Two days passed by, and Shigaraki eventually summoned me, explicitly stating that Dabi be left behind.

Of course, that rubbed the ravonet in every wrong way possible, but he complied, simply because he didn't have much of a choice. It took a lot of effort to get him to stay behind, which kind of made me feel happy. It proved that he really cared.

The room Shigaraki had organised as his conference space was dark and eerie, and the sight of the large, rounded table he sat at gave me the heebie jeebies something chronic.
"Sit." His command was stern, yet surprisingly light, and part of me wanted to dash over and plop myself down beside him like an obedient little lapdog, but I resisted, instead moving slowly.

He pulled the chair out once I got close, and I studied him again, now with a much clearer head. The colour change of his hair was one of the most notable differences I could see, and against the dark setting, it seemed to almost glow. Once seated, I swivelled the chair to face him, tilting my head ever so slightly.
"How are you feeling after everything?"

My question appeared to take him a little off guard, and his patched up face twitched along with his widening eye. At least what I could see of it behind Father seemed to.
"I'm...fine. Better than expected, at least..." He mumbled, casting his gaze away before changing the subject. "I called you here because I have a proposition for you..."

A proposition..?

Curious, and slightly nervous, I leaned a little closer, ignoring the slight twang in my ribs, where I was still bandaged.
"I'm all ears." Part of me wanted to be funny and use my quirk to give me an extra pair, but I knew it wouldn't be wise. Leaning back, Shigaraki lifted his legs so his feet rested on the table, the bracee for his left making a much louder thud.

"We have organised regiments for our army, to give it some kind of order, instead of mixed chaos. Each regiment has at least one commander, and I was wondering whether or not you wish to be one of them." He explained, reaching up to adjust the hand on his face. At first, I was shocked that I would even be considered for such a role, then I was honoured, and lastly, nervous.

"A...commander..? Tomura, I mean, I'm flattered, but...I'm not all that bright..." I admitted the obvious, unable to stop myself from swinging the chair side to side. "Wouldn't someone a little more experienced be a better-"
"You proved yourself to me the moment you risked everything to get that twerp back." Shigaraki cut me off, pulling father away and revealing his bandaged, scarred face. "I don't care whether you stayed for Dabi, for Mustard, for me, or for your own personal reasons, but the fact is that you stayed. You stayed and you survived. I count that as valuable."

I knew what he was saying wasn't meant to be personal, but it sure felt that way to me. It was his strange way of saying that he wanted me to stay by his side, the League's side. It felt pretty good to not be doubted for past mistakes.
"If...you really think I'm suited for the position...then I'll accept..." I murmured, giving him a small smile. Shigaraki just stared at me for a few moments, and it was impossible to tell what was going through his head. It had always been that way, but now it was different somehow. Something inside him had changed, be it for better or worse.

"Wonderful. I was hoping you would." What he gave me wasn't quite a smile, but the slight upturn of his lips was enough to consider it one in my books, and I waited for him to continue. "Now, we have each regiment colour coded. That lanky bastard Skeptic can fill you in on all the details, because I really don't want to get into it again, but you...will be commanding a sub regiment."

Even just hearing the word commanding makes me freak out a little...

"Toga and Skeptic are commanding the Vanguard Action Intelligent Regiment, coded Carmine. Their job is to, obviously, collect intel however possible. With your quirk, you fit well in this category." He explained, using vague hand gestures. "The difference, though, is your connection to the bane of my existence. Yuuei high school."

He didn't even need to finish for me to understand what he was getting at, and I jerked back, shaking my head before my words could even form.
"W..wait wait wait..! No...I..I don't want to go back..!" I insisted, chest tightening at the mere thought. "I can't, anyway! Not..not after what I did..!"

Expression unchanging, Shigaraki waited for me to stop freaking out so openly until he opened his mouth to respond, but his voice wasn't the one I heard.
"Dear girl, you haven't heard the news, have you?!" Whipping my head around, I hadn't expected to see Re-Destro entering the room, being pushing along in a wheelchair by some scrawny looking guy with a buzz cut.

