I had just finished getting off the call with Shigaraki, I gave him updates every week over a special burner phone, when I heard a knock at my door. I glanced up at the clock above my desk. 10pm. I got up and opened my door and to my surprise saw Kirishima standing with books in his hand, looking embarrassed.
"Kirishima! Hi! What are you doing here so late?" I asked surprised.
"Hi! Um..I'm not really sure" He said chuckling nervously. He breathed in deeply and then spoke again. "I just- I need help studying. We have a quiz tomorrow and I don't understand anything." He groaned. "Please help me, Midobro!" He begged. I laughed at how cute he was.
"Come in, shark boy." I said, laughing and opening the door wider to let him slip past me. We studied for a while, every once in a while I'd feel him staring and wondered what why. Finally I just made eye contact with him. In response he blushed and apologized.
"Kirishima. Did you only come here to study?" I asked, closing my book and leaning against the headboard of my bed. He sighed and closed his too.
"No. Well I mean I definitely needed help so thanks to you, I'll probably get a good grade but uh...I had other reasons too."
"What's up?"
"It's just that even though you're sweet as hell and everyone loves you, I feel like no one really knows you... I mean I've never once heard you mention your family or even simple things like what your hobbies are or-or even your favorite color! No one knows you, Midoriya. And maybe I'm the only one who's realized that about you but-"
"Do you want to know me, Kirishima?" I asked him in a low tone. He looked up to make eye contact with me.
"Yes." He answered, almost breathlessly. I smiled softly.
"Ok, hobbies...I used to be obsessed with All Might when I was younger. I probably had every single piece of merchandise with his name plastered on it." I said chuckling. "But I guess I got older and...realized he's human just like I am. I respect him now but I don't worship him anymore." Kirishima nodded in understanding.
"Yeah I went through that with Crimson Riot...I'm starting to create my own hero persona that fits me rather than copies him."
"Current hobbies though...I like to read and I sing a little bit I guess."
"Yo Midobro, you sing? You'll have to sing for me one of these days."
"Heh. Honestly...I haven't sang since my mom died."
"I'm...so sorry. How long ago did she...?"
"Last year. Guess we're talking about family now, huh?" I said. "My mom left when I was a little kid so it was just my mom and I for years until one day she...committed suicide." It stung to say that last part when I now knew it wasn't true but I wasn't ready to go that deep with anyone yet. He nodded solemnly.
"She was my everything. The reason I smiled. The reason I did well in school. The reason I felt like I wasn't a complete screw up because of all of my disorders..." I trailed off thinking about her.
"She sounds wonderful. I'm glad she made you feel that way because you are nowhere near a screw up." I chuckled, incredulously.
"You don't understand, Kirishima, I hyperfixated on All Might for years to the point where I literally would talk about him for hours so much so that I annoyed anyone around me because of my ADHD, I have regular panic attacks that make me feel like the weight of the world is sitting on my lungs so I can't breathe and my heart races to the point where I get dizzy because of my anxiety, my depression only worsened when my mom died...I'm a disaster, Kiri-" I clutched my chest as my breathing has sped up so I couldn't speak clearly. I started stuttering and speaking incoherently to the point where my brain couldn't even understand what was coming out of my own mouth. "She's gone...she's...I'm alone, I'm so alone...Please..." I could feel Kirishima move across the bed and wrap his arms around me. I heard soothing words but couldn't understand them for a few minutes.
"Just breathe, Mido..." I opened my eyes and realized I was in his lap.
"I'm sorry..." I finally said. He sighed.
"You don't have to apologize for hurting." He whispered. I didn't know what to say to that. Maybe because I constantly felt like anytime I let people get close I burdened them. I felt my eyes start to get heavy and I yawned. He pulled a blanket around us and leaned up against the corner between my headboard and the wall with me still in his lap.
"My favorite color is red." I said quietly.
"What?"
"My favorite color...It's red." I let my eyes close as I heard him chuckle softly, surprised.
