Chapter Text
Toshinori Yagi is your father.
The one and only Allmight.
The symbol of peace.
When you were little, you trembled in the shadows, watching him boldly shine in the light. From his smile, to his physique, to his confident posture, he was a beacon of hope.
No one would ever believe you.
You tested the knots on the strips of sheets, deciding that your homemade rope was strong enough.
You and Allmight lived in a large house, but deadbolts on the outside of your bedroom door assured that you wouldn't wander around. Allmight- you always thought of him by his hero title instead of "dad,"- usually just slid food through the tiny slot at the bottom. He had plenty of money- he could have hired a servant for that. But you guessed he didn't want anyone finding out about his disgrace of a daughter.
You opened your window. You were on the third floor. The room as far away as possible from Allmight's room on the other side two levels down. Being on the third floor was only a minor inconvenience in your escape plan.
Honestly, escaping wasn't that hard. What was harder... was running. Allmight was smart. With decades of experience tracking down villains, he knew how to find people. And the hardest part always came after you tried to run. For a moment, you hesitated, remembering the rage in his eyes every time you'd left, and the brutal pain you learned to associate that with.
BUT NO.
You couldn't give up. You were suffocating here.
You secured the rope to the frame of your bed and started down, arms trembling as you slipped down the rope, hand over hand.
You landed on your feet, stumbling slightly before turning and running. Old pains in your shinbones twinged slightly but you pushed through.
Allmight shouldn't be back for another hour. And he probably wouldn't realize you were missing for even longer.
The first few times you ran, you'd gone to other heroes for help. That had never worked. They didn't believe you. Trying to persuade them just gave Allmight time to find you and drag you back. You got savvier each time you ran. You stopped telling people the truth. You found some vigilantes, and just told them that you needed to stay on the down low. They didn't ask too many questions. Maybe because you still had bruises on your cheekbone.
But somehow, Allmight had found you again. You suspected later that he'd had ties to some the vigilantes and had asked around. After all, with your quirk, you were impossible to miss. He probably had some fantastically good story. A runaway niece he was worried about, or something else stupid that people would believe.
Well, this time was going to be different, you thought as you ran.
You weren't going to trust anyone.
You slowed as you neared the street, looking down at the sidewalk like a typical bored schoolgirl on her way home.
People passed you on all sides at a similarly calm walking pace.
Your heart burned with fire as certain induvial drew closer and further from you, and you noticed some people frowning or slowing their pace as your quirk affected them.
You walked faster, hoping that none of them remembered the strange feeling of weakness.
Suddenly, the fire in your heart rose into a growing inferno.
You froze as passersby continued to flow around you.
Only one person could activate your quirk that strongly. And from the growing burning sensation, he was getting closer.
You started to run.
A sharp sting made you stumble, and you glimpsed a dart in your arm.
You looked backwards through the crowd and saw him. Saw his blue, seething eyes.
You gasped, and pulled the dart out. People gave you odd looks as it clinked against the sidewalk with a few drops of blood. Then you took off at a run again. He wasn't making a scene. He was just following. Slowly, calmly. Waiting.
After all, how far could you even get with a tranquilizer in you? And where could you hide?
You darted down an alley, breaths short and shallow.
Whatever was in that dart was already affecting you. You didn't feel like yourself.
You were so busy glancing back over your shoulder that you ran into something. No, someone, who stumbled back from the impact and wrapped his arms around you reflexively.
Breathing hard, you looked up at the stranger you'd just charged into. Ivory pale skin, ash blue hair with ragged edges, and beautifully bright crimson eyes that examined you in surprise from under the shadow of his hood.
You gazed up at him
You gazed up at him.
"Not my type."
His eyes widened and he scowled.
"You idiot. Do you have a death wish? Running around this part of town insulting people?"
You swayed slightly but he swayed too, skin tinting an ashy gray.
"Why do I feel so... awful?" he rasped, pushing you away in disgust. "What are you?"
