Heroes in the Dark chapter 97.5: Calm before the Storm
A brisk wind swept through the sprawling cityscape of corporate buildings and bustling streets. It might've felt nice on his heated skin if not for the way this stupid weather impeded his quirk.
Bakugou shrugged deeper into the high collar of his winter uniform, surveying the skyline for suspicious activity. He rubbed his hands together to generate warmth under the thick gloves, prepared to set off an explosion at a moment's notice despite the cold. Everything just had to feel so normal and easy-going when he knew damn well that the peaceful ideal couldn't be farther from the truth. Instead, it seemed as though routine patrols passed without much incident these days – and that was infuriating. At times like these, he might've been better off doing homework. He and Todoroki were still on thin fucking ice thanks to that miserable ordeal with the provisional licenses. And sure, it had worked out eventually, but it hadn't made him feel any better about the position he'd been put in time and time again. His grades were still suffering, mental health be damned, and he was pretty sure the teachers were running out of ideas for what to do with it.
The worst part? He was trying. Like, actually trying. To keep going forward, to not let those judgmental bastards get the better of him… to be a hero that people can look up to.
Bakugou let out a pent-up sigh that turned into a puff of icy mist in his face and hopped off the building, catching himself with a well-placed explosion right before hitting the ground. Civilians looked down at him and gave him a wide berth, careful not to get too close.
Cowards. Can't you see I'm out here to help you ungrateful fucks?
It wasn't even their fault. He was all too aware of the way his reputation proceeded him. But crime rates were on the rise, and all kinds of underworld weirdos were using this time of change as an opportunity to crawl out of the woodworks. He had to assume that's the main reason why he was out here in the first place: society was desperate for heroes, and that included first year high school students with checkered pasts and a lot to learn. Everyone in his class was in the same boat, tagging along with pros to keep an eye on the world while it underwent this state of flux.
If Bakugou had known just how bad this whole country would become without All Might, then maybe things would've been better if he'd remained a captive to that League of Losers.
You know. Like some people.
But that wasn't fair either, and just having that thought flash through his head made his gut lurch.
Bakugou slammed a hand against the nearest wall to steady himself. Looking around at the streets, he found it less busy than before. It was broad daylight, so one might believe that nobody would be out here trying to start shit, but villains had been setting a new standard for themselves lately.
I'll do one last sweep on ground level and call it good here.
Bakugou rounded alleyways and stuck his head in places where it didn't belong, looking for an excuse to rough up some villainous scum. Incidentally, he hadn't found much real-world fighting since his capture. The allure of exciting missions and high-stakes villain encounters had been lost on him. While he'd been kicked to the sidelines waiting for his grim situation to get better, Deku had been thrown right back into the thick of villain activity. From what he remembered, the damn nerd had been on a pretty normal patrol like this when he'd had a run-in with a yakuza that had spiraled into a full-fledged rescue mission.
Bakugou was spotty on the details. The whole thing was classified – kept on the down-low from the public.
But, well, Deku had never been very good about keeping secrets. Especially when it came to him. Deku was too sentimental for his own good. And maybe that was earned, after Bakugou had learned about the heavy weight on his shoulders. But dammit, if Bakugou wasn't allowed to buckle than neither was he. All for One or One for All or All for Nothing. What difference does it make? Just don't die! Just keep fighting and don't let those villains get to ya!
Not everyone could say that, though.
When Kirishima had come back from that mission, he knew immediately that there was something very wrong. Like sure, there was the obvious shit: Deku's new mentor lost his arm and apparently Aizawa had a kid now. But there were other things, too, that weren't so readily visible. Even though the people involved with that mission were under secrecy, it quickly became common knowledge that Tokoyami had been involved. How he'd managed to land himself in even more trouble was beyond him, but for the students that hung around the little girl Aizawa had brought back from that mission it never took long to hear his hero name brought up.
It was Tsukuyomi this and that. He didn't volunteer to babysit or anything, but he couldn't ignore the dubious glances that were cast in his direction whenever she asked when that bird-headed kid would be coming back. He'd gotten close to snapping one day – to telling the hopeful little girl to knock it off and say right to her face that he's not gonna come back. But Aizawa would've chided the hell out of him, and he was trying to get better at stepping away from things that bothered him.
