I don't own anything except any original characters (including the Reader's concept) and/or any original plot

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Chapter Fourteen - Deceitful Submission (Or, Overhaul Makes a Mistake)

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"This is Eri," Overhaul told you. The little girl, who couldn't be more than seven, was trembling, "She is my charge, and important to our operation. However, she's prone to misbehaving. If you could weasel your way into Shigaraki's good graces, you should be able to control her as well."

"You want me to earn her trust? What have you done that's made her so cautious?" You eyed the bandages lining her arms in distaste.

"Eri's Quirk allows her to return something to its original state, organic matter included. For that reason, she has been made useful."

"Got it," you didn't need more detail about how Overhaul was tormenting her in order to get whatever he needed to help his drug move along until they removed Quirks permanently. He took your blood out of simple curiosity, so if Eri was the reason behind the Quirk erasing bullets then Overhaul was probably willing to tear her apart and put her back together.

"Good. You may speak with her for an hour. Tonight, you will be taken to buy any items you may need. When out of the compound, one of my Eight Bullets will be with you to prevent any... issues. They will also show you where you'll eat and train if you wish. You'll also be summoned to spend time with Eri at least once a day. Any betrayal will lead to death."

"Good to know," you stepped into the room and the poor girl shook even more.

The door shut as Overhaul left. There was some sort of monitoring device in the room. Following the energy signature to it, you discovered a small bug under the nightstand. A listening device. Returning it to its original location, you sighed and turned to face Eri.

"Hello Eri," you greeted in the kindest voice you could muster. She scooched farther into the corner, eyes wide and full of unshed tears, "Oh, honey. It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. Here," you pulled off your plague mask to reveal your whole face, "My name is (Y/n). I'm not going to touch you if you don't want me too, and I won't raise my voice either. In fact, I'll stay right here on the floor."

Crossing your legs, you settled on the ground a few feet away from the child. She remained silent, just staring at you in fear. Because the bandages pointed toward experimentation easily classified as abuse, you tried to remember the section in your online textbook about it.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this. You don't deserve this," apologize, be sympathetic, "I used to be hurt by the people around me too," form a connection, "I was different, and they didn't like that. So they used to hurt me. It's not fun, and I still get sad about it sometimes."

"You do?" Eri's voice was a mere whisper, but you considered it a major win considering you hadn't been talking long. Your entire disposition was meant to be soothing. She had the higher ground on the bed, you took off your mask to seperate yourself from the Shie Hassakai and to show how young you were, and you were keeping your voice quiet and kind.

"Yeah, I do. It's okay to be sad. Or angry. You're allowed to feel that way. Especially when you're still going through so much," leaning in, you lowered your voice so the bug would have a hard time picking it up, "I wish I could help you."

"You do?"

"Yes. You're too young for all this," you sighed. If you played your cards right, you could take down the Shie Hassakai and get Eri out safely. But you'd need help for that, more power than Jin and Himiko could provide, "Do you have any hobbies, Eri?"

"Hobbies?"

"Yeah. Do you like to read, draw, stuff like that?"

"I don't know."

"That's okay. We can find out together," your gaze wandered to the untouched toys, "Don't like toys that much?"

Eri shook her head, "The mean men try to give them to me. I don't want them."

"What if I got you something? I could get some books and paper and crayons so you can see what you like," you smiled when the tension in Eri's shoulders finally lessened and she seemed to relax a bit.

What Eri needed more than anything was to get out of here. But before you did that you could do your best to take care of her and give her the love she was lacking. She never warmed up to her Shie Hassakai caretakers because they never actually cared, they were just following orders. Eri seemed smart, or perceptive at least because she had to be on alert 24/7, and she could probably see that if she slipped up then her past caretakers wouldn't hesitate to hurt her as long as it didn't hinder Overhaul's research.

"Okay."

"Awesome," messing with a spare hair tie on your wrist, you suddenly got an idea, "Eri, can I do your hair?"

She didn't answer, but she did move out of her corner. Slowly getting up, you kept your movements obvious as you sat behind her on the bed. You'd have to get an extra brush when you went shopping that night. Her hair was clean, but clearly wasn't brushed often.

