Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

LUNA POV

"The universe hasn't always been kind to me. I grew up in a family where I felt like a burden and a mistake, while my brother was praised and given all of the attention that I so desperately tried to receive myself. He was gifted with the power to control lighting at will, while I? I only received my father's control of water. Since the manifestation of my quirk, I always felt this....shadow over me. Maybe it was my brother being the show off he is, or maybe it was....anger, or sadness. Whatever it was, I knew it was there....it's always there. Reminding me of my place in this world. Maybe I should have just spoken up or said something when I had the chance. Sometimes I think about what my life could have been like if my parents had favored me instead. Would my brother feel the same as I every day? That lingering thought in the back of my head is what continues to keep me quiet, I wouldn't wish these feelings upon anybody."

"Would you though?" The voice next to me asks. A new question is now lingering in my head. Could I wish these feelings on someone? Well, I could think of one person, but no, that's wrong. I'm going to be a hero, and harboring those thoughts would be despicable.

"No," I reply softly, but I think he can hear the hesitation in my answer; his Cheshire cat-like grin only widens.

"Ok, I need to turn in for tonight," I declare, standing up, my knees popping from sitting for so long. My listening companion stands along with me, the chains on his clothes clinking together.

"Aw, story time is done already? Just when we started getting to the good parts," The disappointment in his voice matches his face, it's playful, it's....sinister. Not surprising coming from a villain.

"Yes," I pause, "Bondage, I have patrols in the morning." It felt so.....foreign, saying his name, well his villain name, like it was a regular thing for me. It was a regular thing for me, though, he's been meeting me on the roof of my apartment complex for months. When he first came to me, I half expected him to kill me right then and there, especially him, but.....he didn't. He had seen me crying, but I never expected a villain to take pity on a sidekick, but he did.

"Ugh," He explains, following me to the roof's door, "Hero work is a drag and from what I've seen doesn't fix any problems." His words sting, but....he isn't wrong either.

I've seen firsthand the damage heroes do, how they....can just do whatever....and get away with it. My brother, a well respected hero and my fucking boss fits that description perfectly. Though I would never tell my companion that. Once I reach the door, I glance back at him, taking in the appearance I've become so familiar with. Fair skin, black hair, and whiskey colored eyes. He's always dressed in jeans and black boots, chains on his boots and on his pockets. Dressing his torso is always a dress shirt of some sort, his elbows always showing as to easier use his quirk; tape.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I ask, though I think I already know that answer.

"Of course," he approaches slowly, "I'd like to keep hearing little things about you, Luna." He says my name so smoothly, so easily.

"What else is there to know?" I ask, to which Bondage chuckles.

"Besides your name and quirk, there's so much I want to know, though, I'm not liking your past so far."

"I don't know anything about you," I say, not helping the little smirk forming on my lips, "How is that fair?"

The Cheshire cat continues to smile at me, "You'll learn in time, but I wanna know about you first."

"Can't you just spy on me?" I ask sarcastically, it's not unusual for villains to stalk their playthings, but Bondage shakes his head.

"Not my thing, listening is nicer."

My smirk only grows bigger. "Since when are villains nice?"

He pins me to the door, he is taller than me and could easily take me out had I come across him on a mission, "There is nothing nice about villains, Luna, you don't know the things I've done."

A lump of saliva catches in my throat, very slowly, I swallow it down, "I've got a good idea," I whisper.

"Keep those ideas," he replies, pushing away from the door, "See you tomorrow." With that, he turns away, releasing tape from his elbows and flying off into the brightly lit city.

I'm tired, right now I just want to go to bed and maybe never wake up...no, don't think like that, Luna. When I enter my apartment, the A/C sends goosebumps up and down my arms. It's too cold, I need heat, but turning on my heater would make my home stuffy. My blankets in my bedroom were beckoning me, but before I could go snuggle in my blankets, I needed a shower as my body still reeked of today's pointlessness. After stripping off my clothes and stepping under the showers, welcoming rain, I made note of the ginormous, lightning bolt scar that ran down the whole length of my torso. I could still remember the pain when I received it. A villain had run between me and Shenzi's path of attack. It was an accident, but Shenzi pulled me aside and scolded me for getting in the way. Though as he did that, pain surged through me. My guardians, thankfully, took my side and scolded Shenzi for his own recklessness. That was something else Sero didn't know about me, but I guess he'd learn in time. Practically mimicking his own words. As I stood under the hot water of the shower, my mind began to drift to other thoughts, to the villain who had been visiting me for the past eight months. Yeah, it's been eight months, and I still haven't shared everything about myself. However, you have to be cautious, and he hasn't shared anything about himself either, other than his villain name. What deterred my fear of him was that he would sit and listen.....just listen. Something that nobody has ever taken the time to do. I've memorized certain things about him, the dimples on his cheeks when he grinned, and his scent; he always smelled like citrus and ashes. There was also a certain look on his face, as if, around the right people, he was harmless, but Bondage would probably scold me if I said that. We've grown....close. If I weren't a sidekick, I could call him a friend, but saying that felt like food poisoning. I wonder if he saw me as anything other than a sidekick, a hero follower? I highly doubt it; he could discard me easily, but he hasn't. Why? All this thinking has begun to give me a headache, I need to finish my shower and go to bed. My goosebumps returned after I exited the shower's warmth, but soon I would be wrapped in my blankets. After slipping on my pajamas, I did just that, crawling into my fuzzy array of comforters and setting my alarm clock. I hated being up early, maybe I would enjoy it better had I actually enjoyed my job, but this was the path I chose.........and damn be what this shaped me into.

SERO POV

It's no surprise that I'm bombarded with stares as I enter the hideout. The booming music shakes me to my very core, the smell of sweat, alcohol, drugs, and sex invades my senses, however, these sensations keep me unfazed. This hideout, this group, has been a family to me for the past six years. It was started by a boy when he was only fifteen, but now he has become one of the most feared villains in Tokyo, growing his anarchy, spreading his claims, and killing those who opposed him. Heading over to the bar, I helped myself to a bottle of vodka, pouring a shot and downing it fast. The clear liquid burned my esophagus down to my belly, filling me with euphoria.

"Oh, finally back!" I could recognize that voice anywhere, high-pitched, way too friendly for a villain, but I suppose that's how he lures people in. Turning around, I'm met with the eyes of Voltage, bright yellow hair with a black streak. He was always dressed in a suit, and he always wore a diamond engagement ring around his neck. Why he wears it there is not my tragedy to tell, "So how was the date with your little toy?"

Throwing back another shot, I chucked the shot glass across the room, the shattering glass making everyone jump. Since the first day I started seeing her, that's all this bastard has called her: a toy.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Shock For Brains, she is not a toy!"

Voltage laughs in response, my anger gets the better of me. I release a strip of tape, long enough to wrap around his torso and his hands, but the idiot continues laughing even as I have him in a choke hold, "Oh, I bet she really likes this, doesn't she?"

I tighten my grip, "Shut the fuck up! You know nothing!"

"Enough!" The sound of the voice made me jump, it made Voltage stop laughing, and everyone in the room froze. Standing on the far end of the room was the big man himself, my boss, someone I called family despite the times we've butt heads; Blood Riot.

Riot began walking over to both of us, I kept my grip on Voltage tight. My red-haired friend stopped just in front of him, grabbed him by the collar, and bared his rows for shark-like teeth."You know, it's rude to speak about things that aren't yours, isn't that right, Voltage?"

The yellow-haired villain laughed, "I was just joking around, boss, no harm done."

Riot's eyes darted to me, "Then stop calling Bondage's acquaintance a toy." With that, Riot threw him down to the ground, leaving the electric villain unfazed. It's no surprise that Voltage got picked on; he had only been taken in by Blood Riot about a year and a half ago.

"My apologies, Bondage." He looked at me as he strutted away. God, I wanted to kick him back down, but knowing what he had been through....and what made him behave this way always made me feel a small smidge of sympathy for him. Riot gets closer to me, his aura is just so.....deadly.

"How is your knowledge of your little friend coming along?" He asks me with a sinister smile.

"Slow," I reply, "All the more reason to keep seeing her." I can feel a smile turning on my lips.

His hand covers my shoulder, "You know I have everything about her, all you have to do is ask."

My smile dwindles, but a mischievous smirk remains as I whisper to him, "But that would take away all the fun. Besides, I'm getting a good feeling of where her stories might be going."

This has my boss intrigued, "Oh, like what?"

The thought of where my theories are going makes my blood boil: "I'm getting the feeling she's a sidekick who hates her job and doesn't want to be a hero."

Riot gets a look of familiarity on his face, Luna sounds like his "little lamb." He was able to free them from an abusive hero and sidekick relationship by making Little Lamb his lover and the hero his pet. He showed Little Lamb what complete bullshit the hero society is, and I hoped I could do the same for Luna.

"I'm off to bed, boss," I say, waving nonchalantly. My room is just below the hideout, it's enough to block out the music, leaving only soft pulses to lull the body to sleep. I hated sleeping in my clothes, my boxers were always very comfortable. I was too tired to shower, so I would do it in the morning.

My blankets welcomed me as my body collapsed on my bed, every night, since that first night, I always thought about the night I met Luna. I was just out, doing my own thing, when I saw her sitting on her roof. She was just sitting on the ledge, her knees tucked up to her chest, her eyes looking straight down to the ground. At first, I wanted to strangle her, I hated seeing sidekicks and heroes alike. But when she stood to confront me, I saw something that I rarely ever see on sidekicks; tears flowing down her face, but not tears of sadness, no, these were tears of frustration, pain....hatred. I had a feeling I had stopped her from doing something stupid, and something in me shifted, I don't know why. I had asked what was wrong, but no surprise, she was cautious and shared nothing. But since that day, I would see her on her roof, and little by little, she shared things about herself. Nothing personal, but interests, her favorite color, and her favorite food are very basic things. I shared what very little I could about myself, but day by day, I wished that Luna were mine. It was probably a selfish want, but I knew that if she knew the full truth of heroes, if she didn't know it already, and if she were with me, she'd never feel the way she felt that night again. My eyes drifted shut at the thought of her, I wondered how her lips would feel on mine.....Maybe I could steal a kiss during our next visit. I knew no matter what, Luna would be in my dreams tonight. Like she's been for the past eight months.

Chapter Text

LUNA POV

To say I slept like a baby or I slept well would be a downright lie. I never sleep well, especially when you know you have to go to a shitty job in the morning. Glancing at my clock, it's five in the morning. Shenzi always wants me there early for training or lecturing, whichever one tickles his pickle at the moment. But regardless of what he wanted, it was always painful. I always keep my uniform at the agency, so I would only need to slip into some street clothes. I figured jeans, a t-shirt, and my tennis shoes would be just fine. Due to Shenzi's training, I never eat breakfast; the training he puts me through makes me sick every time, so I stopped eating. But something in my stomach is better than nothing; that's what my coffee is for. I just want to get this day done and over with....only to do it again the next day. When I arrive at the agency, Shenzi's other sidekicks are already there talking amongst themselves. Shenzi enters......a familiar scowl on his face.

"You're late, Luna," He barks. Looking at my phone, I'm right on time.

"I'm actually right on time, Shenzi," I replied quietly. This is something he does not like.

"If you're on time, you're late. Don't sass me!" As he's walking away, I do something I've never done before: I mock him quietly. Talking in a high-pitched voice and moving my hand up and down in a talking motion.

Shenzi doesn't like this either, that's made apparent when he grabs me by my hair forcing my eyes to his, he speaks through his teeth, "If you don't cut the attitude so help me God I will make your day even more miserable than what has been for the last four years! Do you understand?"

I swallow back tears as it feels like he is going to yank my hair from my skull, "Yes, sir," I whisper.

"Good, now get your uniform on....I've got some stuff to show you guys."

He lets go of my hair and begins to stomp to his office, his other sidekick's eyes on my.....as if I had been the one to hurt him. A single tear falls down my cheek as I slip into my hero costume. But if Shenzi saw it......I would be punished....I could cry later. Finishing, by putting my hair up and wiping away the tears, I make my way to the main area where all of the sidekicks and Shenzi are waiting. He has a huge projector displayed.

"Now typically guys, I would just have you do normal patrols, but this time I want you all to keep your eyes out for someone," With a click of the button, I feel like I'm going to throw up as a picture of Bondage appears on the screen, "This is Bondage, a villain closely associated with Blood Riot. I've been trying to catch this bastard for years, but today he has crossed a line, and I need more help in catching him."

He clicks again a gruesome image appears, a pro hero, murdered in cold blood, bound and gagged with tape. My stomach turned........I had figured this was the type of stuff Bondage did, but seeing it.

"Do not underestimate him and do not let him corner you....this son of a bitch is tough; dismissed," Everyone leaves, "Luna, lets go."

I gulp down the lump that's formed in my throat as Shenzi leads me to the training room. He won't take me out on missions until he's gotten the pleasure of beating me to a pulp.

"Starting stance!" He demands, I be immediately ready. One thing Shenzi likes is to play dirty, he uses his quirk on me....even though he has stated on multiple occasions that this is hand-to-hand combat.....no quirks allowed. If I so much as used my quirk.....he would beat me senseless. Shenzi tackles me by my legs, my head hits the cushiony padding of the floor.

"You're not ready!" He yells, "Try again!"

We go, over and over and over again, my head pounds. I'm surprised I haven't gotten any concessions from this, "God," he mumbles as I weakly stand, "Eraser and Mic were stupid too, even to allow you to become a sidekick, let alone a hero. You're so weak!"

I grow, "They saw something in me. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered."

Shenzi laughs as he uses his quirk on me, sending volts of electricity through my body, "No, they only took you in because they pitied you. A teenager who just lost everything, maybe life would have been better if you had just not been born.....or better yet, jumped off that bridge."

I scream as he brings that up, I had tried so hard to forget that day.......At a point in my life....I had wanted to die.....so badly. But something had stopped me from jumping.....a voice in the back of my mind telling me things would be better later.

"We're done.....let's go!"

I stood weakly, shaking off the dizziness I felt........this was going to be a bad patrol.

I am thankful to be back at home, the moment that door shuts......I break. Tears flow down my face, a guttural and anguished scream rips through my throat, and what little control I had over my emotions at work is gone. The nearest objects are the items left on the table, They get flung across my apartment as I cry.

"I fucking hate you!" I scream, I want so badly to just throw one punch at Shenzi and hurt him.....as badly as he's hurt me, but harboring these thoughts isn't right. I need to breathe....I need to relax....but the tears continue to flow. The sound of boots echoes through my home, and I can feel panic ensuing. A finger lifts my face up to meet a set of eyes that bring me an odd sense of comfort; Bondage.

"So," He starts, "Do you just let your boss treat you that way every day?"

I shake my head in disbelief, "What I, You're, How? Ok One; How the fuck did you even get in here and two; you spied on me?"

He smirks, a smirk I know all too well, "Your window, and yes, I took some of my boss's advice. Let's just say I didn't like what I had to witness."

My face goes red with embarrassment, "Which part? The one where I got my ass kicked?"

He keeps my eyes firmly on his, "The part where your boss kicked you while you were down, used his quirk on you," He spits on my floor, "Fucking disgusting."

Carefully, I pry his hand from my chin.....his hand is so....soft, "What else did you gather?" I whisper.

"A few things," He says as his cat-like grin returns, "It raises some questions that I'm just dying to have answered."

Sighing, I lead him to my couch....this is weird....we've only ever talked on the roof, so to have him in here feels.....intimate.

"What first stood out to me was the mention of Eraserhead and Present Mic, explain please?"

I know what he's doing, but honestly, what do I have left to lose? "They're my graduations.....I lost my parents when I was fifteen." His expression softens; he had better not be pitting me.

"What happened to them?" He asks, his voice full of pity, I hate it.

"A villain broke into our house. I was so scared that I hid and all I remember hearing is my Mom struggling, Dad choking on his own blood......and then silence. Ironically enough, it was my boss to found me."

I'll never forget the look on Shenzi's face when he found me cowering in a closet, there was no relief that I was safe, there was just pure disgust.

"Anyways, when they died, Eraser and Mic took me in, and when they did, I was in a bad place. I think they feared many worst-case scenarios," Some of those being.....suicide and villainy. I heard them talking on one of my first nights living with them, "So they enrolled me at U.A. Never with the intentions of becoming a hero....they wanted me to make that choice myself; you can guess what I decided. They wanted me to be in a place that was.....more positive."

"Did you really try to jump from a bridge?" Bondage whispers after a brief pause, it is like he is afraid to ask me this question, afraid to hear or know the answer.

I can feel the tears welling up again, but I know that I've been able to cry around this man for a while. "Yes," My voice cracks, "I just wanted it all to stop."

His soft hand goes to my cheek....I wanted to feel it again, "Don't ever try that again....got it?"

"What's gonna stop me?" I ask, there's a bite to my voice....

Bondage likes it as he leans in close, "Me," He growls, "I may not be a hero....but I'll keep you from ever leaving this world...leaving me."

For some reason, this makes my heart twitch. "My boss is looking for you," I whisper.

Bondage pulls away at this, "That he is."

I want to say more, but slowly, "He showed us what you did.......what do you feel when you do that?"

He smiles, "Satisfaction and ecstasy that no drug can compare to. I've made it clear that heroes are a menace to society; they solve nothing and only put on a show for the cameras. Just like today I've seen what happens behind the scenes and one day, my team and I will uncover the bullshit that is heroism."

The tears return, his words stab me like a knife....But I can't disagree with him, "Am I a menace to society?"

He turns to look at me, he is quickly cupping my face with both hands now, "You could never, because from what I've seen....you've already known the truth, you just haven't switched sides yet."

My body wracked with sobs, "I-I could never be a villain.....I just can't, but I don't want to be a hero either."

