Tomura had been in and out of sleep the past few nights. It had been 3 days since the USJ incident and he had barely been able to leave his room. Kurogiri had told him it was the blood loss, and that in a few days he would be fine again to come out and run the League like he was supposed too. Sure a few times Tomura had managed to suck it up, exploring out of his room so he could attempt to eat and drink, but he was never able to keep anything down.

The main reason he'd been moving was due to meetings with Sensei, where he had to sit in front of the TV that was in the Bar's back room, hooked up on a private server so no one could interfere. A private mission All For One had done on his own, sending out Nomu's around Japan.

"Shigaraki, the new members will be here soon with Grain" Kurogiri calls from just behind the boys door. "Be ready".

He lays flat on his bed: a mattress laid on the floor with a blanket placed over him as he tries to contain as much heat as he could. He'd been in pain and cold since waking up after the surgery on his arms and legs.

Reaching up and rubbing his eyes, Tomura could faintly remember the dream that he'd been lost in. The boy hardly dreamed, causing it to become a rare occurrence due to his lack of imagination.

Sparky and Jack had been there, or rather figments, his own images of what he imagined them to look like playing them like actors.

Yellow was the colour he'd associated with the more energetic of the two. Electric and vibrant, fitting Sparky the best, which led to a rather blond and brightly dressed boy coming up in his mind whenever he thought of him. Jack was more... Blue and white. The name Jack Frost he'd used in his gamer tag reminded Tomura of winter. At first he wanted to go with red, to match Christmas, but blue felt like a better option. A pale man, college age like he knew Jack was, with light blue hair matching Tomura's own and pale blue clothing.

They'd played games together, and it was safe. In a place mimicking an apartment, a universe where Quirks didn't exist and he could laugh as loud as he wanted to their dumb jokes. Tomura hadn't been expected to act a certain way, able to make jokes of his own and say what he wanted in the presence of the two people who spoke to him like he wasn't a terrifying, manipulative villain like he knew he really was.

It was silly really, to dream of a life like that. Tomura knew that he was put on this earth, given a quirk this destructive, because this was what he was made for. A life of danger and death to prove how ridiculous the idolisation of heroes and the fake blanket of safety that society believed would protect them was.

Sensei told him he was, and Sensei was always right.

The boy lets out a breath, "I'll be ready" he shouts, throat feeling like sandpaper due to his lack of hydration.

His eyes close briefly, mentally preparing himself for moving. Still being denied painkillers was taking its toll on the 15 year olds body. He knew he'd messed up but he... he was in agony. Why couldn't Sensei be nicer-

No. Sensei was nice. He had saved Tomura rather than leaving him like the heroes had done.

Taking a breath he pushes himself into a sitting position, mainly using his uninjured arm. Cries of pain echo around the empty space of the boys room. Now only containing his bed and the storage area for his clothes, the gaming system and TV now gone. A punishment he deserved for his failure. Using strength he hardly had remaining, he got out of the bed, moving to get changed and look presentable for the new recruits.

