“Come on, let’s get out of here. They’re assholes.”

Your father said as he patted your back, signaling you to get off his lap. You could feel his leathery hand through your thin shirt. It was a gentle touch. To your little self, he was the best dad ever. And to him, you were the only innocent thing left in his life. If he cared about nothing, he knew that at least he cared about you.

That made you wonder. Sometimes when Spinner and Shigaraki left the TV on and left, you’d have the rare chance to change the channel and watch some TV of your own. What especially caught your eye was the bright cartoons, where the hero protagonist would save the day surrounded by his family. A dad (like yours), but also with a mom, grandma, grandpa, sister, brother, even a dog. Last time you had a little puppy, Toga-san had cuddled it too hard, leaving it dead on the sofa for you to find. Rest assured, your father had told you he would get his revenge for you. The next day when she came back to the bar, she looked sad, and you couldn’t help but feel a hint of satisfaction. Your daddy had saved the day.

He ushered you into the room full of villains who stared you down, a pure innocent child amid destruction and blood. It was ironic. You wondered about the cartoon. Where was the rest of your family?

“Family? It’s just you and me, kid. They’re all dead. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

Death. Death was like the puppy on the sofa with Scarlett slits down it’s throat and plush tummy with bulging insides that looked like pink, glittery beaded bracelets. Death was like the smell of an old man who you had thought was sleeping, but was quickly corrected by your dad, ‘The guy isn’t sleeping, he’s dead.’ His blank eyes and cold skin were familiar. It smelled familiar, like the tangy, meat smell of your father’s rotting skin. Every day you would watch him in the mirror to see him perform his morning routine. Undoing his clips just to staple new ones on, fast enough so that he wouldn’t lose too much blood in the process.

Toga-san perked up, happy to respond to your question instead, “We’re your family! I'm big sis Himiko, remember?”

“Why don’t you stay? We were just about to play cards,” Compress smirked, shuffling a deck so elegantly it was impressive.

“Of course, he has that brat to care for. Why don’t you put em’ somewhere else instead of taking up more space here?” Shigaraki sneered, leaning back in his wooden chair. You could see his face this time.