FicWad

Shigaraki took his time getting back to the bar. He'd had a good interaction with someone for the first time in a while, and usually if that wasn't with Kurogiri or someone else that Sensei approved of, things didn't turn out well. For the other person, at least. Whenever Shigaraki had reached out to people outside of Sensei's small circle in the past, those people would end up either missing or dead shortly after. Police reports would always remark them as being unfortunate accidents or suicide, but Shigaraki knew the truth. Sensei could - and would - make people disappear at his command. It was this fact that made Sensei so feared and admired. His power. Shigaraki wasn't afraid of him though, just annoyed. And he wasn't going to let Sensei get his hands on Izuku, that was a promise. He'd purposely given Izuku the number to his burner phone, so Sensei wouldn't be able to track any of their conversations. At least, that was what he hoped.

When he arrived at the bar, Kurogiri greeted him at the door. "Shigaraki, there you are. Sensei was wondering where you were."

"I was at the arcade, Kurogiri. The same place I go everyday."

Kurogiri made a noncommital noise, but nodded. "Sensei would like me to bring you to him."

Kurogiri opened up a portal for Shigaraki to step through, and Shigaraki sighed before walking into the mist. Better to get this over with. Moments later he stepped into a lavish manor hidden somewhere in the mountains. Sensei paid good money for this place to be kept off of the map so it was very difficult to find if Sensei didn't trust you personally; even Shigaraki didn't know where it was.

Kurogiri led Shigaraki down the hall and into a large study where Sensei sat behind a mahogany desk. Sensei smiled as Shigaraki entered and gestured for him to take a seat. As he did so, Sensei nodded to Kurogiri and said, "Thank you Kurogiri, you may go."

Kurogiri bowed as he vanished from sight, leaving the two of them alone. As Shigaraki watched Sensei, his mottled, scarred face met him in return, and a shiver went up his spine. He knew that even without his eyes, Sensei knew how to see. As if reading his thoughts, Sensei grinned and gave a small chuckle.

"Kurogiri says you've been restless, Tomura. Tell me, is there nothing I've given you that has satisfied you? I give you food, shelter, a purpose. All things that the commonfolk scrounge for, to be met with so little. You are fortunate."

But Sensei's grin became empty, and in the next moment an oppressive aura filled the room. Shigaraki clenched his hands, trying to hold back the nausea in his stomach as Sensei activated Command, a quirk in his arsenal which manipulated peoples' minds to his will. Shigaraki had built a bit of resistance to it over the years, but it still never felt good when he decided to use it.

"So tell me, Tomura, why it is that Kurogiri cannot make heads or tails of your whereabouts in the recent months? Surely you have nothing to hide, or is there something you wish to tell me?"

'Play it cool, Tomura,' The voice in Shigaraki's head whispered. 'He doesn't know. He can't.'

Shigaraki scoffed. "I can't go out for a few hours without being hounded? I'm not a fucking child."

"We will see. Trust is earned, not given, Tomura. And after your last escapade, my patience has worn thin with you."

Oh. Sensei was talking about that.

"That wasn't my fault."

"Wasn't it, Tomura?" Shigaraki could very easily imagine Sensei quirking an eyebrow up at him, if he had any. A moment later the tense atmosphere settled, and Shigaraki tried not to let his sigh of relief become too obvious. "Don't worry, though. I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself to me."

Shigaraki's eyes narrowed with suspicion, but didn't say anything, waiting for Sensei to continue.

"My reach can only go so far. Many people adore me and would fall to my knees in service. Of course this has brought great attention from the police and Hero society, which makes it increasingly difficult to extend my reach the way I need to. That is why I am giving you the responsibility to be that reach."

Shigaraki quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

"What I mean is I want you to draw people in, convince them of our cause. But I want you to be the face of their operation."

"You want me to lead my own villain group?" Shigaraki's eyes sparked with amusement, thinking of all the chaos he would wreak.

"Think of it as your chance to prove yourself to me again. I'll even let you name your group. But remember, Tomura, you might be the face of their operation, but I am the face of yours. Everything you do, you report to me. Is that understood?"

Shigaraki frowned. So it was just another tactic to control him. The excitement that had momentarily flooded his senses turned sour, like a dead animal gone to rot. Shigaraki had to physically hold himself back from decaying the rich wooden surface of the desk, choosing to scratch at his arms instead.

