Chapter Text
This place is more depressing than the dump Shigaraki came from, which is really saying something.
It makes him claustrophobic, irritating him every time he takes a turn and realizes there’s just more hallway ahead. Like a damn rat on a maze. But he wills himself to remain patient, although the urge to drag his hands across the walls only grows.
It’s been more than ten minutes of walking, turning, more walking and four dead ends when a door slams behind him.
Shigaraki turns instinctively, palms spread wide and ready. A blur of white and the frantic sound of footsteps turn the corner he had just passed. Away from him. Shigaraki hesitates, then another door slams and a cry echoes across the building. It sounds like a child.
“Damn brat,” A man, one of the Hassaikai, mutters. Appearing in Shigaraki's hallway. He is holding a child. More like struggling with her.
The blur of white was her hair, and pretty much all of her bandaged body. She’s crying silently, pushing against the man’s arms around her torso almost desperately as she’s carried like a sack. Red eyes lie on Shigaraki’s own, and she freezes.
Unconsciously, Shigaraki steps forward, but she’s shoved through the doorway she had just come from, disappearing. The door slams once more, and he hears the way her body hits the floor. The man shakes his head in annoyance, taking out a key ring and locking the door from the outside.
Shigaraki watches unmovingly, his neck starts to itch.
The man seems to finally notice him. He casts him a bored glance. “Meeting room’s that way.” He nods towards the end of the hall, before turning back and vanishing.
Shigaraki stays in place. He looks over his shoulder at the cameras on every corner, but he finds himself standing in front of the girl’s door. Hushed sobs come from the other side. He knocks with a single knuckle against the wood and the crying comes to a sudden halt.
Voices come from the opposite end of the hallway, bringing him back to reality. He shoves his hands on his coat pockets and resumes his look for Chisaki.
--
Spinner parks the (now banged up) getaway truck a few kilometers away from the hideout. Shigaraki gets out from the copilot's seat just in time to see Dabi stumble out of the cargo hold, throwing up into the nearest bushes. He rolls his eyes.
Spinner grimances and Compress silently hands him a handkerchief when he returns. Dabi groans as a thanks.
Shigaraki takes out the burner phone, already dialing as he turns to Dabi and orders, “Get to it.”
The line rings as the truck catches fire, they begin walking away, already far enough when the consequent explosion sends hot air at his back. Kurogiri picks up after a few rings and Shigaraki hangs up without saying anything. Not even a minute later a wrap gate opens a few steps ahead.
Kurogiri stands in the middle of the hideout to greet them. The news muted on the shitty tv over the broken table. Shigaraki lets him fret, since he was obviously anxious.
“Congratulations are in order,” he announces, relief clear in his voice. “It was a greatly executed mission.”
“Executed alright,” Compress chuckles, twirling the marble containing Overhaul’s arm between his fingers.
“Are Toga and Twice not back yet?” Spinner asks, worry clear in his tone.
“They are fine,” Shigaraki reminds him for the third time. “They got out on time.”
“Besides, the heroes have bigger things to worry about,” Dabi adds, nodding towards the screen showcasing the sand hero’s face. He sits on the beat up couch, clearly more than a little run down, but even so, he manages to do it smugly.
Shigaraki takes the priceless box out of his jacket pocket, tossing it to Kurogiri. “Put them somewhere safe.”
“Right away,” He fades into his own shade and comes back seconds later.
Spirits are high, as much as possible in their filthy hideout. Toga and Twice return less than an hour later, Twice’s mask torn and Toga’s knees bleeding but both of them arrive in fits of laughter.
Compress and Spinner exchange the day´s experiences with them. Toga even transforms into a few members of the Hassaikai to mock them exaggeratedly. After a while, Kurogiri wraps food over and they all pause at the sight.
“We should always celebrate work well done,” He excuses himself. No one can really reproach (not even Dabi) at him for bringing food that’s clearly from a restaurant and that could expose them.
Shigaraki feels even better. It’s good and it’s blessedly warm. Dabi and Toga act like they’ve never seen proper food until Compress marbelizes Toga’s plate and refuses to return it as long as she doesn’t pick up some utensils.
“Feels like we’re back at the top of the chain, eh?” Spinner says, grinning.
“To the yakuza extinction,” Compress says, raising his glass.
Shigaraki clears his throat. “To Magne.”