You fell on your face, laughing from whatever weird tranquilizing drug was in your system.
"You don't like my quirk? That's fine... Allmight hates my quirk more than you do," you remarked as reality faded away.
Through the drugged up haze of your awareness, you saw the man scowling, saw his mouth moving. You knew you were responding to him but you were probably only speaking gibberish at this point. And then you must've been dreaming because there was NO WAY that a bunch of dark purple misty stuff could be flowing around you, bringing you and the man to another place like some sort of portal.
You drifted down, down, down.
Into the darkest places.
Your memories.
You relived the worse moments of your life in your nightmares.
You sat up bolt upright, holding your pounding, aching head.
It was just a nightmare. You weren't back.
Relief washed through you, followed by alarm.
Then where were you? It looked like some sort of high roofed storage building with cracks in the slats, allowing beams of light to illuminate the interior. You were in a bed. And to your side, in a chair, sat a man with a mask completely coving his face. You recoiled but after a minute of examining his masked face you realized that he was asleep.
You poked him cautiously.
"Ah- whaat??" then his masked gaze fixed on you and he sat bolt upright. "Shigaraki! She's awake! Yay!" then in a grouchier voice "How soon can she leave?"
You scrunched your eyebrows in confusion.
The young man who you'd run into strode around the corner of a stack of crates, hands in his hoodie pockets. He sat next to you, looking visibly ill in the ashy gray of his skin. The flame in your heart burned, feeding off of his strength. He must be powerful.
"So," he rasped, his sharp ruby eyes catching and holding yours. "Are you going to be more coherent now that you're sober?"
You felt highly aware of your current situation- waking up in a sketchy place with sketchy strangers. One wrong move could mean a fate even worse than Allmight's punishments.
"Yes," you responded carefully.
"Good," the man- Shigaraki- sounded satisfied.
He leaned forward.
"You said something interesting yesterday about Allmight hating your quirk. Explain."
You stared at him warily, gauging his emotions. He didn't seem like the hero type. Why was he interested?
"Which part would you like me to explain?"
He scowled, eyes glittering red.
"All of it. But to start, what is your quirk?"
You hesitated. Well, it wasn't something you could hide.
"It's called... Kryptonite. The closer someone's proximity to me, the weaker they become. People with stronger combat quirks are more affected."
"Well," Shigaraki scowled, leaning back, "that explains why I feel like crap."
You could see him thinking hard as he asked, "So, how does your quirk affect Allmight?"
You thought rapidly.
It was amazing that Allmight hadn't caught you already. As sketchy as these people were, they might be your best bet for staying hidden. Your instincts told you they weren't Allmight fans.
"His quirk is the most powerful ever seen, so my quirk makes him feel even more terrible than you do," you said, selling it hard. "He can barely walk when I'm around."
It was a slight exaggeration, but only slight. And you were desperate.
Shigaraki looked interested. Unnervingly so.
"And how do you know him?"
You considered lying. But you had a feeling they would figure it out.
"He's my father."
Shigaraki seemed surprised, then narrowed his eyes.
"I wasn't aware he had a daughter."
"He doesn't like me," you shrugged. "So he doesn't talk about me."
Judging from Shigaraki's flat stare, your explanation wasn't enough.
"Because of your quirk?"
You blinked back a swell of bad memories. All the reasons he told you that you were trash.
"I guess," you said to keep it simple.
Shigaraki stood, staring to pace back and forth.
You watched for a minute.
"So... why does any of this matter to you?"
"None of your business," the man in the mask grumbled, followed by a cheerful "We're going to take down Allmight!"
Your eyes widened as you glanced at the pacing Shigaraki. Were they serious?
"Shut up, Twice," Shigaraki snapped, glaring at both of you.
Your mind whirled. Did you even want to get involved in this??
Sure, you hated Allmight, but you didn't want to kill anyone... not even him.
These guys were more dangerous than you'd thought.
