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Dabi had no faith in that Shigaraki Tomura to begin with. Although he must admit the man had quite strong ambitions. Sure, Dabi appeared cocky in front of his new boss the first time they met. He couldn’t help but wonder what this face mask hand was hiding, what kind of villain he was. And Dabi was convinced Shigaraki was wondering the same, with his piercing red eyes scanning him from head to toe. Their story could’ve ended way sooner if Black Mist wasn’t around to take care of those troublemakers.
The following months, the League of Villains was propagating the new symbol of fear’s values. Their leader never truly showed himself, never leaving his room except for a drink or two per day. It's not like he had people to meet anyway. His followers were carrying out missions as the organization kept growing. Only Dabi got a bit of freedom. Shigaraki even ended up recognizing him as his second-in-command, giving him his personal nomu. Although, this recognition did not imply a trustworthy relationship between the two. But Shigaraki acknowledged Dabi’s presence as well as Dabi did, and it was enough.
Their hangouts consisted of a strong silence filling the room with Shigaraki scribbling bits of plans. One day, their little routine went up all night. Shigaraki got more and more irritated, his head buried on his desk. All his attempts led him to nowhere, and he was now confronted with the thought of deceiving his own master. A slamming door woke him up. He slowly looked behind him to see Dabi holding two glasses in one hand and a bottle of, what he assumed was, whisky in the other.
"Not the best time to get me drunk, asshole." Shigaraki said with a sigh, turning back around.
Dabi filled him a drink and carefully left the glass away from the paperworks. He then went ahead and crashed onto Shigaraki’s bed, as he used to do every time the scarred man kept his boss company. Meanwhile, Shigaraki was looking at the glass with a face full of doubts. With a hesitating hand, he took the glass and brought it to his lips. Confusion rose when he realized Dabi knew exactly how he liked that drink.
The black-haired man was at the edge of sleeping. Shigaraki got up and sat next to him, making Dabi sit up. During all those little hangouts, it was the first time the two seemed open to discussion. Breaking the silence, Shigaraki asked: “Was it Kurogiri who sent you to take care of me?” Dabi looked at him only to meet two shiny red eyes. Those eyes worked like truth serum on him. Resisting them would make no sense.
"Something like that. I just noticed he was worrying like a fucking dad and figured it was about you." Dabi answered while plopping his head back on the bed.
Shigaraki paused a minute or two to think and looked back. "I guess he can be quite protective at times. I’ve known him since I was a kid too."
The blue-haired man let himself fell onto the bed next to Dabi, eyes locked on the ceiling. Dabi would’ve never guessed his boss would open up to him. In a way, he felt honored. "Does that mean you started this as a kid?"
Dabi had no time to think it through. Words had already slipped out his mouth. A deep silence filled the room. With no expectation of an answer, the scarred man sat up and was about to leave when a deep voice startled him. "I killed my family when I was five."
Let’s be clear. This would be a bloodcurdling sentence to anybody. But in the ears of his only listener, it did not seem that bad. Dabi’s own desire to break his family had been driving him down for years now. His rushing thoughts stopped, feeling Shigaraki's gaze on his back who seemed to wait for a verbal reaction.
Dabi lied back down next to him and, with a grinning smirk, said: "Guess I’m no one to talk either, I tried to kill my brother when I was nearly ten. He was just a baby at the time."
"That’s fucked up." Shigaraki whispered while looking back at the ceiling. "I mean I kind of expected you to be fucked up too. Either way you wouldn’t be stuck in here with me." He continued.
Out of character, the two kept talking all night. Abusive fathers, a deep hatred towards the hero society, an itchy envy to watch it all rot. Both found interest in listening to the other. Dabi had a drink or two, convinced his mind was playing sick tricks when tiny grins were escaping from Shigaraki’s restraint.
"If I didn’t know you better, I would say you like my company." Dabi blurted out.
"Loose the cockiness asshole." Shigaraki retorted calmly, gaining a laugh from the other.
Dabi thought right. His boss did wanted to know each of his deepest secrets. But not only his fighting skills nor his motives. What made him annoyed, what made him want to tear the world apart, what made him smile. Surprisingly, Shigaraki felt content by his side. And so did Dabi. The two were dazed from how easy relating to the other’s pain was. One ugly feeling can appear beautifully depending on who’s watching. But maybe, both hoped this night would soften their emotional scars.
Present time, The Front Liberation’s temporary hideout: Dabi
It might have been less than a week since chaos broke out. I am as annoyed as I can possibly be, since All for One made us stuck hiding inside this stupid cave. Now that I think about it, it might be the first time I’ve seen the old man up close. I don’t really get why Tomura is obsessed with that man, but what I'm sure of is I might turn him to ashes if he calls me Toya again.
Speaking of Tomura, things took a strange turn. His hunger for One for All seems to be growing if not consuming him. He’s seeking destruction like never before. I’m not one to talk, I mean I should be in the same mindset. But I can’t help feeling uneasy. Uneasy seeing him getting consumed by All for One’s will. Our old habit of hanging out at the bar seems far from long gone. What am I saying? All we’ve ever done led us to this moment, I guess. Either way, I’m getting too impatient. When will I be able to see your pathetic face again, father?
I could hear people squeaking on the other side of the cave. Those people would’ve been Spinner and Skeptic, who were surrounding All for One. Spinner seems to have been staring at that black hole for a while now. A black hole across the cave, leading to Tomura. Skeptic’s annoying typing sounds were echoing. I slowly got up on my feet and walked to Spinner.
"You got a staring problem lizard? You better be ready for what’s coming."
I passed through him while tapping his shoulder. A scream of agony suddenly stopped my track. Without knowing it, I was gazing at the pitch-black hole myself. Shigaraki’s pain was invading my ears.
"Shigaraki?"
Spinner asked with a worried voice. Both our gazes were locked on that black hole. Maybe for a minute, I actually hoped it would make the screams stop dead.
"I see Tomura-kun really found worthy followers." All for One’s deep voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Don’t worry. He is healing well." He continued.
And just like that, he went towards the screams, with a big ass grin on his face. For the following hour, all I could hear was sharp cries like "I’LL KILL YOU!" or "I HATE THEM!". Spinner had left with Toga after seeing her wearing the same worried look on her face. Only I stood there, hopeless. For a reason that I can’t explain, leaving was never an option. Suddenly Skeptic appeared out of nowhere.
"They’re waiting for you," he simply said.
This itchy feeling came back. I raised my hand to cover my face. I always knew we had to part someday. I was just hoping to see you try desperately to hide your smile from me one last time. Because I knew I wouldn’t be in this world long enough to see you again.