His lips are right next to my ear.....his voice whispering sweet nothings to me, "Villains aren't made just because they kill someone.....they use their quirk for their own personal needs, they think differently, they are outcasted, they are broken; Just like you, Luna."
My name glides so easily off of his lips, "You don't need to jump on it yet.....just something to think about."

He is so close....I never thought I'd be this close to a villain and not be dead. I can smell the citrus coming off his body. It's calming, it's relaxing, it makes my eyes heavy. The mix of his voice, the smell radiating off of his body, it makes me want to sleep right here and never get up. I feel my body being lifted. Bondage's chest is so comfortable, he's almost like a space heater. My body is engulfed with cushy comfort as I can feel him place me on my bed. I don't even think when I ask him this question, halfway to falling asleep.

"Why are you so nice to me?"

SERO POV

I'm shocked when I hear her ask this. She's probably sleep deprived, tired, and not even thinking. I watch as her eyes slip shut, into a once again uncomfortable sleep. I've never been this close to her when she sleeps. I've watched from afar before, but that still didn't hide the fact that the life she had was killing her mentally. I know I am so fucking close to freeing her form that life, but I didn't want to full on shove her, besides, whatever she chose to do it wouldn't change my feelings for her. Feelings, look at me talking all poetic like a sap. But I knew she would want an answer to her question. Kneeling down to be closer to her frame, I talk in a whisper. Maybe she'll hear me, maybe she won't....But what I say is nothing but the truth.

"Because, Luna....you've become so incredibly important to me, and I will do anything to free you from the life you've been given."

I then do something without thinking about myself. I lean down and place a gentle kiss on her temple, skin so soft, so strong, yet so broken. Her scent permeates my nose; Ocean breeze, perfectly fitting for her quirk. Tomorrow, I would do the same thing I did today, though I didn't want to watch, and that was to watch her be broken bit by bit, from someone who is supposed to serve and protect. However, keeping that prick on a wild goose chase is more fun than any activity I've ever participated in. That guy should be lucky he hasn't met the same fate as Dynamite. He's been missing for a while now....and nobody knows why. Fuck, thinking about what Blood Riot has done to Bakugou makes me grin from ear to ear. Because that piece of shit deserved every thing that came to him. After making sure Luna was comfortable, I made my leave, sneaking out her window, the same way I came in. Letting loose some tape from my elbows, I fly through the city lit night. Glancing down, I see two men, drunk off their ass's arguing about something. After what I had witnessed today, it would be nice to let off some steam. I jump down into the alley, and they both are startled when they see me.

"Hey," one of them hiccups, "Aren't you that asshole in the news?"

"The one and only." Without hesitation, I let loose my tape; it flew by the first man's throat, slicing it open, making a fountain of blood spray across the pavement. The second guy tries to flee, but sorry, I'm not known for missing my catch.

"Hey man, let me go!" He cries out, "The heroes will catch you!"

Looking into his eyes, I spit out, "No, they won't. They don't do anything unless it's for fame. That's why guys like me still walk your precious streets."

With a swift motion, I snap his neck, throwing him to the ground with his buddy. I feel the euphoria coursing through me. God, this is a side of me I would never want Luna to witness. But thanks to her shit head boss, she's seen what I'm capible of. However, I begin to think, what is she capable of? Surely there is more to her quirk than what she knows. I've seen the gleam in her eyes when she talks about Circuit. She looks like she wants to hurt him as much as he's hurt her. The light in her heart has kept her from doing so, all the more reason I enjoy her and have become so protective of her, but I know that she could fend for herself when the situation called for it. I just know that she would soon be free from that life, I just wondered what it would finally take.

Chapter Text

LUNA POV

I sat holding the warm cup of tea and snuggled into the couch, a familiar couch, a comforting couch, one that brought me more comfort than my own. The TV was playing soft music, which is ironic, seeing who lives here and who loves music more. Snuggled next to me is a small kitten, newly added to the household. The couch dipped, indicating someone had sat next to me. Turning my head, I saw one of my guardians, Yamada Hizashi, or as better known in the hero world, Present Mic. In the kitchen, I saw his husband and my other guardian, Shouta Aizawa, or Eraserhead. Despite my growing distrust and distaste for heroes, these two were heroes I could never bring myself to hate. Not only did they hate the fame, but they actually saved people, actually did something. At one point, Yamadad wanted to beat up the press for getting too nosy. In more recent years, they've stepped away from hero work, making way for the newer heroes. They are more stuck in their teaching jobs now.

"So," Hizashi started as I sipped my tea, "How is sidekick stuff going?"

I stopped and glanced at him, his green eyes as happy as ever, "Um, it's good." I found it hard to maintain eye contact when talking about this kind of stuff. He placed a hand on my shoulder to regain my attention.

"Is he being hard on you again?" He asks, his voice laced with concern.

He's funny, but being hard on me is an understatement. Yamada and Shouta haven't even seen the extent of my brother's abuse. Yes, they've seen the lighting scar and scolded him for that, but they've never seen the other bruises and bumps I've received under his employment. I nod in response, not wanting to address that further.

"Do you want us to talk to him again?" He asks softly.

This isn't the first time I've been asked this, as most young heroes take advice from the elder ones. Plus Shenzi low-key feared both of these men, I guess that asshole wasn't so high and highy after all. But despite the request, I refused.

"No, no," I say, "He's stressed, he's been trying to catch some villain, and I think it's affecting him."

"Thank not an excuse to verbally abuse you!" I hear Shouta calling from the kitchen.

Verbally abuse God, if only they both knew, but I would never tell them that. The kitten, having lost interest in me, moved to climb up Hizashi's lengthy arm. The man happily allowed the kitten to snuggle on his shoulder before he reclined back onto the couch.

"So, looking away from that dreary topic, is there anything else happening with you?"

I shrugged, my guardians had both been used to this response from me, and could tell he was slightly disappointed to see this once again.

"Seriously, kid? No hanging out, no anything, just you?" He asks.

I'm nodding, despite not enjoying this response from me, neither Yamada nor Shouta has forced me to be social. They didn't think that would do me any good, as far as I'm concerned, my agurdains are my friends.....and well maybe one other person.

"Are you seeing anybody at least?" He asks suddenly, this is the first time I've heard this question.

I had no idea how to even answer this! So I just shrugged, but that answer was enough to send my blonde-haired guardian on a frenzy, "That wasn't a no!"

I cover my ears as his quirk momentarily activates, Shota's hair stands on end, activating his own quirk to deactivate his husband's. Yamada is quick to settle down, but not without looking super excited for me.

"So," He drags out the word like an excited teenage boy, "What's he like?"

Oh, I could make a list about that; Dangerous, a fucking villain, mischievous, but ridiculously good looking.

"He's a guy," I say, shrugging, sipping my tea again.

"What, that's not an answer!" Hizashi cries out, "Isn't there anything else?"

Oh yeah, there was, but "Not really Yamada, besides, I don't think anything will come out of it.

Partly a lie, but partly the truth. I had heard Bonadge speak to me last night. I didn't expect him to answer my question, but he did, and in the softest and most genuine tone I've ever heard from someone. I also felt a soft sensation against my forehead, just before I slipped away into sleep, but I've convinced myself that the moment was just a dream. At the same time, I don't think Bondage would pursue me seriously; he was a villain, and I'm gonna be a hero. We are on two different sides of the spectrum, I'm sure once I become a full-fledged hero someday, he will just discard me. But I would savor every moment we would have to each together until then.

"Aw," My guardian whined, "I hope this doesn't hurt you too much."

Oh, Yamada, I've been hurt so many times. A guy not wanting me anymore would be numb, "I'll be ok." I just say softly.

Yamada gives a light side hug, it didn't matter if I was their biological child or if I was twenty-two, they still treated me like their own.

"Alright, kid, Shoutas making your favorite c'mon."

"You sure you don't want to stay the night?" Shouta asks, "It's pretty late."

"No, that's ok," I reply, "I've got training in the morning and patrols."

Shouta and Yamada glance at each other at my mention of that, "Ok, you let us know if there are any issues, ok?" Shouta's voice is firm.

"Yes, sir," With that, my guardians close their home, and I begin my walk back to mine.

The walk wasn't too far, but it also wasn't close, however, it was a walk that I had taken so many times that it was never anything nerve-wracking. From the corner of my eye, I see something move, I glance; nothing. The darkness was probably just playing tricks on me. But the second time that it happened, I knew it wasn't a coincidence. I heightened my senses, I was prepared for anything. While this side of town was safe, it wasn't uncommon for the occasional villain or two. Stumbling out of the darkness, there was a man who looked to be about my age. He was dressed casually, like he had just gotten done at a party. I had hoped it would be nothing more than a glance or a smile, but unfortunately, that wasn't on the radar for tonight when the man spoke.

"Hey," He greeted, "Where are you heading?"

Ugh, I hated when guys were that forward, "Just, this way," I replied.

There was no way I was telling this guy where I lived. He was giving me off vibes, I'm not sure why, but something about him was sending off all of the alarms.

"Oh, well, could I escort you?" He asked, his footsteps following me now.

"No, no, I'm good," I say, picking up my pace. I started to channel my quirk through my hands, I was ready to use it.

"C'mon baby," He insists, "I'm really good company."

This guy just wouldn't take a hint, would he? "I'm sure you are," I say back, "But I'm not looking for company right now."

Without any warning, there is a pair of arms on my body. One wrapped around my body, and the other around my mouth. He pulls me into an alley, the moonlit night disappearing and engulfing me in darkness. I started to struggle, I wasn't an idiot as to what this guy was going to do to me.

"You like playing hard to get, don't you, baby?" He asks as he slams me face-first into a wall

His hands began to travel to my belt, and something in me snapped. Throwing my head back in a quick snap, I feel our heads collide painfully. He stumbles back, whining like a bitch and holding his now bleeding nose. Seeing that, something else lit in me, I wanted to see him hurt more. Grabbing his shirt, despite his pleas for mercy, I threw him to the ground, straddling his torso and punching his face.....over and over and over again. His teeth flying from his mouth, his nose cracking and spraying more blood. My ears were then filled with his gargled breaths for survival....and that's what made me stop. My fingers, my toes, and up to my head go cold, I feel dizzy, I feel sick, I feel like I want to pass out. I stumble back, my legs are shaking....I had almost killed his guy. His blood paints my hands; he lies on the ground, struggling to breathe, coughing up bits of his teeth. A painful gag makes everything in my stomach spill out on the pavement. The sound of distant footsteps comes into my hearing as another figure rounds the corner.

"Luna," It's a voice I recognize.....Hizashi, "What the Hell happened? Are you ok?"

From behind him, I see Shouta, his capture weapon around his neck. Hizashi pulls me into a hug, but my eyes don't leave the man on the ground, the man I would have had no regret killing.

The scene is ugly, as the police did need to be called, for both counts of assault. As well as Shenzi, seeing as I'm his sidekick. I don't know what he said, but he convinced the officers to drop the charges against me. Making me look just as bad as the other heroes, covering up horrible things they did to keep their names from being dragged through the dirt. The ambulance took off, leaving only us four. Hizashi never removed his arms from me, but when Shenzi approached me, he demanded that he release me. While he was hesitant, he did. I approached my brother, my boss, and prepared myself.

"What the Hell were you thinking?" He says, through his teeth. I can tell he wants to do so much more, but he wouldn't dare while Yamada and Shouta were present.

"I wasn't," I say swiftly.

"Exactly!" He shouts, it makes me jump, "You weren't thinking and in doing so it has put a red flag on not only you, but me and the entire agency!"

"Well, what would you rather have happened, Shenzi? Have the fucker rape and kill her and then you never see her again!" Yamada shouts, his quirk dangerously close to activating.

"Of course not! But she should have done something else, used her good-for-nothing quirk!"

"That's enough!" Shouta shouts. I've rarely heard this man raise his voice, but when he does, it's bad. "Luna, go home. Shenzi, you as well."

I do as I'm told, picking up my bag and moving quickly from the alley.

"You guys baby her too much, she's never gonna make it."

That's the last thing I hear when I exit the alley. As soon as I know I'm out of sight, I sprint the rest of the way to my apartment. I almost broke the frame as I closed the door; my breathing is abnormal, and there is still dried blood under my nails. Rushing to my bathroom, I turn on my shower, crank up the heat, strip out of my clothes, and stand under. I'm not only scrubbing away the disgust on my skin, but trying to erase the feeling I had when I was beating that guy senseless. For the briefest of moments, it felt satisfying to see someone like him getting what he clearly deserved. My skin was on fire as I shook, another wave of nausea coming over me. I didn't even bother leaving the shower as I gagged, nothing but clear liquid spilling out on the bath floor. I'm still shaking once I get out of the shower, maybe sleep will free me of this night, but boy was I wrong. The moment my eyes closed, I was shrouded in darkness, images of that man's mutilated face kept replaying over and over again. All the while, a voice in the back of my head kept reminding me that I was the one to do that, that for a split second, I would have killed that man without mercy. Melting away, the man's body and face were replaced with one that I recognized; it was Shenzis. I felt that light within me again. If I got my hands on him, I would honestly have no problem watching him hurt, watching him bleed. His bloodied face then sprang to life, latching onto my throat, his quirk sending volts of electricity through my body.

"You did this," He gragled through pools of blood, "You did this to me you fucking villain."
Crying out, I desperately tried to get the hands off my neck, desperate to breathe again. As if someone answered me, I felt a sense of arms prying the hands off of me, followed by quiet hushes and a distinct call for my name. Light blinded my vision as my senses were filled with citrus....... and ash.

SERO POV

Never in my life had I seen somebody struggle this badly to sleep. Can't say I blame her though, what I just watched in the alley was nothing short of horrific, but also......exciting. I could tell she was breaking, little by little, all it took was something to set her off and to finally release years and years worth of pain, suffering, and abuse. I watched as she tossed and turned, her eyes pinching, silently begging her mind to cease the horrors it was clearly showing her. She brought her hands up to her throat, her body shaking and twitching as if she were being electrocuted.

"No!" She cries out suddenly, it's enough to make me step back.

Luna's knuckles begin to turn white as she begins to mindlessly squeeze her neck, restricting her oxygen flow. I've got to do something at this point, she's gonna suffocate herself. To do this, I crawl on top of her to straddle her torso, keeping her body from flailing anymore. Carefully taking both her wrists, I gently begin to pry her hands away from her throat, but her fingers are like a vice grip, her face has begun to turn blue; she needs to wake up. I think of the only thing I can do...its something my Mom used to do when I had nightmares as a kid; fuck, I don't think about Mom much anymore, I can't think about her.

"Shh, Shh, Luna, Luna, wake up," I whisper, all the while keeping my hands on her wrists.

Her movements begin to settle, her knuckles return to their natural color as blood starts to flow back through her fingers, and her face flushes with life. Slowly, she wakes up, her hands move to catch my wrists. Those blue eyes staring up at me, she's unfazed, she's not afraid. But she looks tired, sick, and tired of everything.

"Bondage," She says, breathlessly, no surprise there she was damn near seconds away from dying.

"Hey," I reply back, "You, uh, you ok?"

She sighs, it's a deep sigh, then she shakes her head. I'm glad she's not trying to be all cliche of, 'Oh I'm ok don't worry about me' bullshit, she's being up and honest.

"Tell me," I help her sit up and smile, it's a smile I know she likes, because she blushes every time I do it, "What's going on, I'm dying to know."

Luna glances over at her clock; two a.m., and she has to be ready for patrols at seven.

"If you want, we can talk about it tomorrow," I suggest.

"Fuck it," She declares, getting out of bed and grabbing a blanket, "I'll make some tea and we can talk."

I follow her to her main living area, she tosses her blanket on the couch, and heads to her tea kettle, filling it with water, placing it on the stove, and then waiting for it to boil. I can see a peculiar look in her eyes, not only fatigue, but uncertainty. Way more than what I've seen in the passed eight months. She joins me on her couch, flipping on her TV to some music to fill the silence, silence that I can only assume is making her uncomfortable.

She asks me a question first, "How much did you see?" Her voice is barely a whisper, her voice is cracked and parched.

"Enough," I reply. I watched her when she left her guardian's apartment all the way up until Present Mic came barreling down the alley. That's when I high-tailed it out of there and waited by her apartment. Since the scene happened close by, I was able to catch bits and pieces of what the Pros were saying. I almost wanted to jump down and slit Circuts throat when I heard him talk so illy of his own sidekick. From my standpoint, she did the right thing and gave a low-life degenerate exactly what was coming to him.

"For a second," She says again, "I liked it."

My eyes widen a tad because I was not expecting to hear that come out of her mouth, "You did?"

She nods slowly, "When I saw the blood and heard him whining....like whatever tough guy persona he had was taken away, it made me want to hurt him."

I am listening, my full attention has been given to her, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," She replies, "And in my dream, for the briefest second, I saw....him," She brings her hands to her shoulders, piercing her nails into her skin.

"Who?" I ask, I think I already know this answer, but I want to hear her say it.

"My boss, he grabbed my throat and said 'you did this to me you fucking villain!'" She pauses, her breathing has become abnormal again, "And maybe I wanted that guy in the alley to be him! Maybe I want to see that fucker hurt, hurt as much as he's hurt me for the past six fucking years! Maybe I just want to see Shenzi burn in Hell!"

I cock my eyebrow, she has never called her boss by his first name, let alone the way she said it made it sound like she's known this guy for more than six-years.

"Why does Circuit get under your skin so much, Luna?" I watch her swallow the lump in her throat, she looks like she is about to be sick for the third time tonight.

"Because he's more then just my boss," She turns to me, those blue eyes filled with nothing but pain, "He's my brother."

It feels like somebody has punched me in the stomach, the deepest bits of rage being to fill me to my core.

"He's what?" I ask, attempting not to sound like I'm about to explode.

