Y/n placed the little notebook in front of her as she sat on her bed. The book was flipped open to the first page. She stared at the blank paper in front of her. Tomura gave her the book to write her thoughts down, y/n wasn't sure where to start.

She vacantly chewed on the pen cap and gave it some thought. Y/n wanted the first page to be something that'll impress Tomura. After spending more time than she'd like to admit, y/n decided to rewrite details she had already gone over with Tomura. 

Y/n wrote about all the horrific things she saw while scouting — all the dead bodies and terrible things done by the civilians. At the bottom of her long-winded rant, y/n wrote in big, bold letters: why didn't they protect themselves?

That was the big question on y/n's mind. Superhuman society had specific rules in place that stopped everyday, ordinary people from using their quirks whenever they want to. The Nomu Attack was eye-opening. She didn't realize how in life or death situations, people would continue to follow those rules in place. In times of an emergency, they'll still wait for a hero to show up.

Y/n knew what she wanted to write under the question. She placed her pen down and tried to think back a year and a half ago before she met Tomura. She wondered if she would have done the same. Her pen stayed still as she thought about it. A black puddle began to form. Y/n found that she wasn't sure.

She'd like to believe that if she had the means to use her quirk in a life or death situation, she would. It was the most logical thing to do. However, she thought back to when Tomura and her first met. That, too, was a life and death situation, and she did not use her quirk on Tomura.

Her stomach felt like it was twisting up into knots as she realized she most likely wouldn't have used her quirk to protect herself. The sudden realization made y/n feel sick, as well as disappointed in herself. Y/n found herself feeling a bit confused, as well.

Y/n had the answer to her question. Because the law says so. She couldn't decide if Tomura's ideals were rubbing off on her or if she's always felt this way deep down inside. Y/n chose to leave the rest of the page as is. The ink puddle had grown considerably since she began thinking about the answer to her own question.

She placed the journal on her nightstand and looked out towards the window. The sky seemed calm, and everything was peaceful. It was a strange feeling, seeing serenity outside her house while knowing that she helped cause a disaster that was undoubtedly getting cleared up at this very moment.

Y/n got out of bed and walked to the living room. Tomura was still wide awake, she wasn't sure if he slept at all since he got back from the Nomu Attack. She glanced over to the TV. He was watching a news report on the situation. Y/n approached the couch and sat on the armrest, interested in what the news had to say.

The city was still in shambles. Heroes with water-type quirks were working with the fire departments to help extinguish the flames. The images on the screen flashed to several heroes with Nomu wrangled up. Y/n watched as they led the monsters away. Y/n began to think about her Nomu.

She wondered if he was okay. He didn't come home with Kurogiri and Tomura, so it was safe to assume that Nobuo was left behind. Y/n's mind wandered to the last place she had seen the monster. A hero was trying to capture her, so y/n sent her Nomu to distract him while she made her escape.

Y/n wondered if Nobuo killed the hero. She thought about the possibility that the hero was the victorious one. Y/n felt a tinge of worry for her Nomu. If the hero succeeded, y/n was sure that Nobuo was either killed or captured by this point.

"What?" Tomura asked, his voice brought y/n out of her head and into the present. Y/n gave Tomura a confused look. "You sighed," he clarified.

Y/n didn't recall sighing. She was a bit distracted by the news on TV and thinking about her Nomu's fate. Y/n spoke what was on her mind. "Oh, I was just thinking about Nobuo. He never came back with me."

Tomura's eyes narrowed. They didn't seem aggressive, y/n guessed that he was thinking. "Do you still need your Nomu? I gave it to you for that mission specifically."

Y/n wanted to tell Tomura that she absolutely still needed her Nomu around. However, she held her tongue and gave it some thought. She didn't want to accidentally lie to Tomura over something like her Nomu. "If his only use was to protect me during the Nomu Attack, then I suppose not," y/n replied; "but I'd still like to have him back."

Y/n heard Tomura grumble about her having a pointless attachment to useless things. She decided to let Tomura think what he wanted about her Nomu. He was like family to her, though. "Didn't you ever have a pet?"

Tomura went silent for a moment before responding. "No. I have no need for useless things like that."

