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1-KUROGIRI- Bartop
To be completely truthful, Kurogiri was not sure how or why the petri dish appeared. It was simply… there… one day. Shigaraki Tomura had come down to the bar, and in front of his usual seat at the bar was the petri dish.
“Oh. That's where I left it…” The blue haired man scratched his neck. “I thought I lost it.”
“... May I inquire as to what that is?”
“It's my mold.”
His… mold? Kurogiri’s face flickered as he formed the mist equivalent of a baffled expression.
“Mold?”
“Yes.” Tomura sneered. Kurogiri didn't wish to risk the decay of the bar, so he dropped the questioning.
If only that had been the end of it. A couple weeks later, it became a larger issue.
-
Kurogiri is cleaning a glass, a habit of his to pass the time. The attack on U.A is to happen today, at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. All their preparations are complete. The ‘minions’ Shigaraki Tomura had gathered with his teacher's assistance are all waiting in a hidden location, waiting for Kurogiri to warp them in.
He pauses as Tomura tears through the bar. He's unusually frantic. Has something jeopardized their plans?
“Tomura-”
“Kurogiri! Have you seen Stachy-Chan? I can't find him..”
“Stachy-Chan? Is that one of your underlings?”
Tomura gives him a look that says Kurogiri should know what he's talking about. “What? No. Stachy-Chan. Did I not tell you his name? I left him on the bar a while ago. Remember?”
Left him on the bar? Was Tomura referring to an object, like a gaming console? Kurogiri knows he’s very immersed in games, but to think he’d name his handheld… wait. The mold. Is Tomura referring to the mold dish?
Tomura ducks, looking under a stool. “I just had him earlier, but I didn’t see him on my desk.”
“No, Tomura, I haven’t seen your.. Stachy-Chan.” Kurogiri doesn’t understand what’s so important about the petri dish. “Perhaps you could search for him later, after we’ve returned from killing All Might? We should depart soon.”
“I wanted to take him with me.” Tomura glares at the stool. Stachy-Chan must not have been under it. “Fine. I will find him after, but you have to help me look. I don’t want him to miss the celebration.”
Kurogiri holds back a sigh and agrees.
The USJ attack goes on to be unsuccessful. When they return, and Tomura is being given first aid, he grumbles that it wouldn’t have gone so poorly if Stachy-Chan had been there.
The next day, he’s wearing the petri dish on a large silver chain around his neck.
2- MIDORIYA IZUKU- Mall
Today was supposed to be a normal shopping trip.
Izuku stays very still, weary of Tomura Shigaraki’s hand on his neck. He really really doesn’t wanna die here!
He’s scared. He can’t contact his classmates. If any of them come back and see him, Shigaraki could kill him and anyone else he feels like killing. He tries to refocus on his own thoughts, tries to stay calm as they sit down together. Tries not to listen too much to what Shigaraki says without ignoring him. Shigaraki probably won’t dust him if Izuku doesn’t struggle, even if he doesn’t exactly listen, but he doesn’t want to test the villain's patience.
Shigaraki’s ranting about Stain and Izuku is considering that maybe OFA was actually a curse, not a blessing (Jokingly of course! Izuku is very grateful to All Might and would never ever regret taking the quirk. It would be nice to not be targeted, though.), when he hears the shifting of metal and glances to the side. Shigaraki is wearing a chain with… what appears to be a petri dish full of black mold. The mold seems to shift when Izuku’s eyes land on it and he squeaks in surprise. It feels strangely out of place, distracting from the hostile tension in the air.
“Is- is that mold?” Izuku is suddenly unsure. Maybe he shouldn’t have interrupted the villain who could kill him at any moment. Stupid, Stupid Izuku, why did you ask?
“Between me and him- what?” The energy surrounding the villain suddenly becomes far less malicious. Shigaraki looks down. “Oh, yes. He’s my good luck charm. But that is offtopic, brat. I’m trying to ask you about Stain and why he has so much public support. What’s the difference between him and I?-” Shigaraki attempts to resume his threatening rant, but it’s not the same. Izuku is thoroughly distracted.
Izuku stares at the mold. Is he insane, or did it just wave at him?
Shigaraki clears his throat and tightens his grip on Izuku. Right, hostage situation. Waving mold is the least of his worries. (But ohmygosh, that’s so weird- but also interesting. Is it a quirk? A product of one?- Wait, focus!)
“Uhm, Well- If you ask me- which you are… I don’t understand or agree with you. I don’t agree with Stain, either. But I can understand Stain, a little, because he drew his inspiration from All Might. Stain had more conviction than you. He isn’t just destroying what he wants. He has clear motivations and principles.” Izuku gives his honest thoughts.
Shigaraki grins, lips stretching into a disturbing shape, his eyes curling up like crescents. Izuku tenses up a little further. How does he manage to make a smile look so deranged and unsettling? It feels like the antithesis of All Might's reassuring smile. It looks evil.
