Y/n tried her best to stay out of Shigaraki's way during the day. She was well aware of Shigaraki's temper, and she wanted to try to avoid it. Shigaraki was practically motionless on the couch for hours, y/n took that time to grab a book from her bookshelf. She sat down in the corner of the room, reading to herself quietly.

"Mystery, huh?" he suddenly said, breaking the silence.

Y/n flinched. Shigaraki didn't seem like he was awake when she picked out her novel. Y/n peeked over the pages and noticed Shigaraki staring at the cover. "Y-yeah," she stuttered. Knowing Shigaraki hates it when people do other things while he's trying to talk to them, y/n lowered the book onto her lap and closed it.

Shigaraki huffed as he sat up. "Is that your favorite genre?" Y/n was taken aback a little, Shigaraki has never asked about her before. He's been acting strange ever since he came back and forced her to join The League.

"I can't really say I have a favorite," she stated; "I read so many different genres." She knew Shigaraki liked reading too, from time to time, but she didn't know what specific genres he enjoyed. "How about you?"

"Fantasy, mostly," Shigaraki replied. That made a lot of sense. Sometimes it felt like Shigaraki was living in a fantasy world in his head. It fitted that he'd like those kinds of books. Shigaraki went down a list of fantasy novels he's read somewhat recently. Y/n didn't recognize all of the names, but she owned a few of them.

Truthfully, when Shigaraki was calm and emotionally stable, he was quite charismatic. He could probably manage to hold a conversation all by himself. Y/n can't remember a single time where she's struggled to keep a conversation with him when he was in the mood to talk.

Y/n sat completely still and listened to Shigaraki talk about whatever he wanted to. It had to be a morbid curiosity, but she always found it interesting when Shigaraki went on his tangents. Y/n felt like she learns a bit more about Shigaraki each time.

Shigaraki paused in the middle of his thought. "Oh yeah, I decided on a proper punishment for you." Y/n could feel her stomach turn as she wondered what it could possibly be. She hesitated before asking him what it was. "You see, y/n, I'm not going to say I don't trust you completely, but I don't trust you as much now. Even though I expected you to talk to a hero, I was hoping you wouldn't. Unfortunately, we can't be right all the time, huh?" Y/n sat and listened to Shigaraki talk, she wondered where he was going with this. "So, for now, you're going to be put on probation. You'll be kept under surveillance, just until you earn back that trust."

Though she wasn't happy about Shigaraki's plan, y/n expected it to be much worse. Of course, when she thought worse, she really meant painful. "I see," she said in a quiet tone, not really knowing what else to say.

Shigaraki leaned forward. "If anyone asks, I had a stern talk with you as well. We'll just keep that our little secret, right? You'll be staying with me for a while, it's just easier to keep an eye on you that way. Once your probation is over, I don't care where you go. You can even come back here if you'd like."

She swallowed hard and stayed silent. Y/n knew she didn't have a say in any of this. There was nothing else she could do but nod and agreed to Shigaraki's terms.

Shigaraki pulled out a cheap, out of date cell phone. "I want to be picked up," he demanded. It was like a switch was suddenly flipped. The tone he was using to talk to her and the tone he used on the phone was utterly different, it was like night and day.

A black fog lifted from the ground and lingered in y/n's living room. Shigaraki stood up and looked at y/n expectantly. Y/n reluctantly placed the book down and stood up. The villain reached down and grabbed onto her wrist. Y/n could feel four distinct fingers digging into her skin, he was using a firm grip, but it didn't hurt at all.

Shigaraki led y/n towards the fog. She dug her heels into the ground as Shigaraki pulled her closer and closer to the mist. The villain stopped. "It's not going to hurt, you know." He lifted the hand that was holding her wrist. "I've got you."

Y/n felt defeated. It seemed like there was nothing she could say or do. Shigaraki was highly intelligent. He's figured out small details about y/n and her quirk fast.

He's seen y/n use her quirk less than five times, but he's already realized that it's a targeted quirk that only works on one person at a time. He even noticed that y/n bites her lip whenever she tries to think of a lie, a detail about herself that she didn't even know. There was no way he should have known that she'd go to IronStrike for help that day.

She wouldn't dream of lying to Shigaraki; for all she knew, he had a backup plan just in case she did already set into place. Shigaraki always seems to be three steps ahead of her. Her heart sank when she came to the realization that she was trapped. Shigaraki pulled her into the fog.

Y/n found herself in a cramped, dimly lit room. She glanced over her shoulder and watched the fog dissolve into thin air. Y/n scanned her surroundings.

