Lyrical
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia.
Warnings: Self Harm, Sexual Assault, Drug Use, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Pairings: Midoriya x Bakugou, Kaminari x Jirou, Aizawa x Yamada
Plot: Bakugou discovers a runaway hiding in his junkyard.
Ch 04: Watch
Part Two: Conflagration
It took a few hours for Bakugou to set up things the way he liked, and then return to Midoriya's side.
"Alright, here's the plan." He handed Midoriya a scratched-up tablet in a heavy impact case, pointing to the various buttons highlighted along the side. "Here's the main cameras for the yard and the shop. We've got the front, side, and back lots on these three panels here, then we've got the house, workshop, and garages lined up here, see?"
He gestured as he spoke, showing Midoriya how to control the angles of the cameras.
"If you want to see the interior cameras, you switch this right here, and you can see what's going on inside." He drew back a bit, grinning down at the tablet proudly. "Got those cameras setup last year, when some jackass tried to break in and steal one of the Ferraris. This bad boy's got a state-of-the-art alarm system."
He gestured to the button on the top right, highlighted in glowing orange.
"This one's just for show. Makes a hell of a lot of noise though, so be prepared if you flip it. This one too, and it'll call the police." He pointed out the alarm buttons on the upper left side, one highlighted in blue, the other in red. "Press this one and it'll call for fire. Can never be too careful, especially not this far out."
Midoriya nodded, gesturing to the buttons one at a time, "Orange for just the alarm, blue for police, and red for fire."
"You got it, kid." Bakugou said with a grin, then offered out his hand. "Found those crutches to help ya get around. Let me show ya the place. We'll head outside first."
Bakugou helped Midoriya balance through the side door, then left him on his own to try out walking on Kirishima's old crutches, Midoriya smiling and nodding as he started to get the hang of it. Bakugou walked with him to the closest garage, punching in the security code and letting them inside. As the overhead lights flicked on, Midoriya's eyes went wide, and he sucked in a breath of air.
"I know, right?" Bakugou beamed, chuckling at Midoriya's wide-eyed expression. "Beauties, aren't they?"
"They're all yours?" Midoriya asked, breathless and in awe, and Bakugou hummed an affirmative, walking ahead of Midoriya and pointing to each car.
"We've got a Romeo, an Aston Martin here, and a Jaguar, oof! Gotta love that color."
Midoriya hobbled after him carefully, his gaze drifting across the displayed cars, each gleaming beneath the lights and in pristine condition. "You…you bought these? Aren't they really expensive?"
"Built most of them up from scratch. Restored 'em." Bakugou replied, entering in the code for the next garage and gesturing for Midoriya to follow him in, revealing the next set of cars. "That's sort of my thing. Custom paint jobs, modifications, restorations." He shrugged a little, flashing Midoriya an impish smile. "You'd never know from the look of this place, right? Keep these babies hidden from the outside world. Usually only take 'em out for prospective buyers, or for car shows."
"They're amazing." Midoriya whispered, walking past a pair of Ferraris and stopping in front of a third car, looking to Bakugou curiously. "What's this?"
"Ah, you've got a good eye. That's one of my favorites, called a Duesenberg." He leaned closer, examining his reflection in the sheen of the hood. "Thing's worth more than you'll ever make in your life, kid. We're talkin' millions."
Midoriya arched his brow, glancing up at Bakugou while asking gingerly, "Why keep it then? Why not sell it?" Bakugou looked down at him with a little frown, Midoriya adding on, "If it's worth millions, wouldn't you rather be some rich millionaire than a country mechanic with a bunch of fancy cars sitting inside a garage, collecting dust?"
"Well they're not collecting dust, I can assure you that." Bakugou chuckled, his expression softening. "This is what I do. This is what I love." He gave a little shrug, turning to walk away. "Wouldn't be the same if I just sold them all. They're mine, things I've built up over years with my own two hands. One of a kind, each of 'em. They're priceless, and not just because they're highly sought-after classics." He let out another quiet chuckle, reaching out to input the code for the third garage, "Guess you're right though, probably wouldn't hurt to sell a few, put some extra money in the bank-"
There was a chime from Bakugou's back pocket, and he retrieved his phone, clicking his tongue against his teeth irritably as he examined the video feed playing with muted audio.
"Shit. Looks like we've got company."
Midoriya's eyes went wide and he inhaled a sharp breath, Bakugou walking to his side and presenting the live feed, Midoriya's hands trembling as he pointed to Bakugou's phone.
"T-That's Jin, the tall one. The guy he's with in the hood, that's Geten." He met Bakugou's eyes, fear and a hint of panic in his expression. "They're Chisaki's goons, they've probably got guns-"
"Alright. Listen up. I want you in the back garage. There's some storage stacked in the corner, easy enough to hide behind." He took Midoriya's arm, helping him hobble along, inputting the code and opening the door, Midoriya walking inside.
"What about you?" Midoriya asked, his brow pinched with concern, expression torn, "I don't want…" He shook his head, tears gathering in his eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me-"
"You don't worry about me, you worry about yourself." Bakugou insisted, leaving Midoriya with his phone. "You keep watch, alright? If anything goes wrong, you dial the first number in my contacts, Kirishima Eijirou. He's the only person I trust in this situation, and if something happens to me, he'll protect you. You understand?"
"Bakugou-" Midoriya inhaled sharply, unsure what to say, his voice catching in his throat.
Bakugou grinned and gave Midoriya a little wink, pressing his finger over his lips. Midoriya nodded, and Bakugou closed the door between them. Midoriya listened as his footsteps faded away, turning around and hobbling through the garage as quickly as he could on borrowed crutches, finding a shadowed spot tucked away out of sight, surrounded by boxes of unused auto parts.
