Chapter Text
Katsuki paced around the dark streets, just waiting for something to happen. He was told a high level threat was in the area, a gang that just couldn’t be done in.
But, after two hours of walking around, he found nothing. One more hour and he was calling it a night.
He was starting to feel a little dizzy. Nights of staying up were catching up to him quickly. He just wanted to sleep but his body refused to allow him.
He was about to give up and call the others when he noticed something peculiar. It looked like a person laying on the ground.
He rushed over to make sure it wasn’t an injured civilian, but when he reached the figure, he sighed in disappointment.
A drunk salaryman? The dude’s face was bright red, and he had no visible injuries. Only a large coffee stain on the front of his shirt. There was a smile plastered on his face, and it just made Katsuki angrier.
He kicked the drunkard lightly in the stomach, and he jolted awake. He blinked around before looking up at Katsuki, and his expression turned to one of shock.
“You’re Ground Zero,” he said in slurred speech. Katsuki rolled his eyes.
“Are you fucking drunk? Get the fuck up. Being drunk outside like this is illegal, and so is sleeping on the fucking ground,” he shouted at him.
For a moment, Katsuki wondered if this was a trap set by the gang he’d been looking for. But, really this guy didn’t seem like a threat. Just a nuisance. Still, Katsuki kept his guard up.
“Don’ know where I am,” the man mumbled. He started to lay back down. “Let me go back to bed.
Katsuki groaned and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. He yanked him to his feet, but the man seemed unstable. Katsuki could smell alcohol on his breath.
He started staring at Katsuki’s face, and Katsuki tensed up. Something about his stare was scary. He wondered if this was part of this drunkard’s quirk.
When the man reached out to touch him, Katsuki panicked and smacked his hand away with his gauntlet.
The man looked him up and down before speaking again.
“Don’ arrest me, man. I’m lost,” the man pleaded.
“I can’t even fucking arrest you if I wanted. Heroes can’t do that, dumbass,” Katsuki snapped.
The man’s round, red eyes stared at him again. What was wrong with this guy? What the hell was he doing?
“You’re so famous. Can I have an autograph?” he asked with a dopey smile.
“No.”
“Will you take me home?”
“No!”
“Will you at least give me directions?” he whined.
Katsuki sighed loudly. Directions wouldn’t be that hard if it meant getting rid of this guy.
“Where do you live?” he asked. The man pondered for a moment.
“Like… near Dagoba beach kinda,” the man said, seeming a little unsure of himself.
“What?! That’s on the other side of town!” Katsuki shouted. How did this guy even get here in this state?
“Ah, shoot. I got on the wrong train and got here. Please, take me home Mr. Ground Zero,” the man said, bending over into a ninety degree bow.
“This is a horrible part of town, you know. I’m here because there’s rumoured gang activity. I can’t afford to leave to escort some fucking drunkard home,” Katsuki said. The man stumbled as he stood up straight again. “I’d think you were some sort of trap but you honestly seem too fucking stupid.”
A pout formed on the man’s lips and Katsuki wanted to roll his eyes again.
He hated babysitting.
“I’ll walk then. Goodbye,” the man said, turning around and walking in the wrong direction. Katsuki was about to tell him to turn around, but he noticed something.
A tag on the back of his shirt that he didn’t notice when he was sleeping.
“Wait, what’s on your shirt?” he asked. There was no way he just missed it the first time.
“I put coffee on it!” the drunkard shouted, far too loudly.
“Not that! I’m talking about the-”
And then he was gone, and another man stood in his place. This man wore a logo that matched the one he’d been given to look out for.
He didn’t know if the drunkard was with them or if he was just collateral. He got the feeling it was the latter.
“If you want him back you should do what we say,” the gang member said confidently.
Katsuki sighed. This was boring.
He rushed the guy, quickly grabbing the front of his face. He let out a few sparks as a threat.
“You made a mistake. I don’t know him at all. If you don’t wanna lose all your skin you better tell me where you dropped him,” Katsuki said, making sure to smile.
“I-if you hurt me, he’ll die,” the man stammered.
