Y/n kept her word and tried her best to be much friendlier towards Shigaraki. As soon as she noticed him waking up, she put down her book and sat up straight. She watched Shigraki rolled over and yawn. Y/n could tell that he was beginning his daily routine, starting with waking up and pulling her out of bed. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her. Y/n guessed that he wasn't prepared to see her already awake.

"Good morning," she tried to say in a somewhat upbeat manner before standing up and walking over to him.

"Yeah," he replied. She knew Shigaraki was going to be a little apprehensive over her overnight change in tone. Ever since he banned y/n from going to Giran's office, she had stopped greeting Shigaraki. Y/n wanted to get this over with, though. She didn't have the time and patience to slowly befriend Shigaraki.

"Can..." her voice trailed off. She reminded herself yet again that this was for her best interest. "Can we sit down and talk for a little bit. I have something I want to say."

Shigaraki approached closer to y/n and sat down on the mattress. Y/n sat down next to him and took a deep breath. Even though she had been mentally preparing herself to give Shigaraki this talk for hours, she still didn't feel ready. You can do this. Just rip it off like a bandaid. Just say what you need to say and let whatever happens, happen, she mentally psyched herself up again.

Y/n fumbled with her fingers and looked down. "I've been thinking," she paused, the anxiety got to her, and her mind went blank. "I've been thinking I..." her voice trailed off while she thought about precisely what she wanted to say. "I should help out more. I guess," she mumbled as quietly and quickly as she could, all while reminding herself that this was for her best interest.

The blue-haired villain was silent. Why isn't he saying anything? Just say something! Anything, she pleaded while maintaining her calm demeanor on the outside.

"I knew you'd come around eventually. That wasn't so hard, was it?" Shigaraki grinned behind father. Y/n let out a halfhearted smile. She reminded herself once again that she was only needed for one small task, and then it'll be all over.

Shigaraki's rules hadn't changed very much since y/n offered Shigaraki full use of her quirk. He still kept a close eye on her as well as kept her isolated. Y/n noticed he was acting a little bit different.

Lately, he's been much calmer. Usually, he has three or four bad days a week, but the past week has been quiet. Y/n reminded herself not to get used to it, often comparing this quiet moment to the calm before the storm. His next tantrum was bound to be a big one. 

Shigaraki had been keeping himself busy with his work. Sometimes, he would talk about how excited to have y/n fight alongside him. Shigaraki always made sure to emphasize how happy he was that she changed her mind in the end, adding that he would have been forced to kill her otherwise. The villain would end that comment with a lighthearted chuckle. Y/n never thought that joke was funny.

Y/n attempted to gather information from Shigaraki as best she could. She would often wonder how her quirk could possibly be useful to The League. Shigaraki would dodge the question whenever she asked. Sometimes he'd tell her that she didn't need to worry about it. Other times, he'd say to her that she will find out in due time.

Shigaraki has never had an issue talking to others in front of y/n, but lately, he's been stepping outside whenever he needed to speak. When Shigaraki stepped outside, y/n would stand on the other side of the door and try to listen in on his conversation. She wanted to know what precisely The League was up to. Y/n needed to know what she got herself into. The wait was killing her.

Listening in through the door wasn't the most practical solution, but it was all she had. Y/n couldn't make out very much. The heavy wooden door muffled a lot. From what she gathered, he's been calling Mister Compress. It sounds like he wanted Compress to get him something. Every so often, she would be able to just barely make out her name being uttered from the other side.

Y/n would hurry back to the couch before Shigaraki finished up his phone conversation. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if he caught her eavesdropping on him. Also though he's been in a good mood lately, she still didn't want to make him angry.

Y/n tried her best to piece everything together on her own. Compress' name often came up, Shigaraki would sometimes say her name, and Shigaraki needed something collected for him. After days of listening in, that's all she managed to collect. There wasn't enough information to know what Shigaraki was up to.

Y/n thought it through logically. Clearly, he wanted Compress to get something for him. One possibility was that he wished to y/n to come along with him. No. He wouldn't do that. Shigaraki wouldn't allow Compress and I to do something alone. There was one other option.

Kurogiri did say a while back that Shigaraki wanted to give her some kind of gift. Y/n couldn't even imagine what that gift could be, but the little nuggets of information she had did fit a bit better. Mister Compress was probably getting something for Shigaraki because he can't leave her at the hideout alone. That made a lot more sense to y/n.

The click of the door opening disrupted Y/n's thoughts. She looked away from the door and held her breath. Even though she was always sure to cover her tracks, she expected Shigaraki to notice somehow that she was listening in on him. Whenever she thought three steps ahead, it always seemed like Shigaraki was twenty steps ahead of her.

