𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 (𝗏𝗂𝗅𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗇! 𝗍𝗈𝖽𝗈𝖽𝖾𝗄𝗎)

chapter two

deku

Where the hell am I?

I looked around at the bland alleyway I was standing in now. It was exactly like all of the other alleys I had just run through, which didn't help at all. It was also too dark to see any differing features.

I cursed quietly and pulled out my phone, ready to call someone for directions, but then my eyes locked onto the familiar door just a few paces away, and I walked to it quickly.

Pushing open the quiet door, I dashed into the building and ran down the steps that led to the basement. I entered the room, trying my best to stay quiet so I wouldn't alert the others that I had even left.

Unfortunately, my luck had run dry.

"Welcome back, Deku."

I cursed under my breath, turning around slowly. Shigaraki was sitting in a chair against the wall, staring at me with his bloodshot eyes. "You know you're not supposed to leave."

"I know, but—"

"No." He sighed. "As boring as staying here every day is, you can't just go out whenever you want. Do you understand what would have happened if someone had seen you?"

"What's bad about someone seeing me? It's been four months, I doubt they're still looking for me," I countered.

"If someone saw you and followed you here, then they would know our location, dumbass."

"I wasn't followed."

Shigaraki was getting irritated. His fingers moved to his neck, scratching at his pale skin. "Get out."

"Okay," I said, turning away from him and walking away. I reached the other end of the room and turned left, which led to another staircase. I dashed down the stone steps and reached a hallway, then walked to the opposite end and knocked on the last door.

"Deku-kun!" Toga cried as she opened the door.

"Hi, Toga." I walked into the room and saw Dabi sitting on the floor, repeatedly tossing and catching a small blue fireball.

"Where did you go?" the blonde asked eagerly. "Did you kill anyone?"

I chuckled as I sat on the floor by Toga's bed. "No, I didn't. I just went for a run and accidentally got lost in a park or something."

"Ha," Dabi said, "dumbass."

I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed. "I just got lost in thought, that's all," I explained.

"What were you thinking about, Deku-kun?"

"Probably something stupid."

"Shush, Dabi," I said. "I wasn't thinking about much."

"I wanna go outside!" Toga whined, flopping onto her bed. "Shigaraki won't let me though."

"That didn't stop the little broccoli boy, did it?"

I grabbed a pillow from Toga's bed and threw it at Dabi. "You jerk."

Toga ignored Dabi's remarks and turned to me. "Can I go outside with you?" she asked, her eyes bright with bloodlust.

"You know, I'm not supposed to go outside either," I answered, dodging as Dabi tried to whack me in the head with the pillow. "When I came in earlier, Shigaraki looked like he wanted to kill me."

The blonde grinned manically. "I have an idea!"

Dabi shot me a look that practically said this can't be good.

"Dabi will distract Shigaraki while Deku-kun and I sneak out!" Toga explained. She grabbed a piece of paper, scribbled something onto it, then stuck it to Dabi's face.

Surprised, he took it off and looked at it, stifling a laugh. "Did you really write 'hand' on this paper and stick it to my face?"

Toga nodded excitedly. "It's perfect for distracting Shigaraki!"

"She's not wrong," I said, laughing.

Dabi sighed. "I would do it, but I really don't care. Plus . . . I want to go outside too."

"Hmph." Toga grabbed the paper and put it on Dabi's face again.

Just as Dabi moved to take it off, the door opened, and we all paused to see who came in. Shigaraki was standing in the doorway, staring down at us angrily with his bloodshot eyes. Confusion quickly replaced his anger as he noticed the paper.

"What is that?" he asked, suddenly pissed again.

Dabi ripped it off of his face and put it on the ground while Toga and I struggled to keep from laughing. "What's what?" Dabi asked.

Shigaraki stumbled over his words, eventually giving up and saying, "You kids better be glad that you're important to the League." He closed the door.

"I'm twenty-two!" Dabi yelled. "I'm not a kid."

Shigaraki opened the door again. "Do you want me to kill you?" he asked angrily. "Go to sleep."

Then, slamming the door shut, he walked away. Toga and I made eye contact, then burst out laughing, clutching our stomachs and falling onto our backs. Even Dabi was laughing into his hand, trying and failing to be his usual, emotionless self.

"He's going to kill us," Dabi mumbled as we started to collect ourselves again.

I held my sides, my ribs hurting because of how hard I had laughed. "Even if he does, that was so worth it."

"Did you see his face?" Toga wheezed. "He was so angry!"

"If you get killed," Dabi said, "it's not my fault."

"You're the one who had the paper, Stitches."

He cursed. "If Shigaraki asks, I had no part in this."

"Like he'll believe that," I answered, laughing.

The door opened again and we all quieted. Kurogiri entered. "You seriously pissed of Tomura," he said. "Go to sleep." Even though he didn't have a mouth, he looked like he was scowling, and his eyes were narrow. "Don't tell him I said this, but it was pretty funny."

I turned to Toga, giving her a high-five.

"Night!" I said to Kurogiri, who turned away and left the room, shutting the wooden door behind him.

Dabi stood up from his seat on the floor, and I followed suit.

"Are you guys leaving?" Toga whined. "Deku-kun, stay with me!"

"You know I can't, Toga," I said, walking toward the door.

"Goodnight, blondie," Dabi said.

"Goodnight," she responded, her voice just as sickly sweet as it always was.

Dabi and I walked into the room across the hallway, where our two beds stayed. Even though Shigaraki didn't think that Toga, Dabi, and I needed so much as our own rooms, he realised that we probably shouldn't be in the same room as Toga—not because she's a girl, though, but because she's bloodthirsty.

Dabi turned off the lights and I flopped onto my bed, ready to sleep. Dabi was asleep quickly, but I laid there, thinking quietly in the darkness.

I smiled to myself as I drifted off to sleep. I'm so happy here.