NeonHorizon: I really wanted this chapter to be cool, but since it involves Kugutsu, that's not really possible! It's still pretty special though!

I wonder if All Might's fans are as loyal as mine. He scratched viciously at his neck, eyes narrowing on the computer screen as he clicked the mouse. The game used to entertain him, but without someone to play against or someone to play with, it was quickly starting to bore him.

He paused in his scratching and looked at his phone. Kugutsu's phone number was in there. If Shigaraki called her, she would probably rush to his side. She was a loyal fan. More loyal than any serial killer's fan or movie star's fan. She had recruited villains just for him, gave up any of her games that he showed even a little interest in, and she even named her best Pokémon after him.

Satisfied that no All Might fan would go to these lengths, his lower lip twitched at the corner. Shigaraki saved the game's progress and sat back in his chair, his eyes going back to the phone. It had been a few days. He could only imagine her reaction if he called her now.

She would probably perk those ridiculous cat ears forward and wiggle her hips in that bizarre way she had when she described killing All Might. The only girl who could get that excited about murder, he thought as his mouth drew into a grin. I should call her. I'm feeling generous right now. It would like giving her a reward for her loyalty.

It rang five times before she picked up. Each ring made him slightly more irritated. The longer she took to answer, the more it felt like he was being pushed aside. Like something more important was happening. Like maybe she was on a date. Or worse. She might be fangirling over some other villain.

"Sh-Shigaraki-san?!" That quiet, melodic voice greeted him and was filled with surprise. In the background, there was a loud thudding sound that was accompanied by nauseating splatters and dripping.

"Come here." He was not about to say that he wanted to see her. This was supposed to be a treat for Kugutsu; as if he was doing her a favor. After all, she was his fan. What kind of fan would turn down the chance to see the object of their admiration? She'd have to be stupid to say no.

"I'm…kind of busy right now! I'm sorry!" There was a grunt of pain from the other villain and then a sharp cry. "I'll try to hurry!"

"I said to come here. You think I'll wait around for you all day? You think I don't have stuff to do? I don't need you to entertain me." Shigaraki had started to feel like a weight was lifting when he heard her voice, but now he was getting annoyed again. "I thought you were a loyal fan."

"I-I am! Shigaraki-san, I'll be there as soon as I can! I promise!" Kugutsu released a gasp and there was a louder thud. She whimpered quietly for a moment and then seemed to forget that she was on the phone. "It's your fault! He's going to hate me now! Are you happy?! This is your fault! Shigaraki-san wants to see me and you're making me waste his time!"

Oddly satisfied now, he decided to end the call. Shigaraki chewed at his lip, mulling over her words. She sounded so desperate, so frustrated. Clearly, she really wanted to see him again. This was important to her. Still. She was doing something else and she planned to finish whatever it was before she made her way to him. She was going to make him wait.

Shift P.O.V

Kugutsu did her best. She really did. Her opponents were dead, Giran's payment was forcibly removed from their collective wallets, and she was now sprinting down the alley at full speed to try to get back to the office.

Shigaraki-san wants to see me! I can't make him wait too long! But there's no way in hell I can let him see me like this! Blood was drying in her hair, on her clothes, and on her face. She knew that she looked like an absolute maniac and if she went to him like this, he would definitely notice and definitely be disgusted.

"Giran-san, here's your money! I'm in a hurry!" she shouted, dropping the yen notes as she sprinted through the office to her room.

It took longer than she would have liked to get the gooey congealed blood clumps out of her hair, but she finally managed it and threw on whatever clothes she could find before running off again. As she ran, she rummaged around in her bag. Phone, wallet, keys, games, console. Where is it?! Damn it! Don't tell me-! Oh! Here it is!

She closed her fingers around the gift she got for him. It was just something small, but it was a token of her admiration for Shigaraki. Something that she hoped he would like. Something he might appreciate. She just really wanted him to know how special he was to her.

When she finally reached the bar, the sun had set. Given, she had gone out on the errand for Giran kind of late in the evening. She had to use the alley entrance and went first into the bar itself. Empty. Kurogiri was nowhere to be found and it was silent.

I let him down…Kugutsu set the gift down on the counter, grimacing and shaking her head. I let him down! Shigaraki-san wanted to see me and I just had to finish my job! He probably hates me now! She ruffled at her hair, gritting her teeth and trying to keep herself calm.

The thought of the villain hating her was unbearable. It felt like a stake was being driven into her heart. Like she was a vampire being exposed to sunlight; crumbling away into dust. She looked at the gift and gripped it with a white-knuckled hand. This stupid thing. He probably wouldn't have liked it anyway. What was I thinking? He deserves better than this!

Kugutsu was about to throw it on the floor, wanting nothing more than to stomp on the thing, but four fingers closed around her wrist to stop her. Every muscle seemed to tense up at the sensation of those fingers tightening on her wrist and she started to tremble with nervousness. "Sh-Shigaraki-san?"

"What kind of psycho breaks stuff in someone else's hideout?"

She heard his voice come from beside her right ear and it sent a shiver down her spine. Warmth bloomed in her cheeks and she looked over her shoulder. The second that her eyes met his cold red ones, Kugutsu's pulse began to beat at a terrifyingly fast pace. He's so close…he's right behind me! I can feel him against my back! She was so nervous, so excited, that she felt like she might start giggling.

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes, but soon turned his attention from her ridiculous expression to the item in her hand. "What is that?"

Kugutsu tried to turn to face him. She really wanted to show him the proper respect and attempt eye contact while she talked to him so she could stop coming across as a socially inept gremlin. He kept a grip on her wrist and, instead of letting her explain first, plucked the item from her hand.

The villain stared at the charm for a moment, clearly perplexed. "What is this?" He held it closer to her face, more or less leaning over her from behind.