Shigaraki sat down on the couch next to y/n. "I've got something for you," he announced in a bright tone that sounded strange coming from his raspy voice. Y/n glanced over to him and asked what it was. "A surprise. I think you'll like it. After you're done with your gift, I'll let you in on what we need your quirk for."

Shigaraki's words gave y/n a mix of anxiety and excitement. On the one hand, she wanted to know what Shigaraki was up to. On the other hand, she felt like knowing The League's plans wouldn't make her the innocent bystander mixed into the madness. At that point, she'd be an accomplice. Even if others tried to convince her otherwise, she'd still feel guilty. Y/n couldn't fathom how she'll handle the guilt.

Y/n smiled at Shigaraki warmly. "Well, I can't wait to see what it is."

"I think you'll like it. You better appreciate it, we tried very hard to get it for you," Shigaraki returned. Y/n felt uncomfortable hearing the psychotic tone in his voice return. She also didn't like how he worded that. For some reason, it sounded off.

Shigaraki changed the subject from there. He had given y/n yet another one of his books, and he started asking y/n what she thought about it. Y/n talked about the first few chapters with Shigaraki. She went into detail about what she thought of the characters so far and how she thought the plot was going to progress. Shigaraki silently listened to her talk, and sometimes he'd join in and either agree or disagree with what she said.

Even though this was a perfectly normal conversation with Shigaraki, y/n still felt unsettled. A single thought attacked her head as she talked to the villain. He had to try hard to get whatever it is? What did he get?

For the first time in a long time, y/n woke up all by herself. For once, no one was hovering over y/n and trying to catch her attention. She sat up and rubbed her tired eyes. Suddenly, a little detail caught her eye. Shigaraki wasn't in the room.

Y/n sat silently for a while. Her eyes scanned the room. Shigaraki displayed a collection of disembodied hands on a table in the corner. The palms were gone, that was unusual. She's never seen them gone before.

Y/n crawled off the mattress and knocked on Kurogiri's door. Silence. She opened the door just a crack and peered inside. It was too dark to see anything. Y/n squinted her eyes, trying to spot Kurogiri in the darkness. As far as she could tell, Kurogiri's room seemed empty as well. Admittedly, y/n couldn't be a hundred percent about that. Kurogiri blends into the darkness very well.

"Uhm, Mr. Kurogiri?" she called out into the darkness. Y/n gave it a minute. No response. Where is everyone? She asked herself.

Y/n closed the door quietly and wandered to the other door across the room. She pressed her ear against the door and held her breath. Y/n stood silently. Her eyes glanced over to the clock hanging on the wall. Typically, she didn't give the clock any thought, but its rhythmic ticking sounded so loud today.

Y/n reached out for the doorknob. It was so cold. She has never touched this doorknob before. It felt like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. Acting like some sort of alarm would sound just by her turning it, y/n swallowed hard and delicately turned the handle.

She hesitated to open the door. Suddenly she had to think about her next move thoroughly. Shigaraki has never left me here alone. What if this is a test? This has to be a test. There's no way he'd leave me here all by myself. What if Shigaraki is on the other side waiting for me? He'd kill me for trying to go. But what if he's not here? I'd be giving up my first chance to escape.

Y/n considered everything. Everything from Shigaraki's intelligence and his overbearing personality to her terrible luck. Kurogiri is his adviser. Surely he would have told Shigaraki not to leave me alone. He knows how unhappy I am here. He would have said something, Kurogiri doesn't ever tell Shigaraki no, though, he might have gone along with his plan.

Every time y/n came up with a reason as to why she was alone, she would immediately contradict herself and consider reasons why this would be a test. In the end, she reluctantly let go of the doorknob. Her chest felt heavy. She couldn't breathe. As scared as she was of Shigaraki, she was more scared of dying. The risk just wasn't worth it.

Y/n stepped away from the door and sat down onto the couch. She was tucking her knees close to her chest, and she was staring at the door in front of her. Each minute that passed, the more and more she'd doubt her choice. She tried her best to ignore her doubts, telling herself that she made the right decision.

A portal appeared by the front door. Y/n could hear voices coming from the other side. Shigaraki and Compress walked through the warp gate before Kurogiri manifested himself into the room. Y/n silently looked at the men from over her knees.

"Good afternoon, y/n," Compress said with a theatrical bow. "I've heard you've recently decided to work with us. That's great to hear."

Y/n stared at Compress silently. Her eyes drifted over to Shigaraki, unsure if she had to talk to respond to him. Y/n couldn't figure out the answer just by looking at Shigaraki. His face was covered by father. He didn't tell her to reply, so y/n decided to stay mute.

She noticed Shigaraki's outfit. He was wearing a long, black trench coat, and the hands he kept on display in the corner of the room were all over him. She didn't realize that they were part of his villain costume. Y/n had assumed that they were spares, just in case something happened to the one he kept on his face.

