Y/n's fingers lightly touched the end table. Eyes still closed, she blindly searched for her phone. Her hand bumped into something, and she heard it slide across the end table. Reaching out, she grabbed onto her phone and looked at it. "Aw, I'm late," y/n said as she immediately sat up.
The feeling of something gritty clinging onto her skin caught her attention. Y/n looked at her arm and peeled off a chunk of grey dust clumped together. She sat for a moment and continued poking at the debris. Behind her, y/n felt the bed move. A cold hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.
Y/n's back was pressed against Tomura's chest, his legs poked out from both sides. She leaned back and rested her head on Tomura's collarbone. "If you're late, then why not stay here?" The blue-haired villain curled forward and bit down on her shoulder.
"Because I already skipped out yesterday," y/n replied. Across the room, y/n could see their reflection in the mirror. Y/n watched Tomura nibble on her skin, and his hands travel along her body. She could see her face redden, watching the sight unfold in front of her, but she couldn't look away. The villain lifted his head, and it soon became apparent that he was also watching the mirror.
Seeing Tomura's sharp eyes reflected in the mirror made y/n feel flushed. The sound of Tomura's raspy chuckle close to her ear was beginning to make y/n flustered. A wide smile crossed the villain's lips. He moved his head close to y/n's neck. "You probably missed him if he showed up today anyway."
Y/n sighed. She wanted to stay, but y/n knew she couldn't. "Tomura," she muttered quietly. Y/n reached behind her and ran her fingers through his hair. Her touch ran along his jawline and rested under his chin. "I can't."
She watched as his eyes narrowed. "Fine," he growled. Y/n felt his grip slip from her skin. She could see a small tinge of disappointment in his eyes.
Y/n hated seeing that look in his eyes. She knew he would be even happier having his goals pushed forward. Y/n had to force her desire to stay with Tomura in the back of her mind. Instead, she kept reminding herself that Tomura will be much happier later.
She stood up to her feet. Y/n wrapped a towel around her body. Before leaving the bedroom, she turned to the blue-haired villain. "Can you do me a favor?" Tomura looked at her with an unsure expression on his face. "While I'm gone, can you move the bed back?" Y/n noticed the headboard, which was typically pressed up against the wall, was now several inches away.
Y/n grabbed a fresh set of clothes and closed the bedroom door behind her. She took a quick shower, trying to remove as much of the debris from her skin and hair as she could. Y/n watched as the clear water turned grey as clumped ash mixed with it. She dressed up even faster than her shower, noting that she was already far too late.
Y/n knocked on Kurogiri's bedroom door. She tapped her foot while she anxiously waited. The shadow-like villain didn't answer nearly as fast as he usually did. This is the worst day to oversleep, Kurogiri, y/n thought to herself, not daring to let those thoughts escape her lips.
Finally, the shadow-like villain opened his door. He looked down at y/n. "Hey, I'm running late, send me closer to the bookstore today." Kurogiri was unusually silent. In the corner of her eye, y/n saw a black portal open up. She spun around and rushed through the warp gate.
Y/n hurried out of the alley and rushed into the sidewalk. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked around. This street didn't look familiar at all, and y/n didn't recognize the stores. It hit y/n that she's never been here before.
Y/n stepped out of the way from an oncoming group walking down the sidewalk. She pulled out her phone and paced as she waited for Kurogiri to pick up. "Hello?"
"This isn't the bookstore," she said. Y/n finally stopped pacing and waited around the corner for Kurogiri to get her.
Y/n heard Kurogiri hum, almost as if he was thinking. "Oh, you know, I think you're right." Y/n didn't like the tone of voice he was using, something sounded off. It was suspicious. "My apologies, Miss y/n, it appears I sent you to the other side of the city. How strange."
"How'd that happen?" she asked. Y/n had no idea how Kurogiri could make a mistake like this.
"I must have mixed up the coordinates. You see, I'm terribly tired. It's the strangest thing, I didn't get much sleep last night." It felt like all the color drained out of y/n's face. Y/n began to stammer, telling Kurogiri not to worry about it and promptly hanging up.
She leaned her back against the brick wall. Y/n was caught up in the heat of the moment and completely forgot about Kurogiri. She fumbled with her phone, anxiously. Y/n skimmed through her contacts and called the bookstore to tell them that she was going to be even later than she had said.
It took a while, but y/n eventually saw the bookstore in the distance. "Yes, I'm almost there. I can see it. Sorry." Y/n remembered how, back before she met Tomura, she would have been apologizing profusely for being so late. Now, she had to remind herself to try to sound genuine.
Y/n stopped in front of the door. She looked down as she put her phone away. "Oh, here, let me open this for you."
