Flea

Chapter Forty Two (Part One)

Lol should I make Flea a mature story? The really awful stuff is skipped over but yes some very adult themes. I'm not sure, don't want to traumatise any kiddies who innocently discover it... Thoughts?

"You know, of all the places this mystery friend of yours could work, I'll admit I wasn't expecting this," Shigaraki commented wryly to Magne as he surveyed a dingy building squeezed between pubs and shitty apartments. The only light source came from a neon sign outside, which stated in cursive italics:

THIS IS NOT A BROTHEL, THERE ARE NO PROSTITUTES AT THIS ADDRESS

In juxtaposition with the sign, multiple risque posters dotted its ageing exterior and a schedule of different salacious activities hung next to the door.

"Do I even want to know how you met them?" Dabi drawled, taking in every detail of the place with a bland expression. The villain now understood why only he and Shigaraki had been invited: Spinner and Twice would have heart attacks the moment they saw those posters, Mr Compress, being the 'lady's man' that he was, would get distracted trying to impress girls with magic tricks, and who the fuck knew how Toga would handle it.

Magne rolled her eyes behind aviator sunglasses and scratched a slightly rotund stomach.

"Probably not, because you like your backstories dark and mysterious. She's an old flatmate who owes me a favour and we're still close, so no murdering please, boys."

"She lives in the apartment above?" Dabi asked, standing with his arms crossed. Shigaraki hadn't bothered with any disguise, applying his full set of hands, so the scarred man decked himself out in a floor-length black coat that swished dramatically when he walked. Was it necessary? Nope. Did it annoy the fuck out of Tomura and become his greatest accessory? Of course.

"Been here enough that you know the layout?" Shigaraki asked, smirking. Dabi raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm employing a strategy called 'using my eyes.' You should try it sometime, idiot. The top floor of the... Establishment... Is an apartment. The curtains are different from the rest of the levels, and I don't know about you, but they don't scream 'sexy delights wait inside.'" 

He read the last point off one of the signs with a distantly amused expression. Shigaraki parted his cracked lips with a retort, but Magne beat him to it. 

"Yeah, she lives in the apartment; Psyche runs the 'Palace of Eros,' which is the physical place you see here - some clients like it old fashioned, and make the effort to turn up in person. But the real business comes from her quirk. It's a tricky wee power, but very useful, and she's found a way to make a very sizeable profit."

"And a quirk used to make a whorehouse successful is going to help us... how?" Shigaraki asked, blowing a strand of hair out of his face. He was already on edge because Magne refused to tell them anything about her 'friend' until they arrived. It'd been a day since the showdown in Kamino. They'd lost their source of financing and Nomu in All for One, their hideout, and, worst of all, their pride. 

Dabi was still sulking. After what felt like an age of arguing back and forth, he'd finally come round to the fact that either heroes got Maeve or they did. Tomura didn't understand why he could murder an 'innocent' man one day and the next get worked up over ethics of quirk marriages. It pissed him off. Yet the burn victim had proven himself to be a ruthless and intelligent second in command, so Shigaraki took the time to bring him round. Stain's principles were pulled out, heroes were condemned, and he was coaxed back on track. That didn't mean he had to be happy about it, however.  

The cost was that they'd gotten very little sleep and were even more irritable than usual. 

"What did you mean when you said, 'in person?'" Dabi asked, unsettlingly similar to a displaced crow as he cocked his head and examined Magne with piercing turquoise eyes. She shrugged.