Chapter Text
Katsuki Bakugou sat outside of a convenience store sipping a can of beer, simply minding his own business. He wore a dark green jacket similar to what American soldiers wear, a pair of rumpled jeans, and his trademark boots. Besides him was a duffel bag and a rolled-up sleeping bag that looked like it hadn't been washed for months. Needless to say, Bakugou looked like a hobo. Not that he was complaining, he technically is one.
Tossing the empty can away, he thinks on how he ended up here.
He remembered being severely injured by Shigaraki, putting him out of commission for the rest of the battle. He remembered waking up at the hospital only to find out that most of his friends are dead.
He remembered breaking down in tears with his parents at his bedside. He remembered going to the memorial for his classmates' who perished when Shigaraki leveled UA to the ground.
He remembered attending Izuku's and All Might's funeral, although there were no bodies. Its said that Izuku disintegrated moments after giving the finishing blow to Shigaraki's head. And All Might had apparently detonated a warhead built in to his suit in a last ditch effort to defeat All for One, successfully ending the centuries old villain for good.
And most importantly, he remembered the moment they announced on live TV that the hero system was now officially abolished. He could still feel the broken knuckles on his right hand from breaking the screen in one punch.
His life fell apart after that. All his hard work, all of his sacrifices, and all his effort to atone for his past mistakes, have all been for nothing.
He still remembered the crowd of protesters harassing and spitting on him when he was discharged from the hospital, the stares and the glares he'd get while accompanying his mother to the supermarket, the apathetic expression on aunt Inko's face during Deku's... during Izuku's funeral, the notes taped to their door filled with insults and hate speech. Yes, he remembered every last one of them.
Katsuki knows he shouldn't be bothered by it, what does a bunch of nobodies know about him anyway? So why does he badly want to blow their faces off? Why is he so bothered by it?
Because they denied you your own dream, dumbass.
Ah, and then there's that.
Sometime after mourning his friends' deaths and getting his dreams crushed, he started... talking to himself. He's sure that it was simply his way of coping with the recent events, but something tells him its something else. Something he couldn't put his finger on.
"What a fucked up world." He said in a tone of resignation.
"It sure is."
Blinking, he looked up and stiffened. Standing over him was a policeman with his arms crossed.
Ah shit, here we go again. He mentally groaned, feeling a headache coming, or was it just the alcohol kicking in?
The cop stared at the bag full of empty cans nearby before looking back at Bakugou. "You sure like beer don't you?"
"Who doesn't?"
The cop chuckles, "Well, its not everyday I see a kid I don't recognize appear out of nowhere chugging about a dozen cans."
Bakugou doesn't respond, instead he studies the cop: tall and well built, black hair and brown eyes that stared at his like a hawk, blue uniform and a service hat. Katsuki also noted that his gun wasn't like the tiny ass revolvers that's commonly issued to cops, instead this man had a 1911 pistol in his holster. Bakugou recognized the gun from a lecture they had back at UA, and how it was favored by both law enforcement and villains alike.
"You visiting someone here?" The cop asks.
"No."
"Do you know someone here?"
"No."
"So why the hell are you here then?" The cop asked in a tone of annoyance.
"I honestly have no idea." The cop's eye twitched.
"You gotta be kidding me." The cop said in obvious frustration, rubbing his head which reminded Bakugou of a certain classmate. "Where are you from?"
"Does it matter?" Bakugou answered in his best Todoroki impression which further irritated the cop.
"Answer the question."
"Musutafu."
"Musutafu is about a hundred and fifty kilometers away from here and you're saying telling me you came here for no reason?"
Katsuki shrugged.
"East or west?"
"What?"
"Are you heading east or west?'
"East." He lied, he just wanted the conversation to end, hoping the cop would lose interest and walk away. He doesn't.
"Get in the car." The cop instructs.
"What for? I didn't do anything."
"Just making sure you're heading in the right direction."
Bullshit. Katsuki thought, he probably just wanted him out, and like hell he'll let himself get pushed around again.
"I can go there myself."
"And I'm trying to do you a favor." The cop said with a smile that was the embodiment of passive-aggression. Katsuki swore he could almost read the cop's mind, Do as I say or you will not like what's gonna happen next was probably what he was thinking.
Huffing, he grabs the pile of empty cans and tosses it to a nearby garbage can. The cop relaxes. At least the kid's got manners.
Grabbing his bag, he then followed the cop to his cruiser. The cruiser was marked, CHIEF OF POLICE, KARAKURA.
Huh, now that's one way to flaunt your authority. Katsuki mused, he never understood why some people have their work position painted on their cars. Its not like anyone would care.
