"(Y/N)."

"Hm..."

"(Y/N)."

You rolled over and opened your heavy eyelids. You were back at home, warm and in bed. The pretty orchids from your birthday sat on your nightstand. A very tired but handsome face grinned at you, his messy indigo hair resting on the opposite pillow.

"Hey, kitten."

"Hitoshi?" You said in disbelief, "How... how did you get here?"

"Mmm, I don't know. Pretty sure this isn't real."

"Not real..?" You shook your head, "Where have you been? Are you okay?"

You grabbed his shirt and pulled him to you until there was no room to breathe, "I thought you might've been hurt! Or worse."

He wrapped his big arms around you and you melted into his touch. It felt like ages since you last held each other - or even talked. You gripped the fabric even tighter and pressed your face into his chest.

"I was so scared," your tears stained his shirt, "There's so much I need to say to you. I wish that I never left your side."

"It's okay, kitten," he patted your head.

You let him comfort you for a while. It was strange how much you missed the feeling of his body. His toned shoulders and biceps made you feel safe and snuggled beside him, "I don't know if it's my quirk that makes us feel things... All I know is I've missed you. I miss you so much it hurts. It hurt when I thought you hated me, and I've been dying every second not knowing where you are," you sniffled, "I'm trying so hard to ignore it so that we can survive being surrounded by villains but..."

"I'm here," he reassured, "With you."

"Please stay," you begged, "I don't want to wake up and have you disappear."

You felt his chest vibrate with a chuckle, "You're strong, I've always thought so. Just hang in there a little longer - for me."

"You promise you're okay?"

"I'll always be here for you, kitten."

"That's not an answer!"

"Worry about yourself, how's that for an answer."

You pounded your fist into one of his pecs, "Damn you, Hitoshi...

I love-"

***

"You what?"

You opened your eyes - for real, this time.

Your face felt damp with warm tears. Everything seemed as if you were still in your dream. You were cuddled in a bed, someone's arms were around you, and you clung to their shirt that was moist from your eye faucets.

Only one problem.

"... GET OFF ME!" You brought your foot up to Shigaraki's stomach and shoved him off the bed.

He landed hard on his back and groaned in protest, "Sheesh. Bipolar much?"

"What the hell were you doing?" You asked while trying to piece things together yourself, "When did I fall asleep... I wasn't sitting on the bed last night."

"No," Shigaraki sat up and rolled his shoulders, "you fell asleep on the floor, which I found silly. So, I put you on my bed but when I went to leave, you grabbed onto me like a koala bear."

By the amused look in his eye, you knew your expression was one of horror.

"I didn't have the heart to turn you away," he shrugged.

"Shut up...." you looked away to hide your shame, "I don't need you moving me in my sleep anymore."

"I couldn't help myself," his voice was in your ear now, and you felt his weight shift the bed, "We're a team, now, aren't we? I want to look out for you." He played with the ends of your hair again, "How could I let you cry through your nightmares alone..."

You retreated from the bed so he couldn't get any bright ideas, "Let's get something straight, Tomura. We might be working together for the time being, but if anything - anything - happens to Shinso, I blame you. And I will spend the rest of my life ensuring you never sleep easy again."

He was deathly silent for a moment, and you knew you went too far again. Flashbacks of him pinning you to the bed sent chills down your spine, but you held your ground.

"Funny - you think I sleep easy," his chuckle sounded dry and scratchy, "You know what your problem is, (Y/N)?"

"Spare me your wisdom..." you scoffed.

"You care about too many people," he said the last word like it was something disgusting, "You know why it was so easy to capture you? Because I could've picked any one of those brats to use as bait and I still would have succeeded."

He stood up but gave you an arm's length of space, "With a quirk like yours, you're going to tear yourself apart, until that big, annoying heart of yours has nothing left - if you're not careful."

Your jaw dropped but nothing came out. It sucked when the villains made sense...

"But I guess that's also why I find you so fascinating!" He beamed, "Since you're awake now, I'll give you a moment to get ready. I have someone you need to meet before we go out tonight."

"We're going out? Like out - out?" you asked, "You trust me to go outside?"

"I'm trusting that you'll stick to our deal. I would hate to do any damage to my other assets if you were to act... unexpectedly," he walked passed you to leave the room, but added, "But bad things do happen. Don't they?"

Yikes. And he thought you were bipolar. Bad things, Tomura? Like my fist going through your computer?!

You seriously debated it, just to be extra, but part of you kept the computer in the back of your mind. When it came to you escaping, you wanted every single opportunity imaginable. An email to someone or a social media post - something to alert everyone where you were. That's if you were ever able to find Shigaraki's password.

So, you swallowed your pride and went to see what the rest of this bullshit day had in store for you.

You were in the same room as last night where Bakugo was tied up and the villains were "hanging out." This time, the room was quiet and empty, except for Kurogiri behind the bar, and Dabi looking half asleep, drinking out of a beer bottle.

He lifted his head slightly when he spotted you. You felt your face heating up and quickly averted your eyes just as he displayed a cocky grin.

"Would you like a drink, (Y/N)?" Kurogiri asked.

"Oh," you were taken aback at how welcoming he was, "Um... sure. Thanks."

"Well, I think she's getting on just fine. Don't know what you were worried about, Shigaraki."

