NeonHorizon: This was a fun one to write! Also, shout out to everyone that leaves reviews; reading those reviews always makes my day! I also appreciate silent readers! Enjoy, everyone!
"Why am I stuck with this job? Giran-san, I should've gone with you." Kugutsu kept her voice low as she spoke on the phone, eyes glancing around at her surroundings. Giran had gone to introduce two potential new members to Shigaraki while she was sent to a shopping center to meet with yet another potential member. I like Shigaraki. I wanted to be there. So why am I at this stupid-?
"Trust me, Kugutsu-chan, you wouldn't have wanted to be there. It got ugly pretty fast. Kurogiri had to intervene."
She bristled at this news, remembering the Stain incident. Since that day, the hero killer was all over the news. The potential new members were supposedly fans of his and it disgusted her. The thought of two more like him attacking Shigaraki, while she was so far away and unable to help, made her stomach churn.
She felt like she might throw up so she slouched a little on the edge of the fountain and released a sigh. "…is he okay…?"
"Oh, don't worry! He's fine! Wow; you sounded like such a lovesick girl just now, I almost forgot who I was talking to!" Giran chuckled. "I'm meeting with Bubaigawara today and-"
"Jin-san?! You didn't tell me he was going to the office today!" Of all of the new potential members, he was her favorite by far. Mostly because he was literally the only one that Giran had let her meet at this point. It was almost like he was afraid she would kill the others. Well, in any case, Bubaigawara Jin had visited the office a few times and every time, Kugutsu was amazed by his weird mannerisms.
"Focus. He'll probably still be around if you make this quick. You've still got some time, by the way. Did you start that game I gave you?"
She looked down at the screen of her console. The game was paused. It was a weird game that kind of involved driving, but also other stuff. "Yeah."
"Perfect."
"Why's that perfect?" Her eyes lifted just in time to catch sight of a figure in a hooded sweatshirt seeming to look around, standing about twenty feet away from her. They were taller than her and, judging by their build, seemed to be a guy. "I think they're here. I'll call you later."
The phone was tucked away and Kugutsu approached the figure with caution, still clutching her handheld console. "Hey…are you looking for someone?"
He turned toward her and she could see his face. He had rather reptilian features. His eyes narrowed down at her in suspicion. "You wouldn't know him."
She tilted her head slightly, an ear twitching. "I might. I'm looking for someone, too." Kugutsu kept her tone even, face neutral, as she spoke to the man. "Iguchi Shuichi?"
His eyes widened, mouth dropping open a little. "Y-you're Kugutsu Kurayami?! No way! This can't be right!"
Her ears drew back a little and she crossed her arms. "Why's that? Just not what you expected? Look, I'm every bit as capable as-" Then it dawned on her. As he turned his head to the side and rubbed at the back of his neck through his hood. No way. She wanted to laugh, but bit her lip to hold back. He's not used to dealing with girls, is he?
"Okay, so I'm not what you expected. I'm still Kugutsu Kurayami. I'm a broker's assistant and...other things." She was not about to outright call herself a villain. Not in this crowded place and definitely not when her confidence was still low. "So how about we get a drink and talk about the League?"
He looked unsure for a moment, glancing around as if this was a prank or something. Finding no one else really looking at them, he realized that this weird girl with cat ears was indeed his contact for the League of Villains if he wanted to join. "F-fine," he grumbled, hands going to his pockets.
As they walked, he caught sight of the game on her console screen and his eyes widened again. "Whoa. Is that the new GTA game?"
"GTA? Ah…I guess? It was a gift from someone. I just started playing today," she confessed. "I like it so far though." And then, yet again, something dawned on her. The reason why Giran had given her the game. "Do you think you could help me with it a little while we talk?"
Shift P.O.V
There was this almost overwhelming urge to throw his phone at the nearest bystander. The thought of watching it shatter against someone's face brought him a flicker of amusement, but it quickly made him irritated. He knew that Kugutsu would probably love to see him do that. She might even cheer him on. She would definitely smile, though.
Just thinking about how it looked when his fan girl smiled, he felt himself getting irrationally pissed off. When he came to the shopping center, he tried to call her. She would be thrilled that he wanted to see her; not that he would actually say he wanted to see her. Kugutsu would normally rush to meet up with him, quickly finishing whatever she was working on.
Not this time. The first few times he tried to call her, she seemed to be on a call with someone else. That alone was enough to annoy him. Shigaraki imagined her talking to some other villain and when he thought she might be talking to a guy, it pushed his anger further. She's my fan girl. Who else is she talking to? Kurogiri said she loves me. So why is she talking to someone else?
He scratched at his neck, scowling within the hood of his sweatshirt. It was summer. It was hot outside. But summer clothes were really not his style. Shigaraki looked down at his phone screen again and started chewing on his lip, ripping at the chapped flesh. He tried to call her another time and then another. Five calls, each sent directly to voicemail. Her phone was now turned off.
By this point, the villain was so angry that he momentarily tasted bile. As if he might actually puke from being so upset. That taste was soon overpowered by the metallic flavor of blood as he inadvertently chewed through the skin of his lower lip. His chapped skin felt slick now and he licked at the blood.
What kind of fan ignores her idol? As angry as he was, there was something else bothering him. A weird sense of nausea. A strange feeling like he wanted to know where she was and what she was doing. A sort of pain as if not knowing was actually hurting him somehow.
Shigaraki was about to try again when he spotted her. Kugutsu was dressed casually in jeans and the cat t-shirt she had worn when she took him out. She was not alone. The second that Shigaraki saw her companion, he began scratching his neck again, with renewed vigor.