Bakugou whistled for his dogs, took a breath, and then walked towards the front gates from the workshop, Rocket and Nitro keeping close to his sides as he greeted the two strangers watching his approach.
"Shop's closed for the day. Can I help you with somethin'?"
"Little early to be closed, isn't it?" The first asked, his grey eyes peering out of his shadowed hood icily, sizing Bakugou up as he spoke. "Middle of the day, and all."
"Might be so." Bakugou replied with a grin, giving a light shrug. "Seein' as how I own the place, gives me the benefit of settin' my own hours."
"You're the owner!" The other said in a much more friendly tone, his too-white smile overwhelming his face. "Well that's great then! Just the man we were looking for!" He shuffled around for a moment before producing his phone, tapping a few things and then showing Bakugou the screen.
There was a black and white video loop of Midoriya, his hood up and backpack strapped across his shoulders. He was crossing a dirt road, looking around for a moment before heading towards a fenceline, disappearing into the trees beyond.
"We're looking for this kid, from the trial-cam footage we got from your neighbors back-a-ways, seems like he was headed in your direction!"
Bakugou glanced up to meet Jin's eyes, tilting his head slightly as he replied, "Welp. Haven't seen any kids 'round here. Been workin' all morning, woulda heard somethin' if someone'd been skulkin' around." He looked pointedly towards his dogs, the two panting quietly as they waited patiently at his feet. "Most steer clear of here, and if they don't, they think twice about trespassin' once they've got dogs runnin' 'em off."
"Mind if we take a look around?" Geten asked, and Bakugou met his eyes, giving him a slow once-over before settling on his icy glare.
"Matter'a fact, I do." He stepped away from the gate, turning his back on Jin and Geten, Rocket and Nitro quickly following after. "Like I said, shop's closed. Come back tomorrow if ya want, I'm in the middle of a project and don't wanna be disturbed."
Geten started to growl out a snarky retort, but Jin stopped him with a hushed murmur, calling shortly after, "Thanks for your time! Sorry to disturb your work!"
Bakugou ignored them, returning to the car he'd been working on before, which was just visible from the front gates where Jin and Geten were still standing. He grabbed a wrench, crawled back under the car and started working, the two standing beside the gate speaking back and forth for a few minutes before getting back in their vehicle and driving away.
Bakugou made sure they were long gone before he rolled out from under the car, glancing towards one of the overhead cameras and giving a little wave and a thumbs up, gradually making his way back to Midoriya.
When he entered the code for the far garage and the door clicked open, Midoriya was on the other side to greet him, throwing his arms around Bakugou's waist and dropping one of his crutches in the process, Bakugou chuckling and patting his back gently while Midoriya hid his face against his chest.
"Thank you so much!" He pulled back to look up at Bakugou, his eyes glassy. "I don't know what you said to them, but I can't believe they just left like that!"
"Pssh, was easy!" Bakugou replied with a little click of his tongue, offering Midoriya a smile. "Have a little more faith in me, will ya? Got a silver tongue like you wouldn't believe! Besides, they didn't seem all that tough. The little one kept glaring at me, but the big one was all talk."
Midoriya laughed a little, but it was a strained sound. "Honestly, between the two of them? Jin is the scary one. He's like a completely different person once he snaps."
Bakugou's expression fell a little, and he rested his hand against Midoriya's shoulder, quiet for a moment before asking, "Can you tell me anything? Anything else I should know?"
Midoriya arched his brow, debating inwardly. He grasped Bakugou's shirt, clenching his fist tightly while murmuring under his breath, "I want to tell you. I want to tell someone, anyone. I want someone else to know so badly it's eating me up inside." He worried his lip, meeting Bakugou's eyes. "If something happens, and they find out I told-" His breath hitched, but he forced himself to continue on. "If they realize I said something, they'll kill Shouto. They'll kill us both, and you too if you get involved. They'll kill as many as they have to, they don't give a shit about anyone but themselves. It's dangerous for you to know."
"Seems like shit's pretty dangerous now." Bakugou said softly, and Midoriya pinched his brow and dropped his eyes.
"I'm sorry." He murmured, and Bakugou made a dismissive sound.
"Hey, listen. I got involved because I wanted to, okay?" He bent his knees a little, coaxing Midoriya to meet his eyes. "Could have called the cops, but I didn't. We made a deal, didn't we? I'm gonna keep my end of the bargain. I'm gonna keep you safe."
Midoriya watched him for a long, quiet moment, then gingerly nodded his head, shifting his weight slightly to the side, favoring his ankle as he rested against a crutch.
"Can we go inside?" He asked, and Bakugou nodded while bending down to grab the crutch that had fallen, offering it to Midoriya and helping him through the doorway, heading towards the house.
They settled down on the couch, side by side, and Midoriya pressed his hands together atop his lap, fidgeting with his fingers nervously.
Bakugou settled back, giving him some space, not wanting to make him any more anxious than he already was. "It's okay, kid. Take your time."
Midoriya closed his eyes, nodding, and then he let out a shaky breath, carefully meeting Bakugou's eyes.
"It was a mistake. This whole thing is just a huge, dumb mistake."
He leaned forward a bit, pressing his face against his hands, and once he started speaking it spilled out of him like an open dam.
"There's this place in the burrow where we would hang out as kids, an overgrown park near an abandoned subway station. We'd skateboard, and play basketball. Sometimes we'd practice graffiti. We made friends with some of the other kids there. Older kids, rougher kids."
He glanced up from his hands, meeting Bakugou's eyes.
"As we started getting older, they got into doing things. Illegal things. We were stupid enough to stick around when we shouldn't have, and it was all downhill from there."
Bakugou listened as Midoriya laid it all out, every moment in explicit detail.
