Bakugou P. O. V.
The surprisingly crisp morning air was filled with the soft chirping of crickets and the singing of songbirds. The sun had just begun to rise, painting the surrounding area in a dazzling golden light. Without a cloud or an obstructing building insight, one could really appreciate the vastness of the open sky.
After enjoying the breakfast that Bakugou had prepared for them while Kirishima packed up all their belongings in a sloppy, but manageable heap. They two teens decided to take a stroll to the ash-blonde's other favorite spot on the mountain for the remainder of the morning. With their unwieldy packs strapped onto their backs once again, they steadily made their descent to the waterfall Kirishima had seen the evening before.
The trek down was more comfortable than their initial climb. Bakugou having led them down a steeper and slicker stone path, created from years of rain erosion and moss overgrowth. Allowing them to slide down most of the way on their feet like professional snowboarders. The competitive duo showcasing impressive tricks with their quirks, which eventually led to them sparring as they raced along the rocky track. Enthusiastic and chaotic laughter echoing through the forest as they sped to their destination in record time.
"Hah! Take that Shitty-Hair!" Bakugou boomed, as he leaped off the rock slide at the foot of the lake with a triumphant grin on his face. The sudden noise scared off some of the nearby birds, only for them to return to their perches a moment later. "I'm the indisputable winner!"
His redheaded friend slid down a second later. Jumping off the makeshift slide a little clumsily. The large camping backpack threatening to topple him right over. "No fair, Bakugou!" whined the sturdy hero over the crashing of waves. "I didn't know we were racing!"
Bakugou rolled his crimson eyes at that. "Don't be a sore loser. You know damn well that everything I do is a competition," he retorted, tossing the bag off his shoulders. Walking over to help Kirishima with his when he was finished.
"Now close your eyes," he ordered impatiently. Smirking when Kirishima obeyed him without question. Bakugou carefully removed a camera from the shock-absorbent case in the redhead's pack. Swiftly removing the lens cap and turning his friend around before backing up a few paces. "Now, open them."
Kirishima blinked the sun out of his eyes for a few seconds. When they adjusted, he stood dumbfounded at the sight in front of him. The waterfall towering above them flowed powerfully down the mountainside. Several massive rocks jutted out of it precariously, creating multiple smaller waterfalls near its base. Petals from the surrounding forest's late-blooming flowers mixed with the water effortlessly. Flowing down the cascade-like tiny boats further into the lake. The sparkling blue water shimmered shades of pink, green, and purple as the sun reflected off the foliage floating along its surface. The redhead's beautiful scarlet eyes sparkled with childlike wonder while he stared utterly mesmerized by the peaceful scene before him.
Click
'Absolutely breathtaking,' Bakugou hummed to himself.
That was definitely going to be a keeper. Satisfied, Bakugou stepped beside his friend. Pulling Kirishima close so he could snap another shot of the two of them together. This made the redhead smile brighter than the sun, and Bakugou couldn't have been happier with the results. Pleased that he was able to capture it on film. So much so that he hadn't realized that he was smiling in the photo as well.
"Thanks again for bringing me, Bakugou!" Kirishima thanked for the hundredth time. Shooting him his usual shark-toothed grin. ""This place is amazing!"
The ash-blonde grunted in response. Trying to hide that his ears were turning red with the praise, by taking a few shots of the gorgeous landscape ahead of them. Tsking in aggravation as the last of his battery died out after a few photos.
"You want to jump in for a bit?" Kiri offered. Already taking off his jacket and removing his electronics from his pockets.
The explosive hero frowned at that. "Nah, I'd rather not," Bakugou admits, shifting on his feet a little standoffish. When his friend gives him a concerned look, the ash-blonde turned away muttered a quick explanation. "The high elevation is already making my tinnitus flare-up. I don't want to worsen it by getting wet."
"That's alright, man," Kirishima reassured in a cheerful tone. "Let's take a walk alongside the lake instead," he chirped. Taking hold of Bakugou's hand and pulling him along before he could protest.
