Tomura rolled over, and a fingertip ran along the top of the bedsheets. Tired, he forced his eyes open just a crack. The spot next to him was empty, cold even. Tomura remembered going to bed alone. He slid inside while y/n was playing with Tomoru in the other room. The blue-haired villain expected to see a still sleeping y/n beside him.

He forced himself out of bed. On his way towards the door, he passed by the crib. Empty.

Tomura glanced around the little shack. Nothing. "Already taking her leader duties seriously?" Tomura crossed his arms. His eyes scanned the room for any sign of her. "No, that's not it. She wouldn't take the boy with her."

Tomura looked outside the front door. He saw trees, bushes, and sunlight. However, there was no sign of y/n.

Tomura slowly walked around the perimeter of the small shack. Birds were chirping in a nearby tree, causing Tomura to scowl under his breath. He involuntarily froze in his spot, holding his breath, as soon as he heard y/n's voice.

"This is a Nomu," y/n said. "His name is Nobuo."

Tomura crept along the wall and peered around the corner. Y/n was sitting on a thin blanket out in the grass, her Nomu crouched across from her. She was holding onto Tomoru in one arm while her other hand was placed on the creature's head.

The Monster inched closer to the baby. "No! Not food!" y/n yelled.

The baby in her arms began to whimper. Tomura ground his teeth, and his breathing became heavier. Tomoru's crying put him on edge, the thing that stressed Tomura out most was how familiar it felt. The shrill sound of his cries gave Tomura the same feeling as whenever y/n got hurt. It was an unpleasant feeling that he didn't want to associate with.

Tomura could see y/n talking, but he couldn't quite hear her. He leaned forward a bit, his eyes narrowed as he focused on the sound of her voice. "No, no, no. No more crying."

She cradled the baby in her arms and gently rocked him. Her movements were slow and gentle. A little pair of hands reached out for her face. Y/n beamed as she leaned forward and allowed the baby's hands to explore her face.

Tomura saw her speaking to Tomoru, her voice was too low to hear. Y/n placed the baby face down on the blanket. Y/n had a kind smile on her face as she watched the baby.

She looks happy. Tomura felt that burning sensation he often felt along his skin flared in his stomach. It was like hot claws were tearing him apart from the inside.

He leaned against the wall, averting his eyes from y/n and Tomoru. The cold air felt good against his heated skin. He stared at the blue sky, watching the clouds slowly go by. Tomura breathed in, taking in as much of the chilled air as possible, to ease the inner burning.

He felt the pain calm down. Tomura inched closer to the corner and looked over. Y/n was lying down on the blanket, she placed Tomoru on her chest. Her fingertips ran along his back. Y/n smiled as she watched the baby grip onto her finger. She softly praised how well he was doing. Tomura couldn't figure out what Tomoru was doing that was so praise-worthy.

He was convinced at this point y/n would praise the baby just for breathing. He didn't get it.

"How about we go back inside." He froze as soon as he heard y/n's voice. Tomura tucked himself behind the corner, hiding from y/n's view.

Tomura held his breath, mentally cursing the nearby chirping birds. Y/n's nomu moved in his direction, Tomura heard her order the nomu to stay, she was headed his way. He quickly, yet cautiously returned to the little shack, retreating to the bedroom.

Tomura stood close to the door. On the other side, footsteps accompanied by humming slowly wandered around the room. Tomura picked up the faint sound of clicking. One of the many unusable lightswitches scattered around. Y/n let out a distressed hum.

Another door opened and then closed. The footsteps returned to the middle of the room. "What are we going to do if we're still here by winter?" Tomura pressed his ear against the door. "Mommy will be fine. It might be too cold for you, though."

"I suppose I could fix it up in my spare time. That unused room could be a good playroom. The window needs to be fixed. Once you have a favorite color, I could paint up the walls too." Tomura cracked the door open just a bit and looked. Y/n was sitting on the couch, her legs pulled close to her to prop Tomoru up.

Tomura watched y/n snuggle the baby, littering his face with kisses. Tomura wondered to himself when was the last time y/n had cuddled onto him. He chewed on his lower lip, pulling at a piece of dead skin between his teeth. Small hints of blood were followed by a sharp pain.

"We have a date with Giran today." Tomura's attention perked up when he heard y/n mention having a date. However, the feeling dulled as soon as the older villain's name was mentioned.

Y/n never mentioned going to visit anyone today. Then again, y/n hasn't been letting him know what she's been up to.

Himiko often visited to play with Tomoru and to speak with y/n. Wherever the blonde villain went, Twice was sure to follow. Y/n also went to Giran's office frequently. Tomura thought it was a waste of effort finding such a secure hideout if y/n wasn't going to stay put.

