Shigaraki had been walking, protected by the dark embrace of the night for several hours. Days before leaving y/n's house, he borrowed her computer to look at all the nearby towns and cities for any known villain safe-houses.
A city by the name of Ogura had caught his attention. At the time, the name sounded familiar to Shigaraki, but he couldn't quite put the finger on where he had heard that name before. Researching the city further, he learned that a friend of The League's broker was stationed in Ogura.
Studying the terrain, Shigaraki found the safest way to travel. The journey would take him an extra day, but it would keep him undetected.
A gust of wind brushed up against the blue-haired villain. Shigaraki scowled, the worst thing about traveling at night was the cold weather. Before taking his journey out to Ogura, he had requested or instead demanded in y/n's eyes, that she buy him a coat of sorts. Something to keep him somewhat warm but, more importantly, something to help conceal his identity. He is a wanted criminal, after all.
Shigaraki also needed water and food. He knew he wouldn't make it to Ogura in one night. This trip was going to take several nights, and he refused to go hungry if he didn't need to.
Shigaraki kept going the path he'd planned out. Eventually, the sun had risen, and he had to find shelter for the day. He found a small bridge that went over a river. It wasn't ideal, but he figured no one would see him there.
He made his way down to the bridge and sat down by the riverside. Unzipping the coat y/n had bought him, he reached for a water bottle tucked away in an inner pocket. Shigaraki took a swig of water and placed the bottle back. He knew he had to be careful with his water consumption. It was more important that he had enough water rather than food.
Shigaraki looked at the inner pocket that held the food items y/n had packed for him. For some odd reason, he didn't have an appetite. Shigaraki decided it was best to rest if he wasn't hungry. He rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes for the day.
Several hours later, he woke up in the same hunched over position. "This sucks," Shigaraki grumbled to himself regarding all the traveling on foot. Kurogiri was his most crucial comrade for a reason. If he needed to go anywhere, he didn't need to spend hours or days walking to get there.
Shigaraki found that he still wasn't in the mood to eat, regardless he reopened the coat to grab something anyway. "Eh?" The blue-haired villain dug in one of the other inner pockets and pulled out something small wrapped in a colorful decorative paper and tied together with an equally bright ribbon.
The villain didn't know what was in the small package, but he was going to go through it first. There's no way in hell I'm going be seen with something so girly. He unwrapped the package and found that there were some small cookies and a note from y/n inside.
Shigaraki read the note. I had some leftover cookies, so I packed you a few to take. Hopefully, they don't break, sorry if they do! Love, y/n.
He noticed she signed off the note with love and doodled a little heart next to it. Shigaraki thought that was awfully out of character for y/n.
The blue-haired villain looked at the cookies and wrapped them back up, placing the cookies and note back into his coat. He didn't want to eat. Pressing his palm onto his chest, he took a deep breath. On top of his sudden loss of appetite, he felt like he was catching a cold.
Nightfall eventually came, and Shigaraki headed out once more. His night was very similar to the night before. It was, for the most part, uneventful. It's probably best that nothing out of the ordinary happens.
As he walked, he dug through his coat pockets and pulled out the cookies. Looking at them once more, he didn't want them. As he placed the cookies away, y/n's note slipped out of the coat. Shigaraki picked it up and stored it back in his pocket. He coughed and cleared his throat. The weird cold symptom he'd felt the day before came back. Soon enough, the sun had begun to rise. Shigaraki yawned and closed his eyes for the day.
Shigaraki was getting back into the swing of waking up later and later in the day. Shigaraki continued to move forward. He just wanted this whole thing over.
The blue-haired villain slowly made his journey to Ogura. He continued to travel during the night and rest in the day. It took the villain nearly a week of walking until he finally arrived at the city. Off in the distance, Shigaraki can see the sparkle of neon lights glowing in the dark, night sky. Upon reaching a hill, he could spot Ogura City out on the horizon. At last, Shigaraki thought to himself, making his way towards the city.
Shigaraki stopped in an alleyway within the city. He tucked Father away in a pocket and threw on his hood. Ogura City had a large concentration of villains, but he was still in danger of being found out. None of these villains had any loyalty to The League. Given the right price, even a fellow villain would rat him out.
