Notes: Oops, sorry about that mess up. I have no idea what happened!
Bakugou had never been comfortable entering the police department before. Both Deku and Uraraka had given him their codes so he had access, but he'd only used them a handful of times. If witches and elves were unusual on the force, then werewolves were nonexistent. They weren't considered trustworthy. Getting a job as a werewolf was hard enough with the discrimination before tacking on the mandatory time off. It wasn't like he could go out busting crooks during the full moon. Plus, people were worried about brutality from werewolves closer to the full moon.
Luckily for him, being a cop had never been on the table. That had been Deku's shitty dream and he'd fulfilled it despite everyone thinking him crazy. Bakugou had gone a different route, a darker one, but still legal. It walked the line a few times for sure, but his job or him being a werewolf wasn't what made him feel uneasy here. He just didn't like them or the power they and elves had. He was what he was. There was nothing that could change that. He knew he had to tread carefully around cops to make sure he didn't give them an excuse to arrest him on the spot or worse.
It didn't mean he had to be nice. More often than not, any interactions Bakugou had with cops outside of Deku and Uraraka left the former sighing exhaustedly and the latter exasperated. She tried to curb his attitude or make him feel better or more at ease. Deku knew it was a hopeless cause, but he still didn't like it when his colleagues said rude things to him.
Honestly, rude comments were the last of Bakugou's problems. He could handle anything they said to him. It wasn't anything worse than he'd already heard. The only thing that managed to get under his skin was when they suggested he was a danger to Uraraka - like they thought he would actually hurt her even if it wasn't a full moon, like they thought she couldn't take care of herself.
He wasn't a threat. He wasn't a danger. She wasn't weak.
Hadn't last night proved that much to them both? Bakugou was still somewhat in shock that Uraraka was fine. The last time he attacked someone, he hadn't backed down. It had taken a powerful burst of barely contained magic to stop him, something that had humiliated him for years to come.
He hadn't like the station before, but he hated it now. The glares were much more open and the jeers clearer for him to hear as he was paraded down the halls. With his fluffy hood over his head, he did his best to hunch over and keep his eyes down. It was hard with every comment thrown at him, making him burn from the inside out. All he wanted to do was lash out - like any of these assholes could even begin to understand what his life was like and everything he'd gone through to get where was today - but he clenched his jaw shut and didn't say a word. He didn't owe these assholes shit.
One of his friends was dead . He didn't care what they thought about him.
With Uraraka walking slightly ahead of them though, no one came too close to bothering him. She glared at anyone that came even close, looking like she might actually snap at them like she was the werewolf. He wouldn't have been surprised to find her gripping her wand under her jacket sleeve. With that threatening glare in her eyes and the way she protectively shielded him, no one would dare hurt him.
She'd been forced to handcuff him the moment she brought him in, as per orders. Neither one of them had liked it, but before she could argue with her superior officer, Bakugou had held out his wrists and told her to get it over with. He'd spent the entire night chained up. He could handle a few more hours. It made him sick having it done in his human form, but he knew better than to fight.
The moment Uraraka guided Bakugou into one of the interrogations room, his tail went stiff and his ears twitched. He wasn't afraid. Being caged up like this the morning after the full moon put him on edge though. He felt his most human the day after the full moon. Exhausted and sore and irritable but entirely human as the moon's power waned and built up all over again. The handcuffs and windowless room made him feel like he was an animal. It wouldn't take them much to lock him up. Would they even try or would Sero's murder be pinned on him despite Uraraka's and Deku's best efforts?
Uraraka gently nudged him forward and he stepped fully inside, irritated at his hesitation. "It's okay. I'll be right on the other side of the glass."
Bakugou turned to face her. "You can't stay in here with me?" He winced. Damnit, he sounded needy.
The look on her face was downright mournful. "No, they won't let me." She turned around to face her superior officer again. "Can I at least take the handcuffs off?"
Her boss' eyes flickered down to the shackles and then the folder in his hands. "No."
It wasn't a cruel or cold decision, just a factual one. It lacked any of the aggression or disdain Bakugou usually associated with werewolf hate. Then again, he wasn't sure how much emotion the police captain was capable of. Unlike werewolves, zombies weren't known for being emotional beings, after all. Uraraka still made a face, but she didn't argue this time. The handcuffs would stay on, but at least he wouldn't be shackled to the table too. That would remind him far too much of last night.
