Viper Tongue

Hit the breaks

The next day
"It's Riku, rig-uh" I heard the door creak open as I was changing, there I stood in nothing but my underwear with spinner stunned in the doorway. For a few minutes, neither of us moved - I didn't want to show him anymore than he'd already seen and I don't think he knew how to look away

"Get out, damn lizard!" While one arm covered my torso, my other shot out sending blood chasing after him as he broke out of his trance and ran for it apologising repeatedly as he went, he then came back covering his eyes and slammed the door

I quickly finished getting changed still insecure about what just happened, nobody but Dabi and karma had ever seen those scars...not even Himiko, Karma always used to ask if I ever planned to get cosmetic surgery to remove them, and of course I said that I probably would

But I never did

I'm not sure why I didn't but since no one ever saw them, why bother? It wouldn't make me hate myself any less. I was still a crappy person inside and out so why try and hide it with painful expensive surgery? I'd probably had a better history of boyfriends if I had got it done, but abuse is abuse, if it wasn't outside - it was inside

"Hey did you guys know Riku has a ton of scars down her back? It's creepy" I pressed my back against the wall listening to the gossip around the bar which was started by the lizard of course, but i wanted to see how the others would react to my exposure

"And how would you know something like that?" It was sweet to see Dabi getting overprotective, the look on Spinner's face was priceless, pure genuine terror of a defending boyfriend with cremation at his hands! Ah, I was falling in love all over again!

"D-Dabi, it wasn't like that! It was an accident! I swear! You know I'd never intentionally peak! She's not my type! Not that's she's not hot! She is! That's not me hitting on he-" I hadn't noticed Karma sat on the couch in the corner until he cut off Spinner's trail of pathetic excuses

"You should've seen as them fresh, especially the emotional ones, although when we were kids - she told me she was getting cosmetic surgery for them once she came of age...why don't you tell me, Riku?" I froze before slipping into view raising an eyebrow to his question

"I-uh don't know what you're talking about" I hopped over the top of the counter giving him an 'oh well' smile as he stood and leant over the wooden surface putting his weight on his hands under his face which seemed oh so punchable right now! One of these days, he was gonna get it!

"How exactly did you get those marks again?" I stared him down harshly, he knew he was pushing my buttons in exactly the right sequence. The way his head cocked to the side innocently as if it was the easier question in the world, we both knew it was one no one else dared to ask

"Can't remember, I've moved on" of course I could remember, how could I forget?! The memories flooded through my mind, the way I cried on into the silence, the pain...all of it, he was just rubbing salt in the wound however that was usually my move

"What happened between you and Rio Nakamura, hmm?" It was his turn to be in the hot seat but as expected, he shoved me right back with questions that weren't so easy to answer. Everyone could tell the atmosphere was growing tense but no one had the energy to stop it, not that they'd know how

"I could say the same about you and Nagisa?" my eyes widened, I didn't think he even cared who I hung out with as a kid, but at least I didn't treat Nagisa like a partner in crime or a toy although thinking about it now, Karma treated everyone that way

"He saved my life, I owe him" I tried to distract myself with bottles and boxes of compounds that only I could recognise with a blind eye. Twice moved in between us to try and settle the tension but Karma just moved around him to continue our 'pleasant' discussion

"I'm not saying anything, not after what you did" my hand shoved his shoulder away from the bar, but his hand wrapped around my wrist as I made contact - damn his education! Of course he would've seen it coming! I ripped my hand out of his grip as I realised what had just happened

"And what did I do?" His fingers attempted to run up my arm but I stepped back out of his reach, Dabi's side lit up in the corner of the room but unfortunately no one was paying enough attention to see his flammable glory except me

"You gutshot me" my tone was dead and automatic like some sort of robot, I didn't want to give him any idea how I felt about the situation - that's the mistake I always made in the past, giving Karma the power to overwhelm and manipulate me

"Don't you get it, I always cared about you, I-" I raised my hand causing him to halt in his words, he knew he'd gone too far as I clutched a knife eyeing him dangerously. This was the side of me no one wanted to see, the side that made me a 'Toga' while I twirled the blade around between my fingers debating whether to slit his throat or torture himself slowly

"You freaking shot me! When I was at my lowest and I needed you...you put your gun to my gut and pulled the trigger and laughed...Nagisa got me help" I drove a knife into the wooden surface right next to his hands, just a few inches to the right and he would've lost a finger - maybe I should've?

"We don't have a healer in our party y'know. Sort your childhood crush issues elsewhere where someone isn't driving a knife into my bar" I ripped the knife out of the wood apologising lowly to Shigaraki without making eye contact with the idiot opposite me

"Sorry, but we don't need one. Not for him anyway" I'm not sure if I saw it right but Karma looked slightly hurt by my comment, I went back to experimenting as Dabi's hand came down on his shoulder harshly. I took a few deep breaths before moving a tube with glass forceps into a tube stand

"Careful, Ri - you'll hurt my feelings" Dabi quite literally picked up karma and carried him outside tired that he wasn't getting the message, I just shoved in some earplugs to avoid any further questions, it was clear that I wouldn't be able to take anymore today so I just continued to work then planned to go bed after everyone else but before Dabi and Karma came back

"That was the point..."