Silence falls over the table. But it’s not as heavy, they’ve done right for her, as right as their twisted group could. Shigaraki looks at them all, making sure they all know that. The toast passes in silence, and the atmosphere shifts back slowly. Not fully to the loud way it used to be, but to their excited ease after a kill well made.
Night falls and Shigaraki retreats back to his makeshift room. Calling Kurogiri to join him. The rest of the league remains in the common room. Shigaraki is not sure how they would take this. But better ask for forgiveness than for permission.
“I need a favor,” Shigaraki starts.
Kurogiri’s mist shifts, waiting for Shigaraki to elaborate.
“Part of the product was taken with the heroes,” Shigaraki explains. “I would like to go get it, so we’re the only ones who have all it’s components.”
“It’s quite a risk,” Kurogiri finally answers.
“They’re weak,” Shigaraki points out. “They’ve taken a lot of damage, you’ve heard Toga, at this time they’re probably in mourning.”
“I’ll go with you,” Kurogiri suggests.
Shigaraki shakes his head. “No. If I get captured you’re my only way out. You can’t come.”
Kurogiri seems to hesitate.
“I’ll be quick,” Shigaraki insists. “I won’t make a mess. It’s just a part of the bullets.” Technically not a lie.
Kurogiri’s shoulders sag, giving in. “I’ll leave you on the rooftop. You have thirty minutes.”
--
The heroes clearly think they’ve won.
Security is nonexisting on the floors where normal patients are being treated, and few guards stand outside of their doors. Shigaraki is good at blending in. The same way as the mall, he keeps his head down and his hood up, one hand holding a cafeteria coffee cup, middle finger carefully raised and the other in his hoodie pocket.
He’s picked up a facemask and he keeps coughing half heartedly into his sleeve. He walks slowly towards the entrance of the third floor. He gets past the first snoozing guard and he keeps glancing into the rooms that don’t have the curtains drawn.
Defeated heroes surround him. He clenches his fist inside his pocket. He doesn’t know which door is the one he needs to go through.
They make it easy for him.
Outside the fifth room of the floor two armed guards stand in full attention. Shigaraki doesn’t really have to wonder who they might be looking out for.
One of them catches his eye. He walks over, trying to be imposing and authoritative. “Excuse me, kid.”
Shigaraki fake startles. “Yeah?”
“You can’t be here, this floor is restricted for today,” the man instructs.
“Ah,” Shigaraki exclaims, his voice higher than usual. “I’m sorry! What floor is this? Isn’t this the pulmonary unit?”
The guard shakes his head. “I think you missed the lift, that’s the second floor.”
“Oh,” Shigaraki laughs sheepishly. “It’s so late, I guess I did.” As to prove his point, he yawns in an almost exaggerated way. He lifts his coffee cup slightly. “I guess this isn’t working that well.”
The guard gives him a sympathetic look. “The coffee here is awful. Just pay more attention next time.”
“I will, I will, thank you,” Shigaraki replies, and turns around.
He doesn’t miss the fourth floor. He goes the same exact way as he did below, entering the luckily empty fifth room of the floor. He picks the corner closest to the window and kneels down.
He presses his right hand to the floor, and waits. The tiles begin to crumble slowly, the floor and the third level’s ceiling turning to dust in an irregular circle. Shigaraki doesn’t lift his hand until the hole is big enough to fit him, then, he slips down into the room below. Falling with the dust and debris.
The girl is asleep, most likely passed out. She looks almost the same as the first time Shigaraki saw her, but the horn on her head is significantly smaller.
He walks over carefully, not wanting to wake her up. Her face shines with sweat and she’s breathing hard. She looks sick and beat up.
Shigaraki stops next to her bed, with a chill he realizes the bars around it are not to keep her from falling off, they’re placed to keep her tied down.
“Eri?” Shigaraki calls softly, echoing the name Toga mentioned. “Can you hear me?”
Shigaraki goes to take off her blankets to see if that gets her to wake up. As he reaches down, wide red eyes flash open. She looks at him and her breathing speeds up even more. She tries to pull away from him, but the restraints around her wrists hold her in place.
The ties seem to scare her even more, she struggles almost violently against them. The room filling with noise.
Shigaraki looks at the door, alarmed.
“Hey,” he tries. “Hold on.” He reaches out again, slowly. Eri trembles as he takes the binding around her right arm, quickly decaying it. She freezes, so Shigaraki does the same with the rest.