"My brother," She repeats, she coughs out each word perfectly, as if to say 'I'm not repeating myself.' It's like having him as a brother is a curse. It all made sense now, She always talked so badly about her brother, her envy of him seeming to fuel her rage. Her boss and brother were the same exact person. The tea kettle begins to squeak loudly, indicating that her water is done. She stands to get her beverage, her legs shaking like jelly, even offering me some. I expect she adds on to more of her connections with Shenzi.

"When I graduated from U.A., Eraser and Mic thought that I being his sidekick would be good, because he is a familiar face, because he's my brother, and that he would be the perfect person to guide me."

She hands me my mug, it smells like eucalyptus, perfect for easing the mind, "I take it that it was the exact opposite?" I ask, sipping the tea.

Luna pauses before speaking again joining me back on the couch with her own drink in hand, "Yeah. You know I've always talked illy about my brother, but he makes it clear that I was nothing but a burden to the family. And well, you know the rest if you've seen it."
If I had the same quirk as Blood Riot, my cup would me shattered, "Yes, I've seen it, can't really say I liked watching it either. Do your guardians know?"

"To an extent, yeah, they got an idea of what was going on after an.....incident," She pauses, clutching her torso when she says 'incident.'

Oh fuck, I don't want to think what this incident might be, but I just need to know now.

"What was the incident?" I ask, no anger in my voice, just genuine curiosity.

Luna sips her tea, not making eye contact, "I don't think you want to know."

I sent my mug down, grabbing her face to look me in the eyes, "I think I do, Luna." This will determine whether or not I actually try and kill this hero, or give him the same treatment Dynamite is getting.

Luna sighs, setting down her tea next to mine before standing. She keeps her back turned as she takes off her t-shirt, a sports bra covering other things. She must be really comfortable around me to be able to do this. I have to contain myself, because what she is going to show is probably bad. Turning around, I'm horrified, going down the length of her body is a lightning bolt-shaped scar, and it's not just a little nick, it's huge. Also, that's not all, there are bruises painted everywhere. Some are fresh, some have yellowed from age. Oh yeah, Circuit is mine, and mine to do whatever with now.

"What the Hell happened?" I ask, looking at the scar.

"Workplace accident," she whispers, "A villain got between me and Shenzi when he was about to use his quirk. It was a direct hit.....but not on the villain."

I am absolutely shaking, fueling my hatred for heroes, Circuit in particular. "And he didn't even apologize?"

Luna shakes her head shamefully, like....it was her fault, "Eraser and Mic scolded him for it though, even told him that they were taking me out of his angency."

"But they didn't?" I ask, but why the hell not? She looks as if she is going to cry.

"Because Shenzi is a manipulative son-of-a-bitch. He convinced both of them that he would change and be better. He didn't, though he just got worse!"

"Why didn't you say anything?" I ask, my voice is louder, I'm curious as to why she kept this act up for so long.

"Because I was scared!" She shouts, and she grabs her shirt to put it back on. The bruises and scar contained beneath, "He told me that if I said anything, he threatened to tell everybody that I was responsible for my parents' death. He said he would tell everybody that I was the villain who killed a Pro hero and her husband! That they would throw me into Tartarus and treat me like like an animal."

Luna was sobbing at this point, this fucker used the fear factor to keep her quiet, "The only thing that Mic and Eraser know about is the verbal abuse, they know nothing about the beatings."

"But people know that the whole attack wasn't your fault, how could he even use that against you?"

She took a deep breath and shook out her hands, attempting to regain her composure. "Because the whole thing was covered up, the villain wasn't arrested, Shenzi killed him out of anguish for his parents' dying. The only thing they realized on the news was 'Pro hero and husband found in home dead.' That was it, nothing about villains."

I growl angrily, Blood Riot would be sick to his stomach hearing this shit. I watch as she grabs her hair, sobbing. She's not just sad in this moment; she's angry, she's hurt, and if I could, I would take that all away.

"And all of the stupid Pros that he would bring in to show off his skills. He would use me as his opponent! His weakest sidekick and nobody did a damn thing when he would beat the piss out of me!" She starts to claw at her face and head, her breathing is not paced safely. Standing, I try my best to comfort her, but theirs only so much I can do.

"Hey, hey relax," I grab her hands as she shakes her head, she starts to fight back, punching me, going for my legs, "Luna, stop!"

She does, leaning forward to rest on me, taking her hands I form them in a cross on her chest as she starts to regain herself, "Thats right, deep breaths." I squeeze her close, hearing her relax with each breath, until her knees start to give out.

"You're tired," I say, "We will talk more tomorrow."

With the couch right behind us and her about to collapse, I felt that putting her there would be the best option. But there was no way I was leaving her alone, not after what she told me. So I sit first, laying her on my chest and covering her with the blanket she had brought out earlier. I can feel her lips forming into a smile.

"Thank you," She whispers. She sounds so grateful.

"Don't mention it," I reply, carefully running my fingers through her light brown locks, removing any tangling.

"Did you really mean what you said last night?" She mumbles, my breath hitches, "That I was important to you?"

I wrap my arms around her, pressing my face into her hair, "Yes, every word of it," I whisper in response.

She chuckles, "I knew I wasn't just dreaming, I like you Bondage."

My breath gets caught in my throat, She likes me? Not what I had planned to happen, I mean, I like her....love her, but I didn't expect her to like me back. Hearing that makes my stomach feel light, lighter than it's ever felt in years. My smile begins to creep onto my face, but not the sinister one I've used on so many people, but a genuine one, one that I haven't used since I was a child.

"Hanta," I say, I can't believe I'm doing this.

"Hm?" She questions, no surprise.

"That's my name, Hanta Sero," I feel weird. I've never told anybody outside of the club my actual name, because it died the moment 'she' was taken away from me. But that's for another time.

Luna chuckles again, "Oh, that's a nice name." She repeats what she said before, using my name instead, "I like you, Hanta."

With that, she falls asleep more comfortably than what she did before. Dipping my head down to once again bury my face into her hair, breathing in her ocean breeze smell, I whisper one more thing.

"I like you too Luna Izumi.....more than you realize."

Chapter Text

LUNA POV

I awaken with an aching pain in my back. Looking around, I realize I'm not in my bedroom, but on the couch. My blanket was delicately draped over me to keep me covered through the night. As I look around, forcing my body to keep waking up, I see something on my coffee table, a perfectly handwritten note in the most beautiful handwriting I've seen. The note reads, 'I had to leave, but I will be back tonight to talk; HS.' My face feels hot reading this, because I remember everything that transpired the night before, my stomach swirling unsteadily, but settling thinking about Bondage, no, Sero. He listened to me, he let me spill everything. On one end is good, but another end could be bad. For all I know, he could inform his 'boss' and they could come here and kill me. That probably wouldn't be such a bad thing, though. He also shared his name with me. That's something sacred to villains, it's something that keeps them hidden. He must trust me a lot to be able to share that with me. And his trust I won't break, I won't tell a soul his name/ But I can't help but think back to that moment in the alley. I know that Shenzi is going to have my ass for it when I get to work. Standing up, the bones in my body crack into place. I'll have to do some stretches before our patrols, because I'm definitely going to have trouble keeping up. After a quick shower and a quick cup of coffee, I head off to the agency, absolutely dreading what awaits me there.

When I arrive at the agency, the air is noticeably thick, the atmosphere is tense. Looking around at the other sidekicks, they start whispering, pointing, and making eye contact with me. Great, Shenzi just couldn't wait to tell all of his sidekicks what I had done; he probably told them all I was a psychopath or something. From his office, he appears, he has a smug look on his face, like he's about to do something, and he is going to get away with it.

"Ah, Luna," His voice is.......cheerful, way too cheerful to be talking to me. It's a voice that scares me, even more than the villain I'm associated with: "Come with me, we need to discuss something."

Rolling my eyes and swallowing, I follow him to the training room. Taking note of the quiet 'Good luck,' coming from one of the sidekicks. As we enter the training room, I take note of how uncomfortably eerie it is. Shenzi is standing right in the middle of the room, his back is to me, but I can tell he is fuming.

"Beginning stance," He says monotony.

I obey, like I've done for years, but I'm shocked when he doesn't attack, or even get into his own stance. Instead, he starts to circle me, his eyes glissing in the dark room. The way he rounds me isn't like a lion, no, it's like a snake. His very presence is suffocating.

"Four hours," He starts to say, "That's how long that situation took to clear up, Luna."

He bites out my name, like saying it makes him sick. I am watching him around me, my heart is racing. Not out of anticipation, but fear, I'm watching his hands in particular, the green volts dancing around his fingers threatening to shoot out at any moment.

"I-I'm sorry, sir," I say, it's the only thing I can say. Even though I partially don't mean it.

"Sorry?" The green volts get bigger. "You're sorry!" He shoots a large bolt towards me, I'm quick to dodge, no way am I going to sport a new scar.

"You almost killed that guy!" He shouts, shooting more volts in my direction.

"I know, but," I pause, "He honestly had it coming!" I snap. I've never raised my voice like this to him, "People like him need to be shown lessons like that more often."

Shenzi stomps over, "Even if it means beating them till near death?" He grabs my arms, his quirk threatening my body.

"You're one to talk!" I shout, "I know the kind of shit you've done. You've got more blood on your hands than I do!"

"You keep your fucking mouth shut you little bitch!" Shenzi hated to hear that, because it was true. A real kick to his pride, and he's 'oh so perfect reputation'

"But you know it's true! You're a fucking liar just like all the other heroes now and menace to society!" I am practically repeating Sero's words now, because everything he's told me is right.

"Why you little-"

"Sir!" Just as Shenzi was about to kick my ass, one of his other sidekicks came running in, panicked in his eyes, "There is an emergency on the east side of the city!"
Shenzi nods his head professionally, then looks back at me, "I'll deal with you later, for now let's go!"

We get to the emergency, and too say its a madhouse is an understatement; the scene is fucking chaos.

"Ok, you guys go after the civilians, Luna, you're with me," Shenzi calls out.

He never calls me by my hero name in the field, but at this point.....I don't care. I follow him through the allies, we are looking for the villain. A part of me deep down can only pray it's not Bondage; he would show Shenzi no mercy after what went down the night before. We then begin to climb up an apartment building, which is abandoned, so it's no surprise that a villain would be hiding here. Once we are inside a room, Shenzi listens out, and so do I. Everything is quiet...too quiet, it's like something could jump out at any moment. My theory is correct when we hear a creaking coming from above us, but it's not the creaking you hear when someone is walking, no, it's the sound of something failing. The roof caves in...water pipes blowing and filling the room. Using my quirk, I push back what I can. There is a small opening, just enough for us to fit through, but we have to be quick.

"Go now!" I shout out, pointing my head towards our exit.

I follow close behind Shenzi, because once he's out, he'll have to pull me through. After all, my quirks's not going to hold. My boss crawls through the opening, looking back at me and the filing room. I reach one of my hands up so he can pull me through the opening, but he just stands there...staring at me.

"What are you waiting for? I can't hold this much longer!" I shout.

Shenzi looks over at something, a piece of the roof that is barely stable, and that could......cave me in. My eyes fill with panic as I realize what he is about to do.

"Don't," I start to say, but he looks me dead in the eye as he closes me into the flooding room, "Shenzi, don't! Please!"

But my yelling is useless, as I watch him run away, ignoring my cries. My heart shatters, and my eyes well up with tears. My hands begin to give out as my energy is wasted on a flooded room. Just as my quirk gives out, the water that I had been keeping away floods the room instantly. I instantly go into panic mode as water surrounds me. I never learned how to hold my breath for a long period, I swim around looking for an opening.....anything, but I am caved in. My heart sinks as I realize this is the end of the road for me and what a damn way to go. My panic increases as I run out of air, and I open my mouth, water flooding my lungs, it burns, it hurts....I want it to stop. That's all I remember, before everything went black.

SERO POV

I am so livid right now, no livid isn't even enough, angry isn't enough. Not with what I had just witnessed. Circuit abandoning Luna in a flooded building. I knew I would need to act fast or she would drown.....and I would lose her. However, this was the last straw, the mother fucker was mine, I would need Riot to not target him anymore. I found a small opening on the side of the building. I knew how to swim more or less, but I had one goal in mind, and that was to get Luna out of her and far away from the scene. I found her floating, motionless, her lips blue. Fuck, fuck, fuck, no. Wrapping her in my arms, I dragged her to the roof, lay her on her back, and did the only thing I could think to do; I plugged her nose and blew three mouthfuls of air into her lungs. She still didn't move, so locking my knuckles together, I compressed into her chest, she would hate me for breaking her ribs, but I'm trying to get the water out of her.

"C'mon," I say through my teeth, "C'mon, breathe."

I plug her nose again, blowing three more breaths into her, but she remains still. So help me God, she dies, I will torture her brother until he is begging for death. I'm feeling desperate, I'm feeling hurt. These are feelings I never thought I'd feel.

"C'mon, Luna," I say, my voice beginning to crack, "C'mon, breathe, baby."

I can't believe I called her that, but I don't care. From her mouth, water spills like a fountain, her eyes crack open, and she begins to take in air, "Sero," She whispers.

"Oh, thank God!" I say, helping her sit up so she can spit out the rest of the water in her lungs. She goes, in painful gags and coughs. I'm patting her back to help her, but there is more coming from her than her expelling the liquid in her lungs. Her gags are mixed with hysterical sobs, and oh my God, and do not blame her. He coughs up the last of the water, nothing but the sounds of despair replacing the sounds of pain.

"Hey, come here," I say, wrapping my arms around her. I cradle her close, I am so angry for her.

"He left me," She cries, "He left me to die!"

"And you would have," I added, "Had I not been watching you."

Her crying ceases for a second as she chuckles, "You're creepy."

This comment coaxed a chuckle out of me, too: "Just now figuring that out."

I get her to laugh again, it sounds so good to hear that, even when it's covered by sadness. Her laughing stops when she coughs again, another puddle of water soaking her front more than it already is. As much as I want to follow Circuit, corner him, and play with him, I need to focus on Luna right now.

"Here," I start, "Wrap your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist."

She weakly does so, her grip is very strong, to be expected after almost dying and using up your quirk, I'm sure, after some rest, she'll be back to normal. I watch as she dozes off, I make sure she's still breathing, and once I make sure she is secured to me, I take off on the side of the building, using my tape to travel quickly. I know exactly where to take her....she'd feel welcomed and understood. And maybe, just maybe, she'll finally want to hurt Shenzi, just as much as he's hurt her. But that will come soon. I arrive at our destination, her arms and legs giving out the moment I'm on the ground. I'm quick to hold her; she's still asleep, her chest rising up and down in a slow and steady pace. I can hear the music before I'm even inside, how this place is still hidden I'll never know, probably because this is a shitty side of town and nobody ever comes over here. Holding her close, I enter the place that booms with music; the hideout. All heads turn to me the moment I enter, one set approaches me: Blood Riot.

"Sero!" He shouts, "Where the hell have you been?" He looks down at my arms, "And who the hell is that?"

My grip on Luna tightens, "Remember the 'little friend' I kept watching, well..."

Riot looks down at her, I wish he had been meeting Luna under better circumstances. "Oh, so this is her...in the flesh." My boss circles me holding her, trying to take in every detail....and to make sure she is not a spy, "What happened to her? She's soaked."

I feel myself fuming, "Turn on the news for more. But long story short, she was left in a building to drown, and I barely got her out. She was turning blue, Riot."

The aura around him shifts evilly. "Who left her there?" He asks, and he can already tell what the answer is going to be.

"Her boss," I say, short, sweet, and to the point, "The hero I've been toying with for years now."

Blood Riots' fists clench up, "Do you need some assistance? I can bring him here, and you can do whatever you want with him."
I chuckle, "Thanks, but no thanks. He's mine and well," I mean this as a joke, "I guess I'm just a little bit nicer then you are, because when I finally get my hands on him...he's fucking dead."

Blood Riot chuckles because he knows what I mean, I know what he's done to Dynamite, everybody knows. He looks down at the sleeping woman before asking something.

"Put her somewhere safe for now, I'd love more details about her.....and when she wakes up," He smiles, it's a smile that he only shows around ones he trusts, "I'd like to meet her officially."

Nodding, I take her to my room, and I get nothing, but I don't care. After laying her down on my bed, I go to my closet, pulling out a towel to keep her warm, but also to hopefully help her clothes dry. I would have to ask Mina to help her find something new to wear. She looks so peaceful sleeping now, I'm not sure if it was because she was sleeping on me, or if she has made her decision....about....becoming a villain. I kneel down to her face, putting my forehead against hers, "I'll be back, just rest."

Before I go back up to speak with Blood Riot, I keep the light on in my room, I don't want her waking up to complete darkness. The moment I'm back in the main bar area, Riot meets my eyes and he motions for me over, indicating it's time for our conversation. Nodding, I march over to him, and he takes me to his private office. Thankfully, it's not the one he holds Dynamite in. While I agree that Katsuki Bakugou is getting what he deserves for all he's done, seeing what Riot does to him makes me feel queasy. He offers me whiskey and I join him on a futon.

"Alright, Bondage," He starts, "Tell me what you know."

I sip my drink, "Well, for one, I was exactly right, as you could see. She was in a abusive relationship with her boss, who is also a hero and her brother to add to the fucking mess; That fucker has to much fun with his power trip."

Riot growls, he knows all do damn good and well that most heroes are like this.

"But, she's been through so much more. Her parents were killed, and that lowlife threatened to throw her under the bus for it."

My boss laughs, "Oh! I still have articles for that; 'Pro hero found dead in home with her husband,' But" He goes over to his desk, pulls out a folder and hands it to me. "They seemed to miss one big detail."

I open the contents of the folder and see that it's the abandoned news story of Shenzi killing the very villain that murdered his and Luna's parents. I feel excited to have this in my possession.

"Luna needs to see this," I whisper, handing the folder back to my boss.

"I'd be happy to give it to her, once she wakes up."