The older group of kids they had thought were their friends had brought Midoriya and Todoroki along for a drug deal, unbeknownst to them. The deal had gone south, several people on both sides had been shot, and a few had been killed in the crossfire. Amidst the chaos, both the drugs and the money had somehow gone missing. Thinking they were part of the older crew, Midoriya and Todoroki had been snatched up. They were told if they didn't return the drugs and the money within the next two days they'd be tortured and killed.
Midoriya had bought train tickets in an attempt to get them out of the city, but they were being tailed the entire time. They'd been caught before they were able to board the train.
They'd beaten Todoroki first, forcing Midoriya to watch. When neither of them had been able to provide the detailed locations of the drugs or money, they'd gouged out one of Todoroki's eyes, poured gasoline over his face and set him on fire.
Midoriya hadn't been able to do a damn thing except scream, and watch.
Bakugou pressed a hand over his mouth, his eyes never leaving Midoriya, listening as he continued on.
"After hours of torturing Shouto they finally changed tactics. They got us in a car and started driving, said they were going to take us somewhere to finish the job." Midoriya swallowed thickly, closing his eyes. "We could hear them talking back and forth about dumping our bodies in the woods. Shouto was barely conscious, but he managed to tell me that our only chance was to escape before they took us wherever it was we were going."
He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, curling up against the arm of the couch, careful of his ankle as he did so.
"He waited until there was another car coming in the opposite direction, and then he lunged for the steering wheel. When we crashed, the car rolled." He paused for a moment to steady his breathing, sniffling quietly before continuing on. "Once I crawled out I realized the impact had knocked the trunk open, so I grabbed my backpack and tried to find our phones to call for help, but the car started burning."
He shook his head slowly, his expression distant.
"Shouto was on the ground bleeding. He was so weak he couldn't walk. He told me-" His breath hitched as he choked back a sob, "H-he told me I had to escape before they caught both of us. He told me to-"
Midoriya hunched in on himself, hiccupping softly.
"H-He told me to run. He made me leave him behind. I don't even know if he's still alive, if they're hurting him because of me!"
"Hey now. Hey." Bakugou frowned and shifted closer, wrapping his arms around Midoriya. "Don't think like that, okay? We're gonna figure this out, we're gonna find him, and make sure you're both safe…"
"How?" Midoriya sobbed, shaking his head. "Those two earlier, they're not the worst of it. They were following in the car behind us. The ones to look out for are Dabi and Shigaraki. They're directly under Chisaki. They're the ones who're allowed to hurt us." Midoriya sniffed and wiped at his eyes, his tone miserable. "Shigaraki took Shouto's eye, and Dabi was the one w-who burned him-"
Bakugou tucked Midoriya's head against his shoulder, letting him cry until he was able to collect himself, thinking long and hard about the reality of their situation, on what they should do.
"Listen. I know I said I wouldn't tell another soul, but if it's them against just the two of us, the probability's not good. In all seriousness, we're going to need some backup."
Midoriya stiffened a little, and when he pulled back his expression was guarded, unsure. "Y-You promised-"
"I know, which is why I'm asking you." He searched Midoriya's eyes, continuing on calmly. "My best friend, he's a good guy. Honest to a fault, completely trustworthy. Not only that," Bakugou offered Midoriya a smile, giving a little nod, "He's good with a gun. Better than I'd like to admit." He watched Midoriya for a long moment, then pressed gently, "If we're going to defend ourselves, and get back Shouto, we need good guys on our side. Guys like Eiji."
"Y-You said he's a cop!" Midoriya shook his head, watching Bakugou nervously. "Chisaki deals with cops. If they find out where I am, if they hear something on the radio…"
"Not the cops around here." Bakugou reminded, rubbing Midoriya's arm. "You're a long ways from the city here, kid. These cops I've known since grade-school, most of 'em. If we bring Eiji in, he'll bring in his partner. That's two good cops on our side, not on Chisaki's."
Midoriya's lip was swollen from where he'd bitten it, his cheeks flushed as he glanced to the side, his leg shaking. "I…I don't know. I don't know what to do." He looked up again, Bakugou watching him quietly. "I don't want them to hurt Shouto. I don't want to do something wrong, and get my best friend killed…"
"Let me call Eiji, find out what he knows." Bakugou held Midoriya's eyes, waiting to see how he would respond. "I can ask him for an update. He called earlier, while you were sleeping. Told me to keep an eye out for you."
Midoriya watched Bakugou with a curious little frown, then asked gingerly, "You lied to your best friend? For me?"
"I said I'd call if I saw somethin'. Didn't say when."
Midoriya's expression lightened a bit at that and a soft snort escaped him, muffled behind his hand. He sighed, shaking his head slowly before giving Bakugou a little smile.
"Okay." He said softly, his expression calm. "I trust you."
Bakugou watched him for a long moment, then nodded and drew back his hand. He dialed Kirishima's number, and put the call on speakerphone, waiting for his best friend to pick up.
-x-x-x-
Kirishima jolted awake at the sound of his phone, groaning and rubbing his eyes while reaching for the device, answering the call while pressing the phone to his ear. "Bro, I love you and all, but I've barely had a wink of sleep since goin' on patrol last night, and you're interrupting-"
Bakugou chuckled softly, and Kirishima could tell from the echo in his tone that he was on speakerphone. "Well sorry to disturb your beauty sleep. Heard anything else about that missing kid?"
Kirishima frowned a little, inhaling slowly before exhaling a heavy sigh. "Dunno yet. Haven't heard back from Dispatch. They started up a search party, Mina and Kyouka volunteered. As far as I know, Denks is still at the hospital. Was waitin' to see if the other kid wakes up."
There was a whisper in the background, Bakugou murmuring something quietly in reply. Kirishima perked up a bit, blinking slowly as he tried to make sense of what he was hearing.