Kirishima and the rest of Bakugou's group of idiots had been incredibly supportive of his ongoing battle with hearing loss. An ailment brought on by his own quirk no less. His tinnitus was something he had always suffered from but had been steadily worsening ever since joining UA. Bakugou had always known that going deaf was inevitable for him. Though he never thought it would catch up to him so soon. If he could hear anything past graduation would be a miracle at this point. Becoming the Future Number One Hero just became that much harder.
'Not that something so dumb is ever going to stop me from achieving my dreams,' smirked the future hero.
They engaged in cheerful chit-chat as they walked along with the bank hand in hand. Cherishing the comfort, they felt in each other's presence without prying eyes dissecting their every move. Something they could never get away with in the city out of fear of someone discovering their secret. They had gotten together shortly after Bakugou had come clean about everything that had been eating him up inside after his kidnapping. Kirishima had offered his room to be a safe place to crash if Bakugou didn't want to be alone after his nightly nightmares. Over time, their platonic sleepovers turned into something they were still trying to figure out. All they knew was that they cared deeply for one another. They had no idea when or if they would reveal their developing relationship to their class, or what their relationship would mean for them in the future. Content with discovering it for themselves without anyone's help.
'Doesn't matter. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.'
The Ball-of-Sunshine beside him was retelling a story about the prank war the rest of the Bakusquad had just completed when peculiar a noise over the roaring rapids caught Bakugou's attention. It sounded like a distant splash, followed by a series of smaller splashing. Bakugou slowed his pace, willing his inconsistent ears to pinpoint its exact location. 'What the hell?'
"What's the mat-" the shark-toothed teen began, only to be interrupted when a hand roughly clamped over his mouth. There's a grumble under the blonde's palm, but thankfully no further complaint.
A minute later, the explosive hero sensed the familiar fidgety sensation of adrenaline flowing throughout his body. A sign Bakugou had come to associate with trouble somewhere nearby. Trusting his developing hero sense, Bakugou released his hold on the redhead in his grasp without a second thought. His whole body screaming for him to bolt down the bank before it was too late. His need to save outweighing every other instinct he had. His crimson eyes wildly scanning along the water for anything out of place. Leaving a confused Kirishima to follow after him.
"Bakugou, wait up!" The sturdy hero called after him. Struggling to keep up on the uneven and moss-covered terrain. But the blonde ignored him. Too focused on speeding toward the base of the waterfall with the help of his quirk. And that's when Kirishima heard it as well.
A pitiful chorus of whimpering could just barely be heard over the rhythmic roar of the cascade. A small muddy bundle of soaking black fur could be seen struggling to tread water. The creature's head constantly being pushed under the surface by the constant flow. It's paws frantically scraping against the slippery rocks to no avail.
The critter released one final piercing howl before it disappeared beneath the rapids. With a tsk, Bakugou dives in after it. Not bothering to disrobe or empty his pockets. Silently cursing that he ended up getting wet anyway. The last thing he saw was Kirishima wading into the muck further downstream before being engulfed by the current.
The water was freezing despite it being the middle of summer. The cold temperature immediately seized up his muscles painfully. Almost forcing him to breathe in the frigid water by mistake. Shaking off the rising panic of being submerged in the dark, the ash-blonde glanced around for the mess of black fur he had seen mere moments prior.
In his peripheral, he noticed a cluster of air bubbles rising to the surface to his left. His crimson eyes trailed after them to find something small struggling to gnaw through the rope tied around its neck. Some sort of heavy object weighing the lead down and steadily sinking further down the lake's murky depths. 'That looks like...'
Bakugou shakes the thought aside for the moment. Acting quickly, Bakugou pulled the knife free from the sheath on his belt. Immediately getting to work sawing through the thick material without much resistance. Once that was done, the blonde grabbed hold of the creature's scruff who had grown disturbingly still from the lack of oxygen.
The explosive hero breached the surface violently. Coughing up traces of water as his lungs heaved in as much air as they could. Slightly relieved when he hears a second being wheezing alongside him. The little wet bundle nuzzled into him as it attempted to climb further out of the water that had almost claimed its life.
