Waking up was a painfully slow process.
For whatever reason, he felt as if he was floating, frozen in place and suspended in a vast expanse of nothingness. There was a dull pain coursing through his body, flaring in his shoulders and knees, but in his muddled mind, it did nothing to distract from the pounding agony in his head that left his scattered thoughts spinning.
His skin was freezing, a shudder running through his system. He noticed belatedly that he could barely move, and for a moment, he forgot what had even happened. He didn't even know where he was. All he knew was that it was really dark and he felt really cramped.
He flinched as the memories slowly came back, foggy images and phantom feelings of rough hands dragging him into the abyss against his will, leaving a string of curses on the tip of his tongue. The sudden movements had left his joints throbbing, knocking him against the small prison he'd been left in and leaving him with a growing sense of claustrophobia. It took every ounce of self-control he still had preserved for a rainy day such as this to keep his breathing slow, his body twitching violently with the overwhelming urge to break himself out of wherever he was.
And wasn't that the question of the day.
Where the hell am I?
The first thought that slammed into him without warning was the back trunk of a car, but he swallowed the idea down as soon as it appeared. Wherever he was, it was painfully quiet, no sounds of civilization floating through the cramped space, and he realized absentmindedly that he was actually starting to miss the obnoxious pop music and irritating shouting and yelling of passersby.
Huh, he never thought he'd see the day.
However, the lack of sound also included tires against pavement. He heard and felt no movement, no jolts from unsteady roads or revving engines to indicate that they'd gone and ditched town with him altogether.
Wasn't that a lovely thought.
Either way, unless he'd been out for far longer than he thought, he was most likely still in Musutafu.
Another option that he immediately tried to pretend wasn't a possibility whatsoever was a coffin, the tight, packed-in feeling of the little box setting his nerves on fire. Suddenly, the indications that the blanketing silence left him with were not quite so comforting.
If they'd just felt like burying him alive for whatever sick reason, that was probably it. He was just straight fucked.
Focus, he internally growled at himself. You're not dead yet. Just focus.
Lying still, he reigned in his spiraling thoughts and assessed himself. Other than the underlying soreness and a pounding headache, he didn't seem to be injured any further, from what he could tell. There was thick rope chaffing his wrists, painfully tight and scraping against his skin, but that was about it. His limbs felt numb, wobbly at best when he tested his range of movement. Despite the lack of feeling from whatever sedative they'd given him, he could still move everything to some degree, feeling gradually returning throughout his sluggish, aching body.
Slowly navigating the cramped space with unsteady limbs, he felt around his face, his lips coated in dried blood, and his fingers found themselves curling around two pieces of cloth, a blindfold and gag, he realized. Having his hands tied together made fumbling with the binds around his face difficult, but eventually, he somehow managed to slip the blindfold off.
Even with his vision back, it was still dark, the small space he'd been left in closing in on him and leaving his nerves utterly frayed, but with his eyes already adjusted to the dark, he could at least make out what looked like wooden textures. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite get his violently shaking hands to pull against the gag, already overexerted from the remnants of the sedative's effects, and the rope was far too tight for him to do anything about it. If anything, it almost felt like he was losing blood circulation in his hands, and that thought alone forced him to push down the bubbling sense of panic. He kind of needed those.
At least his hands were tied in front of him and not behind his back. That was something he could easily take advantage of, if the discarded blindfold wasn't already proof of that. In some ways, it seemed that these villains weren't quite as thorough as they'd originally come across as.
He blinked in the darkness, suddenly testing his legs again. It hadn't dawned on him until now, but they also hadn't bothered to tie his ankles, which meant that once he regained movement, he could still run.
He'd make sure they regretted that oversight.
He could already feel more strength returning to his arms as he carefully maneuvered himself from his side onto his back, hands pressing up against the ceiling, or lid, or whatever, thankfully too tall of a container to be a standard coffin. Another option, and his favorite one thus far, for where he'd been trapped was a crate, one that he might just be able to pry open if they hadn't bolted it shut. His hands were still stupidly dry and he still felt as if he'd swallowed a desert, so his quirk wasn't going to do him any favors. Thus, he'd just have to rely on his own strength. It might be too noisy to just blow it up, anyway.
Of course, with his luck, he was gonna bust this thing open and get jumped by those fucks within three seconds, whoever the hell they were.
And there was the second question of the day.
For the most part, at this point, Bakugou was pretty sure that these guys were a separate entity from the league, as their operation appeared to be a mostly quiet one. If it was Hands Bastard and his cronies, then they'd have just done it themselves and made a much bigger show of things, making sure to put heroes back in hot water with the public in the process. That was his guess, anyway.
But if that's the case, then what do these dicks want with him? Do they have their own agenda for recruitment in mind? Are they working for someone or are they an independent group? Do they want a big bargaining chip against U.A.? Is it to make some kind of point or send a message? Random chance? He wouldn't put it passed them with his luck.