With one last plaintive glance at him, Uraraka strode out of the room and her captain shut the door. Bakugou sat down before he could be told. If there was one thing he hated more than anything, it was being told to sit like a dog.
The captain sat down across from him and put the folder on the table in between them. "My name is Captain Aizawa. I'll be conducting your interview in place of Detectives Uraraka and Midoriya."
"Really?" Bakugou responded, sinking in his seat. "I couldn't tell."
Aizawa didn't even raise an eyebrow at his sarcasm. It was like he hadn't heard it at all and instead asked, "You're aware of why you've been brought in for questioning?"
Bile rose up in the back of Bakugou's throat, but he kept it down. "Yeah, one of my closest friends was murdered in my apartment and you think I did it because I'm a big, bad wolf."
Saying it out loud made him feel even worse. How was he supposed to go back home? How could he sleep in that place knowing that while he'd been chained up in preparation for the full moon in the cabin, Sero was being killed in his apartment? How could he do anything? There was no way the crime scene clean up crew would do a good job. He'd smell the blood for weeks. Sero's blood. He was stuck in this stale interrogation room and he could already smell it.
"So you're denying any involvement?" Aizawa questioned.
"Damn right I am!" Bakugou retorted, jerking upright in his seat. "I was miles away when it happened. I make sure I'm at the cabin a solid six hours before the full moon so there's no room for accidents."
"Can anyone confirm you were there?" Aizawa asked. "Did you go to a local shop in the village? Get a drink? Can any of the locals actually place you there before Detective Uraraka showed up?"
"You think any one of those bastards would provide me an alibi after they formed a mob to kill me?" Bakugou sunk back down when Aizawa only started back and waited. Did zombies blink or was it just him? He didn't know enough about them to figure a way around him. Besides the fact that they ate brains anyway. Hopefully he wasn't hungry. "No, I didn't go into the village. I get anything I need in the city before I pack up and head out there."
Aizawa made a disappointed noise and wrote something down in his notepad. "The doorman said he saw you enter the building shortly after the victim."
"Well, he was fucking lying, seeing shit, or an idiot," Bakugou replied brusquely. "Possibly all three. Maybe it was an illusion spell, huh? I've seen people use those before."
Uraraka wasn't the only witch that he'd come across. There weren't as many of them in the city compared to the country, but there were plenty running about. He'd met Camie a few years ago. He had thought her a flighty idiot bartender, only to find out she was a deadly witch who was also paving her way through grad school. Well, she wasn't deadly to him, but she was disarming and was particularly skilled in illusions. The police should consult her. It had to be possible to trick the doorman into thinking Bakugou had come back to the city.
"We're looking into the possibility," Aizawa told him blandly.
Bakugou made a noncommittal scoff. "Why don't you just have Uraraka check? She can tell if any magic was used." When Aizawa didn't respond to him and continued to stare at him with that unreadable expression, it clicked in his head and his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. "You think she might be compromised somehow."
"You were the last recorded call on Sero's cell, meaning you were the last person to speak with him," Aizawa went on without answering him. "Did you ask him to go to your apartment?"
"Yeah, I wanted him to check on Uraraka," Bakugou told him, heat in his voice. "What with her investigating these murders and then her apartment building burning down, I was…" He squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. Being forced to admit things to a stranger that he didn't even like admitting to himself was difficult, but he couldn't afford to hide things right now. "I was worried about her. I know she's a stronger witch than she thinks and no one was supposed to know where I lived, but she was going to be alone. I kind of hoped she'd stay with her friend Asui."
Aizawa flipped a few pages in his notes and stated, "Tsuyu Asui, the nix whose family owns a tea shop - she was able to corroborate Uraraka's alibi."
"Are you looking into her for the murder too?" Bakugou scoffed. "Do you think she burned down her own apartment building to destroy evidence or something?"
"Tell me the events of your day leading up until Detective Uraraka found you."
Bakugou huffed. This was worthless. They weren't going to get anything useful out of him, but he explained his day anyway. How he woke up before Uraraka, went for a long run to clear his head, came back to his place to shower and grab his things after she was gone for work, made himself something to eat, and then went to the cabin. It was as simple as that.
