even if the people in your life discourage you to and they still show you love and affection nor with his desire to murder, especially innocent people.
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codenamesazanka · 5 months ago
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Initial 426 thoughts
Endeavor stole the scene here. I feel it's not so much Family-Shouto/Dabi reconciliation as Endeavor's atonement arc conclusion. Shouto nearly felt like a sideshow. Supportive younger brother asking the cute line about soba, then going back to school with a shonen 'I'm chasing my dream!' line.
Don't get me wrong, that moment was so good. Dabi during the battle swore that their lines/path would never intersect, that Shouto's was too straight and narrow, while his was warped. That was the memory Dabi's recalling as he cries. That he said they would run in parallel, remaining apart—but then here was Shouto, asking him about his favorite food, wanting to intersect. And they do - they have the same favorite food.
But I wanted more. And because we can't have more because of Endeavor, I want Endeavor to at least get yelled at for this. I imagine it already happened before this visit, when the family received the diagnosis. This is after that, this after those feelings had run its course and they're resigned to this, what's left to do.
And so Endeavor gets to have his one final cool line, which is infuriating because it is a good line, responding back to Dabi's invitation to dance. It's such a good line that wonder if Natsuo saying that line was cool isn't Horikoshi patting himself on the back. But it shouldn't have been delivered here on the epilogue. It should've been immediately post Jaku, and Endeavor had been prepared to truly taste the hell of dealing with his son directly.
Fuyumi says she quit but I wonder if she wasn't asked to resign, or felt she had to quit due to her being from a perpetrator's family. Especially since she has to say she's already got another job lined up, referred by a student's mother.
Hawks becoming HPSC head makes me livid. Toga should've killed him. He goes on TV and admits he killed a guy without following proper procedure, and he's HPSC president, who will be in charge of making sure Heroes follow proper procedure. I guess things at least are more transparent!
You know Hawks still doesn't think killing Twice was wrong. So if something threatening comes up in the future, he might well think 'KILL THEM' yet again, and being HPSC president, give the order to do so.
Get Nagant out of jail. If she's afraid of being used, give her a vacation in Bali. Why stay in jail????
Feels like Horikoshi is keeping her in prison because she'll be too troublesome to handle if she's out. She'll bring up questions like "Can she function in society after 15 years? (Answer tends towards no, she said the world outside prison is scary) What will she do now, after all that? WILL THE TRUTH OF THE ASSASSINATIONS EVER COME TO LIGHT?" And we can't have that.
I hate this cutesy-ness with Mr. Optimism Hawks. Jail is a joke now, because meals are provided at taxpayer's expense and Nagant has been moved to a lower security prison (but prob not anyone else). Call her Villain 😋 as if that's not a label that's gotten people unfairly judged, or justified their killing.
The facility Dabi is in is probably a Villain Hospital. Those exist - they've been referred to a couple of times in the manga and vigilantes. Probably a combination of prison and hospital. So of course the guard's uniforms look a bit like Tartarus uniform. But white.
Which makes it interesting, because SPINNER is still at Central Hospital. Too weak to be a threat?
SPINNER.
SPINNER. 😭😭😭 If you look closely, his eyes are open. You can see his pupils. He's looking over at the door opening.
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I'm so scared. SPINNER.
SPINNER.
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slexenskee · 1 year ago
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What are the heroes opinions on No Scrubs music? And are there certain songs that some of the pros empathize more with?
Been pretty curious about this since Erasure and the Detective talked about how there are plenty of off duty pro's in the crowd of a No Scrubs concert.
Ahaha should I just go down the list? Tbh idk if I'll ever get to most of these reactions so it's a good thing this was asked haha
Echo: Biggest stan. He can do no wrong. She was shocked to hear he's Dabi, but also loves the more chaotic No Scrubs songs (I Write Sins not Tragedies, But it's Better if you Do, Jesus of Suburbia etc) and is like, nahh that checks out. Her favorite album is "Good News for People Who Love Bad News".
All Might: listens to them during his hospital stay bc Naomasa recommended it to him (the troll lol). He loves them on first listen, bc he really digs american alternative music and is shocked he's only first hearing them now. His favorite album is Death Before Decaf by a landslide. He worries about his Satoru-shounen, bc some of these songs deal with a lot of trauma. Also is like... wait a minute Semi-Charmed Life is my favorite song and why is it about crystal-meth??? Satoru-shounen?!
Eraserhead: thinks "... this guy has a lot of songs about women, for a guy who historically has never slept with a single woman." His favorite songs are 'This Ain't a Scene it's an arms race' and 'Sugar we're going down', bc he appreciates the irony of some of the lyrics
Present Mic: loveesss the vibe of Glass Onion Heart, as he's a pop-fan. He was really surprised to find Ru-kun and Dabi are the same person, but he respects the hell out of Ru-kun and adores his music and has also mad respect for Dabi after he saved the kiddos on multiple occasions, so he's a major stan. His favorite song is Tokyo, or Moving to New York, bc they both have that 'electropop sound'
Midnight: Her favorite song is Misery Business, or Thanks for the Memories. She's more of a peripheral fan than Present Mic, but she enjoys their music. She adores Dabi/Ru-kun's 'aesthetic'.
Endeavor: doesn't know how to feel. Is very overwhelmed. Somehow he could handle watching his son blow up a terrorist cult on live TV but has heart palpitations watching him perform in a wig and a Sailor Moon outfit. there's too many songs for him to parse out. He tries the acoustic album first because it seems less overwhelming, and it just makes him kind of sad. And full of regret in a way. His son is so talented and Endeavor had always been so full of himself that he'd never realized. His favorite song is No Such Thing - he identifies with it a lot and lowkey hates himself for it bc he 'realizes' how similar he and Touya must be to go through similar circumstances. He also really likes Notion from the same album. He hasn't managed to branch out to the other albums, but he always listens when the songs are on the radio. He only really dislikes hearing Say It Aint So, for obvious reasons, even though the whole alcoholism and step-father thing confuse the hell out of him.
Tensei: Obviously has a soft spot for the acoustic album he bullied ru-kun into making, but his favorite is Good News for People Who Love Bad News, bc that's the album he first found them through and he feels nostalgic about it, but he absolutely adores all the songs/subliminal messages of Death Before Decaf. I'm Not Okay is his favorite song, although it's a tough call. He obviously was the first hero to find out Ru-kun and Dabi are the same person, and he's also lowkey moonlighting as an online forum warrior defending Dabi to his dying breath lol. He'll be very embarrassed if anyone finds out his screen name.
Best Jeanist: Not his kind of music, but he digs the ✨aesthetic✨ and is obsessed with some of Ru-kuns more performative outfits, even the ones that aren't jeans. He's actually a lowkey fan of Mitsuya's designs (but doesn't know his real identity) and can spot one from a mile off. He would absolutely slink up to Dabi at a random event and ask him where he bought his jeans.
Miruko: Also not her kind of music, but once the 'SixWings' stuff drops she's curious enough to give it a listen. She likes Glass Onion Heart the most bc of its more pop sound. She definitely just wanted to be nosey and see if any of the songs were blatantly about Hawks, but is a little confused to see most of them seem to be about women.
Edgeshot: Actually digs their latest album Infinity On High. Has a soft spot for the Green Day songs, Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday, and Hitchin' a Ride - although he's emphatically not an anti-establishment rebel like those songs would suggest lol.
Kamui Woods: Lowkey another major stan that keeps it lowkey like Tensei. Also has a gay crisis over Ru-kun. 1979 is his favorite song. He's unknowingly a Smashing Pumpkins fan, so he likes Today, Cherub Rock, 1979 and Mayonaise.
Hawks: I mean we'll def get his reaction in the fic but yes he's a fan, once he starts listening to it. His favorite is Mayonaise... for what will be obvious reasons... and also Island in the Sun for similar reasons lol. Outside of those he's actually similar to Endeavor (which he doesn't know how to feel about lol) in that the acoustic album is his favorite and specifically No Such Thing and Notion. Although when he turns 23 he changes his ringtone to What's My Age Again.
Not really heroes but do the students count??
Jirou: Favorite song is Misery Business, but her favorite album is Thanks I Hate it Here. She's a massive fan of all their songs, but with her keen ear for music she's especially fond of the really great riffs in Death Before Decaf. Her second favorite would be Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Katsuki: His favorite song to play is Reinventing The Wheel to Run Myself Over, + he likes that song in general bc he just identifies with it lol. He also really likes Homesick at Space Camp, again becuase it's just a fun song to play on the drums. Most repeated No Scrubs song on his spotify is actually My Heart Is The Worst Kind of Weapon from Ru-kun's acoustic album... bc he's a massive simp and is absolutely obsessed with ru-kun's voice. Like he'd buy random super racy bodice-ripper audiobooks narrated in a language he barely understands just because Ru-kun was narrating them.
Hagakure: Immediately downloads all the albums after the news breaks bc she stans Dabi and omgggg he's a sexy rockstar on top of that?! Yeah she's a bandwagonner and she'll fight you about it. She really loves the fun, teenage-rebellion type songs - What's My Age Again is a personal favorite, even though she's not 23 lol. She also likes Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner, a Little Less Sixteen Candles, and Sugar We're Going Down.
Ashido: Fellow bandwagonner who stans Dabi and now stans Ru-kun. She and Hagakure absolutely nerd out and giggle in their rooms listening to their favorite villain/artist, and Jirou sometimes joins them. Yui finds the whole thing embarrassing and pretends she doesn't notice them. She's also obsessed with the acoustic album (thank you Tensei lol) bc she daydreams of Ru-kun one day serenading her with his guitar. She likes the classic Fall Out Boy From Under the Cork Tree teenage-romance-angst-drama songs, Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner, a Little Less Sixteen Candles, Sugar We're Going Down + Thanks for the Memories and This Ain't a Scene from FOB's Infinity on High.
Uraraka: feels like she has to get into it bc all the 1-A girls are into it now. She's too embarrassed to ask Yui about it directly the way Ashido and Hagakure sometimes do (Yui usually just hedges the questions off) but she always listens to the girl's answers whenever they do. Her favorites are Dance, Dance and Tokyo.
Tamaki: had totally been a fan before realizing Ru-kun and Dabi were the same person, had the usual gay crisis about it, was mortified to realize he'd made such a terrible first impression on one of his favorite artists and goes on to sulk in a corner for a lil bit but gets over it. His favorite song is My Own Worst Enemy, just loves the all around vibe. He also really likes Jesus of Suburbia and Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Mirio: Had heard of them bc of Tamaki, but had never gave them a real listen until after the news dropped. He likes a classic rock sound so his favorites are ones like Cherub Rock, In One Ear, and the assorted Green Day songs. He also loves Dance Floor Anthem though, just because it's such a fun song.