But where else could you go? And who else- in the entire world- would take your side against Allmight?
"Twice," Shigaraki snapped suddenly. "How do you feel around her?"
"Kinda weak," Twice said cheerfully, then frowned and growled "I hate it."
You weren't sapping nearly as much strength from Twice as from Shigaraki... you could tell from how being near Twice only made your heart burn a little bit. But apparently it was still enough to bother him.
Another figure approached from around the corner of the stacked boxes, stretching lazily in a long trench coat. The burning grew. Not as powerfully as with Shigarki. But still. He must have a pretty strong quirk. Electric blue eyes focused on you from under his spiky dark hair.
"Where'd you pick up the stray?" he asked darkly. A frown passed over his features as he leaned unsteadily against the crates.
"She ran into me yesterday," Shigaraki said irritably. "Her quirk sucks strength away from people in proportion to the strength of their quirks. How do you feel, Dabi?"
The electric eyed man walked towards you, slowing with each step.
"It's like a darn hangover," he muttered, clenching his fists to still his trembling fingers. "We won't get anything done with her around."
Shigaraki stood still in thought, then fixed you with a glittering stare. He really was kind of pretty, with his vibrant eyes and pale skin, standing tall and composed as the leader of the group. Here it came; he was about to demand that you help with their plan. You prepared to negotiate.
"You have to leave," he told you with harsh finality. "We already have all the people we need."
You stared in shock. That wasn't what you expected. And why was he so... civil?
You were the perfect weapon against Allmight. You a winning lottery ticket to people who wanted to take him down. Wasn't a lowlife like him dying to use you?
The truth hit you like a slap to the face.
They didn't need your help. You their needed help.
"Please," you whispered. Your eyes stung.
"Please," you repeated louder. "You guys might be the only people who will stand up to Allmight. Everyone else sells out. Isn't there any way I can stay?"
Shigaraki's ruby eyes narrowed.
"Save your whining. My decision is final."
You started to breathe faster as you thought about Allmight catching you again.
"Awwweee" a girlish voice suddenly exclaimed. You found yourself wrapped in a tight hug from a blonde schoolgirl with her hair in twin messy buns. You jumped in surprise. What was a schoolgirl doing with these thugs? Sure, you probably weren't many years older, but still...
The schoolgirl turned to Shigaraki with a psychotic grin.
"Look how scared she is, Shiggy! Let's keep her."
Shigaraki scratched his neck, sparks flying from his eyes.
"Don't be stupid, Toga. Can't you feel her quirk?"
The schoolgirl nodded enthusiastically in spite the unhealthy tint to her cheeks.
"Yeah, I feel sick," she gushed. "Cool, huh? She takes people's strength even more easily than I can take people's blood."
You recoiled in alarm. Was she a vampire or something? She looked it- with her toothy smile and paper white complexion.
Shigaraki glared at you and Toga. His scratching and glare intensified.
"One day," he snapped. "She can stay for one day, and then she's out."
Your breathing calmed although your heart continued to race. You had a day. One day to figure out your next move. You hadn't been planning to trust anyone anyways. This was the best solution.
Shigaraki whirled and stalked off while Toga chattered to you about how nice it was to have a friend for girl talk. She started braiding your hair as she peppered you with questions about your life without waiting for answers. She wanted to know what your favorite outfit was, what you liked on your ice cream, and above all, who you had a crush on.
"No one," you shrugged. But fortunately she was so full of chatter that she didn't mind your short answers.
It was oddly relaxing to have her braiding your hair. No one had ever played with your hair before. It was nice.
"You know," she chattered as her fingers braided thick glossy strands "I would never think you're related to Allmight
"You know," she chattered as her fingers braided thick glossy strands "I would never think you're related to Allmight... I mean, he's totally blonde and your hair is sooo dark!" She peered intrusively into your face. "Your eyes are like his though, very blue!"
