Lost Souls

Stars Blessing

"Toga, put the damn needle down." Touya hisses, holding Star protectively to his chest as she sobs in fear.

"You said to take a sample! I'm trying to help!" Toga replies defensively.

"You're freakin' her out wi' it!" Touya snaps, his hand holding Star's head tight to him, trying to block her vision.

The needle in Toga's hand was admittedly large and she'd practically lunged at Star with it earlier in her excitement of seeing blood.
Little Star already had issues with injections thanks to her dear old mother, so this whole operation was meant to be dealt with a little more empathy and decorum than Toga was currently showing.

"You do it then!" She huffs.

"Can't." Touya replies simply with a shrug.

"Why?" Toga and Shigaraki ask at the same time.

"Can't do it to her. I'll puke." He says.

Because he feels sick just holding onto her when she's clearly terrified of what was about to happen to her. He couldn't be the one to put her through it. Himself or anyone else, fine. But not Star. Anyone but Star.
She grip onto Touya's clothing, refusing to let go of him, looking to him to protect her from what was about to come.
Touya leans his stapled cheek against Star's head as he continues to bicker over the size of the needle and Toga's approach to the situation with the excitable blonde.

"Star." Shigaraki calls to the little girl, his voice carrying over Touya and Toga's spat, and she turns her head ever so slightly to peek at him shyly.

Shigaraki crouches by Star, looking at her with those intense ruby eyes, although he seems to be trying to be less scary to her by appearing thoughtful.

"Will you let me do it?" He asks as Touya rubs her back reassuringly.

Her fingers tighten on Touya's clothes as she nods her head, but it seems shy and uncertain. Shigaraki nods back at her, slowly raising to his full height again.

"Get my gloves." He orders no-one in particular.

Compress and him exchange brief words as he obediently hands Shigaraki his gloves. Touya's grateful that for as much as Shigaraki was careful with his hands and quirk, he wasn't going to take any risks while trying to take blood from Star.
She whimpers nervously when Shigaraki crouches and gently tries peeling her hands from Touya's clothing, outstretching her arm slowly, and then calmly tying a band around her arm, even when she jolts in panic.

"Calm down, little Star." Touya tries to soothe her, petting her hair as she begins to sob in panic.

"It's just so I can make this easier for you." Shigaraki explains to her calmly.

"It hurts!" She complains as Shigaraki pulls it tighter.

"It's not forever." Touya tries to calm her down again. "Just relax, nothin's happenin' yet."

She buries her face impossibly closer to him, tears wetting his clothes.
It's destroying him that she's so distressed, but he feigns indifference, because weaknesses get people hurt. One of his arms is still slung across her waist lazily, the arm holding her head to his shoulder doing most of the firm holding.
Her sobs become louder again when Shigaraki begins to rub circles on the arm he's holding with his exposed thumb, but they soon quieten again after he doesn't do anything for a while.

"What's Compress doing?" Shigaraki asks, with a voice full of judgement, looking behind Touya at Compress who winks at him from behind his balaclava.

She lifts her head to peek over Touya's shoulder with teary eyes to see Compress beginning to juggle her plush toys and a marble with practiced finesse.
He gives her a little wink, and soon Shigaraki stops rubbing circles on her arm, taking the chance while she's distracted to grip her arm tightly for a second and pierce the skin in the ditch of her elbow with the needle quickly.