Nejire: Same as Mirio, it's not really her usual bubble-pop so she's heard of them through Tamaki but otherwise has never really listened to them. Accordingly she likes the acoustic album (omggg Ru-kun's voice is so sexy ~) and Glass Onion Heart's more pop-ish songs like Dance Floor Anthem, Dance, Dance and Tokyo.
The general consensus is very "???" and also "man this guy has been through some shit and has some bad vices about it but damn does he have a great voice" and frankly, take one look at him and think he lives a very appropriate rockstar-esque life lol. Ru-kun has definitely given everyone the impression that he drinks/does drugs/sleeps around with a hell of a lot more women than he actually does (or in the case of drugs and women, does at all).
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satancopilotsmytardis · 7 months ago
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I'm back again, Apocalypse?
Hmm, this isn't really my cup of tea, tbh, and I don't know much about this genre, but I'll do my best!
Let's say that the quirk event horizon actually hits and goes fucking haywire when Ujiko is experimenting with the nomu and getting stronger quirks in them. He didn't realize that one of the cocktails of quirks he had cooking in a tank would go viral when it came out of the tank, and when it did, people were suddenly having their quirks go absolutely out of control. People who were already trained to handle that like heroes and villains who use their quirks all the time, were mostly fine, but average civilians? Children?? They went out of control and in a matter of weeks it had spread across the globe and most things were in ruins.
The heroes and the villains end up with their own pockets of civilization and they are fighting over the best resource they have-- quirks. With so much destroyed, only people with useful quirks who survived are the ones that matter because those quirks can be used to run the world. For instance, Ibara Shiozaki can actually make a new garden of Eden and ensure that all of the people in the heroes camp are fed, and Kaminari can now power half of Japan by himself.
This puts the League in an interesting spot because Dabi, Shigaraki, and Twice can now destroy the fucking planet if they want to, but they want power and just causing destruction won't get them that. They end up joining up with (and later betraying and destroying) Overhaul who ended up making a 'cure' with the erasing bullets. That helps them to secure a way to get what they want with the threat of completely destroying the heroes' resources.
Meanwhile, Dabi is doing his fucking level best to deal with the fact that just a spark can burn off half his arm, and Shigaraki can Decay anything with just a single finger and has to pay attention constantly to not destroy the gloves he now has to wear permanently. And in all honesty, they're fucking miserable in this new world. Toga is doing awful because now when she activates her quirk she fully becomes that person, mind/personality/everything, until the blood runs out and they hate this new world.
Eventually, they end up at a truce and negotiation with the heroes and the heroes agree to give Twice the measurements of the people they need if the villains fuck off (one set is now good to make a person indefinitely because of the amplification). They take what they need, carve out a place of their own, and set down roots, all of them slowly but surely trying to learn how to exist like this for the rest of their lives. (and Shigadabi are falling in love and agonizing over not being able to touch each other in the background until they feel safe enough to find and update some quirk cuffs)
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fawnforgold · 8 months ago
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| Damage Control |
Pairing: Shigaraki x Oc!Juliet
Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, Canon x Oc, This is not an x reader, Selfship Coded, Juliet goes by It/Its & She/Her pronouns, Shigaraki goes by He/Him pronouns, Graphic Violence, Murder, Blood, Toxic Relationship Dynamics, Death/Death Mention, Parent Loss, Implied Past Abuse, Stabbing, 1.6k words. 
A/n: I thought this would be a very interesting way to introduce my oc Juliet. Please heed the warnings before reading <3
Summary: When Shigaraki and the League witness a darker side to Juliet, they begin to wonder more about who exactly it is. 
Tags: @auphelia @suyacho @tighnarly
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dabi yelled, raising a hand to burn the nameless villain which had started to run head first towards him. “Watch where you aim that thing, Shigaraki.” 
Shigaraki pays no mind to Dabi’s complaint, only making sure to stay out of his way as he disintegrates another low level villain. He launches at the villain and raises a hand which he presses fiercely against the man’s face. Shigaraki grumbles, looking around him to see where Juliet had gone. It had gone out of his sight for quite some time and knowing his girlfriend.. Well, let’s just say it would be better if he located it soon. 
“Where’s Juliet?” Shigaraki asked himself, looking around him with a scowl on his face.
The other league members are busy holding off the villains when Shigaraki turns around to see Juliet fighting off one of the villains and it isn’t until he sets his eyes on it that he lets out a sigh of relief. Although he learns very quickly that there was something unsettling about the display he saw before him. Usually he’d let Jiuliet handle itself, because it could hold its own, but things didn’t seem right. 
He finished off any remaining villains before meeting up with Juliet. Shigaraki wanted to say something, he had half a mind to pull it to the side and ask her what was wrong, but he knew better than to embarrass it like that. If he’d done that he would never hear the end of it from Juliet, nor does he want to deal with that side of it. He gives her a look, watching as it scowled at him before rolling its eyes.
“Don’t.” It spits back. “I’m fine, Tomura.” 
Although he is far from convinced, he gives it some space. Shigaraki acts as Juliet’s shield as it thinks through their next move, standing behind her as it mumbles something to itself. Then all of a sudden the man that stood in front of it grins and says something heinous. Tomura’s mouth falls open a little as the words shoot into his brain like a penetrative bullet. He can tell that Juliet is also a little taken back. A little was an understatement, though. Shigaraki watched as Juliet’s body froze. In anger? Fear? At first glance he couldn’t tell but eventually it became crystal clear that it was a mixture of both. Juliet clenched her fists at its side before lunging at the man and stabbing him in the neck. It let out a guttural scream as it sliced the man’s throat open, only getting off of him once it heard the sound of the man choking on his own blood. 
It stared down at the man writhing in his own blood until he inevitably succumbed to his injuries. Juliet clenched the bloody knife in its hand, nose flared and eyes blown wide with a feeling that Tomura could only describe as pure rage. Juliet then climbed on top of the man’s body and stabbed him repeatedly in the head. The other’s finished off the remainder of the group, leaving Tomura to watch in shock before they noticed what was going on. The League carefully walked towards Juliet and Shigaraki, most of them keeping their distance except for Dabi and Toga. Toga watched to the side close to Juliet as it continued violating the blood and maimed corpse with tears burning in its eyes. Dabi and Shigaraki exchanged a look before Shigaraki stepped forward, kneeling beside Juliet and placing a comforting hand on its shoulder.
“Juliet, he’s dead. You’re good, you can stop.” He said firmly. His voice was soft but there was clear evidence of worry laced within it. 
It ignored Tomura and continued stabbing the corpse until Shigaraki grabbed her wrist and clenched firmly it so that she would stop what she was doing. Juliet jerked her head and glared at her boyfriend, who watched with a stoic expression.
“Let go of me.” Juliet spat, not caring about the consequences of its actions. 
Shigaraki did not let go, in fact he tightened his grip, still making sure to leave a pinkie raised. “Stop it, this is overkill.” He paused. “He’s just some npc anyway.” 
He could see the swirling of conflicting emotions spinning in Juliet’s eyes. It was not itself, an entirely different person, someone Shigaraki did not recognize anymore. He had to intervene, there was no other choice, not unless he wanted to watch his girlfriend become an entirely distorted version of itself. 
“It’s over, we’re going home.” Shigaraki stated. 
Juliet looked at the ground and then back at Tomura. “Fine.” It grabbed Shigaraki’s hand and lifted itself up from the ground.
After Kurogiri managed to warp the entire League back to the hideout they all watched with uncomfortable expressions as Juliet walked into its room and shut the door behind it. The entire League except for Dabi left and went off to occupy themselves so as to not deal with that, but Dabi leaned against the bar and let out a sigh. 
“Go after it you idiot.” Dabi groans.
He looks at Shigaraki who looks at Dabi and then back at the closed door belonging to Juliet’s room. 
“What the fuck just happened?” Shigaraki asks, still unsure about what he had witnessed.
“Fuck if I know.” Dabi says,as he takes out a pack of cigarettes and smacking the top of it against the palm of his hand. 
There’s a pause before Dabi speaks again.
“What did happen back there?” Dabi asks, thinking back to the gruesome sight of Juliet stabbing the man she killed. It reminded him of a human morphing into some sort of disturbing monster, but his friend was anything but. 
“I don’t know.” Shigaraki admits.
Dabi lit his cigarette and watches as Shigaraki walks towards the door leading to Juliet’s room. Shigaraki knocks on the door as he slowly walks in and shuts the door behind him. Shigaraki couldn’t deny that he was a tad uneasy about confronting Juliet. Walking in he saw the difficult sight of it laying in bed curled up in one of her comforters. It did not move, made no noise, and didn’t even acknowledge Tomura. 
“Hey.” Tomura said, announcing his presence in its room. 
Juliet remains still, not moving a single muscle. Tomura walks over and sits on the bed beside Juliet, he places a hand on its calf and begins rubbing it gingerly. The room was silent for a while. Juliet grit her teeth as tears fell down her cheeks, all those triggered emotions finally boiling to the surface.
“Just go away, Tomura.” 
Tomura does not move and instead tightens his grip on Juliet’s leg. Juliet had half of mind to curse him out but ultimately chose against it. The last thing it needed was for it to feel guilt for something else on top of everything else. 
“Why did that guy know you?” Tomura asked gently.
No response.
“Who was he, Juliet?” He asked, just wanting to find some way to get through to his girlfriend.
Juliet hugged her body, squeezing it tightly as tears fell down its face. “Go away.”
“No.” He replied. “Stop bein’ a fuckin’ brat.”  
Still no response.
“Fine.” It snaps back. “You really wanna know, Tomu?” 
Tomura says nothing and instead waits for Juliet’s reply. He watches it with a surprisingly calm expression. Although he has his own opinion in the matter, he keeps it to himself, knowing that the man Juliet killed was indeed someone from her past. 
Juliet takes a deep, shaky breath before speaking. “That was the man that killed my mother.” She admits, looking away.
