#controlling them??? eeeeeeh but HIDING them??? yes.

[inkykeiji]

do you think there’s anything that makes dabi genuinely laugh or smile? i’d give anything just to see him genuinely happy.

yes, i do!! i don’t think that he’s like, completely void of positive emotions, you know??? i think he’d be really into ‘stupid’ humour, stuff like jackass and sausage party, and he would HOWL if one of his friends (esp tomura) got hurt in front of him. these are fleeting moments of happiness, but i think they’d still happen, especially if he’s feeling more relaxed or chill!! i think he’s a massive sadist and a sociopath, and that inflicting pain on others truly does make him genuinely smile. other than that, i think his partner (if anyone’s ever lucky enough to get THAT close to him) would be able to pull genuine smiles from him, absolutely. cute little things they do, little quirks they might not realize they have, or sweet things they say; i think all of these would evoke smiles!! i think it’s RARE, definitely, but i don’t think he’s entirely incapable of them!!

i also think he’d absolutely LOVE and get quite a kick out of beating tomura at a video game (bonus points if it’s his favourite!!)

[askmiraiacademy]

Boss Battle Level 3

Kotoko had been fully prepared for any of Monaka's attackers, keeping the antidote to the knock out gas firmly between her teeth as she walked down the halls back to class. However, the person who came at her favored Nitrous Oxide and her body immediately went lax. The irony of using the tools of her father's trade to kidnap her was not lost on the teen. She now dangled upside down over a vat of black water. It was hard to tell what lingered inside, but something was moving.

She craned her neck to try to get a good look at the room, but for the most part the lights were off. She was above some sort of stage, a large darkened screen behind her. Finally she locked eyes with her captor. Of course, it was him. She had found it odd that someone had happened to find them right after they found the exploding bear.

"Did you use fucking laughing gas on me you squib." Kotoko hissed. She struggled to slip out of the ropes, but dang-it he was through. Dyre relaxed against a podium in a powder blue suit vandalized by his own hand.

"Yes I did." He replied smoothly, testing his audio set up to ensure its quality. He glanced at her again with a puzzled expression, his eyes lingering over her thighs. "Shouldn't that be on your ankle?"

"UGH! What's with this bondage gear you pervert, and just watch where your looking!" She kicked furiously in his direction, managing to strike him in the head with his own mike.

"That was rude." Dyre frowned rubbing his head. The sound of the double doors opened and immediately Dyre tensed. He straightened his bow tie, prepared to lift the lights in the room at a moment's notice. His contestants had arrived. "It seems the heroes have arrived. Let's see if they can measure up to all the hype." He stated in a sour tone.

"Nagisa you had one job!" Jataro bellowed on the verge of an hour long tirade, which in all honesty, probably would have no discernible message.

"You can give me shit later," Nagisa rubbed his temples,  "we've got more pressing matters on our hands." With that, Dyre pressed a button on the inside of his coat. Spotlights shown down on the three boys, with the floor lighting up like a disco dance hall. The walls displayed swirling patterns to offset the brightness of the accompanying screens.

"Welcome to the game show of the century..." Dyre faltered. "The 51st annual Hope's Peak, wait no, this isn't Hope's Peak... Uh the Mirai... Mirror- God I should have scripted this." He his face slipped into his palm. He never was good at improv, but he had assumed that it wouldn't be nearly this hard. He hadn't been this nervous in front of an audience in a while. "I'm having to make this stuff up on the fly here! Umm... Just I ask the questions, you give the answers."

"This was the Super Elementary School Level Speech?" Nagisa scoffed.

"Things have changed." Dyre shrugged. The floor lit up in alternating colors as an overhead camera swung around the room for a wide shot. "So I hear that Salty has a crush on Pretty in Pink," Dyre grinned, "while Neil Patrick Harris and Rich Boi 2.0 have been maxing out their social links if you know what I mean." He gave a wink with finger guns. "Nailed it." He whispered, though his voice carried across the room. Kotoko fought the urge to roll her eyes as her friends faltered.

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about?" Nagisa took a step back in alarm. Then with realization said. "So you have played Persona!"

"Hah! You caught me." Dyre shook a finger at him. "But if you go to Masaru room, I'm sure you'll see the fireworks between you two."