Now, if that little girl had asked if U.A. was working to get Tokoyami back… that would've been trickier to answer. Because there wasn't one singular opinion on the matter – it changed depending on who you ask. And when it wasn't a naïve little kid voicing these thoughts out loud, then yeah, there were times when he'd gotten into fights over this. And he'd do it again. Because the information that'd gotten out about Tokoyami was so god damn muddled that nobody could make up their mind. Was Tokoyami trying to get back to the heroes? Working willingly for the villains or under their unsolicited control? Orchestrating yakuza operations? Was he dead? Because way too many people seemed to think he was dead – which was admittedly pretty worrying. Mind Control Kid confessed that he'd been the last one to see Tokoyami alive, a fact that clearly wasn't doing him many favors. For someone who already looked like he didn't get much sleep, his eyes sure did look distant whenever he mentioned anything about the mission.
It was only when the resparked news of Tokoyami's uncertain fate had caught on throughout campus that some truly stupid ideas began to emerge. Like that 2A student that had started spouting some bullshit about Tokoyami being bad for U.A.'s image. Or the 1C student that had started talking about how scary he was. How was someone so villainous supposed to come back to the number 1 hero school? It wasn't an isolated opinion, either. And every time he heard it whispered through the hallways or posted to a groupchat he wanted to scream at them, call them out on their garbage idea and hope they felt shame. Or fear him enough that they'd at least never voice their toxic ideas about someone who was the biggest fucking victim in all this because that's not fair, who let you decide? Do you have any idea how fucking hard it is already to be a hero when assholes like you—!
Bakugou became aware of how hard he was clenching his teeth and took a strangled breath to simmer down to a reasonable amount of everyday anger. He held firm to the idea that this kind of rage served as a good motivator. Already, he liked to think he was proving countless naysayers wrong by being out in the field protecting people and shit. You know, like a hero. It was just frustrating that Tokoyami wasn't here to defend himself – he had to do that in his stead. And some days it was tiring to pick such stupid fights, but he felt he at least owed Tokoyami that much. After all, he wouldn't be in such an excruciating spotlight if Bakugou had done more to bring him back the first time.
Or if he'd been brought back in the bloody aftermath of that yakuza incident.
Or hell, if anyone out there had found where those League bastards had put him at literally any point in time during the past six months.
But right now it was nothing that he could do anything about – which was just another point of contempt, if he was being honest. Any attempt to get involved with the laughably small amount of work being done to locate the missing student had been met with rejection. And god fucking forbid he ever point out that it felt like the people in charge of his case were intentionally letting it get cold. Like, there was never any update on his case. He'd understand if the heroes weren't allowed to share important information about the League of Villains or the captured gangsters or whatever, but he was pretty sure they just weren't trying. Time and again he'd just be told to sit tight and continue his studies as if none of this shit affected him.
Keep being a student. Go back to your training. Focus on your internship.
It's not your business anymore.
A notification went off on his phone, making him stop dead in his tracks. He pulled it from his pocket, giving the message a quick glance.
Half and Half: We're regrouping and moving to the next district. Where are you?
Bakugou snorted, annoyed that he was being checked up on when he thought he was making good time.
Since they were on patrol, he texted back immediately: omw
He wasn't exactly committed to heading back in a hurry. Sure, he could fly back to them in two seconds flat and move on, but what was the point in that? If he'd been taught anything, it was that thoroughness was important.
Now that I think about it… nobody's really teaching that now, though.
Bakugou shoved his phone back into his pocket and marched through the streets with an air of importance. With less heroes around than before, he had to take this shit seriously. Even if it was starting to feel kind of insulting. How the fuck was he supposed to treat school the same way as before? Hell, he didn't even have a proper internship anymore. No matter what he tried to do, it all kind of just… blew up in his face.
Bakugou had to admit he was bitter about the whole thing – a fact he tried and failed to hide. The newest events to screw over his chances as a hero had really just been the cherry on top. Maybe he should be used to these types of obstacles, but that never made it any easier. Todoroki had the luxury of having everything set up for him the moment they'd been freed from those suffocating extra-credit lessons. Once they'd been given the clearance to finally start some real hero work, all he had to was go back to his dad, Mr. New Number One, and he was good to go. Bakugou, meanwhile, had been stubbornly holding onto his internship with Best Jeanist. All he had to do was wait for the Fiber Hero to recover from his injuries sustained during…
Bakugou shook his head violently, brow furrowed in an angry crease.