I grin, it's one of my evil grins, one that I've used countless times to strike fear into hundreds of people, "I think after today, Luna has finally seen the full truth."

Chapter Text

LUNA POV

Yesterday, I woke up in a place that wasn't my bed, but it was my couch....in the comfort of my apartment. As I begin to regain my consciousness, my nose breathes in a smell that I do not recognize in the slightest. A smell I can only describe as sweat, alcohol, drugs, and sex. It invades my senses, making my eyes shoot open at the realization that I am somewhere I don't know, hits me in the face. Sitting up, I am rushed with dizziness, my throat burning from past irritation. I take a moment to breathe....God, am I grateful to be breathing after......I don't want to think about that. But where was I? The last thing I remember was seeing Sero; he picked me up, and I think I blacked out again. Along with the distasteful smell, the distant sound of booming music could be heard from above me. Was I in a club? And in the basement of said club? Looking around, I take in my surroundings, I am on a bed.....cushioned by soft black and orange blankets. The walls are made of brick, and the floor is covered in tan carpet. Deployed in the room is a table, a bookshelf, and a closet. Ok, so maybe this was a bedroom below somewhere? And it had to be downstairs, because all the noise was coming from above me. I want to look around, but I was always taught that going through people's things was rude.....despite what I know now, I will always respect someone's privacy. But the walls were decorated, so I don't think it would hurt to look at the things on the walls. Standing up, my hero costume squelches, having still been soaked. I would need to get a change of clothes.....and a bath....yeah, a hot bath would be great later. The cold air nips at my body, making me shiver.... Oh yeah, definitely taking a hot bath later. I head to the closest wall to me, the bricks are hidden by a large map...not a full map of Tokyo, but a good chunk of the city. My eyes dance around the map, taking note of the bright, red ball pins attached to certain locations......one of them is my address! And the address of the agency! Whoever maps this is knows me, I turn around to the opposite wall, and this wall is covered in newspaper clippings. These are articles I've never even seen.....didn't even know about some of these. But one name kept popping up: Circuit. The name makes me feel sick to my stomach now, but the articles were nothing but destruction. How he destroyed properties, tore families apart.....killed people. And got away with all of it. My stomach began to swirl uneasily.....would he get away with what he did to me. Surely not! I'm still alive, I could say something.....but when? How? I start to feel sick when I hear footsteps coming from behind me, approaching the wooden door that conceals the room from whatever is outside. I begin to channel my quirk through my hands, a slight ache coming from my arms, having not rested them for very long. The door opens, my hands fly up, but I cease the water that comes spraying from my hands. I am met with a pair of whiskey eyes I've grown to find comfort in.

"I see you're awake," His smile stretches across his face, "Thats a relief."

My hands lower back down, easing the tension coursing through them, "Sero," I breathe.

He strides over to me quickly, taking me in his arms. It's so sudden.....But I like it. Hesitantly, I return his embrace, locking my fingers behind his back.

"How are you feeling?" He asks quietly.

"Besides soaking wet and a little bit sore.....I'm ok."

"Mentally?" He asks again,

Now that I'm not ok, so I shake my head, "Hanging by a thread," I reply truthfully.

I can feel his fingers going through my hair, it feels good.....it feels natural.

"Everything is going to be ok," He whispers, "He will never hurt you again."

I want to cry again, but for some reason.....the tears don't come, instead it's replaced by a warmth that I can't even describe.

"Hey," He starts, "I know there is a lot to do, but before anything happens....there's someone I need you to meet."

"O-ok?" I say....I'm confused.

Sero pulls away, I'm saddened by the loss of warmth. I watch as he runs up the set of stairs outside the door. So the room was downstairs; I was right. Turning back to the news articles, I can feel the pain return...this deep sadness, but also this deep hatred and loathing for Shenzi. I just can't believe he'd stoop even lower than what he has. Footsteps return to the stairs, so I turn back to see. Sero enters the room, but behind him is someone who makes my blood go cold. Spiky red hair and piercing red eyes, his features are sharp like daggers, and his teeth are like sharks when he smiles. I know exactly who this is: Blood Riot. A feared villain in the city, a ruthless killer showing no mercy to heroes and sidekicks alike. I want to scream, but the only thing that comes out is a pained wail. My body reacts on its own, stepping back into the closet door, clawing at the surface to get away. But the villain just stands there watching me. Sro comes over to me, cradling my face, his thumbs running soothing circles on my cheeks.

"Hey, hey....he's not here to hurt you," He says.

My body still shakes as I regain my composure, his eyes burning into my head. The villain approaches me, his boots shake the room even though we aren't even on the ground level. He is face to face with me, I can feel the evil aura all around him....he smells like death, but also moss.

"It's a pleasure to be finally meeting you, Luna Izumi."

His smile widens as he holds out a hand. I swallow down my fear and reach forward. He is so strong when he grabs my hand. It's almost like he could crush my bones like toothpicks if he wanted to.

"I take it from your reaction, you already know who I am."

I nod slowly, my body still shaking, because I have never been this close to a high-ranking villain, "Y-Yes, sir," I whisper.

"No, just call me Riot, none of that sir crap," He bites out, but his smile never falters, "We have much to discuss, butI have a feeling you don't want to be in those wet clothes any more."

I nod, because yes.....I was cold, and I could feel certain parts of my body beginning to blister.

"I know exactly who can help with that," Blood Riot declares, "Come."

Instinctively, I latch onto Seros' arm. I can't help it, he's probably the only one in the place that I know. I feel his body vibrate with a chuckle, before I feel his hand cover mine....my face burns.

"Nobody here is going to hurt you.....I promise."

I nod again, that's a big promise seeing as I am now in a hideout that houses villains and I am just an outsider.

Once we climbed to the top of the stairs, the music that was once just light booms now filled my ears. The smell of cigarettes and alcohol became more pungent, and the feeling of lust and death filled every corner.

"Mina!" Riot calls out, I am surprised anybody can hear anything here.

From the crown a woman emerges. Her skin and hair are a light and dusty shade of pink, her eyes are yellow with black scleras and a small set of horns peek out of her hair. She is dressed fashionably, with a magenta leopard print tube top and black legs hugging her legs in all of the right places. To add to her height she wears stiletto heels and to cover more skin she has a hoodie.

"Hey Riot!" She replies in a cheerful tone, she sounds out of breath...as if she had been dancing.

Blood Riot holds out a hand, indicating for Sero to bring me forward. Though he is hesitant, he does so.

"Oh, who is this!" She shouts. I can see she is chewing on gum as she talks.

"This is Luna Izumi," He responds.

Mina's face turns to one of surprise, I can only assume my presence here was going to be expected.

"As you can see, she is soaked to the bone. Do you think you can help with that?"

The pink girl jumps up and down excitedly, "Oh, a new outfit! I'm on it!"

She grabs my arm and begins to drag me away. I can only hope and pray she doesn't plan to kill me. But seeing the look on Sero's face tells me that she would wind up dead as well if that were to happen. Mina guides me up another set of stairs, coming up to a bar area and more doors. Each one decorated....decorated in a way that you would display that the room belonged to you. Mina takes me to a door that is right in the middle, leading me inside. Her room smells like sweet peas and bubblegum. Decorated like an early 2000's teenagers room with more leopard prints and pinks. I feel so weird, but also oddly comfortable.

"Here sit!" She declares, pulling up a chair for me.

I sit quietly, but I also watch as Mina uses her hands to observe my face.

"Hmm, let's see. Short brown hair, pale skin, bright blue eyes, and a water quirk," she pauses and thinks, "I've got it!"

Running over to her closet, she pulls out some clothes and a pair of shoes, but she is too quick for me to see what she has. Mina skips over to me, the clothing is all folded up and on top of the stack I can now see she had grabbed a pair of grey, rhinestone adorned, heeled ankle boots.

"Here!" She declares, "I think these will suit you!"

I nod and carefully take the clothes. Mina points to a foldable wall for me to change behind and carefully walk behind. I am quick to rid myself of my cold, wet hero costume. My hero costume.....I look at the black clothing, the boots, and the accessories. Looking at that makes me feel ill. I see Mina's hand reach around to grab the wet pile of clothes.

"I can dry these for you if you want," She calls over cheerfully.

I never want to see those clothes again, "No," I say, "Just get rid of them, please."

"Are you sure? This top is pretty cute!"

While yes, my hero costume was something I enjoyed wearing.....I could no longer look at it without feeling some sort of pain.

"I'm sure, Mina," I say back.

"Okie dokie!" She replies as I hear her bedroom door close.

With those out of the way, I slip into the clothes that she picked out. Each piece fits like a glove, which surprises me. The outfit consists of a pair of acid-washed, ripped skinny jeans, the boots, and a black top styled as a tube top, but the sleeves up to the neck are lacey. Giving off a modest, but also sexy appearance. Just as I finish slipping on the shirt, the door closes again, indicating that Mina has returned. Taking a breath, a step from behind the changing wall, the look on Mina's face is something I will never forget. Her eyes go wide, as if she is looking at a precious gem, but....she's just looking at me.

"Does it look ok?" I ask meekly.

"Ok?" she asks, "Ok! Luna, you look so pretty!"

I can feel my face burning up again. I've never had anybody call me pretty before. Mina looks so giddy and excited; It makes me wonder what she did to be labeled as a villain. That's not something I'm going to be asking though.

"Ok, ok, now sit here!" She pulls over two fluffy pink chairs.

I do as she says, sitting down and feeling relaxed at the cushiony surface. Mina goes over to a vanity, digging around and coming over to me with a hair brush, a flat iron and a bag full of make-up. I gulp seeing all of the beauty items.

"Ok! Have you ever done make-up before?" She asks, foundation and a makeup sponge in her hand.

My response is a shake of my head, because I never knew how to put on make-up...mainly because I wasn't allowed to wear it.

"What!" Mina replies.

"I, uh, wasn't allowed to wear it."

"How come!" She shouts, and her face is pouty.

"My," I can't even say, "My boss didn't like it....said I would look like a slut."

The look of disgust on her face could be seen for miles. But without another word she starts to apply the creamy make up to my face.

"Well, he obviously was not very observant, because the costume you were wearing was definitely worse than wearing make-up. No offense."

"None taken," I reply, closing my eyes and feeling how gentle she is with my face.

"He obviously doesn't know a thing about beauty, because these blue eyes of yours are just dying to be brought out!" She then proceeds to use some blue eyeshadow on my eyelids.

It's taking everything I've got not to cry again, "I don't think he gave two shits about me....he never did."

Mina slows down a little bit, she is quick with a tissue dabbing under my eyes to prevent my pain from spilling out.

"What exactly happened? If you don't mind me asking" She asks, dabbing on some more eyeshadow, "Bondage wouldn't say anything, neither would Riot."

"He um, left me in a building to drown," I whisper as she finishes with the eyeshadow, "bonadge saved me."

I can hear a growl come from her as she pulls out eye liner next, but followed by a chuckle, "He's got a soft spot for you, which isn't something that happens often. The only 'soft spots' he has are everyone here...and there's not very many of us."

Mina starts doing some kind of intricate design around my left eye with the eyeliner, "I can't teach you how to do this, if you like how it turns out!"

I nod because I would like that. Once she finishes, she finalizes the makeup with black mascara and a setting powder.

"Ok, now lets see what we can do with your hair," She declares, taking a bit of my ends in her fingers, "Hm, these ends are uneven, did you cut this yourself?"

I nod, "Yep, I think it was the only time I rebelled against my boss. He liked my hair to begin long, and I didn't, so I cut it all off," I pause....thinking back to the day I had first done that. "I don't want to talk about what happened afterwards."

Mina brushes back my hair a little but, "There, your hair is short, but it naturally has a messy look to it. So once your hair dries, you should be good."

She takes my hands to help me stand. "Hmm, something is still missing." She pauses for a moment to think, "I got it!"

I watch as she excitedly goes back to her wardrobe, pulling out two things. Around my neck, she put a choker, decorated with the same rhinestones as my boots, and then she handed me a leather jacket; it was colored a pretty blue. The jacket fits just as well as the other clothes, and just like that, my look is complete. Mina leads me to a mirror, and the girl looking back at me looks so different, but she feels so familiar. Like this is who's been hiding within me, just waiting to come out.

"There," She declares, "You look amazing! Ready to greet the crowd?"

I look over at her door and take in a reassuring breath, "As ready as I'll ever be."

SERO POV

I watch as Mina takes Luna up to her room. Though I am weary of this, I must remind myself who Mina is. While yes, she is a villain like everybody here, she has a soft spot for women...especially ones who have clear signs of abuse. Having come from an abusive background herself, it took her forever to even trust the guys here. But that trust was gained when Blood Riot did everything possible to keep Minas' abuser from ever finding her again. As I wait for Luna, I go over to the shared bar, grabbing my favorite whiskey and downing a shot. Washing away my worries with alcohol.

"Hey Bondage!" I look, and there is Voltage, coming close to me in long strides, "Feels like I haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?"

I close at my electric companion, "Places that are none of your business."

He puts his hands up defensively, "Well alright then," He proceeded to grab a bottle of vodka, making himself a drink before leaning against the bar with me, "I couldn't help but notice your little friend from afar."

My eyes darted to him, glaring daggers into his face, "Yeah, what of it?"

He chuckles, sipping his beverage, "Just have to say, she is very, very lovely."

This time I sent him a warning, "Touch her and I'll-"

"Hey," he defends again, "I'm not going to touch what does not belong to me, but when will I get to meet her?"

My body relaxes, because once again I must remind myself of who Voltage is; Or rather, Denki Kaminari. His heart will forever be engraved with one name, he will never settle for anyone else. In fact, that name is what fuels his hatred for the hero society.

"Soon," I reply, downing the rest of my whisky, the burning liquid comforting me down to my core.

I watch as Mina leaves her room, Luna not with her. But I take note of what is in her arms....Luna's soaked hero uniform. She strides over to one of our fire barrels, looks at the costume, and discards it into the fire. Wanting to see what's going on, I go over, the warmth from the flames consuming me.

"What are you doing?" I ask Mina nonchalantly.

Together we watched as the flames ate up the clothes, "She didn't want the uniform anymore, she looked like she was about to be sick when she looked at it."

My head nods in agreement, "She'll probably explain what happened, but trust me... It's for the best."

Mina nods too, going back to her bedroom, where I know Luna is.... And honestly, I want to see her again, but I must wait. Next, I go over to Blood Riot, who has turned on the TV to showcase the villain attack that almost cost Luna her life.

"Who did it?" I ask because I didn't even catch who caused the whole scene, not that I cared.

Riot shrugs his shoulders, "I have no idea, probably some low-class villain wanting to stir the pot. But damn they were good, they took out that whole building."

I look at the chaos on screen, paramedics and other heroes on scene, and.......Shenzi. My blood boils just looking at him. Just as I was about to punch the TV, I heard a familiar voice: Mina's. Turning around, I do indeed see Mina at the top of the stairs, but following her is Luna. Oh my God, she is....gorgeous, words cannot describe how she looked. Mina leads Luna through the crowd, bringing her to both me and Riot.

"There, don't you feel better?" Mina asks Luna.

"Much better, thank you."

With that, Mina skips over to the bar, joining Denki in having a drink. I can feel my eyes wandering, my smile stretching across my face.

"Hey," Luna says, smiling back up at me. Her arms are folded uncomfortably.

"Hey," I reply, unwrapping her arms, "You look, just wow!"

Luna chuckles. I'm so happy to see that her smile is returning, but I would give anything to see it in its full light.

"Mina treated me like a big dress-up doll," Luna says, looking up at me.

"That's just Mina, the fashionista of the family, you could say."

From behind Luna, Voltage approaches.

"Oh, is this the lovely friend that I have been eagerly waiting to meet?"

God, this guy could be so irritating, but I suppose that introductions were in order, that Denki was just being Denki, overly charming and friendly, especially to beautiful girls.

"Uh, hi," Luna said nervously, "I'm Luna."

Denki delicately takes her hand, placing a kiss on her knuckles. Fuck, I wanna punch this guy!

"Pleasure to be meeting you, people here call me Voltage Sparks, or just Voltage."

Luna pulls her hand back, shaking it uncomfortably, "Nice to meet you."

He chuckles, it's the one he uses to scare people, "I kinda wondered when you would finally make an appearance here, Bondage here would never stop talking about you."

I can feel my face heat up with embarrassment, Luna too is blushing, "Dude, I'm gonna beat your ass."

Denki laughs, "Ok, ok, I'm done teasing you. Welcome...Luna."

He wiggles his eyebrows at her, Oh yeah, I'm gonna slander him later.

"He's um, friendly," Luna says.

"Yeah, that's just him, though," I reply. He has always been like this, but I think it could be due to trauma as well. He can tell Luna that story when he is ready. She will eventually learn everyone's real names here, well, maybe except for Riots. He's never told anybody his name. Just as she is about to speak again, the room goes silent, and Shenzi's voice comes through the speakers.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of someone who would have been a great hero."

Luna looks at the TV, her eyes widening. I look at her brother, the crocodile tears, and yet people still side with him.

"My sweet little sister was trapped in a flooded building. I tried to save her, but she was too far gone."

Everyone looks at Luna, she begins to shake.

"Think, in this time of grief, we must work together to move on, and I will do my part in supporting my agency and keeping them in good spirits. For, I think Luna would have wanted that."

I can see the look in Shenzi's eyes. He knows Lunas not dead, but he will keep up that ficade to save his stupid ass. Looking at Luna, I watch her closely, we all do. As the final nail in her coffin strikes....as all, if any, trust in heroism.....was shattered.

Chapter Text

LUNA POV

I stare at the TV in absolute disbelief. How? How could Shenzi say this with a straight face? However, his face isn't straight. At least when you look at it with the naked eye, there is a gleam of uncertainty in his eyes. Like this time, Shenzi knows he's fucked up. Unlike all of the other times he had killed without mercy, he almost looks regretful here. But along with the uncertainty, he knows I'm not dead.....they would have found me. But Shenzi will lie his ass off.