Kugutsu was walking with a reptilian-looking guy with his hood pulled up. The guy was holding her console and seemed to playing something on it while Kugutsu walked close beside him and watched with wide, yellow eyes. There was no mistaking it. She was on a date. At the very least, she liked this freak; she was letting him touch her handheld console. That was practically first base.
To make matters more irritating, the stranger seemed fully aware of this. Kugutsu's lips moved as she said something to the guy and he, in turn, looked a little sheepish. Like he was embarrassed. But he was smiling. It made Shigaraki seethe.
He began striding toward them. Not too quickly, but not at a leisurely pace. Like he knew where he was going and exactly what he was doing, even though he had no plans. In this moment, he was simply infuriated at the sight of his fan girl hanging around this weird guy and probably complimenting his gaming skills.
Shift P.O.V
"S-so what are you doing later?"
"Sorry. I've got work." Kugutsu answered in a flat tone, hands in her pockets as she watched him play the game. He's not great at this, but he's not terrible. And I basically got him to agree to join. So this is a win, right?
Looking up from the console screen, she saw him frowning. Having such a strange, appearance-altering quirk, he seemed unable to blush. She could still tell he was flustered though. "You know…you could stop at the hideout and try to meet him, probably. He likes games, too."
"What?! Which games?"
Kugutsu began listing them off, feeling her excitement increase as she talked about Shigaraki. After all, he was quickly becoming her favorite subject. She liked him even more than the fantasy about killing All Might.
"Are you into gamers or something?"
"Well-" Kugutsu tensed as an arm slid around her from behind. Four fingertips lightly rested against her left shoulder and she felt her back being pressed against something solid. At first, she wanted to grab whoever it was and smash their skull against the nearest pillar. It was when she looked down at the hand that she felt her heart skip a beat.
"Yami. I didn't know you had friends. What good friends you two seem to be. So this is why you weren't answering my calls? Because you were here with your friend?" The blue-haired villain gripped a bit tighter, keeping her in place. Leaning forward, his face came into view from the corner of her eye. He was slouching so he was closer to her.
"Friends? With her? We're not friends!" the green-skinned villain protested.
"So if you're not friends-"
"Sh-Shigaraki…" Kugutsu attempted to maintain her composure as she spoke, but she began to blush profusely when she realized how casually she had just addressed him. On top of that, he had called her "Yami". No one had called her that in a while and hearing it said in his cold, evil voice made her heart pound. "This is Iguchi Shuichi. He's…joining the League. We met here today to talk about the details."
She wanted him to be proud of her. She was really hoping to see him smile or say that he was glad she was working so hard for him. Instead, he seemed even more irritated. Before she could say anything, the new member spoke again.
"It's "Spinner"," he announced, stepping forward.
"I don't care." Shigaraki lifted his free hand, scratching his neck and keeping a firm hold on Kugutsu's shoulder.
Looking between the two other villains, he seemed a bit disappointed, but not about to push back. He held out Kugutsu's console, his other hand rubbing the back of his neck and apologizing quietly, though he was unsure of what he was apologizing for exactly. Promised that Giran would contact him later, Spinner took his leave.
Watching him go, she allowed herself the smallest of frowns. He had been kind of cool. Still not Shigaraki-cool, but cool nonetheless. They both liked games. They both seemed to like violence and gore; discovered when they walked past a movie rental place and started talking about action movies. Honestly, he would probably make a pretty good friend for her.
The thoughts of friendship were pushed away when she heard Shigaraki sigh and tighten his hold. Her back pressed against his chest and she felt her stomach do a flip. The heat in her face was making her turn a bright, comically red color like a shoujo manga protagonist. I didn't even know that he was here. And what he's doing right now…it's almost like a hug!
Butterflies seemed to explode in her stomach and heart, bliss briefly clouding her mind as she basked in the twisted pleasure of being held by the villain. His face was still pretty close to hers and when he bowed his head, eyes narrowed, Shigaraki's chin hovered just above her other shoulder.
"Why are you still trying to act like a broker? I told you to quit your job!" he muttered angrily. "I didn't let you join just so you can keep playing at being a NPC. Most fans would be grateful for the opportunity, but you were talking to that freak like you were on a date." He struggled, still holding onto her while digging furiously at his own neck. "It makes me so angry, I don't even know what to say! Why were you being so friendly with that-?!"
"A-are you jealous?" To her surprise, he seemed to bristle and she thought for a moment that he might actually settle his little finger against her shoulder and destroy her entire arm. Instead, he started biting his lip and narrowed his eyes again. He…was jealous of Spinner? Wait! Does that mean…does he…does he really like me that much?!
"You're supposed to be my fan and you were excited talking to him. I saw it," he continued. Shigaraki released her shoulder and let her turn to face him so she could fully see how displeased he was. "Way to make your idol question your loyalty. You were so excited over Kurogiri's hands and now-"
"You're…wrong though! Shigaraki, it isn't it like that! You're…" She dropped her voice more and stepped closer. "Y-you're my favorite villain!" she whispered. "My favorite! Ever! You're cooler than any other person I've ever met! I just…I mean…th-that's why I…that's why I love you so…" The actual confession was said in a whisper.
Shigaraki was silent for a moment before leaning down. "So prove it."
It was in that moment that Kugutsu finally lost all composure. She leaned up, arms wrapping around his neck in her excitement. More than thinking about the passerby staring at them, she was thinking about how he had actually been jealous. He liked her. That was what it had to mean. So when her lips finally pressed against his chapped, scarred ones, it made her heart feel like it was bursting with happiness. She hardly even noticed the taste of blood.