Heart hammering in his chest, Tomura pushes a hand against his sternum, begging it to slow down before he has another one of those attacks. He didn't know what they were but he hated them, his heart beat so loud that it echoed in his skill, his breathing picked up and made him dizzy. He definitely didn't need another one of those.

~~~

Tomura stared at the two new recruits that Grian had brought in. Both of them were already pissing him off.

The tallest of the two, a man who claimed his name was Dabi, stared down at him like he was something inferior. Who was he to judge him when this low level criminal was being given the chance of a lifetime by joining the League? Something impossible without Tomura accepting him. Dabi's eyes were a starking turquoise, standing out under his short black hair and burned purple skin. Tomura always thought that skin went red with burns, yet this man seemed to suffer from something that looked close to the symptoms of frostbite. The dead skin attached with clips and staples, the strain visible while the healthy skin tried to keep it intact for him to live. It seemed painful. Tomura wondered if it hurt, or whether he had done the burns to himself the same way that Tomura scratched at his neck. Whether it was an issue with Dabi's quirk that caused the scars like the cracking skin that coated Tomura's body. Either way, he had no right to judge Tomura for anything.

The blond girl besides him was equally as annoying for a completely separate reason. Toga Himiko, a girl with a blood based quirk that allowed her to transform into the person that she had taken the blood from. Apparently any amount of blood would do it, even as small as a drop. She gushed about how she admitted Stain, and Tomura could see why, the most recent villain to die due to the Heroes also had a quirk that was deemed villainous.

However, that did little to soothe Tomura's hate for the man.

Sure he'd never done anything outright to Tomura, had never even met him, however his stunt had caused the most recent Nomu attack, courtesy of Sensei, to fail. It hardly made the front page on the newspapers and he'd hardly seen reports on them play at the bars TV. The boy knew that those 1A kids had been responsible for the murder, as much as the news and journalists were trying to say they were innocent bistanders at the scene.

Izuku Midoriya. Shoto Todoroki. Iida Tenya.

All three of them are top students at UA and training in the hero course.

Tomura remembered the boy Midorya, since he was one of the kids to attack him and help during the USJ mission, as well as the Todoroki kid. Sensei had explained how Tomura needed to get rid of them before the brats caused any more issues, and it would be his next mission if everything was to go well.

In a few days he could prove himself to Sensei again. Prove that he was worth all the time, energy and love that Sensei had shown him over the years.

But that was a later issue. Right now he needed to explain to these no good stray's that if they were to join the League they had to devote the rest of their life to the mission. The mission to... 'uphold Stain's legacy' and take down the hero society. The idea to use the villain's death as a promotion for the League's means had come from Sensei, as all good ideas did, and Tomura would be sure to carry that out exactly.

He could do that perfectly.

"So.. you're telling me that the League lives in a dingy place like this?" Dabi asks, looking around the bar as if it was the most disgusting place he'd ever seen. His hands moved and traced the top of the closest couch, getting a feel for the material.

Kurogiri gave the boy a nudge to reply. "It's not like we could get a 5 star hotel".

Tomura didn't want to be here. He wanted to be playing games with Sparky and Jack. He'd missed it in the past few days and wished Snesei would give him the console back. He had no idea how much he had begun to depend on it over the few months he'd interacted with them both. Properly contributing the conversation rather than being his usual stand-off nature.

Those thoughts were cut short when he heard the girl squeal. Toga, right? "Oh you're so small, you're like a little boy. I can't believe you're our boss!" She goes to touch him but Kurogiri is quicker, her hand passing through his mist and redirected to the side.

"Miss Himiko, I do wish that you would refrain from touching Shigaraki".

Tomura stares her down as she sighs and pulls her hand out, whining a 'fine' before sitting down on the couch. "So how old are you Shiggy?"

Shiggy? "Why the fuck does that matter? I'm your boss, that is how it goes" he glares, hand that was still uninjured reaching up and scratching on his neck.

"From your voice I bet you're 16, rather young. Your voice cracks" Dabi comments, "is it really safe to have a hormonal teenager lead?"

Tomura fails to bite his tongue. "My age does nothing to hinder my ability to lead the League" his eyes set on a glare as he looks at Dabi.

"You sound like you've rehearsed that"

"Maybe I needed to from all of you low level villains looking down on me"

He laughs, "so you are 16?"

He rolls his eyes, reaching forwards and picking up one of the cocktail sticks that had been left on the bar earlier. He needed something to do and it pissed him off that he couldn use both of his hands to scratch. "15".

Almost immediately he could feel the glare that came from Kurogiri's emotionless face.

He knew that he wasn't allowed to share anything personal, however these guys would probably last less than a month before they died, and they had nothing else to say about him. His age did not change that he was still the leader of the League of Villains, and his sole purpose was to take down the heroes.

Toga is the next to speak, voice high and bubbly. "Wow you're even younger than me! I'm 17 and this burnt asshole is 24!" a grin covering her face almost permanently.

Dabi rolls his eyes sitting down on the couch. "Quieten down psycho chick" he sighs, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

How could this man be completely relaxed in a room full of villains that he has just met? Tomura didn't understand but he didn't care either. They were recruits, pawns, nothing more than play things for their cause.

He stays for a while longer before leaving, telling Kurogiri how his wounds hurt. The Nomu did nothing to offer help besides nodding, letting the boy leave the main common area and retreat to the back where his room was held.