“I really don’t care about his well-being. But where he is is probably where your little friends are too, huh? So why don’t you save your own life and tell me where he went,” Katsuki said, letting out more intense sparks.
High-level threat? What a joke. This guy was basically in tears.
“I won’t tell,” the dude said, but Katsuki could tell he was already close to cracking. “I’ll bring him back, just let me go.”
“I told you, I don’t care about that man. Tell me in five, four, three, tw-”
“They’re in the brown building about a kilometre away. The one with the R logo on it,” the dude cried, tears spilling from his eyes.
“If I go there and they’re not there, you’re dead,” Katsuki said. “Actually, you’re coming with me.”
Katsuki threw the man over his shoulder and started running. He signalled the other heroes with his phone as he ran and soon enough he reached the building the gangster was talking about.
He tossed the man down on the ground at the entrance.
“Don’t think about leaving. There are other top tier heroes coming from all directions,” Katsuki warned before entering the building.
There were several others throughout the building, but none of them seemed strong in the slightest. They were knocked out before they even knew Katsuki was there.
The building wasn’t very big, only a few rooms. Katsuki found the only locked door quickly. He put his palm on the door and blasted it off its hinges.
He saw two men inside, and the hostage tied up with tape over his mouth. It didn’t take him more than a couple seconds to immobilize both men, and he whipped out his phone.
“I got them. Hostage is here too,” he said when there was an answer on the other line.
“Nice, Bakugou! Make sure to check the hostage for injuries! Be considerate!” the voice teased. Katsuki clicked his tongue before hanging up.
He walked over to the hostage and ripped the tape off his mouth. The man winced a little, but it didn’t seem to hurt too badly.
Katsuki checked for visible injuries, but he couldn’t see anything. There was a large slit cut into his shirt, but there was no blood.
“Did they hurt you?” Katsuki asked, but really he couldn’t care less about the answer.
“No. They tried but-”
“Great,” Katsuki interrupted before bending over to undo his restraints. He pulled him to his feet before turning him around and ripping the tag off of his back. “You shouldn’t let people stick you with their quirks, dumbass.”
He dangled the tag in front of his face. The man stared at it in confusion before frowning.
“Oh…”
Oh? That’s all he has to say?
“You’re lucky he had a distance limit or you might be dead,” Katsuki said, getting more irritated.
If this dude hadn’t gotten drunk and slept in the street he never would have gotten caught up in this. How could someone be so careless?
It was also annoying how unshaken he was. He wasn’t shaking, or in shock. He was just standing there as he waited for someone to come give him directions on what to do next.
Maybe he was too drunk to be shaken. Maybe he hadn’t fully processed what happened.
But, it didn’t seem like that’s what it was. He just seemed simply calm.
The ambulances and police cars arrived, and Katsuki stood aside with some of the other heroes while he waited for the all-clear.
“Bakugou! You really took em out quick, huh?” a familiar, irritating voice said next to him.
He groaned before making eye-contact with one of his least favourite people.
“The fuck do you want, Pikachu?”
“Hey, hey, I’m just being friendly. You should take my advice before I overtake you in the rankings. I’ve heard you’ve become even more notorious for inappropriate behaviour lately,” Kaminari said.
Katsuki knew he was trying to get under his skin, and it was working.
“We mean well, Bakugou!” another nuisance, Sero, said. Katsuki really hated seeing his old high school classmates.
“You can both fuck off. I don’t need your advice. Talk to me when you’re in the top ten,” Katsuki responded.
“A doctor is waving us down,” Sero said. He sighed when he saw the drunkard next to her.
The three of them approached, and the drunkard avoided eye-contact with Katsuki.
“Someone please take this young man home. It’s not safe for him to walk alone,” the doctor said.
Kaminari and Sero started snickering next to him. He already knew what they were both thinking.
“Ground Zero will do it! He’s such a sweet guy after all!” Kaminari said, slapping him in the back. Katsuki glared at both of them.
He wanted to rub their faces in the dirt. But, they did have a point. If he was going to rank higher, he needed to show compassion some of the time at least. Driving one guy home was something he could manage, surely.
“Fine. Come on, idiot,” Katsuki said. The drunkard’s face lit up.