Y/n supposed there wasn't anything she could do. Her Nomu was long gone, and she knew she'd never see him again. Y/n's attention went back to the TV, the reporter was talking about The League. Images of most of The League's members flashed on the screen. All but two members were identified. Y/n and Himiko. 

Himiko wasn't surprising, she is still a minor after all. The media tries to protect the family of children villains by keeping their name and identity a secret. It protects them from embarrassment and harassment. Y/n paused and thought about how old Himiko is. She had another year of that privilege.

Y/n was more surprised to see her name and face were never announced. Y/n knew the police had the means to tie her to The League. She guessed that the police were still up in the air on whether or not she was part of The League or a missing person. Y/n much preferred it that way. It gave her a little bit more time to think of a back-up plan in case something ever went wrong.

"Good to see you're awake," Kurogiri said from the hallway entrance. Y/n turned around, and politely greeted Kurogiri. "Miss y/n, I have a task for you if you don't mind."

Y/n was on the fence. She didn't want to go outside right now. With all the chaos after The League's attack, y/n was sure that both the police and heroes would be on the lookout for anyone suspicious. "I guess that depends on what the task is," y/n replied as politely as she could. Liar's major drawback was that she had to remain as truthful as possible if she wanted to avoid using her quirk. Sometimes that can make her come off as rude. Kurogiri was not one of those people that she wanted to think ill about her.

"We have a few months of rest before our next plan. In the meantime, we need supplies. I'd like you to go out and grab us food and whatever we'll need over the next upcoming months." Y/n felt excited to hear that she was going to have some downtime. Taking a nice, long break from Tomura's plans, and taking time to relax was just what she needed. 

However, part of her was unsure she should be going out so shortly after the Nomu Attack. Tomura hadn't said a word since Kurogiri entered the room, y/n decided to take Tomura's silence as his approval. The blue-haired villain was still keeping his distance from her around Kurogiri. Even so, she was positive that he'd step in and stop Kurogiri if he didn't think y/n could pull off this simple task. "Well," y/n began, coming to her conclusion; "I suppose I could. It would be awful if we ran out of food."

Kurogiri suggested that y/n took all the time she needed to get ready. There was no rush to get all the shopping done. Y/n gave the shadow-like villain a nod and walked back to her room to get dressed.

Y/n emerged from her room wearing a skirt and long sleeve shirt. This is the first time in a long time where y/n could go out without wearing the hoodie, not that y/n minded wearing Tomura's hoodie all the time. She stood in front of Kurogiri, who gave her an off-hand compliment. Behind Kurogiri, y/n saw Tomura's eyes dart from the TV to her direction and back to the TV. Y/n was sure he didn't appreciate Kurogiri's compliment, even though it was more or less a formality.

Before y/n had a chance to ask Tomura if he wanted her to get him something specific, Kurogiri opened up a warp gate. "Go on now, give us a call when you're done shopping." Y/n nodded, she wanted to say goodbye at the least to Tomura before leaving, but Kurogiri was far too stubborn. 

Kurogiri took y/n to a little park. She felt a slight breeze against her skin and heard the gentle rustling of trees swaying. Expecting to see his portal vanishing, y/n turned around to see Kurogiri looming behind her.

"Your identity is still a secret, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be alert." Y/n listened to Kurogiri's miniature lecture. She nodded and promised him she'd be on the lookout. Kurogiri paused and gave her a look that was hard to guess behind his featureless face before vanishing.

Y/n scanned her surroundings, trying her best to follow Kurogiri's advice. The park seemed empty. Off in the distance, she could see people walking about, a hero was making his rounds among the crowd. Y/n took a deep breath and approached the group.

Y/n did her best to not stick out. She was surprised by how difficult it was. Y/n gave the hero a friendly smile as she walked towards the strip of stores. Although she tried to keep herself together on the outside, the hero made her feel anxious. The last few interactions she's had with heroes haven't been the most pleasant.

She and the hero made eye-contact as she walked by. The looming fear of being recognized kept y/n on edge. That dreaded feeling didn't go away until y/n had made it inside a store. As she walked down the isles, she felt her heart slow down to a much calmer pace.

Kurogiri didn't give her any directions on what she should be buying. Y/n didn't realize until she started looking at all the various food items how vague supplies were. She took a basket and began filling it with random things she thought everyone would want. Y/n tried her best to pick out specific things she thought either Kurogiri or Tomura would like.