He had an address written down on a slip of paper. Aimlessly, he walked down the street by street until he finally found what he was looking for. Shigaraki stopped before a small building, its doors closed, and a single neon sign labeled The Clover that flickered every few seconds, struggling to stay on. It certainly wasn't inviting.
Shigaraki opened the door and walked in. The air was so heavy with smoke; it made it difficult to breathe. His ruby eyes skimmed his surroundings as he walked further and further into the building. On the other side of the room, Shigaraki spotted a door. He approached the door and walked in.
A heavyset man with graying hair was sitting at a desk counting money and pushing buttons on a calculator. He looked up at Shigaraki. "Can I help you, boy?"
Shigaraki scoffed at being referred to as a boy. He was twenty. "Are you Fujimi?" Shigaraki asked as he approached the desk.
The man leaned forward with a stern look. "That depends, who's asking?" He eyed Shigaraki up and down.
Shigaraki pulled Father out of his pocket and carefully placed it on his face. "Tomura Shigaraki," he introduced himself. Unless this old guy was living under a rock, merely saying his name or The League should give Shigaraki more than enough authority around here. The League was famous after all. Anyone who financially supported villains had their eyes on The League.
"I see," The elderly man's demeanor changed. He went from being intimidating to much more relaxed. "And what brings you to my humble abode?"
"I need you to contact Giran and have him pass along a message," Shigaraki explained. The older man slumped this visit wasn't for business. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Flipping through his contacts, he pulled up Giran's number and pressed the call button. As it rang, he tossed the phone over to Shigaraki.
Shigaraki held the phone in his hands. The blue-haired villain thought it was bold of him to assume Shigaraki wouldn't catch it with all five fingers. Shigaraki took a few steps away and turned his back to Fujimi as he waited for Giran to pick up. "Hey, how's it going, Fujimi?" Answered a man cheerfully.
"I want to go home now," Shigaraki demanded; "send Kurogiri here."
"Eh, Shigaraki?" Giran asked, sounding shocked. No one in The League has heard from Shigaraki in over a week, his tone wasn't surprising. "I heard you got split up. Where have you been? Kurogiri has been looking for you."
"He didn't look hard enough," Shigaraki snapped.
"Okay, okay. Give him a minute, I'll call Kurogiri right now." Giran hung up immediately. Shigaraki huffed. I need to lecture that old idiot for hanging up on me.
Shigaraki stood outside, where he could breathe. A few minutes passed, and an all too familiar shadow lifted from the ground and stood before the villain. Shigaraki did not hesitate to walk into the shadow. It was time to go home.
Upon reaching home, Shigaraki was greeted by a young schoolgirl with a pair of messy blonde buns on her head. She ran up to Shigaraki with a skip in her step. "Tomura! We haven't heard from you in so long I thought you died!" she exclaimed with a giggle.
It looks like everyone in The League of Villains was at the base. They all probably wanted to know where their leader had disappeared to. Shigaraki walked passed the girl and headed to his couch. "I was bedridden for a few days," he explained as he landed face down on his couch. "Go home. All of you." Everyone in the room looked at each other. "Now," Shigaraki demanded in a booming voice. Before anyone could protest, Kurogiri opened a warp gate for everyone to go through.
Now alone with his leader, Kurogiri began to defend himself. He explained that he intended to send Shigaraki close to the hideout. Kurogoiri told his leader that he assumed the hero who was holding onto Shigaraki would also warp away with him. In a panic, Kurogoiri accidentally mixed up the coordinates.
In truth, Shigaraki was only half listening. He was furious that Kurogiri, one of his most experienced comrades, would make such a simple mistake. However, if not for that error, he wouldn't have met y/n and her quirk. For that, Shigaraki decided to let Kurogiri off easy.
After a few moments of silence, Shigaraki began to speak. "Kurogiri, other than your screw up, how was the mission?" He made sure to emphasize to remind Kurogiri that he was still upset at him. Kurogiri informed him that the mission went as planned, he added in a grave tone that the Nomu in Shinitori were gone. Shigaraki shrugged; they were a bad batch, so he didn't care.