"The other kid, how's he doin'?"
Kirishima frowned a little, then replied, "Got some pretty bad burns on his face, and some minor abrasions from the wreck. No broken bones luckily, but some pretty gnarly bruises and a bit of whiplash, from what the doctor said."
That same whisper was audible again, and Kirishima was more awake this time. He was definitely able to make out someone else's voice. Someone with Bakugou. He was quiet for a moment, listening to them speaking back and forth, too muffled to make out any words.
"Katsuki?"
"Right." Bakugou sighed, and Kirishima could hear the strain in his voice. "I need you here, as quick as you can be. Alone."
Shit. Something was definitely going on, especially if Bakugou didn't want Kaminari around.
"I'll be there in twenty."
"See you soon."
-x-x-x-
As Kirishima pulled up to the front gate, Bakugou was there to greet him. Kirishima might have sounded half-asleep before, but he was wide awake now, glancing towards the curtained front window pointedly before meeting Bakugou's eyes.
"The kid's here?"
Even without seeing Midoriya, Kirishima had surmised as much. He was smart, and Bakugou knew it. He nodded his head, searching Kirishima's eyes.
"We've got a situation. A big one. Need you with me on this, okay?"
Kirishima nodded without a second thought, reaching out to clasp Bakugou's arm. "Of course, whatever you need."
Bakugou gave Kirishima an affectionate little smile, clasping his arm in kind. They stood together for a moment, then Bakugou turned towards the house, whistling through his teeth. There was movement after a brief pause, then the front door opened slowly, Rocket and Nitro running out to meet them, a shadowed figure peeking out into the sunlight.
"C'mon." Bakugou beckoned, stepping backwards towards the house. "We'll catch you up."
Kirishima introduced himself to Midoriya, and they settled down once more, Bakugou standing while Kirishima sat in his recliner, Midoriya stretched out across the couch, his injured ankle elevated with a fresh compress. Midoriya retold his story, Bakugou listening and watching Kirishima closely, gauging his reactions.
"So let me get this straight." Kirishima started, gesturing lightly as he spoke. "The group that's at the hospital right now, they're members of a big city gang, working directly under a drug lord."
"Right." Midoriya replied, giving a little nod.
"The two of you were abducted, assaulted, and held captive by the very same people that are at Shouto's beside right now?"
Midoriya nodded again, fidgeting nervously, glancing up at Bakugou who gave him a calm, reassuring smile. Midoriya held his eyes for a long moment before returning to Kirishima, letting out a shaky exhale and reiterating. "Shigaraki and Dabi take orders directly from Chisaki. The girl that's with them, Toga? She's another one of Chisaki's favorites, and she's absolutely insane. If she's at Shouto's bedside, it's so he'll see her as soon as he wakes up, and she'll make sure he keeps quiet." Midoriya shook his head, arching his brow worriedly. "Even if he wanted to call for help, he wouldn't be able to. Not with Toga around. Not with any of them in the same room."
Kirishima nodded his understanding, murmuring under his breath, "Denks is at the hospital with them. He's alone, no other units are there for backup." He looked to Bakugou, holding his eyes. "We have to get Denks out of there, and Shouto too."
"Right now both of them being at the hospital means they're safe." Bakugou said with a little frown, crossing his arms over his chest. "I doubt even those guys would be so bold as to attack a cop in the middle of a hospital, or hurt a kid who's hooked up to all sorts of monitors. Think about it. The minute something happened to Shouto alarms would be triggered, nurses would come running."
"That's true." Kirishima sighed, rubbing his palms against his knees, shivering as he stood up and started to pace. "Shit's got me sweatin'. I don't like this at all."
Bakugou watched him quietly, letting Kirishima work through the problem, Midoriya glancing between them both worriedly, anxiety caught tightly in his throat.
"This head honcho guy, Chisaki? Why does he think that you and Shouto are the ones that have his stuff in the first place?" He glanced towards Midoriya, asking with a frown, "Is there not some way to prove the two of you are innocent? Who do you think really took the drugs and cash anyway?"
"I…I honestly don't know." Midoriya replied worriedly, "There were a lot of people there that we'd never seen before. It's possible someone in our friend group took the money or the drugs, or both, but it could have been any of the others too. All I know is, we never did anything they're accusing us of doing." Midoriya shook his head, his eyes shining as he spoke. "They keep saying they want answers, they want us to confess the truth, but we keep telling them the truth and they aren't listening."
Kirishima clicked his tongue against his teeth irritably, glancing towards Bakugou. "Not like we can hook the kids up to a polygraph and have them answer questions while the drug lord's watching, huh?" He let out a heavy exhale, reaching up to rub his forehead with his fingertips as his gaze drifted across the living room. "What a fucking mess. What are the odds that something like this would come to our town?"
"A billion to one." Bakugou chuckled, and Kirishima met his eyes with a smile, chuckling as well.
"Alright then. So, first thing's first, yeah? We've gotta get this place fortified in case they come back looking for Midoriya." Kirishima gave Bakugou a more serious look, his eyes gleaming. "You got ways to defend yourself?"
"Don't I always?" Bakugou smirked, glancing towards Midoriya while asking, "You ever handled a gun before?"
"N-No." Midoriya replied nervously, and Bakugou hummed while giving a little nod.
"That's alright. Won't force you to if you're skittish, but if it'll make you feel safer I'll give you something to protect yourself with, should shit hit the fan."
"I'm heading back to the hospital." Kirishima said, stepping towards the door. "Can't leave my partner in a compromised position, and this is something that's gotta be explained face to face."
Bakugou walked after him, lingering in the doorway while calling, "Watch yourself, Eiji. Don't do anything stupid."
"You're one to talk!" Kirishima laughed, grinning as he waved back at Bakugou. "You're the asshole with the damned hero complex!"
