NeonHorizon: The chapter where you realize just how bad Kugutsu really is at socializing! And a little something special to make your twisted little hearts race!
Kugutsu had wanted to be a villain since she was twelve. She worked hard to maintain good enough grades through school so as to not draw attention to herself. She graduated and promptly attempted to start her villain career. It was way harder than she expected.
She began to just follow shady-looking characters and came across Giran. It took months of begging and bribing before he eventually agreed to let her work for him. She thought it would end there. That her dreams were doomed to never come true, that she was going to be a broker's assistant, or broker, for the rest of her life. Not that that was such a bad thing; she enjoyed the work.
Now here I am. I'm about to go to my first real League of Villains meeting. All of the other villains are going to be there. Kugutsu stared at the door to the bar, a frown on her lips. I've wanted this for so long. So why can't I just go in?!
She narrowed her eyes, as if the door was the issue. As if she would gladly go inside if not for this one obstacle. In truth, her palms were sweating and her heart was pumping faster by the second. I can do this! I can! I have to! Shigaraki is expecting me to be there! I can't let him down!
Swallowing, she felt a lump forming in her throat. Kugutsu paced a bit as she tried to figure out why this was so difficult. Is it my costume? I know it's not as flashy as some of the others…She shook her head and reached up to ruffle at her hair. That's not the issue here! Shigaraki picked out my costume! I love it; it's totally perfect for my quirk! So what's-?!
"Can you have a mental breakdown somewhere else? You're in the way."
Kugutsu bristled and turned quickly to glare up at the young man now standing behind her. He was decently taller than her so she had to tip her head back to meet his bright blue eyes. "Excuse me, but do you need something?" she murmured, taking a step closer in challenge.
He blinked slowly and a smirk took form as he leaned down in a patronizing manner. In this moment, Kugutsu took very little notice of the really nasty-looking scars beneath his eyes and covering the lower half of his face. She paid no mind to the staples that seemed to be holding him together like some kind of half-assed doll someone made with office supplies during their lunch break. She was fixating on that smug expression he wore.
"I think you're at the wrong place, kitty."
"You want to say that again? I think I misheard you. It sounded like you said "I wanna die". That can't be right though, can it?" Kugutsu stood on tiptoe, doing her best to be intimidating without using her quirk.
He reached past her, planting a hand on the door as he leaned down further. "I bet cat fur stinks worse than human hair when it burns. Should we find out?"
"Yami, you're still out here? I thought you'd be the first one in." Spinner approached the two and looked from one to the other. "Oh. You met Dabi?"
"This is Yami? Weak." The improvised office supply doll of a man leaned away from her, his hands going into his pockets. He was about to try to move past her into the bar, but paused and stared at Spinner. "What're you wearing?"
"It's my villain costume!"
"No; I mean that girly choker. What's the deal?"
Choker? Kugutsu looked and saw the reptilian villain rub the back of his neck. He was, indeed, wearing a black choker high up on his neck above the scarf from his discount Stain cosplay.
"I modeled my costume after Stain, but I wanted to honor Yami, too. It's not girly. Besides, I made it myself; it's not like I bought it at a store or something!"
She decided to just walk away before Dabi could piss her off again. Taking a quick pace, but not too quick, she tried to look confident and cool. Being Kugutsu Kurayami, though, this was impossible. The second she stepped inside, she managed to slip on a wet part of the floor and landed on her back on the hard wood.
Her face burned red as she hastily pushed herself to stand again, wishing that she had come in through the back like usual. Giran-san knew I'd run into someone, she thought bitterly as she sat at the bar.
"That was quite an entrance." Kurogiri set a bag of ice in front of her, eyes slightly narrowed in what was probably amusement. "It's a shame that Shigaraki Tomura was not here to witness it."
Kugutsu used the ice to soothe the bruise that was forming on her elbow and when she felt better, she handed it back to him. "…thank you, Kurogiri-san…"
"Of course."
She lowered her head as she dug around in her bag, trying to make sure that her handheld console was alright. Instead of touching it, she accidentally touched something else. A particular crocheted doll made to look like Shigaraki. It was much better than the first one so she hoped to give it to him after the other villains left.
He likes me, Kugutsu thought with a faint rush of pink to her face. He has to. He got jealous when I was talking to Spinner. And he helped me pick my villain costume. And he always plays games with me. He likes me.
In her blissful, lovey-dovey fan girl haze, she failed to notice the next member of the League entering the bar. She even failed to hear them exclaim "What a cute kitty!" Kugutsu probably would have stayed sitting there, daydreaming about gaming with Shigaraki, unaware of the person's presence. But then they threw their arms around her from behind in the tightest hug she had ever experienced. Her ears perked forward in alarm, her body going tense as she felt a cheek rub against hers.
"You're so cute! And you're so comfy to hold," a girl's voice remarked.
Kugutsu slammed a hand down on the counter, morphing the shadow beneath the ice bag. It lifted and solidified into a dagger that she then lifted and pointed at the girl's face. "…back off…or lose an eye…" she snarled quietly.
All of the other members went silent upon seeing this happen. All eyes turned to the two female villains as the blonde girl released her and stepped back, a pout forming on her blushing face. Kugutsu turned in her seat, a hand lifting to anxiously ruffle at her scruffy black hair. "You're…?"
"I'm Toga! I'm a huge fan of Stain-san!" she said with enthusiasm.
Another Stain fan. What's so great about him? He hurt Shigaraki! Kugutsu pushed down her anger, wanting to remain calm, but it was difficult. "I'm Yami." She set the knife down, letting the shadow melt back onto the counter.
"I know. You were picked by Tomura, weren't you? He picked you to join before everyone else."
