As soon as Kurogiri joins the rest of the League he does a head count, and then another one.
He catalogs the way Twice is jittery and anxious and relaxes as soon as Himiko maneuvers everyone into a group hug. He narrows his eyes at Dabi’s wincing, clearly he took it too far this time. Mr. Compress is hiding a limp and Spinner has a hand clutching at his stomach. Kurogiri doesn't see any blood, what a relief.
Tomura’s hands are shaking, but Kurogiri isn’t surprised after hearing his breathless retelling of how he’s killed All for One, he feels like shaking himself.
This is more than he could have imagined in even his most wild dreams. His mind is his own, Tomura is free, All for One is gone.
Seeing everyone mostly fine he allows himself a moment of joy and pure relief. He closes his eyes and basks in the feeling of love and freedom.
He opens them and collects his thoughts. They should probably head back to whatever hideout they’re staying in, Kurogiri isn’t sure which one it is so he quietly asks Mr. Compress over Himiko’s head nuzzling into his chest.
“Shall we head back, Tomura?”
“Huh?” Tomura perks up from his ongoing argument with Dabi. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Very well.”
Kurogiri opens a portal and watches everyone stumble through.
His first thought is that it’s… homier than he remembers. It feels lived in and loved, as beat up as any hideout he’s been in, but… cared for. He had done his best but, this... this is far more than he ever could have managed alone.
His second thought is less a thought and more of a vague sense of shock. He blinks and stares at the current number 2 hero, standing on their living room couch with puffed up wings and hissing at Dabi.
“Dabi, please tell me you didn’t set Tartarus on fire! My agency is going to kill me! Oh my god!” He pauses in his frantic tirade to meet Kurogiri's wide-eyed gaze and startles back, just as shocked as Kurogiri is. “Is that Kurogiri!? What did you do!?”
Dabi drags the number 2 hero away, again, what happened while Kurogiri was gone? And they start arguing quietly at each other. Kurogiri isn’t going to even try to touch that relationship, whatever it is.
Before he knows it, Himiko has popped up between them like a spring and interjected something that makes both Hawks and Dabi blush bright red, Tomura screeches in response and starts ranting about something or other. At least Himiko seems proud of herself, bouncing lightly on her toes and grinning innocently.
Mr. Compress chuckles and drags Spinner and Twice off to find the first aid kit. Kurogiri finds himself alone for the moment. He hadn’t realized how much he missed this, the background bickering is oddly soothing. Tartarus was so quiet.
Something white catches his attention from the corner of his eye and he turns. There’s a little girl hiding behind the couch and staring at him with wide, innocent eyes.
Where on earth did Tomura get a child from?
Kurogiri moves away from the rest of the league and crouches down in front of the couch.
“Hello,”
“Hi,” she ducks further into the nest of pillows and blankets shyly.
“I’m Kurogiri, who might you be?”
“I’m Eri.”
“It’s nice to meet you Eri, how did you get here?”
“Himiko stole me.”
“I see, did you… want to be stolen?”
She nods confidently.
Kurogiri holds back a sigh, at least the kidnapping was consensual this time.
She yawns and snuggles back into the blankets surrounding her.
“It was nice to meet you Kurogiri, they really missed you.”
“Did they?” He smiles and helps tuck her back in.
He moves back over to the bickering group and interrupts Himiko’s latest gleeful comment with an offer to send Hawks home. He feels like raising an eyebrow at the revelation that apparently Dabi lives with him but they are adults, it’s not his place to tell Dabi where to live or Hawks who to let in his apartment.
With those two out of the way he’s down to two. Himiko, deprived of her easy targets, sways slightly. He has no doubt she’s fighting the effects of quirk exhaustion. He gives her a quick scan but she seems alright otherwise, he tracks down some water and guides her in the direction of the stairs.
It’s a testament to her exhaustion that she hardly argues, simply mumbling something about how they should take a family picture or something. He’ll have to set something up when they’ve all recovered.
Then it’s just Kurogiri and Tomura.
Tomura looks uncomfortable, he's pleasantly surprised to see him stay uncomfortable instead of turning straight to anger or frustration. He’s grown, Kurogiri is glad to see it.
“Did you meet Eri?” He rasps, probably breathed in some dust.
“Yes, she seems like a sweet child.” He replies noncommittally. He wants to see where Tomura is going with this.
“The Shie Hassaikai were using her to make quirk erasing bullets, Himiko kidnapped her and she doesn’t want to leave.”
“I see,” there’s more, he knows there is.
“She’s got some kinda rewind quirk and no idea how to control it, had a panic attack and wound one of your plants out of existence.” He pauses, “I don’t know how to take care of her or teach her control, Dabi’s quirk is self-destructive, no one else has a quirk that could kill so easily by itself.”
So, they must have broken him out so he could care for her, Kurogiri nods absently.
“You don’t… I don’t want you to think we only broke you out because of her. We… Sensei would have fucked her up, he fucked me up. You don’t have to, I just, you’re the only one I could trust with her.”
He really has changed, has Kurogiri really been gone for so long? He remembers an angry little boy, furious at the universe and everything in it, he exists only in a memory now.
Kurogiri isn’t the only one who’s changed away from All for One. He’s excited to see where Tomura goes from here, he would have supported him no matter what, but this? This has his approval.
“I would be honored to help with Eri, and the League. It is my choice and I am glad to make it.”
He looks him in the eye and reaches out to rest a wispy hand on Tomura’s shoulder, hoping to demonstrate his sincerity. Tomura stills for a moment and looks back, something slightly vulnerable in his gaze before brushing him off in obvious embarrassment and stomping off. Hmm, maybe not so different after all.