Carefully picking up a few strands, you paused when she began to shake again, rushing to reassure her, "It's okay Eri. I won't hurt you. Ever. I pinky promise," you held out her pinky to her, and she gave you a confused glance, "You wrap your pinky around mine. Pinky promises can't be broken, ever." She wrapped her much smaller finger around yours and stopped shaking. That was your signal to continue.

It was perilous work, being gentle with such messy hair, but you took your time with it. Eventually, you managed to wrangle her hair into a semi-acceptable french braid. Big Sis Mag would be proud. She was the one who taught you.

"There," pulling out your phone, you switched to the camera to show Eri what she looked like from a front, and you took a picture to show her the back, "Pretty."

"I'm pretty?"

"You're beautiful Eri," you reassured the girl, your heart breaking for her when you heard the shock in her tone, "Never doubt that."

Your hour with her was soon up, and one of Overhaul's followers led you back up to the above-ground base, where another person was waiting for you. He was tall, with a muscular frame and bald head. He only wore a white medical mask and he held one out to you when you approached.

"Someone will take your cape and mask back to your room after we leave," he stated. His voice was deep, and gruff. Everything about him let you know that he was chosen as your escort because he could fight.

Pulling off the plague mask you had just put back on, you unhooked your cape as well and were more hesitant to hand that to the first follower you were with. But you really needed new clothes, along with things for Eri, so you sucked it up and dropped the fabric into the follower's hands.

"I'm Hojo Yu," the man introduced himself as you stepped out of the Yakuza building, "I'll be watching you while we get you supplies."

"(Y/n)," you replied, ignoring the second half of his sentence.

There was apparently a shopping district within walking distance of the compound, so the two of you went there. Before you entered the first store, Hojo stopped you and held out a credit card. His shadowed eyes stared at you for a long moment, and you understood. He'd be watching your purchases.

Picking out a few t-shirts, a sweatshirt, and some pants, you didn't go too crazy. You probably wouldn't be with the Shie Hassakai for long, and if your stay was extended then you could go out for more. When Hojo wasn't looking you snuck off to the kid's section and chose a pair of pajamas and a sweatshirt for Eri. Anything more would be suspicious.

Done with the first store, you moved on to the second. There, you found a backpack for all your new items and simple toiletries - you were sure to pick up an extra brush for Eri and some cute hair clips you thought she'd like. In that same store was kid's books and coloring materials that you were quick to purchase as well.

Unsure of how well Eri was fed, you stopped at several vending machines to pick up simple food that could be hidden under her bed. Water, juice, bread in a can, and some smaller snacks. You even tracked down machines that sold pre-cut apples and boardgames (you chose Uno). You loved Japan.

The final store you were determined to stop in was a tech store. You needed a phone charger and chose a laptop as well.

"I need it for my online classes. It's non-negotiable," you told Hojo before he could argue, glad he focused on that and not the phone charger.

"Overhaul will need to monitor it."

"That's fine. I still need it," you thanked the worker and left.

The two of you returned to the compound after that. Hojo didn't seem to notice the man sitting on a bench across the street, but you did. Something about him was familiar but you couldn't put your finger on why. He was in a business suit. Glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, and his eyes were focused on his phone. His hair was green with two yellow streaks near the front.

Turning away before he noticed you were watching him, you followed Hojo back into the above-ground front. He took the bag with the laptop from you, mumbling something about you getting it back after Overhaul looked it over.

Dinner that night was yaki udon, eaten with the rest of the Eight Bullets. They were a rowdy bunch, each one with a Quirk core that was unique, but not to the point of notability. They were all variations of colors and nothing more like some of the 1-A students.

Some of them talked to you more than others, like Rappa who insisted on training with you the next day and fighting to the death. Hekiji Tengai, who seemed to be his handler, was quick to shut that down.

"If you kill her our deal with the League of Villains is over," he hissed.

Rappa didn't care much, "You're a kid, ain't you? Think you can beat me?"

"Your Quirk is strength based, right? If I could dodge you long enough to suck the energy out of you, then yeah."

Rappa laughed loudly, "Fight me!"

