Notes: This might be my favorite entry of the whole week. At first, I didn't know what to do, but then it hit me and I loved writing it.


Day Four: Supernova


There was so much fire, but there was even more smoke, making it difficult to move. Ochako's helmet did little to filter it out and was making it harder to see where she was going. In a fit that she knew a few of her friends would scold her for, she pulled up the visor of her helmet and then held a hand over her nose and mouth. With her face exposed, smoke attacked her senses, but she was at least able to see better.

With that in mind, Ochako continued her search on the floor. So far she'd managed to get twenty-two people with their daemons and six pets out of the burning building. Of course she couldn't touch any of their daemons - it was a taboo even in situations like this - but she'd found out that she could cancel out a daemon's gravity as long as their person was touching them. She didn't know why and didn't question it. All she knew was that she could save people and she had to save more.

By the time she finished her sweep of the top floor, she was coughing. There was no one up here. She was terrified that she had missed someone, but she couldn't waste anymore time in here. It would collapse at any minute and she couldn't take the smoke any longer. Before she could find a window though, she heard something burst from the stairwell door down the hallway. When she turned to look in that direction, she was stunned to see Mako shaking off soot and pieces of wood.

"What are you doing?" Ochako demanded as she rushed over to the wolf daemon. "Is Bakugou in there?"

Mako shook her head and grimaced. "No, he's down below. He had to save a few people from the floor below us." Meaning that he hadn't been able to take her down with him. It wasn't an impossible distance for their soul bond, but it was bound to be painful. She was handling it with strength and dignity though. Ochako knew that some daemons would be crying and writhing in pain, not to mention how Bakugou felt. It was hard to use your quirk with your soul so far. "Where's Hayato?"

"Not in the building," Ochako said. "I didn't want to bring him in here."

It stretched their bond to the limit, but she handled it better than most. The distance they could manage with their bond had always been a little longer than normal, but once she had started using her quirk on herself more, they'd had to learn to push it even further.

Despite giving her an incredulous look, Mako didn't comment on it. Instead she turned back from the door that she had burst through. "There's a woman in the stairwell. She won't leave without her suitcase full of photo albums and that thing is damn heavy. Her squirrel daemon freaked out the moment she saw me and won't listen. Idiots."

That had to be the last person in here. Ochako didn't think she could manage anyone else, not with the way she was hacking. She stepped into the stairwell and spotted the woman leaning against a large suitcase and close to falling unconscious from smoke inhalation. Instead of wasting time arguing with her, Ochako used her quirk to lighten the woman and the suitcase and then dragged them to the nearest window. She released them from the quirk and then activated it again so that only a little bit of their weight remained. It had taken her three years to figure that out. With that done, she was able to push them out the window and watched as they slowly floated to the ground.

"Okay, I think that's it." Ochako turned to face Mako. "We can go down the-"

There was a loud crash that forced Ochako to duck and shield her face as the ceiling in front of them crashed. Embers splashed her arms, burning through the thin material of her costume. It stung, but she grit her teeth and dealt with the pain. When she lowered her arms, she could only gape as she saw that the route to the stairs was completely blocked off by burning debris. The way to the stairs was cut off, which meant that there was only one way down.

"You have to get out of here!" Mako exclaimed through coughs. "I'll find another way!"

Ochako turned to Bakugou's daemon, who was crouched low, as if she could somehow get closer to Bakugou. No doubt he was suffering down there as well, but he probably didn't know where his daemon was. This was too far for them. The strain was too much. She could see Mako struggling with the smoke as well. If she was having difficulties, then Bakugou was surely feeling the effects. If something were to happen to her…

There was only one thing to do.

Taking a shallow breath, Ochako lowered herself down onto her knees in front of Mako. "There is another way, but…" The wolf's eyes were bright, glowing through the smoke as the fire around them reflected in it. She wasn't afraid of Mako, not like she had been in the beginning, and maybe she sometimes got closer than normal, but never like this. Their eyes were locked on one another's and while bits of determination and fear could be seen in her eyes, there was also trust. "I won't do it if you don't want me to though."

Mako huffed out air through her nostrils. "No, it's…the best way. I understand. I just thought it would be…different."

"I know - it's not fair - but it's my turn to protect you two." A nervous chuckle slipped out of Ochako and she smiled weakly. "Bakugou is going to be furious with me."

Somehow, despite being a wolf, Mako's face softened. She was more expressive than any daemon she had ever seen. "Trust me, he really won't."

Even though the wolf was comforting her, Ochako still felt nervous as she stood up straight on shaky legs, a scared feeling bubbling in her gut. Despite the fire and smoke surrounding her that screamed at her to hurry, she hesitated when she stretched out a hand and closed her eyes. It couldn't be helped. She was about to do something that she'd never done before - that Mako had never done before - and all of it without Bakugou's permission and away from Hayato. It was unheard of. It was wrong on every level.

It was the only way to save them.

Hold on, Ochako sent along her bond to Hayato.

What are you doing?

In the end, Mako made the decision for them all as she pressed her head into Ochako's hand. An explosion of heat hotter than any fire burst inside of Ochako, so strong that it nearly sent her reeling and she had to put a free hand on the edge of the window in order to keep standing. It wasn't painful though, as much as she'd feared. It was warm and powerful and so overwhelming that she wanted to bask in it forever. It was like standing in the sun after being in the cold for so long. She could feel his confidence, his insecurities, his pride, his fear, his strength…

With Bakugou's soul in her hand, Ochako could feel all the things that made him burn so bright and it made her want to burn with him.

And then, digging her fingers further into Mako's fur - into Bakugou's soul - Ochako jumped out the window and they fell together.