Shigaraki rolled over onto his back, he reached into his pocket and pulled out y/n's note. He looked it over again. Kurogiri approached his leader. "What is that?"
He tucked the note away. "Nothing." Shigaraki took a deep breath. He took in as much air his lungs would allow and exhaled slowly. "Do we have any tea here? I've had a weird pressure on my chest on and off for a few days. It's quite hard to breathe. I think I'm catching a cold." Kurogiri turned around and prepared a warm drink for his leader. "Oh," Shigaraki called after Kurogiri. "In a few weeks, let's have everyone gather."
Y/n was sitting out on her porch, looking up at the night sky, feeling the cold breeze on her skin. Y/n was at ease. She had never been so thankful to be alive.
To feel the night breeze, to see the stars and the moon. This moment was the most relaxed she's been since before she met Shigaraki. However, at the same time, this is the first time she's felt so lonely in years.
Although she had newfound gratitude for life, y/n couldn't help but sulk over the fact that she had plenty of extra hours at work, thanks to Shigaraki. Y/n let out a groan and forced herself up.
Y/n got ready to go to bed and crawled under her covers. She laid down on her back and stared at the ceiling. "Shigaraki," y/n muttered with a frown; "I also need a new phone thanks to you." Rolling onto her side and hugging her pillow, y/n yawned. "That psychopath."
Y/n picked up Shigaraki's scent still lingering on her pillow, without realizing it, she began to hug it tighter. Y/n felt her eyelids grow heavier and heavier. For a small moment, just before y/n fell asleep, she didn't feel as lonely.
Two weeks passed, it was time to plant the seeds of his plans. Today, Shigaraki wanted to introduce y/n to The League. He had been preparing for this for days. Next, to Shigaraki's desk, he had a whole stack of photographs of y/n taken over the past weeks in secret by a freelance informant, explicitly hired to trail y/n around.
None of the pictures particularly stood out. The photos mostly showed y/n at work, shopping, sitting on the porch, or out with friends. Typical everyday stuff. He also kept her note to him propped up with the pictures.
Shigaraki ultimately hoped that y/n would grow to be dependent on him. He wanted her to rely on him for anything. That way, y/n would return the favor when he needed something from her. However, it was easier said than done. Shigaraki knew his little project well enough; he knows she's terrified of him. They didn't hit it off.
For now, he'd be content sprouting thoughts into her head. Making y/n see him as a source of safety is a good start. He had spent over a week mentally going over scenarios and how to best deal with y/n's shy personality. Meeting his League of Villains was the most natural way.
Shigaraki had done his research and figured out the exact coordinates to y/n's living room in preparation. He wrote it down on a scrap of paper. "Listen," Shigaraki started, turning to his shadowy comrade. "I want to go here alone." Shigaraki made sure to emphasize alone. "Gather the rest of The League and meet me there in about two hours." Kurogiri silently agreed and transported his leader away.
Now on the other side, Shigaraki watched Kurogiri's quirk vanish into thin air. He walked throughout y/n's house and looked for her room by room. He sat down on her couch, clicking his tongue. Ah, damn. Not even at home.
Acting as if this was his house, he turned on the TV and made himself at home. He let out a sigh. This is a waste of time. He needed the extra two hours to prepare y/n to meet her new allies.
Nearly an hour passed, Shigaraki could hear talking and laughing outside the front door. He took the remote in his hand and turned off the TV. The door opened. Y/n and IronStrike entered the house. Shigaraki noted that it looked like y/n was having a great time with the hero. His eyes narrowed. How annoying.
Y/n froze in place, making direct eye contact with Shigaraki. Suddenly it felt like the wind knocked out of her, and time was standing still. She was unable to talk or breathe. IronStrike looked over towards the couch to see what y/n was looking at.
IronStrike's eyes widened. He grabbed y/n's shoulders firmly and moved her behind him. "Miss l/n, stay behind me. I'll take care of this villain. Go on and head outside." Y/n's mind went blank. She vacantly stared at Shigaraki from behind IronStrike.