In the opposite corner, Shigaraki had a card table set up with a few chairs, and a tall man with gray hair sat, eyeing you from behind his glasses, with a look that could only be described as satisfaction. He played with a cigarette in his mouth, which had a very wide gap between his top teeth.

You were concerned with this new presence but more concerned that Bakugo wasn't here. Shigaraki noticed your distress and waved you over to their table, "He's in another room, (Y/N). I haven't killed him - my goodness."

Kurogiri glided beside you and handed you a glass of water. It felt wrong playing nice with the villains when you knew Bakugo was probably giving them hell 24/7, but you clasped your glass anyway and even took a sip.

The smell of the man's cigarette was thick in the air. You approached the table, not taking the seat next to Tomura and standing awkwardly instead. "Who are you?" You asked the new stranger.

"My clients call me Giran," he grinned, "I'm excited to finally do business with you. The Butcher's kid, huh? Gotta admit - that name brings me back."

"You knew the Butcher?"

"I know a lot of people, missy," Giran winked, "But I'll admit, it was your mother I did most of the transactions with."

"You're a broker," you said.

He leaned forward and rest his elbows on the table, "The best damn broker you'll ever meet. And I brought the goods."

Giran lifted a heavy suitcase that was next to his feet and displayed it on the table. When opened, you suddenly realized exactly what was going on here.

Your "disguise."

"We had three made since you paid so well, Kurogiri," Giran said, "Plus, I didn't know what the little lady might prefer. Why don't you have a look and pick your favorite?"

"Three costumes? I've only been here a day!" You said.

"My guys work fast," Giran said, "But we've been working on these for a little while in preparation."

"... you do know I'm here against my will, right?"

"That makes things awkward, I'm sure. But I'm just here on business," he flashed you a shameless smile, "Go on, have a look."

What a swell guy...

You sighed but did as you were told and spread out each outfit on the table.

😂😅

💁‍♀️

💁‍♀️

😉

"Wow..." you blushed, realizing you expressed real interest out loud.

They were... kind of awesome.

It made your hero costume look like a pair of pajamas in comparison. It was hard not to like them. There was something edgy and sexy about it that you secretly wanted to embody. In a weird way, these outfits suited you better than the last two you designed for yourself...

You resisted showing any excitement by quickly choosing one at random, "This is fine."

"Excellent choice," Giran snickered, "Always good doing business, Shigaraki."

Giran said his brief farewells to Kurogiri and Dabi as well and was about to leave. He must be a busy guy with places to be, or he didn't want to be around too long when you weren't exactly a villain. You took notes on anything you found useful to the police, but only knowing there was an illegal broker named Giran didn't seem like much.

"Have you seen my father?" You asked just as his hand was around the doorknob, "Recently, I mean."

"Butcher?" He mulled, "I'm sorry, but my information doesn't come free either. I'll give you one freebie - I'm pretty sure he goes by a different alias these days."

He gave you a knowing wave, and left the villain's hideout, "Good luck, sweetheart."

You and Izuku already figured out the Butcher was out and about, but it became a new level of real knowing he did dealings with this man. It felt too close to home. What did Butcher think about you now that your identity was exposed to the media? Did he want to look for you?

Had he already found you and you just didn't know it?

"I'm glad you liked them, (Y/N). Kurogiri did his best to pay homage to Hellia and Butcher but to you too!" Shigaraki said, "All we need is a name for you."

Dabi scoffed, "When you're done playing dress-up with your new doll, we have places to be."

Shigaraki rolled his only exposed eye, "Ignore that rude idiot. Maybe putting on the outfit will help with some creativity? Pick what you want to be called outside of these walls - anything you want."

"Okay..." you sighed.

You dragged your feet back to your room, feeling pathetic and guilty for not being more defiant. But it was part of the plan; play nice for as long as needed.

The costume Giran made fit you like a glove. It was more complex than yours at home, but it was still comfortable and worked with your flexibility.

You ran your hands along your body and the fabric, feeling like a totally different hero. Or villain? You felt confident and attractive, intimidating, and powerful.

When you rejoined Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and Dabi, even they were speechless. Kurogiri was the first to break the ice while the other two just studied how the costume hugged your body.

"Have a name?" Kurogiri asked.

"Um. I guess if I were ever to be a villain, which I won't," you corrected, "I could go by... Temptress?"

"Temptress?" Shigaraki said more than asked.

You shrugged, "Why not? It works - with the costume especially."

Shigaraki removed the hand over his face, so his chapped, approving smile could greet you in all its glory. "Very well, Temptress. Are you ready for your first mission?"

I'm ready to find Shinso.

"Just tell me who this creep is and how I can find him," you said.

His red eyes were glowing, "We're taking a trip to the underground. The man we're after..."

Tomura reached behind the bar to pluck a rose that was sitting alone in a vase. He tossed the rose to you, and you quickly noticed its fang-like thorns trying to dig into your palms.

Just like the ones I received at school..!

"His alias is Valentini. Stefano Valentini," Tomura said.

Attached to the rose was what looked like a postcard. But when you flipped it over to see the picture, you gasped and let it fall to the ground. Fear struck you dumb, and you almost didn't hear Dabi speak.

"And he's a sick son of a bitch," Dabi added and finished the last of his beer in one swig.