Do they know about One For All?
The unexpected thought made him blanch, but he shot the idea down as soon as it appeared. If that was the case, then Deku would also be in danger, and as annoying as it was, he'd sense that. Plus, how the fuck would they even know that Bakugou has that information?
It still didn't sit well with him.
He pushed against the ceiling sitting only a couple feet above him, numb arms trembling embarrassingly hard from the strain, and blinked in surprise when he felt the lid rise with his bound hands. Just the barest stream of light poured into the box, hitting him square in the face and leaving him blinded. He cringed at the pang in his head that followed, grinding his teeth against the gag as he fought through the weakness in his aggravatingly lax muscles and pushed himself up, running on pure adrenaline and spite despite the last of the sedative's efforts to keep him down.
Because fuck this and fuck these guys. Even if the bastards were there waiting for him, he had a better chance of getting out of dodge if he actually did something than he did sitting around twiddling his thumbs. Also, like hell he's gonna just wait around to be rescued, because fuck everyone else, too.
His expression sobered at the thought. Dammit, he's sure that he scared the shit out of Aizawa. He's already dreading their next conversation, however soon it may be.
With one last heave, Bakugou finally managed to push the lid off, clinging to the edge of it as tightly as possible to avoid it loudly clattering to what looked like a dusty tiled floor. The room was completely barren, devoid of both life and furnishings other than a couple crates, with three entryways left wide open. There were no doors, leaving him with nothing but empty hallways stretching out into the unknown. He had to fight not to sigh in relief, looking down at the wooden crate he'd been left in as he propped the lid against it and finally commanded his fingers to stay steady and pull the gag out of his mouth.
"Fuck." he breathed, voice stronger than he'd meant for it to be. Apparently, the gag had been tied on well, because it was too tight to just yank it off, giving him no choice but to leave it hanging around his neck for the time being. It wasn't too difficult to flop over the side of the cramped box, legs still too tired and wobbly to allow for any graceful exit.
It angered him, how his knees buckled as he stood, head spinning and throat itching painfully. It was absolutely freezing, wherever he was, and the unnatural dryness of his skin made it feel as if he could tear himself open at the slightest movement.
And good lord, he was fucking parched.
Now that he wasn't being manhandled and his brain wasn't moving a million miles a second, the implications were pretty damn clear to him, looking down at his dry, heated hands as they glowed uselessly with suppressed heat. There was barely any popping whatsoever, his quirk doing nothing but emanating a soft light against his face, though the waves of heat rolling off of his palms felt good against his cool skin.
Thinking back to when this uncomfortable dryness hit him, the only explanation there could possibly be was the quirk of the fucker who grabbed him, probably a dehydration quirk of some kind. Just his luck, running into someone who could snuff out his power that easily.
If he gets the opportunity to kick that guy's ass, maybe blast him into orbit if he's lucky, then he will gladly take it without complaint, because fuck that guy in particular. Fuck everything about this, but that guy especially.
At least he'd left his mark, burning the guy's face, so even if he never got a good look at him, at least he'd still know who to kill when the time came.
The building felt huge to him, empty and spacious as he chose a hallway at random and started walking. He was too...apprehensive about trying to run. His knees still felt like jello, so running when he didn't have to would probably end with him face down on the floor with another bloody nose. Actually, trying to run for any reason would probably end poorly, either way.
Fuck his life.
He could see light at the end of the hallway, pouring down the edge of the hall in a welcoming blanket of false security, a facade of a safe haven beckoning him forward. With little choice, he obeyed, slowly approaching the next open space and peering around the corner.
The building didn't just look new. It looked unfinished, almost completely barren and unfurnished, save for the stacks of crates, bits of wall and foundation sticking out like a sore thumb and dust blowing through the open rooms in a breeze. The sounds of city life hit him like a truck, stealing the air from his lungs as he carefully stepped into the open space, the open window on the other side of the room taunting him. He swallowed the uncomfortable churning in his stomach as he fully registered the implications of the dark night sky above him.
Musutafu was ablaze with night life, people bustling down the streets as traffic thinned out for the night. From the looks of it, the festivities were just barely wrapping up, the bright lights of the carnival like a beacon against a dark background, washing out the stars and dimming the moon sitting high above their heads.
He bit his lip as he looked down, fully taking in just how high up he was. From what he could see, he was in some kind of construction site, which explained the emptiness of the building, the earthy terrain and city streets several stories below him, eight or nine, at least. Above him, he could make out two more floors before the rest of the structure ended with rebar, drywall, and construction equipment.
If he wasn't as dry as the fucking Sahara right now, none of this would be a problem. Blow up the villains and fly away. The end. Or better yet, be anywhere else but here. Unfortunately for him, his life could never be that easy-
He almost jumped out of his skin, all senses sharpening through the dizziness and fatigue as he mentally kicked himself for getting distracted. They would have blindsided him if the oaf's footsteps weren't so damn loud.