Truth be told, despite his excess energy and pent up aggression, he couldn't do much of anything else. He was always distracted and disgruntled the morning of a full moon and his memory tended to be foggy as a result. He could've spoken to Sero's murderer and not even known. Hell, he'd been out of his mind the night before when he'd gotten into that bar fight because some asshole werewolf had insulted Uraraka and then he nearly took her in the alley. He hadn't been in a good thinking state of mind yesterday, solely relying on habits to get him where he needed to be.
That was what was haunting him, wasn't it? The fact that he had been absolutely useless yesterday. He had been able to do nothing to help his friend - had maybe even contributed to his death by sending him to his place. Had the killer been waiting for Uraraka to return, only for Sero to stumble upon them instead? They had to have known that he wouldn't be there. That was unless they thought he took wolfsbane for the full moon and rode the night drugged out of his mind.
It was hard to say. There were so many things to consider. Were the police doing the same or were they trying to pin it on him? Again, he couldn't tell. Most cops disliked or were wary of werewolves at best. He knew what their holding cells were filled with. He could smell the scent of werewolf in the air, along with the stench of fear and anger (or maybe he was confusing things with his own smell). He wasn't sure how Aizawa felt about werewolves. He had a strong pokerface and the undead smell of a zombie along with no heartbeat to confuse him.
A light bulb turned on in Bakugou's mind as Aizawa took a few more notes. "There's a toll bridge!" The police captain paused in his note taking to glance up at him. "On the way to the cabin, there's a toll. Uraraka missed it because she used a damn swiffer wet jet to get there, but you have to pass through it on the way there and back. We did this morning. That fucking toll troll never lets up. You don't have his very specific fee of fresh lamb leg or gold coin, he won't let you on the bridge. It's annoying. Can't he just switch to credit?"
"And this troll can confirm you went on the bridge only once last night?" Aizawa asked.
"Well, he doesn't talk much, being that he's a troll," Bakugou replied, a smug look on his face despite the gravity of the situation. "But the traffic camera installed does the trick. He does not accept repeat offenders. They get tossed off the bridge if caught not paying again and I've been a loyal customer for years."
Aizawa looked into the one-way mirror and nodded, sending whoever was behind it on a mission to find that picture, before turning back to him. "And there's no other way to get there?"
"I mean, not unless you want to fly apparently or walk through a dense forest," Bakugou said. "You can check it yourself. The village is pretty remote. That cabin has been in my mom's family for a while. They chose it for a reason."
The other man (was he a man?) nodded again, half to himself it seemed. He was letting Bakugou do most of the talking, which he both appreciated and didn't like. The latter because he didn't like to explain himself and the former because it meant that he was being given a chance. It was more than Bakugou could ask for in the situation. It was a hell of a lot more than most cops would give him, especially the ones in that mob last night. Uraraka had been damn near shaking with rage when she'd told him how she had faced that crowd.
What he wouldn't give to see her display her true power like that. He didn't know why she kept it so hidden. A part of him wondered if she didn't even know how strong she was. He'd been able to tell right from the start that she wasn't nearly as fragile as she looked. When he had brought it up once with Deku, the elf had just shaken his head and shrugged. Magic was a strange thing. Bakugou would never understand it like Uraraka or even Deku. It was to be used against him, not for him.
The thought made his attachment to Uraraka that much more irritating. He shouldn't have let himself get so close to her in the first place, but there had been something about her that drew him back time and time again.
When Aizawa didn't press him harder or question his behavior, Bakugou was struck with another realization. "You don't think I did it."
"No, I don't," Aizawa confirmed flatly.
"Then why bring me in like this?" Bakugou demanded, lifting his hands to show his still handcuffed wrists. They would have been tighter had they been put on anyone else besides Uraraka or Deku, but she had snatched them and put them on him herself to make sure they weren't. The others were all too eager to show him who was boss, especially since he was outwardly disdainful of them.
What was worse than a werewolf that didn't know his place? Oh, right, one that was better than them. He made sure to wear his nice clothes whenever he came to the police station.