He'd been recovering! Jeanist had told him personally that he was getting better, and once he was back to work that he'd take the time to show him the ropes! Until then, Bakugou had permission to continue under the hero's sidekicks and work under his name. It's not like he could ruin Jeanist's reputation just by being affiliated with his agency – regardless of the rude remarks the employees working his offices had to say. Best Jeanist could probably see just how desperately Bakugou needed a hero at his side. And it's not like he was making it look obvious or anything by intentionally getting caught up in annoying bullshit. No, he was stronger than that. He was better than that. But none of that matters if a hero can't even keep such a flimsy promise.
You were supposed to be there for me. I thought you, at least, could stick around. So why? Why go missing right after I so stupidly put my trust in you?
Best Jeanist had been missing for well over a month now, and the lack of information on the whole thing was the most infuriating load of crap he'd ever had to sit quietly through. What did they mean when an official statement was put out saying that there were no clues to follow or motives behind his sudden disappearance? It made no god damn sense! The moment he raised a fuss over it, the workers at the agency had swiftly discharged him for "unruly behavior."
Like no shit! You guys never even fucking cared!
He only figured out what it'd actually been after they'd sent the documents for his temporary suspension to U.A. for processing. They didn't have a good way of handling him – not in Best Jeanist's absence. It'd been just fine when the hero had been around, but without him they were at their wits trying to decide what to do with him. In the end, he couldn't blame them for letting him go for the foreseeable future.
Since then, nobody else had stepped up to take him in. Offers for work-studies, internships, and sidekick proposals were all dead in the water.
And so what? He didn't need them anyway!
Except he did. And it hurt that his prospective hero dream was taking such a staggering hit despite his earnest desire to do better. Because if he could do better, then maybe he wouldn't have to worry about losing the people who were looking out for him. Maybe they wouldn't have to die, or get captured, or drop off the face of the fucking planet without any indication of where they might—
A flash of sudden movement from behind caused him to pivot on his heel, throwing up an open palm to ready a blast.
"You're sure taking your time here. Thought you said you'd be quick?"
When he saw who it was, he lowered his arm with a scowl, disappointed that he couldn't set it off.
"Stop timing me, will ya?!" Bakugou sneered. "Nothing's happening in these parts anyway – let's just get the hell out of here, Hawks."
The Wing Hero gave a light smile, amused by his typical outburst. "The rest of the patrol is up ahead – you got the text, right? At least we'll be able to say that this district is clear. Care to tag along?"
Bakugou looked him up and down suspiciously, just in case there were any underlying jokes or ridicule waiting for him under the pretense of working together. Finding none, he watched the hero take off into the sky, and was quick to join him with a succession of rapid-fire bursts. Hawks has told him already that so long as he doesn't fly ahead of him and hit his wings with those explosions – not that he'd ever be able to catch up, but still – then they can fly together.
"I'm right behind ya!" Bakugou called out after him, leaving a steady stream of explosions in his wake. "You better not slow down on me again – I'll notice if you do!"
Hawks' laugh reached him from upwind, and he couldn't help but be reassured by something so simple.
Past his bitterness, Bakugou realized that he should probably be thankful for the turn of events that had led him here after everything else that had managed to drag him down. Technically speaking, he was without an official mentor. That hadn't changed. There wasn't exactly a line of heroes wanting to take him into their agency, and those who maybe would've been able to handle him already had their own interns (case in point, Deku and Todoroki).
But not long after Best Jeanist's disappearance had been made public, he'd been approached by a certain feathered hero. Hawks had offered him… what was it, exactly? A deal? A liability? Whatever it was, he hadn't signed any of the usual papers for it, so he had to assume this was against normal protocol. Given their mutual predicaments, Bakugou couldn't tell who would take the bigger hit to their publicity if he started officially working for Hawks' agency.
Hawks was without an intern. Technically speaking, he'd never had one. But the paperwork had already been in place to have Tokoyami work under him following the work study they'd all had last spring. When Tokoyami had remained captive to villains in the prevailing months, the Wing Hero had been left with an opening that he didn't seem particularly keen on filling. Not at first, anyway – maybe that was why there was nothing official between them.