Ducking to the side, he watched in satisfaction as the large villain nearly toppled right out the window, barely catching himself as Bakugou spun on his heel and took off running. He may be a fighting machine, but without seeing his face, he didn't know which fucker that was, the sedative still hadn't fully worn off yet, and he didn't know how many villains there were. In this situation, his hands were tied, figuratively and literally.
Two smaller villains suddenly jumped out in front of him, some scrawny loser with giant block hands and a bald chick with rocks for kneecaps. With swift, albeit sloppy movements, Bakugou dropped under Block Hands's wild swing, watching as his gigantic brick of a hand flew just over his head and brushed against the tip of his nose. There was a moment of sudden lucidity that left him in slow motion, where his knees buckled and almost gave out from under him, but he didn't let the spike of anxiety cripple him, letting his foot slide to the left and tripping Block Hand before he even had a chance to regain his balance.
The way Knees flinched when she locked eyes with the ash blonde had him grinning fiercely, eyes wild as he watched her shake herself out of whatever wave of self-preservation had suddenly hit her and charge him with a roar. Considering that the dumbass was wearing shorts, showing off her quirk for all the world to see, it didn't take a genius to know to dodge out of the way of her jutted knee, an attack he could have seen coming from a mile away. Her build was muscled, clearly a fighter and likely a sprinter, so Bakugou was quick to maneuver himself to her side, left wide open, and jam his elbow straight into her liver. The choked scream was cathartic in his ears, but he barely spared her a glance, bolting for the open, unguarded hall directly in front of him before she could even hit the ground.
Except that apparently, that was where his luck ended.
He didn't even hear an approach this time, a loud grunt escaping his throat as an unknown force barreled into him, sending both him and this new villain to the floor in a heap. Their body was lean, well-built and barely taller than him, and it felt as if they'd literally just appeared out of thin air, a sudden weight pressing down against him as the villain literally seemed to materialize above him. He was flipped over so quickly that he experienced whiplash, and the flare of pain in the back of his skull and the stars in his eyes were enough to tell him that he'd hit his head a bit too hard in the fall.
He'd have preferred his nose getting crunched a second time. He was already out of it as it was. A head injury wasn't gonna be doing him any favors.
The villain on top of him was covered head to toe in black fabric, trailing off of him in strands like an edgy Eraserhead knockoff. The only part of him left visible was his eyes, sharp and empty as his gaze bore into him. A black mist rolled off of his shoulders, billowing up like steam from a kettle and dissipating like a thin smoke wafting through the air. The explosive teen snarled viciously as the villain stood, fingers wrapping around one of his ankles and dragging him back the way he came.
"Let go!" he roared, growling in frustration as his free, flailing foot passed right through the fucking Ninja Knockoff's arm, almost as if he was completely made of that black mist, even though the crushing grip around his ankle was painfully solid.
Ninja Knockoff ignored him, clicking his tongue. "I told you bastards he'd make a run for it. You're all lucky he never saw me or we might've lost sight of him."
Dammit, he really was out of it.
Knees coughed from where she was curled up on the floor in response. Bakugou snorted. Serves her right.
The big villain came into view, and Bakugou found himself smiling like a maniac despite his situation. He immediately knew that this was the dehydration fucker, the handprint-shaped burn plastered proudly on his ugly face instantly giving him away. The asshole's snarl was a sight to behold, teeth grinding together as his glare ignited with a fire of pent up anger and frustration.
Good.
"Fucking brat." Burn Face growled, teeth barred. "I don't get paid enough for this shit. Just stay still, dammit."
Paid? So they're working for someone?
"As if I'd just roll over and die!" he bellowed, blood boiling in frustration as his free foot barely reached far enough to kick him. "You're with the damn League, aren't you!?"
Burn Face laughed. "I wish! Those jokers have actually been making quite a name for themselves these days!" He smirked dangerously, and Bakugou found himself subconsciously recoiling. "And by extension, the same could be said for you, kid."
He bristled at that, the mere idea of his name being associated with them making him sick to his stomach. "Bastards."
"Heh, I can see why they took interest in you." Burn Face chuckled. "Nice rabid demon face. "
Bakugou seethed. "Nice burn scar, dickhead."
His smirk fell, and the explosion quirk user was allowed a few seconds of satisfaction before he felt one of the villains pulling on the loose gag, shoving it back into his mouth with more force than necessary. Ninja Knockoff finally let go of his now throbbing ankle, only for Burn Face to grab a fistful of spiky hair and yank him up, barely at kneeling height before he was being dragged across the room. Eyes squeezed shut, his bound hands gripped at the villain's wrist, palms uselessly cool as a painful itching feeling tore through his throat, nearly leaving him choking.