Y/n looked up and saw the man in her files standing right in front of her. There was no mistaking the older man, the tired look in his dark eyes was almost unmistakable. He was undoubtedly Mr. Soga.
"Thank you." She tried her best to not look anxious. Y/n shot him a smile as she slyly looked over his shoulder. Giran mentioned that he was under some sort of program to keep him safe. Y/n has never heard of such a thing before, and she wondered what it entailed. Whenever she thought about it, y/n assumed he had a personal hero bodyguard with him all hours of the day. So far, y/n hadn't spotted one.
She walked through the door and heard Mr. Soga following close behind. Y/n rushed behind the counter and did what she usually did whenever she got to the bookstore. While looking down at the register, y/n kept an eye on the man in her peripherals. Y/n realized she didn't know what she was supposed to be doing.
In the distance, y/n could hear him talking to one of the bookstore's employees by name. Y/n wondered if she should insert herself into the conversation or wait until he's alone and swoop in.
"Oh, hey, let me introduce you to Atsuko." Y/n kept her head down and waited for Mr. Soga to head her way.
Y/n looked up as soon as she saw two figures lingering by her. "Hello again, sir," y/n said with a smile.
Mr. Soga held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, miss. My name is Morio Soga, I come here quite frequently, so I'm sure you'll see me from time to time."
Y/n wanted to call him out on that. She's been waiting for him to show up for weeks now. Someone who shows up frequently would come by more often. Y/n held her tongue and shook his hand.
A firm pair of hands held y/n by her shoulders. "Atsuko here knows a lot about books. She might be your go-to with any questions." In the back of y/n's mind, she praised her coworker for being so outgoing, she practically gave y/n her opening.
"Oh, really?" he asked. Y/n smiled at him and gave him a small nod. "Well, that's great. I could always use a second opinion."
From the front counter, y/n studied the older man. She wondered how she should advance from here. The League needed him alive. Part of her wondered if she should let him slip through her fingers this time and try to get him next. She didn't know if he knew any heroes, y/n didn't want to paint a target on The League by haphazardly taking action. Y/n considered alerting Kurogiri to his whereabouts and have someone from The League follow him.
Y/n couldn't imagine contacting Kurogiri, not after their previous conversation. She barely wanted to ask him to take her home. Y/n pulled out her phone, hiding it like how she did back in school and texted the one person she felt like she could rely on in this situation.
Giran replied fast. She guessed that he just so happened to be waiting for a client to call. He advised y/n to let him go today, she just got confirmation that he does visit that bookstore. In his eyes, that's a small win, but a victory nonetheless.
Giran added that y/n was a charming young lady, which made y/n face redden out of embarrassment. He noted that if she gave him a smile and asked some questions, Mr. Soga would inevitably answer them. Giran suggested getting a timeframe for his next visit. It would provide Tomura and Kurogiri enough time to flesh out a proper plan.
He ended his rather long message with a little note that he doesn't mind taking her home if she didn't want to ask Kurogiri to lend her his quirk. Y/n declined his offer, adding a joke that she'd rather be able to walk around in his office again.
Y/n put away her phone. Giran had brought up a good point, it was better to get a general idea of when Mr. Soga would show up again. She stood behind the counter and watched him closely. She observed every step he went down and what book genres he was looking at from a distance.
Every so often, y/n would spot Mr. Soga looking in her direction. Whenever she did, she'd pleasantly smile at him. Although she was positive that he wasn't aware of her plan, she couldn't help but feel anxious inside. Y/n reminded herself that there was no way he could know and that it wasn't odd to see an employee stare at their customer.
"I think this will do," Mr. Soga said as he placed down a small pile of books.
"That's quite a stack," y/n said as she picked up the first one and scanned its barcode. "I suppose you don't show up all that often, or you're an awfully fast reader."
"A little bit of both," he replied. "This will hold me down for a few weeks." Mr. Soga tapped on the stack of unscanned books.
"A few weeks?" y/n said, trying to sound more impressed than she was. Mr. Soga smiled at her in response. Y/n picked up the next book and scanned it. This pile wasn't so big. She could read through them all in a few days, maybe a week, if she wanted to take her time.
Though, y/n knew that staying with Tomura meant she had nearly unlimited free time. Tomura rarely wanted her to do things for The League, often opting to send out any other member for things she could do herself. This was the first time Tomura had ever entrusted y/n a task of her own; no one was around to babysit her, and it was up to y/n how she was going to complete the plan.
"So, that's when I should expect you to come again, then?" Y/n chewed on her cheek as she waited for the older man's response. She wondered if her question was too intrusive, and she accidentally overstepped. Y/n had to remind herself over and over that her words were commonplace.