Always watched like an animal. Always bound. Always the perfect student. Always Sensei's prized possession. Always locked up like a trophy.

Shigaraki's red eyes simmered.

"Perfectly."

♤ ◇ ♤ ◇ ♤ ◇ ♤ ◇ ♤ ◇ ♤ ◇ ♤ ~

Shigaraki came back to the bar via Kurogiri. Upon exiting the portal, Kurogiri asked Shigaraki if he needed anything, to which Shigaraki told him to "piss off" before going to his room and slamming then locking the door. All he could see was red as he kicked the wall (busting a hole through it in the progress but that was a problem for future Tomura) and decayed a lamp. There was a mirror that Shigaraki momentarily considered smashing before deciding the attention it would garner from Kurogiri was more trouble than it was worth. He liked the guy but he knew but Kurogiri was loyal to Sensei, not to him. Just like everyone else.

In his anger Shigaraki's hand slipped and he ended up decaying his hoodie. He swore, however as he did so he noticed something clatter to the floor - the burner phone that he'd exchanged numbers with that boy on. Izuku, wasn't it?

Shigaraki reached for the phone, but a moment later he gritted his teeth and kicked it across the room.

'What the hell am I thinking? Why would he want to talk to me? After that little stalking act of mine - great first impression by the way, Tomura - he probably thinks I'm a creep or something. Idiot.'

And yet...something stirred within him like hope. That kid had seemed...intrigued when he talked. Had listened to him. Hadn't...turned him away.

But still, he didn't dare hope.

He scoffed and turned away to fish a new hoodie out of his drawers before collapsing into his bed. Loneliness threatened to eat at his heart, but he buried it and forced himself to sleep, altogether missing the glow from his phone's screen as a message came through.

[Midoriya] Hey Shigaraki, I hope you get this message. Can we talk again soon? -Midoriya.

The next day when Shigaraki saw the message, something went alight in his eyes - the hope he dared not to feel, lest he be burned again. Still...

[Shigaraki] Sure, pipsqueak. Did you have somewhere in mind?

And if Shigaraki's face was bearing a soft, cathartic smile for the first time in a while as Izuku responded with the affirmative yes, well, he'd never tell you.



Shigaraki took his time getting back to the bar. He'd had a good interaction with someone for the first time in a while, and usually if that wasn't with Kurogiri or someone else that Sensei approved of, things didn't turn out well. For the other person, at least. Whenever Shigaraki had reached out to people outside of Sensei's small circle in the past, those people would end up either missing or dead shortly after. Police reports would always remark them as being unfortunate accidents or suicide, but Shigaraki knew the truth. Sensei could - and would - make people disappear at his command. It was this fact that made Sensei so feared and admired. His power. Shigaraki wasn't afraid of him though, just annoyed. And he wasn't going to let Sensei get his hands on Izuku, that was a promise. He'd purposely given Izuku the number to his burner phone, so Sensei wouldn't be able to track any of their conversations. At least, that was what he hoped.

When he arrived at the bar, Kurogiri greeted him at the door. "Shigaraki, there you are. Sensei was wondering where you were."

"I was at the arcade, Kurogiri. The same place I go everyday."

Kurogiri made a noncommital noise, but nodded. "Sensei would like me to bring you to him."

Kurogiri opened up a portal for Shigaraki to step through, and Shigaraki sighed before walking into the mist. Better to get this over with. Moments later he stepped into a lavish manor hidden somewhere in the mountains. Sensei paid good money for this place to be kept off of the map so it was very difficult to find if Sensei didn't trust you personally; even Shigaraki didn't know where it was.

Kurogiri led Shigaraki down the hall and into a large study where Sensei sat behind a mahogany desk. Sensei smiled as Shigaraki entered and gestured for him to take a seat. As he did so, Sensei nodded to Kurogiri and said, "Thank you Kurogiri, you may go."

Kurogiri bowed as he vanished from sight, leaving the two of them alone. As Shigaraki watched Sensei, his mottled, scarred face met him in return, and a shiver went up his spine. He knew that even without his eyes, Sensei knew how to see. As if reading his thoughts, Sensei grinned and gave a small chuckle.

"Kurogiri says you've been restless, Tomura. Tell me, is there nothing I've given you that has satisfied you? I give you food, shelter, a purpose. All things that the commonfolk scrounge for, to be met with so little. You are fortunate."