"Stop struggling." Burn Face ordered, grasp tightening. "At this rate, with how much fluid I've already drained from your body, I might actually end up killing you, and that won't help either of us."
Even now, as the words left the villain's mouth, the room was starting to spin, a new bout of dizziness and fatigue causing black spots to dot his vision. Stubbornly, he blinked them away, refusing to fall back into the abyss.
"Hey Boss," Block Hands suddenly piped up. "I just got some news from the others."
The others?! There's more of them?!
"What about?" Burn Face asked carefully.
"Uh, something about 'suspicious activity?'" he responded, making air quote signs with his obnoxiously square fingers. "Apparently, a couple of teenagers have been circling the building."
Bakugou's eyes widened.
"We haven't seen any pro heroes floating around, so we don't think we've been seriously compromised, though if anyone's watching us, someone might call the authorities soon." Block Hands concluded. "Either way, our getaway ride is only a couple minutes out now. We need to get out of town before the heroes get any info on us and make a move. They've pulled a full on raid for this kid before and I really don't want to test them myself."
"Wuss." Knees huffed, wincing as she stumbled to her feet. The ash blonde snorted behind the cloth, earning a glare from the bald villain.
"In that case, we won't be staying for long." Burn Face announced. Bakugou grunted at the sharp tug against his scalp. "Get ready. We leave in-"
Someone's cellphone rang.
It was a low-quality, ear-grating sound, some shitty girl band pop song that he probably had drilled into his skull the last time Raccoon Eyes or Round Face dragged him to the mall for clothes shopping and bargain sales, respectively. All four villains froze, wide-eyed with disbelief and apprehension as they stared into the corner of the room, where some of the only objects on the entire floor of the building stood. A stack of crates, a simple, effective hiding spot if you're quiet enough, was currently being lit up by someone's phone screen as the stupid song began to loop, the call left to ring rather than being dropped immediately.
He hit the ground hard, yet another sharp blow to his head that had him whiting out as the villain dropped him, shoving his temple against the tiled floor and gripping his wrists tightly as he moved to straddle his side, rendering him effectively pinned and majorly pissed about it. At least the fucker had the decency to face him towards the action so he could see what was going on for himself.
Burn Face nodded to Ninja Knockoff, who slowly began to approach where the phone had finally gone blissfully silent. It almost looked like he was gliding across the floor, his black mist rolling off of him like a burst of smoke from a fully lit bonfire. Peering behind the precariously stacked crates, Bakugou could just barely make out Knockoff blinking in confusion, crouching down to pull out the silent, discarded phone, and his cold, dead heart nearly leaped into his crusty dry throat, because even if he didn't remember where, he was sure he'd seen that phone case somewhere before.
For whatever reason, everything clicked when Knockoff pulled out something else that was left behind the crates.
"Is this..." Knockoff questioned in confused hesitance. "Is this...lingerie?"
UNIFORM.
The realization hit him like a freight train.
That fucking nosy ass invisibitch Uniform was somewhere in this room right now.
Even as Knockoff was pulling out a discarded pair of sandals from the conspicuous pile, Bakugou's eyes were fervently scanning the room, searching for any sign that might reveal his hidden classmate's presence. Even if his head was killing him at the moment, he was usually aware of her to some degree. A part of him was almost anxious, watching the villains in his peripheral for any hints of awareness. If he could spot her in this state, then they might somehow notice her too, and hero she may be, she wasn't a brawler, plain and simple.
At this point, his head felt like it was going to explode, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he faintly wondered how long the invisible girl had been trailing them, whether it was since he'd been jumped next to the alley or if she'd somehow spotted them while he was unconscious. How long had she even been in that very room watching them?
Spying. Relaying information. Recording.
Who else knows where he is right now?
He wasn't sure how his drooping eyes even caught onto it, but even as the villains bantered back and forth about their odd discovery, they somehow remained completely oblivious.
Somehow, despite his currently fucked vision, Bakugou was the only one of them who managed to zero in on the floating hairpin in the opposite corner.
It was suddenly so blatantly out of place, that stupid little clip, a soft light gray and covered in glitter. The little cartoon kitten ornament plastered on the end of it was disgustingly cutesy, blindingly white with an obnoxious light blue bowtie. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of his memory, there were vague images of the Animal Whisperer handing out a bunch of small animal-themed accessories to all of his classmates after he'd returned from some kind of trip up north. He was pretty sure he'd hidden the one given to him somewhere in his room, some pomeranian key chain that he'd carelessly tossed into a drawer and forgotten about. He wasn't even sure why he hadn't thrown the stupid thing away altogether.
In the end, that didn't even remotely matter at the moment. Bakugou seethed under the villain's hold, grinding his teeth against the cloth as his eyes bore into the space just below the hair clip, where her face supposedly was. By the way the clip jerked up after a few seconds, he was about ninety percent sure he was making eye contact right now.