Juliet turns her head away from Tomura who was now reaching out to place a gentle hand on her face. Neither of them say anything to each other, allowing the silence to fill the room. Juliet enjoyed the silence for the most part, but it felt it had to explain itself, tell Tomura what she meant by her words. Yes, the man had killed its mother, but it was a lot more complicated than that.. Juliet’s mother was never much of a mother to it, barely even a kind person, but that didn’t take away the horror she felt when it locked eyes with the man that ended her mother’s life that night. Juliet was starting to forget the vision of her mother’s bruised and bloodied face, and while on one hand it served as a relief, it also caused her inexplicable panic and dread. For, that was the only clear memory of her mom she had left. What would Juliet do if it could no longer remember her face? How could it live with itself? 
“Do you want to talk about it?” Tomura finally asks.
As much as Juliet didn’t want to forget, the thought of discussing the ins and outs of her most impactful memory did not sound like a good time. 
“No, not yet. I think.. I think I need more time.” It pauses momentarily. “Thank you, though. For everything, Tomu.”
Juliet smiles and then turns to face Tomura with a weak smile. He gives it a caring smile in return as all his worries of her return to the very forefront of his mind. Tomura would have to keep a closer eye on Juliet from now on and for the first time in a very long time, he was scared. 
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thyandrawrites · 2 years ago
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I was rereading chapter 44 for fic writing purposes and
Oh my god
Can't believe I never put the pieces together before
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Shouto's internal monologue here is literally foreshadowing. Change the subject of his thoughts from Rei to Touya and all of it still perfectly applies. The narrative significance of Shouto facing an estranged family member that might still hold resentment for him; Shouto's wish to reconnect mixed with the fear that makes his hands shake on that door handle (not dissimilar to his uncertainty towards Touya after the first war); the way Shouto's made to feel like he's the one holding the family member back from healing, together with his dad, despite that being a false belief and solely Enji's fault; the way it's purely Shouto's resolve that bridges that distance; the stress on Shouto feeling responsible for the abuse Rei suffered and the uncertainty he feels as the 'source' of her unhappiness (and by extension, Touya's).
The use of the word "existence" in particular stands out as significant: in jp, the word used here is the same Touya uses when he says he couldn't figure out why he "existed". The line that was translated as "with all I got" in japanese specifically has him talking about his body, thus referring more outwardly to his baggage as the "masterpiece" than as the pep talk it appears to be here. Which works as another callback to Touya's hangups
And then of course there's the most blatant hint that this is indeed supposed to read as foreshadowing:
"even if she's not asking for it"
Which directly ties to the war arc and Deku's resolve (mirrored by Ochako and, indeed, Shouto), to extend a helping hand to the villains even if they don't want the heroes' help.
And then, as the cherry on top, Shouto's eventual success here is framed as the one challenge he needs to overcome to truly call himself a hero.
🤯🤯
He's not. just talking. about Rei. At least on a metatextual level. Blows my mind.
But of course you won't know that until you reread everything from the beginning.
Rei was the first step towards Shouto finding his path as a hero, but the way Touya's next is woven into the story as early as this, and it's set up as the eventual climax of Shouto's arc right from the start
Chapter 44, guys. Dabi was introduced a couple of chapters later. Take that, haters. Shouto saving his brother was always in the plans.
You can say many things about Horikoshi's writing and its ups and downs, but you gotta hand it to him, this is super neat
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princess-of-the-corner · 7 months ago
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Amnesia!Dabi: Twice (and assorted random thoughts)
I like to imagine that Jin ALSO ends up living with the Todorokis, or at least under their protection. Hell, maybe he stays at U.A.. Maybe Magne comes out of hiding to give them a hand. Who knows. But, like. Like, the Hero Commission absolutely want to throw him in jail. Like. A Hero Student got kidnapped. All Might has retired. The LoV is still at large. The recent upheaval - Kamino, the Togas trial, Toya, maybe a few information leaks - have really hit their public image. They are probably suffering a drop in public trust, and need a win (or a scapegoat). And like. I imagine they give it their best shot.
However:
1) By the time the HC get wind of it, Jin is at U.A., being treated by Recovery Girl. On paper, Jin has “surrendered” to U.A., just like Himiko and Dabi did, an incident the HC largely let U.A. handle independently. Like, did they want to get involved? Oh absolutely. But one of those villains was Endeavour’s kid, the other was a malnourished fifteen-year-old, they know to pick their battles. However, it’s created a pretty obvious precedent that U.A. can use.
2) Their big argument would be that Jin’s Quirk, combined with mental instability, makes him highly dangerous. Well, guess what, his Quirk is GONE. And they can’t claim ignorance, because there’s a pretty recent precedent for that too - Ragdoll. Her medical records probably shows her Quirk factor being damaged or something, and Jin matches (or might even be WORSE). They also could have Monoma try to copy Jin’s Quirk, to prove its really gone, cause he can’t copy what isn’t there. 
3) They still try to make an argument for mental instability. However, with U.A. in the way, they’d definitely need to take this to court, get a proper ruling on Jin’s mental health, prove that he’s a danger to others. Not only is he NOT a danger to anyone right now (except himself) the Hero Commission wants to avoid that as much as possible. Why?
Himiko’s trial.
Cause this is happening right in the middle of the Togas fighting U.A. about Himiko. And that Trial is making all kinds of waves. Like, I imagine part of the reason Dabi went public with his identity as Toya Todoroki, got himself declared “not dead”, was so he could testify in court. Like, yes, he probably could have as Dabi, but it’s most likely EASIER as Toya, if that makes sense? So not only is the public getting “Pro Hero Phoenix Rises From The Ashes!” they’re also getting “Toya Todoroki to testify in upcoming abuse case”. There’s media attention on what would otherwise be swept under the rug. It’s getting a LOT of publicity, and I imagine that the Hero Commission aren’t coming out looking too hot. Why?
So I mentioned some info leaks, right? I like to imagine that the mission Toya went on where he “died” wasn’t just any old mission. It was issued by the Hero Commission. Now, do I think anyone in the HC was part of AfO’s plan to yoink Toya? No idea, but not the point. Those info leaks were about that mission, so now everyone KNOWS that the HC sent Toya on the mission where he “died”. They also have the follow up stuff, which when looked at all together, seems pretty sketchy? Like, why this decision? Why send him alone? Why these heroes, they wouldn’t be great for search and rescue? Why only this long of a search? Hold up, is this autopsy dated the day BEFORE? Shit like that.
(Now, besides the autopsy, I imagine most of it at the time could be explained by “Enji is panicking, grabbing whoever is closest, and not really thinking straight”, but looked back on by the public who don’t have context, it seems REALLY SUSPICIOUS.)
So, there’s all of THAT, but I also imagine that the HC did, at some point, try to get an … “interview”, with Himiko. Like, to ask her about the League. I imagine Himiko, wanting desperately to please the Todorokis (they’re all heroes, if she cooperates, will they keep her?) says sure, she’ll do it.
It goes REALLY FUCKING BAD.
I don’t know who they send to ask questions, but whoever it is, is used to dealing with hardened criminals, not emotionally damaged teens. The “interview”*cough*interrogation*cough* ends with Himiko in a panic attack, Dabi ready to burn a motherfucker to death, and Enji ready to help him. The HC back off so fast they leave tire tracks, and are trying their best to mitigate the situation. Only maybe, perhaps. Himiko’s parents are just rich enough, just influential enough, to know some people in the HC. To find out about the interview.
WHICH THEY DECIDE TO BRING UP IN COURT TO PROVE THEIR DAUGHTER IS A CRIMINAL - I MEAN, THE HC THOUGHT SO, RIGHT?
The Hero Commission is scrambling to fix this, and to do that, they need a win. Or a scapegoat. But they also realize that it’s 50/50 whether taking Jin to court would even work for them right now. So, eventually, they back off, and Jin moves into the Todoroki spare room.
(Please note, all of this is just random thoughts, not sure how well any of this would work?)
*And now, for something, completely different*
So, in the manga, they state that (at least physically) Magne hasn’t transitioned yet. Just … hasn’t been in a place, financially or socially to do that yet, was the impression I got? I like to think that Magne, after leaving the LoV, still in some of her “fuck this shit” phase, decides you know what? I am stuck in a weird place, have no idea what I’m going to do with my life, but I want to be happy. Now’s the time to transition. When she shows up properly at the end to help fuck shit up, Katsuki takes one good look at her, and goes “oh. THAT’S what I want”.
*
If Miruko is already dating, or at least friends, with Fuyumi, what if that’s how Hawks gets pulled in to the Dabi/Toya thing? I like to headcanon that the two are pretty good friends (youngest proheroes, both have animal Quirks, both get a lot of shit from similar places), so when Miruko needs another Pro, she calls him, like, “K, I need your help, but you can’t ask any questions, you can’t tell ANYONE, and aren’t allowed to arrest anyone.”
-
Hell yeah hell yeah HELL YEAH
I just LOVE the Commission being hoist by their own petard.
We can also end up with some bonus info reveals when Dabi eventually remembers The Thing™. Because the Commission tried to cover that up and then cut their involvement when they realized it was a lost cause even though the problem technically continues.
Swinging to the Hawks and Miruko thing:
I think they both got dragged in differently because like. They’re friends but also the social circle is a circle if that makes sense? Like yeah they might’ve told each other, but Hawks got involved because he’s on the list of Heroes that Enji trusts to deal with this sort of thing. (And also in a more personal way Enji was slightly projecting and seeing Hawks as another kid, so  it’s like ‘ah yes tell the family he’s also family’. The Dabi situation quickly turns this into a ‘the only reason I’m not filing adoption papers is because he’s a future in-law now’)
But also Hawks and Miruko get along great and definitely talk about many things.
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aiysan2 · 3 months ago
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Chapter 5 ' Going Under' Dabi x reader
3.3k words
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" You must not hide yourself during the festival, try these clothes on." You mumbled to Dabi, holding up a yukata for him to wear. It wasn't bright, it was plain black, something he would be comfortable wearing back at home as well.
" Are you sure? Maame won't be upset?" He asked, knowing how much that woman's opinion meant to you. He didn't really care about her himself.
" I say it is fine so wear it, you cannot hide for the rest of your time with us." You urged holding it up to him to see if it would fit him perfectly, and it looked like it would. " And I believe you will look handsome tonight."
You got off his bed, springing to your side of the room and pulling a box from under your bed. The box held a beautiful black kimono with a red obi. You laid it on your bed, smiling at it in excitement. Dabi joinedyour side imagining you in it, thinking of you all dolled up for the festival you had been speaking about for 3 weeks.
