Butterfly Soup

A few days later. Members of the League went about their business. Kurogiri was also temporarily absent and Shigaraki, looking bored, was laying out a deck of playing cards in ascending order (from 6s to aces) on the bar counter. Just above were 3 photos: Midoriya, Milante and Bakugo. His hands were almost healed and Tomura forgot to even think about that incident with the detonator. Taking the ace of spades, Tomura placed it on Milante’s photo, then the ace of clubs went to Bakugo and the ace of hearts to Deku. - All the players have taken their positions, — Shigaraki grinned contentedly, resting his cheek on his hand. — The game will start soon, ha-ha. I’m looking forward to it. Taking the King and Queen of Spades, he placed them side by side, separate from the rest, and thought. “- The strongest card is always determined by the game itself. This is like a reference to real life: power is given randomly to each person, or not given at all. If you can’t beat a trump card, then you should just appropriate it for yourself. And then recoup. Ideal arrangement, right? And now the main trump card is…” He looked up, looking at Milante’s photo with a strange look. - Yo! — the door suddenly opened and Milante appeared on the threshold, as if to confirm his thoughts. — The goddess of this world is here! How are you? “- Goddess?.. Nevermind, she still has self-esteem. Can I add a pinch, huh?” - Hi. I could have called, — Tomura looked at her with a poker face, putting the photos away under the newspaper. — I was not ready for guests. And in general, I was waiting for you yesterday, scammer. - And when you’re ready for them, tell me, — the girl laughed and plopped down on a chair, throwing the bag on the counter. — Yesterday I had business and said that I couldn’t come. But don’t be sad, I bought some goodies here, we’ll eat and then we’ll go somewhere to hang out with you. - Where? — Shigaraki asked, tearing open the bag. — I wasn’t planning on going anywhere today. But if it suddenly turns out to be something funny and will entertain me, then please. - Yeah, it’ll entertain you, — Milante chuckled, taking the chocolate bar from his hands. — Otherwise you don’t know me. We’ll have fun like hell, ho-ho. - What a loud statement, — Tomura responded ironically, squinting and taking a sip of his energy drink. — Okay then. Me will never get bored with such a retarded and crazy girl like you, I already understand. I have incredible fun with you. The girl smiled widely and nodded. Shigaraki also smiled slightly in response. Milante suddenly received a message on her cell and she was distracted for a while, texting with the customer. Tomura at this time took the newspaper in his hands, leafing through the pages and looking at the girl with one eye, at the same time putting the photos away to avoid unnecessary questions. After about 5 minutes, Milante put her smartphone in pocket and looked at Tomura. While he, resting cheek on hand, thoughtfully read the newspaper, looking for something interesting, the girl secretly looked at him carefully. Tomura looked lanky, but was well built, quite proportionate. Broad shoulders, long fingers, protruding collarbones, deep scarlet eyes, shaggy hair casually falling over his face. Yes. His face. Although it was covered with wrinkles from frequent attacks of scabies and two small scars near the mouth and right eye, it did not cause rejection. On the contrary, Milante could say with confidence that Tomura was quite a nice guy. Even dry and pale skin did not spoil him at all. And a small mole on the lower right side of Shigaraki’s face added some zest. Lost in thought, the girl involuntarily glanced at the line of his neck and collarbones. “- …Still, he’s good. Even very much so. To my taste I would even say.” - Hm? — noticing her excessively intent gaze out of the corner of his eye, Tomura turned his head and raised eyebrows. — What? Am I dirty? - Uh…no, — Milante came to herself. — Just looking at you. Listen, have you ever been told before that you have model looks? So, you know, freaky. It would go into the media. -… Shigaraki’s face showed pure surprise, if not shock. He put down the newspaper and blinked his eyes in confusion, choosing words. - You’re…kidding, right? — he finally got angry, considering this a joke of the highest level. — Of course, damn it, I dreamed of becoming a model from the cradle! This is obvious. Are you nuts or yes? - I’m serious, — Milante suddenly extended her hand and gently touched his collarbone with finger, smiling slightly. — You’re pretty cute, if you want to