"It's…ah…well I got it for you. It's supposed to be a charm for success. I just wanted to show you…I support you. And I thought that it looked kind of cool." Twisting to look up at him, she could feel her heart racing faster.

Without a word about it, he shoved the charm into his pocket. Releasing her wrist, he turned away and began walking toward the door that led to the back passage. Shigaraki made it to the door before realizing that his fan was still standing near the counter. He glared at her over his shoulder and scratched at his neck. "You're going to keep making me wait?"

"Sorry!" Kugutsu jogged to catch up to him, her mood lifting a little. It kind of seemed like he was mad at first, but now he was acting calmer. Still, she hated to irritate him. At the back of her mind, she still remembered him saying that he would kill her if she annoyed him too much.

That wouldn't even be that bad, she mused. Dying happens. Everyone dies. Why not be killed by a cool villain? But I still don't want to annoy him.

She followed him into his room and tilted her head when she saw the set up. There was a game title screen on the computer and he had dragged a seat from the bar into the room to put beside his. He settled into his own chair and gave her an expectant stare until she sat next to him.

"What were you doing anyway?" he asked, starting the game.

Her left ear twitched, head still tilted as she watched him start playing. "Giran-san needed me to collect some payment. And then I had to stop at the office to wash off. I got covered in blood." Kugutsu absently rubbed at the back of her neck, embarrassed at mentioning her shower. So uncool. So awkward. Why am I like this? Why can't I just stay calm? Whenever I'm around him, I lose control!

"The next time I tell you to come here, just come here. You shouldn't make me wait. I thought you were a loyal fan."

"I am!" She flushed red and turned her face away, ears flattening against her head in shame. "I mean…I really admire you, Shigaraki-san. I l-like you. A lot. I was hoping you'd call! So, um, I wanted to be here sooner, but my job…I really had to finish doing that for Giran-san. I really wanted to see you and…um…"

Trying to explain herself just made her sound more like a stalker. Like she was obsessed with him. Of course, a normal person probably would only search a person's name online once a day at the most; not two dozen times. They probably would maintain a healthy distance and not save every single image they could find of their object of admiration in a folder on their laptop.

"Why are you so obsessed with working for him? He's basically a NPC."

Shigaraki continued to talk, more or less grumbling about Giran, but Kugutsu's attention wandered from his words. She had turned to watch him play the game when she recovered from her embarrassment, but now her eyes were drawn away from the screen.

She was staring at his lips now. The dry, scarred lips of her object of admiration. They moved as he proceeded to tell her that she needed to get to him faster the next time he said to come to him. Kugutsu leaned towards him just a little, head at a tilt like a curious cat watching a larger cat pounce on prey.

Why? I can't look away. She put her hands on her legs, trying to keep her emotions under control. However, there was now an urge eating away at her. A terrible urge that would definitely get her face disintegrated if she even attempted to satisfy it. Kugutsu stared at his lips and found herself desperately wanting to know what they felt like.

Biting at her own lip, she looked at his scar and at the mole beneath his lower lip on one side. Kugutsu was now fighting with herself. She wanted to touch him, but if she did then she would most likely just make him angry. He's a real villain! I'm just a broker's assistant; I don't have any business touching him! But I really, really want to!

She tried to weigh her options. Just reaching over and running her fingertip over his lips would one hundred percent end badly. He would be confused and irritated. He might even push her away from him. I don't want to piss him off. The only other option…Just the thought of it made her bite her lip harder to suppress a nervous giggle and she looked down. No! No way! I couldn't do that! I'm just a fan! I mean, I admire him! I don't feel that way, do I?

Again, she found herself looking at his face. The blood colored eyes, narrowed in concentration. The slightly dry, almost wrinkled skin around his eyes. The intense way he pressed his lips into a tight, firm line as he concentrated on the game. When he abruptly shifted in his seat, his knee pressed tight against hers and he seemed to not notice.

The contact made her pulse grow faster, sweat forming on her palms. She wiped her hands on her thighs. Her heart felt bubbly, warm. Like a cauldron about to boil over. She started to fear that her heart really would bubble over and she would lose control. Just the thought of leaning over and pressing her lips against his to know what he felt like sent her into a bizarre, blissful panic.

Kugutsu was so intensely focused on not trying to force a kiss on him that she was jolted violently back into reality when a hand rested on her head. A glance toward the screen showed that he had paused the game. Fingers moved over her hair in an almost petting sort of motion before they found her left ear.

Shift P.O.V

He was unsure of what he expected, but Shigaraki was surprised when she started to purr. The urge had been bothering him for a while. Ever since he patted her on the head, he had wanted to feel her weird, feline ears. They were almost silky in texture.

A smirk tugged at his lips as he watched her reflection on the screen. Her eyes were half-closed in a blissful expression. "My loyal fan girl." She gave a nod, accompanied by a vibrant pink shade rising to her face. "You'd do anything for me."

Kugutsu bit her lower lip to try to stop purring. She seemed just as surprised as he was when she began doing it. Wiggling a bit in her seat, she leaned closer to him. A hand hesitantly settled on the edge of her seat and she seemed like she was about to get closer, but then she leaned away. "…sorry…"

"What were you trying to do?" he demanded.

"I…" The girl turned away, closing her eyes. A hand lifted and she began to chew at her thumbnail. "I'm sorry. I think I might…" She bowed her head a little now. "I-I think I like you…more than a fan should!" Kugutsu blurted out. "I…I wanted to…kiss you, but…n-no! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I have to go!"

He watched her run from the room and heard her trip on her way out, smacking into the wall. Scratching his neck, he frowned. Her panicked confession left him with something new to consider. His fan might actually love him.