Apparently you'd be free from prayer as it was a day of freedom and fun, happening once a year to reward those who have stayed clear of all sins throughout the year.
" That looks very pretty." He complimented it, watching how delicately you handled it as if you never wore clothes like this.
" Thank you, I tried to match yours to mine so we can be a duo." You admitted turning your attention to straightening the attire and missing the deep exhale that left Dabi's lips as his heart went into a flurry.
" Like a couple?" He pushed himself to say, giving himself a mental pat on the back with how smooth it left his mouth.
It was your turn to freeze up, sharply taking a deep breath, realising what you had set up, you hoped others didn't think you were being defiant and trying to say you've had sex when you definitely hadn't.
" Do not say stuff like that, it is sinful." You muttered under your breath, hoping the napping Leilani wasn't listening.
" I thought you said today is a rest day?" He raised a brow, the piercings holding his jaw spreading as a sly smile spread across his face. " Are you against going as a couple?"
You looked down hoping your hair covered your face as you thought, did he share the same feelings you did, was this him trying to be cocky as you had heard from everyone else. It wouldn't be bad to give him the same amount of attention.
" I am not against it, I would like it very much." You whispered.
His smile changed from cocky to kind, his hands resting on your shoulders and turning him to face you to show you how happy it made him.
He had to let you know today. He had to tell you about his feelings, he didn't care about any lust sin or any sin for that matter, all he cared for was you. He searched for you in everything, everything good and sweet reminded him of you. He saw life in you and you had changed him for the better, you brought him out of a dark place and made him believe he wasn't a failure, that he deserves to live and take care of himself. He even found himself forgetting his family, as long as you were there everything would be ok.
"Y/n I-"
" My angel!" Maame called, followed by an elder. She walked to your bedside, and looked down at the kimono that you had prepared to wear for tonight. " My that is beautiful." She complimented. " Though we have something else for you to wear."
Dabi watched the light leave your eyes. You furrowing your brows in disinterest.
" Me and Dabi are matching I cannot wear something else." You complained,
" Y/n you've got to be careful it sounds like you're trying to have a relationship before the appropriate age."
" I am not, I just didn't want him to feel nervous, this being his first festival."  You held your own.
" Is this how you have convinced her to allow you to show those mutilations," the elder complained, pointing at Dabi's scaring in distaste. He wished they would remained covered up, he was still waiting for the man to slip up so they could execute him and nothing would taint you.
" You can't talk to me like that old man." He seethed his patience running thin with the guy. He had hated him since he got there, he was sure that was the pedo that touched you and made you so uncertain about your deeds.
" How dare you-"
" I believe we are all stressed from preparations and have much left to do. Instead of having irrelevant arguments, we should be getting ready." You shared an authoritative look between the three, holding your head with such power that Dabi wondered if he had to bow down in your presence. " I will wear my kimono, Dabi will wear his yukata and be free to show his face around the children and the rest of his life here we will not become primitive and disregard him due to his appearance. " With that you carefully picked up the kimono walking out of the large room to get changed.
Maybe you were cut out for leadership
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A fire blazed high, blowing black smoke in the air, while hundreds of hippies danced around it, inhaling cannabis and pot while they partied. Dabi sat alone on a log wearing his black yukata with his hand pressed against his cheek. He missed you. He would've gone looking for you but you seemed to be in a world of your own. He needed to thank you for defending him, for holding him at such high regard.
She would be a great leader one day.
He stared at his hand, lighting it with fire and extinguishing it as time passed, watching the blue flame dance between his fingers as he waited. It was dark and he was bored, he had tried to eat to cure the boredom, he spoke to Iguchi to stall time but he got pulled away to speak to other people. He stuck by Maame who warned him not to bring his ideals from the outside onto you and taint you. He even tried to see if the fire would keep him warm, which of course it didn't.
He wondered how you would look, dressed in the kimono, he hadn't seen you in Japanese clothes yet, you seemed to wear everything except clothes of the country you resided in, your sense of fashion very broad. That was another thing he loved about you, you seemed to be so accepting, too accepting though since you allowed yourself to get close to him.
Yes, you knew his dream and told him you wouldn't speak about it if he repented for such awful thoughts, which he did with your instruction, but how would you react if you knew the things he had done in the past. If you knew how he tried to kill Shoto due to his father paying more attention to him, or the fact his burns were self inflicted. How would you react if you knew the way he spoke to his mother and sister, if you knew he would endanger his brothers in a heart beat if it meant his father would look at him.
Would you look at him so kindly if you knew?
" Dabi are you ok?"
He looked at you and allowed his mouth to hang open. You were absolutely beautiful, there was no other way to describe it, angelic might be one way, though that felt too small a word. You were radiant like a star, bright, shining and beautiful. The black of the kimono projecting the night sky, your eyes twinkling with incomparable elegance. He knew as his heart stirred up, face going red and breathe being stolen that he loved you, and he had to tell you today.
" You look amazing." He gawked, ignoring your earlier question, as he stood up, shamelessly looking you up and down in awe. " How is it possible you look this pretty?"
" Please you flatter me." You giggled, happy he liked what he saw. You'd be very disheartened if he didn't pay you any mind. " Let's go dance the night is still young."
You twirled to the drums, heart full of joy and laughter as Dabi stood idly watching your spinning form.
She's so beautiful
He tugged on your arm gently trying to get your attentions.
" Y/n I have to tell you something." He yelled over the music.
" Not now let us dance." You smiled pulling his hands into yours and spinning the two of you around like children, bare feet twisting in the grass as you closed your eyes allowing the wind to scatter your hair. " You're so stiff, enjoy yourself if not for you do it for me."
He would do anything for you.
He leaned back letting the air shake his hair and the earth mould between his toes spinning himself around with you and letting a small smile appear on his face from happiness. He truly did not want to leave, he had found a peace here that he didn't believe he could. He found a friend, he found a home, he found love and nothing could ruin the growing feelings brewing in his chest.
He pulls you as you tripped, protecting your body from the floor with his own, holding you tight as if you'd disappear if he didn't touch you.
You, obviously high off something, giggled in his arms feeling such a large surge of happiness fill your chest when he held you. He always smelt like fire, and even though that was something you hated before you grew to love and accept it, even thinking of him whenever you smelt burning wood.
He laid flat on the floor looking down as you pushed yourself up off his chest, looking at him in glee as both your chests thumped simultaneously.
" Was that not fun?!" You cheered, leaning over to ruffle his hair, ignoring the keening eye of your pedo elder.
" I guess it was " he smiled back, rolling over so you were underneath him and placing a gentle pecks on your nose. If you weren't so giddy you would've slapped him for even putting his lips anywhere near your face, but your love overcame any after thoughts. Even when he scooped you up your arms wrapped around his neck staring into his eyes dreamily while thoughts of the future worked in your mind.
When we are of age I will ignore tradition and have one partner and it will be him.
" You are always so warm, it is comforting." You muttered folding the fabric of his kimono and pressing your face against his chest. " Where are we going?" You asked realising the fire pit was becoming distant as well as the sound of music.
" I found this cave, wanted to show you it." He placed you on the ground helping you find your footing before holding your hand and pulling you up a steep cliff.
" A cave? How haven't I noticed a cave here before?" You mumbled not mentioning the fact that Dabi was walking a little faster than you could keep up. He seemed so excited you didn't want to ruin it for him.
You ended up smiling like an idiot as he explained walking around and noticing some grass was too soft and ended up burning through it to find an opening, he smiled as he got to the cave entrance using his hand to illuminated the way for the two of you.
" You're fire is very pretty Dabi." You complimented, missing the sly smile on his face when he turned around to pull you further inside. " It's a little creepy in here I hope you don't plan to hurt me." You whispered hearing your voice project while it echoed.
" Yeh I am." He answered sarcasticlly.
"Don't be crude." You smiled.
He sat you down on the cold floor using the small flame from his hand to guide himself as he hastily piled some dry sticks and leaves. He set fire to the pile the cave illuminating with an orange glow.
He sat on the other side of the fire, hiding behind the flames in fear of what your face might tell him when he opens up to you.
" Why are you sat so far away?" You shuffled closer to him, him not even noticing the inner conflict in his eyes. You reached a hand forward to use your quirk on him.
" Wait!" He yelped startling you. You hoped he wasn't seeing visions of killing his father and brother again.
" I just want to get something off my chest." He mumbled, you had gotten so close your knees were touching, facing him with an encouraging look. You wished you had the power to ease his pain in every way possible to get further into his head and soothe him.
" Take your time Dabi do not feel pressured."
You could tell it's heavy, he pulled you away from the celebrators into the warming cave.
He looked down at your knees not having the power in it to look at your face.
" I want to tell you everything, I want you to trust me like I trust you, you know."
" You trust me?"
" More than anything."
The two of you stayed silent you playing with the fabric of his yukata in dead thought. He wanted to tell you everything, it had to be everything.
" What's your name?"
" Touya."
" It's pretty, really suits you."
You allowed the name to roll off your tongue, it twisting Touya's heart into a bow as you branded his ears with your voice. He felt stupid for giving you a fake name, especially knowing how beautiful his real name sounded on your lips.
He detached your hand from his Yukata and placed on his chest, allowing you to feel his pounding heart.
" Are you sick?" You asked, about to stand up and pull him to a medic if needed.
" No don't be stupid," he held a tight grip on your wrist, pulling you closer so your knees were between each other. You would've scolded him for insulting you, but you couldn't concentrate as your palm pressed firmly against his chest, your heart thumping in time with his. You reminded yourself to pay attention to your breathing otherwise you'd pass out from the flurry going through your body.
" Your heart is fast." You whispered staring at his chest like you could see it thumping under your hand. " Why?"
" I'm scared." He admitted holding a tighter grip on your wrist.
" Of what? Of me?" You caught his gaze staring longingly in his eyes, hoping they would tell you all the answers you needed to understand the vague man sat in front of you.
" I'm scared you won't like the real me."
Real you, you thought scanning his face as you scrunched your brows. You hoped he wasn't going to tell you that he was lying this whole time and his actions were to trick you into thinking you had something special between you two.
" There's so much of me I want to give you, so much I need you to know and I'm scared of how you'll react if I tell you." He whispered, your hand left his chest, holding his face in your hands. He looked on the verge of tears.
" Let me see, please Touya." You asked, hands sliding down to his as he nodded his mind obviously elsewhere trying to figure out where to start.
He watched curiously as your eyes paled for a second then went back to normal, he always wondered how time worked with your quirk because you were always able to see so much in less than a second.