"He's a lair," I whisper, my body starts to shake, "He's a fucking liar!"

I leap forward, I want to scratch up his stupid face, but I also want the world to know what he did to me and to many other people, whether they were villains or not. A set of arms holds me back, his voice so calm and collected, even if it is laced with the same anger I'm feeling.

"Give it time, Luna," He whispers. He begins to whisper sweet nothings into my ear, in hopes of it calming me down.

"They need to know, he needs to pay!"

Blood Riot approaches me, getting level with me so our eyes meet, "And he will pay Luna, but for now, let his mistake and his uncertainty linger. It will make the end results all the more great."

He begins to chuckle, then, in my ear, so does Sero. Everyone around me, I can feel their auras around me. It's so evil, it's so engulfing, but it's also so broken. Like each person here became a villain for a reason, all of them most definitely had blood on their hands, but they all had this same pained and shattered glaze in their eyes. The relationship I have with these people is much stronger than I could believe, because whether I wanted to deny it or not, I was just as broken, just as pained. And...there was blood on my hands, just a day prior...I had almost killed someone. And I totally would have, because that prick deserved to die. The TV went black, I felt relief but also disappointment. I just wanted to see that look of pain, regret, and uncertainty again.

"Looks like we have a lot to discuss," Riot chimed, "I'd say let's get started."

The arms around me release, but the evil aura doesn't leave. Blood Riot motions me to follow him, but just as I do so, Seros's hand grabs my arm, firmly but gently.

"Wait, Riot, why are you taking her....there? Does she need to see that?

See what? That's all I'm thinking. Blood Riot smiles as he turns around.

"Just a peek for her Sero, so she can see what could become of her boss."

I look back at Sero, his eyes are dark with questions, but his face reads protection. I make a move I've never done before, just little steps wouldn't be weird, right? I cup his face with my face, this snaps him out of his trance, those eyes moving down to me.

"I'll be fine, Sero." Saying his real name feels weird, for so long I had called him by Bondage, but now saying his name, I feel that same intimacy I felt when he sat on my couch for the first time. He sighs, releasing my arm.

"If you feel uncomfortable, then just leave," He says, his voice pleading.

"I think she can handle it, Bondage," Riot calls.

He's right, I can probably handle it. It's not like I haven't been scarred for life.

"I'll just be around, then," Sero declared, "You know who to look for."

As he walks away, he flashes me his signature Cheshire cat-like grin. He then strides deeper into the hideout. Once he's far enough away, I follow Blood Riot. I've always been afraid of villains, even Sero. He would have a cow if I had ever told him I'm not scared. But despite the fear, I do feel safe. Because I know that if any of these villains wanted to kill me, they would have done it already. We get to a room in the farthest area of the hideout, Riot opens the door.

"Ladies first," He motions to the door for me to enter.

I give him an odd look as I enter, a look that he responds to with humor.

"What, just because I'm a ruthless killer doesn't mean I don't have manners."

This made me smirk a little bit, but when I stepped into Blood Riot's room, I felt sick. I think he could sense this too, because from behind I could feel him smiling. In the corner of his room, there was a man. He had blonde spiky hair and piercing red eyes, but that wasn't even the part that made me feel queasy. This man had his hands chained behind his back, chained to the wall, and on his knees. He looked up at hearing the door open, in his mouth was a ball gag, his teeth baring past the round black toy. His face was stained with tears, blood, and bruises, but all of that was covered with a deep and unbreakable loathing. He slowly growled as we both stared at him, you could practically see the humiliation flooding from him.

"W-who is-" I was about to say, but Blood Riot paused me.

"Look closer, you'll know."

I slowly approached the man, he couldn't get to me due to the chains. His growling got louder, now that I was closer, he did look familiar, I just couldn't put my finger on it. That's when my eyes went to the wall behind him. It was just like the wall in Seros' room, but every article on this wall said.......

"Dynamite?" I whispered, That's why he was familiar.....fuck I went to school with with too, just the class below.

I watched his eyes leave mine, like he hadn't been called that in a while. And frankly, I haven't seen him for a while. It had been a year since he disappeared mysteriously, and he had worked with Shenzi before. In fact, I remember when Shenzi brough Dynamite into the agency and he beat the crap out of me. His motive: he hoped that having the number-one hero there would make me do better. News flash, it didn't. The only thing I can give to this guy is that he didn't laugh at me, but I could still sense his disapproval.

"You don't have to call him that here. His real name is Bakugou Katsuki."Riot whispered, and he began approaching us.

"This is Luna, Bakugou, another poor sidekick abused by a hero. Maybe you know him,

Circuit?"

He sat there silently, not looking up at Riot. That didn't stop the villain from getting his answer, as he grabbed his shirt and brought the ex-hero up to his face, "Answer me, Katsuki!"
Despite Bakugou growling and trying to maintain his 'tough guy' persona, I could tell he was scared shitless and had been absolutely traumatized. The blonde nodded, giving Riot the response he needed. Very roughly, he dropped Bakugou back onto the ground, earning a series of coughs. Riot moves to a couch seated across the room. He offers me a spot next to him, and Bakugou's eyes don't leave mine. Once I am seated, Blood Riot clears his throat.

"So, Luna," He starts, "Tell me your story."

"How much?" I ask.

"All of it, leave out no details."

Twiddling my fingers and taking a deep breath, I begin.

"I was born into a family that didn't care about me. My mother was a well-known Pro Hero, and my father was just a respected man in the community. My brother was the golden child, and well, I don't think having a second kid was in my parents' plans."

"My brother's quirk gave him the ability to manifest lightning, but mine...I just got a milder version of my father's quirk. My parents only cared enough to keep me alive, but Shezi was praised for everything he did. He went to U.A. and became a Pro Hero just like our Mom."
"What did you do?" Riot asks.

"Nothing," I reply, "My parents said that they couldn't waste their time on a quirk that wouldn't get anywhere."

My breath shakes as I continue on, "When I was fifteen, my parents were murdered, a vision broke in and I hid....because I didn't know how to use my quirk. Shenzi found the villain, killed him, and then discovered me. I think this is where his hatred took a turn for the worse."

"To my knowledge, you were taken in by Pros?" He asks.

"Yes."

"Which ones?" He asks, a bit more demand in his tone.

"Eraserhead and Present Mic," I can't even begin to imagine what those two must be going through right now. "They were the ones who sent me to U.A. just to be in a more positive environment."

I briefly pause, "Come to think of it, they are the only heroes I ever truly respected."

"No respect for heroes? That's nothing new here; almost everyone here despises heroes. But you are a little bit different.....I've never had anybody here respect heroes."

I shrug, "What can I say? They never made me feel....like a burden. They actually made me feel like I could be something." I can feel my eyes welling up with tears, "Fuck I can't even imagine what those two must be going through." I quickly whip my eyes.

"When the time comes, you can tell them you're alive, but how did your guardians feel about Shenzi?"

That question makes me chuckle, "Oh, they don't like him. I think they regret making me his sidekick. They've seen my scar."

"Scar?" He asks.

"Shenzi accidentally hit me with his quirk, I have a scar starting here," I pointed to my left shoulder, "Down to here." I then draw down to my right hip.

"Damn," He growls, I can tell he is disgusted, I hear him chuckle next to me, "Then why did they keep you there?"

"Because they didn't know anything else after that. They sat down with him and had a serious talk. That manipulative asshole convinced them that he would change. But he didn't, so he used the fear factor to keep me quiet."

"Sero told me about that, you don't need to go into those details, but" He pauses, and a sinister grin forms on his face, "I fingered you'd want this."

He hands me a folder labeled 'Cover up #302.' I am almost hesitant to open it, but his smile indicates that I should. So, taking a deep breath, I look into the contents. Oh...my...God. He has it. The news report that should have gone out about Shenzi killing the villain who killed our parents.

"How? How did you get this?" I ask.

"I have my ways," He replies slyly, "I have cases for everyone. Cover-ups, news articles, everything. Your brother has quite the stack of them."

I have no doubt about that, but this would have been the one that could have ruined him forever, because this was his first case of killing someone.

"Someone needs to see this and finally know the truth."

Riot holds his hand out, silently asking me to give him the folder. I do so, though I hate to let that precious information slip from my hands.

"When the time is right," He whispers, "Now, what about last night, when you almost killed someone?"

The saliva in my mouth goes thick, I swallow it down with a struggle gulp, "What about it?" I ask quietly

"How did you feel?" His voice is barely above a whisper.

"I-I felt," I think of the words, because in that moment I felt so much, "A lot."

"Details," He says, I can tell he is talking through his teeth, but not in a frustrating way...more of a pushing way.

"P-Powerful," I start, "I felt...powerful. Like I was stronger than that guy."

"What else?" He whispers.

"Like I was giving him what he deserved, I showed him that I wasn't weak....something I've been trying to prove for years."

Riot begins to snicker evilly, "Sero told me it was quiet...." His mouth is right by my ear, "Bloody."

"It was," I just say, looking straight forward, "he was gargling on his blood, his teeth were everywhere. And that night, when I tried to sleep, his face was replaced by my brother's....I kind of wish it was him." I start to shake, my emotions start to take over, "I want him to hurt, I want him to suffer like he's made everyone suffer!"

Riot's hand goes to my chin, turning my head back to the former pro on his knees and in shackles, "That could be Shenzi as well. Your own personal punching bag, like you once were."

I shake my head, while I hated Shenzi, I didn't even want to be "graced" with his presence every day.

"I want to hurt him...slowly....painfully, but I don't think the time is right," I say, "I want to scare him first.....He knows I'm alive, so I kind of want to be his own personal ghost. I want him to lose his mind first."

Blood Riot chuckles, "That sounds awfully perfect, Luna."

We sit in silence for a second, the only sound being Katsuki's struggling breathing and the clanking of his chains.

"Tell me about your quirk," Blood Riot begins.

"It's, uh, water manifestation," I say, "I can control water essentially."

"Interesting," Riot observes, "What's the strongest thing you can do?"

"Um, I can push bodies of water out of the way. That's how Shenzi could escape the building."

"Demonstrate something?" He asks, giving me a glass of water.

Nodded, I dump the water out, just before it hits the ground, the water dances around in my hands, becoming bigger as I concentrate.

"I can use moisture from the air as well."

Just as easily as I made the water orb, I fan it out into mist to be distributed into the air.

"That's it?" Riot asks, but it's not demanding...it's almost concerning.

"Uh, yeah."

"What did you mainly do in U.A?" He asks.

"Mainly expanding my quirk, like the whole moving bodies of water and creating orbs, is what I learned. And moving them without getting tired," I then think back to my transcripts, "I was supposed to learn water travel; swimming and holding my breath, but it never happened."

"And they just let you graduate without that stuff?" Riot asks.

"I was told that I would learn it under Shenzi, that he could train me further. But he always said that he 'didn't have time to waste on training his sidekicks'," I can feel my chest aching when I think about Shenzis face as he caved me into that building, the look of disgusted and at the time....no regret, "I think that if I knew how to hold my breath longer I wouldn't have almost died."

I can sense that Blood Riot is angry, not at me....but at the Pro I called, not only my boss, but my brother.

"Your quirk is strong," he finally says, "With the right training, you can take what you have and make it even better."

"With whom?" I ask, because I'm pretty sure there aren't any Pro Heroes here.'

"Me," He points to himself, "My quirk got to where it is because I trained myself, pushed myself beyond my limits, then what I thought was possible. Then, when other people joined me, I trained them. Kaminari, Mina, my brother Tetsu and even Sero. I showed them the possibilities of the quirks, all without the 'help' of Pro Heroes."

I look this villain in the eyes, besides the horror that lies beneath them....I also see something human, "How long have you been a villain?" I just have to ask.

Blood Riot looks at me seriously, his eyes bearing no emotion, "Since I was fifteen."

I nod, It makes me wonder how long the rest of his crew had been villains as well, "Damn," I don't know what else to say. Not sorry, because this man looks like he's gotten enough pity in his life. "Thank you."

"For what?" Riot asks.

"For waking me up....to everything."

He chuckles, "Sero did that, I think you should be thanking him."

I feel a smile tug at my lips, "I will," I pause, "I guess I should be thanking you for welcoming me.....despite barely even knowing me."

His hand goes to my shoulder, it's strong, but gentle. "Everyone here they were stranger to me once. But now I call them family. They were all broken...they still are because of what's happened to them. I just helped put together what was left."

All I can do is nod. These people are bad, deadly villains, but surrounded by the right people, they are allowed to show their vulnerability.

"That's enough of those topics, I've heard what I needed to know," Riot stated, "We can start your training tomorrow."

"Ok, what now?" I'm genuinely confused as to what I should do to pass the time.

Riot chuckles, "Go mingle, I'm sure the rest of your new family would love to meet you. I'll get you a room to sleep in."

"What?" I ask.

"Everyone here has their own living quarters. They have a room here, my Little Lamb even has one."

"Little Lamb?" This is the first time he's mentioned this name.

"The love of my life," he turns to glare at Katsuki, whose face has gone pale at the mention of that name. "They worked under THAT piece of work over there. He treated them like a piece of property, not a sidekick; Heh, sounds familiar, Luna?"

Oh, all too familiar.

"Though sometimes people share rooms and spend time with each other. Can't tell you how many times I saw Denki leaving Shinsou's room."

That's another name I don't recognize.

"If there's anything you need from your own place, don't go alone and go at night. But this could be the start to your brother's madness, things going missing."

I nod, standing in the process, "I guess I'll be seeing you around, then, Riot."

"I will, Luna. Let's see if we can find a good villain name for you, too."

"Ok," with that, I smile, leaving Blood Riots' room.

SERO POV

It had been at least forty-five minutes since Luna left with Riot. I felt...uneasy, though I honestly had no reason to be. If anybody followed the 'don't touch what's mine' concept, it was him. I still remember when he brought Katsuki Bakugou and his Little Lamb here. Denki had the balls to call them 'lovely.' I cringed from the back of the hideout watching that, I am honestly surprised that he didn't punch Denki for that. I guess, as not to scare Little Lamb, he had a soft spot for them and wouldn't dare put them in any line of dangerous work here. From the other side of the room, Luna emerges and she looks fine...unsacthed, not even an ounce of terror in her eyes. We make eye contact, and she immediately comes over to me.

"Hey," I say, grinning.

"Hi," She replies, looking around.

"So how did it go?" I ask, sipping on the beverage I had prepared for myself.

"Uh, good," She says, shaking out her arms, "Riot said he would start quirk training me tomorrow."

I nod. That's not surprising, her quirk is definitely not up to its full potential yet. I remember our training sessions. He was tough, but never made me feel less of a human being.

"He told me I could mingle and he would find a room here for me," She's chuckling nervously.

"That won't be hard!" I say, laughing, "There are still plenty of rooms here that are just dying to be residents in."

Looking around, she has her arms tucked around her in that same uncomfortable way, "So, do you want to meet some more people here?" She glances around, I can tell the answer just by looking at her eyes, "I'm gonna take that as 'not today', you look a little peopled out."

Luna nods, "You read my mind."

Since she doesn't have a room yet, but knowing Riot, he would have for her before tonight, I suggest something: "Want to just hang out in my room?"

"Sure," She replies.

She follows me back downstairs to my room. I wonder if Riot would put her down here with me? Because I know there are still like, four or five rooms down here...all of which are empty. But he could easily save those for safety reasons....like if the building gets damaged. Glancing over at my lovely companion, I notice something different about her. She looks less nervous, not completely comfortable, but she looks better than she did when she got here. Holding the door open, she enters before me. Once I'm inside, I go over to my dresser, switching on a wax melter to hopefully relax her more. The clicking sound makes her look over at me, approaching the melter with curiosity. Leaning down, she sniffs the wax, chuckling.

"Huh, no wonder you always smell like oranges!" she smiles. I can see the joy returning little by little.

"Oh yeah, I use this to keep the smell of alcohol out. I may like drinking it, but it's not something I want to be smelling while I'm trying to sleep."

She chuckles, agreeing with my statement.

"That, and my cologne smells like that too." Reaching inside my dresser, I pull out my cologne and show the bottle.

She observes it for a second, bringing the nozzle up to smell the spray. A smile forms on her face, like she's familiar with the smell. Like it's a smell that brings her comfort.

"What?" I ask jokingly, "Is my smell comforting?"

"Maybe?" she replies, handing me back my cologne.

"What else do I smell like? Probably sweat, right?"

This statement makes her laugh, it's a full-on on genuine laugh. God, I hope I can hear more of that.

"No! But you also smell like ash." She says.

"Ash?"

"Yeah, like fire...smoke...ash," She looks up at me, her eyes are so bright...so blue. Like sapphires.

"You smell like an ocean breeze. Kind of ironic if you ask me."

I watch as her face dusts pink, "Oh yeah, that's just something I've always liked."

"It suits you," I compliment, "It matches your quirk and...your eyes."

"My eyes?" She asks.

"You mean nobody has ever complimented your eyes? They look like gems."

Her face turns red, the red sneaking its way up to her ears, "You better not scoop them out of my face."

I chuckle, falling back onto my bed, interlocking my fingers behind my head, "That's not my style."

I patted the spot next to me, indicating that I wanted her to join me. Luna was hesitant at first, but she removed her jacket and sat down next to me. But I was feeling bold. So the moment she sat down, I sat up, wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and pulled her down to lie next to me.

"There," I declare, "That's better."

A smile creeps onto my face when I feel her heart rate. Its racing, its so fucking cute.

"You act like we've never snuggled before."

She covers her face with her hands, "Yeah, but when we did I was in hysterics. I was in like a post-breakdown haze!"

"You said that you liked me, while in that said post-breakdown haze," I say, mentally poking her a little bit.