"Mine too." It was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.
...
The next morning I was a little surprised to realize that we had slept int that position all night. I usually had pretty bad nightmares so I found it odd that I had slept through the night without any problems. I smiled looking down at his hands that were laying on my stomach. I carefully began to unlatch his arms from around me, trying not to wake him up, when I was suddenly pulled back down into him again. He held me even tighter. "Um. Kirishima?" I giggled. I felt him wake fully up.
"Oh! Midobro! Sorry!" He quickly pulled his arms away and I stood up to face him.
"You're alright, Kiri." He smiled at me gently.
"What?" I asked.
"You called me, Kiri."
"Oh! Sorry I-"
"No! I mean I like it. Makes me feel like we're finally friends." He said with a large smile.
"Kiri, we've been friends."
"Wow, really? I mean I've considered you my friend but I was worried you thought I was annoying and didn't feel the same." He said laughing.
"You never annoy me." I said smiling back at him. "Now we need to get ready for school. You have to ace that quiz today." I said helping him off the bed.
He walked into our joint bathroom, as he was next door to me, and began to brush his teeth. Friends. I hadn't had a friend since Kacchan. I thought to myself as I made my bed.
It was bittersweet though. I had to remember why I was here.
I had received an assignment from Shigaraki saying it came from his higher up. I got dressed in my uniform and we headed to class. Afterwards, I made excuses to my friends and changed into black ripped jeans, a dark green sweater over a white button up and put on small black studs in my ears. I left campus, heading up to my old neighborhood. Although I couldn't risk being seen with any of the LOV villains while I was at UA, I still followed the occasional orders to go on assignments. Usually they were solo but today I was receiving a group of lackeys under my control due to my high standing in the league. I spotted the meeting spot which was atop random building in the city, a few heads of low level villains being visible. I climbed up the fire escape with ease and swung myself over the ledge.
"Hi boys." I said, twiddling my fingers at them playfully. They all back away from where I was warily.
"Aw, I see you know who I am." I said casually jumping off the ledge onto the roof fully. "That just makes things easier." I added more darkly as I approached them.
"Name's Deku but to you low levels it's 'sir'. You will address me as such at all times, got it?" They nodded swiftly. "Follow all of my order as efficiently as possible or I might castrate or behead you. Depends on my mood." I said, with a wink at a random criminal.
"Who the hell does this guy think he is?" Someone muttered. My eyes instantly shot over to him. I smiled devilishly. "A challenge so early? How fun." The other six men all nervously shrunk away as one man stood tall and confidently. I held eye contact with him and stomped the roof, bright green flames kicking up along the perimeter of the roof. I approached the man carefully and grabbed him by his collar, pulling him down to my level roughly.
"I'm in the mood to watch the world burn today." I whispered in his ear, giggling. "Would you like to be my first victim today?" I activated another one of my quirks, rash, and grabbed him by the neck, allowing a nasty rash to spread across his body. He cried out as it slowly changed from an intense itch to a hot stinging burning sensation.
"Please-!" He choked out.
"Oh alright." I said sweetly, letting him fall to the floor gasping. "Now I suggest you get the fuck up and get back in line." I barked. He did as told quickly.
"Good." I released the flames. "Now let's go have some fun alright?" I said cheerfully. When we made it to the place, we hopped out of the van. The men flanking me and I walked confidently to the door.
I slipped on my black mask with a disturbing smiley face on the front, my green gloves having been changed for my signature black ones, and kicked open the door to the busy high class bar. It revealed a bunch of snobby rich people looking up in confusion and fear.
"My apologies, ladies and gentlemen!" I announced grandly. "I hate to interrupt your night." I bowed teasingly. "But I'm gonna need all of your money and valuables in the bags of my friends here. Ooh and maybe some bottles of alcohol to go. Or else your pretty little heads will roll." I said, green fire shooting up in the palm of my hand. I tilted my head slowly. "Let's get started, shall we?"