ꜱᴛᴇᴘ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ: ꜰɪɴᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɪɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴ,

[ "ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘꜱ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ꜱʜᴀʀᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛ, ꜱᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɪɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴ!" ]

ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴠɪᴇᴡ...

Shigaraki bound down the stairs to the basement's lab-research-center hybrid. Shigaraki was determined to make a habit out of coming to see you. It was because of something he researched called the propinquity factor. The theory states that the more time Shigaraki spent physically near you, the more likely it was for you to form an interpersonal attachment to him. That interpersonal attachment was key to turning you into a villain. And if Shigaraki could bring you to his side... well, the heroes would be history.

"Hi," Shigaraki greeted. You jumped, startled by his sudden appearance. He smiled. His smile made you uncomfortable at first.

"H-Hello," You told him, nervously shifting in your seat. "I-I'm still working on that recruit. Do you need something?"

"I was just, uh," Shigaraki paused, taking a breath. "How are you doing?" Shigaraki had no idea what he was supposed to do, but he hoped attempts counted for something. If he wanted you to trust him, he would have to talk to you, which was difficult for him. He was anxious for your reply. The only people he talked to were the other villains, none of which had any desire to be friends with him. They were simply around because they saw him as a means to an end. You, on the other hand, were beyond confused. Was he seriously trying to have small talk with you?

"Villains kidnapped me, and now I'm being forced to betray my values to help you," You dead-panned. "So, to be completely honest, not good." Shigaraki was unsure if you were trying to make a joke, or if you were being serious. You were probably being serious. He began to over-analyze the situation, getting lost in his own worries. As his eyes raked over your face, scanning for any sign of playfulness.

"You don't have many friends, do you?" You asked, testing to see how much Shigaraki would tolerate. He sighed. His smile had long since dissipated, and he looked to his feet. He started to walk away, deciding he would try again later.

"I don't either," You blurted out, instantly regretting it. "Work consumes most of my time, so, I don't really talk to people much." You hated villains, you had ever since you were a child. They were evil, that's what everybody always told you and what you saw from behind a desk all day. You had known Shigaraki for a week. It was evident by his imperfections and almost awkward nature that he was human. Out of instinct, your empathy kicked in. Just like talking to a normal person, when you noticed they grew embarrassed you tried to help. Shigaraki chuckled.

"How do you keep yourself from going insane?" He muttered.

"I'm not sure sometimes," You confessed with a forced smile. "Video games help." You shrugged and looked back to the monitors, not expecting your off-handed comment to spark something in Shigaraki's eyes. Instead of walking away, he returned to your desk, a curious look on his face.

"You play video games?" Shigaraki asked confused. You looked at him skeptically, wiggling uncomfortably under his intense gaze.

"Y-Yeah, I do," You explained. Shigaraki got closer, and you backed up.

"I do too!" Shigaraki exclaimed, eagerly. "What games do you like to play?" His new state frightened you, you had never seen him like this before. He was filled with child-like wonder and excitement. You stuttered off a few of your favorite titles. You were slightly frightened by how he seemed genuinely happy to talk to you about video games. You figured not many villains shared his hobby. 

"I have all of those games," Shigaraki told you, obviously trying to contain himself. "If you'd like to play them sometime... " You opened your mouth, about to say you would love to. You felt yourself beginning to almost enjoy the conversation. You closed your mouth, realizing how stupid it would have been to accept that invitation. 

"I should get back to work," You stated, a frown settling on your lips. Shigaraki nodded his head, backing away from your desk.

"Oh, of course," Shigaraki mumbled, turning away to leave. "Good luck." You watched as Shigaraki left. You reflected for a brief moment before continuing to work. You were no psychologist, but something about that conversation with Shigaraki told you he lacked much positive interaction. You felt bad for him. Yet, he was a villain, did he deserve to be pitied?

ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ...