"honesty and grace" (Mezo Shoji X Reader)

Chapter 35

You take a moment, looking over at the men with a blank expression. Of all the things that could’ve been asked, it baffled you as to why that would be the first thing he wants to know. Though, you actually have to think about it. “Now that I think of it, I have no idea. I know it’s this huge lockdown site in the states, but I can’t remember the name of it.” You say honestly, tapping your foot gently on the ground. The small sound echoes throughout the room, being the only thing anyone can hear.

Kurogiri puts his hands behind his back as he looks over at his partner. “At least we know it’s in the United States.” He says, turning to look at you. “Why don’t you know for sure?”

Your shoulders rise and fall. “I never wanted to know, I guess. There was never a time where I really wondered where he is.”

A huff comes from Shigaraki, his red eyes half-lidded with annoyance. “Why wouldn’t you want to know where he is? He’s your father, the man you raised and took care of you.” He was clearly extremely annoyed.

“He was my father. He isn’t anymore.” You state, snarling a little bit as you speak. “That bastard means nothing to me anymore.” Your eyes water softly, an all too familiar lump forming in your throat.

The dark void of a man looks around for a moment before locking eyes with you. “Can you give us a legitimate reason as to why you haven’t used your quirk?”

For a moment, you pause, the choking sensation subsiding. “I lost all good faith I had in the hero society. For so long, I believed that my dad was a detective working with a secret organization, but the whole time he was a villain. Do you know what that did to me? What that told me?” You began to raise your voice. For once, you became angry without becoming emotional. A feeling burned in your chest, and you grit your teeth as you spoke. “For a long, long time, I believe that my father was a hero. Before he left for his final heist, he told me that I had absolutely no chance in becoming a hero. My own father told me that, no matter how hard I tried and what I did with my quirk, that it would always end with something going wrong.”

You stop for a moment, biting the inside of your cheek as the racing words in your mind slowly begin to form sentences. Shigaraki takes advantage of your silence. “That doesn’t answer the question. Why haven’t you used it?” His body became slouched once again as he looks you in the eyes for the second time since you got here.

You were no longer scared. Nothing in your mind was afraid of these men anymore. “I hate Jonathan (L/n).” Never before had you admitted that, but it was true. Sure, for the first few years of your life, he was a great man. He was a supporting husband to your mother, but had a constant anger issue. His short temper and low tolerance for nonsense already made him a hard to like man, but no one liked him after he began to change. Jonathan wouldn’t regularly come home drunk and hurt you and your mother, though there were many times where he came close to. He had expressed how much you two ladies would drag him down in life and hurt his chances at a better job, but would refuse to abandon those who he claimed to love.

The two men were left speechless, though the silence that ensued wasn’t exactly uncomfortable. It was an understanding, almost sympathetic silence. Your foot stopped tapping, your teeth beginning to gnash as you wait in anticipation for the men to speak.

“I see.” Kurogiri starts, his voice not wavering from his cold and classical tone. “Well, now that we’ve asked you a few questions, what do you want to know about us?”

There’s a small smile on Shigaraki’s face as you begin to think of a question. “Uhm, how about you tell me why you wanted me of all people?”

The two look at each other before nodding. The physically formed man looks into your eyes once again as he clears his throat. “(L/n), you have your father’s quirk. If you hated it because it’s like his, then that’s exactly what we want.” He smiles, his lips cracking as a flaky bit of his skin peels up slightly. “If your quirk is truly your father’s, then you will be able to control it like him.”