"Oh," Her eyes darted away from me in embarrassment.

"Did you mean it?" I ask quietly, because I am genuinely curious.

She turns to look at me again, our faces are so close, her breath smells like mint.

"Yes, every word of it," She replies. Saying the same thing I did.

God, I just can't help but show her my genuine smile, not the sinister one she's seen so many times. This results in her smiling genuinely back at me. But her eyes look up, averting her eyes once again.

"Have you always had this eyebrow ring?"

I love this woman so much, but I'm not going to tell her that yet. I burst into laughter, giving her a squeeze in the process.

"Yes, Luna, I've always had an eyebrow ring. Have you always been this cheeky?"

"I don't know, probably," she replies. I can tell she is beginning to show more of her personality. She's around people who will allow her to.

"I need to go to my apartment tonight."

This statement makes my blood start to run hot, "What for?" I ask.

"Clothes for one, I can't just keep wearing the villain costume. I need something I can change into. Plus, Riot told me not to go alone and to go there at night."

'That's true,' I think to myself, "I'll go with you, you don't even have to ask, you know."

She chuckles nervously, "I just thought that-"

I silence her with my palm, "We stick together now, Luna, yeah? If you need help with anything, you can come to me," Removing my hand, she nods.

"Ok, it's still daylight, so I guess we should just pass the time."

She nods in agreement, so with nothing else to do. I just flip on my TV, turning on some cartoons. And the look on her face is something I will never forget. Pure bliss, I wish I could get a picture.

We jump across rooftops as the moon-lit night engulfs our bodies. I am using my quirk, while she keeps up in a hard, concentrated sprint. I can't believe how fast she is, but I suppose that's a good thing; it's a skill that helps you escape danger. Once we reach her roof, we can feel a sense of nostalgia. Because we both know that we will never get to return to this rooftop and do the things we did; Drink and talk. But I knew that we could create new memories together. Since she doesn't want to go through the halls, I help her get in through the very same window I would use. I watch her swiftly grab her belongings, stuffing them in a duffle bag. Nothing crazy; mainly clothes and her toiletries. But she does grab a couple of things that catch me off guard. A framed photo, a necklace, and her hero license.

"What are those?" I ask, I just can't help but be a little bit nosy.

First, she shows me the framed photo; it displays her posing with Present Mic and Eraserhead. In their hands are her adoption papers.

"It was a good day," She says quietly, "I still care about them...and I could never just forget about them."

Giving her the photo back, I feel touched....slightly. Next is the necklace, which she tells me was a gift from her guardians when she turned sixteen. The necklace is beautiful, a sapphire gem to match her eyes. When I asked her about the hero licanase, the only response I got was a smirk. Oh, oh, I liked that smirk. If I were slightly more unhinged, I would have pinned her to a wall and kissed that pretty mouth of hers. But that moment would come soon, I hoped. Luna took one last look at her apartment, I knew that she would probably need to come back. But that wouldn't be for a while. When we got to the roof, Luna pointed me in a direction, not the direction of the hideout. However, it was a part of the city I was all too familiar with. After about ten minutes, we settled on another rooftop. It was a luxurious building, fully engulfed by city lights. I watched as Luna made her way to one of the doors. It only read 'Room 704,' but right on the black door mat, she placed her hero license, discarding it, but there was a meaning for its placement.

"Time to lose your mind, Shenzi."

This was her brother's apartment, but the way she spoke his name sounded like snake venom. She didn't even look back as she began the sprint back to the hideout. Oh, see was going to be a perfect addition to the Riot family.

Chapter Text

LUNA POV

My lungs burn from the rush of adrenaline, and my heart races from the amount of movement I've done. My breathing is ragged as I struggle to stay on my feet. I've been through this countless times, but every other time I've done it, I've felt weak and like a punching bag. This time, I felt like there was a purpose, and the pain I was receiving wasn't for the pleasure of someone else.

"Relax," The voice circled around me, "You are still way too tense."

I glanced over at Blood Riot, his quirk activated enough to cause only minimal damage.

"You can tell?" I ask, raising back to my feet and shaking out my hands.

He circles back to me, getting back into a fighting stance, "Yes, your quirk activation is hesitant because of it."

He marches to me, igniting something within as water forms into my hands, creating soil matter to block myself. He bares his teeth as his hard rock and sharp arms come down onto my attack.

"Never, ever hesitate," He presses through constricted grunts, "That could determine life and death for you."

I watch his skin soften as his quirk deactivates, "Ok, we are almost done for the day. I want to see how long you can hold your breath underwater."

My stomach tightens because just thinking of being underwater again makes me want to panic. Not wanting to get my street clothes wet, I stripped down to my undergarments, which consisted of a black sports bra and a pair of black shorts. I can tell Riot's eyes follow me as he can see my scar; thankfully, he can't see the full extent, but he gets the idea. I follow Riot to another part of his training facilities, behind a door, where he has a pool. Not only for training but for his family's general entertainment. The smell of chlorine hits me hard, and the water's glassy and clear surface makes me feel nauseous.

"Hey," I turn to him, I can tell he senses my anxiousness, "All you're gonna do is go in and hold your breath for as long as you can. Do not push yourself beyond that limit, we will work up to it."

Nodding, I step into the pool, the water is cool, but not cold enough for discomfort. The depth is about seven feet. Riot's words flash through me, maybe I could hold my breath longer if I relaxed. Sucking in a breath I dunk down, the water filling my ears, but my eyes remain unbothered. Just one of the things my quirk does. I push forward with my arms, that is the only thing I was trained on when it came to water travel. Actually swimming, however, I passed that by the skin of my teeth. I wasn't very fast in the water, nor was I very strong. Maybe if I knew these things, I wouldn't have almost died, maybe I could have saved myself, maybe I wouldn't be so weak. Looking around, I am no longer surrounded by the tiles of the pool. Instead, I see the ruble the dubaris from that day, now I am frozen in my space. I don't want to die again; no, no, no! An arm wraps around my middle, pulling me back to the Earth. My face is hit with cool water as I break past the water's surface. I am gasping for precious air as if at any moment it would be gone.

"Fuck!" I heard Riot say from a distance, "I told you not to push past your limit!" so it wasn't him who pulled me up...then who? Looking up, I met with Sero, dripping wet.

"Oh, hi Sero, when did you get here?" I ask, feeling disoriented.

"Like ten seconds ago, are you ok?"

Nodded, "Yeah, I just fizzled out for a second."

He squeezes me harder, "Well, don't do that when you're underwater, you could end up drowning again."

From the corner of my eye, Riot offers me a towel, something I happily take. Looking back at the water....I feel like such a failure. My quirk connects me to the pool lying before me, but I don't think I could feel any more distant from the element coursing through my veins. Both men can see it in my eyes that I'm not thinking right.

"Hey," Blood Riot catches my attention again, "I told you that we will work up to that. You should have been taught this in school."

I look back at the water, "Yeah, tell me about it. I-I'm gonna go dry off and get my clothes."

Sero can hear it in my voice of how I'm feeling.

"Luna, it's ok, you'll-"

"I'm fine, Sero," I look at him, hoping to cover any pain that may be displayed on my face, "I just need to get out of these wet clothes."

Sero can tell I'm lying, and I'm sure, knowing him, he's gonna coax the truth out of me one way or another. I begin to hear Riot talking to Sero, I scurry off before I can pick up any of the conversation. After grabbing my clothes, I head back to my room through the main hideout. A couple of weeks have passed since the drowning incident, two weeks since I abandoned my hero license, and I don't regret a thing. I haven't seen anything on the news about Shenzi, but I like to think that after seeing my license outside of his door, he has started walking while always looking over his shoulder. It's the only thing that helps me sleep at night. Well, that and my neighbor across the hall. My room was placed downstairs of the hideout, right across from Seros. That honestly felt...reassuring. The room was furnished with a bed, dresser, desk, closet, bathroom, and a TV. Riot told me to decorate as I wish and to make the room feel like home; I've done just that. I always try to take something from my old apartment. I've been able to get my bedding and some of my old clothes, but other than that, I want to get new things, things that won't smell like forgotten dreams. Once inside my room, I take off the sports bra and shorts, hanging them up to dry to be used again. I find new undergarments, put them on, and get my street clothes back on. My hair is still wet, the smell of chlorine wafting from the strands. Taking some dry shampoo, I spray a bit of the agent into my locks, fluffing my brown bob around. As I'm fluffing my hair, I think about these last two weeks. The day after I abandoned my license, Riot wanted to start training me right away. At first, he trained me with what I already knew and then began dipping into the areas of quick I was definitely not trained. One of which was making my water into solid matter. Not like ice, but almost like solid glass, that couldn't be broken unless I let it. We also discovered I could turn parts of my body into water, making those parts indestructible and susceptible to pain. I could only do my hands, though. Blood Riot said with enough concentration I could probably do that to my whole body. But as he's said, one step at a time. He wants to get my quirk up to its full potential, but without killing me. It's weird putting those words in a sentence while talking about a villain. A knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts, shaking my head. I go over to the wooden barrier and open it, unsurprised by who is behind it.

"Oh hey, Sero," I say.

"Hey," He replies.

His citrus scent permeates my door, his whiskey eyes darting around my face, like he was looking for something.

"You need something?" I ask softly.

He too snaps out of whatever trace he had been in, "Not really, well, kinda, did you wanna come talk? In my room?"

Not an unusual request, we would hang out in his room....a lot. Nothing crazy, we would just chill out, talk about random stuff, and I would either go back to my room or fall asleep in his arms.

"Yeah sure," I replied.

He stepped aside, allowing me to exit, reached across the hall, and opened his own room. Like routine, he switched on his wax melter, and I sat down on his bed. The room was silent for a moment before Sero turned around and began analyzing my face again.

"What, is my face screwed up or something?"

He chuckles. he has taken a liking to my sarcasm and cheekiness. Honestly, I didn't know I had that kind of spunk in me. Sero sits next to me, his eyes continuing their journey.

"When I pulled you out of the water, you looked like you had seen something."
Oh, that.

"It was nothing,, I told you I had just fizzled out."

His hands go on my face, his eyes are darting straight into mine, "Luna, I've spent years reading every little bit of someone's expression, you were pale and you had more than just a 'dazed and confused' look. You looked paralyzed."

I chew my bottom lip. I don't want to say anything, but Sero being Sero won't let up until I've spilled.

"I saw...that day. The building, I felt like I was stuck again."

His hands move to grab my shoulders and pull me into a hug. For being a villain.....and a tad bit unhinged, he is one hell of a hugger. His embrace is returned as my hands wind their way around his body.

"You've been traumatized," He whispers, I can hear him talking through his teeth, "That fucker is going to pay for what he did to you."

While what Shenzi did was absolutely despicable, there was still this tiny voice in the back of her head. 'It's your fault,' 'You are a failure!' The voice makes me cringe and makes me angry, because what if that voice is right?

"I know what you're thinking," Sero suddenly says, "And that was not your fault, Luna."

I quickly pull away, looking up at him and into his eyes, "But-"

He shushes me, placing a finger on my lips, "No buts, as a Hero and as your mentor, he should have taken every precaution necessary to ensure that going into battle, you would be safe and at your strongest. He didn;t do that and in doing so it's come to bite him in the ass."

Hearing that gives me a little bit of satisfaction, but I still can't help but think about what Hazashi and Aizawa must be thinking. A yawn escapes me, and it's only just now occurring to me how tired and sore I am.

"You wanna take a nap? We can hang out later." Sero asks.

I nod while yawning again, "That sounds so fucking good."

He can sense that I don't want to go back to my room as I feel him lying back in his bed. He pulls his blanket over me, and I drift off, wrapped in the smell of oranges and ashes.

My eyes crack open, still wrapped in the warmth of Seros' arms. I sit up and rub my tired eyes. Wow, I feel very awake now. How long had I been asleep? Glancing over at Seros' clock, it read six o'clock; I had fallen asleep at three. Damn I must have really been tired. Glancing over to my left, there fast asleep is Sero. I had a small grin forming on my face, while we had snuggled so many times, I never really noticed how peaceful he looked when he slept. His chest rises up and down in a slow, steady rhythm, his hair flows out around his head, and his face is just so relaxed. Who would I be to disturb him in his sleep? I'm not sure how much peace he actually gets. Well, he could get a lot of peace, but I'm not gonna ask that. Carefully, I slip from his arm and out from under his blanket. I cover him up and take my leave. Wanting to stretch my legs, I head up to the main area. The song of booming music fills my ears the moment I step into the vicinity. Just as I look around, my voice makes me snap my head.

"Luna!"

I look at the source, and it makes me smile. Mina approaches me grinning from ear to ear, a cocktail tight in her hand, but from the tone of her voice, this was only her first beverage. I had become extremely close with Mina during my time here, I'd consider her my best friend.

"I've been looking for you, where did you go?" She asks, wrapping an arm around me.

"I was napping," I replied.

She wiggles her eyebrows, "Oh, with Sero?"

I can't help but playfully shove the pink girl, "We only snuggle."

Mina dances around me, "Snuggling leads to other things."

My face burns bright red. I can't even begin to think about what Sero looks like without a shirt, probably ripped. I cover my face as that image floods my brain, coaxing a laugh from Mina. She then sets her drink down and makes a suggestion.

"How about you and I go out tonight?"

My eyes go wide. How the hell does that work?

"Go out? How does that work? Don't people recognize villains?"

Mina giggles, "Depends on where you go. Most places we go to are dead spots. They are not patrolled by Pros, considered to be lost causes. They also don't have cameras because the bosses are way too cheap to even get those. And the people who hang out in those places are usually way too plastered to even pay attention. Most of them are bad people themselves."

I nod, but my stomach does a few flips. I don't usually go out, per se. I'm way too antisocial and shy for large gatherings. Mina could see the unease and uncertainty on my face, so she gave me another squeeze.

"Come on! Just for a little bit? I'll be with you."

Her eyes shone brightly, silently pleading with me. Finally, I sigh with a smile.

"Ok, ok, but just for a little bit."

She squeals happily, "You have my word! Now, let's go get dressed up in something fun!"

With that, Mina grabs my arm, practically dragging me up the stairs to her room. She always wants to dress me up, and I honestly don't mind; As long as she didn't try dressing me in hot-pink, we were good. Her sweet-smelling room hits me in the face as we enter. She sat me down on a fuzzy pink stool and didn't hesitate to start digging through her clothes. She paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Is there anything you don't want to wear?" She asks.

"I don't like showing off a lot of skin," I say meekly......That's ironic, remembering what my costume looked like, then again, I didn't get the final say on my costume. Shenzi essentially ordered the first thing he saw and said 'Good enough." Thinking back, Aizawa and Hizashi hated my costume....but they would never say that to me.

"Modest, but fashionable, got it!"

I continued to watch as she dug through her clothing. I kind of wonder how she got all of this clothing, most if not all of which, probably, wasn't paid for. Just as those thoughts enter my head, she shouts in delight.

"This one!" She held up a bright, sapphire blue tube top and a thin, lacy, black long-sleeved shirt.

She strutted over to me, delicately giving me the shirt.

"This would look amazing on you! It's bright blue and will bring out your eyes."

I looked at the shirt myself, and yes, it was very pretty. Mina seemed to like putting me in blue clothing.....I smirked, thinking, 'I wonder how she knows that it's my favorite color.' My thoughts went to the only person here I've ever told that too. Mina, who was now looking for her own outfit, was distracted enough for me to change into this top. Just like the clothes she's given me before, this fits like a glove. Hugging my body in a way that made me feel nothing but confidence. Mina, having found a top for herself, gasped at the sight of me.

"You look so pretty! Now, wait here!"

She scrambles to her dressing wall, and the sound of shuffling clothes fills the space. She jumps out gleefully, and I smile at the sight. The top she has on looks like mine, but hers is bright pink.

"Twinning!" She screeches.

I can't help but laugh. I take a second to look at the rest of her outfit. Tight, black leggings and bright pink boots to match the top.

"Ready?" she asks.

"Yeah, I guess," I replied nervously.

She comes over to reassure me, "I'll be with you! No need to be nervous."

With a nod, she grabs a purse and struts out and back down into the main club. Just as we pass the bar, and familiar voice chimes in.

"Hey, you two!" We both turn, and there is Voltage, leaning casually at the bar, "Where are you lovely ladies heading?"

"Just out," Mina replies with a shrug, "Wanna join?"

"Do I?" He asks excitedly, "Sounds like a good time."

Since he is wearing a suit, all he has to do is fix his hair, and he follows us out the door.

The music is loud when we enter, and the smell of alcohol and ecstasy is enough to drive a grown man crazy. I can already feel the urge to leave and never come back, but Voltage and Mina both look like they are about to have the time of their lives.

"I'm gonna go to the dance floor!" Voltage shouts to us, leaving only me and Mina.

She gingerly takes my arm and leads me to the bar, calling over a bartender. She orders two drinks that sound like a foreign language, but I don't ask questions. This is way out of my comfort zone, and I think Mina can tell. She says something else to the bartender, but it's muffled by the music. He is quick with our drinks, and just as he walks away, Mina winks at him.

"Here," She slides one of the two cocktails over to me, "It's called 'Sex on the Beach', it's my favorite."

I am hesitant to drink the orange and red drink...I've never had alcohol before, and quite frankly, I'm kinda scared to.

Mina takes a sip of hers, "I ordered you a virgin cocktail, there's no booze in there. I'm not sure how you feel about alcohol, so I ordered yours without, just in case."

I smile because that's so nice of her. These villains are nicer and more considerate than most heroes and sidekicks I've had the "pleasure" of meeting, but I would never say that out loud. I finally take a sip of the drink and am surprised by how pleasant it is. It is sweet, tart, and very refreshing. I could drink this next to the ocean, now I see why they gave this particular drink its name. Because of the drink and the company, I felt myself calming down. I take a moment to look at the dancefloor, and there is Voltage, dancing in a fun way. Seems like what humanity he has is still ever so present. Mina turns to look too.