Despite his small movements, he was still slow, willing himself to avoid detection as he carefully stretched out his thumbs, glaring daggers at the invisibitch as he fiddled with his bangs. It took a few long, precious seconds of hoping beyond hope that the now arguing villains wouldn't pay either of them any mind, but seeing the clip suddenly start to slowly hover to the ground was the first breath of fresh air he'd had since these clowns first grabbed him.
As soon as the hairpin had made it to the ground, she was gone without a trace, like an apparition vanishing into the night.
Though frankly, he was far too out of it to even try to follow her movements.
"Hey boss, there's blood." Block Hands pointed out, and suddenly, Bakugou was acutely aware of a wetness in his hair. "I think you brained him on top of dehydration."
Burn Face muttered something under his breath. "At least he's quiet." he sighed.
"He might die." Knees huffed offhandedly.
"I somehow doubt that." Burn Face said in disdain. "Kid's been said to be an aggravatingly stubborn one."
Bakugou will gladly give him that one.
"You hear that, kid?" Burn Face suddenly piped up, pressing his head against the floor and earning a hiss. "You're a stubborn one, so stay awake so you don't die, got it?"
He'd absolutely cuss him out if he wasn't gagged, but he was sadly resigned to groaning at him instead. The sound he ended up making was almost akin to an angry house cat.
He wasn't sure why, but his waning focus suddenly became acutely aware of a loud wave of noise coming from outside, the open window welcoming the cool night air and distant city sounds as moonlight poured into the mostly empty room. Unlike whatever the hell Uniform was doing right now, his captors were suddenly very aware of what he was hearing, watching the window warily as the cacophony grew steadily louder, and Ninja Knockoff, Knees, and Block Hands scrambled into fighting positions.
At this point, it was starting to become rather obvious that they'd been compromised.
They were expecting a counterattack now.
What they got was an entire fucking flock of crows storming through the window.
The three villains all shrieked, scattering as the crows instantly swarmed them. The wall of sound was nearly unbearable, the chorus of cawing leaving his ears ringing and blood pounding against his skull.
"The hell-!?" Burn Face's shout was suddenly cut off, replaced by a choking sound as Bakugou felt the weight pressing down on him lift, the lumbering villain falling back and clawing at the empty space around his neck. Looking back up at him, the ash blonde could barely see the invisible force squeezing around the villain's throat.
"How do you like it!?" Uniform's disembodied voice screamed in their ears. "How do you like it, huh!?"
As Burn Face struggled to pry her off, Bakugou caught a flash of movement, Knees bursting through the storm of birds fiercely clawing and pecking at their faces as she made a beeline for one of the halls. With awareness and reflexes that he really shouldn't have had at the moment, Bakugou lunged forward, stiff fingers wrapping around her ankle and nearly sending her toppling to the floor. Not even a second later, another body was slamming into her, Bakugou blinking in surprise as the rock-kneed villain found herself wrestling desperately against who he realized was Ponytail, capture tape already pouring out of her exposed skin as the two rolled around on the floor in a vicious cat fight.
Within the next second, as the explosive teen pulled himself to his knees and once again found himself fighting to pull that stupid gag out of his mouth, a boot was slamming into the side of a gasping Burn Face's head, sending him careening into the wall as he found himself coiled in tape. Finally yanking the tight cloth under his chin, he glanced back to see Block Hands already cocooned in tape as well.
"I can't believe that actually worked!" he heard Sero yell, voice hysteric and unsteady.
"But the fourth one is getting away!" Ponytail cried as she tightened the binds around Knees, pointing wildly at the disappearing cloud of black mist as Ninja Knockoff broke through the flood of crows and flew out the window.
"Let the others worry about him!" Sero shot back, and suddenly, Bakugou's vision was completely encompassed by the tape quirk user's stupid worried expression, sweat leaving his windblown jet black hair an uncontrollable mess.
"What took you fuckers so long?" was all Bakugou could think to say, head whirling nauseatingly quickly as his body swayed. At least he got a wet laugh out of the frazzled boy in front of him.
"You have got to stop doing this to us, dude." he breathed, desperately fiddling with the rope tied around his wrists. "You had us all scared shitless. Uraraka says that Aizawa-sensei nearly had an actual heart attack, thanks to you."
"You think I wanted to be targeted?" he growled in response, though his words sounded slurred in his own ears.
Sero faltered as the rope fell away, revealing angry, raw skin. "Are you okay?" he asked, eyes rapidly moving over the rest of his body.
"'M fine, fuckface."
"You're not. There's blood in your hair and your words are slurring."
"Let me see." a scuffed up Ponytail cut in, kneeling next to Sero. Bakugou snarled dangerously as she gently lifted his chin, looking into his eyes. "...He's definitely concussed. Bakugou, please try to stay awake."
