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„May I suggest a new game; it seems like our fellow members are quite at a disadvantage”
Atsuhiro tilted his head at Shigaraki, who’s face was accompanied by a wide grin that not even All Might’s famous smile could beat. And while seeing his beloved boss so happy and very much to be enjoying their team bonding activities (as dear Magne used to call their hangouts) He was also very much concerned about Both Himiko and Jin.
“Yeah! Shigaraki you’re too good at this game! You really suck man!”
“Can we at least switch teams?! I want to play with Shiggy!” Himiko pouted, a face Atsuhiro grew to like seeing on her. She truly has learned to keep her murderous tendencies, when it comes to her emotional reactions, under control. She almost seemed like a normal teenager and what more is there to wish for such a young girl as her.
Atsuhiro seemed to have pulled the good cards as Shigaraki chose him as his partner for this game. While he not familiar with “Super Crash Bro’s”, Shigaraki seemed like a professional who knew the in and outs of this game. It was truly fascinating.
“Oh Shut up, this Game isn’t so hard, you all just are noobs. If Spinner was here, he would destroy you all in an instant. Heck, he could do it even while being sick!” Shigaraki rolled his eyes, but yet his smile didn’t fade. He was obviously very much amused by the struggles of his ‘employees’. “Besides I’m not playing with a maniac that can’t even keep her eyes on the screen to look just who she tries to attack.”
“HUH!? You meanie! Not my fault Jin is being so hilarious with his commentary. “, She snickered as Jin in response to that crossed his arms in embarrassment before quickly throwing up his arms in celebration. “I am a comedic genius! You shut up, this isn’t funny!”
Atsuhiro held back a laugh at their childish antics, and glancing at Shigaraki next to him, he believed that their boss was just as equally fond of their behavior.
“Oh, and besides!” Himiko then decided to put the black and only slightly damaged controller down on the surprisingly stable coffee table (Atsuhiro found himself day by day surprised how this interior managed to survive his fellow residents). “Sako-San is right, you promised you would play Just Dance with us if we let you destroy is in a game of your choice!”
Atsuhiro saw the annoyance growing on Shigaraki’s face and decided to put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from lashing out - Because as it turned out, Shigaraki liked to be in control when it came to the topic of video games. “I suggest we may listen to their cries. As I remember correctly you did promise just as dear Himiko said.”
Kurogiri always said that he and Magne were respectable parents for the bunch, even though Atsuhiro would have never even considered himself as figure of any authority. But at times like these, he understood just where Kurogiri got that assessment from. Atsuhiro liked to believe that he could be proud of this compliment as he came to view it, despite not planning to have children or even a relationship anytime soon.
And as a matter of fact, even Shigaraki had enough respect for Atsuhiro to listen to him. Or it might as well was Shigaraki caring about his friends that lead him to react like that? He knew that his boss would never openly call any of them his friends, but something told Atsuhiro, that Shigaraki was quite fond of the little family they managed to build (Even after Iguchi had proposed that very amusing and potentially very humiliating plan that involved dressing Nomus up as maids) in the chaos that he called “Taking over Japan”.
“Fine, but I’m choosing my songs for myself!”
And as he saw Himiko’s wide grin and the malicious glint in her eyes, as well as Jin who looked up excited at Himiko and with eyes asking for revenge at Shigaraki- Atsuhiro was quite sure that Shigaraki would indeed not be in control of the songs.
.
.
.
Atsuhiro saw a lot of things about Shigaraki Tomura, but there was still so much he didn’t know about him as well.
Like the factual statement that this young man was very much not only good as strategic fighting games but also had foot work and strength professional dancer could only dream of.
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!”
And as such, Atsuhiro found himself cheering on his boss with enthusiastic “Hey!”s as he effortlessly performed all of the Cossack squats and kicks as the song on the screen asked him to do with the grace of a ballerina.
“Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!”
