Your new clothes made it easy to blend into the urban scene. It was already full of gray. Bland. Polluted. Insignificant to eye in the grand scheme of things. The hood you wore as well as the mask limited the mobility and sensitive aspect of your past hero costume. But this more disheveled, more camouflaged version was a reflection of your evolution.
Hiding amongst a crowd? Travelling with disguised intents? Honing the fight or flight response to a hilt in order to avoid prosecution? It all became second nature within a matter of weeks.
"The doctor gave us a specific list. Don't deviate" Dabi said, hovering like a helicopter parent in the warehouse as you scanned over pill bottles, dragging your fingers over the shelves to sense the chemistry within each one. He held the flashlight over your shoulder.
"The doctor wants to get the most use out of Tenko," You said, practically ignoring him as you picked up a mild anestilgic, shoved it into your pocket. "He doesn't care if he's in pain or not."
You felt the wind of Dabi's sigh brush the top of your hood.
"Fine." He said lightly, thin, tired eyes rolling. "But I'm telling you," He pointed towards the cameras you'd managed to temporarily disable by cutting the power, the ceiling lights overhead that could turn on any second. "We stay here any longer and we'll have hell to pay."
The jingling of pills distracted you for a second, but you still couldn't help but scoff at the big bad villain fidgeting like an anxious little boy.
"You scared of the police now, patchwork?"
"You're the one who's 'missing' , remember?" He said, putting his fingers in quotations to indeed remind you that getting recognized was a big no no. Of course the fact that he reminded you at all was out of character. Muttering, Dabi looked at you with a semi pouting expression, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not just thinking about myself here."
Toga and Twice came out on queue, each carrying their own assortment of medical supplies from the list All for One's doctor provided. Knowing you didn't have a lot of time left till the power came back on, you hurried Atomic along finding the last dosage of painkillers.
"Got it." You said, to yourself, swiping the bottle and shoving it into your pocket, motioning to your little crew to start heading out.
The warehouse itself was constructed with high artificial security, but considering the possibility of safety hazards with the medication and its storage, there was very little manpower. A little chloroform did its job on the two security guards at the back entrance. Now? It was just about getting out unscathed- getting out with the treatments you knew Tenko needed.
Thank you Atomic. You said, rushing down the stairs, Toga, Twice, and Dabi following in stride.
Tenko. The power said within your mind, still tired, but desperate to go back to your brothers' body. You weren't the only one eager to heal and numb his pain.
Go back to him. You said, giving the okay. We're fine. I'll use your recreation if I need to.
It was difficult to explain even once you and Tenko figured it out. But Atomic had to be thought of as a triad. There was the sentient part of it, the one that communicated, acted autonomously, was able to learn and adapt as if a human being. Then there were the more tangible effects, the quirk part of it, two-fold.
Creation and Decay. Matter can neither be created or destroyed, but it can be altered through putting together bonds and tearing them apart. When Atomic split, its sentience and creation remained yours, but the decay found a home in Tenko and nomed him Shigaraki.
Now that the sentience freely flowed between you both, it could carry both aspects of the power as well. But if it resided within you, Shigaraki lost his ability of creation, or putting bonds back together. If it resided in him, you lost the ability to decay, or tear those same bonds apart.