He thanked the doctor and followed Katsuki from a distance. Katsuki was pretty sure this guy was more scared of him than the villains that captured him. That wasn’t a good sign when it came to being a hero.
He led him back to his agency, checking over his shoulder every so often to make sure he didn’t pass out on the way. He was still red-faced, and not walking straight. Losing him would probably be bad.
He took him to his car in the parking lot. The drunkard got in wordlessly, and Katsuki was happy he was being quiet.
Katsuki tossed his gauntlets and headgear into the back seat before getting in on the driver’s side.
“Your car smells nice. Do you have air freshener?” the man asked. Katsuki should have been more thankful for the silence earlier.
“No,” he answered bluntly, hoping the idiot would get the hint and shut up.
“I was so scared, dude. The one guy had a knife and he cut my shirt. It’s a good thing this shirt has coffee all over it or I might be really upset,” the guy rambled as they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.
His words were slurring, he was definitely wasted still. He was probably able to keep composure due to the adrenaline rush, but now he was back to his annoying self.
“What’s wrong with you?” Katsuki muttered under his breath.
“When you came in, you were so cool. I thought I was gonna die but then! Bam! You showed up and took them out like it was nothing. I’ve never met a hero in the top ten before, you’re really no joke,” the guy continued. Katsuki scoffed.
He didn’t really seem scared.
“Yeah, whatever. Just shut up, you’re giving me a headache,” Katsuki said.
“Okay. Yes, sir.”
The guy kept to his word and stopped talking. After a little while, Katsuki heard the sound of his glove box opening.
He looked over to see the guy resting his forehead against it. His eyes were closed, and his face went pale.
“Hey, don’t you fucking throw up in my car!” Katsuki shouted.
The man didn’t react at all, but more and more colour was leaving his face.
Katsuki pulled over, but it was too late.
The drunkard emptied his stomach all over the floor of Katsuki’s car. So much for it smelling good.
“God! You fucking idiot! Puke outside!” Katsuki shouted, shoving him in the direction of the door.
The man leaned back in his seat. and the glove box that Katsuki had filled to the brim was emptied all over the floor in this idiot’s vomit.
Katsuki was about to fucking lose it.
“I’m done puking now,” the man said, waving Katsuki off.
“Are you fucking kidding me?! You ruined my shit!” he yelled. He wanted to kick this guy out on the street so badly.
“I can’t see anything,” the man mumbled.
Shit, if he left him in the street he could die. Katsuki really didn’t want to have that on his conscience. Or his record.
“Tell me what your address is, now,” Katsuki ordered.
After about five minutes, Katsuki managed to get the whole address out of him. He sped there as quickly as he could, and pulled up to the door of the apartment building.
“Now, get out,” he ordered.
“Don’t want to.”
“What the fuck do you mean?! I just saved your ass and drove you home! Get out!”
This guys was fucking unbelievable.
“I’m tired,” the man said.
“So go up and go the fuck to sleep!”
The man fumbled with his eyes closed, looking for the door handle until he found it. Once he managed to get it open, he spilled out of the vehicle and onto his face on the road.
“Bye, Ground Zero. I’ll sleep,” he said, unmoving.
Katsuki groaned before exiting the vehicle. He walked around to where the man was laying on the ground.
“I can go by myself,” the man whined, swatting Katsuki’s hand away when he reached out to pull him to his feet.
He watched as the man started crawling on all fours to the door. The ground was dirty, he was ruining his clothes.
Katsuki didn’t know what to do at this point besides follow him and make sure he got to his own room safely without dying in the hallways.
The man continued to crawl to the door and weakly pulled it open. Katsuki thought he might try to stand up now that he was inside, but he crawled to the staircase and went up the stairs like that.
Katsuki was dumbfounded. Both by this guy crawling throughout his apartment building, and also by Katsuki’s own interest in it.
He could have thrown this guy over his shoulder and just carried him to his room, but instead he let him crawl.
“Just let me fucking carry you, this is annoying,” Katsuki groaned when they got to what seemed like the correct floor.
“No, let me do it myself,” he said again. Katsuki rolled his eyes.
After about ten more minutes of this guy walking around on all fours, he paused and sat back on his knees.