know that. -?!.. Tomura recoiled from her in shock, falling off the bar stool with a crash. Milante stared at him for a couple of seconds and burst into fits of laughter. - Ah-h-h…damn, that hurts, — Shigaraki muttered, taking a sitting position and shaking his head. — What are you even talking about? Stop groping me, you pervert! Taking a quick glance at the laughing girl, Tomura suddenly became embarrassed and turned away. “- …Cute? Again?” From this thought his cheeks turned even more treacherously pink. He ruffled the back of his head in confusion and, picking up the chair, sat back down. - …C’mon, stop laughing, — Tomura muttered displeasedly, slapping Milante on the forehead. — I also appreciated the joke. - Ehe-he, you’re so funny, — the girl said contentedly, pointing her finger at his chest. — Shy cutie, o-o-oh. What a beauty. - Huh-h…? Shy cutie? — a vein on Shigaraki’s forehead bulged out of anger. — You’re about to get a big blow, beetle! Don’t you ever dare call me that! Milante laughed again and pulled back when he was about to grab her with hand. Giving the girl a gloomy look from under brows, Tomura again buried his face in the newspaper. But after a couple of minutes he realized there was no concentration and he did not understand the meaning of what he was reading. Sighing heavily, Shigaraki put away the newspaper and lowered his head. - Are you mad? — Milante’s hand gently rested on his head. — Let’s play something? - What kind? — Tomura raised his head, looking at her with a strange look. — Suggest, I have no ideas. - Hm-m-m. Let’s go to Truth or Dare? — the girl suggested. — It’ll be fun. - How to play? — Shigaraki leaned his elbows on the tabletop. - It should be obvious from the title, — Milante looked at him with a poker face. — Game where players perform a dare or answer a question. - Oh, I understand. Well, come on. Where can I get assignments? — I have an app, I recently downloaded it. Sec, — Milante took out her smartphone, pointing finger at the screen. - I’m first, — Tomura declared with an important look. - Yeah… Oh, let’s go. Truth or Dare? — Milante narrowed her eyes. - Dare. - “Take 5 stupid selfies with another player”, — Milante laughed. - Don’t want. Skip a move, — Shigaraki waved his hand. - Hey, — the girl indignantly kicked him on the knee. — If you skip everything, then what’s the point of playing at all? - I’ll skip what I’m not interested in, — Tomura muttered, catching her leg. — Go ahead. - Okay, — Milante rolled her eyes. — Dare. “Draw something of your choice on the other player’s cheek.” Wow, great job, he-he-he. Rubbing her hands gloatingly, she pulled out a marker from somewhere and hovered over Shigaraki. - Huh? Get away from me! — Tomura quickly dodged when the girl had already brought the marker to his face. — Just try to do this and I’ll take you out of here in a trash can, piece by piece. - Don’t be sour, — Milante drawled, holding his hand tightly and with the other hand trying to draw at least something on his cheek. — It’s no fun to play with you. It’s just a marker, you can wash it off anytime. I won’t draw a dick, so be it, don’t worry. - What generosity, — Shigaraki hissed, vigorously turning his head to the side. — I don’t… Milante suddenly brought her face closer to his, piercing her eyes. Tomura hovered as if on command, looking into her eyes without blinking. - Done, — the girl chuckled, moving away. — That’s all and you were indignant. Do you want to look at my masterpiece? You’ll like it. -… A desperate sigh escaped from the guy’s chest. He grimly pushed Milante away from him and ran his fingers over cheek. - Mirror, — Tomura put out his hand, waiting for the instructions to be carried out. Milante, with a poker face, handed him a mirror. Shigaraki silently looked into it: on his cheek there was a pattern in the form of a cat’s muzzle. - Okay… let’s bear with it, — he waved his hand resignedly. — I’ll win back later, remember that. And if the marker doesn’t wash off, then I’ll rinse you in the washing machine. - I have to get away, — the girl shrugged her shoulders indifferently. — Shall we continue playing? Shigaraki nodded. - True. - “In your opinion, what size breasts do the other player have”, — Milante read with a poker face. — Hey, what kind of questions are you asking? - A normal question, — Tomura chuckled. — 80C. He looked at her breasts more closely and nodded for greater persuasiveness, as if he understood this like a pro. - That’s right, — Milante glanced sideways at him. — Now my turn, Truth. “What qualities piss you off in people? Does the other player