"I'm a bit tired, actually, so I think I'll pass tonight," you stood and stretched, "I can get back to my room on my own."

The Eight Bullets nodded and let you leave by yourself. For the first time since you arrived that morning you were alone. Since you had been led through the halls so many times, it was easy to get back to your room. You picked up the bag dedicated to Eri and hurried out.

Knocking twice on her door, you stuck your head in to announce your presence before going inside entirely. She was sitting on her bed silently, staring at the ground in front of her. The hair you had worked so hard on was messy, and half undone. Brows furrowing, you then noticed that she had fresh bandages along her arms.

"Oh Eri," you sighed, setting the bag down to rush over to her. Reaching out for her hand, you gave her a chance to pull away before you took it and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"It's okay. He would have hurt you too."

You wanted to cry. Turning away before she could see the rogue tear that escaped, you went over and picked up the bag again, opening it to show her what was inside.

"I got you some things. Do you want to put these on? They might be more comfortable than what you have on now."

Nodding, Eri took the clothes from you and padded off to the adjoined bathroom. Everything she had was smaller than yours, but at least she had amenities in general.

Every new thing you learned about the Shie Hassakai made you hate Overhaul even more. Eri was so nice, even when she had been through so much pain. She had no reason to trust you, and yet she did. How could Overhaul hurt her so much and so often? Screw his cause Everything he was doing was pure evil with no justifiable motivation behind it. The league was villainous, sure, but everyone had a reason for being there and wanting to change the world.

Hearing the door open behind you, you turned to see Eri in the pajamas you had gotten for her. Without the hospital gown, she could pass as a normal child. You smiled brightly.

"You look amazing, Eri," you complimented, managing an even wider smile when her cheeks flushed. It was obvious she hadn't gotten many compliments in her life.

"What are you doing?" Eri asked, approaching without fear.

"What do you mean?" You weren't digging anything out of the bag or setting anything up, you were just watching her.

Pulling a face similar to a grimace, you realized Eri was trying to smile, "I'm smiling. I do that when I'm happy."

"Happy?"

"Yes, happy. I'm happy when I'm with you. I hope you can be happy one day too," pulling out the food and Uno game, you noticed Eri was still trying to smile, "You don't have to force it Eri. You'll smile when you're ready, okay?"

Nodding, Eri sat down across from you and looked over what you were pulling out with eager eyes. First came the food. Because the apples would go bad the fastest, you opened the package and held them out for her to take.

She hesitantly bit into one. Her eyes widened and sparkled. She was quick to eat the rest of them, and you watched her closely to make sure she didn't choke. When they were gone, she seemed sadder than before.

"Did you like them?" Eri nodded, "I can get you more the next time I'm out of the facility."

"What were they?"

"Apples. They're a fruit."

"Apples. I like apples," Eri whispered to yourself. Your heart grew three sizes. Eri was adorable.

Pulling out the other things you bought, you presented the children's books and drawing materials. Before you could show the other things to Eri, your phone buzzed in your sweatshirt pocket - a new one that you bought that day since the facility was so cold. It was a message from Bakugou. He had texted first for the first time.

There was a nearly imperceptible change that occurred between you and Bakugou after your breakdown over Magne. He was less inclined to scream and slip into his superiority complex mentality to make up for his inferiority complex mentality. Things were a bit tense after you saw him fight Midoriya Izuku because he assumed you'd see him as weak. Now you were even. Equals in a way you weren't before. Not only that, but the fight that you manipulated Bakugou into (masterfully, if you allowed yourself to be vain for a moment) was the push he needed to finally start growing as a person.

So yeah, Bakugou texting first made you more excited than it should have.

Besides the excitement coursing through you, you also noticed how late it was getting. Spending time with Eri would have to wait until you hour with her tomorrow. Until then, you could help her get to bed.

"Eri, why don't you go brush your teeth and get ready for bed? We can go through the rest of this stuff together tomorrow," you offered, watching the girl nod and go to the bathroom.

Did that yandere kidnap and drug a hero student?

Huh. Not the conversation you were expecting to have with Bakugou, but it was a conversation none-the-less. You'd take all the interaction you could get since you couldn't go and see him in person until Overhaul was taken down.