Her eyes meet his once more, but the panic in them has receded a little. Shigaraki pulls down his face mask and hood. Eri’s eyes widen.
“You…” Her lip shakes. “You were there.”
“I w-” Shigaraki starts.
“You’re here to take me back,” She says shakily. She doesn’t scream, or try to fight again, Shigaraki has never seen a child look so thoroughly defeated.
“No,” Shigaraki tells her. “I’m here to free you from here.”
“Free… me?” Eri asks. “But they… they saved me.”
“Did they?” Shigaraki asks. “They tied you up and posted guards outside your door.”
Eri looks at the door and crawls away from it. “Guards? Like Chronos?” The guards silhouettes are visible through the curtains. Then she looks at the place her restraints used to be, bringing her wrists to her chest.
“Hm.” Shigaraki nods.
“But Deku…”
Shigaraki feels his head buzz at the name, fuck’s sake that kid is everywhere.
“Is he here right now?” Shigaraki asks. “They’ve locked you away, again.”
Eri looks down. “Again,” she echoes, softly.
“I’m not here to save you,” Shigaraki explains. “No one can save anyone.”
Eri looks at him.
“But you can come with me, I won't tie you up, or lock you away. If you don’t like it where I’m going, you can leave.” He’s not lying to her, as long as the heroes don’t have her, she can do whatever the fuck she wants.
Eri takes a long time to ask. “Why were you there?”
“I was there to kill Overhaul,” Shigaraki replies truthfully.
Eri’s eyes open in surprise. “...Did you?”
“No,” Shigaraki says. “I just cut off his arms.”
Eri stares down at her own hands, long and hard. Fresh bandages, but the same bandages Shigaraki saw her in.
She lands softly on the floor next to him. “Where are we going?”
--
Kurogiri throws a fit.
Shigaraki has gotten him mad before (so many times), but nothing quite like this. He knows he’s in for one of his long lectures when the mist starts to spread, but he calmly raises a hand and mutters.
“You’re scaring the kid.”
All the fight seems to go out of him, the shadows retreating, yellow eyes widening. He places one hand in what must be his face and sighs long and suffering. His Shigaraki sigh.
“I’m sorry,” he says when he gets it back together. He kneels down, a few meters away from Eri and not making sudden moves. “Hi... I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Eri lets go of Shigaraki’s pant leg, but she doesn’t come out from behind him.
“This is Kurogiri,” Shigaraki comments. He moves slowly, to see if Eri follows him, and turns on the lights of his room. A risk, they don’t want any passersby to know that the building isn’t empty, but he thinks the kid will feel better with the lights on.
“Hi,” Kurogiri repeats, waving a hand and spreading shadows around.
Eri tilts her head, more curious than scared now. She’s probably seen weird quirks, but nothing is ever quite like Kurogiri.
“He makes the thing we walked through,” Shigaraki continues, maybe she’ll feel better knowing his quirk? “He brought us here.”
“What’s your name?” Kurogiri asks.
Eri hesitates, looking at Shigaraki before saying, “Eri.”
“Eri,” Kurogiri repeats, nodding. “Are you alright?”
She stares at him, tilting her head.
“She’s got a fever,” Shigaraki says.
Kurogiri stands up slowly. “I’ll see what I can find.” He leaves after giving her another wave. Shigaraki sighs, he’s got someone else to fret over, he won’t continue lecturing him for a while.
“Do you want to go back to sleep?” He asks her, it’s almost three. He begins picking up his discarded clothes from his room’s floor. He’s got the best bed right now, but he’ll have to give it to her. Time to kick Dabi out of his room.
“I don’t like.. being asleep,” Eri replies.
Shigaraki shrugs, he knows what that’s like. “Want something to eat, then?” That’s all his child care knowledge, if they’re not tired they must be hungry.
Eri seems to consider it, then nods.
Shigarki nods back, gesturing towards the door. She doesn’t walk as close to him as she did when they were leaving the hospital or meeting Kurogiri, she keeps him at arms length and Shigaraki doesn’t wait for her to catch up, he just points out the way he’s going so she can follow him from far behind.
When he’s near the main room he begins to hear the league’s chatter and noise. They are not early risers, but he figured they would be gone by now. He turns and catches Eri’s eye, who stands at the other end of the hallway, he holds up a hand to get her to wait.