Y/n glanced over her shoulder. Behind her, she saw several people minding their business. A woman walked by with her child following close behind. A man had his back to y/n as he inspected a carton of eggs. Some teens were playing around and causing trouble in the corner. Y/n spotted an employee making her way to the group of kids.

Y/n turned back around and walked to the cashier. In y/n's wallet, she spotted some extra cash she didn't remember having. Y/n guessed Kurogiri slipped her some extra money.

The money certainly wasn't enough for several months of food and other various things. Y/n had a feeling Kurogiri had a secret second agenda for sending her out shopping. 

A man was in line behind her. She didn't mind the thought of using her quirk to get a few free things here or there. She thought of everything The League has had her do over the past year. Convincing the cashier to slip her a discount was one of the more innocent things they could have her do. However, y/n wasn't too fond of the idea of the man behind her overhearing y/n using her quirk.

Y/n paid her total and walked out of the store like a typical civilian would. Plastic bags in her hands, y/n, tried to find a secluded area to call Kurogiri. Y/n settled on a small street lined with houses.

There weren't any cars driving by, and she knew she only needed the villain to take the bags home so she could continue shopping. Y/n placed down the plastic bags and called Kurogiri.

A small shadow manifested and collected her bags for her and disappeared in one fluid motion. Y/n, acting as if nothing happened, walked away and backtracked towards yet another store.

As she walked around, y/n observed her surroundings. For some reason, y/n felt like someone was watching her, but she was confident that couldn't possibly be the case. After not being able to shake the feeling for several hours, y/n decided to blame the hero she saw earlier in the day. Clearly, the hero made her feel uncomfortable and made her anxiety spike up, causing her to feel uneasy.

The entire day was spent like clockwork. She'd collect manageable amounts of supplies for Kurogiri and Tomura. Sometimes she paid, other times she'd use her quirk. Then, y/n would go look for a secluded spot to have Kurogiri collect the supplies. After that, y/n would repeat the process.

I think I have one more trip in me, y/n thought to herself as she walked down the sidewalk, looking for a new safe spot to call Kurogiri. Y/n placed the bags in her hands down on a bench. She gave the area around her a quick look before digging through her contacts list for Kurogiri's name. Her head began to hurt, and everything went black.

Y/n woke up feeling the cement against her cheek. She tried her best to move her arms, but y/n couldn't find the strength to do so. Y/n felt drained. Keeping her eyes open was an uphill battle. Her vision was blurred, and y/n was putting all of her focus into trying to keep her eyes open. The sound of heels walking on concrete in a rhythmic pace was the only thing any of her senses were picking up.

"Ah, you're awake," a feminine sounding voice said. Y/n tried to move her head to look at the source of the sound, but her neck wouldn't budge.

For one reason or another, y/n felt like she was being held down. However, she couldn't feel anything physically tying her down. The only thing she felt was tiredness, her arm in severe pain, and a looming sense of apathy for the situation she found herself in.

Y/n's vision was starting to come back. She was inside a building with heavy machinery in front of her. It appeared to be some kind of factory or warehouse. She could see a pair of high heeled boots pacing around her in one big circle. Y/n looked up at the woman walking.

She was tall with short black hair. A black mask wrapped around her eyes. Slung over her shoulder, y/n spotted a bat. Upon seeing the bat, as if the bat triggered some sort of suppressed memory, y/n's head began to throb. Y/n tried to speak, but the words couldn't even crawl up her throat, let alone make it out of her mouth.

The woman knelt in front of y/n with a smile. "Hello, you can call me Malaise. You're feeling a little down, I'm guessing? Maybe a little dejected? Yes? Then I suppose Melancholy, my quirk, is doing wonders on you." The woman's voice sounded soothing and pleasant. Y/n knew she should be terrified right now, especially seeing the bat in her hand, but y/n couldn't find the energy to care.

The end of her baseball bat slammed against the pavement by y/n's head. Y/n felt like her ears were ringing. "I spotted you earlier today with that man. Kurogiri is his name, right?"

