NeonHorizon:...I also have a Hawks story out now, if you're into that...

Kugutsu had been in plenty of bad situations before. Most of her career as a broker's assistant was comprised of bad situations. With so much experience, it would make sense that she would be good at dealing with things like this. Unfortunately, since Shigaraki was involved, it was basically impossible for her to keep a level head.

She was being thrown into an absolute panic at seeing her crush suffer. They were still searching for a television so he could watch the news coverage of the fight between their master and All Might. It was clear though; he was starting to shut down. He was normally quiet, but in an irritated, "villain angst" sort of way.

Shigaraki's eyes held something she had never wanted to see there. Fear. Pain. As much as she just wanted to tell him that everything would be alright, she knew better than to do that. After all, that was exactly what All Might had done when he pulled her away from her dead parents and it had only made her feel worse about surviving.

Dabi was with them, but he was providing no help whatsoever. He hung back behind them, moving at a leisurely pace. As if Shigaraki's world was not crumbling apart. As if this was not an absolutely dire situation. It pissed her off and she silently vowed to herself that when everything had settled again, she would tell him off.

For now, her number one priority was finding a television. She finally gave in to her own frustration and forced her way into a home. The residents were out so she had the opportunity to get her crush to a television so he could see what was happening. All the while, her heart felt like it was being shredded by knives.

He sat slouched in front of the television, his expression going blank. Staring vacantly at the spectacle that was the fight between All for One and All Might. No words from him. Not even scratching his neck or picking at the dry, dead skin on his lips.

She hated to see him this way. Kugutsu sat beside him, her pointed ears flattening in bitter rage as she glared at the image of All Might on the screen. That piece of trash. We should've killed him. I should've made Kurogiri go along with my plan! We could've killed the symbol of peace and then Shigaraki wouldn't be upset! How dare he do this to Shigaraki!

A hand rudely waved in front of the villain's face and Kugutsu's hand darted out. She gripped Dabi's wrist hard, nails sinking into his patchy skin and her cat-yellow eyes narrowed up at him. "Back the fuck up before I tear out your throat."

"Leader's looking kind of dead," he remarked, nodding at Shigaraki.

"He's not an inconsiderate trash panda. This affects him so-"

"Pretty sure it affects everyone."

"Sit down or I'll out your insides and leave your corpse in the bathtub."

"Both of you shut up." Shigaraki glowered at the two other villains, causing Kugutsu to actually flinch and making Dabi tilt his head. "My master is doing something important. He's going to kill All Might and you're both ruining the moment. If you're going to keep arguing like toddlers, then you can go outside. I don't want any distractions."

The girl let go of Dabi, but scowled up at him. Trying to keep her irritation contained, she slouched beside Shigaraki and watched the screen. Will All for One really able to beat All Might? I know he's really strong; he's like a god tier villain. But All Might is actually kind of tough. If he doesn't win, how's Shigaraki going to take it?

Her answer came at the end of the fight when the hero emerged victorious, but heavily injured. Looking like an action figure that was just pulled from a garbage disposal. Their master, the god tier villain, was defeated. Kugutsu stared at the screen with wide eyes, unsure if she should feel enraged or depressed.

She shifted her gaze to the villain sitting beside her and felt her heart sink. Shigaraki's messy, pale blue hair was falling forward over his face as widened red eyes stared at the screen. He looked like he was still trying to process what happened, but she could already tell that he knew. It was in the way his chapped lips twisted in displeasure, the way the muscles in his neck tensed.

"Looks like All Might won," Dabi needlessly pointed out. "So now what?"

Kugutsu rushed to try to say something that would keep Shigaraki's spirits up. "Not everyone's brain operates at the slow pace yours does. Isn't it obvious? Shigaraki's in charge now. He'll take his place!"

"Are you serious?"

"What's your problem? He's amazing! If anyone should be at the top, it's him! Burnable trash like you should know your place. Crawl back to the bin and wait for trash day!" She saw that Dabi was about to retort and readied herself to snap back at him, but they both went silent when they saw Shigaraki start scratching at his neck with one hand.

"Amazing? You really think I'm amazing? My fan really thinks I should be at the top now? You must have so much faith in me. You'd trust me with your life, wouldn't you? You'd follow me to the end of the earth." He lifted his head and stared over at her with narrowed blood-red eyes. "I bet you want to get me something, don't you?"

She perked up at the idea of being useful. "D-do you need something? I'll get you whatever you want. Just tell me what it is and I'll get it," she assured him.

"Go find food."

"Right. I'll find something good. I promise."

Shift P.O.V

He watched her go and saw Dabi follow. Under any other circumstances, he might be angry. He might demand that Dabi stay behind or he might force his way between the two. Truthfully, he wanted to be alone for a moment.

Scratching at his neck with both hands, Shigaraki closed his eyes and tried to process what he was feeling. Seeing his master defeated by All Might was too much for him to handle. To see All for One, his master, the man who had taken him in and raised him, defeated by the symbol of peace. It was too much.

Blood oozed from the deep scratches on his neck and he slouched, letting his hands rest at his sides on the floor. Palm up, fingers curled slightly inward. Blood drying beneath his nails. Heart beating faster with each panicked thought about how he now had an important role to take over.

It was hard to feel any sense of pleasure at taking that role when he had just watched his master get beaten. He could only imagine that this is how Kugutsu would probably feel if she saw him lose a fight. This thought drew his gaze toward the kitchen. The smell of cooking food wafted to him from the open doorway, along with the sound of angry banter between the other two villains.