Toga’s lying upside down on the couch, arguing about something with Spinner, who’s still sitting at the table. Dabi leans against the empty mattress box spring that no one knows how it got there, Shigaraki can’t tell if he’s asleep or not. Compress is drinking some tea, amusedly watching the other two. Twice is sprawled out on the floor below Toga blowing smoke into her face.
They turn upon his arrival, waving and greeting him again.
“Dabi, go away,” Shigaraki instructs.
Dabi opens his eyes slowly, turning his head to side eye him. After a pause he asks, “The fuck?”
“Did he burn your shoelaces again?” Spinner asks, too.
Shigaraki ignores his question, although the reminder makes him more annoyed at the unbothered asshole.
“Why?” Twice also asks, putting his cigarette out. Good, Shigaraki was gonna tell him to do that. His face shows concern, he doesn’t like conflict.
“Just for a while,” Shigaraki says. “You’re gonna scare the kid.”
A beat of complete silence.
“Ah fuck,” Dabi finally replies. He sits up, anxious. “Is it mine?”
Twice snorts, Shigaraki could skin him alive.
“What kid?” Compress continues the interrogation.
Spinner seems to realize it first, his head snaps up at him. “Shigaraki…”
Toga’s next. “Eri?!”
Twice sits up violently. Dabi, continuing his act, seems to relax, he waves him off.
“Nothing could scare her after you,” he says.
The rest of the league look at him and exchange incredulous glances.
“You should probably go,” Spinner backs him up.
“I’m not the ugliest thing in this room,” Dabi replies, looking at Shigaraki and Spinner pointedly. He huffs, looking kinda offended. He stands up. “Just give me that.”
Shigaraki looks down at the facemask that’s still hanging around his neck. He ends up tossing it to him, Eri will have to see him sooner or later, maybe it’s better if she meets him a few pieces at a time.
He goes back to the hallway and waves her over.
While he waits for her to join them he goes to look through the boxes, trying to find something for her to eat.
She walks in shyly, or maybe just plain scared. He trusts Spinner will keep the others in line, until Kurogiri gets back.
“Hello,” he says, as Shigaraki expected. He tries to take out the knives from his belt and shove them under his discarded jacket. “Eri, right?”
Eri looks at him, eyes wide, she nods.
“Eri!” Toga exclaims, she’s still upside down. “Nice seeing you again!”
Twice struggles to put on his suit over the tanktop he's wearing, trying to make himself presentable. “We weren't really… expecting you.” Shigaraki can feel the indirect.
“Again?” Eri asks.
“We went to visit your old house,” Toga explains. “It was a lot of fun tearing it apart.”
Eri blinks. Shigarki hands her a can of peaches and a plastic spoon, they were Toga’s. Who realizes and pouts, but doesn’t say anything about it.
“We also have rice,” Spinner says, pointing at the container on the table. “If you’re very hungry.”
Eri stares at the can and tries to pick a piece of fruit, it slips out of the spoon a couple of times but when she manages to get it she practically lights up.
Everyone’s torn between looking at him and looking at Eri, Spinner is trying to make some intense eye communication with him that Shigaraki ignores, focusing on anything but the rest of the league.
Kurogiri appears when Eri’s eaten through half a can of peaches and Dabi has pulled at the facemask almost six times.
“We have some painkillers,” Kurogiri says, looking at Dabi. They’re his.
“She’s got a fever,” Shigaraki explains once more.
Dabi shrugs. “If you want to put her in a coma you can give her some of mine.” He walks towards the table, where Eri’s hearing the exchange.
Dabi pulls out a chair and sits backwards on it, near her but not close.
Eri stares at him as she chews, The burns under his eyes are visible, and they seem to stand out a little more with half his face covered. The rest of the league exchanges more looks. Eri seems happy to eat her peaches and analyze Dabi, and Dabi seems weirdly present. More awake than Shigaraki has ever seen him.
He sees the way Dabi gets the picture. The bandages, the lack of speaking, the hunger. He picks at his staples under the mask.
“Are you dizzy?” Dabi asks her, startling Spinner.
Eri pauses, then shakes her head.
“She’s not shaking anymore,” Shigaraki points out.
Dabi tilts his head.
“Eri-” He stretches out his left arm, keeping it carefully covered by his long sleeve. “-Can I check your temperature? Like this.” He brings his other hand to his inner elbow.
Eri takes another spoonful of peaches, and stretches out her arm.
Dabi undoes the bandages with practiced ease, then presses two fingers to her skin. He nods, and wraps her up again.
