Chapter Text
Crying your heart out on your brother-in-law’s pointy shoulders was the most cathartic experience you’d had since last August. However, even Yoichi’s judgeless comforting could not erase the looming threat of discovery by your hellish husband. With snot smeared sleeves, you climbed to your feet and continued to move along the muddy tunnel that lead to... somewhere? To his credit and detriment, your corpse-like hero did his best to be a silent source of comfort and protection. It was sweet, the way he quietly stayed by your side (well… quiet aside from the Incurable Cough of Death™ that exploded from his chest about every five minutes). Still, you wished the Shigaraki habit of omission wasn’t proving to be an inherited trait.
Heart spasming for the tenth time in the last twenty minutes, you caught yourself on the cave wall, again , and cursed the slick clay below your feet. “When does this stupid thing end?!”
“When you want it to.”
You wrenched your head around. “Huh?”
Yoichi cringed before pointing at the light at the end of the path. “It’s your dream. When you decide it ends, it ends.”
Could have said that a little sooner, brother mine.
Even after exiting the cave, your dark mood seemed to color the world around you. Spittling drizzle sat heavy in your lungs as you trudged through the forest which blanketed the mountain side. While the hearty wool cloak did an admirable job of keeping the cold damp from sinking into your bones, it could not protect you from the thick dread burbling in your gut. As Yoichi leaned on your arm for support, you wondered if he could hear your stomach churning with nerves.
Turpentine sap on moldy air drove most of the summer cicadas far from the deep trails leading up towards your home country. So far, only a lone buck leaping through the underbrush and a stray owl calling from the dark branches disturbed your slow, quiet climb away from Nihen’s borders. The weak, cloud cloaked sun drifted lower and lower over the evergreen bowers, your hackles refused to lay flat. For the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes, you glanced over your shoulder. Nothing lay behind you save for two sets of footprints, crushed into the mud that lay beneath the carpet of brown pine needles.
Boney fingers squeezed your upper arm. “Are you all right?”
Your brows furrowed, nervous eyes peering back into the misty shadows that lay down the steep trail. “Just a bad feeling.”
Yoichi grimaced before hunching over. Mucoid coughs heaved from his chest as he brought a delicate fist to his thin lips.
Your fingers tightened around his shoulder. “How are you holding up?”
He wiped his mouth and flashed you a frail smile. “You’d think that being a memory would be less taxing on your body.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
Yoichi pushed off his knees, wobbling to his full height. “I’d be nice if you could imagine me a little healthier than my brother has.”
You cocked your head. “Imagine?”
He nodded. “This is your dream after all. He might have brought me to the forefront of your consciousness, but you should be able to override his mental image.”
Biting your lip, you looked up and down the slender man. He peered at you between thick white lashes before another fit wracked his chest. One clavicle jutted out from the collar of his oversized shirt like someone had stuffed an anatomy skeleton into cotton. Squeezing your eyes shut, you traced his wispy form in your mind's eye, painting a lean coat of muscle over the gaunt frame. As a crow’s call in the distance whirled on the wind, you realized the moist cough had stopped. With jittery hope, your eyelids squinted open.
Yoichi’s previously hollow cheeks were flushed with a puff of color and whispers of baby fat. The loose, blue coat sat taller on his newly rounded shoulders. Your companion twisted his arms this way and that, examining the fresh, soft strength under previously thin skin. With a glittering smile he faced you.
“Thank you.”
Curse the Shigaraki pretty genes!
You fanned your face and turned away. “O-of course…” Clearing your throat, you pointed to the trail ahead. “We should keep moving for as long as we can see.”
He nodded, holding out his steady hand to you. Without hesitation, your shaking one took it.
Smooth soled dress shoes made for poor hiking companions as they squished and twisted in the damp earth. Still, as the evening breeze rippled the branches above, you trudged on further and further into the darkness that licked the edges of the trees. On your right, a lone owl called: “who-cooks-for-you?”. The chuffing holler nearly sent you jumping out of your skin.
Yoichi frowned, squeezing your fingers. “It’s okay. If he’s found us, we’ll know. You know he can’t resist putting on a show.”
Uneasy laughter burst from your mouth. You fixed the hero with a raised brow and half-hearted grin. “You really are brothers, aren’t you?”
A mournful smile played on his lips. “Somedays, I feel like we’re alike in all the ways I wish we weren’t.”
“...you went out of your way to mock me in my pain... how are we so different exactly? ”
You grimaced, massaging your temples to drive away the memory. “I know the feeling.”
“Are you tired?”
“Tension headache.” You shivered, rubbing your arms to stave off the creeping goosebumps. As a drop of cold condensation splattered on the back of your neck, you jumped. “Hey… this really is a dream right?”