Shigaraki grumbled as he stood up. Y/n could hear the villain complain that he still had his previous wounds and didn't appreciate being forced into a battle. Y/n bit her lip and stared at Shigaraki until she realized what was going on. Y/n took IronStrike's arm and pulled him back towards her. "W-wait, no, no, no. He's not who you think he is." Her quirk activated.
Y/n could see IronStrike's demeanor change. Under her fingertips, she could feel that he wasn't as tense anymore. He looked down at y/n, confused. "What do you mean?"
Y/n stepped in front of IronStrike and stood between the two men. She pointed at Shigaraki. "Oh, that's just a friend of mine." Y/n bit her lip and forced out a nervous giggle. "He... he, uh..." Y/n pondered how she was going to talk her way out of this. What could I even say about Shigaraki? How can I deescalate this?
Y/n lightly ran her teeth over her bottom lip and cleared her throat. "He's a cosplayer." Y/n sounded unsure of herself. She was embarrassed, that was the dumbest excuse she could have possibly thought of, but it was the first thing that came to mind.
IronStrike blinked at y/n. A moment passed, and the hero completely relaxed. He was back to his typical, friendly self. "Well, that's a pretty convincing costume, I'm impressed," he smiled in Shigaraki's direction. "Hey, just so you know, you should be careful going out in public like that. You wouldn't want you to get yourself mixed up into something, right?"
Y/n was practically pushing IronStrike out of her house at this point. "Sorry for the confusion. Thank you for the flower and for walking me home. I'll see you around, okay?"
Before stepping out of her door, IronStrike turned to y/n. He asked if she wanted to hang out on his next day off and get some ice cream. There was a hopeful tone in his voice. Y/n told him she wasn't sure and that she'd get back to him on that. The pro waved to both y/n and her friend before heading out.
Y/n closed the door behind Ironstrike, pressing her back against the door. Shigaraki is lucky I have this stupid quirk.
The villain approached y/n, his arms crossed. "Cosplayer?" He didn't sound too impressed.
Y/n buried her face in her hands, embarrassed. "I was put on the spot." She looked up from her hands, y/n's face was a bright red. "Can I ask why are you back here?" Y/n figured Shigaraki had long forgotten about her by now. Y/n was trying to be polite. She didn't want to make him mad. At the same time, she also didn't want to show how scared she was. Be brave, she mentally reminded herself.
He came in closer. The blue-haired man rested his forearms on her shoulders and leaned forward. Shigaraki was so close she could feel his breath against her neck. Y/n was stiff; the sound of him breathing in her ear made her skin crawl. "We were still playing a game, weren't we?" He muttered into her ear.
While Shigaraki was staying with y/n, he would often compare figuring out her quirk's drawbacks to playing a game. He moved his face closer to hers. Y/n felt a strange cold emanating of his face onto her cheek. It made the warmth of his breath on her neck feel even warmer. "Now, I know it only works one person at a time." Y/n swallowed hard. He catches on quick.
Shigaraki explained how he came to this conclusion. Y/n had previously told him that she could not turn off her quirk. Just now, she wasn't able to fool him and the pro at the same time. He considered that it was because the lie was about him, but that didn't stop y/n from fooling the hero the first time nearly a month ago. He added that he knew y/n saw him observing her from the hallway door.
"I also found your tell. You bite your lip when you lie. Did you know that? I bet you didn't." Shigaraki moved away from y/n's ear. Her e/c eyes met his ruby eyes. He was intelligent; she'd give him that. Shigaraki cocked his head to the side and observed her face. "No disagreements then? Two points for me." Shigaraki sounded so pleased with himself.
After everything was said and done, Shigaraki still frightened y/n. She wasn't sure if he meant to or not, but now she knew he needed something from her, or maybe he just needed her quirk. Either way, y/n figured she was safe as long as Shigaraki had a use for her.
Y/n saw the villain's eyes look elsewhere. His hand moved towards her head. Y/n tightly closed her eyes, preparing herself for the worst. Suddenly, she could feel the flower tucked behind her ear being pulled off. Slowly, y/n opened her eyes and looked at him.