But when Bakugou's mentor had gone missing, Hawks had quietly stepped in to watch out for him. Out of a sense of obligation or guilt, he couldn't be certain. It sure as hell wasn't out of the goodness of his heart! Bakugou saw the way that damn bird looked at him when he wasn't wearing that pretentious smile for the cameras. He felt sorry, like something so far out of his reach could possibly be his fault.
Bakugou understood that sentiment all too well. And maybe if he hadn't been in need of someone rooting for him, he would've told the bird to shove his sympathy somewhere else. That… obviously didn't happen. Hawks started taking him out on patrols, getting permission from his teachers and pulling it off as extracurricular as if the word meant anything to him. Sometimes he had to wonder if the guy was just fucking miserable in those fleeting moments when he wasn't putting up such an exhausting façade. At least Bakugou never had to pretend to be more than what he actually was: he was bitter and angry, and the world knew it. He was never brought into Hawks' agency or was seen around his designated sidekicks, but he always got the impression that Hawks wanted to talk to him about something. He couldn't list a specific reason for this… but he could feel a bunch of questions were being unsaid.
He could only assume it had to do with Hawks' missing intern. Or Bakugou's missing mentor – as if he might know anything different from what everyone else knew.
The closest he'd ever gotten to finding out more about what was on this guy's mind had been during a late-night patrol, when they were both positioned at the top of a tall tower overlooking the city. There'd recently been a big catastrophe in what used to be Deika City, so heroes all over the country were working double-time.
"Did you know Tokoyami very well? He was your classmate, after all." That's what he'd asked, of all things. Not about the villain attack or his role in All Might's end, but something so damn trivial.
At the time, Bakugou had to think about it – like, really think about. Because he honestly hadn't known any of his classmates that well at the time. They used to be a bunch of nobodies in his eyes – why would he care about some bird-headed kid sitting in the shadows of the classroom?
He cared now, of course. He cared what happened to them, because whether he liked it or not they'd all earned their way into this school, same as him. But where Tokoyami was concerned, he really didn't know that much about him. Other than being an easy win in the Sports Festival and having an unfortunate type disadvantage against him. So when Hawks had posed the question, Bakugou could only offer up a bare-bones answer.
"I don't remember him much, no. He kept to himself… I think. But in the early stages of school, so did I. Maybe he's the kind that understands that everyone else would be better off not knowing him? Because when you stick out in a group of super-powered kids, it becomes harder to keep your cool. Looking back on it now, I gotta wonder if I would've gotten along with a kid like him." That'd been all he had to offer in response. He couldn't tell if Hawks had been satisfied with it, but there wasn't much more to it than that.
"Team B to port – go in for a landing!" Hawks called back to Bakugou, shaking him free of his thoughts.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Bakugou snapped, following after him.
They landed on the sidewalk a second apart from each other, swiftly reuniting with the rest of the patrol. Ahead of them, waiting idly for their return, was Todoroki and his smelly old man. Pacing next to them with a dark expression was Deku, who stopped and relaxed when catching sight of them. As usual, his mentor was absent from their regular hero duties.
Deku's mentor didn't really do patrols. That's what sidekicks and interns were for while he stayed holed up in the office. From what he remembered of the hero, since Deku was his only intern right now, he was given permissions to navigate small-scale patrols on his own while serving under the Sir Nighteye name. Despite their importance in the undercover rescue mission, their agency was understaffed and underfunded – and it showed. That's probably why Deku had been partnering with others. As opposed to Bakugou, most people would more readily take in someone as studious and sincere as that nerd. And honestly? He couldn't even be mad about it. It was a point of contention that, given his position, he could let go if it meant being grateful for what he did have at the end of his disaster of an internship.
"There you are!" Endeavor said, stepping back to let Hawks join him on the sidewalk. "I know you two were given more ground to cover, but there was a good reason for that…" Bakugou trailed behind at a reasonable distance. Even though he'd been, for lack of a better phrase, taken under Hawks' wing, he knew when to stand back and let the pros talk things over. So he let Hawks fill Endeavor in on the absolute lack of action they'd encountered while Bakugou fell in beside his two classmates.