"Something like that. Sometimes work keeps me a little too busy, and I miss my monthly visit." Y/n placed all his books in a bag while he talked. The older man gave y/n a wink and a smile. "I'll try to not miss next month."
"Great to hear," y/n said. She slid the bag closer to Mr. Soga. "See you in a few weeks, then."
Y/n waved goodbye to Mr. Soga as he left. She slumped forward onto the counter, resting her head on her arms. A few weeks, y/n reminded herself. She knew that was most likely when Tomura would want to strike.
Acting as if today was no different from every other day, y/n helped out in the bookstore. She impatiently organized books and dusted the shelves to pass the time.
The sun was beginning to set, and it was close to locking the doors for the day. Y/n sat behind the front counter and dug around in her pockets. She tried scrounging for as much cash as she could. Y/n held her handful of bills in her hands and counted it all. In her head, she debated whether or not she had enough money to take a train and call for a ride home.
In the corner of her eye, y/n spotted her coworker's purse tucked away under the register. Y/n bit her lip as she glanced over to it. She looked up and spotted the girl across the room, on a ladder, pulling books off the upper shelf and neatly rearranging them.
Y/n moved in close and dug around in the purse. Every once and a while, she looked up to keep an eye on her coworker. Y/n pulled out a wallet and dug through it. She grabbed the first bill she saw and put it in her pocket without counting it. Before the girl knew it, y/n had gone through her bag and safely tucked away the stolen cash in a safe spot.
The sting of guilt pained y/n's chest as she walked to the train. The girl she had stolen the money from was a sweet girl who never fussed over anything. Y/n chewed on her cheek, reminding herself that she couldn't trust her coworker. Not like The League.
Finally home, y/n opened the unlocked front door. "Decided to take the long way home, have we?" a deepened voice asked.
Y/n's eyes narrowed at Kurogiri as she passed by him. "He's coming to the bookstore in a few weeks," y/n mumbled before leaving the room and entering the bathroom.
Y/n sunk into the warm bathwater. She closed her eyes and listened to the two voices talk. Y/n could only guess what the two were going on about. She knew Kurogiri must have relayed her information to Tomura, and the two of them were now discussing what to do next.
Her eyes shot open as she heard the bathroom door jiggle frantically. It appeared as though someone was on the other side, trying to force themselves in. Y/n bit her lip and felt her face burn up at the thought of it being Tomura.
She got out of the bathtub, still dripping wet, y/n unlocked the bathroom door. Taking no time, the door swung open wide. "Y/n!" a high-pitched squeal called out.
Before y/n had a chance to register what happened. Himiko had burst through the door and had her in a tight hug. "H-Himiko?!" y/n began, she didn't expect the blonde girl to be the one on the other side of the door.
"What's all the commotion?" another voice called out.
Y/n nudged Himiko, fearing that whoever was calling out would come over. "Himiko, let go and close the door," y/n pleaded. The girl gave y/n a toothy grin as she closed the bathroom door.
Now freed from Himiko's hug, y/n reached over and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her body. "What are you doing here? Visiting?"
"Meeting!" Himiko said with a smile. She gripped onto y/n's arm and gave her a firm tug. "Come on, they're waiting!"
Y/n pulled her arm back. "At least let me dress first." Himiko held her hands behind her back and nodded. She leaned against the bathroom wall and patiently waited for y/n to throw on the clothes hanging by the sink.
"Your skin is very soft," Himiko said in a pleasantly happy tone. Y/n looked over to the blonde girl and thanked her. "It also smells like Tomura." Y/n felt her face fall flat.
"W-what do you mean by that?" y/n stammered. "Did I accidentally use Tomura's things in the bath?" Y/n glanced at the collection of half-used bottles on the bathtub's edge, pretending to be utterly oblivious to what Himiko could possibly mean. Himiko giggled in response, not clarifying what she meant.
Hair still dripping wet, y/n followed Himiko down the hallway. The boys were all in the room, waiting. She could see that some of them, namely Dabi, seemed upset. The young blonde girl pulled on y/n's arm and sat her down. Y/n was placed in between Himiko and Compress.
Tomura was standing front and center. He began the meeting by announcing the message Kurogiri passed along from y/n. "Our key into Tartarus is going to be captured in three weeks." He looked over towards Compress. "I can trust you with this task, can't I?"
"Of course," Compress replied.
Tomura crossed his arms and scanned the rest of his team. "Then, let's talk strategy. We don't have much time. Once they realize the old man is missing, Tartarus will be on high alert. We will need to work fast."
"This is so sudden," Compress spoke up. "How can we possibly plan for something like breaking into Tartarus in such a short period of time?"
Tomura could hear some of the other members talking amongst themselves. The blue-haired villain held up his hand. "Easy. We will get information from the old man, and create a plan from there. Toga will be our key inside."