Y/n listened to her talk. Malaise's quirk made it too difficult to answer or reply. Y/n kept her eyes on the masked woman as she continued talking. "I haven't seen your face before, but I've been searching for The League of Villains."

Under normal circumstances, y/n knew she'd be wondering why this person was looking for The League. Y/n couldn't decide if she was a hero, searching to bring down The League or a villain wanting to join.

"I'm gonna let my quirk wear off on you a bit. Just enough to allow you to talk. Then we can discuss where I might be able to find The League." Malaise stood up and paced around. "Once I find The League, I can turn you all in. The police can handle the rest."

After several minutes, the feeling in y/n's fingertips came back. Y/n noticed she was able to slightly twitch her fingers. A sense of dread, overcoming her, y/n didn't try to speak or even hint that Malaise's quirk was beginning to wear off.

Along with Malaise's quirk wearing off, y/n could now begin to feel the full scope of whatever injuries Malaise inflicted. Y/n felt a familiar pain, it reminded y/n of when her arm was dislocated except her arm hurt tenfold. This time around, y/n was nearly positive that her arm was broken.

Y/n tried to ignore the pain and stay calm and quiet. Her eyes followed Malaise's movement every time she passed by y/n. Her head felt much better, the cloudiness had dispersed, and y/n felt like she could think properly again. Malaise had previously said she was going to turn The League to the police. Y/n doubted Malaise was a villain. Breaking someone's arm also wasn't very heroic of her. There was one other possibility, something y/n hadn't thought about since being forced to take a Quirk Ethics class in high school. A vigilante. A villain pretending to play the hero.

Y/n was sure she had Malaise figured out. She tried to convince herself that she still had the upper hand in this situation, regardless. Malaise said she was unfamiliar with y/n and only attacked because she was seen with Kurogiri. That meant Malaise didn't know her quirk.

Unfortunately for y/n, Liar was inconveniently specific. Liar's time limit is y/n's biggest enemy. Y/n had to wonder how long she was unconscious. She assumed it couldn't have been too long. Surely, if it has been longer than an hour, Tomura would come looking for her? Y/n then began to consider that it's been much longer. She wondered if Tomura has been looking for her and can't find her?

Y/n knew she only had one chance to talk to Malaise and use her quirk. One thought ran through her head: I have to make this count.

Malaise stopped in front of y/n and gave her a smile. "I can tell you've been staying quiet. I know the ins and outs of Melancholy, don't mistake me for a fool." Malaise reached out, y/n could feel her fingers tangled in her hair. Malaise lifted y/n's head by her hair and looked her in the eye. Y/n could see bloodlust hiding behind her purple eyes. Through the pain and fear, y/n stayed silent, reminding herself that her first words might be life and death.

Y/n considered every possible lie she could tell Malaise. Y/n could easily tie her down, but y/n also didn't know the specifics of her quirk. She knew Melancholy's effect, and it had a time limit. Liar had the upper hand. 

Liar might have its frustrating thirty-minute time limit. However, every lie y/n tells is permanent until she says so. The only thing stopping y/n from holding Malaise down was the possibility that Melancholy is a multifaceted quirk with more than one effect.

The smile on Malaise faded as she looked up from behind y/n. "Perfect timing," she muttered with disgust in her voice before letting go of y/n's hair. Unable to hold her head up for herself, y/n felt her head hit the pavement.

Y/n's vision went black again as soon as she hit the ground. Her hearing was working just fine. She could hear Malaise's heels pound against the ground as she hurried away. Y/n wondered why she was fleeing the scene. The feeling of cold scooping her up was the last thing y/n remembered before blacking out completely.

"We'll worry about her face and arm later, I need to treat that wound now before it before it becomes infected." Y/n unmistakably recognized Kurogiri's voice. Y/n felt relieved to be home. Y/n could feel herself slipping, once again, out of consciousness. She heard another voice, y/n couldn't understand what they said. "I checked her eyes the last time she woke up. It's only a mild concussion. Let her rest."

Author's Note:

Twisted Minds made it to 20k reads and 1k votes between last chapter and this one and I am shook. I didn't expect this to ever get so many reads. Thank you all so much for sticking through this story and making it this far 💙 I really appreciate it a whole ton!!

I'm having a great time writing this story, so I'm glad to know there are people out there who enjoy reading it.