"Kiri, hurry up and take this stray from me," the ash-blonde ordered in between coughs. Wading closer to the shore to save the redhead, the trouble of getting thoroughly drenched himself.
Bakugou carefully tossed his knife onto the beach to retrieve later. His body on autopilot as his mind dreaded what he saw at the bottom of the lake. With a Tsk, he continued, "I have to dive back down for something else."
"R-right," Kirishima stammered, quickly pocketing something before scrambling over to take the shivering form from his arms. It took a moment to detach the little guy from Bakugou's side. The poor thing was terrified of dropping back into the water. It desperately dug its claws into the hero, leaving bloody scratches all over his shoulder.
'Fucking mongrel,' he cursed silently. Trying to shake the little bastard off of him.
The second the redhead managed to pry the thing off him, Bakugou dived back under the frigid waves. His crimson eyes hastily scanned the ground for the object he had previously seen.
'Shit. It's exactly what I thought,' the future hero muttered to himself once he had located it. After viewing it up close, Bakugou could no longer deny that the weight used to burden the animal was none other than a battered villain restraint.
Knowing that this needed to be reported to the proper authorities right away. Bakugou grabbed hold of the large metal cuff with both hands. Struggling to pull it free of the muddy floor, as it instantly saps what little warmth his fingers still retained. Gritting his teeth, Bakugou yanked with all his might until he finally lodged it free with a satisfying squelch. Almost out of breath, Bakugou used his quirk to quickly boost himself and his cumbersome cargo to the surface. Breaching the waves just in the nick of time. The ash-blonde's vision had already started to darken in a mixture of distress and lack of oxygen.
The explosion rocketed him out of the water with more force than he anticipated. Causing Bakugou to land on the gravel with an ungraceful thud. Scraping his elbow slightly when he skidded across the ground from the momentum.
"Shit," Bakugou hissed through the pain. Pushing himself up with shaky arms. Dropping the metal restraint to examine his wound. Luckily it wasn't anything serious, but should probably be treated soon to be on the safe side.
"Bakugou!" Kirishima called a little ways off. The ash-blonde's waterlogged ears picking up the muffled sounds of frantic shuffling and that of loose stones shifting underfoot. Soon after, his friend kneeled beside him with a soaked mess of fur clutched protectively in his arms. "Are you alright?"
"Fucking peachy," Bakugou retorted, shaking some of the trapped water out of his ears. Too cold and irritable to care how snappish he sounded. He motioned toward the recovered villain cuffs to his right. "Though we're probably going to miss Aizawa's curfew now that we have to hand these over to the nearest Hero Agency."
"Is that what I think it is?"
"Yeah," Bakugou confirmed bitterly, as he rose to his feet. Taking the time to reposition the bulky shackles on his shoulders before continuing, "Their condition and location could mean that a villain escaped police custody and is hiding out in the area."
"Shouldn't we go investigate then?"
"I would if I could. But unlike you, I don't have a Provincial License," Bakugou muttered through grit teeth. It was killing him to know there was a possible villain in need of a beating, but he wasn't authorized to do anything about it. All because he failed one bullshit exam.
Shaking off his irritation Bakugou carried on. "Each handcuff is inscribed with a serial number. With it, the police will be able to connect it to the villain it was registered to and start scouring the nearby cities for them. There's not much we would be able to do anyway."
"I guess you're right," the redhead agreed somberly. Kirishima's shoulders drooped in defeat, causing his arms to jostle ever so slightly. A pained whine escaped the tiny ball of fur, which made Kiri immediately start cooing softly to comfort his frightened charge. Catching Bakugou's attention, he padded closer to get a better look at the creature that had gotten them into this mess.
Now that the previous mud had mostly been washed away from its icy plunge, Bakugou found himself face to face with a shivering husky puppy. It couldn't have been more than a couple of months old by his estimate. Barely mature enough to leave his mother's side. His fur was black and silver instead of the traditional white, with piercing icy blue and pale green eyes. An ominous mismatched gaze that stood out brightly against the puppy's prominent mask. A couple matching charcoal spots adorned his muzzle like freckles, while a connecting streak of silver between his eyes broadened to create a medium-sized clover design on his forehead.