The floor and walls were completely wooden. It was hard to tell if it was day or night outside. She could see what looked like windows, but they had been boarded up.

The room was somehow both under-furnished and disorganized at the same time. In the corner, there was a mattress on the floor. A set of pillows and a thin blanket were haphazardly strewn about on top. A stack of books, seconds away from toppling over, sat onto the floor by the mattress. A desk was placed on the other side of the room. She could see a computer and what looked like photographs placed all along the top.

The only thing organized about the little room was a table with disembodied hands similar to the one Shigaraki kept latched onto his face. Each one seemed to be meticulously placed in a specific spot.

In the center of the room stood a brown couch. A small kitchen was off to the side, it looked rundown and unused. Two adjacent doors faced each other. Y/n guessed that one door led to another room, and the other went outside.

Standing in front of y/n and Shigaraki was one of the villains from before. Y/n hid behind Shigaraki as she observed the fog-like man. When Shigaraki introduced The League to her, he was one of the villains that suggested they give her a chance.

The villain stepped forward and pulled out his hand. "Hello, miss y/n. We haven't been properly introduced. My name is Kurogiri."

Y/n looked at Kurogiri and wondered if he really had a hand to shake. She looked up at Shigaraki, confused, and scared. The blue-haired villain nudged y/n forward. Now standing in front of Shigaraki, y/n reached out.

Kurogiri gave y/n a firm handshake. Confirming that he does, in fact, have hands. Y/n felt a little silly for questioning it. "H-hello," she stuttered quietly.

A cold hand firmly held onto y/n's shoulder. From behind y/n, she could hear Shigaraki's voice. "Y/n will be staying here for a little while. Someone decided she needed to go talk to a hero." Y/n could hear him heavily emphasize someone while his ruby eyes glared down at her. "She's a good girl, I'm sure it won't be for too long."

Y/n could see Kurogiri's yellow eyes flicker in her direction like flames. Y/n averted her eyes away from Kurogiri and looked elsewhere until she felt he had stopped studying her. "I'm sure we can find some room for Miss y/n," Kurogiri replied thoughtfully.

Shigaraki waved it off. "There's plenty of room. She can take my bed. I prefer sleeping on the couch anyway."

Kurogiri was quiet for a moment before agreeing to Shigaraki's suggestion. It sounded like he opposed Shigaraki's terms, but he went along with it anyway. To y/n, it seems like Kurogiri lets Shigaraki do whatever he wanted. Y/n wondered if Kurogiri has ever told him no.

Shigaraki took his hands off y/n and wandered off to the couch. She watched him sit down and pick up a little handheld device. From Shigaraki's direction, y/n could hear silent tapping. Y/n stood in her place, fumbling with her hands. She was unsure what exactly to do.

Kurogiri looked the shy girl up and down. "Would you like some tea?" Y/n wondered if Shigaraki had told him to be kind to her. Maybe the villain was always like this?

So far, he sounded kind enough, but something about the man was off-putting. She guessed part of it had to do with the man Shigaraki called Compress. He seemed nice at first, but it quickly became apparent that he wasn't as friendly as he made himself out to be.

Y/n wanted to turn down his offer. Still, she wasn't sure if Kurogiri also had something similar to Shigaraki's short fuse. Scared of accidentally offending Kurogiri, y/n politely smiled and accepted his offer.

She carefully watched Kurogiri make the tea from where she stood. The thought of a villain making her a drink made y/n anxious. As she kept a close eye on Kurogiri, y/n could hear the tapping coming from Shigaraki's direction slow down and become slightly irregular. Slowly, the tapping halted to a stop.

Y/n felt like she was being watched, but she didn't want to turn around and check. It was confirmed that Shigaraki was looking in her direction when Kurogiri asked Shigaraki if he wanted some tea as well. Y/n didn't hear Shigaraki give a response. Instead, the tapping came back in full force.

Y/n stood entirely still, like a deer caught in the headlights as she fumbled with the hem of her shirt in her fingers. Kurogiri came back with a set of small teacups in his hands. He offered one to y/n. She released her shirt and held the cup, thanking Kurogiri as politely as she could.

"You're welcome to sit down. I'm sure Tomura Shigaraki would allow you to join him on the couch," he paused and continued his thought with a much sterner voice. "If he minds his manners." From behind y/n, she could hear Shigaraki grunt. Suggesting that he heard Kurogiri but was not willing to reply to him.

The two seemed to have an odd relationship. Y/n has only been at Shigaraki's hideout for less than an hour. Still, she noticed Kurogiri had a parental vibe to him. At least, when Shigaraki is involved.