Bakugou chuckled softly, watching as Kirishima locked up the entry gates before closing the front door, looking towards Midoriya with a little grin.
Midoriya smiled back at him, laughing quietly as he said, "I can see why he's your best friend. He's a really nice guy."
"Best there is." Bakugou sighed, carding his hand through his hair and looking down at the dogs watching him, thinking for a moment before gesturing towards Midoriya. "Guard."
Both dogs swiftly moved into action, Nitro sitting at Midoriya's side while Rocket jumped up onto the couch and settled across his lap, panting excitedly.
"Good boys." He murmured, Midoriya hesitantly petting between Rocket's ears, Bakugou watching with a little smile. "I'm leaving them with you. You've got the tablet to keep an eye on the cameras. I'm going to check the gates, make sure everything's locked up tight, then get our defenses ready."
"Okay." Midoriya replied softly, offering Bakugou a grateful smile, his expression only hinting at his nervousness.
As Bakugou stepped out the side door and into the workshop, Midoriya turned to look out the window, watching the sunset.
In the treeline just beyond the tall fences, two figures stood with a pair of binoculars, one with a cellphone pressed against his ear.
-x-x-x-
Kaminari felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, setting his report aside and retrieving the device, smiling as he lifted the phone to his ear. "Hey, babe! How's it going? Found anything yet?"
"Denki, where are you? Are you still at the hospital?"
Kaminari hummed an affirmative, getting up from his seat in the hall and starting to walk down the corridor slowly, passing the room where Todoroki was resting before continuing on. "Yeah, just been waitin' around to see if the kid who got burned wakes up. None of the others are talking much, just vague statements about what happened." He paused his steps near the end of the hall and turned around, resuming his pacing again. "They all seem really concerned about the one that's missing. They keep asking for updates."
"Denki, I need you to listen to me."
Kaminari frowned, his steps slowly, glancing towards the door to Todoroki's room. "Yeah, I'm listening. Is everything okay?"
"Something strange is going on." Jirou's voice sounded worried, and she asked after a moment, "Can you go somewhere private? Somewhere you won't be overheard?"
"Yeah? Just ah…give me a second." He looked around for an empty room, opening a door and stepping inside, closing the door securely behind him. He double-checked to make sure the room was empty before pressing the phone to his ear again, murmuring softly, "Okay, we're good now. Tell me what's going on?"
"Well, Mina and I made it to the Anderson's property line. We realized they have trail cameras set up, for deer season. We decided to go down to their farm and ask if we could see the footage, but they said that police had already been there."
"Wait, what?" Kaminari asked softly, glancing towards the closed door. "What does that mean, already been there?"
"Apparently two officers showed up earlier in the day, asking for the footage. Officers they'd never seen before. Full uniforms and everything." Jirou sighed quietly, pausing for a moment before adding, "Mrs. Anderson said she didn't recognize their uniforms, looked like they were from out of county. She thought it was a bit strange, but had no reason to suspect anything was off about them. At least, not at the time."
"Someone's goin' around impersonating police officers?" Kaminari whispered, his heartbeat loud in his ears. "Over trail-cam footage? That just doesn't make any sense."
"Mina and I aren't certain if it's an impersonation, necessarily." Jirou took a breath, then continued on. "We think they might have been real cops, from the city. The license plates from the vehicle that was involved in the accident last night, the one that burned. The plates were from the city, right?"
Kaminari put two and two together, following Jirou's logic. "You're thinking they're involved?"
Jirou hummed softly, then said in a worried tone, "Denki I need you to be careful, okay? Something's going on here, something that's bigger than us. I need you to promise me you'll be careful. Can you call Eijirou? Ask him to come back to the hospital?"
"Yeah, yeah I can do that." He smiled and closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of Jirou's voice. "I'll be careful, I promise. You be careful too."
"I love you." Jirou said softly, and Kaminari grinned sheepishly, a blush creeping across his cheeks.
"Love you too, Kyouka."
They said their goodbyes, and Kaminari exhaled a heavy sigh, shoving his phone back into his pocket while stepping towards the door.
As soon as he stepped out into the hallway he spotted Kirishima walking towards Todoroki's room, his scarlet eyes trained on the sliding glass door, a frown turning his usually warm expression steely.
Kaminari hesitated only for a moment before approaching, Kirishima glancing up and meeting his eyes, letting out a relieved little sigh. "There you are." He said with a smile, reaching out and patting his partner's shoulder, Kaminari looking into the room as well.
Nothing appeared to have changed since the last time he looked in on them, and so he tugged Kirishima away from the room, glancing around for a moment before leaning in close to whisper, "I just got a call from Kyouka. She's still out with Mina, looking for the missing kid." He glanced around once more before adding, "They found something weird."
"Yeah, me too." Kirishima whispered, nodding towards Todoroki's room. "That kid's not safe. We gotta keep an eye on him, try to get him away from the others."
Kaminari's eyes widened, but he gave a succinct nod. "What's the plan?"
"For now? Pretend like we know nothing." Kirishima replied, his expression serious again. "We can't let them know we're onto them. It'll be dangerous, for all of us."
-x-x-x-
"I see." Shigaraki sighed exasperatedly, taking a few steps towards the door and glancing out into the hallway, noting the two police officers speaking together nearby. "I'm sending Touya to you. He will deal with it."
Geten finished his report, then disconnected the line, Shigaraki turning to face Dabi, the other watching him with a curious little smile. "They found him?"
"He's managed to find himself a hole to hide in, and a guard dog." Shigaraki replied, clearly unamused at the development. "Jin is texting you the address."
Dabi made a soft sound of lazy interest, smiling down at his phone as he asked, "Am I to smoke out the little rabbit from its den?"