Holding the stem with his thumb and his pointer finger, Shigaraki looked at the flower. He verbally recalled overhearing that the hero would often buy her these flowers. He placed his remaining fingers on the stem. Y/n watched as the flower fell apart into a pile of ash at her feet. "Wh-what was that for?" y/n stuttered.
"Mostly because I can," y/n could hear a bit of psychotic excitement in his voice.
He was quickly running out of alone time with y/n. Shigaraki rested his thumb under her chin and tilted her head up. "Everything will go more smoothly if you look up. Be confident for once," Shigaraki took his hands off her face and stepped back.
Before she could ask what he meant by that, a black fog manifest in her living room. One by one, several strangers walked out of the fog. Five strangers stood in her living room. The shadowy mist took the form of a sixth. Y/n didn't know what was going on. She inched closer to Shigaraki, hiding behind him. Y/n gripped onto his sleeve with both her hands.
Shigaraki looked over his shoulder at y/n. This is the reaction he'd hope she'd have. He was pleased to know that y/n thought he'd protect her, things are going all according to his plan.
The blue-haired villain sidestepped a little so his other comrades could see y/n better. Her knuckles were practically white from how tight she was holding onto Shigaraki's sleeve. Shigaraki began to speak. "This is y/n, and as of today, she's our newest member."
Y/n was taken aback by Shigaraki's statement. "Whu-when did I agree to that exactly?" she stammered, in a weak and quiet voice.
Shigaraki looked at y/n. "Oh, you didn't." Y/n shot a look at Shigaraki.
A young blonde girl, dressed in a blue skirt and a yellow cardigan, squealed and jumped up and down. She rushed over. "Oh yay, Tomura found another girl?! This is so exciting." Y/n inched further behind Shigaraki yet again. Her hand let go of his sleeve and was now on his arm. Y/n's other hand was still tightly on his sleeve. Y/n peeked out from behind Shigaraki's arm. The high school girl gave y/n a toothy grin that showed off her almost catlike canines.
A patchwork-looking man with short black hair crossed his arms, his cold icy blue eyes looking past Shigaraki and right at y/n. "Hm, it doesn't sound like she's up for it." He was correct; Shigaraki knew y/n didn't want anything to do with this.
Another man wearing a black and white mask and a feathered top hat leaned forward. "The poor thing's face has gone pale. Are you sure she can handle this?" he asked in an eloquently expressive manner.
Shigaraki shook his head. "Absolutely not. She put all her skill points into Charisma. This one is not fit to go on the playfield. I won't allow it." Shigaraki lifted the arm y/n was holding onto and led her in front of him. The villain put his free hand on her shoulder, two fingers were placed firmly on her collarbone. He could feel y/n trembling. Lightly, he rubbed her skin with his thumb. "She will be working primarily with me."
A man with dark pink hair and a lizard mutation intervened, clearly irritated. "What do you mean? We need numbers. Someone who can't help the cause shouldn't be in The League." Under Shigaraki's fingers, he could feel y/n flinch as if his reptilian comrade was yelling directly at her.
It looked like no one in the room, other than a few friendlier members, wanted y/n to join the group so far. This reaction is good. This was what Shigaraki was hoping for. "I plan for her to be an important piece," Shigaraki explained vaguely.
Y/n glanced up to Shigaraki. "I don't suppose I have a say in this?" y/n asked in a whisper.
In turn, Shigaraki looked down at her. "No, of course not." Y/n stayed quiet.
Y/n was smart enough to know when to stay silent. Six villains were in her house, seven if she included Shigaraki. She wouldn't be able to fight any of them off. Y/n couldn't rely on her quirk to talk her out of this situation. There were too many of them in the room. Y/n felt trapped in a corner.
"Well, I, for one, am excited," The blonde girl pulled y/n's hands off of Shigaraki's arm and held them in her hands, her golden eyes sparkling. The girl is so young, y/n figured she couldn't be more than fifteen or sixteen years old. It made y/n wonder how she got herself caught up in this.
"I agree with Toga! She seems like she could handle it," a man in a black and grey full-body costume chimed in. "Dabi and the others are right. She's not going to work out," he immediately added.