He had overheard that y/n accepted Buriki. She said that she thought he'd be an excellent first addition to her newly formed group. Beyond that, y/n doesn't seem to have any plans in mind. At the end of the day, she was a fledgling villain who didn't have any direction or pride in her work.

Y/n caught his attention; she was headed to the bedroom. Tomura stepped away from the door and returned to the bed.

The door creaked open, and y/n stepped inside. In the corner of his eye, he watched y/n. She placed the baby inside his crib. A light click sounded, and y/n slowly guided one of the barred walls down. "Okay, let's get you dressed in something cozy, okay?"

Y/n rummaged through the small collection of baby things she had collected from her many visits to Giran's office. It seemed like every time she left, she'd come back with more and more stuff for the baby. It's been a while since she's brought a game or a new book with her.

A playful, lighthearted gasp came from her side of the room. "How about this little polar bear jacket?" He observed her bundle up the baby into the little white jacket.

She picked him up. Y/n cradled Tomoru in her arms. "I'm going to visit Giran for a little bit, we should be back soon before the sun goes down." Tomura's eyes followed y/n towards the door.

Tomura stayed by himself for only a moment. The blue-haired villain felt fidgety, it was impossible to keep still. His chest felt like it was being twisted excruciatingly slow. He got up and left the room.

He saw y/n disappearing from the outskirts. This invisible line that marked where the shack's safety ended and the dangers of the outside world began. The knots in his chest eased. Tomura followed her at a distance.

Things became more complicated once she made it out into the open. Tomura followed her out without thinking and was not adequately disguised to be walking around amongst civilians.

He used the limited darkness he had to follow y/n to the best of his abilities. Whenever he found her disappearing on him, the twisting would worsen, causing Tomura to hold his head down and hide among the public, hiding in plain sight.

Y/n turned to the little stairwell that leads to Giran's underground office. Tomura hung out by the building, away from the door but keeping it in sight.

Tomura dealt with the uncomfortable stress he was feeling. He stayed still and waited.

The blue-haired villain found himself tapping the wall next to him as boredom took over. There was no sign of y/n leaving yet.

Tomura sighed. He had been playing a mental game of How Can I Kill Everyone On This Street Without Getting Caught. After a fair bit of time, Tomura decided that he had strategically discovered every possibility, and he was now bored again.

The door opened, and Tomura's attention perked up. "Oh, come on! Let me hold him!"

Y/n hugged Tomoru close to her. "No, I don't think so."

A man about the same build as Tomura was hovering around y/n. Tomura guessed that this must be y/n's new recruit. He tilted his head a bit and observed her interact with him.

"Are you serious? Aren't we supposed to be partners? You can trust me with the little guy!" Y/n began to walk, and Buriki followed close behind. Tomura began to move as well, far enough that they wouldn't notice but close enough that he could hear them.

"Giran said the easiest way to win you over is to be nice to the kiddo. So, that's what I'm trying to do! Come on, gimme him!" Buriki held his hands out towards the baby.

"Cut it out!" Y/n didn't sound particularly upset or aggressive towards Buriki.

Strange. The blue-haired villain was sure y/n would show her teeth if anyone else tried pressuring her like that. He thought it was off that y/n was being so patient.

Y/n and Buriki stopped. He leaned forward, close to the baby. Buriki leaned back. "The kid isn't much of a smiler, isn't he?"

"No, I don't think he's figured out smiling yet," y/n replied.

Once again, Buriki held out his hands. "Lemme hold him! I bet I can make him smile! I'm–" he stopped for a moment; "I've had experience with kids."

Y/n didn't answer him. Instead, she furrowed her brows and frowned. "Nothing like that!" Buriki blurted.

He cleared his throat and spoke in a softer tone. "I had siblings, is all I mean."

"Well, you can try making him smile without holding him." Y/n began to walk again. Buriki chuckled and followed her.

Much to Tomura's dismay, Buriki seemed to like asking questions. His conversations were very one-sided, he did much of the talking. Y/n was doing a lot of the listening or tuning him out, Tomura couldn't tell which without looking at her face.

"You know," Y/n began; "I was kinda trying to go home, but I don't want you following me there like a lost puppy."

He stepped in front of y/n, forcing her to stop before running into her. "Well, lemme hold the kiddo then! C'mon, that's all I'm asking for. What am I going to do, drop him?"

He playfully batted his eyes and raised a hand. "I promise that I will not shake the baby." Tomura hated the tone he was using. It was like his promise was one big joke. He knew there was no way, y/n would let him hold Tomoru now.

He had a troublesome smile on his face, Tomura didn't like the looks of it. Y/n sighed. "Fine, fine. You win. Just for a second, okay?"