“She doesn’t need painkillers,” he declares. “A damp towel will do, maybe.”
Twice and Spinner look at him and then at each other. Shigaraki doesn’t need to be included in the soundless conversation to know what’s being said. Or rather asked. ‘What the fuck?’
“Was that what you were doing?” Toga asks, giggling. “Were you a homeless doctor?”
Dabi rolls his eyes, and stands up. “Well? The towel.”
Twice rushes away, there’s only one bathroom with running water in the building.
Dabi goes the opposite way, bumping hard into Shigaraki as he does. Shigaraki sighs, and goes after him, casting a look at Eri to let her know he’s leaving. She seems immersed in her peaches. Compress has put a fresh cup of tea in front of her, and Toga has taken Dabi’s spot near her. Kurogiri nods at him, he’ll watch her.
As soon as Shigaraki catches up with Dabi in his room, the door shuts behind him. It’s dark until it’s blue.
“The fuck are you playing at?” Dabi asks, he’s taken off the facemask.
Shigaraki raises an eyebrow.
“When Toga and Twice said the bullets were made from a quirk...” He continues.
Shigaraki nods. “Her quirk. And her body.”
Dabi’s not strong, nor particularly fast, but he’s close enough that Shigaraki doesn’t have time to dodge as he slams him against the wall.
He grabs him by the collar of his jacket, four fingers around the fabric. His other hand holds Dabi’s wrist, middle finger carefully raised.
“Careful,” Shigaraki hisses. The fire burns hotter.
“You can’t kill me fast enough,” Dabi states, his tone lower. “So I’m gonna ask you again, what is that kid doing here?”
“I didn’t expect you to care,” Shigaraki replies. “Complain? Yes, but this?”
Dabi’s eyes reflect and mirror his flame. Shigaraki shrugs as much as he can between Dabi’s body and the wall. “The heroes had her, which wasn’t very convenient for us.”
“Heroes,” Dabi scoffs and the hand pressing against Shigaraki’s chest seems to ease. “They went in for her?”
“For her, the drug, it’s the same. They had her unconscious in a hospital bed.”
Dabi lets go completely. “You grew a heart, creep?” He steps back, and Shigaraki lets go.
Shigaraki glares at him. “What would you know about something like that, Dabi.”
“You stole her from the heroes, they don’t get to use her so you do? Have we fallen so low as to use kids like them?”
“Her quirk is hers, as long as she’s not using it against us, she can do whatever the fuck she wants.” Shigaraki waves him off. “Also, she chose to come with me, are we done?”
“Asshole,” Shigaraki coughs, walking out of the room.
“Have a goodnight, dear leader.” The door shuts in his face. Shigaraki feels his lip curl, the guy is handful. He probably won't take the room change gladly.
Once he’s back he finds Eri where he left her, the can of peaches emptied and a damp rag over her head. Of course they don’t have towels, where does Dabi think he is. She looks like she’s trying hard to keep it balanced.
“I think she’s feeling better,” Spinner updates him, suddenly standing next to him. He glances at him, doing a double take before dusting ash off his hoodie. “What’s with Dabi?”
“He’s Dabi,” Shigaraki replies tiredly.
“It’s late,” Kurogiri announces from the other side of the room, Shigaraki sighs, he’s on full blown guardian mode.
“Eri,” Shigaraki calls. Without moving her head, she glances at him. “You tired?”
She nods after a second, the towel slips down a bit.
Shigaraki gestures to Kurogiri. Who guides her to Shigaraki’s old room.
“Okay,” Spinner says once they’re gone. “Can we just ask... what the fuck?”
Shigaraki’s getting that question a lot.
“I mean,” Twice says. “She was part of the job at first, right?” Then, “You can’t just kidnap a kid, dude, the hell?!”
“You could’ve mentioned it,” Compress joins in, cleaning up Eri’s spot at the table. “Just a warning.”
Shigaraki nods in acceptance. “I should’ve consulted you, but Twice said it, she was part of it from the beginning. You three-” he looks at Twice, Toga and Compress. “-didn’t get her out, so I did.”
“I wasn’t even there!” Compress exclaims.
Spinner’s shoulders slump, resigned. Twice nods then shakes his head. Toga is oddly quiet.
Shigaraki puts his hands up in defeat. “I’ll get you more peaches.”
“Three cans,” Toga demands.
“Two.”
“Deal.”