Really? Didn't you also want to gloat to everyone about how high and mighty you are and how all these extras are below you?
Katsuki angrily shook his head, how pathetic is he gonna get? Can't even get his treacherous thoughts under control.
"Well hop in." The cop said, it took a moment for Katsuki to realize that the cop had opened the door for him.
Katsuki grunted and glanced around once more, he reluctantly got into the cruiser and placed his bag between himself and the driver's seat.
They've been driving for 10 minutes now and neither of them had spoken a single word. The cop would occasionally spare glances at him as if he was some kind of murder suspect, not that Katsuki cared. He was too preoccupied staring out of the window, getting lost on his own thoughts. He watched as they passed by a car wash, then a middle school, several shops, and.... a bar.
Katsuki leaned back on his seat, he definitely didn't have issues, and he certainly doesn't have a drinking problem.
Yeah, keep denying it dumbass.
"So..." The cop's voice snapped Katsuki out of his internal musings, "If you don't mind me asking, you're Katsuki Bakugou right?"
Katsuki stiffened once more, "Yes." he confirmed.
The cop chuckled, "I thought so. After all, who wouldn't recognize UA's former golden boy."
Former?
"Ryomen Watanabe, Chief of police. Nice to meet you," The cop introduced himself to which Katsuki simply nodded in return. "So, where exactly are you headed?"
"Nara."
"Nara is west I thought you said you were heading east?"
Sensing he'll get caught lying, Katsuki changes the subject.
"Is there some place I could rest around here?" Katsuki asks.
"There's an inn just about thirty miles down the highway."
Bakugou narrowed his eyes at him, that wasn't the response he was expecting. "Is there a law here that prevents me from staying here for the night?"
"Yeah, me."
Katsuki exhaled softly, silently clenching his fists. "Why are you pushing me?"
"What was that?"
"I said why are you pushing me, I haven't done anything wrong didn't I?"
"First of all you don't get to ask questions around here, I ask the questions and you answer them." The man says in an almost aggressive tone that Katsuki wonders when this entire conversation turned into an interrogation. "And secondly, we don't want people like you here."
Katsuki stays silent, opting to glance out of the window as if to distract himself, they were driving past a harbor now, but the cop continues.
"You heroes are known for being magnets for trouble, with criminals and terrorists alike following you like teenagers going through puberty. A single one of you stepping a foot here is essentially a catastrophe waiting to happen." He then looked directly at Bakugou. "And we don't want that to happen here."
Katsuki stays silent once more, but inside he was seething with anger. Bastards, all of them. They risk their necks to save their asses and this is what they get in return?!
"-and before we know it, there's a bunch of ex-heroes like you coming here. Adding more problems to our small community." It took Katsuki a moment to realize that he'd stop listening to the man's ramblings. "Now don't get the wrong idea. Personally, I have nothing against heroes. Its just..." He heard the man then let out a bitter chuckle, "I just don't get why wearing a cape and costume gives them the authority to boss me around and lecture me on how to do my job."
Sounds pretty fucking personal to me.
Blatant lie aside, Katsuki agreed with him albeit begrudgingly. He met his fair share of heroes who were more celebrity than hero, mostly back in his middle school years before he went to UA.
"So I'll say it again, go be a hero somewhere else. You are not wanted here"
And just like that, that sympathy evaporated like water on a hot summer day.
Katsuki didn't bother listening anymore, he simply closed his eyes. Thankfully the cop seemed to get the memo and focused on driving instead. How would Izuku handle this? Probably pull a whole ass speech out of his ass explaining why the cop was wrong, or better yet, try to prove him wrong by saving a burning oil tanker or something. Yeah, he'll do exactly just that.
But he isn't Izuku.
Unlike Izuku, he's violent, selfish, and arrogant. He probably would've blown the cop's face off had he been a few years younger.
But he isn't young anymore.
Sometimes, Katsuki wished he could go back a few years to his time at UA when it was all easy. He missed his friends, no matter how much he claimed that they weren't friends.
When he opened his eyes, they were driving past a sign that says, YOU ARE NOW LEAVING KARAKURA.
Watanabe stopped the cruiser by the side of the road, :"Nara straight ahead." Katsuki grabbed his bag and slowly exited the car.
"One more thing." Watanabe leaned across the front seat, "Suggest you take a bath. Just because you sweat fragrance doesn't mean you're clean. Hope this ride helped you out." he finished by slamming the door closed. He drove the car up to the road and made a U-turn, "Have a nice day huh." he said almost mockingly as he drove back to town.
Katsuki watched the car disappear down the road. "Fuck you." He sneered.
He grabbed his bag and began walking back to town as well.
"Don't tell me what to do."