Imagine Book 2

Whispers in the Decay- Tomura Shigaraki (My Hero Academia)

As requested by KuyTy6! Fem Y/N

Y/N adjusted her sound-dampening headphones, a necessary tool to help manage her Listener Quirk as she made her way through the dimly lit corridors of the League of Villains' hideout. Her Quirk allowed her to hear thoughts and intentions of others, which made her an invaluable asset to the League - and particularly to its leader, Tomura Shigaraki.

The familiar sound of scratching reached her ears before she even entered the main room. She didn't need her Quirk to know Shigaraki was agitated about something. As she stepped inside, she found him perched on a barstool, furiously scratching at his neck.

"Tomura," Y/N called softly, knowing better than to startle him. His red eyes snapped to her immediately, the scratching slowing but not quite stopping.

"You're late," he growled, though there was no real anger in his voice. Just his usual irritation at the world, tempered by her presence.

Y/N approached him carefully, reaching out to gently take his hand away from his neck. His fingers twitched, but he allowed the contact. Four fingers wrapped around her wrist - always four, never five. Never risking his Decay Quirk activating on her.

"I know. I'm sorry. The city's crawling with heroes today," she explained, sliding onto the stool next to him. "I had to take three different detours to avoid being spotted."

Shigaraki's grip on her wrist tightened slightly. "You should have called. I would have sent Kurogiri to get you."

A small smile tugged at Y/N's lips. Most people would hear anger in his tone, but she knew better. She heard the worry underneath - both in his voice and, as she carefully lowered her mental barriers, in his thoughts.

"I can take care of myself, you know," she reminded him gently.

He scoffed, finally releasing her wrist to reach up and scratch at his neck again. "That's not the point. You're too valuable to risk getting caught."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "To the League? Or to you?"

Shigaraki's scratching paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing behind the hand that covered his face. "Both," he muttered finally.

She laughed softly, reaching up to adjust her headphones. The motion caught his attention.

"Are they still giving you trouble?" he asked, nodding toward the headphones.

Y/N shrugged. "Sometimes. Especially in crowded areas. That's part of why I was late - too many people, too many thoughts. It gets overwhelming."

Shigaraki's fingers twitched, and she could hear the spike of protective anger in his thoughts. He hated that she suffered, hated that her Quirk could cause her pain. It was one of the many contradictions about him that fascinated her - how he could want to destroy society for its obsession with heroes and Quirks, yet still feel rage at the thought of her Quirk causing her discomfort.

"Tomura," she said softly, drawing his attention back to her. "I'm fine. Really."

He grunted, unconvinced. "We need to upgrade those," he said, gesturing to her headphones. "I'll have Giran look into better options."

"You don't have to-"

"I do," he cut her off, voice firm. "You're mine to protect. That includes from your own Quirk if necessary."

Heat rushed to Y/N's cheeks at his words. It was moments like these that reminded her why she had fallen for him, despite everything. Despite who he was, what he did. The way he could be so gentle with her, so protective, while maintaining the capacity for such destruction.