He saw the smile that spread across your face, blinding him in the dark cave. You looked so giddy like a child who had just got candy.
" What? What is it?!" He asked, getting creeped out by your love struck stare on your face.
" You dream of me." You grinned.
" Huh?"
" You dream about having a future with me. We have a flat you called it. It's just the two of us and sometimes we have food with your family and they love me and constantly shower you with affection and Amaliqah is with us, however you kept her in some glass which I didn't like. Me and your brother Natsuo got on so well and your mother adored me so much and we grew so old together and surprisingly we died at the same time isn't that weird Touya. That isn't the point though, you dream of me. It's amazing really." You gushed so giddy like a school child.
Touya didn't know what to say, especially since now he had outed himself stupidly. How could he allow you to look?
" I do." He admitted faking confidence while sitting straight.
You held your breath fearing that you might die from happiness.
" I have something to confess too." You admitted, " I feel something for you that grows stronger everyday. Even if there are things that I don't like, like your swearing or the fact you skip words in a sentence, but that's ok because you have things you don't like about me like the fact I use too many words and refuse to swear. You say you're scared of how I'll react to you, but you do not have to tell me now. " Your eyes flicked from his hands to his chest to his eyes. " Just like your dream we will have years to tell each other everything,  the good and bad."
Touya couldn't help it, when he leaned forward for a kiss. You were just perfect and always knew what to say in every situation. You knew how to make him comfortable and make him anxious, his heart turning into butterflies and swirling in his chest. Petals pricking his skin sending goosebumps over his body. He swore he heard the angels in heaven and believed in your stupid religion when you kissed him back. However it was quick, you leaving his lips when your brain clocked that you even entertained kissing him back.
I don't want to stop, it feels right with him.
Touya didn't care about your bloody rules or constant dismissal of lust, he loved you more than anything. He wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you forward, his hand going to your hair to hold you in place while he kissed your lips once again.
You couldn't deny that you wanted a kiss as much as he did. Your arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, watching his staples to make sure the fabric of your clothes didn't snag them. You pulled yourself up spreading your legs so you were straddling his lap and pulling him closer to you as if you needed to wear his skin.
Even when your lungs burned for air you refused to move away from him. You needed him in every way, in every form. Damn the sin of temptation, you were very tempted and Dabi had taken the top spot on your priority list.
" Touya," you panted pulling away, he was barely listening his eyes stuck on your swollen lips, the stain used on them smudged and wet with both your saliva.
" What?" He asked, annoyed that he was wasting time that could be spent making out.
" I'd like it if you took me now instead of when I'm 28."
His face flushed, heart pounding restlessly.
" What you not into those group orgies?" He remarked slyly, to hide his sudden nerves.
" It is not an orgy it is a show of us becoming one-"
" An orgy~" He sang a wide grin appearing on his face. " Why not wait?" He asked his tone becoming serious.
" Well one, I feel like now is the right time and two I only need you." You admitted, leaning forward to kiss his nose. This time he allowed himself to get flustered, taking in a deep breath before letting himself ingest your overbearing words.
"I-i agree."
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scary-grace · 1 year ago
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Love Like Ghosts (Chapter 18) - a Shigaraki x f!Reader fic
You knew the empty house in a quiet neighborhood was too good to be true, but you were so desperate to get out of your tiny apartment that you didn't care, and now you find yourself sharing space with something inhuman and immensely powerful. As you struggle to coexist with a ghost whose intentions you're unsure of, you find yourself drawn unwillingly into the upside-down world of spirits and conjurers, and becoming part of a neighborhood whose existence depends on your house staying exactly as it is, forever. But ghosts can change, just like people can. And as your feelings and your ghost's become more complex and intertwined, everything else begins to crumble. (cross-posted to Ao3)
Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Chapter 18
There’s something wrong with your house, but you knew that when you bought it. This morning, the thing that’s wrong with it is the potted plant that’s heaved over the fence into the front yard just past three am. The sound of a terracotta pot shattering wakes you up, and when you fumble for your phone to check the time, you see that you’ve got a text from Dabi. Your dumb horny idiot wouldn’t leave me alone until I gave him a plant. Whatever the hell he wants, I hope it’s worth it.
As far as Dabi goes, it could be worse. You send him a thumbs-up and a thank-you and wonder idly if Tomura really thinks one potted plant is going to get the two of you through a second round of sex. But when Tomura materializes in your room seconds later, he doesn’t try to start something. Instead he crawls under the blankets on your bed and wedges himself in beside you. Phantom’s excited to see him. She walks all over you to plop down between the two of you, her wagging tail thumping against your cheek.
You shift her to one side to avoid the onslaught and peer at Tomura through blurry eyes. “What?”
“Go back to bed.” Tomura sets Phantom down on your stomach and presses close against your side, wrapping one arm around you to hold you even closer. “I mean it. Go.”
You don’t like being told what to do, but you have work in the morning, and you’re still worn out from last night. You close your eyes again.
It’s a busy morning, so busy that your plan to get the morning-after pill before work is derailed within two minutes of your alarm going off. You were so tired last night that it was all you could do to make dinner, feed Phantom, and go back to sleep, which means you now have to shower and pack a lunch in addition to all your usual morning chores. And somewhere in the middle of that, you have to explain the plan for killing Tomura’s conjurer to Tomura himself.
Tomura, as predicted, is not pleased. His first protest is that he can do it himself, at which point you text Hizashi to come over later and explain – from outside the fence – what happens to ghosts who kill their own conjurers. Tomura follows up by pointing out that the others weren’t very helpful handling Garaki, and you counter with Tomura’s own statement about being his conjurer’s only remaining ghost. Finally, Tomura gets around to what seems to be the main point of contention. “I don’t trust them. Not with you. Not from him.”
Tomura doesn’t talk about his conjurer very much. From what he’s said, he barely remembers him. But you knew he’d say something like this, and you have a response ready. “If you’re materialized, he’s cut off from the world between. He’ll just be a human. And humans die.”
“Don’t copy me,” Tomura says. He knows you’re quoting what he said to Garaki. “Who’s supposed to kill him, anyway? If they try this stupid plan.”
“The rest of the adult humans,” you say. Then you think about it. “Probably Keigo or Aizawa. And probably Aizawa. He’s got a gun.”
“Spinner would. And Jin.” Tomura speaks with a lot more certainty than you’d expect. He sees the way you’re looking at him. “What?”
“Nothing.” The electric teakettle hisses and you pour hot water into your travel mug before dropping in a tea bag. “Usually you aren’t nice about them.”
“They came over while you were gone. For games.” Tomura crouches down to pet Phantom, who’s come over with her favorite toy. “Himiko, too. It wasn’t bad.”
You didn’t expect that. You didn’t think he’d do anything but hang out with Phantom while you were gone, and you suddenly feel guilty for not asking. But you’ll ask more when you get home from work, or text him about it on your lunch break. Right now you have to get moving. “So, the plan?”
“I haven’t said yes yet.”
“We’re not doing it today,” you say. “Just think about it. If you’ve got ideas, we could use them. Your last plan was pretty good.”
Tomura looks pleased with himself. You gather up your work backpack, plus all the research you’re bringing to Mr. Yagi in exchange for his and Izuku’s notes on his master’s journal, and head for the door. Phantom follows you. So does Tomura. “Get more plants on the way home.”
You say goodbye to Phantom and feed her a treat. “Plants are expensive.”
“They’re everywhere outside. Those don’t cost anything.”
He wants you to go out, dig up random plants, put them in pots, and bring them home so the two of you can have more sex. “I’m not stealing plants in my work clothes,” you say. “Maybe after dinner.”
Tomura grins. He dematerializes from behind you and reappears in front of you, leaning against the front door and blocking your path. “I want a kiss first.”
“I was going to kiss you anyway.” Your hands are full, but you step forward anyway and press your lips against his.
You haven’t kissed him since last night. The two of you don’t usually kiss unless someone’s trying to start something, and kissing him goodbye on your way out the door to work has always felt a little too intimate, a little too serious for whatever the two of you are. Except now the two of you have said you love each other. You defined the relationship. You went all the way, to the degree that you’re having to make an effort not to walk funny. You can be serious, because it is serious. A goodbye kiss is something you’re allowed to have.
You’re five minutes late by the time you stagger out the door, and as you push the speed limit to get to work on time, you find yourself wishing you had someone you could tell about all of this. Maybe not the sex part. Probably not about that. Definitely not about that – but the rest of it. The part where you’ve got a boyfriend who loves you in whatever way ghosts love humans. It’s the kind of thing you’d talk to your old friends about, but they’ve found their own lives and pulled away, just like you did. There’s got to be somebody else. As you cruise the courthouse parking lot looking for a parking place, your usual spot long since snagged by somebody who got here early, you’re horrified to find yourself considering telling Nakayama.
The spot you find is way back in the corner of the lot, almost out of sight of the doors. If it was dark there’s no way you’d think about parking here, but it’s broad daylight, and you’ve got pepper spray somewhere in your backpack for the walk back after work. You take a second to get yourself organized, then grab your backpack and get out of the car, walking around to the passenger side to lift your research folder off the seat.
You don’t see a shadow fall across you. You don’t hear footsteps. The first thing you notice is something touching your shoulder, and the last thing you see is an enormous hand swathed in a wet, stinking handkerchief coming down over your nose and mouth. You have time to identify the smell – not alcohol, something stronger, chloroform? – before the world starts to blur at the edges. Somewhere in your head, alarm bells are ringing. You’re in danger. You’re being kidnapped. Something’s gone really wrong.
By the time the realization settles over you fully, it’s too late. All you can do is throw your elbow backwards, connecting weakly with something solid, before everything goes black.
You come to with a splitting headache and all the adrenaline and terror you didn’t have time to feel before flooding through your veins. As soon as your eyes are open, you’re fighting, but there’s no point – your arms and legs have been shackled down at the wrists and ankles, and there’s a restraint pinning you to the table at the waist. You’re trapped. It’s not even funny how trapped you are.
When you look up, all you can see is the bright glare of a fluorescent light, the kind that gets shined on your face at the dentist’s office. When you turn your head to the right, there’s nothing. When you look left, you see a rolling cart with a tray on top of it. The tray is covered in sharp, shiny metal implements. Surgical implements.