Except for right now - he looked like shit - but then he hadn't been planning on being paraded into a building filled with enemies. While the clothes he wore the day after the full moon weren't raggedy by any means, they weren't nice at all either, designed for comfort. Bakugou knew that he looked much more like the drab werewolf they believed him to be, even if his exhausted demeanor dispelled any air of danger about him. No werewolf looked threatening the day after the full moon despite being a monster the night before.
"There is a lot of pressure coming from up the chain," Aizawa explained. "A lot of resistance to the evidence produced at the crime scenes too. It's easier to believe a werewolf committed these crimes and people, even cops, will do stupid and frantic things when afraid." He waved a tired hand at Bakugou's handcuffed wrists on the table. "It was either that or something much worse."
Bakugou snorted. "Uraraka would have flipped."
"Of that, I've no doubt," Aizawa said. This time he frowned. It looked like disappointment, but it could have just as easily been that he was tired of this mess. "Detective Uraraka has put a lot of faith in you." He propped an elbow on the table and rubbed his temple, like he was trying to massage out a headache. Were zombies capable of getting headaches? Granted, he hadn't realized they could be so smart either. Maybe it had to do with what brains they ate. Eat some high grade ones and you wouldn't be a brain chomping fool all the time. "Detective Midoriya was even worse. He was up all night fighting everyone that even hinted at slandering you. I had to send him home before he did something that cost him his badge."
Of course that shitty nerd would get so emotionally involved that he'd get himself in trouble. Sometimes, Bakugou genuinely didn't understand Deku. As an elf and out of everyone that Bakugou knew, he should've been against him. He shouldn't have trusted him so easily with Uraraka or believed in him. They shouldn't be friends. Bakugou knew he hadn't been a nice kid and he hadn't grown into a nice adult, not like Deku, who practically shit sunshine when he smiled and rainbows when he laughed. That was the kind of man Uraraka deserved, wasn't it? He should have considered himself lucky Deku's interest didn't extend that way, but it still put him on edge.
Deku knew what Bakugou was like deep down. He knew the truth. He knew the monster. Bakugou was a werewolf at all times - just because he was in a man's form ninety-five percent of the time did not change that fact - but for one night of every month, he was a beast. Deku fucking knew better than to send Uraraka to the cabin last night and yet he had deemed it necessary to do it anyway. It pissed Bakugou off. He was one of the very few to have seen Bakugou at his worst and had nearly been a victim of it.
Yet here he was, fighting tooth and nail with his colleagues and superiors to protect him. It didn't make any sense. No one could be that good - no one could be that understanding - not to a werewolf at least.
"They firmly believe that a werewolf has not committed these murders and everything about your friend's death last night suggests it's connected," Aizawa told him, folding his hands on top of the folder. Bakugou's eyes flickered to it. Were there pictures in there? Would he see Sero's last moments if he were to open it? He didn't know if he could do that. He liked to think of himself as impenetrable, but there were some things that would haunt even him. As if his imagination wasn't enough. The truth would only make it worse. "I don't know much about magic myself, but I trust both Detective Uraraka's and Detective Midoriya's abilities - both with magic and as officers of the law."
"Damn right," Bakugou grumbled. He would've like to have folded his arms across his chest, but seeing as how he was handcuffed, he had to settle for dropping his hands into his lap.
"Besides," Aizawa added almost thoughtfully, "I can't picture you pulling such a fast one on them like that. And to invite one of the investigating detectives into your abode after burning down her place? It would be a ballsy and dangerous move. There are easier ways to get information about the investigation out of her."
"Oi!" Bakugou burst. "I'm smart."
Why was he taking offense to Aizawa basically saying that he wasn't a murderer? Hell, he needed to get his priorities in order. His head was all over the place. He still kept thinking about Uraraka, wondering how she was fairing. Was she on the other side of that glass, biting her thumb as she silently watched his interrogation?
"Yes, you are," Aizawa said. Well, that was...not as satisfying as Bakugou would've liked. It felt anti-climatic. "Your school records and resume suggest you're very dedicated and intelligent. From what I've heard about you though, despite your volatile behavior, you're very adamant in proving that werewolves aren't killers and also quite honest."