His frustration started to increase. It was annoying enough that he had to sit by as his master was defeated, unable to help him. Unable to even say good bye; he knew that it would be a while before he was able to speak to him again. Hearing Kugutsu and Dabi argue in the other room just added more fuel to his irritation.

Staring at the television screen, Shigaraki narrowed his eyes on the image of All Might pointing and saying something that he did not care enough about to actually register. It was All Might. A hero that made him sick to his stomach just to look at.

Remembering what Kugutsu said brought him back from the depths of outrage and he chewed at his lower lip. My fan said I'm amazing. Of course she thinks I'm amazing. She really thinks I can lead these idiots. My fan has so much faith in me that she'd follow me anywhere.

Chapped lips drew into a wide grin that cracked open his dry skin, causing his lips to bleed just a little. The metallic tang of blood helped him focus as he leaned toward the television and raised a hand. All Might. I'll show you. I'll show her. I'm going to show everyone. I'll take over where my master left off.

All five fingertips pressed against the television screen and he watched it crumble beneath his quirk. The smell of cooking food turned to a burning smell, unsurprisingly. Kugutsu shrieked in the kitchen, shouting at Dabi. Soon he could hear dishes breaking.

I shouldn't keep my fan waiting, he determined as he stood. I'll show her right now. I'm going to make her realize I'm even better than amazing. Shigaraki needed an extra boost of confidence for what he had to do now from this point on. What better way to get it than to turn to his one and only fan girl?

Shift P.O.V

She stared down at the charred scrap of meat in the pan, feeling a tightness in her chest. The food was ruined. The family who lived in this place had just a few pieces of meat and she was trying to cook them for her crush. Dabi had totally ruined the meal by applying a burst of blue flames to the pan as soon as her back was turned.

"Why are you trying to sabotage me?" she snarled, gripping the handle of the pan and preparing herself to bash him over the head. What she really wanted to see was him lying sprawled on the floor with blood gushing from his scalp. Of course, Shigaraki would probably be disappointed in her if she did it. Dabi's quirk made him valuable, but she knew that was his only good point.

"What're you meowing about?"

Before she could lunge forward and smash his skull in with the pan, Kugutsu saw her idol step into the doorway and she went still. Their eyes met and she felt her face turning a hot shade of pink. "I-I'm not ready yet," she stammered.

His gaze shifted to Dabi, who looked almost offended that he was being stared at. "Leave. I want to be alone with my fan."

The dark-haired villain scoffed and flashed a smirk. "What're you gonna do? Are you gonna pet-?"

"Finish that sentence. I dare you. I'll rip open your chest with the dull side of a butter knife," Kugutsu hissed. Her grip on the pan's handle was so tight that her knuckles were turning white.

She watched the charred edge lord stalk out of the room, still appearing smug. As if he had somehow won. Although she was clearly the winner here; she now had Shigaraki all to herself. Her twisted little fan girl heart was beginning to pound as she released the pan and attempted to keep calm.

I'm alone with him! All alone! He wanted to be alone with me without any distractions! But he doesn't look happy. Can I make him happy? I really want to make Shigaraki happy, but I have no idea what I'm doing! How can I make someone as incredible as him happy?! I'm just a-!

Her eyes widened, fingers tangled in her own dark hair as she had started to subconsciously ruffle it. She had been so distracted with her own little moment of panic that she failed to notice her crush approach. Now both arms were wrapped around her, holding her against his chest as he gave her a semi-awkward hug. "Sh-Shigaraki? Is…everything okay? Are you okay?"

To her further surprise, he rested his chin on the top of her head and released a deep sigh. "You expect a lot from me, don't you? You know how amazing I am so you want to see me succeed. You really think I can take over where my master left off?"

Kugutsu's blush turned from pink to red. She wanted to nod, but she was afraid of disturbing him. "Of course I do! You're awesome! You're the coolest villain ever! If anyone can do it, it's you!"

Shigaraki lifted a hand from her back as he straightened and traced a fingertip along the edge of her right ear, listening to the soft purring that came from her when he did this. "That's why you love me, isn't it? You think I'm cool."

"I…I know you're cool. I've seen how cool you are. There's no questioning how cool you are! When you use your quirk, it's totally amazing! And every time you talk, I feel my heart start to race! I love everything about you!" She bit her lip after this confession. I sound so lame, though! He probably thinks I'm creepy or nerdy!

There was a brief silence as he simply continued to fondle her feline ear, mumbling something to himself. "I like hearing you say it. So I want to hear you say it again. Tell me what you think of me."

Giddiness made her want to bounce up and down. She wanted to scream her love for him to the skies for everyone to hear. Yet, at the same time, her desire to keep him to herself made her wary. Compliment him too much and someone else might realize how cool he was and they might try to take him from her.

"I…I love everything about you! Your quirk is really cool and you're good at making plans and I like your smile a lot and I think you're awesome! You're the best villain and you're an awesome leader, too! Shigaraki, you're the total package! I think you're c-cute and you're the coolest person I've ever met!"

The arm that was still around her tightened. The girl's hips pressed forward against his and she bit back some more purring. What she did not know was that this was exactly what he needed. Her words added fuel to his fire and made him feel stronger, more confident. Of course, this fell just short of being enough for him. "I make your day just by existing, don't I?"

"Yes! I'd…I'd die for your smile!" she blurted out.

He pulled away and stared down at her, puzzlement clear on his face. "You'd die? You'd really do anything, wouldn't you?" Seeing her nod, his already slightly bloody lips dew into a malevolent grin. "Alright. I want to test you. Let's see how far you'll really go for me."