have such qualities?” - Well, which ones? — Shigaraki asked, lazily sipping his energy drink. — Don’t say that something about me infuriates you, it’s not true. - I am infuriated by stupidity, limited thinking, narrow-mindedness, down-to-earthness, greed, unjustified cruelty, lies, hypocrisy, manipulation. And also when they deliberately ignore me, — Milante answered seriously. - And which of the above do I have? — Tomura narrowed his eyes. - Manipulation, — the girl folded arms over her chest. — I didn’t seem to notice anything else. And your cruelty is completely understandable, so yes, that’s all. - Hm-m, I won’t argue, — Shigaraki shrugged. — I’m still a manipulator. It’s even surprising how few things infuriate you about me. But you still infuriate me much more, — he pointed a finger at her. — Do you want to know what exactly? - Speak already. (-__-) - Your impudence, excessively high self-esteem, impenetrability, equanimity, talkativeness, know-it-all, — Tomura began to list, bending his fingers. — Your unreal luck, unpredictability, broken head and poisonous sarcasm. Continue further? I’m out of fingers. — How many new (no) things I learned about myself, wow, — Milante made a face at him. — Go to the ass. Shall we continue playing? "- It looks like envy. Seriously? Tomura, you idiot." - Yeah, — the guy laughed maliciously, putting his hand on her head. — Feisty cactus, aha-ha! - It’s also poisonous, guess what, — the girl snapped. — You, fool, have a task: “Depict a happy young family with another player.” Eh? What? She cocked her head to the side as she took in what she had read. Looking up, Milante met Tomura’s eyes. - Family? — the guy’s face looked like a chicken’s ass. — What nonsense, move on. - No, you already skipped a move, — Milante narrowed her eyes. — Come on, do it. I’ll play along, so be it. Shigaraki looked at her with a strange look for a long time, then exhaled heavily. - OK. Just to get away from me. What should I do? — he muttered darkly, folding his arms over chest. - Well… I don’t know. What “happy young families” usually do? — Milante looked at him with a poker face. — Let’s Google it? - Yeah, — came the voice of Shigaraki, already typing a query into the search engine. — Found it. Come here, — he waved hand, beckoning her to him. The girl moved closer and looked at the cell screen. - There are only photos, — Tomura said indifferently, flipping through the page. — You didn’t think I would actually carry out this nonsense, did you? - I didn’t think so. But it would be funny, — Milante chuckled and moved away. - Next, — Shigaraki looked at her strangely and put away the cell. — True. “What part of the body do you pay attention to first when you look at men?” Hm-m-m, — Milante thought. Tomura was already looking at her expectantly with interest in his eyes. - Eyes, — the girl said. — But also facial features, body and collarbones. And also hands and fingers. — Hands and fingers? — Shigaraki looked at his hand. — Do you like mine? - Yeah. They are so good, as it turns out, — Milante responded mysteriously, narrowing her sly eyes. — This is nice. Tomura looked at her with a poker face, not really understanding the message of these words. - Go ahead. And I didn’t like your look just now, — he made a face. — Dare. - Oh, that’s it. “Challenge another player. Stand opposite each other with your mouths full of water. Whoever laughs and spills water first loses,” — Milante read. - Come on, — Tomura pointed his finger at the utility room. — There was water, bring it. Milante quickly ran for water and returned back. - Are you ready? We just play fair, — she enthusiastically leaned towards the bottle, taking water into her mouth. - Yeah, — after waiting for her to finish, Shigaraki took the bottle and pretended to also take water into his mouth. - M-m-m-f-f! — Milante pointed her finger at him indignantly, noticing this. — M-n-n-m-m! Rolling eyes, Tomura also took some water into his mouth, turned to face the girl and they silently stared at each other. 