Shigaraki gave a shaky laugh. "We stole those gifts from innocent people. Of course, this society is so flawed that we couldn't get any food for free. People like us have no choice but to steal, and then are treated like criminals for it!"
Shigaraki made a lot of good points about why society was flawed. The argument of poor people being treated as less was a good one, but there was one issue with it coming from him. He was going to be treated like a criminal regardless. He was a serial killer. What did he expect?
That was the first time Satoko heard him laugh. It was actually nice to see his laidback side. Not only that, she could relate to stealing too.
"I hated being a thief, but I had to do it in order to survive." She mumbled. "The poor get no help at all. We're treated like dirt. Even kids. I would only try to help them the most, but I saw many die on the streets..."
Shigaraki seemed surprised that she agreed without any extra remarks. "That's right! Anyone who stands by as that happens deserves to be decayed. That's why we have to change the world so that 'heroes' can't choose to ignore what they don't want to see."
She shook her head. "I don't believe killing anyone solves anything. It makes things worse. I want to solve it another way...somehow." Her tone wasn't grouchy like it usually is.
It's really odd, how she is warming up to these people. It's a feeling that she's getting afraid of all over again. "...And thanks. For treating me." Her eyes looked down towards her cup of tea.
"You're one of us now." He avoided eye contact. It seemed like he was embarrassed by the fact that he was warming up to her too. "You're important to us, so we have to make sure you're ok. It's not like we actually care about you personally."
"Right..." She replied. Her tone was kind of hard to read.
It was like this strange shadow of anxiety was darkening her thoughts.
Care? No one actually cares.
(They're just using you.)
Always will.
Burden.
(It's hilarious. They'll just move on after you're dead.)
The only person who actually gave a crap was grandpa.
Or did he actually care either?
(Why am I like this...?) She tried to push away any sad thoughts. Something about that last statement caused a trigger of hers. She just stayed completely silent while masking a poker face.
Satoko didn't say anything for a while. Eventually, Shigaraki got up and walked away.
Dabi wouldn't make eye contact with her. His head was turned away. He also felt embarrassed. Even though she didn't know what was going through his head, he felt pity when he saw her wounds. He was the one who took care of them.
Maybe he had triggers that he was unaware of as well. He dealt with his trauma very differently than Satoko did though. To him, reminders of his past usually just made him feel numb.
Sometimes, though, he responded to memories in more violent ways. He wouldn't think before acting. A thought popped into his head, and he immediately acted on it. It was a feeling of being so empty yet full at the same time. He couldn't help but smile as the pain overwhelmed him. Smile as he brought destruction to others.
But he was having so much fun, right? He was smiling. He was laughing. So he had to be happy, correct?
He told himself over and over again that it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. The nights when his mind played tricks on him and he had nightmares didn't matter. The lives of the people who he killed didn't matter. The suffering of the people who he hated made him so happy, and that was the only thing that mattered to him.
At least, that's what he told himself.
He lowered his head, pressed his wrists together, and lifted his hands slightly above his head. It was a habit that he created for himself when he was younger to soothe himself when he had a particularly draining day. Little did he know that a tiny Shoto had been watching him and subconsciously picked up the habit as well.
Satoko looked towards Dabi. It's hard for her to read these people. She can't tell from truth to lies.
Yet she's a liar herself, but she used her lying how she's feeling as a defensive mechanism.
"Hey, Dabi?"
But yet. Even if no one cares for her.
She can't stop caring for others.
"Are you ok?" Her voice sounded genuinely concerned. A bit odd coming from a woman who has a harsh mouth.
"Just stop." He sucked in a breath through his teeth. It turned into a bitter laugh. "You're always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
"Says the guy who kept pushing his way into my life." She shook her head. "No. I won't stop." She stood up and went towards him. It's even a surprise she's still able to move.
"You're not ok." She continued. Her eyes wandered towards his scars. "Your quirk...it makes your scars grow. Does it hurt?"
Her tone was a mixture of reprimanding but still had a kind touch to it. Her eyes had a slight hint of sadness to it, but it was still hard to tell.
It made Dabi's skin feel like it was crawling for someone to stare at his scars in such a way. There wasn't a hint of disgust or fear. He was so used to those things that a neutral reaction felt odd.
Without thinking, he stood up from where he was sitting. He took a step closer to her to try to intimidate her, but she didn't budge.
"I know you won't stop being stubborn, so I'll tell you...Doll."
He thought back on how Hawks used that silly nickname for her. Sunset. Her hair did look a sunset, and she was certainly impactful enough in their lives to be called that. The sunset is something that no one can live without. The sun has to rise every day, but it has to set as well. That light has to die in order to bring forth the night. Before it dies, though, the sunset lights up the sky and shocks everyone with its beauty. She truly was the halfway point between a hero and a villain. The time of day that doesn't fit in with the rest, but is the most beautiful. She was their sunset. But...
'You lost your voice, didn't you?'
He had asked that question when he killed those horrible men who attacked her.
'When you're like this it's almost like you're a doll.'
She was their sunset, yes. But she was his doll. A tool to be used for his own personal gain. But lately, he was starting to appreciate the beauty of her existence as well. Maybe he was growing too attached to his doll.
After all, he was bound to lose his hold on her someday. His ability to hold on would crumble away with his weak and dying hand. If he wasn't there to need her, then who was to say that she wouldn't be taken from the other villains and destroyed?
He had subconsciously started touching a piece of her hair again like he had done before. He was running it along his fingers; memorizing the texture. He sighed.
"It doesn't hurt as much as it did at first," he finally said. "But the damage to my body is the same."
He smiled that careless smile that he usually did. His eyes became unfocused as if his mind was elsewhere. "I'm dying."
"Dying...?" Satoko repeated, to process what he was saying. The feeling of his touch strangely didn't feel threatening. It was the same feeling in her heart again when he held her closely prior.
And that nickname too. What's with her getting these nicknames lately?
The expression on his face while he was saying it like it was a careless truth. It somehow made her feel pain in her chest.
Thinking about how he was using his quirk. What it was doing to his body. How it burned her fingers trying to stop him. With her bandaged hand, she placed it on his hand that was touching her hair. It didn't push him away, but remained in place.
She looked at him straight in the eyes. "Your quirk is slowly killing you, is that it?"
It was obvious by the amounts of scars she's able to see.
"You got it!" He exclaimed. His eyes had a look of sadness hidden deep within them. He did his best to mask it. "I ended up with a quirk more powerful than any fire type known right now, but it's going to be the thing that kills me. Ironic, right?"
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