Todoroki looked up from his phone, where he still had their conversation open, to Bakugou standing before him. "It's still early – you'll make it through the rest of the shift okay, won't you?"
He probably meant to sound concerned – Todoroki was learning to choose his words more carefully around him, for all the difference it made. Though it still managed to come out of his well-meaning mouth sounding pretentious as all hell.
"Can you not worry about me?" Bakugou scolded, punching him (somewhat lightly) on the arm. "I'd be here sooner, I just ran into some false alarms. The moment somebody starts trouble, I'm gonna be on their ass! That's all there is to it."
Todoroki rubbed his arm begrudgingly, mouth open in a quiet oh.
Deku promptly stepped in from there. "All clear on our end, too. Though this area is already pretty well regulated, what with all the hero agencies set in the area. The further out we go, the more likely we'll be to run into anything noteworthy. It's always good to cover our bases, but we'll need to fill today's quota in good time," he said. Bakugou chose to believe it was more of a suggestion than a critique of his work. It was true that their workload had increased significantly despite not being full-fledged heroes. There was plenty of schoolwork they needed to get done tonight, too, once this was all over. But Bakugou didn't want to risk glossing over something that could've been prevented. Not if he can help it. That was where he had to disagree with Deku – among all the other contenders, that is.
"Whatever. Let's just get it over with," Bakugou grumbed. It wasn't worth arguing over. He'd keep going at whatever pace felt right to him – though surely if he could navigate these streets with a clearer headspace, he'd probably be getting through it quicker. He moved to approach the pros and have them lead the way, but they'd taken to a deep conversation that had them walking along like this was a casual stroll. So much for being snappy on the job. The hypocrisy was surreal.
Bakugou rocked back on his heels, deciding to not get involved with whatever Hawks was going on about. At least from a distance, their talk looked one-sided.
Hawks has been acting weird around Endeavor lately. Like, more than usual, if their exchange at the Hero Billboard Chart was the standard to go off of. It probably had to do with the newest fixation in the hero world that hadn't escaped public scrutiny. Bakugou had already skimmed through Hawks' recommended reading (he didn't fully understand the significance of the Meta Liberation Army, but the guy was really insistent on it). Maybe it was because the pro had a much bigger social presence – a fact that he just loved to flaunt. Or maybe that was unintentional? Either way, there wasn't much he could do to relate to the hero. And judging by Endeavor's continued patience, it was probably the same in his boat.
It seemed like every time they got these shifts together, there was something to talk about. By now, Bakugou was convinced that part of Hawks' renewed interest in U.A. students was a means to get closer to other affiliated heroes. It was certainly easier to arrange a patrol where the three 1A students could coordinate together rather than get the approval for the top two heroes to work together on something so otherwise mundane.
Even though the heroes were so close to them, he couldn't ignore the nagging sensation that he was being kept out of the loop. Especially when Hawks was doing that annoying thing where he held his wings up to block his body language from most angles while talking into his coat. A casual onlooker might think he was just being flashy with how he went about the streets, feathers splayed and collar popped. To Bakugou, he found himself looking at the most guarded person imaginable. And somehow – somehow – a guy like him had decided to be a hero to a student like him. Even after their time spent together, Bakugou couldn't decide if this was too good to be true or a horrible accident waiting to happen.
While Deku went over their virtual route, mapping out how they'll be dividing up the next section of town, Todoroki held his gaze evenly in the same direction as Bakugou, watching over the exchange between the pros. "I know Hawks doesn't really tell you much."
Bakugou rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? And your old man does? Don't come to me with that shit and expect me to listen."
Todoroki shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not making fun of you – just passing along a warning."
"I've noticed it too," Deku mumbled, his voice hushed. He didn't look up from his phone – not entirely, anyway. "Sir won't say much about it – he doesn't like talking about the future if there's even the slightest chance that something about it will change. But I can tell when he's uneasy. There's something on the horizon that we don't understand yet."