With that settled, he raises a hand to stop her from leaving.
“One more thing. The kid is taking my room, I’m taking Dabi’s. The rest of you, figure it out.”
Shigaraki leaves as hell breaks loose. It took them hours to decide last time.
He knocks on Dabi’s door, then pounds, then he starts kicking. The door opens as Shigaraki is running back to gain impulse. His foot misses Dabi’s stomach by a millimeter.
He composes himself and glares at him. “What?”
“Get out of my room,” Shigaraki orders.
“Your what?” But he’s already inside. “No, fuck no!” Dabi whines.
“I gave the kid my room,” Shigaraki explains, to get him off his back. “I suggest you go take Spinner’s before he locks himself in.”
Dabi, almost fuming, hesitates. Shigaraki watches as he seems to come to the conclusion that he’s not winning this. He picks up his few belongings before leaving and slamming the door behind him.
Shigaraki turns around, when he notices he curses him out loudly. He took the pillows.
—
The league’s priority’s change.
It’s not even a full twelve hours before the heroes realize Eri’s gone and figure out who exactly is responsible, Shigaraki’s quirk isn’t subtle. And he left a little extra behind.
No one can tell dust from dust.
“So they think she’s dead?” Dabi asks as they move through the crumbling building.
“If we’re lucky,” Shigaraki replies before walking into another room. He kicks a piece of wood out of his way. It’s more spacious than his last room, dryer, too. He’s a little lost in thought. They won’t be looking for her, but they will be looking for revenge disguised as heroic justice. Shigaraki may have helped raise the price on the league’s heads.
He listens to Dabi’s footsteps fade away down the hall and he swears, he told him to stay near. Last time they searched a potential hideout they nearly got shot.
“It’s got more rooms,” Dabi comments once Shigaraki has catched up with him. “Farther from the city, too.”
“It doesn’t have a single piece of furniture,” Shigaraki points out. “And it’s fucking freezing.”
Dabi tilts his head in silent agreement. “Compress can bring it in.”
Shigaraki sighs, guess that decides it. It’s not like there’s a lot of real estate options for squatters. He texts Kurogiri and soon enough they’re back at the hideout.
“All done with packing, boss!” Twice salutes and gestures to the numerous marbles on top of the table.
“Did you find somewhere nice?” Toga asks.
Shigaraki shrugs, at least there’s more bathrooms.
“Eri?” He asks.
“Still asleep,” Spinner replies, already shouldering his bag. “We didn’t want to wake her.”
“So are we just… keeping her?” Compress asks.
“Of course!” Twice replies. “Her quirk is a total problem out there, but here she’s got a chance.” Ever the optimist. And the romantic.
And that settles it.
Kurogiri materializes in the center of the room and Shigaraki nods. The sooner they get out of the city, the better.
Shigaraki goes to kick at Dabi’s door to let him know they're leaving before waking up Eri, who looks slightly sleepy but doesn’t seem as ill as she did yesterday, the horn in her head has become merely a bump in her skin.
“Where are we going?” she asks, walking slowly behind him.
“Near the woods,” Shigaraki explains. “Out of the city.”
She blinks. “The woods?”
They pass Compress on the hallway, who walks into Shigaraki’s former room to get the last mattress.
Right, the kid hardly knows what a street is. “You’ll see. You get to pick your room,” Shigaraki adds.
-
“It’s so cold.” Is Spinner's first comment, which Shigaraki predicted it would be. He tries to give him a sympathetic look, it won’t be very comfortable for him.
Toga sets off running down the hall. Always at the ready.
Twice immediately follows. “We said we would choose at the same time!”
Dabi disappears up the stairwell, having already claimed the entire third floor. Shigaraki gets the second and Eri chooses to stay in the first, her windows are the biggest.
-
And it’s back to usual business. Just quieter, for the most part. Dabi wouldn’t know what discretion means if it came and threw a bucket of water on him.
They let the kid be, which is the main goal of being in the league. You join because you want everyone to just let you fucking be.
Shigaraki trusts Kurogiri to take care of Eri, since he’s the only person Shigaraki remembers from his childhood, he must know what to do. Toga likes to play with her, maybe because Eri’s something new and she’s never stopped missing Magne, which means Twice is usually around the first floor, too.
Dabi is around more, which is unfortunate. He just sits in a corner of the room the majority of time, getting on Shigaraki’s nerves. Watching and pretending he’s not. Surprising everyone, he’s the one who declares that she needs more clothes. Eri’s been wearing Toga’s spare stuff (which wasn’t much in the first place), it’s big on her and small on Toga.