"Oh, no, no. That's okay," y/n replied shyly, she didn't want to overstep any boundaries. Especially not Shigaraki's boundaries. Kurogiri didn't press on it any further. Y/n guessed that he could probably tell how uncomfortable she was right now.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about or ask? I'm sure you still haven't adjusted since our last meeting," Kurogiri said.

Y/n supposed she should keep her promise to Shigaraki and get to know Kurogiri a little. She'd promised the blue-haired villain that she'd ask everyone why they were villains. Y/n recalled Shigaraki saying something about learning about the other League members might help her sympathize with them.

Y/n glanced down at the steaming cup in her hands and gave it some thought. "When did you start working for The League?"

Kurogiri's eyes flickered. "I suppose you could say I've been here since the beginning. I've been working for Tomura Shigaraki much longer than The League of Villains' inception. Many years."

"That long?" y/n asked, sounding very curious.

"Indeed," he replied. Kurogiri paused and let out a hum. "It's been a little less than two decades, I'd say." Y/n didn't know how old Shigaraki is. She guessed that he was at least a few years older than her. That meant Kurogiri has known Shigaraki since he was a child, she wondered what he was like back then. "Isn't your tea going to get cold?" Kurogiri asked, verbally noting that she hadn't taken a sip.

Y/n smiled at the villain and hesitated before taking a small sip of tea. She wasn't wholly convinced Kurogiri didn't do anything strange with her drink. As the hot drink ran down her throat, she decided that it tasted fine, but she still had her doubts.

"Would you like to hear any stories from Tomura Shigaraki's past?" he asked. Y/n was genuinely interested in what Kurogiri had to say. Shigaraki let out a loud cough, causing both y/n and Kurogiri to look at the blue-haired villain. "Just one story then." Shigaraki let out an incoherent grumble.

Kurogiri didn't really recall a specific story for y/n. It was more akin to a vague description of what Shigaraki was like back in his younger days. From what Kurogiri remembered, he seemed like a very well mannered child.

He was quiet and didn't throw tantrums. Kurogiri added that he was inquisitive too. It became increasingly apparent to y/n that Kurogiri most likely raised Shigaraki. Y/n wondered how Shigaraki ended up the way he is now. She couldn't help but wonder what went wrong.

Kurogiri paused. It seemed like he stopped looking at y/n and was actually looking behind her. Y/n began to turn around to see what he was looking at, but Kurogiri swiftly spoke up. "I think that's enough stories for today."

Y/n considered mentioning that he didn't exactly tell her any stories, but she wouldn't dare let that thought escape her lips. She instead nodded with a smile. Kurogiri excused himself and walked through one of the two adjacent doors. Y/n tried to get a small peek of what was beyond the door, but it was useless. The room seemed to be pitch black. Now, y/n was left alone with Shigaraki.

Y/n took her first steps in the two villains' hideout and approached the desk to place her teacup down. The closer she got to it, the better she was able to see the items sitting all along the top.

Pictures. They were all pictures of y/n. A chill ran down y/n's spine as she glanced over them. It was weird and creepy to see how many pictures Shigaraki had of her. Y/n's eyes noticed the little note. The note she supplied with the cookies. She picked up the short letter and reread it. Why does he still have this?

Y/n was so absorbed in looking at the note that she didn't hear Shigaraki get up and walk behind her. He snatched the letter from her hands. "Quit snooping," Shigaraki ordered as he quickly gathered the pictures haphazardly and shoved them in his back pocket.

Y/n instinctively held her hands behind her back. She bowed her head. "I-I'm sorry."

Months ago, Shigaraki would never dream that he'd be forced to be kind to anyone. He was out of practice when it comes to pretending to tolerate people.

Shigaraki took a deep breath and calmed himself. He mentally reminded himself to ease his nerves. Y/n was supposed to feel comfortable around him, so he couldn't afford to lose his temper at her. He wondered why it was taking so long for her to get used to him. Shigaraki has been on his best behavior around her. He's been nothing but pleasant and forgiving.

Shigaraki paused. "You're forgiven," he mumbled somewhat reluctantly. He motioned to the couch. "Do you want to sit down?"

Shigaraki watched her obediently sit down on the couch. He took this time to silently slide the desk drawer open and place the photographs into the drawer. The villain let the note stay in his back pocket.

He wandered over to the book pile next to his bed and dug through them. Shigaraki placed his manga off to the side, he's only seen y/n read novels. He hadn't seen her touch anything remotely close to a comic book before.

All of his books were fantasy, he didn't think she'd mind, y/n said she liked most book genres. Shigaraki picked up a book. It was clearly more worn than the others. He's had this book for years, and he read it too many times to count. Shigaraki couldn't say that he had a favorite book in particular, but he knows this one inside and out. He held the book in his hand and sat down next to y/n.