Bakugou relaxed his guarded stance. Those two always took everything so seriously, albeit in their own distinguished ways. But something about the way they spoke now – uncertain and hesitant, like the future was hanging in the balance – made him pause to hear them out. Since he didn't have an officially established connection with the pros, he took anything he could get at this point. If he asked Todoroki, he could usually learn about something noteworthy in the news. And Deku… well, he's shared enough confidential information as it stood, but it always felt like it'd come about because he was at his wit's end. Bakugou knew all too well that burdens were more tolerable when shared. And admittedly, a lot of the animosity towards Deku he'd held onto for as long as he had ended up simmering away. Not because he'd let go of his feelings, but because he was… burned out. Bakugou was a first year student and, for as willing as he was to face off against villains and naysayers alike, he couldn't bring himself to do the same with every fucking person on the street anymore. Fighting felt less worthwhile when they were supposed to be on the same side. It was exhausting.
Is this what getting old feels like? Bakugou stretched his arms above his head, as though he could feel his joints getting stove up. He kept his voice relatively quiet, not wanting to draw attention. "You two know something I don't," Bakugou said, not surprised by the revelation.
Todoroki continued, undaunted. "Endeavor's been pooling his resources into expanding the reach of his agency. At the same time, he's almost doubled my workload, even though he knows that this is supposed to come secondary to my classes. When I brought it up with him, he… well, he's a bad liar."
Bakugou shifted his attention back to the pro heroes walking in front of him. He didn't know a Number One Hero could look so damn uncomfortable holding a normal-ass conversation with one of his peers. Yet there he was practically squirming in his suit while Hawks talked openly about patrol routes and peppered him with questions about what his work week looked like.
It made sense, considering Endeavor was so far removed from the previous top hero. Thinking about it now, though, All Might had already chosen his successor. Being Number One no longer seemed to matter as much as the people chosen to follow in your footsteps.
"…So what's going on?" Bakugou asked hoarsely.
"The heroes are preparing for a big surprise attack. I think… I think they finally figured out where Tokoyami's being held," Todoroki whispered, a determined glint in his eyes.
A thrill of anticipation racked its way up Bakugou's spine. He grabbed the strap of Todoroki's vest and pulled his head in close, practically halting their walk. Deku doubled back just to add his frizzy head into the mix, until they were huddled together while Bakugou quietly – loudly – hissed. "Fucking finally! They have the League targeted? When do we get to start the rescue mission – I got some business I need to deal with!"
"We don't even know if they'll let students be a part of this… whatever it is," Deku warned. For someone so artificially important, he sure did like to pretend he was more cautious than he actually was. Maybe that was thanks to that mentor of his. Deku of all people probably needed some more foresight in his life. "Though I'd also want to be there."
Todoroki looked past them to see whether the pros had noticed them stop. They hadn't – or, knowing Hawks, he didn't care. "There's not much I can say on the matter," Todoroki said quickly. "You two probably shouldn't be hearing this anyway, but it's better to be prepared in advance. There's a divide in the heroes right now. Some of them are working for another group. Remember Deika? There was a big cover-up for villain activity, and we're still working to pinpoint which heroes are working under them. Since the heroes don't know who all to trust, students like us are going to be put on the frontlines. The main goal? To finally put an end to the League of Villains. We need to be ready in one month."
Bakugou flinched as a red feather came up from behind to tug on his sleeve. He looked up in time to see the two pros staring back at them from further down the block. "Hey, what's the hold-up back there? Don't tell me you're already tired," Endeavor shouted, waiting impatiently at the pedestrian crosswalk. Bakugou swatted the feather away and picked up the pace.
Hawks remained quiet at Endeavor's side, watching them with an unnervingly steely expression.
"You can wait a damn second!" Bakugou answered back with the same level of annoyance before lowering his voice back down to a whisper, his mouth obscured by his collar. He shooed away the feather tugging him along, even though it didn't actually do much to deter the nuisance. If this is what I've been working towards this whole time, then maybe… A wicked smile stretched across his face as he huddled around his two fellow students. "There's no way they'll keep me out of this. They better have me at the front of what's coming, because I'll blast through however many evil bastards it takes to reach them."
"Them?" Midoriya echoed, thinking over his choice of words. "I understand where you're coming from – I can't let Tokoyami slip through my fingers again – but remember you're not alone in this. Otherwise, what do you even intend on doing that everyone else won't already be working towards?"
"It's easy, isn't it?" Bakugou insisted, feeling his skin fever in anticipation. "With one hand, I'll save that helpless bird so that he never gets left behind ever again. And with my other – I'll blast that stupid hand off of Shigaraki's crusty face!"