Chapter Text
It was a trap.
He should've seen it coming; It was way too easy to find them, too easy to sneak up on them, and way too easy to get up to the top floor of the five-story building they're currently in. Still, somehow, he had no fucking idea that it was a goddamn trap. Now they're standing here, their little ragtag bunch of renegades, all lined up and prepared for battle, just to see that there's not a goddamn thing here.
Except, of course, for the fucking bomb in the middle of the open space.
He looks around, scanning the room before turning to his classmates, his friends, and watches as one by one they all realize what's happening. All of them eventually stop, their fists lowered as they look around at each of the others as if to confirm what they're seeing. Kaminari just stands there, his eyes glazed over as he stares blankly at the bomb. Todoroki is the first to speak, not noticing the blond's reaction to their current predicament.
"We need to leave. I'll use my ice to make a slope for us to escape through a window." He states calmly, walking over to the window and placing his right palm on the ledge to begin forming a makeshift fire escape. None of them notice Kaminari starting to walk towards the bomb except for Bakugo.
"Oi, Sparky, what're you doing? We're leaving, dumbass." He mutters, stepping towards him as Kirishima walks over as well.
Kaminari completely ignores them, seemingly in a trance as he looks down at the small-ish crate sized bomb that would easily destroy the structure of a frail old building like this. He reaches down to pick up the timer, which tells them all that they have exactly four minutes to get out of the building before they're buried under rubble. The blond looks around the room, the living room of a small apartment which has random scorch marks on the floor and walls as well as places where the faded floral wallpaper is peeling. It's obvious that nobody's lived here in years, but Kaminari's face goes more white with every square inch of the space he takes in. "It's for me," He whispers to himself, Kirishima and Bakugo being the only ones close enough to hear it. Midoriya, Todoroki, and Jirou all wait at the window, watching the scene before them unfold.
"The fuck d'you mean, "It's for me?" We're all here, pikachu; It's obviously a fucking trap for all of us. Dumb fuckers at the League of Villains probably thought they'd get more of us here and that we'd be fuckin idiots." Bakugo snickers, shaking his head with a grin. "Bastards. Can't wait until I can get my hands on 'em."
Kirishima, however, tenses slightly and takes hold of Bakugo's wrist. "Kami? Dude, what's up?" He asks, feigning calmness as he talks to his best friend, the guy he's helped though so much over the past year. "C'mon, man, we've gotta go. Building's gonna go down when that bomb goes off."
Kaminari starts chuckling softly as he slowly shakes his head, his laughter building into slight hysterics after a few seconds as tears begin to form in his eyes. He looks over at his best friend, at his best friend's boyfriend, at his girlfriend, and at Todoroki and Midoriya, and just shakes his head. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to hurt any of you. I'm staying here, okay? I'm finally home again."
Jirou steps forwards angrily, her voice shaking as she speaks. "What the hell are you talking about, Denki? Come on, we're leaving now."
Todoroki and Midoriya both reach out and put a hand on each of her arms, ready to pull her out the window with them if need be. They both watch the situation unfold in silence, one of them horrified and the other seemingly indifferent.
Meanwhile, Bakugo looks absolutely murderous. "Listen to me, dumbass, we're leaving, and we're not doing it without you. So get your ass out that window before I fucking bash your face in!" He roars, small explosions going off in his hands.
"Wouldn't do that if I were you. Structural integrity kinda doesn't exist in this building; Never has." Kaminari hums in response to Bakugo's mini-explosions as he wanders aimlessly around the living room, absentmindedly touching the scorch marks on the walls.
Bakugo thinks back to one very specific night when he and Kaminari were the last ones awake at a sleepover with their whole group of friends, the night they had both decided to open up to each other. He remembers a few specific comments the other had made, comments about how electricity can burn wallpaper or hardwood, comments about how anger can make someone do some outrageous things, comments about how angry his mother used to get at him and his father. He remembers the story of his parents, his quirkless, defenseless father and his mother who always seemed to be angry. He remembers how off it had seemed that a 12 year old kid had somehow managed to survive alone in the city after running away from home. Bakugo takes another good look around the room, finally piecing it all together. "Sparky. C'mon, we'll deal with your melodrama later. I know how this shit goes, man, I dealt with the same things as a kid. You've just gotta deal with it." He says, sounding as though he isn't going to put up with any of Kaminari's shit.
Kaminari shakes his head, his hand dropping from a scorch mark down to his side. "No, dude, not after everything I've done. I've told them so much, I can't--Bakugo, they'll throw me in prison." He says desperately, a couple of stray tears making their way down his face.
Bakugo ignores Kirishima pulling him towards the window, just talking louder so that he drowns out his boyfriend's pleads for him to just leave it alone. "And? They'll let you out again, idiot. You're still a fucking kid and they know that; Long as you tell them everything you can go back. You can fix the shit you've fucked up." He says, thinking about how if he had lived with minor differences in his life then he could be in the same situation as Kaminari. He knows, though, that it's not too late for him; he can still get his life together, he can still be a hero, he can still be Kaminari the dumbass and not Kaminari the villain. However, the blond in question isn't having any of it. Todoroki and Midoriya pull Jirou out the window and down the slope, not allowing her time to fully process what's being said, and therefore not giving her time to get angry and really fight back against them.
"No, Bakugo, it's too late. You need to leave, okay? I don't want this to hurt you. It's meant for me." Kaminari whispers, moving back to the center of the room as his shoulders shake with the effort of holding back sobs.
0:52
"No, you asshole! You're fucking leaving with us, are you kidding me?!" The fiery blond roars, secretly terrified of failing to save one of his friends.
0:47
"I can't! They won't take me, Bakugo! Even the League won't have me anymore!"
0:40
"Would you pull your fucking head out of your ass?! All Might would never let them keep you locked up forever!"
0:34
"Just leave, Bakugo, please!"
0:30
"I'm not fucking leaving you, goddamnit! Just fucking listen to me! It's not too fucking late to fix shit!"
0:22
"Get him the hell out of here, Kirishima!"
0:20
"Kirishima, I swear to fucking god if you-"
0:17
"Are you sure, Kami?" Kirishima says, his voice calm but wavering.
0:14
"Yes. Please, just go." Kaminari whispers, nodding as he wraps his arms around himself.
0:10
"Kirishima you son of a bitch don't you fucking dare-"
0:05
"Goodbye, guys. I'm sorry for everything."
0:00