This can’t be happening. You thrash, trying to find any give in your restraints, but there’s nothing. It’s around then that you realize you’ve been stripped of your shoes, socks, shirt, pants – you’re down to your bra and underwear, like some parody of a kidnapping in a movie. But this isn’t a parody or a movie. It’s real. Whoever brought you here is planning to hurt you badly. Maybe kill you. Probably kill you.
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to kill you.” The voice issues from somewhere behind you, and it rings a distant bell in your head. Too distant, when the rest of you is worried about whether your kidnapper can read your mind. “In fact, my plan hinges on your survival. I have great things in mind for Tomura, and the death of his human at my hands will not improve his listening skills.”
“Shigaraki Akira,” you say, and Tomura’s conjurer laughs. “I know who you are. We all do.”
“Yes, you made it quite far in your investigation! Tomura certainly chose his human well,” the conjurer says. He sounds delighted by it, which is the opposite of how you expected him to sound. “It’s quite unusual to see a human so bent on protecting a ghost – and terribly unfortunate that Tomura wasn’t quite so careful when it came to you. So full of ghostly power – you were all too easy to spot.”
You have the incredibly stupid thought that this wouldn’t be happening if the condom hadn’t broken, then push it aside. The conjurer’s voice is familiar. You’ve met him before. When? Where? “Where did you find me?”
“You don’t remember?” The conjurer sounds surprised. Then he laughs at himself. “Of course. You can’t see me. My apologies.”
Footsteps behind you. A shadow falls over you, and although it’s hard to see the conjurer’s face, you know exactly who you’re looking at. “My fellow gardener,” the man who gave you his handkerchief the day Garaki died says. His smile sends a bolt of pure terror down your spine. “We meet again.”
All this time you’ve been plotting against Tomura’s conjurer, and he’s known where you are. He’s known where you are for more than a month. You thrash against the restraints harder than before, watching as Shigaraki picks his way around the table you’re strapped to and reaches the cart with the instruments. He pulls on a pair of gloves, and somewhere behind you, a door opens. More footsteps. Shadowy figures come to stand along the walls, and Shigaraki continues to talk.
“It’s quite a strange existence your neighborhood has carved out,” he remarks, lifting one tool after another to the light and studying them. “So many beings who once held immense power, leading such quiet, mundane lives. I must say, I’ve never understood the appeal of humanity, of mortality. Why should we settle for one life, one world, when we could have so much more?”
Silence falls, and stretches. Tomura’s conjurer glances at you. “This isn’t a rhetorical question. I’m interested in your answer. What is so wonderful about mortality?”
“It’s not wonderful,” you say. Shigaraki Akira arches an eyebrow. “The world between is worse.”
“Ah, I understand. You’ve stared into the abyss, and you don’t like what you saw.” Shigaraki raises one hand and beckons, and eight shadowy figures converge on the table, holding down your arms and legs even tighter. If you couldn’t get out before, you’ve got no hope of it now. “Perhaps you simply need to look a little longer. You will get the chance.”
When he speaks again, he’s not speaking to you. “Hold her down tightly. We must remove all traces, or our plan will be spoiled before it can begin.”
“What plan?” you ask desperately. “What are you going to do to me?”
“For all your impressive qualities, you’re only human,” Shigaraki Akira says, almost indulgently. “In order for you to properly partner Tomura, I must make you into something more.”
There’s something about that you should understand. Something you should know. But then the blade of a knife meets your skin, carving deep through its layers and down to the fat beneath it, and your ability to understand anything at all vanishes into a helpless howl of pain.
It’s terrible enough to drive you into unconsciousness, but Tomura’s conjurer doesn’t let you stay there. When you pass out, the knife lifts, and the process doesn’t begin again until you wake. You don’t know why you have to be awake for this, unless he’s trying to torture you, but he sets the knife down every so often to assure you it isn’t personal. How could it not be personal? He’s carving into your skin, peeling back long strips of it with agonizing slowness, stopping only when you fall unconscious or when his hands grow too slick with your blood to hold the blade. There’s no rhyme or reason to where he’s cutting you. Your left shoulder. Your right forearm. A spot on the side of your torso that feels like it takes hours upon hours to peel back. Every time you black out, you pray that you won’t wake up, that the conjurer won’t be able to rouse you. And every time, your eyes open again.
It's been quiet in the room, save for the conjurer’s voice and your unheeded screams, but after some endless amount of time, you hear another voice. “Too much blood loss,” it says, low and rumbling. “We’re running out of excisions.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. I expected her to be strong-willed, and we have plenty of excisions left for my purposes,” Shigaraki Akira says. “When we exhaust our options on the anterior, we’ll turn her to expose the rest. The one on her back is quite fresh.”
What’s on your back? You know Tomura left scratches there last night – and then you understand what the conjurer’s doing, what he’s spent the last interminable hours carving out of your skin. He’s removing the marks Tomura left on you. All of them, one by one.
You don’t know why he thinks Tomura will be happy with this. Seeing what’s been done to you will enrage him. You wonder what time it is, whether anyone’s noticed you’re missing, whether anyone’s asked where you are. How long will it take Tomura to realize you aren’t coming home? How long is he going to be angry at you before he realizes that something’s gone wrong? You think of him pacing inside the house, Phantom following him, anxious because he is. You wish you were anywhere but here, but more than anything, you wish you were home with them. You’re never going to see them again. Your throat, raw from screaming, closes off. Tears begin to drip down your cheeks, and the next time the knife cuts into your skin, you endure it in sobs instead of screams.
Your other arm. Your opposite shoulder. The other side of your waist. At some point the conjurer inserts an IV, and fresh blood begins to flow drop by drop into your veins. He wants you alive. Why? You try to make yourself listen to what he’s saying, to learn anything that might help you survive, but there’s nothing. Just the friendly exterior, the friendly voice, and the hands cutting you apart piece by piece.
“I can’t call this failure Tomura’s,” he muses as he carves a piece of flesh out of your upper arm. “He doesn’t know any better. Toshinori, on the other hand – the fact that I snatched you from under his nose will haunt him for the rest of his pathetic human life.”
You want to defend Mr. Yagi, but there’s nothing left of your voice. It’s almost as raspy as Tomura’s, and you’ve barely used it for anything but sobs and weak whimpers of pain. The conjurer’s voice takes on a dangerous note. “Nothing to say? Your stubbornness was charming at first. Now it’s getting excessive.” He jabs the knife into your skin, peels a strip back, and you wail like a wounded animal. “There’s no point in resisting. No one is coming for you. No one knows where you are. No one even knows you’re gone. The longer you resist, the worse it will be.”
No one knows you’re gone. That means it’s still the same day, because if he’s been watching you, he knows what time you’d be expected home. How is it the same day? It feels like it’s been forever. “That’s right,” the conjurer continues. “The longer you hold out, the more painful this will be. When it ends is entirely up to you.”
When it ends? Your mind is too hazy with blood loss and pain to come up with an answer, and before you can even come close, the knife bites into your skin again. You pass out almost instantly. He revives you just as quickly. It begins all over again.
You can tell the conjurer is growing frustrated with your unwillingness to do whatever it is he wants you to do. You also have a feeling he’s running out of marks to carve away, and sure enough, he orders for you to be uncuffed and rolled over, so he can reach the marks on your back. They uncuff your legs first. Nobody’s trying too hard to prevent you from running, which makes sense. You can’t run. You don’t even know that you could stand.
When your right hand’s uncuffed, the conjurer takes one look and bursts out laughing. “How did I miss this?” he asks, pulling the bracelet from your wrist. “Shimura’s work. Of course she’d continue to plague me from beyond the grave.”
Conjurers can’t touch the souls of the dead. If you die, you’ll be free of this. Free from him. The thought comes to you, settles around you, comforting and cold. You don’t have to survive this. It can end. You can go.
Shigaraki Akira laughs. “So this token was the underpinning of your resolve. Moonfish, retrieve the ghost. We’re ready.”
His voice is benevolent again, almost cooing, with a sickly undertone that makes you want to tear off the rest of your skin. He uncuffs your other wrist without looking, without spotting the bracelet there, covered in blood and practically glued to your skin. “I imagine Tomura will be very fond of my gift. Once your binding is complete, he’ll have no need to embody himself again.”
A ghost. He called for a ghost, and he’s talking about binding – a Nomu. Tomura’s conjurer is planning to turn you into a Nomu. He tortured you until you lost your will to go on, and as if you needed proof that he succeeded, you’re lying completely unrestrained on the table without even the faintest urge to run. “As for this,” Shigaraki continues, “it’s only fitting that I break Shimura’s last trinket on the day I break her ghost’s will.”
He raises the bracelet and slams it down on the table. You hear it crack. A sheet of white light blasts through the room.
You don’t understand what’s happening. It feels like it happens too fast, and at the same time, you see it in slow motion. Shigaraki’s blown backwards, clawing at his face and howling. The table you were tied to tips and overturns. There’s a sharp sting as the IV comes out of your arm, and pain explodes through your body as you hit the ground and sprawl out. Your mind’s a second or two behind the times. You’re sprawled out on the ground. Your arms and legs are free. You could get up, if you wanted to. You could run.
You struggle to your knees, try to stand, and realize that crawling’s your best bet. In the wreckage of the laboratory, nobody’s paying attention to you – they’re all trying to aid Tomura’s conjurer, who’s still howling in pain. You gather your strength and what’s left of your resolve and crawl for the door.
The operating room was clean and pitilessly bright, but the hallway outside is dingy, and crawling through it feels like it’s going to give you twenty kinds of diseases. It’s that thought that forces you to your feet, and not a second too soon. One of the conjurer’s minions is hurrying down the hallway towards you, carrying a matte-black box that’s rattling in his grip. You don’t even think before you act. You reach out and swat it from his hands, and the instant it strikes the floor, the ghost inside it bursts free.
The ghost could kill you. You see her thinking about it, but then the conjurer’s servant lunges through her, towards you, and she materializes all at once. You’ve never seen a ghost trap someone else with its own body before, and it’s hideous. So is what’s happening to the minion – massive dents are appearing in his body, like the way a car looks after a few rounds in a demolition derby. His eyes are blank as his body deforms, but the ghost looks at you. She has dark skin and pale hair and a look of unrestrained fury in her red eyes. “Run.”
You don’t need to be told more than once. You set off down the hall as fast as you can go, stumbling on almost every step. If anyone catches you, you’re doomed, but if you can get out of the building, maybe – you think about your home, Phantom. Tomura. But even if you make it out of here, you don’t know where you are. You don’t have money or your phone or your ID. You don’t even have clothes. When you hit the street, you’ll be doing it bloodstained and in your underwear, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll make it that far. You remind yourself again. Phantom. Tomura. You have to.