"By whatever means necessary." Shigaraki's lips twisted up into a grin. "I'll handle things here."
"With pleasure."
Dabi stepped away from the window, slipping past Shigaraki and out the glass door, Toga humming to herself quietly as she watched Todoroki sleep. Shigaraki listened quietly, his eyes drifting over the monitors tracking Todoroki's vitals absently, taking a step closer to the bed, Toga glancing up at him with a tired smile.
"You should rest." Shigaraki sighed, his gaze shifting to Todoroki. "We may need your skillset in full capacity by the time we leave this place."
"Nap time?" Toga giggled, yawning and stretching out a bit, leaning forward and folding her arms to pillow her head, resting beside Todoroki's shoulder with a smile. "Thanks, Shiggy. You're the best."
Shigaraki watched over her as she quickly dozed off, eyeing Todoroki's vitals once more before turning towards the large window looking out into the hallway. The two officers that had been there moments before were now nowhere to be found, Shigaraki narrowing his eyes a bit. They were up to something, he could feel it.
He'd have to keep a close eye on them, until Dabi and the others returned.
Unnoticed by Shigaraki, Todoroki's monitors beeped quietly with faint changes to his heartbeat's rhythm, his eyes moving subtly behind closed eyelids.
-x-x-x-
Midoriya held a mug of hot chocolate between his hands, blowing away curls of steam absently, sending little ripples across the dark surface as he stared out into the sunset. He heard Bakugou sigh tiredly from the kitchen, and a moment later the blonde joined him, settling down in his recliner with Nitro and Rocket curled up at his feet.
"It's been a long day."
Midoriya hummed quietly, taking a sip and looking towards Bakugou with an apologetic little smile. "You should try to get some sleep. I'll be fine, really. I don't want to keep you up."
Bakugou watched Midoriya with a half-lidded gaze, his crimson eyes burning with reflections of the orange skies. He was quiet for a long pause, then his eyes fell on the tablet sitting nearby. "You're alright with keeping a lookout while I catch a few hours?"
Midoriya nodded, shifting beneath the blankets draped across his legs, flexing his toes lightly before saying, "My ankle's feeling a bit better. I think the swelling is starting to go down."
"Good." Bakugou sighed in little more than a rumble, a teasing smile turning up his lips. "Alright, I'll leave you to it. If you spot anything suspicious, call for me right away."
"Okay." Midoriya agreed with a little nod, and Bakugou sat with him for a while longer watching the sunset, finishing his mug of cocoa before getting up and wandering towards his bedroom with a stifled yawn.
The dogs seemed content to stay where they were atop the rug at the foot of the recliner, Rocket eventually shifting a bit closer to rest against his brother's side. He watched Midoriya curiously for a few moments before tucking his muzzle against Nitro's shoulder and letting out a quiet sigh, gradually falling asleep. Nitro watched Midoriya as well, perking his ears towards him expectantly, as if waiting for Midoriya to speak a command.
Midoriya turned his eyes away from the dogs and back towards the horizon, holding his warm mug between his palms, tracing his fingertips along the small imperfections in the aged glaze. It was calm here, peaceful. So different from life in the city. He'd always wondered what it might be like to live somewhere far away from those bustling streets, but in the end he'd never truly considered leaving. Not without Todoroki by his side.
"Shouto…" Midoriya whispered, tightening his grip on the mug, his stomach twisting with worry. "Please be okay. Please be safe…"
He stared out the window for what felt like an eternity, watching the light fade from the sky until darkness overwhelmed everything. He set his mug aside, relaxing against the back of the couch as pinpricks of constellations appeared across the heavens one by one, Midoriya smiling to himself as he tried to remember their names.
Almost two hours passed before he heard something; a series of soft beeps from the tablet nearby. He reached for it with a frown, his heart fluttering as he scanned through the various camera angles, searching for new alerts while biting at his bottom lip.
There was something there near the front gate, something just outside of the camera's range. He knit his brow, flipping through the video feeds from the other cameras nearby, trying to find a better viewpoint, and then suddenly a second alert chirped and drew his attention. This time the reason was clearly visible; two figures standing just beyond the locked gates.
He inhaled sharply through his teeth, glancing up towards the window and drawing the curtains quickly, wondering if they could have spotted him in the dark from such a distance. If they'd managed to see anything, it was likely they'd caught a glimpse of his shadowed silhouette and nothing more. He took a breath, exhaling shakily, trying to push down the rise of panic constricting his chest and throat.
"Bakugou." He called softly, the dogs perking up at hearing his voice, Nitro rising to his feet and padding closer to press his nose against Midoriya's leg. He reached out to pet between his ears, looking towards the bedroom door and calling out again in a louder tone. "Bakugou!"
"I hear ya, kid. I'm here, just-" Came Bakugou's muffled reply before he exhaled tiredly, and Midoriya listened to the sounds of rummaging for a moment before the blonde appeared, rubbing at his eyes while making his way to Midoriya's side. He crouched down beside the couch, frowning a little as he blinked slowly down at the tablet. "Alright," he rumbled groggily, "What'd ya see?"
"There. See them?" Midoriya pointed to the streaming video feed as Bakugou took the tablet in hand, humming an affirmative and flipping through a few angles before settling on the front gates again.
"They're the two from before?" Bakugou asked, and Midoriya nodded as he met his eyes.
"Jin and Geten." Midoriya replied with a quick nod, glancing towards the window again. "They may have seen me, the curtains were open before…"
"That's alright, don't you worry. I'll take care of that."
He gave Midoriya the tablet once more before pushing himself to his feet, groaning and stretching his arms above his head, soft pops audible as he rolled his shoulders and neck. He let out a contented sigh as he dropped his arms, stepping towards the front door and grabbing his coat, shrugging into it and stepping into his boots before taking the rifle resting behind the door in hand.