Once sat down Tomura lays on the mattress, pulling the duvet closer and trying to gain warmth. He was cold. So cold. He was usually freezing, due to the lack of heating that they had in the place, however this was much worse. It was as if icicles clung to every joint making it painful to move, pins and needles so harsh they felt like stabs on his arm and two legs.

He wished that they would give him something.

He didn't know how long he was in and out of consciousness until he heard the door open and close. Immediately on alert Tomura's eyes widened when he spotted Dabi leaning against the wooden frame. A passive look on his face.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?" Why had he come into his room? "You fucking knock and-" his breathing catches as he pushes himself up.

Dabi hums. "Your bullet wounds still hurt from the attack right?" he asks

"Why the fuck do you care? Now get out before I dust you, no one would miss you anyways". Tomura hated how weak he felt that it was hard to remain any presence that came off threatening. Maybe it was because of the pain, the lack of food and water that he had had due to the sickness that had followed after the wounds. Either way he hadn't been looking after himself enough for the past few days that he hardly had the energy to do anything.

Maybe it was good that he didn't have to speak to Sparky or Jack. Did they realise that he had hardly been on? Or was he another forgotten player as the other people of their group had been before it had dwindled down to the three of them? The idea hurt too much to keep thinking about.

The man rolls his eyes and walks over to him, sitting a few feet away on the floor, leaning against the wall before reaching into his coat pocket. "I have something that might help".

"What? Poison?" Tomura's throat scratched as he let out a fake laugh with a scoff. "You think you can come here and try to kill me like that? Go fuck yourself"

"No, if I wanted to kill you I'd use my fire, fucking moron. They're a pain relief, some strong stuff so I'm only giving you one" he starts to open the small white bottle, the cap clicking as he did. "Don't need to be the cause of your addiction".

Tomura watches him closely, staring at the bottle in his hands. Pain relief? He wasn't allowed any medication. He knew he wasn't allowed it. "I cant".

"It's not poison" Dabi reiterates as he stares at Tomura.

"I'm not allowed relief" he deadpans. "I don't need it".

"You've looked on the verge of passing out since I got here. Yes you fuking do"

"Why do you even care? '' he snaps again, hands fisting at the sheet, his eyes widening when he realises what he's done. Dust coated his fingertips and palms making him tear his gaze from Dabi.

He'd ruined it. The one thing that he had to stay warm and it was gone. What a fucking idiot. Tomura barely noticed how much he'd started to panic, his hands shaking as he lifted them and hovered them in front of himself, terrified to touch and ruin anything else. While he slept he had cuffs near his bed that he could slide his hands into so he wouldn't be at risk of ruining anything. The idea of limiting off his quirk in general with any form of constant gloves or quirk bracelets had been seen as a weakness, a limit of his greatness that Sensei didn't agree with.

It was his quirk and he would learn to live with it.

Tomura takes his eyes off of the bed and looks over at the man in front of him, eyes wide with shock as he tries to glare, "leave me the fuck alone".

It was embarrassing. He wasn't a child anymore. He had learned that he needed to always have a finger lifted. Why did he-

"Here" Dabi throws something in front of him.

Taking a second, Tomura realises that they are gloves. Plain black and looking like a leather texture. They seemed to have once had 5 fingers, however 3 were missing. The thumb, pointer and pinky. The middle and 4th finger would still be covered if you put them on.

He looks up, "what?"

"To stop your quirk ruining shit" he scoffs, almost annoyed that the boy had asked. "And here, so you know I won't poison you" he picks a pill from the white bottle and takes it, swallowing it whole without water. "I take them for my scars, they're not gonna kill you". Taking another out he places the pill on top of the black gloves, the blue a contrast to the deep colour it laid on.

He doesn't say anything as Dabi leaves the room, seemingly done with the interaction.

When the door is shut the boy stares at the pill, too scared to make a move and touch it.

Sensei had told him that he wasn't allowed any aid to relieve the pain. He didn't deserve it. Sensei was always right. But... It hurts. It hurt so much...

Without giving himself a chance to question it any further he took the pill, swallowing it in one with a slight struggle due to how dry his throat was. Guilt and anxiety immediately filled his being. What had he done? What would Snesei do if he found out?

Sensei isn't here, a little voice in his head reminded him.

He wasn't... that was right. He was away for a few more days. The drug would definitely be worn off then, and if the pain went away then Tomura would be able to eat and drink, and gain strength before the next mission.

Tomura looks back down at the gloves, taking in their appearance again. It was then that he realised the fingers had been burned symmetrically on either side, and smoke was still lifting from them meaning it had been done recently. Had.. Dabi ruined the gloves specifically for him to have the limit on his quirk? So he didn't have to risk touching something with five fingers?

The boy refuses to think of the villain giving him kindness. No one cared about him besides Sensei and that was okay. He didn't need anyone else to care for him. He had taken the drug out of pure necessity, not because of Dabi giving him it, but because he could prove to Sensie that he was worth it if he was feeling better faster.

Laying back down on the bed he curls up, now without the duvet, hands sliding into the restraints again before sleeping.

~~~

Discord Server - Gaming Bros

Jack: Hey, wanna play Raft again?

Sparky: Yeah sure!

Sparky: Has Dusty messaged you back yet?

Jack: Nope

Jack: What about you?

Sparky: Nope

Sparky: I'm gonna send him another link to the Discord, call me in 10?

Jack: Sure!

Denki changes the screen over to the messages with Dusty, copy and pasting the link he'd already sent him 7 times over the past few days. A few odd messages reading 'you okay?' and 'we miss you dude!'. But he was yet to reply to any. Yet to be active at all. The blond couldn't help but feel the uneasiness in his stomach. It was too much of a coincidence right? Dusty had talked about a trip too, and now he wasn't active, and the voice..

No. It couldn't be.

Shaking his head he sets Raft up, headphones on as he waits for Jack to call.