The villain could hear Himiko giggle, clearly approving the chance to play dress up and use her quirk.
"Wait, are we all going?" Dabi asked. Tomura noticed the patchwork villain immediately side glance towards y/n.
"Yes. We are all going until I say otherwise." Tomura hated that he had to say it. He never intended to allow y/n anywhere near Tartarus. However, she was far too stubborn.
"Great," Dabi growled under his breath. Tomura watched y/n beginning to look saddened by the conversation.
Kurogiri joined into the conversation. "Miss y/n, we're having difficulties trying to decide where you should be stationed. Out of everyone here, who do you think is the most logical person to stay near?"
Tomura faintly heard y/n mumble about being put on the spot. She looked at everyone in The League, undoubtedly trying to look at every possible angle. Tomura thought the answer was obvious. Y/n was most comfortable around him, so clearly y/n would want to stay by his side, as she should.
"Uhm," y/n hummed. "Dabi, I think?" Y/n immediately looked to the two villains standing up in front as if waiting for their approval.
Tomura ground his teeth while trying not to snap at anyone. "Fan-fucking-tastic, I get to babysit too? How'd I get so lucky?"
"Sorry..." y/n mumbled towards Dabi under her breath. Tomura watched as Himiko rubbed y/n's arm and scolded Dabi for being mean.
"Why him?" Tomura asked. He wanted to know why y/n would possibly choose Dabi over him, especially considering how much y/n dislikes his company.
Keeping her head down, y/n began to explain her thought process. "Well, he's the only one here with range, so I thought that was the safest bet." Y/n paused. "Am I wrong?"
Tomura was going to inform her that she was, in fact, wrong. However, Kurogiri spoke up. "No, no, no. That's perfectly reasonable. Thank you for making such a well thought out decision."
The blue-haired villain didn't want to trust y/n to anyone, especially not Dabi. "Hey, now. Every time we leave y/n to Dabi, she always comes back injured."
"Half the time, it's because she can't follow simple directions," Dabi shrugged.
"You only had to protect her twice," Tomura shot back. He could feel his temper getting the best of him.
"My statement still stands," Dabi replied calmly. He crossed his arms and gave Tomura a challenging glare.
Tomura growled in frustration, not quite able to make out words. "Why do you have to be like this?" Tomura spat.
Dabi shook his head. "I'm just saying I'm not going to babysit while trying to keep me alive. Make her follow someone else around."
"It's not that hard," Tomura argued; "I can do it one-handed." Kurogiri joined in, Tomura could tell by his tone that the shadow-like villain was trying to deescalate the argument.
Kurogiri informed Tomura that it would be unwise to have y/n with him; it made things riskier for both he and y/n. Tomura glared at his advisor as he continued speaking. He Added that Tomura was the person everyone at Tartarus will be trying to get their hands on. It put y/n in more danger if she stayed by him. Alternatively, having y/n around could unintentionally put Tomura in unfavorable situations.
"Maybe we should allow Compress to keep an eye out for her?" Kurogiri said.
"As long as it's not him," Tomura pouted stubbornly. He didn't want to trust Compress with y/n either. At the end of the day, Tomura saw y/n as his project and his responsibility. "Go home," Tomura demanded, feeling a particular headache he only got whenever he and Dabi talked.
Everyone but y/n got up and exited the room through a nearby Kurogiri portal. Y/n stayed in her seat, hands still firmly placed on her lap.
As soon as everyone left, Tomura firmly grabbed y/n's wrist and pulled her to the bedroom. He shut the door behind him and leaned on the door.
The blue-haired villain released y/n's wrist and placed a hand on her head. "Good job getting that information," he said in a low tone. Tomura pulled y/n close to him and rested his head on top of hers. Holding her tightly in a handless hug, Tomura vacantly stared ahead to the other side of the room.
"The only way I'm allowing you to go is if you stay close to me," Tomura's hug tightened.
Tomura felt y/n's fingers around his waist. "I'd like that." He nuzzled his cheek into y/n's still wet hair. Tomura didn't know what else he could say. The two of them were in agreement and on the same page.
The villain stayed silent, listening to the nothingness that filled the room. Instead of wasting his time speaking, Tomura preferred to take in all the sensations his senses were picking up. His shirt dampening as he held y/n. The blue-haired villain breathed in the flowery scent coming off of y/n as her fingers tugged onto his shirt lightly.
At this moment, Tomura was sure he made the right choice. Y/n was his to protect.
Author's Note:
Twisted just made it to 3k votes and is almost at 50k reads. I'd like to say thank you!! I didn't expect anyone to read this story, so it always blows me away whenever I see it hit new milestones like this.
Once again, thank you so much <3