Something seizes you from behind, and your destroyed vocal cords shudder around a scream – but it’s only the ghost from the box. She begins to drag you down the hall, much faster than you were able to move on your own. “I’ll get you out, but that’s it,” she says through clenched teeth. “Whatever you did in there, do it again as soon as we’re outside.”
You still have the other bracelet. You nod and struggle to pick up speed, but the ghost makes an irritated sound and yanks you completely off your feet. It’s faster this way. Still, you’d give almost anything not to see the long smear of blood your body is leaving on the ground, and of course being dragged around like this hurts. Everything hurts. You’ve never felt pain like this before. All you want is for it to stop.
No, that’s not all you want. You want to go home. You think of Phantom, think of Tomura, and hold on tight as the ghost kicks down a door and drags you through onto the street.
It’s almost full dark. The air smells sooty and metallic, which tells you that you’re in the old manufacturing district, a long way from anybody who could have heard you scream. The ghost drops you next to the building and gestures impatiently. “Do it. You’ll need every second of a head start.”
You raise your left hand and bang your wrist against the wall of the building. Not hard enough. You throw yourself against the wall, hoping your body weight will do the trick, but there’s no luck there, either. “We’re too close,” the ghost says suddenly. “Give me that.”
She pries the bracelet off your wrist, drags you five feet, ten feet, twenty feet away, then hurls the bracelet against the wall from a distance. The blast of light takes a chunk out of the side of the building, and the entire thing begins to collapse – but that’s all you see of it. The ghost drags you away from the damaged building, towards the more populated downtown. As bad as being dragged across the floor in the warehouse was, being dragged across concrete is worse. You black out after about three seconds, and this time, there’s no conjurer trying to wake you up.
The next time you come to, you’re huddled in an alleyway, limbs flopping uselessly as the ghost tries to stuff you into a set of clothes that smell freshly stolen. “Go out there,” she snaps at you once she sees you’re awake. “Someone will see this and help you. This is as far as I go.”
“Thank you,” you mumble. “You got me out –”
“We got each other out. He dropped my box because of you.” The ghost straightens your shirt, then hauls you upright by the front of it. “Good luck, human.”
“Wait,” you say, and the ghost glances at you again. “What’s your name?”
“Rumi.” The ghost dematerializes and vanishes completely.
Rumi’s saved your life, and now she’s saving her own. The rest is up to you. You lean against the wall for a moment, fighting off the urge to lay down and give up, then start down the alleyway and into the street.
It’s a street you recognize. You lived near here, in the last apartment you had before you bought your house. It’s been almost two years. You don’t know anyone here you can ask for help, so you struggle down the sidewalk, pausing at one of the city’s few remaining payphones before realizing that you don’t have anyone’s number memorized. You could look through the phone book – Mr. Yagi’s almost certainly listed – but that would take money and time, and you’re getting unsteadier on your feet by the second. You spot the sign for the train station up ahead and aim for it. The train will take you out of the city, and maybe you can sit down.
Hopping the turnstiles is something you’re familiar with, but your muscles are desperately weak. You get one leg over, then get stuck, and sprawl out hard on the tiles on the far side. You know you leave smears of blood when you get to your feet, but the clothes Rumi stole for you don’t show it except in slick, dark spots, and there are so many of them that it probably looks like a pattern in the fabric. You leave the bloody outline of your body on the floor and pick yourself up again, dragging yourself onto the first train that pulls into the station. You hope it’s the right one.
On board, you huddle in your seat, shivering. You’ve always liked the cold, but you’re used to being cold on the outside – from air or water or wind or from Tomura wrapping himself around you, visible or not. This cold is crawling up from inside you, cold like the world between, hollowing you out one cell at a time. No matter how tightly you curl up, you can’t shake it. It hurts so badly. Everything hurts, and there’s no one to help you, and you’re so far from home. And even if you make it, you’re a mess. You’ll have scars, horrible ones, and enough nightmares to keep you awake for the rest of your life. Imagining going back to work, back to your life, feels impossible. What’s the point?
The point is Phantom, who loves you. The point is Tomura, who loves you too, who will never forgive you if you leave him like this, or at all. You have to keep it together for them. At least long enough to see them one more time.
By some miracle you got on the right train, the one that runs all the way out of the city proper to reach your stop. When you hear your stop called, you haul yourself upright and stagger off the train, leaving another bloodstain on the seat you were in. You almost make it down the stairs from the platform, but you miss a step and fall down three more, sprawling out headfirst on the concrete. You barely bring your arms up in time to shield your face. And then you’re stuck. You don’t have the energy to pick yourself back up again, and even if you could, it’s still miles between you and home. Instead of trying to rise again, you curl up, whimpering when the movement breaks the few scabs that have managed to form over your wounds. You have a hard time imagining you have any blood left to lose.
This is it. This is how you die, then – in a bloody heap on the sidewalk, because you could escape but you couldn’t make it home. You’re going to leave him. It’s the last thing you want, but you can’t help it. Maybe you can find some way to stick around, just like Yoichi did, but deep in your heart you know you’re not that strong. You’ll leave Tomura, go where humans go, and you’ll never see each other again.
The thought makes you cry, but crying hurts your throat, and the horrible raspy sounds you’re making do a great job of covering up the sound of a car pulling over. Then the sound of footsteps. But there’s no way you can miss the sound of your own name, shouted in a familiar voice. “Hey, where have you been?” Spinner demands. “If you don’t get back soon, Tomura’s going to – wait, are you okay? Did you fall?”
“I knew I smelled blood!” Himiko’s here, too. You hear a car door slam shut, and more footsteps darting towards you. “A lot of blood. Not all of it’s hers.”
“Did she kill somebody?” A hand reaches out and shakes your shoulder, then recoils – just like you’re doing, because their hand came down over one of your wounds. “Fuck, look at this. She didn’t try to kill somebody, they tried to kill her. Get her up.”
Hands seize you – at least three sets of hands, three people pulling you upright. “Careful,” Spinner is pleading. “Don’t touch the blood –”
“I can’t do shit about that. It’s everywhere.” Now you can place the third voice – it’s Dabi. What is Dabi doing out here? “Something fucked her up bad.”
You force your eyes open and see that you’re being carried towards the dark shape of the Buibaigawara family’s minivan. Jin is in the driver’s seat, and you see him grinning at you. “Hey, there you are! We gotta get – Himiko, shit, is that blood? Did you do that?”
“I wouldn’t,” Himiko snaps at him, sounding more than a little hurt. “Somebody cut Tomura’s human. We have to take her to the hospital.”
“No.” The voice from the passenger seat sounds more like Kurogiri than Shirakumo right now. “We must return to the neighborhood.”
“You’re not the one with her blood all over your hands. She could be dying!” Spinner protests. “If we get her to the hospital –”
“She’s vulnerable to the conjurer,” Kurogiri says. Dabi, Spinner, and Himiko dump you into the middle row of seats in the van and he twists around to look at you. “He’s the one who did this.”
“I got away.” You cringe from the sound of your own voice. “He got hurt. Maybe dead.”
“Did you see the body?” Dabi asks. You shake your head. “If you didn’t see it, he’s not dead.”
“He’s right. If Tomura wasn’t materialized when it happened, the conduit was still open, and he could have used Tomura’s power to survive.” Spinner looks miserable. “We can’t know for sure.”
“We have to go back,” Kurogiri repeats. “Jin, drive.”
The minivan lurches into motion. Himiko and Spinner are trying to figure out what to do about your injuries, while Dabi gets on the phone. “We’ve got her. Pull everybody back,” he says. You can’t hear the other person’s response, but you hear Dabi’s answer. “She looks like something mauled her.”
“It’s not that bad,” Spinner says hastily, trying to reassure you. It’s – sweet. “You’re going to be fine. I bet they’re not as bad as they – holy shit –”
Himiko’s just pulled up your shirt. Spinner rolls down the window in a hurry and sticks his head out, gagging, while Himiko stares for a moment with her jaw dropped. Then her pupils narrow to slits, sheer rage settling over her face. “He cut out Tomura’s marks,” she says. Dabi swears into the phone, then swears again as the person on the other end of the line barks at him in response. “I’ll cut him.”
You always thought Tomura’s thing about not touching other ghosts’ humans was just a weird Tomura thing, given how much time Dabi and Hizashi spend lowkey threatening you, but apparently it’s not. The idea of someone removing a ghost’s marks on their human is enough to seriously piss off Dabi, Himiko, and Kurogiri at once, until the car is crackling with their fury. “Can you guys cool it?” Jin asks anxiously. “I’m a nervous driver.”
“You sped the whole way here!”
“I was nervous about finding her. Now I’m nervous about you guys blowing up my mom’s car,” Jin says. “What’s going on is fucked. I want to kill something! But if even I can pick up on what all of you are doing, Tomura will, too.”
“We can’t let that happen,” Spinner says at once. “If he finds out about this he’ll go ballistic. There’s no way he’ll stick to the plan.”
“You can’t just hide it. I could smell her blood from down the street.” Himiko peers at you, her pupils dilating again. “And her soul’s not right. It’s unstuck, kind of. It’s wrong. He’ll know. He’ll know his marks are gone, too.”
Dabi hangs up the phone, then dials another number. He speaks while it’s ringing. “I’m letting the humans know. He can’t read them like he reads us. When we get back, you all get on her and stay there. You too, Kurogiri. As long as she smells like the neighborhood he might not notice.”
“She’s still bleeding,” Spinner says loudly. “If we bring her back and she dies –”
“Keigo knows doctor shit. He can help her.” Whoever Dabi’s calling picks up the phone, and Dabi starts talking. “Yeah, we’ve got her. She’s fucked up. Here’s what we’ll do –”
You’re among friends now. People who will help you, whether it’s out of obligation or because they care, and now that you know you’re not going to die alone, it’s somehow harder to hang on. The drive back to the neighborhood goes by in a long, slow blink, punctuated by Himiko and Spinner repeatedly shaking you awake. “Come on,” Spinner says, still sounding sort of like he wants to throw up. “You have to make it through this. Tomura’s naming his Pokémon all kinds of stupid shit and you’re the only one who can talk him out of it.”
“Stay awake,” Himiko tells you. She’s been patting your cheek lightly, which you don’t mind. Your face and neck are the only parts of you that the conjuror left untouched. “You’re my only human girl neighbor. I’ll be sad if you die. Tomura will be so sad if you die. You don’t want him to be sad, do you? You love him. Humans don’t want the people they love to be sad.”