"Fuck off." he slurred on reflex, coughing hoarsely.
His two classmates seemed to stiffen at the sound, giving each other nervous looks as Bakugou rubbed at his neck with a grimace. Sero bit his lip. "What's wrong?" His eyes darkened. "What did they do?"
"Fuck off." he wheezed, pointing haphazardly in the general direction of Burn Face's flailing form. "Quirk drains water from the body. I can't sweat... 'M Thirsty."
Ponytail suddenly seemed to look especially nervous, glancing at Sero. "Severe dehydration..." she concluded correctly, speaking as if he wasn't kneeling right fucking there in front of them. "That could be extremely dangerous. He needs medical assistance right away."
"Right." Said Sero, grabbing Bakugou's arm and throwing it over his shoulder as he slowly stood.
"I can walk." Bakugou groaned in annoyance.
Ponytail was hesitant to take his other arm, but Sero held firm. "I don't care." he snapped, looking over his shoulder. "Hagakure?"
"Right here!" Uniform cheered, a phone and a bundle of undergarments and sandals bouncing past. "I think the villain used his quirk on me too, 'cause I'm really thirsty all of a sudden!"
From there, the four of them trekked through the empty halls, the sounds of city life outside being slowly drowned out by wailing sirens. At some point in their unnecessarily slow walk, Uniform screeched at the sudden stampede of rats charging up the hall, back where the army of crows could still be heard. Even if they were late for the party, he hoped that they would occupy those dickheads long enough so that they would get their asses arrested.
Reaching the ground floor, mind already hazy from the lowering levels of adrenaline, Bakugou was thrown off by the number of unconscious bodies strewn about the halls. Overall, it was probably still a relatively small number of people, but it was still more than he expected, and to his muddled brain, it looked like a lot. Among the defeated villains were three blurry figures standing over them, identities given away by the giant tail, chopped brunette hair, and blur of solid pink. Loud twin cries made him wince, Ashido sprinting up to them and quickly but gently wrapping her arms around his neck. Against the nature of his darkened, shriveled heart, a hairline crack formed at the disgusting, gut-wrenching sob that escaped her throat and violently penetrated his ear. Thankfully, his sight had grayed out too much for him to be able to see her tears.
Horns ended up taking Ponytail's place at his side, her, Tail, and Uniform fucking off somewhere else while Pink Cheeks continued to hover, trailing them as they made their way outside. Even from here, the sounds of outside were suddenly far too loud and far too plentiful for his aching head, leaving him cringing, but he held his tongue, wrenching his eyes back open and keeping his head down.
By the time they actually left the building, his brain had officially checked out for the night, leaving him grasping for straws when trying to remember much of anything that happened after. Blurry images of heterochromatic eyes and talking shadows, choppy movements and the color red greeted him, but there was one single moment that stood out in his mind like a lighthouse on a foggy shore, when the lights of emergency vehicles had him blinded and on the verge of just passing out right then and there.
Faintly, somewhere in his mind's eye, he could see a mess of shaggy blonde hair, the tall, lanky figure stock still as they came into view. He didn't remember him approaching, but suddenly, he was right there in front of him, staring down at him with wide eyes that Bakugou just could not interpret for the life of him.
And then there was yet another pair of arms around him, the tall figure bending down to envelop him in a tight embrace. Bakugou couldn't see his face, pressed against his shoulder, but suddenly, for a single moment, everything cleared.
It was soundless, completely quiet, almost as if all sound had canceled out, but he was fully, painfully aware of the man's violently shaking shoulders; Of the wet spot that now stained the shoulder of his shirt.
Or maybe he wasn't aware at all. He could have just as easily imagined it.
Either way, he doubted he'd be getting any answers any time soon, nor would he be actively looking for them.
He couldn't remember how long he fought off sleep, but the last memories he could dredge up from once the adrenaline completely wore off were of Aizawa's irate shouting and Deku's dumb fucking face.
As it turned out, Uniform actually did see him get nabbed, barely catching him being dragged into the alleyway from a cafe window across the street. According to Aizawa, that happenstance alone might have saved his life.
Apparently, from what he was told in bits and pieces from multiple sources, the ripple effect of his sudden disappearance caused quite the shitshow, starting with Uniform panic-calling Earlobes as she desperately clawed her way through the packed streets, practically swimming through the crowds of people that couldn't even see her to know that they were in her way. By the time she reached the other side, he was out cold and they were fleeing. Uniform is not the most athletic person in their class, so even as she hauled ass after them, discarding different articles of clothing as she went to better hide herself as they went deeper into the alleys, she still lost ground. In the end, she actually did lose them.
Around the same time that Uniform gave chase, Aizawa showed up at the now abandoned alleyway, finding nothing but a phone thrown haphazardly on the ground and the slightest hint of blood. Apparently, from what he overheard from Present Mic and a few eye witnesses who were then paying attention to the sudden appearance of heroes, their homeroom teacher literally had a straight up silent mental breakdown.