In Shigaraki's hands, y/n noticed a small box. Is that the gift he was going on about? She wondered to herself.

Compress glanced over to Shigaraki. Y/n could barely hear Compress ask Shigaraki a question. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Shigaraki reassured. The blue-haired villain stood in front of her and knelt. "Remember when I said I was getting you a gift? We just got back." Y/n's chest deflated when she realized she could've left earlier.

Y/n hesitated. "What is it?" she asked quietly, eyeing the box Shigaraki had placed down next to her.

Shigaraki placed three fingers on her head and gently ruffled her hair. Y/n saw Shigaraki turn around towards Compress. "Go ahead and release him. You can leave after that."

Release him? Y/n questioned. Suddenly the feeling like something was terribly wrong overcame her.

Compress gave a little nod. The masked man reached into his pocket and pulled out a little turquoise marble, holding it in his open palm. Y/n watched as he rolled the little marble in his hand. She wasn't familiar with Compress' quirk, but she figured the little marble had something to do with it.

Compress tossed the marble onto the ground. Y/n's eyes followed along as the marble slowly rolled along the wooden floor. The marble slowed to a stop. "My job here is done. I bid you all farewell," he said before giving a little bow and walking through the portal Kurogiri supplied the villain.

The marble on the ground lit up as Compress left. Y/n watched the light manifest into the shape of a person. The form seemed so familiar. Her stomach began to knot when she realized where she had seen that shape before.

Y/n jumped to her feet from the couch, nearly tripping over herself and falling onto the floor. Noticing that she was about to fall, Shigaraki had reached out and caught her. As soon as Shigaraki let go of her, y/n fell to her knees.

Y/n covered her mouth in horror at the scene in front of her. She let out a broken whimper, muffled by her hands. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead; she was unable to look away. Y/n could feel her eyes well up with tears.

Bloodied and beaten, IronStrike kneeled before y/n. The sound of IronStrike struggling to inhale paired with his wheezing exhales filled the little room. Every so often, y/n would see Ironstrike fight to breathe as he coughed. It looked like he was forcing himself to swallow something. Y/n rushed to the hero's side and examined him with trembling hands. IronStrike began to cough, hacking out chunks of thick blood clots onto the floor in front of her. A chill ran down her spine when she realized what he was forcing himself to swallow to breathe.

One of his legs was mangled beyond repair. Y/n could see a distinct bone poking out from under his skin. Both of his arms were broken entirely and twisted strangely. IronStrike's arms delicately trembled as he used them to hold himself up.

"IronStrike?" Y/n gently called out. She crawled closer to IronStrike and placed her hand on the side of his head. Under her fingers, she felt something warm and moist. Y/n removed her hand to see a sheet of dark blood coating her hand.

Shigaraki walked to her side. "Surprise!" he called out, his voice laced with psychotic glee. "You seemed like you were missing your home, so I brought you one of your friends."

Y/n looked over to Shigaraki. "What did you do to him?" y/n choked out.

Shigaraki crossed his arms across his chest. "We just roughed him up a little. He would have attacked us if we didn't. He is a hero after all," Shigaraki said in a matter of fact tone. The blue-haired villain pointed to IronStrike. "Look, he's alive, isn't that the best you could ask for?"

Y/n's attention immediately switched over to IronStrike. "M- Muh," he tried to speak, combating his need to breathe.

Y/n leaned in close to him and hushed him. "No, no, no. Don't talk. Keep breathing," she urged. IronStrike's black eyes looked at y/n. This was the look of a broken man who was utterly helpless. Y/n wiped away her tears, smearing some of his blood just below her eye.

She knew that he had to be enjoying the sight of the injured hero in front of him. "Don't you feel a little more at home now?" Shigaraki asked, genuinely pleased with his good deed.

Y/n choked back her tears, trying to look courageous for IronStrike. She was frozen in her place, unsure of what to do. "He needs to go to a hospital," y/n said frantically, ignoring Shigaraki's question. Her eyes moved over to Kurogiri. "Please. He's going to die if he stays like this. He can still make it if you get him out of here now."

Kurogiri shook his head. "You know we can't do that."

Y/n didn't know what to do. He was suffering and slowly dying right in front of her. She began to panic as she tried to figure out what to do. She looked back over to Shigaraki. "Please take him to a hospital."

Shigaraki looked down at y/n, his face covered up by the hand and his hair. "No can do. He's seen our base. You know, bringing him here is still a huge risk for The League, even in this condition. It's a risk I was willing to take for you."

Y/n furrowed her brows. "A risk?" she repeated; "he can barely hold himself up." From under her hand, y/n felt IronStrike move a bit. She looked back over to the dark-haired man. "Stay still," she mumbled under her breath. If IronStrike could talk, y/n would guess that he would have told her not to speak back to Shigaraki. Y/n was positive; that's what he was thinking.

