𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬 || S. Todoroki x Reader

37 - Pandemonium

Two men stood atop the cliff, staring down a forest seconds away from touching blue light. The rest of their accomplices scattered under their throne, breaths away from wreaking havoc on the camp of students.

"Are you sure you remember the plan?" one of them asked, running through the arrangement once again in his mind. It was burned on the back of his retinas at this point, so clear that it was more a rhetorical question than that of sincerity.

The other laughed. It sounded like ash and lightning. Still, he answered willingly. "'Course I remember the plan." There was a wicked gleam in his eyes, matching the cobalt fire burning through his body, scaring his skin past the point of recovery. "You know damn well I ain't just doing this for you." There was only one person he was searching for, and they were somewhere buried in that cesspool of a sleepaway camp. 

The wind rustled his pitch hair, a long dark jacket billowing behind him as he cracked his neck from side to side. There was no room for errors this go around, he knew.

"We all have our own needs, just don't forget what's at stake."

"No problem, boss."

"Don't talk to me like that."

Dabi laughed again. "Why? Maybe I just like seeing ya squirm."

"We don't have time for this," Shigaraki spat, finally settling into his role. If Dabi was going to call him 'boss' he might as well start acting like one. "You should be down with Toga and Spinner."

"I thought you were gonna wait back with Kuro—"

"Plans change. Now hurry up before I decide to kick you out of the mission before it's even begun."

Dabi barely concealed the rolling of his eyes. They may have been close in age, but Shigaraki was already starting to shift into the person he was trained to become. The name and position he was meant to fill. They both stared down at the camp, watching the calm before the storm. Both broken in their own right, both knowing this was for the best.

"Roger that," Dabi said, turning to start his descent into the trees. It was nearly showtime; he wasn't about to miss his cue.

"Dabi—" He turned back at the sound of his name, Shigaraki was staring through a pale hand planted on his face. "You're not going to kill her, are you?"

He turned at that, fully. A sharpness entered at the corners of his gaze, burrowing into Shiagaraki's. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't trust you."

"I don't care."

"Don't get carried away, Dabi. We can't afford it. This—"

"I won't get carried away," he snapped, starting to tire of Shigaraki's mind and how it always found the worst in every situation. His was the same, however, instead of letting that worry control him, he knew when to swallow those feelings and clear his head. "If she gets in the way—"

"—which is likely—"

"—then I'll handle it. Nobody else touches her."

With that finality, Shigaraki finally shut his damn mouth and looked back at the forest with its small lights in the distance. Looked at the calm.

And Dabi left to begin the storm.

***

The forest drowned in blue flames: iridescent, hot things that licked up the sides of trunks like packs of hungry dogs. The hot sea raged, destroying everything in its sight like it was no more than kindling.