20 seconds have passed. Their expressions remained impassive. Shigaraki suddenly made a wildly scary face, to which Milante only twitched her eyebrow, but did not laugh. And after a couple of seconds, she quickly put her finger to the nose and flattened it like a pig’s snout, while rolling her eyes so that they became nothing but whites. Shigaraki’s cheeks puffed out a little more than expected, but he also restrained himself. And a moment later, they both suddenly, without saying a word, burst out laughing and laughed out loud, pointing their fingers at each other, and spilling all the water on the floor. - It was fun, — Tomura chuckled contentedly. — But a pity, I thought you’d blow it. Then let’s end our awesome game. - Yeah, — Milante got off her chair and went behind the bar, looking at the bottles of drinks on the shelf. — Listen, is there anything non-alcoholic here? - Hm-m… Only juice for mixing drinks, — Shigaraki glanced at the shelf. — Why do you feel sick from alcohol? Did you drink too much? - No. I’ve never had a soft spot for it and I sincerely don’t understand why people like it, — the girl responded, twirling a bottle in hands. — And I feel sick because I tried it a couple of times and my body got sick, starting to push it back. It doesn’t want to take alcohol, what can I do? But sometimes I buy cider with a minimum percentage of alcohol and then everything seems to be fine. And so, mostly I drink soda and energy drinks. And coffee. - There is no cider. I can tell Kurogiri to take it for you next time, — Shigaraki said. — It’s better to take the whole package at once to save money. Wholesale is cheaper. - Okay, that would be nice, — Milante looked at him half-turned and smiled, returning to her place and pouring herself some juice. — Although you are mischievous, sometimes you can be very cute, he-he. -… Hearing the last word, Tomura looked away, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. “- Again, cute? What did she see as cute in me? I don’t understand the girls, but she’s so special. And in general…the leader of the League of Villains cannot be cute a priori.” His face soured at these thoughts. - Listen, I have a pressing question, — he suddenly muttered, nervously combing his cheek. — And you… that is, what kind of guys do you like in general? -…?! Milante suddenly choked on the juice and went into a coughing fit. Shigaraki slapped her on the back a couple of times in confusion. - Huh… What? — she stared at him with all her eyes. — Are you really interested? - And what? With your strength, you can make any guy disappear if you don’t like him, — Tomura snorted nervously. — So it became interesting which types don’t piss you off and will definitely stay alive. Purely curiosity. - Hm-m-m, — Milante narrowed her eyes, piercing him with her gaze. — Okay, if it’s “purely curiosity”, then I’ll say it. Shigaraki immediately became all ears. — I like original and unusual personalities. Without frames and restrictions in the head, free and independent. Strong in spirit, ambitious and creative, with adequate self-esteem. At the same time, they are attentive, caring and courteous, — said Milante, imposingly crossing her legs. — Honest, straightforward, easy to communicate, unobtrusive…with a heightened sense of justice. Who perceive me as an equal person, first of all, and respect me as a woman. And they don’t look down on me. The view from above is, of course, good, but falling is very painful, heh. I never allow men to assert themselves at their own expense. Something like that. Also, I don’t like rudeness, this is important. - Too many things, damn, I didn’t remember half of them, — Tomura muttered under his breath, scratching the neck. — Okay, I basically understood your preferences in general terms. - This is good. And now, a counter question — what kind of girls do you like? — Milante looked at him meaningfully. — Just answer honestly. - Huh? — Shigaraki stared at her in confusion. — Why should I answer this question? It was about you, not me. - Just as I told you, now you must answer. It will be fair, don’t you agree? — the girl brushed her hair off her shoulder and smiled slyly. — Speak up, don’t be embarrassed. -… Tomura froze in a stupor, feverishly wondering how to get out of this awkward situation. - …I don’t know, — he finally said. — I didn’t think about it. Turning away, Shigaraki looked around and, taking “Father” from the table, quickly stuck it on his face. Seeing his embarrassment, Milante burst into a strange smile from ear to ear. — In principle, as expected. I won’t torment you then, — she drawled, throwing the remaining half of the candy bar into her mouth. There was an awkward silence. When she turned away, Tomura glanced sideways at her, his eyes glaring. “- What a damn beetle… What the hell am I going to tell you about myself! Wrack your brain with guesses. But now I know a lot more about you. Nice.” His mouth involuntarily broke into a sinister grin. - What a mug. I’ll give you smack now, — noticing the expression on his face, Milante winced. — OMG. - Mug? Hey, it’s even offensive, — Shigaraki gloomily threw his candy bar at her. — Is it that