Katsuki had barely managed to carry the two kids out of the burning building before the exit exploded behind him. The children screamed in his arms, clinging to him as he bent down and huddled over them taking the brunt of the heat and explosion for them. Luckily it didn't hit him directly, but it sure as hell wasn't fun, especially when his shoulders and back were peppered with burnt debris. After waiting to see if there was another one, he unfurled his body and set the kids down so they could run to their parents.

When he turned around to assess the damage, his stomach twisted. The way in was gone. He could launch himself back up and get in through a window, but then he'd have to find Mako in time before the building collapsed. Their soul bond would allow them to seek each other out. Whether or not the building would stay standing for long enough was another thing. He could do it. He had to do it.

If something happened to Mako, he would be dead.

When he took a step forward towards the building though, a frantic voice cut in demanding, "What are you doing, Bakugou?"

Sweeping his head back around, he found Hayato glaring up at him. "What does it look like I'm doing?" Katsuki searched the area, but didn't see Uraraka anywhere. What was her daemon doing without her? Then again, what was he doing without his? They'd been forced to split up and test the full limit of their bond. It was eating away at him, making him think that she was on the top floor. How far had Uraraka parted from Hayato? He knew that she had a longer bond than most. "Where's Uraraka?"

"Still inside searching for civilians," Hayato told him. His voice was confident, but he couldn't hide the way his tail flicked or his whiskers twitched. He was anxious and for good reason. Uraraka was up there and he couldn't get to her. It would've been a lot more convenient had he settled as some sort of bird, but no, she had to have a cat for a soul. "Where's Mako?"

"Doing the same," Katsuki responded gruffly. "That's why I've gotta-"

The overwhelming urge to cough came over him, forcing him to double over with his hands on his knees as he seemingly tried to hack a lung out. By the time he stopped, Hayato was right in front of him, far closer than he'd ever been before. Uraraka was so friendly and warm, but her daemon preferred to keep his distance from even her closest friends, making sure to stay out of reach. Here, at the base of a building on fire, he was close enough for Katsuki to touch without even stretching his arm out.

Katsuki thought to make a sharp comment about it, but a painful tug in his gut sent him down on one knee and a gasp of, "Mako," was ripped out of him.

"You're at your limit," Hayato surmised worriedly. "Stay still."

"I can't," Katsuki ground out. "I have to-"

He could feel her emotions through their bond, as strained as it was. Earlier she'd felt frustrated - at having been forced to separate and maybe from searching for a way out or dealing with a stubborn civilian. Now, despite being trapped in a burning building without him, she wasn't terrified. There was a hint of fear in her, humming like a guitar string being plucked, but mostly there was confidence, trust, and excitement. It was how she felt when they were about to win a hard fight. The exhilaration for something more. He couldn't figure out why she was feeling that now. It didn't make sense for the situation.

What are you doing? Katsuki demanded of her, hoping she could hear him despite their strain on their bond.

Hold on, was all she said.

And then his whole world exploded in a supernova and he had to press both hands to the ground to keep from falling on his face.

Even though his eyes were closed, all he could see was light until it felt as if he'd drowned in it. When he was finally able to come up for air, gasping as he barely held himself up, he felt… Fuck, he felt lighter than air, like he could fly without using his quirk, like he was soaring with no fear of falling. A chill ran down his spine, making him shiver and his fingers dig against the concrete, but it was wholly pleasant. Warmth soon followed, cascading over him, until all he could feel was a sense of comfort. The only way he could describe it was like being pulled into the warmest hug, being promised that he would be protected, and believing it.

When Katsuki managed to glance up, he connected eyes with Hayato, who had frozen in place. There was an indescribable emotion in them. His legs were locked in place, his hair standing on end, and his tail sticking straight up. It was only a few seconds, but looking at Uraraka's daemon now, he felt the strangest sensation to touch him and, even stranger, he actually thought that Hayato wouldn't say no.

"Look!"

Katsuki couldn't have said who had shouted, but he knew where to look as tight string between him and Mako began to loosen. He raised his eyes and let out a shaky breath the second he spotted her - and Uraraka. The two of them were floating gently back to the ground, Uraraka with her legs raised behind her. But what really caught his eye was the point of contact between the two of them. Uraraka was holding Mako's back with two hands, her fingers dug into the wolf's fur. Just seeing her touch Mako like that made him shiver again. Both his and Hayato's eyes were locked on them until they were touching the ground and Uraraka released them from her quirk.

Uraraka gasped as she pulled her hands away from Mako, as if she hadn't been breathing the whole time, and stumbled backwards. She would've fallen on the ground had Katsuki not managed to rush to his feet and catch her by the arms. Her cheeks were redder than normal, but it could've been from being surrounded by fire. She nodded her head, letting him know that she was okay, and he let go of her, albeit reluctantly. After feeling him touch and use her quirk on his soul, he felt compelled to stay close to her.

However, the desire to wrap his arms around Mako and never let go was stronger, and so he did, He staggered over to her and fell to his knees so that he could slide his arms around her neck and bury his face in her fur. She laid her head on his shoulder and pressed it against the side of his neck and face. He didn't cry, despite the fact that every emotion in the universe was crashing over them and through their bond.

You're safe, you're safe, you're safe.

Katsuki honestly couldn't tell which one of them was saying the words, but it didn't matter.

Feeling like they were one again, Katsuki unraveled his arms and leaned back so that he could hold her face and look her in the eyes. There was something strange in them, something bright that he'd never seen before, and he knew right then. He glanced back at Uraraka, who was on the ground hugging Hayato and close to tears. Nothing would ever be the same.

And he didn't want it to be. Neither of them did.