Dim lights hung overhead, flickering to click of wine glasses that reflected smiling faces hiding a double motive. A rotten feeling sank into Kota's gut with each shuddering breath.
Inhale—"It's such a shame. He's only just a kid."—exhale.
They were talking about him. As if the child, even with his quirk, was no threat to them.
Kota grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the villains before him.
"I was just a kid, when Sensei saved me." A man with shaggy hair said. He had a hand covering most of his face and his lips twisted up in a slight snarl. "We must work with what we have. Despite him not being our target and the loss of a few pawns."
"You really should value their efforts more, Shigaraki."
"Why should I? The scum let me down."
Kota felt his heart skip a few beats as cruel red eyes fell on him. He whimpered, barely able to find his own voice.
"You," Shigaraki tilted his head as if to inspect how the child squirmed against the restraints. He slowly rose to his feet, circling around the child. "Won't let me down, right?" He flashed a smile.
The smile looked more menacing than warm and friendly. The way his crusty lips curled upwards and his teeth grinded together as if he was holding back, unleashing his rage on the child.
Kota let out a weak frustrated sob. No. He didn't want to die here. But he could already tell how everything would go: The villains would take turns cutting up his body and dissecting him, bit by bit. This place would be his grave—all because of stupid heroes and villains fighting for no good reason. Their dumb feud would be the cause of his demise and there was absolutely nothing he could do to prevent it.
Kota jerked as a pale clammy hand reached out to stroke his face. Shigaraki kept one finger away while admiring him. "Hey. Hush, now." He stroked away some tears. "I haven't done anything to hurt you yet. When I start hurting you, then you can cry."
"Shigaraki...I don't think that's helping your case." The man behind the bar said, watching how this scene played out.
"Silence, Kurogiri!" A cracking sound was made as Shigaraki glared at the older man. "I know what the hell, I'm doing."
"Do you?" A new voice came from a man leaning over against the wall. He watched on with bored half-lidded turquoise orbs. He shoved his hands in his pockets and took a few steps towards them. "Looks to me like you're making a big mess."
"What do you know about hostages intimidation?"
"Nothing much. But I figure getting a name would be helpful."
"You're who brought this disaster to me."
The blue-eyed man stiffened as if reflecting on his failures.
"Oooh! Me!" A blond haired girl cheered. "I wanna torture our captive!"
"We can't do that, you sicko." The blue-eyed man sounded almost disgusted by the idea. "What the hell goes on in your mind, Toga? This is a child."
Kota felt a bit of blood trickle down from where he assumed to be his forehead. Everything hurt. It didn't help these dumb villains were shouting back and forth. He hazily gazed at the girl: Toga, the hand guy: Shigaraki...the other guy, blue-eyed looked freaky, like there was something wrong with his skin.
"Aahh," Toga playfully tapped the blue-eyed man on the nose. "You already know what goes on in my mind, Dabi." She spun around. "I'm imagining so many beautiful guys covered in blood!"
Kota let out a high pitched scream. This woman was really going to kill him! He was going to die. He kicked his legs, throwing a fit, until he was forced backwards. The life or death pressure dropped from his face to his neck. He gasped for air, finding it was impossible to scream and breathe at once.
"So cute! So cute!" Toga bounced over to join Shigaraki in his 'game' he seemed to be playing. "I don't think capturing him was that bad of an idea after all!"
"What's your name kid?" The blue-eyed man—Dabi, that was his name? He seemed to have the most sense than any of them.
Kota kept his mouth shut. He didn't have to tell these meanies anything. He averted eye contact and pain exploded through his body.
"HE ASKED WHAT'S YOUR NAME, CRY BABY! WHAT'S YOUR NAME, SO WE KNOW WHAT TO WRITE ON YOUR GRAVE!" Shigaraki placed almost all his fingers on the child's neck.
"Kota!" He tasted his own hot tears in his mouth. "Kota Izumi!" His black hair bounced along with the rest of his body as Shigaraki released him. It was as if the sporadic burst of anger dissolved as if never existing at all.
"So you can speak." Shigaraki took a couple steps back as if hearing Kota speak made him comprehended how young their captive really was.
"Awe! He's cute really!" Toga tugged on Kota's chubby cheeks. Her fingers squeezed the extra fat causing her nails to slightly scrape the edges of flesh.