Bakugou couldn't help but think that the mutt would have made a striking and desirable pet if it wasn't for the fact that it was filthy and showcased clear signs of abuse. Even from where he stood, Bakugou could tell how malnourished it was with how its ribs protruded from its soft puppy coat. How his nails were overgrown and bleeding from when it desperately scrambled to stay afloat. Despite being utterly disheveled from almost drowning, a permanent indent around the dog's neck from where his collar was strapped way too tight persisted. Thankfully, Kirishima had removed it before it had the opportunity to strangle or cut into the puppy's throat. A consistent string of pitiful whimpering flowed from its mouth as it flinched with every movement. Most troubling was the shaking, no doubt from a combination of hypothermia and probably crippling fear, as it curled a swollen leg close to its body in obvious pain. This poor pup had lived through hell, and Bakugou would be damned if the one responsible was going to get away with it.
"Hold him still," The explosive hero ordered a little too harshly, as he ripped the bottom of his already ruined shirt. It pissed him off immensely that anyone, let alone a villain, was capable of tossing another living creature over a fucking waterfall. Effectively leaving it there to die a slow and painful death. Strapping it to a villain restraint, no less was just adding insult to injury.
"I'm going to tie a temporary sling for it, and then we gotta hike back to where my dad is meeting us," Bakugou growled under his breath. Administering first-aid to the husky was the only thing keeping him from tearing through the forest he cherished in search of the lowlife who had abandoned it.
It was tough going. The mutt never stopped struggling throughout the whole ordeal. It's teeth-gnashing at thin air every once in a while. However, the worst, by far, was the miserable wails that berated their ears with the slightest touch. Obnoxious cries that they had to power through until finally securing the makeshift wrap around its injured leg with a stick. The critter falling into a troubled sleep in Kiri's arms.
Fed up with the noisy creature, the hot-tempered teen forced his friend to carry the needy pup down the mountain while he lugged all the evidence they had gathered about the animal abuse and the escaped villain. Taking the time to snap a few photos of the scene with Kirishima's still working phone. Silently thankful that his camera had run out of battery long ago. No one needed to take highly detailed photos of this cruelty.
The trek down was incredibly taxing. The future heroes' arms hindered by their cargo of varying degrees of fragility. While Bakugou complained loudly about their shitty situation, he continued to frequently check on the condition of the animal in Kirishima's grasp. Stopping every now and then to coax it to drink fresh water or take a bite of their leftovers. Rolling his eyes every time the redhead voiced how "sweet" his actions were.
"Fuck off. I'm not trying to be 'sweet.' I'm fucking pissed." Bakugou muttered through lightly chattering teeth when they reached sight of the valley floor. His slender frame shivering despite wearing Kirishima's toasty windbreaker. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm fucking soaked, my shoulder's messed up, and were saddled with an injured mutt while a villain could be prowling the area. The least we could do is keep it from dying before handing it over to the police."
"Yeah, I guess it kind of puts a damper on our date, huh?" the Ball-of-Sunshine teased.
Bakugou didn't even have a chance to blast that shark-toothed grin off his face. "Boys, do you need any help?" called a familiar voice, effectively preventing the ash-blonde from killing his best friend. Kirishima had never been so glad to see Mr. Bakugou in his whole life.
I had initially intended this work to be a one-shot but recently came up with a new Bakugou headcanon when training my new husky puppy to become a service animal. It was something I hadn't seen in a Bakugou fanfic before and inspired me to run with it. After much deliberation, I decided to add it to this story since it takes place a few months before my other work. I hope you enjoy the continuation of this version of Pleasant Nonsense!
Like always, I hope you're enjoying the story so far and I hope you continue to keep reading. If you would be so kind as to give me kudos, likes or leave a review or comments on the story so far would be absolutely amazing.