"Would you shut the hell up!" Masaru's face was redder than his hair.

"...I'm not salty." Jataro murmured softly.

"What the hell are you all standing around for?" Kotoko flailed in the air. "Help me!" The boys tried to step forward, but the tiles before them flashed red, a loud buzzer noise assaulted their ears. The tiles instantly increased to a scalding temperature, threatening to melt their shoes should they try to cross without permission. If the board weren't so far from the stage, they might have risked it.

"Not so fast," Dyre crossed his arms, "did you forget it's the game show of the century... Even though I can't come up with a proper name." He reflected. "When you're asked questions I expect you to play along and answer. Get it right you move a step forward. Get it wrong, and there will be consequences." With a snap of his fingers Kotoko suddenly dropped a foot, the momentum causing her to swing back a forth slightly. Thankfully, she had the self control not to scream. "So are you playing, or are you playing?"

"Hell no!" Kotoko and Nagisa shouted in defiance. Unsurprising Kotoko dropped another level, but she was surprised when a hammer swung down from the ceiling and struck Nagisa in the back. He stumbled forward, luckily caught by his concerned friends before he fell toward the hot plates

"You got that wrong!" Dyre cackled in mocking reference to their principal. "Now let's try this again. Question 1: Neil Degras Tyson,  what kind of future do you see yourself having with Rich Boi 2.0?"

"AHhhhhh~" Masaru laughed nervously, painfully aware of the eyes that were watching him. He gave a shaky shrug. "I-I'll pass."

"You can't pass," Dyre sighed. "Sorry."

"Fuck!" Masaru cursed under his breath.

"That's okay, I'll wait." Dyre cued the theme to Jeopardy to play as Masaru hid his face in his hands struggling to think. This was taking way too long to seem ordinary. Suddenly a wave of inspiration hit him.

"Ahah!" Masaru cheered. "A happy one!" After a long pause Dyre looked at Kotoko, as if she were a willing assistant for the course of the game.

"...Sh-should I give that to him?" He asked.

"Well it's not a wrong answer shit-stain." Kotoko glared with increasing intensity.

".... I guess." Dyre relented. "You get half a step." Half a row of title turned blue, emanating steam before a soft bell chimed. "That means it's safe to proceed." Dyre explained. Not that it made too much of a difference, but every step counted. Dyre leaned back, stretching his shoulders as he proceeded with the next question. "Oi, Salt Mine. How many pictures of Pretty in Pink do you actually have, including the ones we've seen?"

"Eeeeeeh." Jataro counted on his fingers, trying to calculate a precise number. "Errr..... 836?" Dyre blinked in surprise, having expected a little more hesitation.

"I- I'm honestly surprised you-" Dyre began only to get cut off by his captive.

"836 WHAT THE FUCK!?" Not that any of the pictures in the scavenger hunt were remotely risqué, but the sheer number was alarming. Kotoko couldn't fathom that much paper, considering it was at least three text books worth. A row of tiles cooled off, allowing the group to advance another step.

"Now for the next-" Dyre briefly wished he had brought a gag, having been interrupted yet again by the damsel in distress.

"NO! I WANNA KNOW WHAT THE FUCK!?" Kotoko flailed in place. "DO YOU EVEN HAVE A LIFE?! How the hell did you have time to do all of that?" She ceased kicking, frustrated by how her body twirled slowly in place as a result of her thrashing. It was hard enough to be taken seriously when she was tied up, let alone twirling like a wind chime.  

"I- I drew you every day when we were apart." Jataro confessed. Another roll lit up, though Dyre didn't recall hitting the trigger.

"Uhh." He stalled, inspecting the controller. "Okay I guess. I mean, it's my job to ask the questions." He huffed. "But, I mean that works. Yeah. Cool. So, have you noticed any change in your friends Pink Lady?" Dyre prodded, as a mild form of revenge.

"Hunh?" Kotoko blinked, certain that being above a vat of what appeared to be sharks exempted her from participating.

"That's-" Dyre closed his eyes in disappointment. "That's not a real response."

"Well ask me a real question dumbass." Kotoko seethed. "You didn't give even give me a time frame! They've changed clothes since I last saw them. They're definitely taller than when we were kids. I could go on." Two rows lit up, causing Dyre to panic a little.