Tomura felt on edge as he watched y/n hand over the baby. He watched Buriki like a hawk keeping an eye on its prey. Something about this looked off to him, and Tomura was ready to spring to action the moment he saw something go awry.

Buriki held the baby close and made a face. "C'mon, smile for me!" Tomura observed how Buriki was holding Tomoru. He didn't seem to have any experience with babies, but he seemed to be holding him with little to no problems. Tomura felt his skin crawl, just watching them.

Y/n stood in front of Buriki with her arms folded across her chest and spoke in a matter of fact tone. "I told you, I don't think he's figured out smiling yet."

"No, no, I'll get him to do it." Tomura didn't like this. Y/n said he wasn't ready, so why force him? What good is it trying to make him do something he's not prepared for? It took all of his strength to stay a comfortable distance away.

Y/n held out her hands. "I'll be taking him now." Buriki groaned, his smile staying on his face, as y/n carefully pried the baby from his grip.

Buriki's face lit up. "Giran said I should suck up to the baby, so I got this." He reached into his bag and lifted up a small square package that was hastily wrapped.

Y/n held it in her hand and looked it over. "How many rolls of tape did you waste?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I just wanted to make sure that the gift wrap was secure is all."

Y/n leaned in a bit. "There are so many layers of tape, you can't even see the gift wrap design."

He chuckled. "But it's secure, is it not?" Y/n sighed in response and half-heartedly agreed with his comment.

"See you around, I guess." Y/n turned away from him.

He playfully waved. "You too, partner."

Tomura left his short observation period feeling upset. He spent the entire walk back, fuming over little things that bothered him. He was still trying to keep his distance away from y/n. The distance between them slowly grew until Tomura was walking completely alone.

The little shack came into view as he walked. In one of the broken windows, he saw y/n's silhouette wandering around the house. He focused on her figure, trying to see if she was carrying the baby. It was too far away to tell.

Tomura slipped through the broken door and was greeted to the sight of y/n looking at him. "Where did you run off to."

Tomura looked down at the baby in her arms. He chewed on his cheek, feeling overwhelming stress eating away at him from the inside out as soon as he looked at him. The blue-haired villain averted his eyes and went to grab something to distract him. Tomura wandered to the book sitting on the couch and picked it up.

He sat down and opened it, staring at the words, but not actually reading any of it. In the corner of his eye, he saw a pained frown on her face. Tomura felt his stomach sink.

She turned away from him, holding onto Tomoru close to her and retreated into the next room. Tomura closed the book and walked towards the bedroom door. He sat down in front of it and listened.

"If I could get this tape off, we can see what this is." Y/n let out a frustrated groan. "Why does he have to be like this?"

"Aha!" Y/n sounded proud. Her voice instantly quieted down to a hush as she silently apologized to Tomoru for being too loud.

The bed shifted a bit. Then silence.

From what Tomura could gather from the spot he was sitting at, Buriki had gotten Tomoru a book of short children's stories.

Tomura sat motionless on the floor, staring at the closed door as he listened to y/n read. Although she wasn't reading out loud for him, it reminded him of the one time she did that. Back before Tartarus. She allowed him to rest on her lap as she read.

Listening to her read out loud for the first time in over a year made him feel nostalgic. The feeling was accompanied by both comfort and pain.

Her voice lowered, and her yawns became more frequent. "I think it's time for bed."

Tomura continued to stare long after y/n had to have gone to bed. He refused to move until he was sure she was completely asleep.

He got up and slowly opened the door, sliding his thin figure inside. Using the moonlight peering in through the exposed window, he made his way to the crib.

Tomura looked down at the baby. He was bundled in a blanket, completely asleep. Tomura glanced over to y/n; she was out as well.

His gaze shifted back to the baby. His breathing became heavier as he looked down at him, just looking at him stressed Tomura out. The blue-haired villain recalled how effortlessly Buriki picked Tomoru up. If he can do it, I can too.

Tomura slowly reached into the crib. His fingers twitched in reluctant defiance as he inched closer to Tomoru's face. He swallowed hard as he lightly poked the baby's cheek with the tip of his finger. It was a lot softer than he expected.

He had no idea anything could be softer than y/n's skin. His finger instantly pulled away from the baby's face, retreating like a turtle into its shell.

That's enough of that. Tomura turned away from the crib and walked over to the empty spot on the bed next to y/n.

Author's Note:

Ack! I meant to slip this note last chapter but I forgot! 😭

Thank you to for OkayItsRobine letting me steal her best boi OC. 👌💚 Buriki is 10/10

Also thank you to the volunteers for reading this chapter early to make sure it was quality enough to publish.