"You're on watch, and alarm duty if need be. I'm leaving Rocket with you." He clicked his tongue against his teeth, calling for Nitro, Rocket whining softly as he watched his brother move to Bakugou's side. "If something happens, don't hesitate. You press all three of those alarms if you need to." He inspected his rifle for a moment, checking his ammo and flicking off the safety before opening the door. "We're not playing around with this horseshit. Not by a long shot."
"Be careful." Midoriya whispered worriedly, and Bakugou flashed him a smile before stepping outside, closing the door behind him and starting towards the front gates.
Midoriya watched his shadow cross in front of the window before turning his eyes to the tablet, flicking through the video feed and enlarging the screen showing the gate. Bakugou strode towards it with slow confidence, rifle at the ready, Nitro poised in a defensive stance right beside Bakugou's leg.
Midoriya chewed at his lip, exhaling through his nose as he waited anxiously to see what would happen next - and then suddenly the power went out.
Midoriya tensed and inhaled sharply, looking around the darkness surrounding him for a moment before reaching up to part the curtains, allowing the smallest amount of moonlight to filter in. The tablet was still streaming local video feed, but the interface looked strikingly different. Everything that had been lit up and multicolored before was now various shades of grey and muted green.
Midoriya noticed with a sense of impending dread that the buttons to trigger the alarm systems were dull, appearing grayed-out. A new icon had popped up at the top of the main screen, and when Midoriya tapped it to enlarge the alert the flickering message read: Systems Offline. Backup Recording. Time remaining: 3h 47m.
Midoriya set the tablet aside, tossing the blankets off of his legs and scrambling to his feet, immediately reaching for the crutches nearby. As he balanced on his good ankle and turned towards the front door he realized Rocket was staring towards one of the back bedrooms, his ears perked at alert. In seconds he had shifted into a defensive stance at Midoriya's side, a deep growl building in his chest, his muzzle twisted with a snarl.
Midoriya jerked at the sound of glass breaking, taking a step closer to the front door as he stared towards the noise with wide eyes. There was a moment of silence, then orange light suddenly illuminated the back rooms and hallway. Midoriya could hear crackling flames and the distinct smell of gasoline and smoke.
Oh no, that means Dabi's here with them-!
He turned and threw open the front door, calling out into the darkness, "Bakugou!"
Shots fired near the front gate, one after the other. Midoriya yelped and ducked around the corner of the house into the workshop, making his way towards the closest garage door.
He dropped one of his crutches as he reached for the keypad, mashing in the combination Bakugou had told him before opening the door and slipping inside, looking towards the house in horror as flames roared to life, smoke quickly filling the night sky as the blaze only continued to grow.
Rocket was standing in the workshop before the garage door, growling threateningly and staring at something Midoriya couldn't see near the back of the house, hackles raising as he took a step forward and started barking. There were footsteps drawing closer, and Midoriya felt as if he'd been submerged in icewater the moment he found Dabi's eyes staring back at him, a sadistic smile twisting up his lips.
"Found you."
Rocket leapt forward, sinking his teeth into Dabi's arm, and Midoriya slammed the garage door shut, hobbling with one crutch through the dark towards the second garage door.
He heard more shots, coming from the direction of the main gate. His heart was pounding in the back of his skull, and it took several tries before he successfully entered in the combination and slipped through the door, closing it quickly behind him.
"Oh god!" Midoriya sobbed, pressing the back of his wrist against his mouth, trying to stop shaking and hyperventilating long enough to form some sort of plan. His eyes flit between the cars nearby, their outlines barely visible in the dark, and his gaze lingered there for a moment before drifting to the wall behind them. There were several shelves and a workbench, and Midoriya made his way towards them, opening each one and searching within for something he could use to defend himself, navigating by touch.
In one of the top drawers he found a cluster of keys on unmarked keychains, and he grabbed a handful of them and turned towards the cars nearby, his eyes widening as he realized what they were for. He hobbled towards the closest vehicle, trying the first key in the lock and fiddling for a moment before determining it wasn't a match, dropping the keychain to the floor before trying the next, then the next, determined to find the correct key.
Escaping in a car might be their only way out of this place alive, and if he could save at least one of Bakugou's precious customs from the fire maybe one day he could find it in his heart to forgive Midoriya for all of the damage he'd caused. The thought of Bakugou's home and priceless vehicles and entire livelihood burning up had bile rising in the back of Midoriya's throat. This was a debt he would never be able to repay. Not ever. Not in this lifetime.
He ducked his head, letting out a choked sob, tears streaming down his flushed cheeks. Dimly he could hear something pounding against the garage door, and Dabi's voice hissing out angry threats. Beyond that, the sound of the fire increased as the blaze grew into an inferno, an orange glow creeping through the first garage and bleeding into the second, accompanied by thick grey smoke.
The inferno lit up the entire junkyard, painting everything surrounding the fire in garish splashes of orange and red, giving Bakugou enough light to clearly see the stranger he had shot down, blood soaking into the ground beneath his feet.
Nitro was favoring his right shoulder, limping as he returned to Bakugou's side, Bakugou crouching down to check on him before petting soothingly between his ears.
"Good boy." He murmured, turning back to look at the roaring flames. "Alright, let's go find the kid and your brother, and get the hell outta here."
The smaller hooded figure had run off once their lanky cohort had fallen, but Bakugou was well aware that a third figure remained to be seen. Someone had been behind him, someone had been inside the junkyard to cut the power and start the fire. He grit his teeth and started towards his workshop, listening to the echoes of something heavy beating against a metal door.
He took a moment to check his ammo before cocking his rifle again, rounding the corner of his workshop with Nitro trailing just after him, his eyes falling on the bloodied canine laying just beside the first garage door.