"Ah!" He started before she could continue. "Like, thinking about group lately, do these things seem real or not?"

It was evident by the look on her face that, that had done little to clarify his question. Quite frankly, he didn't understand what he just asked. "I mean, pun intended, don't you think there's a little distance between you guys? It seems to me like you're hiding something from each other." His demeanor grew surprisingly serious. "Something... serious."

"N-no!" Kotoko avoided looking at him, checking to make sure her skirt was hiding everything it was supposed to. She didn't have time to notice that each of her friends were equally uncomfortable with the accusation. Unfortunately her answer was a lie and no one else supplied the truth. The rows on the game board behind them dropped into oblivion, creating an ever widening gap until there was only six inches wide of safe space to stand. A guillotine blade came down four feet above the ground, giving the boys just enough room to duck.

"I told you there'd be consequences  if you got it wrong." Dyre scoffed. "I try not to lie, unlike other people I know. I mean, look at yourselves, and you call me the villain here?"

"We're not the one's putting peoples' lives in danger for some stupid game." Masaru shot back as the guillotine slow rose back to whence it came.

"Who said I was putting anybody's lives in danger?" Dyre struggled to control his laughter. "It's not like I'm some Warrior of Hope playing Demon Hunter or something. I mean, who calls themselves that if they're going to literally destroy everything? Don't go acting like this is suddenly criminal, you done far worse for the sake of a stupid game." He glowered. "So far, the only thing you've done to help is put people in glass cages under the school because they demanded proper repentance from you. How dare they. Not everyone at this school has the power to stand up to you, but they won't stand to defend you either. I can't count the number of people who walked by the Student Council Room while I destroyed it and did nothing to stop it. The message from the student body was clear. They don't want you here. What makes you think you're fit to be the heroes?”

"You said yourself," Nagisa composed himself, "things have changed. Holding onto grudges like that is unbecoming of a student at this school." Dyre cackled in response.

"Says the student council president who doesn't trust his own secretary even though she runs around the school trying to do everything for him." He shook his head. "You hold grudges against people who haven't even done anything! I'd hate to see what happens to someone that actually wrongs you." He snorted. "Oh wait. You kill them." Nagisa glared at Dyre, struggling to maintain some semblance of composure. Masaru on the other hand seemed ready to strike at any moment. "Speaking of your secretary..." Dyre's entire demeanor seemed antagonistic, until he finally asked what had been burning at the back of his mind. "How is she?"

"Umm... fine I guess." Nagisa frowned.

"What is with this guy?" Masaru hissed under his breath. The best anyone could offer was a confused shrug. Another row lit up, bringing them terribly close to the stage.

"Really?" Dyre wondered as he eyed his controller then shrugged. "Well, shows you how good your judgment is. Now, for the grand finale! This questions is for all of you. Have you noticed a pattern to this game? If so, what is it?"

"Hunh?" Masaru frowned.

"Really?" Dyre's smile fell. "No sense of nostalgia at all?"

"Monaka's exile..." Nagisa realized  "It's going in order that we lost to Komaru! Not just this stupid game show, Monaka's game! She's trying to recreate it!"

"Where's the glitter?" Dyre beamed pressing the center of his bowtie. "I need MORE GLITTER!" The ceiling opened up dumping tons of silver sparkles on all of them.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!!!!" Jataro growled in frustration. He'd be finding glitter in his room for months now.

"Yes, shower me." Dyre's arms were opened wide as he laughed. The Warriors of Hope were at a total loss.

"What backwards dimension did you pop out of?" Kotoko couldn't help but ask, but Dyre ignored her.

"Alright, we won your stupid game, now give us back Kotoko!" Nagisa ordered.

"Don't you want your prize, you get to ask me one question!" He said smugly. "I'll be under the same rules as you. Only the truth or punishment, seems fair right. After that, she's all yours." He waved the remote teasingly, but the next row cleared without his permission. "Alright, what's wrong with this thing!?" Distorted music filled the room, causing Dyre to nearly drop the remote in surprise. "H-how? I don't have one of those stupid things." Dyre laughed. "You can't threaten me like the others, you can't even lay a hand on me!"