“Ghosts don’t, either,” Dabi mutters. Then, to Jin: “Park at the top of the street, across the street. Everybody’s falling back to my house and the idiot’s. We could use the extra barricade.”
Jin skids to a stop at the top of the street, and Spinner opens the door. You see people hurrying up the street towards you and identify them distantly – Keigo, Hizashi. They reach you just as everyone else is hauling you out of the car. Hizashi takes one look at you and swears, his pupils narrowing to slits just like Himiko’s did. The embodied ghosts never look more inhuman than when they’re angry. “When he gets here, I’ll kill him myself.”
“Calm down,” Spinner begs. “If he figures it out –”
“He knows she’s back. If you’re any good at lying, Spinner, get down there and tell him we’re hiding her in my house so the conjurer won’t find her when he comes looking for him.” Hizashi’s a good liar, and it’s a logical plan, but you absolutely don’t want to be left alone with Hizashi right now. “Keigo, Dabi, with us. Everybody else, battle stations. Shigaraki’s on his way here, and he’s not happy.”
The group splits, Himiko bolting down the street while the others follow at a slower pace. You’ve had enough of a rest that you think you can maybe walk a few feet, past Atsuhiro’s house and up Aizawa’s front steps, if only so Tomura doesn’t spot you being carried and catch on to what’s really happening. Keigo hovers next to you, ready to catch you if you stumble, while Dabi and Hizashi trail behind you. “What are you doing up here?” Dabi asks Hizashi. “He trusts you about as far as he could throw your rotting corpse.”
“So, pretty far, then.” Hizashi ignores the disgusted noise Dabi makes. “He trusts my human more than me, and my human can lie to him better than I can. And since he’s got my human right now, he’s got all the leverage on me he needs to make sure I’m right here to take the hit against his asshole conjurer.”
“Fucking asshole. And I thought ours was bad.”
“Ours didn’t need us like his needs him.” Hizashi snarls low under his breath. “Cutting out the marks is a new low. It would have been better if he’d just killed her.”
“Don’t say that,” Keigo snaps at him. You push open the front door, then stumble over the threshold into the house. Keigo catches you, guiding you towards the kitchen, and – “Hey, calm down! I just need to get a look at your injuries!”
You can’t look at the kitchen table without feeling sick. “I’m not laying there.”
“Fine. The living room. Get on the floor.”
The floor is fine. It has a carpet, and Keigo yanks a pillow off the couch for you to prop your head on before he pulls out a pair of scissors and starts cutting away your bloody clothes. He studies you and sucks in a breath. “Okay, cleaning these out and bandaging them is the best I can do, but it’s not going to be enough. The skin’s the biggest organ in the body and right now it’s got a bunch of holes in it. You need antibiotics and some of that fake skin as soon as we can get it, or sepsis will set in and kill you.”
“You can’t just stitch it up?” Dabi asks. “That’s what you did for me.”
You wonder what the story was there. “These are too wide for me to do it with what I’ve got here,” Keigo says. He looks down at you. “The cleaning part is going to suck. Can you keep quiet?”
You nod. He doesn’t look convinced, so you clear your throat and try to talk. “I can take it. It won’t be as bad as when it happened.”
“What happened, exactly?” Hizashi asks. He’s at the front window, while Dabi leans with his back to the door. “We’ve been careful. You had those bracelets. When did we get made?”
“Same day –” The cleaning process starts in earnest, and you hiss in pain. “Same day we killed Garaki. I left to get the plants. I met him at the nursery.”
Dabi makes a skeptical noise. “You had the bracelets. Those things work. He shouldn’t have been able to tell.”
“He could.” You bite the inside of your cheek and try not to howl. What was it that Shigaraki said? “He said I had ghostly energy. That I was full of it.”
“Ugh. Don’t tell me shit like that. I don’t want to know.”
“That’s not what he meant,” Hizashi says suddenly. He turns to look at you, and if you didn’t know better, you’d say he looks like he’d seen a ghost. “When did you meet him? Before Tomura’s lesson or after?”
The fact that Keigo’s helping you instead of hurting you on purpose doesn’t make what he’s doing hurt even less. You squeeze your eyes shut. “After.”
“Fuck,” Hizashi mumbles. “It’s my fault.”
“Huh?” Keigo sounds puzzled. “It sounds like bad luck.”
“It’s not. I made Tomura practice discharging power before the fight, and I made him practice on her.” Hizashi’s voice is full of venom. “He’s got the self-control of an elephant on an acid trip, so of course he overdid it. The bracelets wouldn’t have done shit to hide her after that. Anybody who was looking could have seen her from space.”
You remember something he said that day: She’ll glow in the dark until it wears off. Hizashi was trying to make you leave, but all he did was turn you into a walking signpost pointed directly at the neighborhood. Is it his fault? Blaming him would feel good, maybe, if none of the rest of this had happened. You don’t want to think about it. All you want is not to hurt anymore.
It’s cold, and getting colder. You think some of that could be the blood loss, and the fact that your clothes are partially in tatters once again, but when you exhale, you can see your breath. Keigo notices, too, and you watch the blood drain from his face. “Guys –”
Hizashi and Dabi are huddled by the window. “These can’t all be his,” Hizashi is hissing.
“They’re not. I’ve seen some of them before,” Dabi hisses. “They’re like you. They came here on purpose, and now they’re free.”
“And they’re following him?” Keigo says, incredulous. “Why?”
“For kicks? I don’t know.” Hizashi shrugs uselessly. “I’m a little out of touch these days.”
You can hear low whispering from outside the house, and the air is getting colder by the second. If everybody else is down at the other end of the street – “Call them. Warn them –”
“They know already,” Hizashi says grimly. “Trust me.”
Just like Garaki before him, Tomura’s conjurer speaks first. The mirror sound of his voice makes you cringe and curl in on yourself. “Good evening, Tomura,” Shigaraki Akira says. “What a quiet life you’ve led since we last saw each other.”
Dabi and Hizashi rose to the bait instantly when Garaki called out to them. Tomura stays silent. “Not even a greeting?” Shigaraki asks, and clucks his tongue. “I suppose I never taught you manners.”
“You’re trespassing.” Tomura’s voice rings out, vibrating with power. “This is my neighborhood. Get out.”
Shigaraki clucks his tongue again. “Poor thing. I see now that I’ve been neglectful. I should never have left you with the impression that this was your home.”
“How many are out there?” Keigo asks, keeping his voice low.
“Hundreds,” Dabi says, and the floor feels as though it’s fallen out beneath you. “Nomus. Embodied ghosts. Live ones.”
“None of them are his,” Hizashi says. There’s a savage note in his voice. “He’s only got one.”
Tomura hasn’t responded to his conjurer’s latest taunt. His conjurer speaks again. “You’ve built quite a comfortable existence for yourself, haven’t you? A secluded kingdom. Servants who bend to your whims. Even a human of your own.”
“What human?” Tomura scoffs. “I don’t have a human.”
Even knowing he’s trying to protect you, even knowing that he’s lying, your heart sinks. “You know better than to lie to me,” the conjurer says. That almost-indulgent note is back in his voice.  You roll to one side and dry-heave onto Aizawa’s carpets. “Where is the human girl? Has she failed to return home?”
“She’s home,” Tomura snaps. “Safe from you.”
“Have you seen her?” Shigaraki inquires. He sounds honestly concerned. “Who told you that she’s home? The others? The ones who fear your wrath so deeply that they have every reason to lie?”
“She’s here.” This time, it’s Shirakumo who answers – Shirakumo, not Kurogiri. “You know I’m telling the truth, Tomura. So is Himiko.”
“Yes, your human is home,” the conjurer agrees. “But safe? I think not. Dabi, Hizashi, Keigo – come out. Bring Tomura’s human to him.”
“No,” Tomura says, but there’s an uncertain note in his voice. “Stay where you are.”
“Come out,” the conjurer repeats. “No one will harm you on your way. Tomura’s human is in a delicate condition. I won’t risk anyone dropping her.”
He’s pretending like he’s not the one who did this to you. Like he really cares about making sure you get back to Tomura safely. “Stay where you are,” Tomura orders again. “You can’t trust him.”
“I’m the only one here who’s telling you the truth,” Shigaraki says. “Hizashi, Dabi, Keigo. Bring the human out. If you won’t, I’ll be forced to send my friends to retrieve her – and unlike me, they don’t much care about preserving your lives.”
You lift your head with an effort and see Dabi and Hizashi trade a glance. Then they turn from the window and come towards you. “It’s strategy,” Hizashi insists as he drops a coat over you, as Dabi hoists you upright. “If they come get us here, we’re all dead. Your house is a lot easier to defend.”
But he wouldn’t let you go back unless he thought it wouldn’t matter. He’s playing all of you, and you’re too weak and exhausted to see what his endgame is. You’re semiconscious as Keigo, Dabi, and Hizashi carry you down the front steps, but you keep your eyes open with an effort, and you see the conjurer’s army parting the way to make a path, one that runs straight as an arrow down the street until it reaches your house. Hizashi sets a brisk pace, just below a jog, and you jostle along between he and the others. You don’t see where the conjurer is, but you hear his voice. “Very good,” he says, encouraging. “A wise choice. I’m sure Tomura will be merciful in turn.”
You hear the others’ voices as you get closer to the house, all of them trying for damage control. You start agitating to be set down. You can’t risk Tomura losing his temper on the others, and the worse off he thinks you are, the angrier he’ll be. He needs to see that you’re fine. You’ll be fine. Keigo sets you down carefully, then steps in close, arm around you to hold you upright. You survive the step up onto the sidewalk and shuffle along until you’re walking parallel to your own fenced yard. You have to keep walking. You have to keep walking long enough for Tomura to let Hizashi and Dabi in, or he’ll strand them outside.
The gate swings open as you reach it, and Tomura’s voice drifts in from nowhere. “She wasn’t wearing that when she left,” he says. Dabi steps through, then Hizashi, and he shuts the gate behind him. You have time to register that every last one of your neighbors is inside the property line before your vision begins to blur. It’s not blurry enough to block out Tomura as he materializes at the top of the front steps. His next question is for you. “Why were you late?”
You can’t talk. Talking will give it away. You climb the first step, then the next, and it’s not until you’re just outside the warm glow of the porch light that your legs give out.
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