“Hey! Hey! Hey! He- Boss you’re so good at this! Go Shigaraki go!”
It has come to the scenery of Shigaraki dancing alone, being cheered on even by Jin’s infamous split personality that hated everyone and everything, all while the young man himself had one of the biggest smiles Atsuhiro thought he ever saw on Shigaraki’s face.
And as Atsuhiro found Himiko and Jin using hairbrushes as microphones to sing along to the lyrics on screen, he allowed himself to rest on the nearest bar stool.
“this man gotta go”
Himiko had a horrible voice for this song, so did Jin, taking aside his split personality wanting to be part of the show.
“But the ladies begged, don’t you try to do it please- not only the ladies did”
But Atsuhiro found himself only laughing at the scene. “Young master is having fun I see.” And Kurogiri seemed more than happy about the joy of their boss. Atsuhiro could only pretend that he knew enough about the relationship of the Nomu and Shigaraki, but he knew enough to notice that Kurogiri cared deeply about him. Atsuhiro smiled at him, pulling down his mask and setting it carefully on the wooden bar top.
He let his eyes return to the scene in front of the tv again.
“No doubt this Rasputin had lots hidden charms!”
Himiko put her arm around Jin’s as they took turns now singing the lines like a practiced duet. It was quite the show and Atsuhiro gladly took the glass cup of Sake Kurogiri offered him.
“Though he was a brute, they just fell into his arms! – He is no brute!”
“You sound awful! I If I lose my perfect streak because of you, I’ll dust you both!” Mind you Shigaraki kept his perfect score even as he screamed at the two very professional singers. With a chuckle he tuned out the events and the fact that Himiko now had pulled out her red, cat themed phone to record Shigaraki dancing. Jin continued to sing solo, and as the last lines of the verse came in, Atsuhiro wondered if the two even understood just what they were singing about. He decided against telling them, he did fear that hearing about a man being killed by the end of the song, they would only sing it louder.
With that in mind his attention went fully on Kurogiri who prepared his own drink. They shared a comfortable silence for a while, Atsuhiro playing with the precious marble Shigaraki entrusted him.
“You would make a good parent as well, my friend.”
Atsuhiro offered Kurogiri a smile before holding up his Sake, waiting for the other to let his drink meet Atsuhiro’s. He didn’t need to wait long, yet he got no direct answer to his statement. But the subtle movement of the misty eyes told him enough. Rolling the blue marble between his fingers, Atsuhiro took a sip of the Sake before putting it down.
“Yet I couldn’t ever provide such joy as you helped do.”
Atsuhiro did not in fact enjoy the way Kurogiri said that. He had no right of downplaying his worth in Shigaraki’s eyes like that.
“Yet I do not doubt you would be the first person he comes to if he needs help”
Atsuhiro was no parent, he didn’t know if acting like a friend to one’s child was the right thing, if it was expected of a parent, but even if it was and Kurogiri assumed to have failed to do so- Atsuhiro knew that Shigaraki would think otherwise about him.
“I… I suppose that’s true”
He could see the conflict on Kurogiri, the way his eyes moved and the way the mist engulfed the glass of wine further. And Atsuhiro thought he understood why. Kurogiri was a Nomu, while a special one, he was essentially made to follow orders. Was he even supposed to care so much about Shigaraki? About all of them really? But no matter the answer, Kurogiri did care and Atsuhiro knew, no one preferred it any other way.
The silence between them came back, but nobody broke it.
The three performers in the back meanwhile finished the last song, and Shigaraki was the one forcing the other two to play a certain song now, Himiko’s phone now in his deadly hands, ready to record the -way less experienced in dancing- duo. But just as Atsuhiro knew it would happen, Himiko had her own mind about what song she wanted to dance to. So, she chose some pop song called “Die young” instead. Atsuhiro thought it fit her quite well.
“May I ask about the content of the marble?”
Kurogiri brought him back to attention, and he looked down at the marble still rolling between his fingers. “I saw young master asking you to…. protect it. I was wondering was that was about.”