Bakugou felt a little bad for that one. He respected the underground hero. The man deserved a vacation.
At least he got to let off some steam by being the one to capture Ninja Knockoff, erasing his quirk while in midair and letting him fall right into another hero's arms. He was quickly knocked out a moment later.
Fucking poetry.
Meanwhile, after Uniform's call, Earlobes apparently freaked out worse than the invisibitch did, which surprised him, but Ponytail swore on it, and she was too much of a goody two-shoes to lie about something like that. Of course, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate was beyond him, but as it turned out, the two of them and Animal Whisperer were, in fact, still with his idiots.
And Kirishima went fucking mental.
There were actually video recordings of this one from civilians trying to physically steer clear of the drama, so Bakugou got a full view of Kirishima's absolute freak out as the four of them tried and failed to reason through the situation and just ended up a screaming mess while the three sane people of the group didn't know what the fuck to do. Ashido wanted to go look for him. Sero wanted to get the heroes' help and join them in the search. Kaminari suggested maybe leaving it to the pros. Kirishima nearly punched his lights out for it.
And there were tears. Lots and lots of tears.
Bakugou felt a little bad for that one, too.
But oh, it didn't end there. Of fucking course not, because his life is nothing if not an absolute circus. A perfect comedy of errors, because the next person to catch wind of what was going on was none other than Todo-fucking-roki.
Todoroki, who had been standing with Uraraka and Frogger outside of a restroom area, where Four Eyes was taking care of a violently vomiting Deku, was the next person to get notified, as he'd been watching his phone very closely for news due to the violent hero sense reactions. According to the frog, after a moment of shocked silence, he told them what happened very bluntly and with no build up, and, to summarize her account, Round Face lost her shit. The other two nerds were caught up shortly after.
And Deku went FUCKING MENTAL.
There was no chance to stop him. No chance to react. Just a blank, emotionless, dead stare from the shitnerd, and the next thing anyone knew, the restroom was nothing but rubble and Deku was fifteen blocks down the street. The nerd ended up with four days of house arrest and U.A. was paying for the damages out of pocket.
Bakugou had no idea what the fuck was wrong with these people.
Either way, long story short, his class inserted themselves into the situation in typical fashion for them that he'd grown far, far too used to by this point, and rather than the heroes having to fall back and plan out a course of action, which would have taken too long, his classmates pushed for immediate action, with Uniform and Earlobes spearheading the actual search.
Why? Who the hell knows. Either way, Earlobes found the villains' temporary hideout, Uniform found him, and Deku organized the half-baked plan that got them all behind bars before the pro heroes really made any large-scale moves. An astonishing eighteen people were arrested that night, with most of the class either storming or surrounding the building, or in Deku, Four Eyes, and Bird Brain's cases, chasing down the two getaway vehicles to avoid any escapees causing more problems down the line.
What the actual hell.
He'd normally be more salty about everything, but in all honesty, good fucking riddance, if you asked him.
Bakugou sighed loudly, falling back against his pillow and glaring angrily at the sterile white ceiling of the school infirmary. He'd woken up from sleeping off Recovery Girl's healing hours ago, having been out for at least a day and a half, head clearer and with an IV drip full of salt and different fluids slowly rehydrating him. It irked him that he was already missing two whole days of school, and probably a third, because of this, but by this point, he'd learned not to test Aizawa's or Recovery Girl's ire, unless he wanted to stay bedridden for even longer.
The infirmary was quiet that morning, everyone currently back in their morning classes as if nothing had happened, and he preferred it that way. He'd almost instantly gotten sick of the way that the idiot parade was acting like he would disappear if they were separated for too long, and he already knew that the rest of his classmates would be treating him like glass for at least the next week or so, much to his immense displeasure.
U.A. was also back on high alert due to his abysmally shit luck, so that was fun, and to top it all off, all of the villains were staying obnoxiously tight-lipped, so even now, after everything was said and done, nobody knew who the real mastermind behind the operation even was. As he'd overheard some detective admit to one of his teachers in the hallway outside his room, they had no real suspects outside of the League, so the case might just go cold before they ever even figure anything out.
Fuck his life.
A soft knock on his door pulled him out of his thoughts, shaggy blonde hair poking through the entryway. Bakugou raised an eyebrow as All Might slipped into the room, two small bentos wrapped in neatly tied packages in his bony hands. His smile was impossibly wide, eyes sparkling as he shut the door behind him.
He'd never seen his childhood hero look so artificial.
"Bakugou, my boy!" he greeted far too cheerfully. "It's good to see you awake and alert! Young Midoriya is going to be spending lunch with his friends today, so I thought that I'd best be spending time with you!"