Your gaze dropped to the ground. "Yeah, my hair is like my mom's." You didn't mention that you hated sharing your dad's eye color.
"You look like you could be Dabi's sister!" Toga giggled.
"Hmm. I don't think Dabi likes me."
"Oh, he's just like that to everyone!"
You weren't convinced, but you didn't say anything.
"Hey, Toga... how come you don't mind my quirk? Doesn't it bother you?"
She looked puzzled.
"What's wrong with feeling a bit sick? It's kind of exciting!" She smiled in that psycho way of hers. Riiight... she was insane. But insane or not, you couldn't deny that it felt amazing to not be avoided.
Toga continued to chat with you as the evening went on, and you gradually relaxed. She seemed excited about the prospect of a "sleepover," just like an ordinary teenage girl. You couldn't help but smile, although it also served as a reminder that you could only stay for one day.
Dabi and Twice and Shigaraki and a few other people returned from whatever they'd been doing, settling down for the night. Twice immediately plopped onto his cot and began to softly snore, Dabi settled down and closed his eyes with headphones over his ears, and Shigaraki, his back to you, sat reading a stack of papers by the light of an electric lantern. He held each page up to read between his thumb and middle fingers, pointer and pinky raised delicately, not touching the paper. What an odd mannerism. Was there a reason?
"So," Toga asked in a loud whisper as she made herself comfortable in her bedding next to yours. "I know you said you didn't have a crush on anyone right now... but what about in the past? Have you ever been in love?"
She was so fixated on that topic of crushes. Well, she was an eccentric girl, what did you expect? Or... maybe you were the odd one. Didn't most girls have crushes?
Shigaraki continued reading, not seeming to pay any mind to Toga's loud whisper. Ignoring you too, although he must be feeling the effects of your quirk judging from the steady burning sensation in your heart. Twice's soft snores continued.
"Well," you replied to Toga "I don't think I've ever had a crush on anyone... it was kind of hard to meet people since Allmight- Dad- always locked me in my room."
Toga frowned, pouting. "Wow, that's terrible. Is that why you hate him?"
You shrugged, even though she couldn't see the gesture.
"No... I mean... I just want to be free. I just want to escape."
"It must have been awful," Toga reached across the gap between your cots, touching your arm sympathetically. Then- because that was too normal- she added with psycho fascination "What's the worst thing he's ever done to you?"
You recoiled from the question, memories flooding in, but she just waited as the silence dragged on. You would have to go back tomorrow. Hysteria rose in your throat, threatening to make you laugh or cry so instead you spoke.
"The worst times are always after I run away. There was one time... when I tried to run... he dragged me back and broke both my shins." You zoned out. The hard expression on his face, the explosion of pain that told you that you couldn't walk again for a long, long time. It had taken months of rest, and even more time of carefully rehabilitating your ability to walk around the room.
Some days, you'd been so frustrated with your handicap that you'd just stared at the ceiling, tears leaking from your eyes and running down the sides of your face. The message had been clear: try to run- I'll make it so you can't. But it only made your need to escape feel even more urgent, as though a slow panic was building within you, and something terrible would happen when it over brimmed. You had to get away.
"Wow," Toga gushed, bringing you back to the present. "I had no idea that heroes did things like that."
"Well," you snapped. "They do."
"How does the number one hero justify it? Hurting his own kid?" a raspy voice questioned.
You whirled to see Shigaraki still sitting on his cot, still looking at the papers as though he hadn't spoken.
"Like I said," you said to his back "He hates me... for my quirk, yes, but also..."
"Also?" Shigaraki prompted, voice soft but intent.
"He says it's my fault... that mom is dead."
The silence following your confession felt agonizing, your heart pounding in your ears, your breaths too loud. Shigaraki stood, pacing around the cots to stand by your bedside, examining your face with his hard red eyes.
"Is it true?"
You looked away.
"Yes."
"Your power... and the death you had a role in. Do you think this justifies his abuse?"
