Smile for Me

Chapter 13: Painful Memories

Joke POV

Ugh... this again?

Ms.Joke wakes up to find the same throbbing headache that she's had for the last couple of...

Days? ...Weeks?

Between having no sunlight and random times of passing out, she had lost all sense of time.

I probably have multiple concussions by now...

"Ah, you're awake. Ready for another round?"

No reply was given to the ashy villain.

"Well, we are going to get started." Shigaraki said as Toga joyfully skipped over to her, shoving the helmet on her head.

"Can I pull the lever? Please, Shiggi? Just this once??" Toga pleaded.

"... You know what? Since you've been so good, why not?"

"Yay!!" Toga squealed with delight as she pulled the lever.

Electricity whirred, and Emi shifted in her seat, preparing herself for the electric shock that was about to happen

....

But it never came.

Instead, something happened that she wish she could substitute for the electric shock.

(based on the video at the top)

A memory... a painful one.

////////memory/////////

"Well well well! look what the cat dragged in!" Emi laughed at her "clever" cat pun.

*Haha! Maybe he'll like that pun! It is about cats after all..*

"Ugh, can it wait Joke? I need to get home."

*Dang. Foiled again. Wait! Not yet. It's his birthday, Emi. Convince him to stay!*

"What, so you can spend your birthday alone again? I don't think so."

He turned to her in surprise.

*Oh! A reaction! At least it's something..*

"Wait, how did you know that?" Her tall dark and handsome crush asked her.

"Hizashi told me!" She beamed, blushing as she did so.

"Ugh, of coarse he did." He turned around to walk home.

*Do it, Emi. Do it now! Don't let him get away again!!*

"Wait! Eraser, I have a birthday present for you!"

He stopped on the sidewalk.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////

"You just wanted to make him smile, didn't you? Just wanted to see the dark brooding hero smile?" a voice echoed in the darkness of the memory.

"...yes."

"It's all you wanted.."

"..yes." she once again replied to the voice.

"He never did though. He never smiled even once for you. He didn't want to give you the satisfaction.."

"No, that's not-"

"He wanted to see you suffer!"The voice rang in her ears and in her mind.

She was stuck in the memory playing on loop. Trapped in her own mind.

I really need to get out of my own head

She chuckled despite herself.

"Yes, go ahead and laugh. Amuse yourself while you can. That humor didn't help him, so why would it help you? You're just a joke. It's even in your name!" the voice laughed.

"Stop it.."

It's not real. Just push it out..

"Oh, it's real. Very real. And yes, I can hear your thoughts. After all, we are in your mind."

She looked up in shock as that same memory kept playing on loop over and over again until she couldn't take these insecure thoughts anymore, and she crumbled to her knees.

*********************************************

All the injured hero heard as she drifted once more into unconsciousness was Shigaraki giving orders.

"That's enough for today. When she wakes up, Bring her some food and water. For now though, just bring her to her cell."

**********************************************

Ms.Joke awakens to a dark musty room, with a bit of moonlight coming in through a crack in the wall that looked like it was supposed to be a window.

At least I know it's night time.

She takes in her surroundings and sees a wooden door across the room with a makeshift peephole carved in.

Emi looks down to see that her wrists and ankles are chained to the back wall and floor by the "window". To her left there was a stained mattress laying on the ground.

Wow. Swanky.

She hears the door begin to creak, and she snaps her head towards the sound.

The woodchipped-faced-man came in holding a tray.

"You're Dabi, right?"

He didn't reply. He simply set the tray down and turned to walk out the door.

"Wow. You were more chatty when I spat on your face...how long ago was that?"

"Watch your mouth you filthy wannabe Hero!" He shouts as he turns around, flames in hand.

"Wow! That really sparked your interest didn't it?" she giggles. "Now you're all fired up!"

He growls and storms towards her grabbing her face with one hand, flames in the other.

"You know, Joke, when you spat on my face a few days ago, I wanted to kill you right then and there. The only reason I didn't, both then and now, is because Shigaraki claims you could be useful for something. So keep that in mind. Some of us aren't as forgiving as me..." He tosses her head to the side and curses as he turns and walks out of the cell, slamming the door as he does so.

Ugh, damn teenagers. She thought as she regained her composure. Well, I got "Hot-Topic" to tell me that I spat on him "a few days ago". It's not an exact amount of time, but I have a general estimate of how long I've been here at least.

She crawls over to the platter that was set on the ground before the chaos.

Well, it looks edible at least. I don't know if they've done anything to the food or water, but I do know they need me for something now, so I know they won't kill me... At least not yet.

Even if there is something else in this, I won't be any good for anyone if I don't have enough energy to withstand...whatever that was again.

Come on, Eraser. Where are you?

....

*I really need to stop doing this every night.*

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Parallels AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! So proud of myself, honestly. uwu

-Sarah