With a puff of smoke, he was All Might again, muscled form and laughing that guttural, confident laugh of his before he quickly sputtered out, back in his skinny form and coughing blood with a face that said this was the most normal thing in the world.
Bakugou just glared at him.
With exaggerated movements and that plastic grin of his, All Might gave him a bento and opened up his own, cheering a loud 'thanks for the meal' before digging right in. Bakugou silently seethed, a cold, coiling feeling wrapping around his heart.
"I didn't ask you to come here." he growled bluntly, glaring at the bento in his hands as if it were a snake ready to bite him.
"But I wanted to!" All Might exclaimed, that All Might tone of voice edging into his speech as if it was second-nature.
But it sounded so artificial.
"Stop that."
All Might blinked at him, caught off guard for a moment, but the smile was back instantly. "Stop what? I don't-"
"That!" he shouted, gesturing wildly at him. "Your fucking fake ass hero act ain't doing either of us any favors, so just drop it!"
All Might seemed to take pause at that, staring at him for a long, restless moment. The silence that followed made his skin prickle uncomfortably, eyes darting around the room as if meeting the veteran hero's gaze would turn him to stone. After what felt like eons, there was a low chuckle. "I suppose it is making me feel better more than it is you."
Bakugou raised an eyebrow at that, but All Might moved on quickly. "Either way, you're already better and that's all that matters. You don't need coddling."
"Damn straight."
All Might smiled at that, a small, real one that made his eyes glow and his shoulders relax. Leaning back in his chair, he stared up absentmindedly at the ceiling. "I'm glad you're alright. As much as you can fend for yourself, you had us all extremely worried."
"Tch. Like I said to Tape Arms, I didn't ask to get targeted."
"I know."
Bakugou glowered, clenching his hands tightly. The rope burns were mostly gone by now. "I didn't even know that anything was wrong until Weird Hair texted me. I never felt anything."
He finally met All Might's gaze, bright blue eyes staring sadly, knowingly into his own scarlet orbs. He sighed. "Yes... That's normal."
All Might slowly shook his head. "I've probably mentioned it in passing, but I don't think I've ever fully explained it to you, which was a mistake on my part. You see, that's the fatal flaw of the hero sense. The Achilles Heel, you could say. For all its practicality and accuracy, it only works when saving others. That's why they call it the 'hero sense'."
His smile looked grim. "The only person that it can't sense threats towards and will never be able to save is the user themselves. It took me years to really get used to that fact, that I'd always know when someone else was in danger, but I would never know if I was in danger. I wasn't afraid of that fact, per se, but I did need to always be aware of it wherever I went. Some users can grow to be quite paranoid because of this."
He leaned back, his smile becoming more toothy and natural as the sparkle returned to his eyes. "That's why I'm always glad to learn of users such as yourself! People with good reflexes and natural instincts that can work as an alternative means of protection!"
Bakugou clicked his tongue, looking away sharply. "Not that they did me much good."
"You called Aizawa, didn't you?" All Might reasoned. "I was there with him when you contacted him. Not only had you read the room and picked up on the fact that something was wrong, but you even figured out what was wrong before anything even happened! Not even the hero sense can do that! It's remarkable!"
The ash blonde could feel the intense warmth spreading over his face, shoulders rising defensively as his fingers curled tightly into his bedsheets. He grumbled under his breath, complete gibberish to even his own ears, but the poorly hidden 'shut up' was still clear as day.
If All Might noticed, he didn't say anything, instead choosing to just barrel on. "Regardless! I'd recommend eating before your food gets too cold! Lunch Rush made sure to make things that wouldn't be hard on your body while recovering, so please, dig in!"
With an annoyed groan and a roll of his eyes, he untied the cloth wrapping and pulled off the lid, steam lightly rolling out of the small box. The bento was almost filled to the brim with rice, with soft carrots, tofu, fish, and overcooked broccoli making up the rest. Over in the corner, wrapped in another tiny container to separate them from the rest of the food, were a bunch of peach and peeled apple slices.
"Doesn't it look delectable?" All Might suddenly asked.
Bakugou didn't even glance at him. "It smells bland as shit."
All Might just laughed, a loud, hardy cackle that reverberated against the walls of the school infirmary, before turning back to his own food and enjoying it as if it was the best thing he'd ever eaten in his life. Bakugou just shook his head, swallowing his pointless festering temper as he grabbed his chopsticks.
He almost didn't notice it, but his eye caught a hint of black, a tiny piece of paper buried behind a wall of rice. Carefully pulling it out, Bakugou almost snorted out loud, looking over the little black paper flag, an orange X plastered on it and stuck to a dark, pale green toothpick. He'd actually bet money that his classmates had a part to play in that one.
He truly was surrounded by idiots. Whether or not it was such a bad thing did nothing to change that fact.
"Thanks for the meal." he sighed.