“I get it now. Why you two irritate me so much. I hate Stain… and I hate you because of All Might.” Shigaraki’s other hand scratches lightly at his neck. “Everything always goes back to All Might. ”
Izuku isn’t exactly sure why that’s all Shigaraki took from his statement, and underneath his fear he’s also a little insulted. Yeah, Izuku’s whole thing is having All Might’s quirk and being his successor but he’s his own person! He’d much rather be hated because he’s Midoriya Izuku and not because of something or someone else. (That feeling is probably rooted in the fact that he was watered down to just being the quirkless kid, and that label was all people thought of when they saw him. But he’s not going to psychoanalyze himself right now. Priorities! Remember your priorities, Izuku! You’re being held hostage!).
Izuku looks at the mold necklace again.
“Is that Stachybotrys Chartarum?”
Shigaraki drops the villain smile and just sort of looks at him. Oops. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked? But the evil energy recedes again. Maybe mold is the key to villain rehabilitation.
“...Yes. It is. Why do you know it’s name?” Gets a suspicious glance. Shigaraki seems weirdly protective of the mold.
“I did a project on mold species in middle school, and their potential health effects.” Izuku swallows nervously. Maybe if he keeps Shigaraki occupied with the mold, he’ll stay away from dangerous topics like All Might.
“Ah… a redeeming quality.” Shigaraki’s grip loosens. “Whatever. I’ve connected the dots. I got what I came here for, so I’ll be leaving now. If you try to follow me, or call for help, I won’t hesitate to kill everyone here.” Shigaraki smiles, much more normally, and once again pretends to be a friend as he waves goodbye.
Izuku heaves in a large breath and starts coughing as soon as his hand is no longer around his throat. Tries his best not to draw attention to himself, lest Shigaraki thinks he has a reason to hurt someone on his way out.
Is saved from his spiral of panic when Uraraka comes back He tells her about the encounter, and after they’ve reported it and Izuku is talking to the detective he makes sure to mention the mold as a possible de-escalation tactic. At least temporarily, it seems to be a pretty good distraction.
He didn’t even finish his shopping.
3-DABI-Bar
Here’s what Dabi thinks about Shigaraki Tomura- he’s weird as fuck. Creepy looking too. It’s just Dabi’s luck that his best shot at Endeavor lies with a bunch of lunatics. It’s been a couple weeks since he first met the guy though, and while yes, he’s creepy as fuck, and they tried to kill eachother, he’s not that shitty. Just… immature. Hopefully, he’ll develop into a stronger leader soon.
Dabi stares down at his glass of whiskey, swirling the ice around. Toga’s sitting on couch listening to some trash pop song that grates on his ears. He’s contemplating going upstairs to his room when Shigaraki shows up. Think of the devil and he shall appear. Dabi takes in his appearance. He looks less disheveled than usual, and is wearing some weird necklace.
Dabi squints.
“Are you wearing a petri dish full of mold?”
Bossman glares at him, hand coming up to defensively clutch at the chain. “It makes it easier to not lose him.”
Him?
“Your mold has a gender?”
“Yes. And his name is Stachy-c... Just Stachy.”
“You named it?”
Shigaraki scowls at him. “It’s short for Stachybotrys Chartarum. His species.” Scratches his neck for a moment. “Did you know that-”
“I don't wanna listen to your mold facts.” Dabi almost feels a little bad when Shigaraki’s face falls. Definitely feels insane for that. Look, Dabi’s just not interested in mold science. He has nothing to feel bad about.
The look on Shigaraki’s face says otherwise. He doesn’t leave though, just shuffles closer and sits next to Dabi at the bar. Doesn’t say anything about the mold again as they speak, but Dabi catches him rubbing the petri dish between his fingers. That’s probably better than Shigaraki scratching his neck. But mold? He knew Shigaraki was weird, but he didn’t think he was mold necklace weird.
Actually, now that he thinks about it, he does remember Shigaraki wearing a weird necklace at their first meeting. Dabi just hadn’t realized at the time that it was a mold dish.
Dabi’s tempted to ask why exactly Shigaraki has a mold dish, and why he cares about losing it enough to wear it on a chain around his neck but he’s scared that Shigaraki will launch into a mold monologue. He hasn’t known the man very long but he suspects a mold rant would be much more annoying than his usual gaming rants. Dabi’s praying for a gaming enthusiast to join the league so that Shigaraki has someone else to rant to.
He consoles himself with the knowledge that the LOV is backed up by All for One. There are important resources here. He can deal with having a weird ass boss for his goal.
He’s just about finishing his drink when Toga pops up to pester Shigaraki. She asks him about the mold. Toga calls it cute. Dabi disagrees. It’s mold. If any of it gets out of Shigaraki’s strange fashion statement it’s a contamination risk. He pours himself another drink when Shigaraki starts talking about what genus the mold is from and how it fairs in the wild.