“What now?” Katsuki asked, getting progressively more annoyed.
“That says 405?” he asked, pointing up at a room next to them.
“Yes, is it yours?” Katsuki asked. The man laughed.
“Wrong floor,” the guy said, as if it was a joke.
And that was the last straw. Katsuki yanked the guy up and hoisted him over his shoulder.
“Fuck’s sake. What floor? And don’t fucking puke on me or I’ll really kill you,” Katsuki snapped. The guy hummed.
“Third floor,” he mumbled. “324.”
For some reason, this guy’s soft voice made Katsuki calm down. He wasn’t as angry as he was a moment ago, just really tired.
Really, he should be furious. This guy puked in his car, spilled his things into his puke, and made him follow him around the apartment building while he crawled. And all that was after Katsuki saved his ass from a gang.
He carried the man down one floor and to the correct room. He fished in the guys pockets until he found the keys and unlocked the door. He didn’t feel like waiting for him to manage it himself.
Once they were inside he kicked his own shoes off before setting the man down on the step and taking off his as well. While he was untying the guy’s laces, his forehead dropped onto Katsuki’s shoulder.
Katsuki froze for a moment. Why did his chest feel so tight? It was too hot in here, did this guy not have AC?
“Come on, get up,” Katsuki said once he tossed the guy’s shoes to the side.
“Can’t stand,” the man pouted. He wrapped his arms around Katsuki’s neck and went limp.
“Why do I have to fucking carry you to your room? You’re home now,” Katsuki complained.
The guy didn’t budge. Katsuki just wanted to get this over with.
He could have left him. But for some reason he didn’t.
“Hold on then,” he said. He held the backs of the man’s thighs and picked him up.
He was light. Definitely wasn’t doing any physical activity.
Katsuki was pampering this guy too much. He went along with his bullshit for too long. But, right now instead of feeling angry or annoyed, he felt sleepy.
As he made his way to the bedroom he felt sleepier. And even more so when he dropped the guy onto the bed. He didn’t let go of Katsuki right away, pulling him on top of him a little.
Shit, why did he smell so good? Katsuki wanted to bury his face in his soft looking black hair and sleep forever.
“Hey, let go,” he said, and even his voice sounded tired. The man obeyed.
“Are you leaving now?” he asked. Katsuki raised an eyebrow at him.
“What else am I gonna do?” he asked him.
“Stay over with me!” the man said with a big smile. Katsuki’s face flushed.
“What?! Why would I do that?”
“I like spending time with you. It’s fun.”
Katsuki paused before answering that. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Fun? You were kidnapped today. That’s fun to you?”
“Yeah, I like Ground Zero,” he said, giggling.
Katsuki felt his stomach flip.
“You’re fucking insane.”
“If you go, you have to come back!” the man whined loudly.
“Why the fuck would I do that? Go to sleep, I’m leaving,” Katsuki said, turning around to walk away.
He didn’t walk far before he felt a hand grip his forearm tightly.
He looked back, and the man was sitting up. His eyes looked desperate and sad. Katsuki felt the tightness in his heart get more intense.
“Please don’t go. If you go, I’ll just be miserable again. Please stay with me,” the man begged.
There were tears forming in his eyes. What was this guy’s problem? And why was Katsuki taking a step closer to him and cupping his face with his hands?
“I have to go, but I’ll come back if you really want,” he said in the softest voice he’d ever mustered.
The man smiled brightly again, and Katsuki felt warm. His heart fluttered, and face went red.
“I want you to! Please, come back soon!” he said, releasing his grip on Katsuki’s wrist.
It felt hard to breathe as Katsuki let go of his face. Why did he just want to crawl in his bed and sleep next to him so badly? He didn’t even know this guy’s name, or anything about him.
But when was the last time he heard anyone say they liked him, or they wanted him to stay? Someone besides fans who’d never interacted with him. Katsuki was nothing but rude to this guy but he was still requesting to stay by his side.
“I’m going. Sleep, and I’ll see you soon,” Katsuki said. The man nodded before climbing under the covers.
Katsuki could hear him snoring before he even left the bedroom.
Yeah, he’d come back. Maybe just once.