Original OFA Trio One-Shots

Night Terrors

Second wonders if he made the right choice while rescuing Yoichi, but then a small incident gives him the answer in an unexpected way.

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Pre-Yoichi/Second

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Nisokudo walked down the currently empty hallway of the resistance housing building, his combat boots making echoing noises through the large warehouse-like building. It had been a rough month since his last major mission, which had originally been an assignation mission, even if it hadn't turned out that way in the end. The man they had found inside that empty concrete room wasn't a monster like All For One, it was a half-starved and sick man, one that had needed immediate medical attention.

Despite learning that Shigaraki, the man he and his second in command had rescued, was not like his brother it still left Nisokudo worrying they had made the wrong choice. It wasn't often he didn't trust his gut, but when it came to something like this, he knew that he couldn't just rely on his feelings on the matter. If he did that every time during situations similar to this, then he would end up making a costly mistake, despite this, his gut was persistent about the matter. It almost felt like he was being drawn by an invisible string, one that connected him to Shigaraki, one that told him this was the right move to make.

He inhaled deeply, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck as he tried to remember what he'd come to the building for, right, to give Shigaraki his medicine. Shigaraki's door was just a couple of feet down the hall when he heard a soft sound coming from the room, he approached and tensed as he realized it was a whimper.

With a frown, he slammed open the door, but Shigaraki didn't startle, he didn't even wake as Nisokudo took in the sweating and fearful mutters and whimpers the man spewed out. It was clear that the man was having a nightmare, he'd had his fair share as well and that had only been because he was fighting against All For One, he couldn't imagine what living with the monster had done to this man.

Nisokudo stood still for a moment, he knew personally how dangerous it was to wake someone up during a nightmare that was borderline a night terror, he'd almost stabbed his second in command when the man had tried waking him up from one.

Nevertheless, Shigaraki had no weapons under his pillow and so with a sigh, Nisokudo approached and shook the man's shoulder, calling their name out. Shigaraki woke up with a scream as he was startled into a sitting position, his breath coming in gasps and his pale green eyes flashing with fear as they darted around the room. Nisokudo cursed, before sitting next to the man on the bed, immediately pulling Shigaraki into a tight hug, and while the man at first attempted to struggle it was clear that the hug was allowing them to return to reality slowly.

"Hey, it's alright, it was simply a memory or it was fake, whichever it is, it's over now." Nisokudo stated firmly as he rubbed the man's back in soothing circles." That's it, listen to my voice, you're safe, nothing can currently hurt you and you're no longer in your brother's hands. Got that, just breath in and out slowly."

Slowly Shigaraki's tension and fear melted into confusion before finally landing on embarrassed guilt.

"Oh god, I am so sorry for causing a disturbance." Shigaraki exclaimed, his face showing horror." I didn't mean to cause a problem, I'll try not to be as loud as I was next time."

"Shigaraki, don't worry about it, you're not the only one who has nightmares." Nisokudo admitted, earning a curious look from the other man." Nightmares are common in our line of work, I myself have had many before, they're not fun and yet they're not the end of the world."

He watched as Shigaraki relaxed slightly, before turning to him curiously.

"What kind of nightmares do you get?" Shigaraki asked softly, biting his lip as he pulled the comforter closer to his body for warmth." Mine are about the things brother said and did to me during those long five years inside the accursed vault."

Nisokudo hesitated, what did he tell the man, did he tell him about the nightmares of the children and civilians he was forced to let get killed while he watched knowing it was for the greater good of the country? Did he tell him about the fact that he had nightmares of what might have happened if he had chosen to kill him when he found him in the vault, perhaps tell him that he was still considering killing him for the safety of everyone at the base? Instead, he decided it was best to give a simple answer.

"I have nightmares of the decisions I've had to make as the leader of this resistance, about the deaths I've been forced to let happen or have made happen." Nisokudo stated, his gaze piercing the far wall of the bedroom." I have nightmares of children I've seen die in front of me, children I sometimes had to kill in order to protect hundreds of lives. It tears me apart sometimes, but in the end, I just have to believe it's worth it, otherwise, why am I even fighting in this war?"

For a long few minutes not a single word was spoken between him and Shigaraki, then he felt a slender but warm hand gently hold his cheek as it turned his face towards him. What he saw were the same pale green eyes that had drawn him in when he rescued the man from the vault, the same green eyes that held no judging glare, anger, or hatred but kindness, compassion, and dare he say it, love.

"My hero, you've been through so much and you still fight for people, I am sorry you've had to make these hard decisions, but I am sure that one day everything you fight for will pay off," Shigaraki whispered, his voice sounding firm as if he believed those words without a shadow of a doubt.

"You're quite naive, Shigaraki," Nisokudo drawled, huffing and turning his head away slightly.

"Call me Yoichi, Shigaraki is what my brother goes by." Shi-Yoichi stated, before sighing." I've been through hell with my brother, I am not naive, but I still hold hope and am determined for this to end eventually, even if I'm not alive to see it end."

Nisokudo wanted to shout at Yoichi for being so optimistic, but he couldn't, not when the fight in the man's eyes drew him in like a venus fly trap lured in flies. He wasn't an idiot, he could tell he was developing some sort of feelings for this man, but he was still the brother of his enemy and even if he rejected that part of his family, he didn't know if he'd ever fully trust Yoichi. He had a feeling he'd always be waiting for the other shoe to drop, it was no feeling that a relationship should be built off of, regardless of what his or Yoichi's emotions said about the matter.

"Get some sleep, we still have a war to fight in," Nisokudo stated standing up, giving one last look at the calmed-down Yoichi, before turning and leaving the room without one more word or glance back.