I think Tomura sent her on a longer mission a few weeks ago. It wasn't super important so I didn't look too far into it. Why?

There's someone at the supplementary lessons who said she was drugged and couldn't remember the exams, but she was there and fought Deku. Turn into round cheeks too

That was probably Himi. Tomura probably sent her in for information or something. Or she did it for fun. I wouldn't put it past her

Crazy bitch

That crazy bitch is under my command rn, so I'd appreciate it if you held back the insults a little bit. She can't control it

Whatever.

It wasn't another insult so you took that as a win. Eri came back out from the bathroom and you watched her crawl into bed. Organizing her new items into piles, you paused when you noticed how scared she seemed.

"Are you okay, Eri?"

"I don't like sleeping."

"Do you have nightmares?"

"Mhm. I don't like being alone in the dark."

Nodding, you went over to the light switch and flicked it over. You heard Eri suck in a sharp breath. Taking in a breath yourself, you closed your eyes and focused for a moment. Being outside in the sun all day was amazing. Because you thrived on energy and your body was always subconsciously trying to absorb it - which led to your chronic pain, but it was worth it, right? - spending extended amounts of time away from large energy sources like the sun left you drowsy.

Another reason it was amazing was because it allowed you to become a walking glowstick. Clenching your first, your entire body warmed up as energy channeled through your veins. When you opened your eyes again, the room was alight with a dim green glow emanating from your skin.

"Wow."

"I'll be your nightlight," you sent Eri a reassuring smile and looked through the pile of children's books. You pulled out Yuko-chan and the Daruma Doll since it was supposed to be a classic kids story, "Do you know how to read, Eri?"

"No."

"Then I can teach you. I'll read the book slowly, and you can follow along," sitting on the edge of the bed, you waited for Eri to move over before you settled next to her. Quickly, she snuggled into your side. Wrapping around her, you opened the book and began to read, "In Japan, there is an active volcano called Mount Asam. Two hundred years ago it erupted in flames. It then shot out the ashes that covered..."

Reading from the book until Eri's eyes were too heavy to stay open, you carefully extracted yourself from the bed and set the book on the nightstand. Exhaling quietly, you allowed the glow to fade from your skin and wiped a bead of sweat from your forehead. Much longer and you'd have to take your sweatshirt off or risk overheating.

Yawning, you knew you'd reached your Quirk limit for the day. For the first time, you'd reached your limit on your Quirk on something other than battle. You were a glorified glow stick for a while, and it took a lot of effort but was good concentration training at the same time.

Go you.

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The next day had been relatively tame. You'd had breakfast with the Eight Bullets and trained with a few of them as well. Not Rappa, since Tengai was determined to keep you apart so no one died.

After the intense training - it was nice, training with different fighting styles and Quirks, even if you hated them all - you had lunch with the Eight Bullets as well. You had a free hour before you'd spend time with Eri. After that Overhaul wanted you in the lab again. Whatever he found in your blood was interesting enough to merit another visit. Then you'd shadow the Eight Bullets in their guard duties for a while, eat dinner, sneak off to spend time with Eri again, and go to bed.

The plan that'd been carefully laid out for you fell apart when Overhaul stormed into the room you were staying in twenty minutes before you were due to go to Eri. Standing quickly you reached for your mask, assuming you were going to see Eri early or something.

"No, put on a plain medical one. Quickly," Overhaul snapped.

Picking up the plain black medical mask from the day before, you rushed to follow Overhaul as he stormed through the facility, radiating with murderous intent.

"What's going on?"

"As Eri was being escorted back to her room, her caretaker became distracted and she escaped. She likes you, yes?"

"As much as she can for knowing each other for a day. She knows I won't hurt her," the second half of your statement was sharp and pointed, but Overhaul overlooked it in favor of stewing in his rage.

Entering the above-ground part of the hideout, you stopped abruptly when Overhaul halted and turned to face you, "You have been treated well and have not been harmed because of your usefulness, but that can easily change. Eri is comfortable for you, and you will convince her to come back peacefully."

Hands tightening into white-knuckled fists, you nodded. With that, Overhaul spun back around and continued walking as if nothing happened. He obviously had some idea of where Eri would have gone based on the open streets and alleyways around the compound. You hadn't looked at Eri's Quirk core before, so you couldn't track her down with that.