Little streaks of blood appeared from the freshly made scars on Kota's skin. Kota whimpered trying to pull away from the stinging feeling of Toga's merciless grip. "L-Less force!" He sniffled.
"Oh!" Toga removed her hands from Kota's face.
"Damn, kid." Dabi said, his eyes flickered. "How old are you?"
Kota trembled trying to collect himself. Everything was happening so fast, he couldn't keep up—not with his mind mortified on how this might be his last moments. He didn't wanna die like this, despite all his fantasies of meeting his mother and father once more it would be cruel irony.
"Five years." He cried.
"Shit." Shigaraki cursed as if baffled by the incompetence of his villainous pawns. His mind must have been unable to wrap around how the hell was it all they managed to kidnap was a five year old.
"Please… if you're gonna k-killll..ill..M-Maaahh-ke it quick and pppaaapp...painless."
Kota stirred in his restraints, his hands locked up tightly as he wiggled his fingers.
"Ughh! Cut the crying crap!" Shigaraki swung a hand out as if to silence Kota once and for all.
Kota didn't know what it was about his hands...something about them. Shigaraki's fingers maybe? They just seemed to scream out: Danger! DO NOT LET ALL FIVE TOUCH YOU! He let out more screams at the top of his lungs as those deadly pale fingers loomed.
Death was coming for his soul and powerlessly all he could do was close his eyes and embrace it. Kota held his breath bracing for the impact of whatever was coming next—only much to his surprise came a soft gentle pat on the head.
"Suck it the fuck up." Dabi patted his hand on Kota's hat.
Shigaraki glared at Dabi as if trying to configure out what his deal was. They shared a short stare off, pondering the true issue going on here.
"They'll come for him." Dabi said to defend his actions. "We can bait them with him."
Shigaraki recoiled, slinking into the shadows. "All we need is for them to come."
Dabi blinked. That was a lie: Their goal was to get an U.A student to join their side and wreck the school's image. But a change of plan wasn't that bad, having a child get kidnapped...part of U.A or not, it still happened around pro-heroes. HEROES WHO WERE SUPPOSED TO BE KEEPING INNOCENT CIVILIANS LIKE KOTA SAFE.
"No, they won't." Kota opened his eyes at the realization no harm was coming to him.
"Huh?" Shigaraki asked.
"THEY WON'T COME FOR ME!"
"Why the hell not?"
"Because I said I hate heroes and all their dumb quirks, that's why! I said they're all stupid and flashy morons!" Kota confessed through tears.
Shigaraki's eyes gleamed with what looked like joy at the realization that the plan might have still obtained them a true heart for villainy after all.
"You hate heroes?" Shigaraki sounded a bit too eager shouting, "YOU HATE ALL MIGHT! FINALLY SOMEONE WITH GOOD SENSE AROUND HERE!" He threw up his hands.
"Ooh! Oohh!" Toga let out an eager squeal. "I knew this kid was special!"
"You hate heroes?" Dabi cut his eyes at Kota, almost as if assuming his confession was a facade.
"I..." Kota bit his tongue. This was not the best place to reveal that, he hated villains too. "Well...I do. But...but..." His mind flashed back to Izuku. The hero-in-training had risked his life to try and save him. Kota couldn't hide his admiration for the action. Even if Izuku didn't catch him before he tumbled off the cliff and into the arms of the villains below, Izuku had still risked everything for him.
His hero.
An idea flicked in his mind, Would Izuku come for him? Kota didn't know for sure. All he could recall was the distressed look on Izuku's face when he discovered he wouldn't get there in time.
Too late.
Kota began to catch the trend that everyone in his life... he never cared about until it was too late.
"I don't think anyone will come." Kota tipped his head down, the shadow casted by his hat hid his watery orbs.
Dabi's lips formed a straight line. Toga stopped giggling. The eoching joyful sound stopped bouncing off the walls of the bar as she knitted her eyebrows together as if concerned.
"Yes. This it." Shigaraki took a seat at the bar and slumped over. Glee seemed to radiate on his face. "Love and support doesn't only bring people together but so does hate. The product of All Might's failures. A new generation that hates heroes."
"Don't make me suffer! Please!" Kota shook, the tight chains on his ankles dug into his flesh, as he thrashed trying to break free. The anxiety gnawing on his brain was driving him mad: there was no point of waiting for someone that wouldn't come.
"Shigaraki…" Kurogiri said. "Do you think master would approve of this?"
"Not a chance Sensei wouldn't say no." Shigaraki seemed full of himself, as if soaking up pride in this small victory. "It's better to show we have a possible prospect on the rise."
"We get to keep him!?" Toga threw her arms around herself in a warm hug as if picturing she was snuggling Kota. "He can be our little side project! We can call it operation Teddy Bear!"
"You make him sound like a pet or something." Dabi said.
"He is! He's our little Kota!"
"Hmm…" Shigaraki frowned as if bothered on the idea of being a teacher. He drummed his fingers on the bar counter as if in deep thought.
Dabi felt like he knew where this was going: The only reason Shigaraki had him and Toga stay was because of trust. Everyone else in the League of Villains wasn't really worthy of being involved in the plan making process yet. Which meant that Shigaraki had to choose one of them to care for the crying brat before them.
Shigaraki closed his eyes and pointed at his selection, "You."
"No."
"You will take care of him." Shigaraki cracked open his eyes to follow his wrinkly finger directed at Dabi.
"Not a chance." Dabi responded, his voice defiant. He raised his head to gaze towards heaven reflecting upon how absolutely stupid this was. There was no way in heck he'd get tossed into caring for the brat.
"Ooo! Can I take care of him?" Toga raised her hand.
"Let her take care of him."
"No!" Shigaraki growled as if feeling like Dabi was challenging his leadership powers. "I chose you to do it."
It had to be a challenge, didn't it? Dabi had noticed how uptight and grossly amused Shigaraki always got, from getting a kick out of being: The Leader, even if he had to answer to some master. Yet when it came to absolute authority, there was a large offset in the balance of power and responsibility. Almost as if there was a line.
A line between them being Shigaraki's little pawns and them being Stain's legacy.
No one knew where they really stood in relation to the line.
No one knew when they were about to cross it.
Dabi hated it. The fact that stupid fucking line existed in the league. But he hated more, was that no one but him seemed to acknowledge or blur it.
"I like to keep my villain work and my life separate." Dabi shoved his hands in his pockets. "You understand, don't you?"
"The League Of Villains is my life." Shigaraki didn't give any reason other than that, leaving it on an open note.
"That's sad."
"No! It means, I have dedication."
"I have dedication too. Just not for babysitting."
Toga clicked her tongue, "You're not really babysitting. You're watching our special project."
"Like hell, I'm spending my days in here watching that whiny brat."
"Take him to your home then! If you bring him home it won't have to worry about coming here."
"Whoa." Shigaraki said. "Toga's been actually having bright ideas for once." He pointed at Kota. "Do us all a favor and take the crybaby home, Dabi."
Dabi's turquoise eyes narrowed as a menacing chuckle came from his throat. There was some cold irony behind this, as if they blamed this whole mix-up on him.
This wasn't his problem.
But if they wanted to do this to him, he'd spite them.
"How annoying." Dabi stood in front of Kota and snatched the hat from his head. "But if I'm caring for the little one," A delirious tone hit his voice as he cackled, "Then I'll teach him at my leisure to be like me." He summoned flames in the palm of his hand. The blue fire crackled as the flames devoured the red hat.
"Nonono!" Kota let out a screech of bloody murder. Not his hat. That was the only thing protecting his brain from being fried. "GIVE IT BACK!" He strained his neck, trying to take his hat back with his teeth. His favorite red hat was burning, destroying with it all his hopes and ambitions.
Dabi crushed the ashes in his hand. The soot slipped through the cracks of his fingers as they fell to the ground.
"I..I don't wanna be a villain!" Kota tried to scream but his words were muffled by terror. They came out more like, "I..dooo meeedffrrppp! Baaaha.. veeelloo!" He didn't know what the villains' plan for him was.
Kota felt sick to his stomach. He grew more light headed, as his breaths became more desperate. His eyelids weighed downwards dropping until his final sight: Dabi with a smug smirk on his lips.
Every inch of sense in Kota's mind warned—he'd be the death of him.