He's always been selfless. Still thinking of others and putting everyone else before himself. Even though he's a hero and that's what heroes do, y/n felt like he should be more concerned for himself than her right now. She put herself in this situation, but IronStrike didn't do a thing to deserve this.

Y/n looked away from him. I have to do it, she told herself. It wasn't fair that IronStrike still looked like he was worried about y/n. She didn't deserve any of his concerns.

"So, remember that house tour?" she began, looking into his eyes. "That never happened. I-I just didn't want you to see that I was harboring a villain in my house. Oh, and that cosplayer friend I had, he wasn't a cosplayer. You were right. You knew who that was," y/n hesitated before continuing on. "And I was serious when I told you that whole thing about joining The League of Villains. That bit about it being a joke wasn't really a joke." Her heart felt heavy as she told IronStrike those truths. She couldn't take those back now. What's done is done.

IronStrike went stiff for a little while. Y/n began to panic and jumped to check for a pulse. He's still alive. This was her quirk's doing. She relaxed a little bit more, knowing her friend was still technically alive.

The hero came to. Y/n's tears finally rolled down her cheeks as IronStrike continued to give her the same concerned look he's been giving her this whole time, acting as nothing had changed. Y/n told the truth because she wanted him to hate her. That way, he'd be more concerned about himself rather than her. She didn't need to be on the top of his priority list.

His eyes filled with terror as he looked at y/n wide-eyed. She leaned forward. "What's wrong?" A cold hand touched y/n's shoulder. She could feel three distinct fingers on her. Shigaraki's hand gently pulled y/n away from the hero and sat her up straight.

Shigaraki knelt behind y/n and pulled off the hand, latched to his face. He nuzzled his forehead into her hair a little before leaning close to her ear. "I think it's time we show him some mercy, right? He's going to die a slow and painful death if we leave him like this. I don't care if you want to keep him just barely alive, but I wanted to give you the option." Shigaraki's voice was no louder than a hushed whisper. Y/n could feel his skin's cold emanating onto her neck.

Y/n choked back tears. At this rate, putting him out of his misery now is the more humane thing to do, but she couldn't get the words out of her mouth. She couldn't force herself to ask someone to kill a close friend. Y/n looked away from IronStrike and clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to see what was coming next.

From closed eyes, she could perfectly imagine what was going on by what she felt around her. Y/n could feel Shigaraki's hand slip off her shoulder. Shigaraki's body pressed against hers. She could tell he was leaning forward from behind her, most likely to reach out for IronStrike.

Y/n went from imagining what was happening to hearing it. The sounds of IronStrike howl in pain while he choked on his blood filled the room. Y/n curled forward and covered her ears, trying to block out the sound. 

"I-I'm sorry," y/n mumbled over and over. Y/n regretted her choice to tell IronStrike about all the times she's hidden Shigaraki from him. Her quirk's effect weakens when she tells the truth and takes back a previous lie. Y/n could have quickly eased his pains, but she messed up.

Y/n felt like a villain. She didn't stop apologizing to IronStrike until his screams of agony silenced. "Hinata, I'm so sorry. I swear."

His eyes widened for a moment. He appeared to look shocked, but y/n was sure it was him succumbing to the pain. His eyes softened for a moment, before dulling into lifelessness.

Hands over her ears and eyes still glued shut, y/n could feel an all to familiar pair of icy cold hands gently grab onto her shoulders and lead her to sit up straight. Through closed eyes, tears began to fall.

The blue-haired villain watched y/n cry for a moment. He glanced over to Kurogiri, unsure what to do next. He couldn't put himself in y/n's shoes. As of right now, he couldn't imagine being upset over anyone's death. He's known Kurogiri for nearly two decades, and he wouldn't be sad if Kurogiri died. He's threatened to kill Kurogiri himself several times.

Kuorgiri pointed to his chest and mimed what looked like a hug. After that, he turned to his room and walked off.

Shigaraki looked down at the girl sobbing uncontrollably, and he hesitated. Kurogiri's advice might not be so good right now. He's caused y/n a lot of pain, even though this was meant to be a more light-hearted gift. Carefully, he pulled her in for a hug, his arms tightly wrapped around her shoulders while his hands stayed off y/n.

He rested his chin on top of her head and listened to her cries. Shigaraki nuzzled into her hair a little bit, realizing how velvety her hair is. The villain could smell that flowery perfume on her. It smelled nice. Against his exposed collarbone, he could feel the warmth of y/n's skin. He took a mental note about how soft her skin is.

Shigaraki had a few other things he wanted to share with y/n, but it appears he will have to wait a few days just until she calms down a bit.