"Are you feeling ok?" She asks me.

I nod fast, "Oh yeah, I just don't do this kind of thing."

She sips her drink, "Lemme guess, that 'amazing piece of work' you called your boss wouldn't let you?"

Wow, she read my mind because I nodded in response.

"Shenzi's schedule was straightforward. And if you were late...Then," I pause, "Then you would know it. That rarely left me any time to do anything for myself or even make friends."

I can see something in Mina's eyes, but it's not pity. Good, because I didn't need that. She wraps her arm around me.

"Well, now you have friends," She points to herself and to Voltage, who is break dancing, "Me and him both."

I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now, but it's something I haven't felt in years.....or all of my life for that matter. I feel....happy. Well, maybe it's happy. I'm not going to fully embrace that yet....in case it gets taken away. But for now, I would hang onto this warm feeling. Mina can see the content on my face, and she smiles.

"I wanna dance!" She declares, "Join me?"

My face flushes, "I, uh, I don't know."

She leads me out to the flashing lights and to Voltage, who is still dancing, "Have you ever danced?"

I answer her honestly, it's the one thing I could do freely, "I mean, I used to take dance lessons. My guardians enrolled me. But I'm not sure how much I remember."

We get right to the middle of the dance floor, music is booming, up through my feet, and up into my head. I watch as Mina starts dancing to the song playing.

"Just go with the flow, let the music move you!"

I think back to all of the times I danced; at Aizawa and Hizashi's place, in my apartment...and just alone. I remember feeling so free...so like water. Like my quirk. I listen closely, listening for the next bass drop in the music. I line my timing up just right and flip backwards, twirling onto the floor. I can hear Mina and Voltage cheering, and...it feels amazing. I twirl around again, flipping my hair, twisting my hips, and running my hands up my body. I have never felt so alive.

Mina says in my ear that she is running to the restroom, and leaves me with Voltage.

"Wow, you're a good dancer!" Voltage says from beside me.

"I guess I am," I reply with a nervous chuckle.

"You know, if you asked, I'm sure Sero could teach you a thing or two about dancing," I shout
My eyes go wide at this, "Wait, he can dance?"

My yellow-haired companion laughs, "Oh yeah, he knows like every dance move in history. I bet he could teach you just about anything."

My face flushed red, thinking about his slim figure dancing around. I shake that image from my brain and continue enjoying myself. It then comes to my attention that Mina still hasn't returned from the restroom. There is a small voice in me saying that everything is ok...but another one, much louder, is telling me that it isn't. I am heading over to Voltage. Not wanting to shout, I point at the hallway leading to the restrooms. He got the message, giving me a thumbs up. I sulk through the crowd and into the dark hallway with the restrooms. I open the door to the ladies' room, and Minas' perfume fills the small space.

"Mina?" I called out for her, but no answer.

I knew the voice was right. Stepping out of the room, my heart rate quickened. Where is my friend? I'm about to inform Voltage when out of the corner of my eye I see a door...the back exit to the club. Minas' sweet pea and bubblegum scent leads there. The feeling in my gut only gets stronger; I must investigate. I start creeping down the hallway, closer and closer to the door, her perfume gets stronger. I start to think that maybe I'm just overreacting, but then I hear a noise...a small whimper. But not a whimper that says 'I'm being mischievous.' No, this was a whimper of fear. Going to the door, I creep to the crack, peering out into the alleyway.

"Thought I'd never see you again, baby," A man says, his voice is sinister and laced with greed.

"I never wanted to see you again," It's Mina, her voice is small and desperate.

I step fully into the space and am horrified. This man has Mina pinned against the wall, and she doesn't seem to be fighting back...she looks paralyzed. My mind races back to the night before joining Blood Riot. When a man almost took advantage of me, and would have gotten away with it. I am seething with rage, watching this fucker touch Mina like he owned her.

"I'm gonna kiss you now, ok," He is grinning greedily, "Not like you have a choice."

That was the nail in the coffin for me, marching over. I grab the man by his neck.

"Kiss this, bitch," I say through my teeth.

All I can see is red pulling him away from Mina. Her body falls to the ground.

"Luna," She breathes out, "Be careful! He has a paralysis quirk, don't let him touch you!"

The man claws out, attempting to grab my wrist. But thankfully, I have a trick up my sleeve. Before he can grab me, I turn my wrists into water, becoming impervious to his effect. The man screams out, struggling in my grip. His voice is annoying and so disgustingly greedy, I want him to shut up. Taking my hand, I cover her mouth, releasing water into his lungs at a rapid pace. Without warning, he breaks away, looking me in the eyes as if what I had done to him was harmless.

"Who the fuck are you?" He asks, his face losing color.

I watched as he broke into a coughing fit, water flooding into his mouth, but the waterfall doesn't stop; it only gets stronger with each inhale he takes. Soon, he falls to the ground desperately trying to get oxygen back into his lungs. Then...he ceases, dead. I blink at what I had just done...oh, my God. That high-pitched ringing returns to my ears, but it's followed by a tingling sensation that I can only describe as pure satisfaction and ecstasy. Mina, having regained the movement in her body, rushes over to me...crashing into me and small arms grip onto my body as if their life depended on it. She's shaking, but also so grateful.

"Thank you...Luna," She cries.

From behind us, the door opens, and there is Voltage, looking concerned. He sees the fear on Mina's face and the lost look in mine.

"What the hell is going on?" He demands.

He then looks at the deceased man on the ground and the water pouring from his lips. It's then that I see a sly smile form on his lips. He walks over to the body.

"You had it coming asshole," To that he spits.

Who is this guy? There would be a lot of questions later. Just as we turn to leave, a gust of wind startles us. Looking up..I'm met with bright red wings and golden eyes. Pro Hero Hawks. Oh shit. I know him...he and Shenzi worked closely together. While Hawks was one of the nicer heroes I've met, he most definitely has blood on his hands and hides in the shadows.

"Well, who do we have here...three villains who-" He pauses, looking me dead in the eyes.

Any and all color from his face leaves, he looks like he is about to be sick...he recognizes me.

"Luna?" He asks, his voice is small.

I don't even think when I throw a beam of water at him, creating the perfect distraction for all of us to get away. I have no idea what would come out of this...I just know that Hawks seeing and recognizing me would create a domino effect.

SERO POV

I am beyond confused. One second, I am napping with Luna, the next, I am waking up, and she is nowhere to be found. And to top that off, nobody knows where she is. You would think that somebody would have seen her leave. Surely she didn't leave alone, I'll ask the boss, see if maybe he has seen her. Walking through the hideout, everyone is in a nonchalant mood, nothing new. The boss is over at one of the other bars, and I'm surprised to see someone here: Izuku Midoriya. A villain created from the recklessness of Dynamite and one of Riot's closest allies. He sees me approaching.

"Ah, Sero," He can see the worry and confusion in my eyes, "What's going on?"

"Have you seen Luna?" I ask, "She was napping with me, and now she's gone."

Izuku chuckles, "Napping? Or something else." I glare daggers at the green-haired villain.

Blood Riots eye cock, "No I haven't seen her and come to think of it, I haven't seen Mina or Denki in quite some time."

That calms my nerves, but only slightly. If they're gone, then that means Luna did not leave alone, but I don't know that. And so help me God, if Denki touched what wasn't his...I was gonna.

BOOM

The doors to the hideout burst open, we all turn and walk Mina, Denki, and...thank God, Luna. I go over, wrapping my arms around my blue-eyed love...though I'm not gonna tell her that yet.

"You scared me," I start to say, but she is tense in my arms, something happened, "Hey, what's going on?"

Denki comes from behind her, "She took someone out, that's what."

I looked into her eyes, this lost, confused look; She had killed someone, but who? At this point, Blood Riot and Midoriya have joined the crowd.

"Wait until you find out who," Denki says, walking over to our boss. He whispers something in his ear that makes Riots' smile widen. Those shark-like teeth create a deliciously diabolical aura.

"Do you know who it was, Luna?" He asks, walking to her.

"No," She says.

He marches over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and then whispering into her ear, "It was Mina's abuser."

My eyes go wide at this. That fucker had still been trying to get her, despite the warnings the Blood Riot left literally on his door step. I look back at Luna, who despite looking confused...looked satisfied..but also worried.

"What else happened?" I ask.

She looks up at me, those blue eyes glowing ever so bright, "Someone saw me."

"Who?" I ask, I'm concerned now.

She pauses for a moment, "Hawks."

"What!" I shout, It's not often that heroes come over here.

"I was surprised too," Denki chimes in, "We go to the club because Pros don't go there. But why was one there tonight, I won't know."

I am filled with nothing but worry, but then I watch Blood Riot, and a smile spreads on my face.

"How could you describe him, Luna?" He asks.

"He looked shocked to see me, to see me..." She paused, the gears in her head turning, "Alive."

My boss chuckles darkly, "Shenzi's lie will finally come out. All it takes is one big voice."

Oh, I get it now. Hawks is a highly respected Pro, and Shenzi seems to be hated by Pros alike. Hawks would definitely question seeing Luna. Oh, this makes me smile, just imagining Shenzi's face going pale fills me with glee. The next step in taking Shenzi's sanity and reputation has begun.

Chapter Text

HIZASHI POV

Saying that ‘I’m ok’ would be an outright lie. I haven’t been ok for weeks. Luna…a girl my husband and I took in, a girl who had not been dealt a fair hand…a girl that I loved like my own daughter was dead; Well, at least that's what I thought and that's what it seemed. We saw the broadcast on the news that day. Shenzi, that dipshit we so foolishly made her a sidekick to, declared that she had been killed in battle. I still remember that moment so vividly. The way my knees gave out, how Aizawa grabbed my shoulders as I sobbed uncontrollably…how angry I was at that absolute joke of a Pro Hero. But then that was it, complete silence. We sat in confusion and grief, waiting for any update about her. A death was reported, but there was no body. That fueled my rage even more, to think that somebody did something with her...I would happily throw away my hero license to ensure that she rests in peace. My peace, however, would not come. I was haunted by nightmares of her. She had barely just begun her life, one that I hoped would get better for her…especially once she became a hero, but now she's gone. Most days, I would sit on the couch, comforting our kitten who remained ever so curious as to why the ‘nice girl’ stopped coming by. Aizawa sat in the kitchen, doing who knows what, when our phone rang. He was the one to answer.

“Hello?” He greeted, “Oh, Hawks. What can I do for you?”

I could hear the Winged Hero's voice frantically over the phone, Aizawa using his typical spell to calm the young hero.

“Yeah, we can talk,” He paused, letting the other voice on the line speak, “Gotcha, see you in a bit.”

With that, my husband hung up the phone, but his posture gave off an important message.

“What is it?” I asked.

“That was Hawks, he said he needs to see us and that it’s urgent,” Aizawa stated, grabbing his goggles and capture weapon.

Something in my gut told me that we were going to be hit with something shocking. Wasting no time, I changed into my hero costume, something I haven't worn in a while…Aizawa and I have started to step down as heroes, allowing the next generation to take flight, but that didn't mean we weren't still needed sometimes. Once we were geared up, we both left…unsure if we were prepared for what Hawks had to tell us.

We waited in the dark alley, per the usual, Hawks was late.

“How long does he intend for us to wait?” I asked, becoming increasingly impatient.

Aizawa shrugs in response, “Who knows, but the guy sounded frantic, so I don’t want to leave. What he had to say seemed important.”

I nod, listening to the night, waiting for any signs of movement. But then it came, a gust of wind and bright red wings. He was here…looking pale and unsure. Aizawa and I approached our ally.

“Hawks,” Aizawa greeted.

“Eraser, Mic,” He responded, his hands in his pockets.

“So what did you need us for? It's not every day that the underground heroes are called upon.”

Hawk scratches the back of his head, almost not sure what he should say. He looks nervous…and almost mad.

“I was out on my patrols and I saw someone,” He states.

Oh, who? Could it have been Dynamite? He’s been missing without a trace for a while now.

“And who would that be?” My husband asks.

Hawks swallow hard, “Luna.”

That name hits me in the face, and I look at them, absolutely seething.

“Like her body?” Aizawa asks again, “She's been missing since she died.”

Hawks shakes his head, “No! That's the thing…she's not dead.”

My heart starts to race. But how? We heard it on the news.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Aizawa asks.

Hawks chuckles, “No other person I’ve seen has blue eyes like she does.” He pauses, “But that's not all. She was with villains.”

I feel like throwing up when I hear this, “Villains?”

He nods, “Blood Riots goons to be exact.”

We all three stood in silence for a while. Letting this information process.

“Thank you Hawks,” Aizawa finishes, “You can return home, we will do the same.”

With that, the Winged Hero takes off, leaving me and my husband…questioning everything from the last few weeks.

I burst into our apartment, seething. Words cannot describe how upset I am. Everything makes sense now. Shenzi is shutting down conversations about Luna. Sure the fucker obviously hater her, but I thought he would have at least so decency to grieve. We were looking at the perspective as if she were dead…but if what Hawks was saying was true, then Shenzi lied to us.

“That piece of shit!” I shout, and the apartment shakes as my quirk begins to activate.

Aizawa rushes over, his eyes flashing red and his hair standing on end, canceling out my ear-splitting voice. There were tears threatening to spill from my eyes. This whole time, I had been grieving, but there was a possibility that she could still be alive…but she was with villains. Something that Shouta and I tried so hard to prevent.

“I swear,” I say through my teeth, “When I see that prick again, I’m gonna tear him apart.”

Shouta holds me, “You’re not the only one that wants to,” He whispers, “He and I are going to be having quite a few conversations.”

Tears start to stream down my face, “Sho,” I say, “If she’s alive then-” My husband silences me.

“We need to gather all of the evidence first, I’m certain we can get the truth out of that asshole.”

Chapter Text

***This chapter contains smut. If you do not like reading that, then it can be skipped. The start and finish will be labeled. This chapter also dives into Seros' past, which involves very triggering situations such as abuse, gore, and death. Read at your own risk!***

LUNA POV

I step down the stairs, the adrenaline from today's activities, training, dancing, and...killing someone, still fresh in my veins. Importantly and most surely...I fucking killed someone, but he deserved it. Just like the night all of those weeks ago. I would have had no problem killing the bastard who would have done God knows what to me. Had Hizashi not rounded that corner...my body count would have been two. But a part of me still felt unsure of what I did. I was taught right and wrong...or what was believed to be right and wrong. I was going to be a hero, someone who protected people and saved lives...not take them. However, had that man been saved by heroes, where the heroes were unaware of who he was...an abuser? Someone who took pleasure in making someone else feel lower. That sounded too familiar because that's who I was. My head tried to wrap itself around what had transpired. From behind me, a set of boots followed. I think Sero could see the uncertainty in my eyes. I blindly go into his room instead of mine, I don't know why, I just feel more certain there...I'm more familiar with it. The smell of citrus keeps me composed as I run a hand over my head. I don't know what's going on...I don't feel guilty, I don't feel sad...I feel satisfied. But why, why do I feel this way? I'm not supposed to.

"What are you thinking?" Sero asks me from behind.

I shake my head because I have no idea, "I don't know," I reply.

He rounds me getting to where his full height is in front of me, "Yes you do, describe it...everything. No matter what it is."

I take a deep breath, looking around his room, the newspaper clippings of Shenzi flash through my brain, "Scared, uncertain...and," I pause, he wants honesty, "Satisfaction."

Sero's lips want to form into that Cheshire Cat grin, but I can tell he's holding back as it's not the time for that.

"I don't know why I feel satisfied though," I blurted out, "I shouldn't!" I begin to pace.

"That fucking bastard had it coming, don't you agree?" Sero asks, he's so nonchalant, so unbothered. It's eerie and unsettling.

I stay silent for a moment, trying to process my answer. The look of desperation on Mina's face, the look of disgusting pleasure and arrogance on the man's face. All of it combined made my blood boil, it made me see red.

"Yes," I whisper, it's strained but truthful.

"Then what are you so worked up about?" Sero asks, moving to sit on his bed.

I'm in complete disbelief right now, "Because I've never killed anyone before, Sero!" I shout, wiping my head around. His face is so blank, but he is taking in everything I have to say, he is listening and listening closely, "I killed that man. I killed him with my bare hands!"

"But keep in mind what he was going to do to Mina, Luna," Sero stands again, approaching me cautiously, "Just like that one guy in the alley, and what he would have done to you."

I feel sick remembering that night. The blood on the sidewalk and my hands, he gurgling on his own blood and choking, please for survival.

"You would have absolutely no problem killing him, you said it yourself." Did I? I think, to which Sero replies fast, "You tend to think out loud, Luna."

I start to feel cold, but I shake my head, "You make this all sound like it's so easy to stomach!" I shout. Thank God, there is music upstairs because my voice would have definitely carried.

Sero looks at me, his whiskey eyes swirling evilly, "Luna, I've killed more people than I could count. Most of which are scum to the world, others...I just needed an itch to be scratched."

I gulp, swallowing down the unease I feel. But at the same time...I don't feel threatened, because...It's Sero.

"But Sero," I start to say, "You have no problem doing that. You treat it like it's comforting and therapeutic. That guy deserved what I did, but I could never find any comfort in doing what I just did!" I take in a shaky breath, "That night in the alley still haunts me in my sleep, but deep down, I wished that both of those guys were Shenzi, someone I want to wrong for every fucked up thing he's done. Not random goons on the streets."

He looks at me darkly, and approaches me slowly, "You wanna know something, Luna?" He is towering over me, his body looming, his ashy scent wafting into my nose, "When I first saw you on that rooftop, I wanted to kill you. Because to me...at first glance, you were just another sidekick, another thorn in my side, and the next asshole hero to pose for the cameras."