Protect was underestimating it. And Kurogiri seemed to know that. Atsuhiro wanted to laugh about that little story, and explain it, but he thought that letting him see just what Shigaraki cared so deeply about was easier. He was sure he could get a chuckle out of the Nomu as well.
“You see…” So, he deactivated his quirk and a paper landed on the bar top. “Shigaraki couldn’t risk it getting damaged during his marvelous dance performance.”
Kurogiri was quick to pick up the photo, eyes widening before growing more confused than anything. “I do not understand, I know young master has multiple copies of that picture.”
Atsuhiro let out a little laugh and took another sip of his Sake. “Sometimes one needs to change their perspective at things to see the true meaning.” That said he reached forward and turned the picture around in Kurogiri’s hand, the picture of a familiar hero student now facing him.
“Is that...?”
“Yes, it is, my friend. I was surprised as well to find Shigaraki coming home with it a few days ago.”
If Kurogiri was confused before, then now he looked almost lost. “I’m not quite sure what to make of this. Should I be concerned?”
Did he need to be concerned? Atsuhiro wasn’t sure himself just what to think of that situation his villain boss has found himself in. A smile slipped on his face as he took the picture back without a word. He glanced over the messily scribbled phone number before compressing the picture safely back in his marble. Perhaps they should be worried about their boss, or maybe about the hero student involved. Maybe both of them were about to make their life harder for a single feeling they craved from each other.
“Aren’t you interested just where this will lead? I am quite intrigued by this sudden turn of events.”
Atsuhiro found himself not minding the implications of just what this could mean for all of them. For both sides.
“Are you suggesting letting it be?”
Atsuhiro simply nodded. “I’m suggesting letting them explore on their own and aid when we are asked for it.”
“I see.” The Nomu didn’t say more after, he rather got back to finishing his wine. Atsuhiro knew it was because of the satisfaction he got from cleaning the glass by hand that caused him to finish his drinks faster than others. He himself rather appreciated his own Sake for longer. All in all, his life here at the League of Villains was something he perhaps didn’t value enough.
He had found quite the bunch. They were crazy, almost crazy enough for Atsuhiro to fear for his wellbeing. Yet at the same time he found himself caring for that bunch of…. Of kids that grew up too fast. Atsuhiro believed he had a rather normal childhood, as normal as it can be if you grow up with thieves, but looking at his fellow villains, he just knew that they weren’t allowed to have anything even close to normal.
If Atsuhiro was still fresh to the League, he would have called them immature and left, not wanting to bother with some villains that acted like kids, one even being a teenager still. But now he knew that they deserved to be kids more than most people did. Especially-
A loud crash interrupted his thoughts, and his head moved to the door in an instant. So did Kurogiri as he stopped polishing his glass. The three children in the back stopped their game too, eyes finding the door being slammed open, hitting the wall like it was Endeavor’s face.
“Fuck!”
“Oh my, what is that I see?” Atsuhiro stayed polite, not letting his laughter free at the sight of Dabi walking through the door. His style choice was quite…. the revelation about the man to say it friendly.
“AHaHaHA!!”
Himiko was the first one to break out into laughter, face red as she looked Dabi up and down.
“Ayooo, Dabi is that you?! Of course it is you, Dabi, only you would dress like you came from a job at a gay bar”
Jin perhaps wasn’t too wrong about that. They all knew that Dabi had some secret meetings he often attended to. And while Shigaraki always suggested those were his trips for his fresh drugs, Atsuhiro found himself finding the idea of a gay bar more amusing.
“Dabi…What. The. Actual. Fuck?”
Shigaraki himself was the first to step away from the tv and towards Dabi. His face had that expression of disturbance and regret again. Just like when Iguchi had suggested his very creative plan to overthrow the heroes a week ago.
“I thought I said no more maid outfits!”
Atsuhiro thought Dabi looked rather stunning, in the surprising way.