"I don't remember inviting you in." Shigaraki deadpanned, and my confusion only increased when I saw the needle-nose recoil.
"M..my sincerest apologies, Sir! However, I must insist that we begin preparations for the ceremony!" He stammered, glancing to me before bowing his head. "May I have your permission to explain the current circumstances, Sir?"

Sir? Man, Tomura must have really messed him up...

Rolling his eyes, Shigaraki waved his hand, signalling for the man to continue, and Re-Destro was rolled a bit closer.
"You see, my dear, your face has been plastered all over the news, almost as much as our witty little Deika City cover-up! The poor, innocent hero in training, kidnapped and brainwashed by the big, bad villains!" He elucidated, tenting his fingers together. "If you were to return, nobody would even question it! I must admit, it's rather extraordinary, to maintain such a trustworthy reputation..."

Just the thought of facing everybody again made my stomach twist into knots, but I managed to maintain my composure, directing my response to the man beside me, rather than the pointy prick who had caused most of my injuries in the first place.
"I don't want to go away..." I confessed, shoulders dropped and posture almost as atrocious as his. "Even if they do welcome me back, I'll be under strict watch, and communication will be next to impossible..."

Of course, I was just trying to sway his decision, but deep down I knew there wasn't much point. I was aware that it had to happen, and the reasoning behind it. My position had always been self explanatory, but it still made me nauseous. It would be much easier for me to just cut off that part of my life entirely.

"We have ways around it, and you won't always be there. Switches can be made, and all that crap...but we can get into all of that later. So, (Y/N), do we have an agreement? Can I trust you to command sub-regiment Vermillion?" Shigaraki reached his hand out to me, and I stared at it for the longest while, my reservations slowly being pushed back to the furthest reaches of my mind. Hesitantly, I slipped my hand into his, choosing to look him in the eye instead of at his index finger, which hovered so close to my skin.

"Y..yeah...You can trust me, Tomura..."

------------------------------------------------

Paranormal Liberation Front...Trust Spinner to come up with something that funky...

The ceremony had just concluded, and I stood well off to the side of the crowd, where supposed heroes and villains alike mingled and chatted. Being up on that stage, viewed by thousands as a villainous commander, really had my heart palputating. Sure, I knew I wanted to help them, but everything had gone too fast too quick, and now I was having doubts as to whether I was even capable of what was expected of me.

Dabi and I had gotten separated at some point once the announcement had ended, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt so odd, wearing an outfit identical to his costume, chosen by none other than Toga. Tight, black jeans, only made more constricting with numerous belts fastened up each leg, and a black, fitted top, sleeveless and buttoned together with metal clasps strikingly similar to Dabi's piercings. I really felt like I was in a dodgy cosplay.

"Blink twice if you're here against your will." I nearly leapt out of me skin when I heard a voice so close to me, and my eyes shot up to meet shielded amber, lined with charcoal dashes. Even if I had wanted to, blinking was out of the question due to surprise, and Hawks quickly laughed, patting me on the shoulder. "I'm just joshing, kiddo. Lighten up!"

Somehow...I don't think you were...

Heaving a sigh of relief, my eyes strayed to the duffel he carried over his shoulder, instead of his wings, like they would have in any other situation.
"What's in the bag?" I questioned, leaning back against the wall. Somehow, even before I had asked, I knew he wasn't going to tell me, but it gave me a chance to study his reaction. His throat twitched slightly, and his gloved hand tightened around the strap.

"Oh, just a little congratulatory gift for the big boss." He chuckled, voice free from any hesitation. "Did a little bit of cleaning and thought he might appreciate a present." I wasn't the brightest, as I had stated earlier that day, but I definitely wasn't dumb. Perhaps I could have believed him if I hadn't caught a whiff of something sickeningly metallic.