Yoichi gestured to his newly transformed body with a shrug. “Could this be possible in reality?”
You pulled to a stop and pursed your lips. “Look, I appreciate your help but…” The stone in your throat sunk to your stomach.
“But?”
“But if this is a dream and I’m still in the apartment, what’s the point in running away?” Embroidered silk toed the moldy needles. Blazing red eyes flashed to the front of your thoughts. “It’s only going to make things worse for me when I wake up, won’t it?”
Regret warbled in his answer. “I am sorry to say it probably will.”
“Then…” You swallowed, forcing the words out. “Then maybe I should just go find a cliff or something. Better to face it now than dig myself in deeper.”
A soft hand urgently grabbed your shoulder.
“Sorry…” You glanced away. “Giving up is about all I’m good at nowadays.”
As the cold sunk deep into the cavernous pit of your stomach, your companion’s lips pulled tight. “I cannot tell you everything that has been set in motion because anything I tell you will reach him when you wake up. However, the longer you stay asleep, the more time he will be distracted.”
“When I wake up…” A spike of ice cold terror sliced deep into your heart. “Wait… he’ll know about Nana?!” you squeaked.
With a grim furrow in his brow, Yoichi nodded. “You’re sharing this dream with him. When you wake, you’ll both remember it equally.”
You grabbed the slender man by his shoulders and shook him like a child. Burning pain pooled at your lash line. “Then why did you tell me?!” you demanded.
“You called for me, so I had to come” Yoichi explained hoarsely, fighting down another cough. “Even if I hadn’t, he would have figured it out. You don’t know me well enough to flesh out my character. He’d know that someone else must have shown me to you. Now that they know what to look for, it wouldn’t take long for Katsumi to discover who did it. He hasn’t let you interact with that many people without her supervision, has he?”
Katsumi’s name alone left you with a throbbing headache. You groaned, rubbing your temples.
Yoichi squeezed your upper arm. “The longer we can keep him occupied here, searching for you, the longer you give Nana.”
With a frustrated whine, you stomped your feet. “Why is everything I do so useless !?”
With a sardonic chuckle, Yoichi took your hand in his. “Talking to you is like hearing myself.”
“At least you stood up to him!” you snapped.
A curtain of white hair covered the young man’s face as he muttered. “No, I got locked in a vault for trying to stand up to him.”
You blinked. “Locked in a what ?!”
With a click of his tongue, Yoichi forced a grin and pointed up the trail. “So… the sun might be setting soon and it would be best that we find a flat spot to camp before then. We should really keep moving if you’re able, okay?”
“Did you say vault ?! As in a literal vault ?!”
Your companion’s eyes rolled to the ground as a sweat broke on his brow. His silence summoned forth a low ringing in your ears that crescendoed into warning bells screeching in your brain.
“You…” You turned to face the young man. One shaking finger pointed at your own nose. “Y-you don’t think he’d…”
Green eyes refused to meet yours as he scratched the back of his head.
The sound of your shriek sent a nearby flock of crows careening into the sky.
Once you recovered from Yoichi’s terrifying reveal, he managed to coax you deeper into the hills. Each footfall fell heavier than the last as you trailed behind your over-attentive hero. Plodding progress was hard to make as what little light there was slipped behind the canopy of evergreens. Since your outburst, Yoichi had peppered you with questions and conversation that seemed more anxious than analytical. One word replies and half-hearted nods were all you could manage between the rapid fire intrusive thoughts taking potshots at your brain.
A vault.
An actual vault.
Not only could you believe it, but, without reservation or hesitation, you did believe it. The moment the bitter words slipped out of Yoichi’s mouth, they rang truer than your husband’s interest in Abrahamic religions by a long shot.
“Beaches or camping?”
Your head snapped up. “Huh?”
“For summer vacation as a kid,” your companion explained, raising one index finger on each hand. They wagged back and forth, beckoning you into the conversation. “Which one did you like better?”
“Oh…” Images of a fanged smile and the taste of Tiger’s Blood syrup flooded your thoughts. “Beaches, I guess.”
“You grew up in Niigata, right?” Yoichi frowned. “I suppose it was a silly question. You’re probably obligated to pick beach vacations, aren’t you?”
“Well, my aunt would be very mad if I said camping. She runs a shaved ice stand.” Your voice trailed off into a quiet murmur. “That’s where I met your brother.”
As your words stretched into awkward silence, Yoichi gave you a strained smile. “Well, let’s talk about something else then. What’s your favorite type of food?”