“Oh! We’re going shopping?” Toga asks, rushing down the stairs.
Dabi rolls his eyes. “You can’t go.”
Toga pouts. Dabi continues, “The less we draw attention the better.”
“Your unawareness never ceases to amaze me,” Compress says, emerging from their makeshift kitchen.
“We are due for a supply run,” Spinner admits.
Shigaraki waves a hand dismissively. “Do what you want.”
“Can Kurogiri take us?” Toga asks, eager.
“He’s busy.” Shigaraki slumps deeper into the couch. “Take the van.”
Dabi groans, resigned. “You coming?”
Shigaraki considers, then shakes his head. “Take Twice.”
“You just want the base for yourself,” Toga points out.
“Take all the time you need,” Shigaraki replies.
“C’mon Eri!” Toga exclaims, running to the girl’s room.
-
Truth is, Dabi doesn’t know what exactly he was expecting when he joined the league and discovered Shigaraki was running it, in hindsight that should’ve been his first clue for not joining, but it certainly wasn’t this.
He is getting tired of babysitting.
Although he’s slightly relieved Toga is here he just wants to get this over with. While she, looking like someone else, drags Eri through the maze of outlet displays he tries to run through what fatal decision landed him in his current situation. It’s probably Shigaraki’s fault, somehow.
He tries to not see the irony of ending in the same role from before.
He’s thankful it’s cold, and he can hide himself in black and grey layers. Still, being this out in the open sets him on edge, and that was before he caught the sight of the screens. All through the street, the news broadcast Eri’s face under the striking red ‘Missing’ sign. So much for Shigaraki’s decoy.
Toga took notice, gave the kid her hat and wrapped her face in one of Dabi’s numerous scarves, but it feels like little cover.
“How much longer?” Dabi snaps when Toga gets close to him again.
“This was your idea,” she accuses, then recovers. “Look, isn’t this so cute?”
Dabi resists the temptation to slap the skirt out of her grip. “We’re not here for you.”
Eri, holding her own clothes on her arms, blinks up at them.
Toga ignores him. “But I think I like the blue one better.”
“We’re leaving,” Dabi orders.
Toga pays with Twice’s copied bills, easier than stealing when it’s just not worth the attention. And now that the evening has given way to the night the streets are much more crowded, people leaving work and heading back to their places. Dabi slams against them with his hands on his pockets, uncaring. Toga and Eri behind him.
He hears the ragged breaths before he feels the tugging on his clothes. He glances back, colliding with another stranger as he does. Eri grips his coat tightly, almost pulling at him.
Toga seeks his eyes and Dabi shakes his head. “I think she’s overwhelmed.”
They step aside, Toga shielding them with the numerous bags.
“Get the others,” Dabi instructs. “Tell them to pick us up.” Toga fishes in her coat for her phone.
“What is it?” Dabi asks.
“They’re gonna take me,” Eri says, her voice shaking. “They’ll find me out here.”
Dabi sighs. “We’re going back already.”
Eri nods hesitantly. Her fist still clutching Dabi’s sleeve. He moves slowly, watching her reaction. She seems fine as Dabi maneuvers her onto his back. She’s heavier than he thought, but probably he’s just weak.
Toga raises an eyebrow at him, but doesn’t comment. “They’ll meet us in the corner.”
“Let’s go.” Eri grips at his neck and Dabi only chokes slightly. At least she has stopped breathing so hard.
He doesn’t even notice what’s wrong until back at the hideout.
Well, it’s not him that notices. He shrugs off his coat and pulls at his scarf once past the doorway as Twice and Spinner carry in crates and bags of what ranges from canned food to a gallon of lighter fluid.
It’s when he pulls off his hat that Spinner drops a bag full of instant cup noodles. Dabi turns to glare at him, an insult dying in the back of his throat as Spinner thrusts a finger at his face.
“Your hair,” he stutters, eyes wide in shock.
Dabi frowns in confusion, opening his mouth only for Twice to interrupt again by yelling. “Dude!”
“What?” Dabi asks, bringing a self conscious hand up to it. He hears Toga gasp behind him. “What is it?!”
“I-t’s-” Spinner stammers. Dabi leaves him there, marching to the back of the hallway, to the nearest window.
Striking white looks back at him.