Shigaraki leaned close to y/n's ear. In a whispered tone, he pointed to the man in the full-body costume. Shigaraki told her that his name was Twice and to ignore the odd, contradictory way he talks. Shigaraki promised that she'd get used to it.
The girl nodded furiously. "I'm glad someone agrees with me. And she's so cute too! I wanna be just like her! Can I Tomura?! Huh, can I?!" Y/n was taken aback by the girl's ominously bubbly attitude and enthusiasm.
Suddenly something else was bothering y/n too. Y/n noticed the girl has been calling Shigaraki by his first name this whole time. He seemed like the type that would get upset or find it disrespectful. Y/n wondered if the two were close.
Shigaraki never talked about anyone in The League while he stayed in her care. Y/n shook the thoughts out of her head, Shigaraki likes his privacy, and it doesn't matter who he is or isn't close to.
Shigaraki reached out and pulled the blonde girl's hands off of y/n's. "None of you are allowed to hurt this one," he gave Toga a warning look. "That especially means you."
Y/n blinked, confused. The blonde girl has been so friendly. She seemed like the most harmless one out of everyone in Shigaraki's group. Y/n found it hard to believe she'd be most likely to hurt her. Shigaraki knew everyone better than y/n did; it's probably best to keep her distance from the girl. Y/n put her arms behind her back.
His shadow-like ally spoke up. "If Tomura Shigaraki thinks this is for the best, I will side with him. The rest of us should do the same. It's all for the benefit of The League." The members who previously rejected the idea of y/n joining The League reluctantly stepped down.
The blonde girl turned around to the men standing behind her. "So, we get to keep her around?!" She cheered as she hopped about excitedly. The girl leaned forward and looked into her eyes. "Y/n, I'm gonna call you that! Y/n is a pretty name!" She put y/n's hands in hers once again. "And you can call me Himiko!"
"Oh," Y/n began, quietly; "I guess that's fine." Y/n couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief. It looks like she calls everyone by their first name. Y/n wasn't sure why she was so hung up on what Himiko called Shigaraki, but she felt a lot better.
Shigaraki placed both his hands on y/n's shoulders, being sure to keep his ring fingers off y/n's skin. "It's decided then." He looked over to Kurogiri. "You can send everyone back now. This meeting was all I needed you all here for."
Himiko frowned. "I want to hang out with my new big sister!" She pouted at Shigaraki. "I want to have a girl's day with her."
"You will have plenty of time later," Shigaraki growled. "I have some formalities I need to finish up here."
"Wait. Did you seriously bring us here for just this?" the spiky-haired male, who y/n decided must be Dabi, argued. "This is seriously a waste of time."
"Yes, I did," Shigaraki said in a matter of fact tone. "I'm still healing, and we aren't making a move until then."
"What even is her quirk?" he retorted.
Shigaraki nudged y/n forward. "Why don't you explain."
Y/n fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "My, uh, my quirk?" Y/n looked away from the group.
The black-haired villain crossed his arms. "She can barely talk, this isn't so promising."
"Hey now," Shigaraki began. "Play nice with this one."
Y/n don't know why, but she appreciated that Shigaraki was standing up for her. "Ah, my quirk." Y/n took a deep breath, trying to explain again. "My quirk. It's called Liar. I can trick people into believing me," she paused. "Uhm, for the most part."
"For the most part?" The well-spoken man in the mask repeated.
Y/n grew concerned. She debated whether or not to say everything about her quirk. What if Shigaraki decides my quirk isn't as useful as he initially thought? Maybe I should leave some details out?
"It doesn't work on multiple people at a time. The same lie won't work on the same person twice." There's more she could say, but she figured this would satisfy them for now.
"Hey, Shigaraki," the reptile man spoke up; "why would you invite someone like that to our group?! We wouldn't be able to trust a thing she says. She could turn on us at any point." Y/n could hear the others mumbling. Agreeing that including y/n into the group is too risky.
Shigaraki held up a hand. "Spinner, she deserves a chance," he halted the chatter among the group. "Y/n here has hidden me from a hero two times now. Besides, have a little bit of creativity, a quirk like hers has so much untapped potential."