But Sensei's grin became empty, and in the next moment an oppressive aura filled the room. Shigaraki clenched his hands, trying to hold back the nausea in his stomach as Sensei activated Command, a quirk in his arsenal which manipulated peoples' minds to his will. Shigaraki had built a bit of resistance to it over the years, but it still never felt good when he decided to use it.

"So tell me, Tomura, why it is that Kurogiri cannot make heads or tails of your whereabouts in the recent months? Surely you have nothing to hide, or is there something you wish to tell me?"

'Play it cool, Tomura,' The voice in Shigaraki's head whispered. 'He doesn't know. He can't.'

Shigaraki scoffed. "I can't go out for a few hours without being hounded? I'm not a fucking child."

"We will see. Trust is earned, not given, Tomura. And after your last escapade, my patience has worn thin with you."

Oh. Sensei was talking about that.

"That wasn't my fault."

"Wasn't it, Tomura?" Shigaraki could very easily imagine Sensei quirking an eyebrow up at him, if he had any. A moment later the tense atmosphere settled, and Shigaraki tried not to let his sigh of relief become too obvious. "Don't worry, though. I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself to me."

Shigaraki's eyes narrowed with suspicion, but didn't say anything, waiting for Sensei to continue.

"My reach can only go so far. Many people adore me and would fall to my knees in service. Of course this has brought great attention from the police and Hero society, which makes it increasingly difficult to extend my reach the way I need to. That is why I am giving you the responsibility to be that reach."

Shigaraki quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

"What I mean is I want you to draw people in, convince them of our cause. But I want you to be the face of their operation."

"You want me to lead my own villain group?" Shigaraki's eyes sparked with amusement, thinking of all the chaos he would wreak.

"Think of it as your chance to prove yourself to me again. I'll even let you name your group. But remember, Tomura, you might be the face of their operation, but I am the face of yours. Everything you do, you report to me. Is that understood?"

Shigaraki frowned. So it was just another tactic to control him. The excitement that had momentarily flooded his senses turned sour, like a dead animal gone to rot. Shigaraki had to physically hold himself back from decaying the rich wooden surface of the desk, choosing to scratch at his arms instead.

Always watched like an animal. Always bound. Always the perfect student. Always Sensei's prized possession. Always locked up like a trophy.

Shigaraki's red eyes simmered.

"Perfectly."

♤ ◇ ♤ ◇ ♤ ◇ ♤ ◇ ♤ ◇ ♤ ◇ ♤ ~

Shigaraki came back to the bar via Kurogiri. Upon exiting the portal, Kurogiri asked Shigaraki if he needed anything, to which Shigaraki told him to "piss off" before going to his room and slamming then locking the door. All he could see was red as he kicked the wall (busting a hole through it in the progress but that was a problem for future Tomura) and decayed a lamp. There was a mirror that Shigaraki momentarily considered smashing before deciding the attention it would garner from Kurogiri was more trouble than it was worth. He liked the guy but he knew but Kurogiri was loyal to Sensei, not to him. Just like everyone else.

In his anger Shigaraki's hand slipped and he ended up decaying his hoodie. He swore, however as he did so he noticed something clatter to the floor - the burner phone that he'd exchanged numbers with that boy on. Izuku, wasn't it?

Shigaraki reached for the phone, but a moment later he gritted his teeth and kicked it across the room.

'What the hell am I thinking? Why would he want to talk to me? After that little stalking act of mine - great first impression by the way, Tomura - he probably thinks I'm a creep or something. Idiot.'

And yet...something stirred within him like hope. That kid had seemed...intrigued when he talked. Had listened to him. Hadn't...turned him away.

But still, he didn't dare hope.

He scoffed and turned away to fish a new hoodie out of his drawers before collapsing into his bed. Loneliness threatened to eat at his heart, but he buried it and forced himself to sleep, altogether missing the glow from his phone's screen as a message came through.

[Midoriya] Hey Shigaraki, I hope you get this message. Can we talk again soon? -Midoriya.

The next day when Shigaraki saw the message, something went alight in his eyes - the hope he dared not to feel, lest he be burned again. Still...

[Shigaraki] Sure, pipsqueak. Did you have somewhere in mind?

And if Shigaraki's face was bearing a soft, cathartic smile for the first time in a while as Izuku responded with the affirmative yes, well, he'd never tell you.