A pang of worry stabbed through him at seeing Rocket was injured, and he made his way over to him carefully, crouching down for a moment to check his breathing. It was shallow, but he was alive for now.
The banging noise Bakugou had heard before had abruptly stopped, and there was no sign of the third stranger who had set the fire. Heavy smoke was thickening in the air surrounding the house, and Bakugou shifted forward to pick Rocket up, quickly turning and running towards the front gates again. Once he reached them, he realized the body that had been there before was now gone. He could see the taillights of an unknown vehicle fading in the distance, a cloud of dirt left behind in its wake.
He set Rocket down in the grass beside the front gate, commanding both of his dogs to stay before turning back towards the house, watching the fire as it started to spread towards the closest garage. He slung his rifle over his shoulder, then ran towards the front door of the house. He had to be sure Midoriya wasn't hiding somewhere inside. He couldn't leave him to burn alive. He'd promised to keep him safe. He'd promised.
Midoriya coughed roughly as he fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath despite the smoke thickening the air, tugging the collar of his borrowed shirt over his nose and mouth before returning to the task at hand, his eyes watering. Dabi had stopped banging on the door, and he hadn't heard any more shots in several minutes. He was on his second handful of keychains, and he knew beyond any doubt he'd find the one he was looking for if only he had a little more time.
Time was swiftly running out.
Bakugou kicked open the front door, calling out for Midoriya in a hoarse voice as loudly as he could, but he couldn't hear the sound of his own voice over the roar of the inferno. The roof gave a mighty creak as it continued to burn, and Bakugou quickly made his way through the living room and kitchen, searching for any signs of a body, relieved when finding none.
He debated for a moment, his eyes on the entry to his bedroom door. He'd left his phone behind when he'd risen to answer Midoriya before. Without it they had to way to call for help with the power out. The bedroom, however, was already engulfed in flames. There was no chance in hell he could retrieve it now.
Part of the ceiling caved in as he ran back towards the front door, catching sight of something on the floor out of the corner of his eye. It was Midoriya's backpack, sitting before the end table beside the couch. Bakugou wasn't certain why it caused him to pause, until his thoughts caught up to his hurried movements. His mother's camera. It's irreplaceable.
He ducked around the flames licking up the curtains and reached for the backpack, then turned on his heel and ran back outside, coughing up lungfuls of smoke and sucking in cold air as he looked towards the front gates. Nitro and Rocket were still there, but not Midoriya.
Bakugou let out a frustrated growl, then turned towards the workshop and reached for the keypad to open the first garage, only to find it had been completely destroyed, mangled with blunt force. There was a large wrench discarded nearby, and Bakugou stared down at it in horror before realizing what the third stranger must have done.
Bakugou left the entry door behind and ran to the front of the garage instead, pounding his fist against the hot metal and shouting at the top of his lungs, desperate for Midoriya to answer.
"Kid! Hey kid, can you hear me? Answer me! Midoriya!"
Midoriya jerked his head up at hearing Bakugou's voice. It was distant, echoing from the first garage, and he coughed roughly before crawling on hands and knees towards the large garage door in front of him, pounding his fist against it and calling out to him, "Here! I'm in here, Bakugou!"
He could hear boots crunching against gravel, then Bakugou's voice sounded directly on the other side of where Midoriya knelt. "You in there, kid?"
"I'm here!" Midoriya called back, letting out a hiccup and a soft sob before coughing again. "I'm so sorry, Bakugou! I'm so sorry this happened! I didn't mean for this to-"
"Kid, listen to me! We've got to get you out of there, the keypad's all smashed up and the fire's spreading!"
Midoriya's eyes widened and he ducked his head again, coughing and blinking as spots blurred the edges of his vision, his chest suddenly too tight. He shook his head once, twice, before calling out to Bakugou again.
"The power's out! It's so dark in here, I can barely see anything! I found some keys-"
"There's no time!" Bakugou called, and Midoriya heard gravel crunching again before Bakugou's voice called out, "Can you get to the third garage? I'll try to reach you from there!"
"But what about-" Midoriya turned to look back at the cars, noticing the orange glow creeping across their windows, gasping as he realized fire was slowly licking up the furthest wall, eating through metal and wood alike.
"Hurry, kid! We've gotta move!"
Bakugou was already at the third garage, setting his rifle and Midoriya's backpack aside at a safe distance before approaching the front door. He dropped to his knees, prying at it with all his might, trying desperately to lift it, hyperaware of the flames drawing closer as precious seconds ticked by.
"Bakugou-" He heard Midoriya call from the other side, then coughing and wheezing as he tried to find his voice. It twisted Bakugou's chest, and he glanced around quickly, trying to think of something, anything that would help.
How long had the fire been burning? Had anyone even realized there was smoke rising from his junkyard in the middle of the night? He couldn't rely on help, he had to figure this out himself, and quickly. Midoriya was running out of air.
Bakugou stilled his movements briefly, pressing his palms against the garage door while calling out to Midoriya worriedly, "Kid? Hey, talk to me. C'mon now, keep talkin'! Let me know you're alright!"
There was a soft, shuddering breath, then another hiccup, before Midoriya managed to force out, "I-I'm…I'm scared…"
"I'm right here." Bakugou reassured, pressing his forehead against the garage door, curling his fingers against the warming metal. "I'm right here, you hear me? I'm gonna get you out of there. I swear I'll get you out. Just hang tight for me, okay?"
"O-Okay…" Midoriya breathed out shakily, and his voice was impossibly small.
Bakugou pushed himself up, grabbed his rifle and Midoriya's backpack, and ran towards the front gates as quickly as he could. Above the junkyard, smoke slowly began to blot out the stars.
This was meant to be a one-shot, I swear!
Part 3 will be the last chapter.
Thanks for reading! More to come!