Dressed in a black short dress, not even reaching his kneecaps, with a white corset top that did little to hide his collarbone, he stood in front of them. The dress had short sleeves that covered essentially nothing of his burned arms nor his shoulder. Not to mention the pink tinted fishnet legging he wore in addition to pink heals.
For some reason he seemed to have no issues walking in the high heels. Now Atsuhiro really wouldn’t be surprised if Jin had been right with his idea about that gay bar.
Dabi looked up after closing the door shut behind him. His face heated up as he saw all the eyes on him and his revealing outfit. Himiko still was laughing, Shigaraki was still visible ready to end everything, Jin was gripping his head while perhaps trying to understand if his insane split personality had actually been right about something, and Kurogiri seemed oddly unfazed as he already went back to cleaning his glass.
Atsuhiro had a feeling that the glass would come to be used again sooner than expected by Kurogiri.
“Don’t- Don’t say anything. Just…” Now that was odd. Dabi, while embarrassed, almost looked afraid of something.
And then he exploded with words in the next second.
“Just hide me! This crazy Bitch kidnapped me and trapped me in her basement. And not only did she force me to wear that abomination - “, Dabi pointed down to himself like a ghost possessed him, “But then she came in with like this shitty wedding dress, carrying this suit and wanted to get me ready for our wedding?! So fucking hide me or she will find me and-“
“Awww, you found yourself a girlfriend! You should have told me!”
Himiko was next to jump up and try to hug Dabi out of all things. Now taking that attempted hug, that very well could result in a homicidal teenager on fire, aside, he wondered what Dabi’s mysterious girl looked like. Dabi never talked much about himself, but Atsuhiro wouldn’t mind learning more about his interest. They were long term colleagues after all.
“She is not my girlfriend! - Ju-Just make sure she doesn’t get in here and finds me again. Escaping her was way too hard already!”
“Fine!” Surprisingly, Shigaraki was the one to agree first. Atsuhiro just wondered why he didn’t attempt to decay anything in his distress state yet. “And get out of that stupid costume or I’ll decay it off your body, I’m serious!”
And that was the decaying part he waited for.
“You think I wanted to wear this shit?! I told you that bitch drugged me and put it on me!”
Now Atsuhiro really wanted to know more about that girl. It was one thing to even think about kidnapping Dabi out of all villains, but being successful at it? Now that sounded like someone Himiko would befriend in an instant.
“Dabi, may we know how the individual looks like so we can identify her?”
Yes, yes, Atsuhiro couldn’t have been the only one who sought the answer to that question. “Ohh, is she cute? Dark hair? Is she strong and tall to have overpowered you or- “
“Fuck you, Toga! She didn’t overpower- Fuck it, fine!” Dabi seemed to be deeply stressed by the situation, and Atsuhiro almost felt bad for him. But the maid costume worked wonders to distract from the seriousness of said situation.
“Ok-Ok, she has like this blond hair, not longer than till her shoulders, she wears glasses, blue glasses or something I think- Oh OH! She carries that giant body pillow of me around and I swear to All For One she filled it with stones or something to make it a weapon!”
Atsuhiro ignored the sudden static of the TV at the bar, Shigaraki did so too but not before giving It a glance. Now using a body pillow as a weapon was news to him, he assumed to most people currently present. But Atsuhiro found himself impressed by the creativity of that person. He would need to applaud this girl by chance.
“Of course she has to be blonde, urghhh, I hate blonde people-“Shigaraki didn’t get to finish his complaint.
“Shiggy!!! Just because All Might is blonde and that Kid we kidnapped once, doesn’t mean all blonde people are bad” Himiko crossed her arms, with a knife tightly in her right hand. “Besides, I’m blonde too!”
“That is precisely why I don’t like blonde people, Toga.”