"I never pegged you for the type to carry around a corpse, Hawks..." I murmured, slowly lifting my gaze from the zipper to his eyes again, catching them growing just a smidgen wider.
"I'm...not even gonna ask how you figured that out...but good for you!" He chuckled, smiling back at me as though I hadn't just pinned him as a murderer, just like in one of those retro board games. "So, how's life treating you, kid? Dabi a loveable diddums behind closed doors? I'm dying to know!"

Fan or not...I don't think I trust you anymore...

Crossing my ankles, I shrugged, popping my lips to show him that it wasn't my ideal topic of conversation.
"If he heard you asking that he'd probably kill you." I sighed, suddenly remembering that I had something important to ask. "A..actually, while you're here, I have something I really need to talk to you about!"

My switch in demeanor took him by surprise, but the number two humoured me, nodding for me to continue.
"Go right ahead, then! I've got time to kill until your lover boy shows up!" Stepping away from the wall, I glanced around the room quickly, making sure I couldn't spot Dabi, before returning to the conversation at hand.

"So, during the whole Deika City thing, me and some of the others were falling out of the tower, and I kind of-"
"Wait, hold up, you were there?" He cut me off, but I waved me hands about so he'd shush up.
"Y..yeah, yeah I was. Anyway, we were falling, and my quirk kind of did a thing, and I ended up with wings. Your wings, according to the others. They completely ripped my back open, and I had no idea how to use them, but they were definitely yours. I think that when you patted me on the head when we met a while back, I stored your DNA."

I could tell that he was kind of following, but wasn't exactly sure of what I was getting at.
"So...you had my quirk? Like, a copy?" He asked, and I gave him a hybrid shake and nod.
"Well, yes and no. As far as I'm aware, I couldn't manipulate individual feathers or anything, I just had the wings. Because your DNA has avian qualities mixed with mammalian, somehow it was able to slip through my strictly mammal quirk. I'm really confused about it, and I know I'm not making much sense, but I was wondering if maybe you could-"

"Teach you how to fly?" Hawks finished my sentence for me, and I sighed, nodding and pointing to him in agreement.
"Yeah, exactly. Dabi doesn't want me to, because he...Well, it hurt me, and he doesn't want that to happen again, but I really want to be able to use this ability. With...your permission, of course. I didn't mean to swipe your quirk..."

Please say yes please say yes...

Humming, Hawks pinched his chin, looking me up and down before popping his lips.
"Eh, why not? Consider it a kind of apology for not accepting your application." Even though the strong scent of blood was making me feel a little queasy, I beamed, clapping my hands together. My quirk auto-activated, and a dog's tail wagged behind me to further exentuate my excitement.

"Thank you! I really appreciate it! I'm a fast learner, so I promise I'll be easy to work with!" He laughed, bringing his hand back down onto my head and ruffling my (H/C) hair.
"Don't think I'll go easy on ya, kiddo! I look forward to working with you!" Before we had a chance to discuss things further, I saw a flash of deep purple, and I stepped back to see Dabi with his arm slung over Hawks' shoulders, causing him to be squished down.

"Enjoying the party?" He asked in a deep hum, eyes much sharper than his tone. It was safe to say he didn't like the situation he had stumbled upon one bit.
"You know it! I was just having a chat with your lovely lady here! Um, sorry, kid, I forgot your name. Bird brain, y'know!" Linking my hands behind my back, I stepped to the side closest to Dabi, pursing my lips.
"Uh, just call me Kid. That works."

He knows who I am...How could he not if I'm all over the news? There's something seriously fishy about this, but I need him to teach me how to use his wings...

Dabi added just a little more weight to the pro hero, basically holding him in a headlock as he glanced to me.
"We have some business to discuss, so why don't you go find the fart or Stabby Abby?" He suggested, even though I knew full well he was telling me to do it. Giving one final look to the avian pro, I nodded, brushing up against my boyfriend as I walked off, in search of any familiar face.

"Alright. You guys have fun with your dead body, I guess..."

.
.
.
.
.
.
***Baby fart doo doo doo doodoo doo

Isolation is really fucking with me.

Next Time: Preperations***