The monologue goes in one ear out the other, but the constant monotone of Shigaraki’s voice is kinda relaxing. Like white noise.. Dabi finishes his second drink and rests his head on the bar. He turns his face slightly to watch Shigaraki and Toga chat. Toga doesn’t really look like she’s comprehending any of the scientific terms Shigaraki throws out, but he’s taken off the mold necklace and handed it to her. She seems content with staring at the fluffy black mold spots.
“Did it just move?”
“Hm? Maybe.”
It moves? Yeah, no, Dabi’s not a fan of the mold. He gets up and leaves.
4- BAKUGO KATSUKI- kidnapping
Katsuki was gonna kill these fuckers. He was gonna murder them to hell, blast them back to life and then kill them again for having the audacity to kidnap him. He’s not scared, just angry. U.A will come get him soon. It’s already been 2 days, and Katsuki doesn’t believe the league to be capable of keeping Katsuki for so long when U.A is one of the most influential institutions in Japan.
Fuck, Katsuki is so damned tired of listening to this dude bitch and complain and monologue about hero society. He does his best to keep his expression to his default sneer. Still waiting for a chance to catch these fuckers offguard as Shigaraki goes on and on. Katsuki can’t seem too against joining before he gets his opportunity, or they’ll never relax his restraints. And even though he’s confident that the heroes will come extract him, he really doesn’t wanna be rescued. It would be much better for his overall pride and ego if he could escape himself.
Shigaraki pauses briefly in his monologue, examining Katsuki. Katsuki meets his gaze. Keeps his breathing level. Scans the leader visually, eyes catching on the large round charm on the chain he wears. What sort of ugly ass fashion statement is that? He’s tempted to insult it, but he doesn’t. Katsuki might be hot-headed, but he can be patient. He is not going to ruin his plan by insulting the villain's fashion choices and pissing him off. No matter how badly that necklace is begging to be made fun of.
Shigaraki resumes his monologue. He starts twisting the round charm around in his fingers. It kind of looks like a petri dish.
Wait. Something clicks in the back of Katsuki’s mind, and he remembers the announcement made after Deku had a run in with Hands at the mall. Mold. They’d said something about mold being a viable distraction method. Honestly, Katsuki had written it off as ridiculous. Hadn’t understood how mold would help him not get murdered by a villain. This must be what they were referring to. So Katsuki breaks his silence to ask about Hands’ stupid mold necklace.
“Are you wearing fucking mold as a fashion statement?”
Shigaraki startles out of his monologue, clearly not expecting Katsuki’s interruption. He frowns at Katsuki, and then smiles lightly. Smiling does not suit this guys face, like, at all.
“Yes. Are you curious about him? Since you’re a potential recruit, I don’t mind telling you a little about him. Not too much, though.” He speaks like the League should know what he means, but they all look mildly perturbed at his words. Apparently they aren’t big fans of the mold. Katsuki can’t blame them- he hates mold. Wait, did Shigaraki just refer to the mold as a him?
“His name is Stachy. He’s my good luck charm.” He says it like he’s proud of it. “I wouldn’t have been able to help plan the training camp mission without him. Not taking your credit, Dabi, but Stachy was very valuable.”
Is this dude implying that Katsuki got kidnapped because of his pet mold? What the fuck kind of drugs are these villains taking?
“Do you want to see?” Shigaraki takes his necklace off. “It’s fine, Stachy.” He seems to reassure the mold. Why? Katsuki can barely find his anger. He’s just… confused. He latches onto the confusion and channels it back into fury. There. He hates that stupid mold dish. It’s fucking stupid to be a villain and get completely sidetracked by mold. Who has mold as a good luck charm? Katsuki would never be caught hanging with a crew led by someone who wears a mold necklace. He'll die sooner, actually.
“Dabi, take off his restraints.”
Crispy gives Katsuki a look, and then tells Twice to do it instead. Katsuki’s fucking astonished when he actually does. No fucking way. All it took was asking about the mold necklace and he’s being unrestrained. The moment he’s unrestrained, he clocks Twice in the face and aims a blast at Shigaraki’s mold loving face. The impact knocks the hand off of his face, and his mold onto the ground.
It’s still for a few seconds as the room floods with hostile intent. Katsuki’s scanning, looking for an opening. Sucks that the first blast didn’t work, because now any move he makes will be intercepted by the misty fucker.
“...Father…” Shigaraki mumbles, eyes transfixed on the ground. “...Stachy…”
Shigaraki reaches a hand out sharply, and for a second Katsuki thinks that he’s gonna die, but all he does is tell the others not to kill him. Picks his stuff up off the ground. Is saying something again when there’s a knock on the door, and then All Might’s bursting through the walls.
He talks to Deku about the mold after the dorms are implemented. Makes fun of Shigaraki’s mold necklace. It’s a half decent coping mechanism. It’s pretty difficult to be genuinely traumatized by your kidnapper when they have a petri dish of mold named Stachy hanging off their neck.
---
All for One isn't sure where he went wrong raising Shigaraki Tomura. Why is his successor attached to mold?
Well, it's not like he can ask from Tartarus, so it doesn't matter. Hopefully, the mold doesn't cause Tomura any further psychogical issues.