Work Text:
It had been slow. Too slow. Wa-ay too slow. Literally nothing had been happening for three god damn weeks. And Ground Zero was about to blow a fucking fuse.
Said Hero sat at his desk, head buried in his arms to keep himself from glancing at the clock for the nth time that day. He was caught up in all his paperwork and had organized it in six different ways. The most exciting thing on the news for the past few days was the multiple births of some panda cubs. He had even gone through his social media pages but quit after an hour of being bombarded with notifications he couldn't give two shits about.
He grunted when a knock rattled his desk, having a pretty good idea who it was. “Hey, man,” yep, Kirishima. “I know things are not your speed right now, but you've got to at least look busy.”
“With what?” He picked his head up enough to peak out. “I've done everything. Fuck, I even went to a couple of the interns to see if they needed anything.”
Kirishima looked away in thought. “Huh, that explains it…”
“... Explains what?”
“Oh!” Bakugou narrowed his eyes at Kirishima's knowing smile. “I overheard some of them talking about how they thought they weren't doing a good enough job because a Hero demand they give up some of their workload. Might need to talk to them about it. They're kinda stressing themselves out…”
“They're interns. They need a fire lit under their asses every now and then to keep'em on their toes,” he put his head back down. It was blissfully quiet for a moment; nothing but the static of office background. Until Kirishima opened his stupid mouth again.
“We could go spar?”
The blond heaved a sigh as he stood, reaching for his gauntlets. “I can only pummel your sorry ass so many times. Think I'll just go on patrol. Grab a bite while I'm out.”
“Oh, cool! I'll come with! Not like I'm doing anything either.”
The outside was just as uneventful as the inside had been in terms of excitement. However, it was outside, among fresh air and the bustle of city life, so it was better. The Heroes had been stopped by fans a few times during their route, but beyond that, they might as well have been off duty.
“I can't believe this… I came to this location because crime is higher. What gives!” Kirishima nudged his friend in warning to keep his voice down.
“Dude, I know it's boring, but don't complain! Being bored in our line of work is a good thing! Enjoy it while it lasts.”
He was right, Bakugou knew that. There a small fraction of him that was genuinely glad things were as peaceful as they currently were. He was just so done with being cooped up at his desk, not doing anything. As much as he despised doing them, he was actually contemplating setting up some interviews that he had previously turned down.
A panicked voice carrying over the city sounds gained his attention. He caught sight of a frantic woman through the crowd, calling out and looking every which way. Before he or his companion could fully turn to approach her, she spotted them, nearly knocking people over in her rush to get to them.
“Please!” She latched onto Red Riot, who had been closer. “Please! My baby! Please! I c-can't-” she choked on her own babbling sobs.
“Whoa, whoa! Slow down! Take a breath! We can't help if you can't tell us what's wrong!” Bakugou couldn't help but be grateful that the redhead was the one she had got to first. Kirishima's natural way with people, even in stressful situations, he would never cease to be a bit envious of. The woman calmed after a few gulps of air. “Alright, now, what's happened? What about your baby?”
“I-I can't find them! We were over by the pet stall in the outdoor market and I let go of their hand to dig in my purse for just a second!” She hiccuped, becoming increasingly more hysterical. “They didn't answer my calls or make any sounds! They're sh-shy so they always stay close-close to me wh-when we go out anywhere, and they weren't under any of the t-tables, o-or- or-”
Kirishima caught her in a strong embrace as she started to crumble. He gave comforting words as he and Bakugou shared a look. It wasn't unusual for small children to wander away from their parents. Not even for a shy kid that would normally stick to their parents’ side if something got their attention. It was what might've gotten enough of their attention to wander far enough out of range that was worrisome.
Kirishima pulled the woman back enough to make eye contact, beaming that sunshine smile of his. “Don’t worry, ma'am! I'm sure they just got distracted and are fine. Can you tell us what they look like?”
She sniffled, seeming to be taking to Red Riots words. “They're not yet five, wearing a-” her head snapped away as several loud bangs and screams rang out. The woman was trying to escape Kirishima's grasp to run in the direction people were running from. The outdoor market.
Bakugou was already moving, now feeling like shit for complaining about being bored as a massive explosion rang out. A kid was missing and it was looking like a villain might be involved with it. He swore as he blasted his way above the crowd.
The area was scarce save for a few stragglers and shop keepers that were too stubborn to leave their wares. Bakugou spun in place once he landed, getting the layout and where the potential threat might be. He saw nothing as he ran in a direction. He skid to a stop upon turning a corner, taking in the destruction.
Stalls, furniture, and goods were piled on either side of the street, into large circular indents made into side building walls. There were items that looked as though they had been flattened into the ground, the concrete cracked and bowing inward. Like something had forced everything back from a center point. There were more of these indents farther down, though on much smaller scales and not as impactful. Now, he just needed to find the asshole responsible for all this.
A sound of sucking air coming from behind caused him to spin on his heel, hand out and crackling with carefully restrained power. He was still aware that a kid was missing; an easy go to for a hostage. Only, there was no one behind him. But there was a transparent orb that he almost missed, gently floating at about eye level.
He kept his hands up, on guard for any movement as he slowly made his way over. He stopped a little more than arm's length from it. This close it looked more like a bubble, a bit bigger than his head. No one was around.
“Goddamnit- WHERE ARE YOU HIDING-!?”
BANG
He was blown back from a forceful gale. He managed to stay on his feet, whipping around for the source. The bubble was gone and in its place was a new crack in the street. The source of the destruction. But where were they coming from?