Y/n was looking off to the side, staring at the wall. He wondered what she was thinking about. Shigaraki guessed that she was trying to figure out how she ended up in this mess. "Here," he said, holding the book to her.

She turned to face Shigaraki and looked down at the book. Cautiously, she picked up the book and held it in her hands. "Thank you," she said shyly.

Y/n's fingertips touched the book cover as she studied the illustration on the front. She opened the front and flipped through the yellowing pages. Shigaraki expected y/n to comment on the book's poor condition, but much to his surprise, she stayed silent. As she turned the book to it's back to read the description, Shigaraki noticed that the spine was barely holding onto the pages.

Shigaraki watched her thoroughly study the book. For some reason, he often finds himself staring at her. Shigaraki tried to pass off the urge as being curious about y/n. He needed to learn what she does and doesn't like.

Y/n opened the book to the first chapter. Sometimes she'd try to slyly glance over to Shigaraki. Whenever she did, their eyes would meet, and both would avert their gaze elsewhere.

Shigaraki continued playing his game while silently wishing he could get a new game. He's played this one many times before. During the cutscenes and loading screens, he'd glance back over to y/n and see if he can figure out where she was in the story. That way, he'd have something to talk about with her.

Soon enough, Shigaraki found himself reading the first few sentences of each page. Her hands were in the way. Shigaraki couldn't read the whole page, though he knew what was going on based on the first few sentences of each page.

Y/n pulled her legs onto the couch and rested the book on her lap. She kept one hand in between the two pages near the bottom. Shigaraki turned away and went back to playing his game. The way she was now holding the book, her hands were no longer obscuring the pages. It seemed like she was inviting him to read along. Shigaraki didn't like that. The thought made him feel strange.

Kurogiri exited the back room and approached the pair sitting on the couch. "Don't you look much more relaxed," he said. He verbally noted that y/n was sitting on the sofa reading rather than standing in the middle of the room, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

Y/n glanced up at Kurogiri, and her face turned a light pink. She didn't know what to say. She didn't really feel comfortable at all, but she had realized that she's safe here as long as Shigaraki sees a reason for her to be alive. Y/n nodded with a small smile as to not activate her quirk.

"Is it almost time?" Shigaraki asked Kurogiri to gave a slight nod. And with that, the blue-haired villain saved his game file and tucked the small handheld device away in a safe place. As Kurogiri opened up several shadowy portals, y/n pondered if Shigaraki was going somewhere.

Her question was answered as several villains began passing through the portal and into the already cramped room. Y/n jumped to her feet and huddled behind Shigaraki, convinced that he'd protect her from them.

Y/n felt Shigaraki recoil a bit as her fingers made contact with his arm. Y/n's grip tightened on his sleeve in return.

"Hello, Tomura!" Himiko greeted as she ran through the portal. She stopped just in front of Shigaraki and glanced at y/n standing behind him.

The blonde girl's smile faded, and she looked at her fellow villains standing behind her. Y/n partially expected her to acknowledge her, especially considering how excited she was over y/n joining the last time they met. That could only mean one thing.

All of them have heard by now about how y/n tried to go to IronStrike for help. Her grip on Shigaraki's arm tightened as she came to that conclusion.

Once everyone was accounted for, Shigaraki began to speak. He asked about the last blood bank heist. Y/n listened in; she wanted as many details as she could gather, so y/n had something to report to the police when she eventually escapes.

Himiko's bouncy personality came back as she explained how many blood bags she, Compress, and Spinner managed to grab. The girl went into specific detail about it and then abruptly stopped to ask if she can have some of the blood for herself. "You can keep ten," Shigaraki said.

Her face dropped. "Only ten? We have so much though, I want more than that."

As if he was scolding a child, which made sense considering Himiko appeared to be a child, Shigaraki repeated himself. "I said you can have ten. Ask me again, and you aren't getting any of it." She pouted in response and agreed to only take ten blood bags for herself.

"So what are we going to do about her," the patchwork villain asked, pointing directly at y/n. She studied the man. He seemed to be around her age. The lower half of his face, his bottom lip down to the right above his collar bone, and just under his eyes looked burnt. His skin was stapled to the damaged skin, giving him that patchworked appearance.

One hand held tightly to Shigaraki's arm, the other slid down to the blue-haired villain's forearm and curled around his thumb.

"I take it that means Compress has already told all of you?" Shigaraki asked. Y/n knew they had to have known by now. Before anyone could confirm y/n's guess, Shigaraki spoke up. "Y/n is staying here for a probation period. Just until I can trust her to go out alone again. Her quirk will only work on one person at a time, so the rest of you are just going to pair off whenever you interact with her."

