"Let's get out of here," Bakugou said when the kids finally calmed down enough. "I need to bring you back to your parents. I'm sure they are worried."
Hatsue sniffed a couple of times trying hard to stop herself from crying and Matsu wasn't much better. Sighing Bakugou stood up, left leg shaking slightly under him but still able to hold him up. Leaning down he picked up both kids, ignoring the pain that burned across his injured wrist. "Let's go," he muttered as he starting to walk.
Both of them just clung to him, not saying a word and not making a noise except for the soft whimpering' breaking out every now and then.
It was a slow going. Their combined weight putting unwanted pressure on his leg, and him barely able to stop his arm from shaking where it was holding Matsu up against his chest. The silent crying dampening up his shirt wasn't helping either.
Fuck, this was agonizing. How far away was the entrance anyways?
It felt like he'd walked miles upon miles by the time he spotted the backdoor, and Bakugou found himself heaving a huge sigh of relief when his gaze connected with it. 'Finally,' he thought, eyes almost dropping shut with exhaustion.
For a second it had felt like this journey was never gonna end.
"Oi kids," he said, making both their tiny heads shoot up simultaneously to stare up at him. "We're almost there. Do you know where your parents are or would be? Did they tell you something when you got separated?"
Hatsue didn't seem to be in any shape or form to answer shit, as the little girl just tucked her head right back into his shoulder and shuddered slightly. Tiny puffs of air hitting his collarbone as the kid tried her hardest not to make a noise. Bakugou frowned. Face pinching up into a worrying mask almost identical to the one Aizawa-sensei always sported when he was looking at Icyhot, as he though quickly on whether it was wise to press for an answer now, or just wait till they at least reached the door.
Fortunately, the other brat didn't look to have the same problems as pigtails, as he chewed up his bottom lip in thought and quickly nodded to himself with conviction with whatever conclusion he'd arrived at. "I don't know where they are Kacchan," he answered slowly. "But I remember where mommy parked her car when we came to visit grandpappy.
Katsuki sighed in relief. "That's good enough kiddo. Now hang on tight, I'll get you to your mom."
Matsu nodded, head bouncing up and down vigorously as he let a tiny smile dance across his lips. "Ok," he said, tucking his head against his shoulder once more.
The rest of the way was completed in an almost comfortable silence. Of course there was nothing really comfortable about walking with fucking burning injuries, two kids clinging to you and making your way through a hospital that was currently under a fucking attack, but Katsuki would take his small blessings where he could get them.
When he finally saw the familiar door, his shoulders almost sagged in relief.
Reaching the outside world felt like life was forcefully rushing back into him again, while tremendous burden fell off his shoulders at the same time. The minute Bakugou set foot passed the threshold he closed it eyes for a second and enjoyed the cold evening air brushing gently across his cheeks.
That split second of deviated attention was all it took for a random a crying woman to fling herself at him immediately. Ugly tears mixed with distorted make up running down her cheeks and a frazzled look of worry marring her face. "My babies!" she cried, dragging both of her kids out of his arms in such a hurry that it made Bakugou wince slightly in pain at the forceful action. Making his automatic scowl resurface quickly, as he glared down at the crazy woman who was now clinging to what clearly was her children with all her might. "My sweet, innocent babies!"
Bakugou just stood there for a second, watching her. Feeling relief that he'd managed to get these kids all the way to safety; a fleeting thought of 'most be nice to be missed' passing through his head too quick to dwell on, while he observed at the same time the clearly distraught woman with barely hidden contempt of his own because fuck, he'd just saved her fucking kids. The least she could do was show some fucking respect.
'Well then,' he thought after standing there for a while. This woman was apparently not gonna let up anytime soon, and the kids wouldn't probably notice him gone, so he shook his head and turning around slowly to head back into the hospital. 'It's time to get back to work.'
But before he could fully turn away from the tear felt reunion, a tiny familiar voice called out to him in panic. "Kacchan!"
He paused.
It was Matsu. Bakugou was sure he could tell that bratty voice from anywhere now, but he didn't look back to meet the kid's eyes. He couldn't.
It didn't seem to deter the kid any though, for he carried on as if he hadn't been waiting for a reply in the lulled silence in the first place.
"I'll be a hero just like you Kacchan," he called out, voice breaking slightly from what was probably as a result of his excessive crying all the way here. "Just you wait! I'll be the best hero ever. And then I'll come and save you next time!"
Bakugou couldn't help but look at him then, snorting with amusement before turned his hand into a fist and thrusting it in Matsu's direction. "I'll hold you to that kiddo."
Matsu nodded back at him, sheer determination painted across his face, eyes still glistering wetly, but lips drawn into a firm line. His tiny fist came to meet him half way through the air. "I'll be a hero just like you," he repeated.
The blond teen just grinned even wider at him. "You should probably stop being a crybaby first brat."
"Fuck you," the kid laughed to the background sound of his mother's horrified gasp, as he smiled brightly up at the young hero, not a trace of annoyance in his eyes from the light jab at his person.
Bakugou had never understood why old people always had the urgent need to pinch kid's cheeks when they did something disgustingly adorable, but for just a second, he had wanted to reach out and do the exact same thing to the little brat and wasn't that a terrifying feeling.
Instead he settled for biting his lip hard to prevent himself from outright laughing and only let his mirth dance across his eyes.
Interacting with Matsu had almost made him forget about Hatsue, but as he turned around to look at her, he found his grin slipping just the tiniest bit.
Hatsue was standing next to her mom, looking torn between hiding behind her or to come talk to him too and Bakugou didn't know why he wanted to fix that, why he wanted to wipe away that scared look in her eyes. But fuck it if these tiny, annoying kids hadn't gotten under his skin from the short time he had known them. Crunching down yet again like Best Jeanist had once told him, he got down to her level and briefly noticing how her mother tried to drag her behind her back.
He internally scoffed. Fuck, he just brought her back her fucking kids what else did the bitch want from him?
Turning away from the suspicious glare of the mother. Brushing aside how it looked eerily similar to the one her kids had sent him when he first met them, he softened his gaze and met little Hatsue's own with what he hoped was friendliness to some degree. "I'm glad you're ok kid," he said. "Take care of your brother for me ok? He needs it."
She nodded, a wobbly smile forming on her face. Hand still clutched between her mom's protective one.
Still, she took the tiniest of step forward when it looked like Bakugou was about to leave and brought her free hand up in similar manner as he had done with Matsu. "You're my hero Kacchan," she exclaimed loudly. "You're not scary at all and your eyes are super pretty!"
Bakugou didn't say anything, somehow trying to blink away the stinginess in his eyes.
What the fuck was making him so fucking emotional today, damn.
But he did lift both his arms despite the throbbing pain bursting through one of them, and fist bumped both kids in the air.
"I'll see you around brats," he said.
Nodding at them both once more, tilting his chin in acknowledgment in the direction of their mother and swiftly turning around without a second look to run back into the unstable building, a clear plan of action forming in his head as he moved.
He was going to go find the uniform freak. The former pro hero was probably in the same room he was in the last time he saw him, which was on the opposite side of the explosions. Bakugou still had that weird feeling of wrongness coursing through his veins that he'd had ever since he got kicked out of the sick hero's room though. And although the young hero would never admit to it to anyone if questioned, he would definitely feel ten fucking times better if he knew the pro hero was at least safe from all this mess. So taking the stairs two at a time while forcefully ignoring his injuries, he made his way slowly but surely towards the direction of the former number four hero.