"I don't know."
"It doesn't."
Your gaze snapped up, eyes meeting his. You flinched, but couldn't look away from the sparks swirling in the bright ruby color of his eyes, the quiet rage he was holding in. It dawned on you that his anger was directed... not at you... but at Allmight.
How did he become so set on destroying the number one hero? Did heroes fail him, the way they'd failed you? Was he also despised for his powers? Could he- possibly - know what it was like to be responsible for the death of a family member? Because in that moment- you felt like he could see right through you, and that he understood perfectly, in a way that no one else ever had.
"You really are serious about this," you murmured. "Taking down Allmight."
Shigaraki didn't answer, just gave you a sharp glance before turning away and going back to his reading in silence.
"He's always so intense," Toga complained with a dramatic sigh. "He needs to lighten up."
You smiled. Shigaraki could obviously still hear, as evidenced by the annoyed twitch of his shoulders. He was remarkably patient with the psychotic girl.
You slept well that night for the first time in ages. Something about the conversation with Shigaraki put your inner demons to rest, and not even the fear of tomorrow could stop your eyes from closing.
You awoke to his rough, raspy voice snapping "Here," as something was thrown onto your bed.
You sat up groggily, looking at it. A pair of handcuffs. You looked up at Shigaraki. His hair was a mess, and he smelled like... you sniffed slightly, trying to identify the sharp, acidic scent. "Did you... catch on fire?"
Shigaraki scowled.
"He got tazed!" Twice called out happily, followed by a grumple of "I don't know why it was so important to get a pair of handcuffs."
Now that you looked closer, you could see the slight singe to his eyebrows and the frizz in his hair. You looked back at the handcuffs.
"Are these... for me?" you asked.
"Put them on," Shigaraki growled.
Were you a prisoner now?
You clasped them around your wrists carefully, and as you did so, the burning sensation in your heart faded to almost nothing.
You looked up in surprise.
"These are quirk dampening cuffs!"
Shigaraki nodded, faint color already returning to his pale face.
"Obviously. Hold out your hands."
Uncertain, you stretched your cuffed wrists out towards him.
He carefully placed his fingers on the center link of the chain until all five fingertips rested on the metal. Under his touch, the link crumbled to dust, separating the cuffs into mere bracelets.
You looked down at your hands. People wouldn't be able to sense you as you walked past anymore. How ironic that a pair of handcuffs could make you feel more free than you'd felt in your entire life...
"Thank you," you whispered, tears pricking at your eyes.
Shigaraki scowled. "Don't thank me. If you're going to stay, you have to wear those at all times."
Your gaze snapped back to him.
"Wait... did I hear that right? I can stay?"
He glared.
"Yes. For now."
You climbed out of bed. He watched you actions warily.
"Thank you," you repeated, stepping forward. It all felt like a dream- being this safe- and without thinking you wrapped your arms around Shigaraki. He went rigid and frozen in your embrace, arms stiffly out to the sides.
"Don't" he hissed furiously "-don't touch me!"
Someone pulled you back by your collar, and you snapped back to reality. You brushed yourself off as Dabi released you, glaring.
"Think," Dabi snapped. "It's not like he can push you off without gloves."
You frowned at the odd comment.
"Why can't he...?" you trailed off, as it clicked. The delicate way Shigaraki held paper with fingers lifted, the way he'd dissolved the solid steel of your handcuffs with a touch. Oh...
Shigaraki still stood frozen and wide eyed from your hug, as though traumatized. But as you started to look sympathetic, he scowled, turning away with a tint of what was probably anger to his cheeks.
"Stop thinking whatever you're thinking."
You couldn't help smiling at his turned back, amused by this new awkward side of him. Who knew that an villain leader could be so flustered by a hug?
Why did Shigaraki hate Allmight so much? What led him to this point- leading a group in one of the most ambitious - no, impossible- missions a villain could imagine? But those stories could wait. For now, you were content to stay.