"Didn't I say her quirk was too much of a hassle?" The reptile villain asked. Y/n stayed quiet and listened to them talk about her.

"Any of you would have done the same if you were in y/n's situation. I've already had a firm talk with y/n, and I think this probationary period will be good for her. Instead of exiling y/n, why don't you all get to know her? Maybe then, she'll see our point of view." Shigaraki stared down his fellow villains. Y/n could see Shigaraki's eyes gloss over his comrades as if he was mentally trying to figure out which ones were going to side with him and which ones weren't.

Shigaraki could tell everyone was taken aback by his outburst. He's never once defended anyone quite like how he defended y/n. The group quietly talked amongst themselves, theorizing why their typically ruthless leader was so forgiving to y/n. Some villains mumbled if it was because y/n was the first person Shigaraki has personally brought into The League. He didn't want to seem like a fool. Others guessed that he hit his head too hard when the heroes ambushed him and Kurogiri.

Himiko, on the other hand, looked ecstatic. Tomura knew she was excitedly shipping him with The League's newest member. She was giggling wildly. "What are you laughing at?" Shigaraki snapped, glaring at the blonde girl.

"Oh, nothing," she said with a Cheshire grin on her face. "I was just thinking about how cute the two of you would be if you were a couple."

"Shut up and quit with your stupid fantasizing," he complained. Shigaraki immediately changed the subject. He looked over to the patchwork villain. "I'm going to send y/n out with you tomorrow night. Show her how to recruit."

"Just me?" he asked; "what happened to we need to pair off around her?"

"You'll be around plenty of other villains. I know she's smart enough to not waste her quirk on you," he said in a matter of fact tone, sounding as if he had y/n wholly figured out. "Besides, I think her quirk has a time limit. That's why I'm telling you all this now."

Mister Compress tilted his head. "She didn't say anything about a time limit last time she spoke about her quirk." Shigaraki was pleased that they were looking for more and more reasons not to trust her.

Y/n tensed up. Shigaraki noticed the slight change in y/n's grip on his arm. That had to mean that he was either correct or on the right track. "One more point for me," he announced, sounding very pleased with himself. He looked down to see the distress on y/n's face.

She could accept that Shigaraki figured out she had a tell that she had never noticed before and how he concluded that her quirk was targeted. There was no way he could have realized that there was also a time limit. He was smart, y/n would give him that; however, the fact that he had figured that much out on his own was impossible.

"That was partially a bluff. She didn't take back protecting me from that hero, so I thought maybe she has a time limit on her quirk's use," Shigaraki admitted smugly.

Y/n listened to Shigaraki carefully. He somehow managed to be right, even when he was utterly wrong. She could have told IronStrike the truth and removed her quirk's effect. She just didn't want to get herself in trouble.

Her quirk has a thirty-minute time limit. She can use her quirk to alter memories, but she can't change anything older than thirty minutes. She could convince one member of The League that this conversation wasn't happening right now. However, she can't convince any of them that the sky is and has always been green.

She can convince that patchwork villain that Shigaraki never told him to take her on a recruitment run, but she can't do the same tomorrow night.

Y/n was amazed at how thorough Shigaraki was, even when he's working with a hunch. She no longer felt like Shigaraki was three steps ahead of her. Now she knew he thought twenty steps ahead.

Shigaraki continued on with the meeting. Y/n listened in. She was surprised that she learned so much about The League's plans, but y/n somehow ended up with more questions than when she started.

Y/n learned that they needed blood, they were collecting blood while they looked for new members. Shigaraki ordered them to stay low for a while and rest up. Y/n thought about what she learned and tried to piece everything together. What is the blood for?

After a quick last-minute talk about needing their broken support items fixed, the meeting came to an end. Shigaraki ordered Kurogiri to send everyone away, and the shadowy villain did as he said.

Now that all the other villains were gone and it was just him, Kurogiri and y/n, Shigaraki could feel her fingers around his thumb. He just now noticed how soft y/n's skin was against his. It made him realize how rough his skin actually was compared to hers.

Shigaraki's hands were damaged from a combination of his quirk and him generally not taking care of his skin. He had rough patches, scratches, and scars. He never noticed details like that about himself before.

Y/n's hands were like the exact opposite of his. They were warm and soft. The fingers that curled around his thumb felt as delicate as butterfly wings.

Shigaraki felt uncomfortable feeling y/n's skin on his. It made him feel self-conscious, he felt nauseous at the same time. This was something he could get used to.