Hoping that Eri would be found by heroes and quickly taken away before she could be recovered, a small part of you mourned the idea of losing her. You felt guilty for it immediately. You'd grown attached to her quickly, and thought you bonded, but if Eri had the chance to get away then by all means she should have taken it no matter what or who she had to leave behind. You knew you'd have to let her go no matter what. When Overhaul was taken down, a demise you stayed up late into the night thinking about, she'd be put into safe hands.

Suddenly, Overhaul turned down a thin sidestreet. At the end, you could see Eri, a blonde hero, and- oh, Izuku Midoriya. You could work with that. Straying behind a bit, you pulled up your hood and made sure your mask was secure.

"You know," Overhaul stepped into the light, not bothering to change his appearance at all. Idiot! Did he not care about his operation? It was amazing for you of course, but it still frustrated you that Overhaul didn't even bother taking off his mask, "you shouldn't make trouble for the heroes. I'm sorry about my daughter, hero. She likes to play around a lot and keeps getting hurt. I don't know what to do with her."

Midoriya's eyes widened and he shrunk back slightly. He knew who Overhaul was. The blonde came up behind him and pulled his hood up, "Your hood and mask came off again. Maybe the sizing's wrong. We're sorry, too, for bumping into her. With that lovely mask you must be from the Hassaikai, right? You guys are famous around here."

"Yes. Don't worry about the mask, I'm sensitive to filth."

Stepping up, you drew the pair's attention to you. You would have liked to avoid being seen without your full face mask, especially when you ran the chance of having Midoriya recognize your voice, but you didn't want Overhaul to do something drastic.

"Eri!" You poured buckets of relief into your voice and knelt down with your arms open, "There you are! I was so worried when I was told you ran off!"

Eri lifted her head from Midoriya's shoulder and looked at you when you spoke. Midoriya and the second hero both looked at you with wide eyes. You hoped it was because both of them were shocked Eri had stopped obviously trembling.

Overhaul gave you a side eye, and you lowered your arms slightly and made yourself look smaller. The blonde hero clued in on that. Good. Even more suspicion raised, and perhaps an "understanding" would be reached. They'd likely see you as the actual parent/sibling who was also stuck under Overhaul.

"Eri," you turned you gaze back to her, voice quieter and just shaky enough, "I won't scold you, I'm just glad you're safe. Come here, please."

Taking a small step away from Midoriya, Eri was quick to run into your arms and start trembling again. Running a hand through her hair, you stood and held her close.

"Thank you for finding her," you thanked the two, bowing your head. Glancing up at Overhaul, he was already looking at you. Nodding, you turned and walked down the sidestreet.

"Wait-" Midoriya was quickly cut off and didn't call out again.

When all of you were out of hero distance, you spoke up, "Let me handle her punishment. I can bathe her as well when we get back."

"You said she knew you wouldn't hurt her." Eri had just stopped trembling, but began again at Overhaul's voice and your words.

Looking up at Overhaul, you tilted your head slightly, "Whose life do you think I value more? Besides, you have to deal with the man who allowed Eri to escape. And I imagine you aren't feeling very... clean right now."

Sighing, Overhaul caved relatively easily, "Alright. You are expected to be in the lab in two hours. You are proving yourself useful, despite having chosen to be diseased."

"Is being quirkless a disease?"

"She's probably sick! Stay away from her."

"If you become friends with her then you'll be quirkless too! Don't even look at her."

Biting the inside of your cheek, you forced yourself to stay calm, "You're my leader right now, aren't you?"

Overhaul walked ahead. You stroked Eri's hair and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry Eri, I won't hurt you. After your bath we can color together, okay? Just don't tell anyone. It'll be our secret."

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise."

Glaring at Overhaul's back, you wrapped your pinky around Eri's. Pillar by pillar. Follower by follower. Atom by atom. Everything Overhaul dedicated his life too would be burnt to the ground. You would dance and laugh in the ashes dampened by his tears.

Overhaul should have never mistaken your compliance for submission. It would be his doom.