The comment made Bakugou deflate. Honest. Right. He was honest. Bakugou didn't see much of a sense in lying. He was who he was and that was that. People got what they saw. He was werewolf and there was no denying or hiding that, especially not with his damn tail and ears. Jackets only got him so far in the fall and winter. He didn't hide what he thought or how he felt.
Except when it came to Uraraka. He'd been hiding a lot of how he felt about her, hadn't he? Even from himself. What an idiot he'd been. He could deny it all he wanted before, but after last night, there was no avoiding it. Had it been anyone else in that basement, even Deku or his father or Kirishima, Bakugou had no doubts he would've killed or turned them. Deku still had the scar on his right arm and hand to prove how ruthless Bakugou was in his werewolf state. The small wounds he'd inflicted on Uraraka would most likely heal without issue. He'd let her essentially tie him back up again.
He couldn't lie about her much longer.
"So where to from here, boss?" Bakugou asked.
"I need some more information from you and then a DNA sample."
Bakugou took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you need to catch the bastard that did this."
"Then I'll need Uraraka's and Midoriya's statements to compare against yours," Aizawa continued like he was ticking off a checklist. Did he really not have any feelings about this? "With the two of them so closely involved, there's a chance IA will want them pulled from the case."
"You can't do that!" Bakugou exclaimed, shooting forward. "This is their case. If it wasn't for Uraraka, you idiots would still be at square one hunting down every werewolf on the street. It's thanks to her the case is going anywhere."
Aizawa gave him a hard look that made him snap his jaw shut and lean back in his seat. "I know that, but the decision is out of my hands. You're not the only one facing an uphill battle here. They went out on a limb to protect you and, along with the arson of Uraraka's apartment being officially connected to the case, things are not looking good."
"It's not fair," Bakugou grumbled. "What if that's what the murderer wants? What if they want Uraraka and Deku off the case because they're getting closer than anyone else did?"
"That's something we'll have to consider as well," Aizawa responded, which wasn't an answer at all. It made Bakugou want to snort in derision, but he stayed silent. Kirishima would be proud. The truth was, he was too tired to keep on arguing and fighting right now. He normally spent the day after the full moon recuperating, not being interrogated for murder. "We also have to consider that you might be a target now."
"Well then they're welcome to try again," Bakugou snarled. "I'll throw them a nice party."
Aizawa sighed, as if he was too tired for this. Did zombies get tired? He bet Deku knew. That nerd knew the stats and habits of every magical creature he came across. It did come in handy sometimes when he was stuck dealing with creatures he wasn't familiar with.
Hopefully this didn't take much longer. Bakugou was going to be beyond exhausted by the time this was done. He still had to wait for Uraraka and Deku to be questioned. It wasn't fair. He knew that, as far as werewolf and murderer standards were concerned, he was innocent. The other two and their friends would know he was innocent. Captain Aizawa even believed he was innocent. He had a friend to fucking mourn and an apartment…
Fuck, he didn't want to go back to that place if he got out tonight. As much as he desperately wanted his bed, he didn't want to step foot in there either. He would have to pay someone to thoroughly clean it before he went back, but the mere idea of scrubbing any remainder of his friend away made his stomach turn. Was that all Sero meant to him? No, no, he had been more, but Bakugou couldn't help but feel like he was lacking. They'd been friends, sure, but had he ever really shown Sero that?
He'd have to get a hotel. He didn't know where that would put Uraraka. Maybe she would stay with Asui this time. All he knew was that he couldn't go back home. It was a fucking crime scene. It was a grave.
It was a haunting, whether Sero came back as a ghost or not.
Bakugou couldn't go back to that. He couldn't. He'd rather go to a motel than back there tonight or tomorrow. As strong as he was, right now, all he felt was vulnerable and it pissed him the fuck off. How dare anyone make him feel like this? Sometimes Uraraka did and it always threw him for a loop, but this was bad. This made him feel awful. It made him anxious, furious, and desperate. It made him want to blow something up or lash out and tear things to shred with his bare hands.
He knew that the second he was in Uraraka's presence again those feelings would go away, but that didn't make him feel much better either. He shouldn't put so much on her - so much that she didn't even know. It wasn't fair to her. It wasn't fair to anyone. All he wanted was for this nightmare to end, but it felt like they were only in the middle of this story and it could go either way.