bad? Decide already — am I cute or scary as hell? You’re annoying. - At such moments, it looks scary. Not scary, namely, scary, — Milante clarified, dodging. — It’s as if your nerve is jammed and your face is noticeably distorted. Or it stuck specifically. Tomura tilted his head to the side, looking at her indifferently. - But you are absolutely beautiful, — he grinned mockingly. — I don’t know if you’re into comics, but next to almost every villain there is always a beautiful girlfriend. Will you be mine? Let’s be like the Joker and Harley Quinn. - No, roll your lip, — Milante looked at him with a poker face, opening an energy drink. — Find someone else to play this role. - No. I want you, — Shigaraki chuckled, narrowing his eyes predatorily. - Want me? — the girl arched her eyebrow meaningfully. - The plan is for you to be my girlfriend, — Tomura hastily clarified, scratching his neck. -… There was a ringing silence again. “- What the hell is this awkwardness again?!.. Damn… It’s annoying!” Shigaraki suddenly began to scratch furiously, letting out a muffled, strangled cry. Milante looked at him, puzzled and shrugged. - Ugh…what’s going on? — Tomura suddenly hit his forehead on the tabletop with all his might. — What kind of weird shit is going on? Ah-h-h… He fell silent. - Um, are you okay? — Milante with a poker face slapped him on the hump with her hand. — Do you need medical help? - Me? It seems so, — Shigaraki slowly turned his head in her direction and unexpectedly smiled sweetly. — Ha-ha, I feel so strange now! Looks like I’m definitely dying. - Why is this happening all of a sudden? — Milante skeptically touched his forehead and, grabbing his face, looked into his eyes. — You seem to be healthy, your pupils are only overly dilated. You’re using something, right? - Nope. I don’t use it, — Tomura drawled, piercing her with a strange look. — You sure don’t want to be my girlfriend, huh? You’re a real cutie. -… Milante looked at him with a vague expression on her face and moved away. - Hey! — Shigaraki suddenly grabbed her hand, persistently dragging her back to him. — Where did you go? Do you want to escape? I’m bored, stay here. - I’ll go and call someone, yeah, — Milante grabbed the tabletop with her other hand. — You are inadequate now, Shigaraki. I mean, you’re always inadequate, but ESPECIALLY now. Are you drunk? - I said no, — Tomura muttered, dragging her with all his strength by the hand and resting his foot on the chair. — You still have a lot of strength! What are you, Allmight’s illegitimate daughter? You’re on steroids, no matter what. And also, I know why you don’t have a boyfriend, — he suddenly added sarcastically. - Huh? — Milante glared at him. — So? And why? - Well, think for yourself, — Shigaraki grinned, sitting down next to her and hanging his claw on her shoulder. — Come here. Listen. You’re as strong as a female Hawaiian gorilla, plus you have a nasty temper. But no guy will take you out, a-ha-ha! It must be hard for you to live with this, right? But don’t be upset, I can be your boyfriend, easily. We are a perfect match. Look, you and I are both minuses. What happens if you add us up? That’s right, a plus. Two negatives make an affirmative. Pure arithmetic, right? Milante, we are made for each other! I’m so glad that you are exist in this world, honestly. Otherwise I somehow…was even offended, you know. Supposedly, everyone has girls, but I don’t. No, it’s clear that I wasn’t interested in them all this time, but, damn it… Just imagine: I would want to touch some girl, and she would fall apart before my eyes. Well, that’s it, right? But I can touch you as I want and everything will be fine with you. Oh, I’m so glad! A kind of childish delight overwhelmed Shigaraki, his eyes sparkled with joy, and his mouth spread into an ear-to-ear smile. Milante was a little taken aback by what was happening and just listened in silence to his strange speeches. - …I have no words, only emotions, — she shook her head in confusion, facepalming. — I don’t know what exactly made you so sick, but don’t eat or drink anything strange anymore, okay? I’m starting to worry about you. - Are you still really worried about me? — Tomura grabbed her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes and smiling maniacally. — Oh, that’s it. Great. I’m glad to hear that. Releasing the girl, Shigaraki suddenly rose to his feet and walked towards the exit. - Won’t be long, I’ll be back soon, — he waved his hand and disappeared behind the door. -… Milante rested her cheek on hand, shaking head and deeply doubting the sanity of this guy.