The same sound of sucking air came a little ways off, above him. He spotted the bubble, sitting there oh so innocently, just seeable against the sky. Several more appeared, growing into existence like someone was blowing up balloons. There were no more than two at a time. When a new one appeared, a previous one would loudly pop in an expulsion of air. They were moving up.
His eyes followed ahead of the path they were making- There! A figure hovering high above the low buildings. That was either the missing kid or the villain responsible, much farther away. The way he was lead to see them made a voice in his mind scream trap. However, Bakugou was not one for idle standing by to work things through. He was best when doing in the moment.
He wasted little time blasting his way up, the figure quickly growing closer. He allowed momentum to carry him upward, just past them to give himself enough time to see what he was dealing with. He hung in the air above them for less than a few seconds, but it was enough.
A small child was in a bubble just big enough for them, bawling hysterically, desperately reaching for him as he began to drop. There wasn't a sound coming from them. The bubble might very well be soundproof, which would explain why no one had heard the no doubt ear-shattering screams they were making. Bakugou was in slight relief. The kid was found, scared out of their mind, but seemingly unharmed… but where the hell was the villain? He didn't know if he could get them out of that bubble without causing them harm. Then there was the matter of safely getting them down-
The bubble holding the kid popped suddenly, knocking Bakugou away as the kids scream dropped past him.
Panic in his belly and heart in his throat, Bakugou shot after them. He had just managed to grab onto them when another, bigger bubble appeared around the kid, engulfing his hands and half of his gauntlets in with them. The bubble came to a stop in midair, Bakugou following after, gravity causing him to roll until he was dangling under it. His arms felt as though they were being pulled out of their sockets from the abrupt stop. How the fuck was this holding him?!
Taking a quick glance down, he saw they were still a good ways from the ground. He looked back up into the bubble. The kid was looking at him through tears, snot, and spit, mouthing something he could just hear but not make out, gripping onto his hand like a vice. He couldn't say he blamed them. Hanging this high in the air with no control or anything to hold on to was not a pleasant position to be in.
It was in that moment, when he realized the kid was apologizing, did a thought strike him.
”They're not yet five…”
His eyes widened upon noticing the bubble quiver. “Oh, fucking hell-"
He was more ready for the blast this time. The kid had one hell of a grip on his hand, thankfully. With the help of his feet, he managed to get the gauntlet off the arm not attached to the kid, flinging it away. He pulled them in close, securing them to his chest with his naked arm, making sure their face was buried into his neck.
He yelled for the kid to close their eyes and hang on tight, little arms nearly choking him being the only clue he got that they'd heard. He turned his body to face the ground that was quickly approaching. He might have spotted movement below him, but the smoke from the painfully massive one-handed explosion blocked his view.
Blast after blast he let out, desperately trying to slow down in time. His arm was screaming in strain, the explosions becoming weaker. The only plan that seemed to be on repeat was to land on his back to minimize damage to the kid, but slow down enough so he would receive minimum damage. He thought that a voice came to his ear, but with the roaring wind and his own rapid pulse, he wasn't sure.
He paused in his explosions, needing to see how close to the ground they were. Too close. He started to turn and shift the kid as they fell past the top of the nearest building. He barely comprehended a figure standing there.
He shut his eyes, bracing for impact when something wrapped around his torso multiple times. They were jerked, being pulled to fall at an arch rather than straight down. He felt the heels of his boots drag across concrete for an agonizing second, before lifting, slamming into something soft enough to survive the landing, but hard enough to really feel the full impact.
He gasped, not realizing he hadn't been breathing, as he settled into whatever he was laying on. Cautiously, he opened his eyes, seeing the sky being bordered by tarp material. It took him a moment to realize the static in his ears were muffled voices, growing louder and more clear as the adrenalin slowly ebbed away.
He grunted at the weight on his chest shifted, almost forgetting that they were there. The kid was trembling something awful, small sniffles and hiccups escaping. His neck felt sticky. Tears and snot most likely, he thought with a grimace.
He slowly sat up with some difficulty, finding his arms bound to him, shushing the kid as their grip tightened from the movement. Despite his restricted movement, he tried to pull them away as much as he could to assess any damage, but they refused to let go, whimpering and snuggling deeper each time Bakugou attempted. Not even his (less) harsh commands would loosen their grip. Sucking his teeth in defeat, he pulled himself up to crawl out to the open.
“Hey! You alright?” Bakugou came face to stupid helmet with Cellophane. He thought this tape looked familiar.
“Fine. Now, get me the hell out of this!”
A short time passed, explaining the situation to authorities as he was cut from Sero's tape. The kid still clung to him tightly. They would cry the second they would feel someone grab them and only settle when left alone. Not even Kirishima could talk them from letting go. In fact, as soon as they saw the redheads sharp smile, they started screaming right in Bakugou's ear, which in turn caused him to yell for Kirishima to fuck off. So, medics did what they could to work around.
As annoying as it was, Bakugou couldn't help but feel a bit smug that they felt so safe around him. Not to mention the media catching him allowing a small scared child to cling to him would really help boost his ratings. His PR agent was going to be over the moon with all the shit he usually got.
It was only when the frantic woman from earlier came forward did they finally move. The calm that had finally settled over them being shattered to wails as they reached for their mother. Bakugou had to admit as he watched them walk away, that he felt good. He'd never say it out loud, but he had started to feel… warm when that kid was clinging to him like a lifeline. His chest was starting to feel a bit cold now.
“Hey,” he glanced to Kirishima, who had slung his arm over his shoulder to watch with him. His face was scrunched. “You smell that?”
Now that he mentioned it, yeah, Bakugou could pick up something… coming from him. He picked at his costume, noticing a bit of dampness to it. He brought his nose to it and took a whiff.
“Are you shitting me?! That little brat fucking pissed on me!”