My breath shakes. I had a sneaking suspicion, but he continued.

"But I didn't, you want to know why? Because what I saw on your face was pain and frustration. The look of someone who absolutely hated their life...it reminded me of myself."

I look at him, he's never said that.

"I was thrown away and treated like an afterthought for a decent portion of my life...It's what led me to be a villain in the first place."

He swallows a lump in his throat, "And when I saw you...tears on your face, frustrated and wronged...I knew that it was only a matter of time before you broke, and I also knew that there wouldn't be anyone around to pick up what was left. I wanted to be that someone...because I never had someone to pick me back up once I shattered."

I'm up against a wall now. I'm looking up at him as he leans, his arm above me, "I no longer see you as a sidekick I wanted to kill, I see you as something else."

There is a loud silence between us, I can feel the breathing coming from his nose on my face. I chew on my bottom lip. "What do you see me as?" I let the question blindly slip.

His eyes dart down, and without any warning, he captures my lips in a heated kiss.

**SMUT START**

I had only admitted to liking him once...I meant it, too. I had a feeling he felt the same way, but to this extent...I must have been blind. I snake my arms around his neck, kissing him back. His lips were so soft, his kisses even softer. I felt his tongue brush against my bottom lip, to which I accepted entry. His hands begin to wander down my back, and my hands wander up, tangling my hands in his black hair. That doesn't seem to deter my villainous companion as he takes this a step further by grabbing my thighs, lifting me up, and making me straddle his hips. My legs wrap around his waist as his hands hold me close. I can feel his growing erection, but that doesn't stop my assault on his mouth; it makes my face blush red. Sero moves us, my back is met with the soft cushioning of his bed. The villain hovers over me, the shadows of his room making his eyes glow. He reaches out a hand to brush against my cheek, leaning down to capture his lips in a gentle kiss, so gentle it makes me forget everything. His tongue darts into my mouth again, distracting me from his continuing hands that have started to wander up my shirt. His hands are unusually cold, causing a gasp to escape me. He silences me with his kisses, his hand moving further and further up until it captures my breasts. As he smirks, the bastard begins circling his fingers on my sensitive nipples, which have now hardened due to sudden contact with cold skin.

"No bra?" He asks, smiling down at me, as I struggle to keep myself together.

"Shut up," I say back, bringing my hand to my mouth.

One hand leaves my breast to take the hand away, "Nobody is going to hear you, trust me," Sero whispers, his hand returning to the sensitive mound, "Let me hear how pretty you sing."

His mouth moves to kiss my neck, his hands circle and pinch my nipples, and from my mouth, the most lewd and pleasurable sounds escape. He stops for a second, removing his shirt and holy shit...I was right. Sero is ripped, but covered in tattoos, and...scars. I would ask about those later. I blush as I take my shirt off too, discarding the clothing onto the floor with his. Sero looks at me as if he is looking at a goddess. He leans down, chills crawling up and down my spine with his mouth inches away from my left breast, and my scar runs right across my nipple. His eyes move up and down, tracing the length of the scar...his eyes swirl with anger.

"Never again," He whispers, his face moving down.

My body tenses up when he wraps his lips around my nipple, kissing the scar and swirling his tongue around the sensitive bud. His hand comes up to the other breast to give it some needed attention, the pad of his thumb tracing gentle circles on my nipple.

I arch my back up into his mouth, desperate to feel more of his touch. He bites down gently on my nipple, creating a stinging sensation, and soothing the bud with gentle licks and kisses. He does this as a back-and-forth action, giving each of my sensitive bundles of flesh attention. He stops coming back up to my lips, my hands come up pulling on his hair, and my teeth scrape against his mouth. Our tongues and mouths tangled in a heated dance for dominance and touch. One of his hands responds to my desperate plea by moving down to undo my belt and removing my jeans. His cool fingers trace a straight pattern down my leg as he teasingly takes off my protective layer of fabric. Once my pants are gone, I feel exposed...so exposed. I'm left in nothing but my black, lace panties; I knew it was only a matter of time before those were gone too. And Sero, my eyes can't help but wonder about his torso...especially the scars. Some that look like...cigarette burns. I hoped I was wrong when looking at those. He leans down again, pressing a kiss to my temple, my cheek, and my lips. As his mouth meets mine, I am met with a sensation that makes me buck my hips up. Two of his fingers slip by my waistband and enter my core swiftly. My mouth falls open, a growing orgasm building as he moves his fingers in and out of me. I am so lost for words, my body reacting to him deliciously.

He smiles at me, "Cat got your tongue, Luna."

My silence is broken by a soft and pleasurable moan, noises I had been holding back, noises I was afraid to let slip. My body starts to move with his hand, desperate for more friction, chasing my orgasm, my juices soaking his fingers.

"You want me, Luna?" He asks, close to my ear.

I'm nodding, I'm nodding fast. God, yes, I want him. I've wanted him for a while now. He slowly removes his fingers, denying me the climax that my body had so cruelly built. I am dizzy and blissed out, I don't even hear the clank of his belt, nor the sound of his jeans joining mine on the floor. As well as the sound of him unwrapping something.

"Let's get these out of the way," He whispers, his fingers tracing the line of my panties.

Swiftly, he removes the final piece of my clothing, and I am completely naked in his presence. My eyes move, and he is completely naked too. Before I let my gaze wander too far, I look back up at his face. As he lines up with me, my heart starts to race, and there is one thing I haven't even mentioned or thought of until now.

"What's wrong?" He asks, stalling.

"I," My voice is quiet, "I'm a virgin...so be gentle."

His eyes soften in a way that I've never seen, and his fingers come up to brush my face, attempting to soothe my nerves.

"I could never hurt you," He says.

I can feel his hips shift, his hard member brushing against my opening. I don't even have to look to know that he is big; Bigger than I imagined. This makes my heart quicken again, making my eyes dart around in a nervous panic.

"Eyes on me, baby," He says, "I gotcha."

The moment my eyes meet his, he pushes past my folds, a stinging pain coursing through me. The pinching of my walls made tears form around the corners of my eyes.

"Relax," He whispers, sending a hand down to rub my thigh.

His touch makes me shiver, but makes me feel so calm...and safe. With my body relaxed, he pushes the rest of the way in. I am squeezing him tightly, both with my arms and my walls. My nails dig into his back, but he is completely unbothered by that.

"I'll go when you're ready," He says, brushing back the hair out of my face.

Nodding, I allow myself to catch my breath. And I look at his face again, memorizing his face once again. Something I've been doing since we met, but I've noticed new things. Not just those dimples when he smiles, but the way his eyes sparkle or how his brows crease when he relaxes.

"Ok, I'm good," I breathe out, gripping onto his shoulders.

He nods, pulling out and thrusting into me. My eyes roll back into my head, I am feeling pleasure I have never felt before. Being in a relationship never crossed my mind at any time. Shenzi would call me disgusting things had I even shown interest in anyone, but now this was different. Here I was, in the midst of intimacy with a villain. But not just any villain, a villain who understood me...who...who...

His thrusting got faster, hitting that spot within me in a deliciously amazing way. I was seeing stars, crying and moaning out in ecstasy, screaming out Seros' name like it was a prayer. The orgasm I was denied began to build back up, creating a warm and swirling sensation in my stomach.

"You close Luna?" He asks, his hips moving in a perfect rhythm.

I nod fast as his pace stays perfectly steady, "Come with me, baby, come with me."

My back arches and my vision flashes warm white lights as my release is granted. He grunts and rests on his elbows breathlessly as he too climaxes. He kisses my lips again; Over and over again, memorizing how they feel, savoring each little bit of my taste. Our breathing mixes together in the most perfect way possible.

"I love you, Luna."

**SMUT END**

SERO POV

The light sound of music played in my room turned on for white noise. I lay on my back, resting on my chest, is Luna, having passed out a couple hours prior. I look up at my ceiling, my heart racing in a way that I haven't felt, but with the racing comes a warmth I haven't experienced in years.

And I said it.

I finally said those three words to her, and I meant all three. On my chest, she starts to stir, those pretty blue eyes opening and peaking up at me. She rubs her eyes with the back of one of her hands.

"What time is it?" She asks, a yawn escaping her.

Using my fingers, I brush the hair from her face, "Late...or early. It's three in the morning," I just can't help but brush my lips on her forehead, "Go back to sleep." I whisper.

She yawns again, but instead of going back to sleep, she rolls over to be on top of me...causing all the blood in my body to head south. My lips stretch into that smile I know she likes.

"What," I asked, bringing my hands up to wrap around her, "You asking for another round?"

Luna laughs as I start kissing her; she fits so perfectly against me and against my lips. It's like she was put on this Earth just for me. Wandering hands move up to my chest, stopping at my pecs. Her lips leave mine and her eyes move down...causing my smile to flaughter. Her fingers are tracing them...my scars. Not just any scars, burns...burns put there by someone who was supposed to protect me, but did anything but. Out of habit, I sit up fast, practically throwing her off of me. But before she falls from the bed, I grab her arms, keeping her from meeting my floor. I want to stand, but she keeps me down...her hands firm on my shoulders. Her eyes skim my body, down to my torso...scars covered by tattoos, but ones far too big to hide. The burns give me nightmares, and her voice shakes when she keeps looking.

"Who did this to you?"

I know exactly who did this to me. The thought of that person makes my blood boil...It makes me want to kill. That person is the reason I became a villain in the first place. Moving away, I stand, and the moment I do, my body is disturbed by the cold of my room. One of the downsides of having a downstairs bedroom is. There is immediate panic in Luna's eyes.

"Wait," She says, "You don't have to-"

But I quickly cut her off by tossing her one of my shirts.

"No," I reply, "It's ok. I just don't talk about that part of my life anymore...However," I reach into my dresser and grab some boxers. "You deserve to know...I want you to know."

By the time I've returned to my bed, she is dressed in my shirt, I don't ignore how she brings the cloth up to her face to inhale my scent. I stay sitting up, for now, I don't know if I can meet her eyes when I tell her this story, she doesn't need to see the full force of my burning hot anger.

"From the time I could remember things, my home life wasn't good at all." I know Luna, relates to this, "Sure, I had a roof over my head, food on the table...but only one parent who actually loved me."
A face flashes through my head, his stupid grin! A grin I inherited from him!

"Was it your mother?" Luna asks softly, to that statement, I can't help but smile.

"Oh no," I reply, "My mother was the most amazing human ever created; she was beautiful, kind...too kind for this world." My face darkens, "And how she got involved with...him! It is beyond me."

I glance over at Luna for a second, she is fully engulfed and listening to me, but there is a flash of pain and anger, "Your father...did he?" She brushes her fingers on my chest, I can still feel the sting as if they were still fresh.

"Yeah," I speak strongly, I would get to, "For the first several years of my life, he made it clear that he didn't want me. That my "Whore of a mom," trapped him with me." My blood starts to boil, I can still hear his voice and see his face, "I hated it when he would call my Mom those things. Because despite everything he did to her, she remained loyal to him, treating him like he was a God."

"And by 'things he did to her,'" Luna starts, "You mean?" The look on her face says everything.

I nod, "I mean, he abused her. Verbally, mentally, and" My hands clenched into fists, "Physically."

I continue to avoid eye contact with Luna, allowing the burning anger to flood my brain, "I couldn't sleep at night without hearing my mom cry out in pain. But every argument and every beating would end with that bastard's buttery voice, 'I'm so sorry, my love, I love you so much and I promise it won't happen again.'" I can feel myself getting angrier, "I would always reach out to touch my mom's face...one of her eyes was always swollen shut, and I don't think I ever saw her without anything on her face. But no matter what, she was always gentle to me and made me feel like I was wanted."

I bring my hand up to trace my scars, not just burns, but the ones that I had covered with tattoos, "He started with burns," I whisper, "My mom worked, and he would hurt me when she was gone. I wasn't a son...I was a punching bag to him. He would put out his cigarettes on me. My chest, my back, my shoulders...and my elbows."

Her eyes darted down to my elbows, the source of my quirk.

"Old man said my quirk was useless, that I wouldn't ever make it anywhere with my quirk." I smile...thinking about another part of the story, but that will come later.

"When my mom would get home, I'd just cry to her...begging her to take away the burning all over. She would just soothe me." I think back to when Luna had her nightmare: "She would brush her hands on my face, shushing me until I fell asleep."

"Why didn't she just leave your dad?" She asks, but her guess is as good as mine.

"I always told myself that she was blinded by love. She loved my dad, I don't know why though." I draw in a deep breath, "Things continued that way, but puberty does strange things to the human body...because I eventually started fighting back."

I can still think back to our screaming fights, how I started using my quirk on him, and how he would ALWAYS throw the first punch. Eventually, he resorted to using a knife. I explained how Mom never pulled him away, though her arms always wrapped around me, and she would drag me away, shushing me like she always would.

"It didn't take a genius to know that my old man wanted me dead, but I knew that if he killed me, there would be no one around to keep my mother safe."

"So, you were like your own hero to her," Luna says next to me. I respond with a nod, but she speaks once again, "Why didn't the heroes do anything, why didn't ANYONE do anything?"

That question made me chuckle, "Because they didn't care; I could see it in their smug ass faces. And you wanna know what the saddest part was?"

She hums in response.

"I wore clothes that deliberately showed my scars. Even the burns. I got sent to the office so many times! But not for the scars! For being in violation of the dress code!"

"That's bullshit," She says, I can hear her speaking through her teeth, something she tends to do when she begins to get worked up.

"I called for help once, I was fifteen, contacted authorities, and they did send a hero."

There is a spark of hope on Luna's face, it was the same spark of hope I felt at that time, but that hope would be snatched from me.

"You wanna know who they sent?"

She shrugs, "Who?"

"Your fucking brother," I bite out, there is venom in my words, "The only good thing in that moment was the look on my old man's face when he saw a hero standing at his door like he was finally going to get what was coming to him. I even showed him all of my marks, but..." I shake, and there are tremors forming in my body. "That bastard walked right up to Circuit and put on this whole show. 'Oh, I'm so sorry, my son can be so dramatic, you know, kids at this age? Always hurting themselves and roughhousing.' There was so much desperation in my eyes, but fucking Shenzi...I looked at me and said, 'Kid, get your shit together.'"

I wanted to throw up at remembering this, fuck that moment I felt so sick and so trapped. And once that door closed, I was fuming. I turned around to see my old man's smug face, like he fucking won. I felt an anger within me that I hadn't felt before. I lashed out at him, beating him almost to the point of death. My mother had returned from work and pulled me away. I was so close to killing that bastard.

"Nothing changed after that; all it took was one bad hero to ruin them all for me. But trust me when I say that my" I swallow, "Dad, got what was coming to him."

Luna listens. I think she's getting an idea of what was coming, "How old were you?"

"Seventeen, I had just come home from school. Old man was beating Mom. So, like always, I ran over to basically give him a taste of his own medicine, but when I ran over, Mom was covered in stab wounds," I could feel bile rushing into my throat. "That bastard had killed her...killed her like it was nothing!" I'm shouting, never in my life am I so grateful for the thick cement walls of my room. "She loved him! Cared for him! And what does he do to her!?"

The bed creaks, I glance and Luna has backed away slightly, I can see forming energy into her hands as small droplets form. I regained myself to finish.

"At that moment, something in me snapped. I walked right up to him and bound him with my tape..." I start to smile. The sounds of my old man's screams were absolutely delicious, they made me feel a certain amount of joy I had never felt in my life. I go into full gory details of how I killed him. Beating him senseless, burning him with cigarettes and finally slitting his fucking throat. When it was all over, I looked down at his body, completely obliterated, but then over to my Mom. That's when the waterworks started. I walked over to her and just held her while I cried. The one saving grace in my life was gone, just like that, and for absolutely nothing. I just remember memorizing her face...I never wanted her memory to leave me.

"What happened after that?" Luna asks.

"I left the house...I ran away. Wandered the streets. The news was all over the place with what happened; 'Couple found dead in house...son missing.' You know typical bullshit. But nothing else mattered; the only time my family situation even became relevant to the heroes was when the cameras and press were involved. That made me so angry. So I made it my goal to make the city a living for heroes."

I look down at my forearm...at the first tattoo I got. It has my villain's name, Bondage.

"I changed my name...and never told anybody who I was," I think back to those first months of villainy, I killed people, stole things, and was always just out of reach for the heroes. I smile though...because I wouldn't change a damn thing.

"I made damn sure that I made Circuit's life hell. I never forgot what he told me. I love playing cat and mouse with that bastard."

I look at her, "And I don't plan on stopping...ever."

The silence is thick enough to cut. She just looks at me, but her eyes aren't filled with pity. I appreciate that, but I've had enough of that since I first came here. She moves first, crawling into my lap to straddle me. Her hands come to my face, her thumbs brush under my eyes...wiping away tears that I didn't know that I had shed.

"I don't think I've ever seen you cry," She whispers, continuing the pattern of circles on my face.

I take her wrists, "Can't remember the last time I did, to be honest." I rub my own face with my hand. Standing, I go over to my dresser, and above it is a mirror. I stare back at the man in the reflection.

"You wanna know something else?" I ask, "Every time I look at myself...All I see is my old man, I'm spitting fuck image of him and I hate it. Before I came here...I tried offing myself once, just so I wouldn't see his face anymore."

Looking back up, I am no longer met with a face I loath, but the face of myself. A villain who has nothing to do with their father. It took me a long time to look in the mirror, and some days it's still a struggle, but nowhere near as bad as it once was.

"But now," I grin, "I don't care, because even if I could go back in time, I wouldn't change the path I've gone down. Cause I know my old man is burning Hell, looking up at me, at the monster he created."

Luna's arms wrap around me, and I can see her blue eyes in the mirror. She is analyzing herself, too, I can tell. Everything I've told her is sinking in. She draws in a shaky breath before concluding.

"Neither would I."