Atsuhiro held back a laugh at the exchange of words. Oh, this was certainly a very interesting day to witness. It was a shame that Iguchi missed out on the fun. He wondered just how much his sadly bedridden colleague could actually hear from his room. At least Iguchi would be able to watch the recording Himiko did of Shigaraki dancing and their marvelous karaoke.
“GUYS! Fuck that, did you forget about me- “
“Fuck you, Dabi! Not everything is about you!”
“Do you want to be chased by a maniac that wants to marry you?! Please be my guest!”
“Sounds better than having to talk to you shit-face- “
Shigaraki didn’t get to finish his very amusing comeback in their argument. Although Atsuhiro found Dabi’s last argument very compelling. If he would need to crown a winner between the two, he would have to congratulate Dabi for once.
But taking that aside, the knock at the door was way more important. It went silent in an instant and Shigaraki and Dabi even seemed to forget about what they screamed at each other about.
“Fuck” It was a quiet whisper, but it delivered a feeling of fear that Atsuhiro never heard from him before. “God damn, Shigaraki help!”
And now Dabi silently begged Shigaraki to help him. Atsuhiro almost choked on air as Dabi went on his knees, hands folded together in a quiet prayer. And wasn’t that a sight considering just what Dabi was wearing. Now, knowing what Atsuhiro knew about Shigaraki, he wondered how he would react to a male person kneeling in front of him while being dressed like that.
And Shigaraki indeed seemed more than just embarrassed at Dabi’s action.
“Ohhhh, where’s my phone! I need my phone now- “, Himiko jumped up and down from her spot next to Dabi, running to the back to look for her phone.
“Hey Dabi, do you actually- You totally work in a gay bar!”
And then a second knock at the door echoed through the room.
“OK, can we please do something about that?”
While Dabi panicked more about the apparent manic girl standing in front of their door, He found it way more surprising to hear that the intruder knocked a second time instead of crashing through the door with their apparent weapon. Perhaps Dabi had the wrong idea of that person.
“What are we even supposed to do?!” Jin gripped his head again, something he seemed to still do whenever a stressful situation occurred. “Just kill that girl!”
And wasn’t that just a creative idea that was brought up. But Atsuhiro had to admit, it was the easiest solution considering just who they were. “Kurogiri, I don’t suppose you can make me another drink before having to possible throw a corpse in the ocean?” He had been here long enough to know that Kurogiri or either Dabi were the ones to call when it was about destroying the evidence. Shigaraki himself refused to use his power for such ‘low rank’ tasks anymore. “I Believe I can do that.”
“Compress, that is a fantastic Idea!”
Shigaraki suddenly was to his right, a grin on his face as he sat down on the bar stool next to Atsuhiro. He glanced down at the marbled he still safely held in his hands, before taking it with the addition of a muttered thanks and putting it in his own pocket. “So, Kurogiri, I want you to teleport outside, and if it is that crazy girl Dabi was rambling about- “, an eye roll followed his words.
“Fuck you, she is crazy!” Dabi’s interruption got no comment, however. Quite rude on both parties if you asked Atsuhiro.
“-teleport her in the Atlantic Ocean. You can do that right?” Shigaraki kept his grin, though now Atsuhiro could see the strain behind it. It was not an amused grin; it was an expression of a boss wanting to be finally done with his employee’s troubles.
As Himiko returned from the back of the room, phone secured in her hand and already trained on Dabi, who amusingly enough still sat on the floor, she pouted at Shigaraki’s plan. “Can’t I kill her? I didn’t kill anyone in a week!” Her phone camera didn’t leave Dabi, and as it seemed Dabi didn’t even notice how he was filmed while being so vulnerable. His eyes were locked onto the door, where by now a third knock was heard.
“No, Kurogiri deals with her without leaving behind a bloody mess to clean up, and that’s final!” And his deadly stare at Himiko certainly made sure it was final. She even took back her phone (Atsuhiro still knew that she would use that footage of Dabi for blackmail for years to come, but that was an issue that if anything, needed to be dealt with later).