“Crepes.” The taste of fruit and cream danced on your tongue as soon as you said the word. If you closed your eyes, you could almost imagine yourself sitting in the Bandai shopping center, nibbling on the soft vanilla treat. However, the sweet memory turned into blazing embarrassment as you pictured the time your husband bypassed a bite of your ice cream to take a taste of your lips. With a groan, you smacked your forehead. “Seriously, this is insane!”
Yoichi raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
You buried your face in your hands. “Everything we talk about makes me keep thinking about him!” Your nails dug into your scalp as you tore at your hair in frustration. “He’s made my whole life about him for so long that he’s inside my mind!”
With a grimace, Yoichi patted your shoulder. “He does that on purpose, but you’re strong. You’ll get past it.”
You laughed bitterly and shook your head. “I’m not trying to let him in. He’s just—” Your words choked into silence.
“...he’s just there, right?”
You nodded before a low whimper peeled from your throat.
“Hey…” Yoichi wrapped his arm around your shoulders. “He’s done nothing but manipulate you for months. Of course it messed with you.”
“I don’t want it to mess with me!” you whined. “I don’t want him in my head!”
Yoichi squeezed your arm, pulling you into his side. He smelled like sugar and clean laundry. “I know.”
You sniffed back a load of fresh tears before wiping your nose on your already snot slathered sleeve. “I know, you know. You know better than anyone.” With a deep inhale, you glanced up at him. “How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Get past him?”
A sad smile tugged at the young man’s lips. “With help from my heroes.”
A low wind groaned through the pines above you, rustling dew soaked branches until cold droplets misted your hair. Your face wrinkled into a deep frown. “He’s going to find us, isn’t he? He’s going to find us and kill Nana.”
“Hey…” Yoichi murmured. “It’ll be all right. Even if—”
You wrenched away from the warm embrace. “Even if you all get hurt because of me?”
Yoichi winced. “Don’t worry about us.”
“Don’t worry about you?! Do you really expect me to just"—you snapped your fingers—“turn it off like that?!”
His brows wrinkled as thin lips pulled tight. “I know it’s hard, but yes, you’ll have to.”
“Look…” Your hushed voice rattled as you forced yourself to breathe. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I’m the one who screwed this up. If I hadn’t been so selfish and dragged you into this, Nana would still be safe. Y-” A spasm deep in your throat throttled the word into nothingness. Swallowing it away was like trying to digest razor blades. Shadows hung over your face. “You’re both going to get killed because of me," you mumbled.
Grim determination curled into Yoichi's expression. He took a deep breath. “Even if that happens is our choice to make.”
The words hit you like a railroad spike straight through the heart. Thought’s of Nana’s beautiful smile on a gutted, grey corpse consumed your crumbling resolve. Rippling static blasted in your ears, drowning out Yoichi’s next words. He grabbed your shoulder, giving you a gentle shake.
“No…” You staggered back, clutching yourself with trembling hands until your skin ached. “I’m not worth this. None of this is worth it if someone gets hurt because of me.”
A pale hand reached out for your cheek. You slapped it away.
“ No! ” you yelped, sinking to a crouch. “First it’ll be you and Nana. Then your friends. Then my family.” You hiccupped, burying your hand in your knees. “He’ll just keep going and going until he finds me. Don’t you see?! I can’t escape him. I can’t.”
“Please,” Yoichi begged, squatting beside you. “Don’t say that. Don’t give up hope.”
Blurry vision darkened at the edges, closing in all around you like a deep tunnel made of swirling grey. Weak tears dribbled down your strained smile. “There isn’t any hope to give up.”
Yoichi’s eyes widened as he shook you again. “Listen to me! If you start to think like that, he’ll be able t—”
“Well, well…”
The air in your lungs turned to lead as a flirtatious baritone voice fluttered past your ears. Yoichi’s gaze lifted above your head. His bulging eyes stared at the edge of the tree line. Cold sweat beaded down his temple. All at once, a massive hand grabbed his pale hair, wrenching the hero’s head back.
“Yoichi, what are you doing with my wife?”
With a flick of his meaty wrist, your husband flung his brother backwards with violent force. Yoichi skidded through the forest floor, sliding to a stop in the carpet of rotten flora.
A vice hold clamped down on your wrist, dragging you to your feet. You staggered forward into thick arms as a tight grip ground your cheek against the general's scratchy, wool cloak. Panicked eyes peered up at the white skull mask. His free hand tugged it aside, to reveal glowing red irises and a cruel smile.
“Couldn’t stop thinking about me, could you my dear?” the Demon Lord teased. “Little Yoichi tried so hard to keep your mind off me too, but speak of the devil I suppose…”
“Don’t… touch… her!” Yoichi panted, climbing to his hands and knees.
