a little annihilation - shigaraki x reader

scar-crossed lovers

┏━━━━━━━━━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━━━━━━━━━┓

kiss my cheek, baby, please, would you read my eulogy?
tell me when the party ends, will you still love who i am?

┗━━━━━━━━━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━━━━━━━━━┛

Realistically, you'd known your chances at "normal" turned to dust that night in the alley. How do you recover from finding out that your soulmate's a killer, a terrorist? Someone who kidnapped a kid after trying to kill his classmates? What does it say about you?

You tried to return to your daily life, filling in for coworkers and playing your favorite video game over and over again. But the nagging feeling keeps you alert. Your first introduction with your soulmate has left you reeling, hyperaware of every hint of blue or red in the world. The police sirens lose what little comfort they once provided. It's like he's thrust you into a new reality, one where heroes and law enforcement truly mean nothing.

If you had to guess, that awareness might be why you're only half as terrified as you should be when Shigaraki appears in your apartment again one night. Other than flinching, staring at him from the doorway of your bedroom, your heart doesn't beat nearly as fast as before. There's no shock, only numb fear.

"You're gonna have to start paying rent, if you keep staying here," you attempt to joke, swallowing thickly. Your face, drained of blood, stays emotionless.

He stays seated on your couch, legs sprawled out on your already-messy coffee table. With four fingers (you count), he clicks through each channel on your TV. "Not happening," he replies, as if casual banter should be normal for the two of you.

You let out a quiet huff, trying to manually force your brain into a lightheartedness that you definitely don't feel. You walk into your kitchen, sigh at your nearly-empty fridge, then turn around to look at the back of his head. It's one thing to stalk me, but to steal my food.... You give up on your hope for a pre-work snack or drink, already dreading the reduction you'll get on your next paycheck when you grab something off the shelves.

Drawing upon courage you didn't know you had, you return to the living room to lean over the coffee table and grab your keys. Shigaraki's red eyes follow you the instant you're in his line of sight. You try to ignore the way your skin crawls. Luckily, he doesn't crane his neck to keep watching you once you exit his peripheral vision.

For a moment, you consider saying something like, "see you later," or, "I'm off to work." But you don't want to see him later. And he already knows where you're going, as much as it makes you want to vomit. Wordlessly, you make your way to the front door, swing it wide open, and leave with a calmness intended to convince yourself that it's perfectly normal to let a villain hang out in your apartment without you.

He starts scratching the instant the door closes.

You spend your shift... confused, mostly, once the fear and dread lose their charm. Wondering what he wants with you, if he's compelled by a socially-enforced soulmate structure. You doubt that, honestly, considering the fact that being a villain is in direct opposition to anything socially-enforced. Lonely, maybe? You can't imagine most villains are decent company, and you're a civilian who's proven not to go running to the heroes at even blatantly fucking obvious signs of trouble. He can't sign a lease with his record, so your place is likely his only alternative to the streets of Japan.

How... complimentary.

You mull over the options before you, an imaginary red or blue pill held out in offering. On one hand, you could turn him into the anonymous tip hotline, get a new apartment, go on with your life as if nothing had ever happened in the first place. Alternatively, you could let him come and go as he pleases like a stray cat, let him coexist in the periphery of your life and slowly drag you into his horrible world. Both could bring you a sense of normalcy, after a while. Red or blue...?