Y/n was surprised. A month ago, Shigaraki would have agreed with everyone. She was sure he had said the same thing at one point.
The group debated among themselves. They concluded that y/n's quirk could be useful. However, a few of them mentioned that they still felt like y/n could become a danger to The League of Villains as a whole. They reluctantly grew silent, ultimately agreeing to give y/n a chance but to also keep a close eye on her.
"So, you're all done here. Goodbye," Shigaraki glared at Kurogiri to get to work and send everyone home.
Shigaraki shot a look at Kurogiri, and his shadow-like comrade activated his quirk, opening up a warp gate for everyone. "Come along, let's allow Tomura Shigaraki to finish his business here."
Everyone filed out. Y/n could hear complaints about how they thought this was going to be important. Some said this was a waste of time, and they discussed whether or not y/n would be an okay addition to the group.
Shigaraki looked over to Kurogiri. "Give me ten minutes." Kurogiri nodded and vanished.
He hoped this experience wasn't too traumatizing for y/n. He expected The League to be a little more welcoming. Due to past experiences, he understood why they'd be a bit more cautious.
With everyone now gone, it was time to see if he could convince y/n to open up to him a little. Shigaraki observed her body language. Y/n was holding onto herself, still trembling. Being genuinely friendly wasn't his strong suit, but he learned how to fake it over the years. It was manipulative. However, he needed y/n to favor him more.
Y/n turned around to Shigaraki, her voice trembled as she spoke. "Uhm, thank you for standing up for me." Y/n bowed her head in appreciation.
Shigaraki pulled off the hand, obscuring his face and walked past y/n, carefully placing it down at a table. He turned to walk up behind y/n. Shigaraki wrapped his arms around her shoulders, both hands entirely off her. "You did better than I thought you'd do. I'm proud."
Y/n lifted her head and listened to what Shigaraki had to say. "I know you're scared. Give them some time. They will warm up to you and see what I see. Just take your time, I believe you will adapt." He released his hold on y/n and turned her to face him. Shigaraki looked down at y/n, she looked like an animal trapped in a cage.
He could see y/n was scared for her life. It was understandable for her to feel that way. If she tried to turn him away, Shigaraki decided he would deem her a lost cause and kill her. He knew y/n was smarter than that, though. Shigaraki was sure she would pick the right decision.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," y/n replied in a broken tone.
Shigaraki placed his palm on y/n's head, running his little finger through her h/c hair. "You're only going to be an informant. It will be your job to blend in with the masses. You won't have to change your lifestyle much. If anything, having you on our side will help us plan for our next move. With your help, we could plan more carefully. Not as many lives will be lost."
He was partially lying, it was what he knew she wanted to hear. While it was true, The League could easily keep the casualties down to a minimum with y/n's help, that wasn't something that Shigaraki cared about. "When you become more comfortable, I will also require you to help with recruitment. Of course, I wouldn't dare let you go alone. I will be with you primarily as protection and to assist negotiations." He told her yet another lie. Shigaraki's safety comes before everyone in The League, even before y/n's.
Her lip quivered. "If-if I get caught with you all. News will spread. Everyone will disown me. My friends, my family."
Shigaraki leveled himself to y/n. "Then The League will be your new friends. I will be your new family if that's fine with you," He continued to stroke her hair as best as his quirk would allow. "I understand you don't have what it takes to be a true villain. I'm not asking you to be the next big bad guy. Next time you meet with us, can you promise to talk with the others. Learn why they turned their backs on the current society. See what they've suffered through. You might not agree with their motives, but you might be able to sympathize with their cause at the very least."
Y/n nodded slowly, her eyes beginning to water. Shigaraki wiped away her tears with his thumb. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay?"
Shigaraki reached out and gave y/n another, much tighter hug. "Welcome to The League of Villains," he muttered; "I have to go soon. I would like to see you again before you meet with the whole group again."
Y/n didn't return Shigaraki's hug. Instead, she stayed utterly motionless, her face buried in his chest. Shigaraki grinned, things felt like they were going his way much sooner than he'd initially thought. Soon enough, she will be his most loyal pawn.