All For One raised an eyebrow, his inspecting gaze raking over the young man. “Finally started eating again, brother mine?” Your husband nuzzled his chin into your hair, a smug smirk coating his face. “Tell me, are the tears of others the only thing that can wet your heroic appetite?”
All at once the world tilted, as if your mind were being wrenched out of your skull. With a nauseating jolt, your vision swam into focus. You found yourself among deep burgundy walls trimmed with black velvet curtains and dark silver pinstripes. Squirming upright from your spot on a snow white comforter, you froze when you saw copious amounts of bare flesh. Your new garnet red, mesh bra concealed almost as little as the matching, crotch-less, ribbon laced panties. Trimmed with floral leavers lace [1] as fine as cobwebs, the lingerie left nothing to the imagination. You whipped your head around, only to feel dangling ruby earrings scrape across your face. When you touched your neck, his collar was back in place.
“I hope the setting change didn’t startle you too much, my dear. Since you know my little secret now, there really wasn’t much point in playing pretend anymore.”
Muffled groans called your attention to a lone, hard chair in the corner of the shadowy bedroom. Hands and feet tied tight to the unforgiving wood, Yoichi struggled against his bonds. Standing beside him, long fingers playing with the young man’s fine, platinum hair, was your husband.
“Why is it that whenever I get something nice of my own, you feel compelled to steal it away?” All For One gripped his brother’s jaw between thumb and index finger. “I must admit that, after that whole affair with Saiyuri, I don’t much feel like sharing with you anymore.”
“She’s not your toy!” Yoichi snarled back.
The elder Shigaraki hummed, letting the stray strands slip from his fingers one at a time. With a snap of his fingers, cream colored braided rope stuffed itself between Yoichi’s teeth. The younger man howled against the gag, frothing at the mouth as grinding teeth gnashed down upon the woven threads.
“She’s my toy. She’s my puppy. She’s my queen. She’s my wife. She’s even the mother of my child.” The Demon Lord fixed his brother with a crocodile's smile and shook his head. “Don’t you see? The woman of my dreams is anything I want her to be.”
Heavy foot falls stalked to the side of the bed. The mattress creaked as your husband climbed over top of you. With one finger, he pressed against your breast bone, tipping you back into the down stuffed pile of cotton below. As you squeezed your eyes shut, he trailed his hands down your heated skin. His touch tickled down the curves of your body until he palmed the soft flesh at the crest of your hips. Slotting himself between your thighs, he trailed slow, indulgent kisses down your neck. An unwelcome, warm ache slithered up your core.
It was when his fingers tugged loose the latch of your collar, fear died and undiluted hatred poured from its corpse.
Blinding rage seared across your heart. Painted crimson nails clawed as his silken shirt. The creaking scrape of their efforts shrieked through the still air. As he dragged the loose metal from your neck, you thrashed in his grip.
“GET OFF ME TSUKASA!”
The golden chain danced back and forth across your breasts. “We both know that’s not what you really want,” he teased.
You snatched at the choker, leaning into his body as he hoisted it high above your head. He laughed, dangling it just beyond your reach. His cheery whistle was insufferable as he lowered the necklace only to yank it away at the last second. You threw yourself against him, wrenching your arm for the chance to snatch it from him. With a yelp of pain, you crumpled to the mattress, gripping your shoulder.
“There’s no call for that hostility. You let me, my dear.” He chuckled, tucking the delicate jewelry into his pants pocket. “You always do.”
As your husband’s fanged grin bore down upon your neck, his words smacked you upside the head.
“I always let you win,” you murmured in a daze.
“Yes, puppy,” he growled, grinding the bulge in his pants against your wet folds. “—and for being such a good girl, I’m going to give you everything you dreamed of.”
A bitter laugh escaped your throat as you arched into the plush blankets. “What I dreamed of, huh?”
Your husband lifted his head and raised a brow. “Ticklish?” he asked, folding his arms across your chest.
You shook your head, and laid your wrist back against your eyelids. “No, I just realized you’re correct. This is my dream. I shouldn’t feel guilty for dreaming about what I really want, right?”
At your words, All For One’s breath hitched. “Oh, and what do you really want?” he purred.
With half-lidded eyes, you reached out to the devil above you. The pad of your index finger trailed down the curve of his cheek before tickling across his jaw. He leaned into the soft touch, a wide, haughty grin stretching from ear to ear. As the tip of your tongue slipped from your mouth, glowing red eyes drifted to the supple curves of your lips. You cupped the side of his jaw, pulling him down to meet you halfway. Your breasts pressed against his chest. Warm breath danced across his neck.
All at once, your hands clamped down around his throat with the force of an industrial vice. A cold, seductive smile spread over your features. You pressed your lips to the side of your husband’s ear and whispered to the devil:
“For you to go to hell, Dar-ling.”