Her left eye twitched upon hearing this random girl with fangs refer to her object of affection as "Tomura". Toga said the name so casually. As if she was his best, closest friend. Like she was his girlfriend or something. It made Kugutsu seethe. In that moment, she went from seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses to seeing pure red. She wanted to fill the girl's body full of shadow spikes and watch her bleed out.
Before Kugutsu could demand to know how Toga knew Shigaraki, she saw the blue-haired villain enter the room. Under normal circumstances, if this was any other random girl inadvertently threatening her potential love life, Kugutsu would have used her shadows to tear the girl apart. Unfortunately for her, but fortunately for Toga, the girl was a villain. An asset to the League of Villains. Killing her would probably disappoint Shigaraki.
Opting to just stand, she tucked her hands into her pockets and made another attempt at looking cool and calm. Not exactly an easy task, given how excited she was to be attending her first real villain meeting. Listening to Shigaraki discuss his plan, she could feel her excitement growing. She was so elated that she failed to notice the tall figure that decided to stand next to her.
Shift P.O.V
When he saw the tall figure move to stand beside Kugutsu, he started scratching his neck in irritation. His fan looked so happy to be there. So happy to see him. Why is that freak standing next to my fan? To make matters worse, he was doing it so casually. Like he knew her. This thought only added fuel to Shigaraki's frustration.
He looked away from them, managing to get through the plan without glancing in her direction again. Though he really wanted to. The awe in her eyes when she looked at him was an insane boost to his confidence and that was what a leader needed. Kugutsu was what he needed
If that freak touches her, I'll disintegrate his face. We can always find new members. We don't even really need him. He's just cushioning. He's a playable character, but he's nothing special. Like the freebie they give you when you set up an account.
Shigaraki saw the moment that Kugutsu noticed Dabi standing next to her and he felt his pulse quicken. He bit his lip, watching her seem to bristle and then glare at the man. Shigaraki had started to notice that when she was in fight mode, she had a habit of kind of half-crouching almost. So much like a cat that it made him again think about what a waste it was that she did not have a tail.
Shift P.O.V
Kugutsu was seething over the fact that Dabi startled her. She wanted to tear his throat out, but was again stopped by the fact that it would probably disappoint Shigaraki. The girl prepared herself to threaten him, hoping to deter him from messing with her again, but stopped when Shigaraki approached them.
He looked at Dabi first, lips curling into a scowl, and then looked to Kugutsu. "I need you for something. Come with me."
She felt a rush of euphoria. Like she was getting high on the best sort of drug. Like she was floating on bubbles of excitement. She waited for Shigaraki to start walking before she flashed a smirk at Dabi. I'm more important than you. He likes me! He does, doesn't he? He wants to see me privately so that can only be a good thing!
Kugutsu followed him to the door that lead to the back area of the bar, pausing to glance over her shoulder at the other villains. It was a bizarre assortment of so-called "evil doers", but at first glance they at least looked intimidating. Especially Muscular, Moonfish, and Mustard. She was sure they would be important members that she would work with a lot in the future.
Stepping through the doorway, she expected to follow him either out into the alley or into his room. After all, Giran had told her specifically to bring her console and games. Instead, in her distraction, Kugutsu failed to notice that he had stopped walking. She seemed to be failing to notice an awful lot of things that day.
Colliding with something solid, Kugutsu winced and mumbled an apology that caught half-way in her throat. Her cat-yellow eyes widened in the dim corridor as she felt arms wrap loosely around her to draw her a little closer. The villain rested his chin on the top of her head, saying nothing as he simply held her in the darkness. Though he had to notice the way the shadows below her danced and twitched.
Is this…is this really happening right now? Her face quickly grew hot and she struggled to breathe. She felt so self-conscious. She was afraid of him hearing her breathe, hearing her pulse. Kugutsu hesitantly lifted her hands and they were, much to her dismay, trembling. Do I hug back? Is this a hug? I feel so happy…it has to be a hug. I feel so happy that it hurts!
Tears blurred her vision and she bit her lip, still struggling with what she should do. Finally, her emotions gained control and she let her forehead rest against his collar bone. Her fingers gently gripped the back of shirt, careful not to cling to him, but also not wanting to separate from him.
"…why…?" Her voice was quiet, hoarse from holding back.
Shigaraki released a sigh that could have been from irritation, frustration, or even satisfaction. It was surprisingly difficult to tell. "You're my fan. I thought I'd reward you."
A smile tugged at her lips and she struggled to keep the happy tears from leaving her eyes. This is love. My heart's beating so fast and I feel like I could just melt. She wanted to get closer. She wanted to hold onto him tighter, press her face into his chest so she could hear his heart to see if it was racing like hers was. "Thank you," she whispered, afraid of the others hearing.
"You're my fan only," he started. "You're not a fan of anyone else." It was clear from his tone that this was actually a question. He wanted a confirmation.
"O-of course! Shigaraki, you're my favorite person! I-I like you more than anyone else in the world!" Kugutsu bit her lip, her face red with embarrassment.
"…you're a good girl…" He tightened his hold and, for a moment, Kugutsu began to suspect that maybe this was more for him than her. As if gaining that reassurance from her was something that he needed. Something he craved. As he finally loosened his hold and looked down at her, he scratched at his neck and narrowed his eyes. "Why're you crying?"
She swiftly wiped at her eyes, ashamed that he had seen her that way. "I'm just…really happy. I'm sorry. I shouldn't cry in front you; I look like such a loser-"
"Just stop crying," he grumbled. It was really confusing to him. How someone could be that happy over being touched. Especially by him. Just the slight lowering of his little fingers and he could have killed her.