“Young master, are you sure you want me to get rid of them?”
Kurogiri placed a glass of red wine in front of him, which Atsuhiro gladly took. He needed that alcohol after that drama. While it was amusing to watch, it took rather stressful turns even he didn’t want to witness any longer.
“Yes, please.” Shigaraki let out a sigh before he put his head down on the bar top, his left hand vanishing in the pockets of his black hoodie. If Atsuhiro recalled correctly, that was where he placed the marble with his priceless possession. Well, playing with marbles has always been a relaxing experience for him as well.
“I’ll be right back then, young master.”
And with that Kurogiri vanished without any complaint about his task. Sometimes Atsuhiro wondered just how many corpses they deposited that way already. Fifty? Or maybe a hundred already? They also used Dabi to burn a lot more, so maybe he actually had to worry more about the amount of ashe from dead people they left out in the streets.
Looking to his right he noticed Shigaraki being visible more relaxed than he was before. “I suppose the crazy girl has been dealt with now. Should we all have a drink on that success?” Atsuhiro smiled a little as he heard the raspy half laugh from Shigaraki and even the others joining in.
“Ohh, I want a strawberry milkshake!”
“Give me that alcohol! You seriously want to get drunk now?”
Himiko and Jin joined at the far-right side of the bar, arms interlocked as they hummed the tune of a song they danced to earlier. Perhaps with more alcohol their voices would sound more like actual songs being sung.
“Fuck yes, I need to forget today as fast as humanly possible” Dabi sat down next to Shigaraki on the bar stool, hands fixing his messy hair as best as they could before he met Atsuhiro’s eyes. Dabi did seem to have forgotten about the most important part. ” What? What’s the problem now?”
At that Shigaraki raised his head from the bar top, eyes lazily following Dabi’s voice- yet he stiffed as he actually looked at Dabi. And while Atsuhiro could not see his face, he somehow knew that his boss was not in a good mood.
“I’ve had enough of maids for today, get that stupid costume off now or I’ll seriously dust it right here right now!”
And while Atsuhiro was slightly concerned about Dabi ending up half naked on Kurogiri’s bar stool, he couldn’t help the amused smile. Maybe his second drink was getting to him, but the thought of Dabi first having to wear a, as some people may would have called it, sexy maid outfit that fit his body surprisingly well, and then sitting half naked at the bar getting drunk, sounded more like a good time than worrying in any way.
“Give me a break, man! You don’t have to look at it!” Dabi crossed his arms and rolled his eyes at Shigaraki and wasn’t that a bold and very dangerous thing to do. “Besides,It kind of is comfy to wear actually- “
“No, no more maids!”
“Fuck, Shiggy don’t- “
Himiko went right back to filming as the admittedly pretty fabric turned to dust right in front of their eyes and Dabi’s face began to heat up- literally, his cheek began to emit fire- as he was left with nothing but his underwear in a pile of dust.
“Shigaraki! I fucking hate you.”
“Good, because I do too, shit face.”
“Oh really, At least I know what skin care is unlike your crusty ass face!”
Atsuhiro took a bit of sip from his red wine as he watched Shigaraki throwing the first punch before getting pushed off his stool and landing on the floor. And from there this argument turned into a floor fight, that was being filmed by Himiko, who alongside Jin cheered on both of the man to win said fight. When Kurogiri arrived back behind the bar counter, he went right back to getting portals between Shigaraki’s Hands and Dabi’s half naked body as they tried to dominate each other on the floor.
Atsuhiro just sat still and watched It happen, once again feeling bad for their bedridden teammate to have to miss out on their team bonding activities. And as he drank more and more of the wine, not only did he feel his mind drifting off, but also did he think back to what Jin had said a while back.
And he had to wonder…
“Hey Dabi, did you work in a gay bar now or not?”
And if hell broke loose after he asked that question, Atsuhiro was sure he would not be able to remember it anymore.