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Bakugou keeps one pouch on his belt stocked full of colorful powder. Different little sachets of chemicals, mostly types of chloride and sulfates. Nothing dangerous, supposedly; who truly knows, it's Bakugou after all.
Anyways.
It just, became a thing at one point. Sero asked him about the costume change once, said he was starting to look like a gadget hero, but Bakugou just shrugged and walked away.
So yeah. No one really knows what it's for. Not until a few months later.
He's on a mission with Jacks and Sparky; should have been a quick in-out situation.
But no. There's kids involved.
Five of the little fuckers tied up and shaking in the back of the office building. The oldest can't be more than ten.
He moves before he even realizes. Can't help it; it's instinctual now. He knows how those kids must feel.
Trapped.
Helpless and unable to move because of some dumbfuck villain.
He's been there. It's not a fun feeling.
Bakugou soars over the criminal leader, some idiot with eight eyes and too many legs. He levels a blast at the guys head, blinds him, and continues on towards the kids. He knows his team'll take over, can already hear the crackling of electricity.
The moment he touches ground, the world goes black. The kids start screaming. Or they would be; they'd been gagged and bound like fucking piglets.
Their garbled sobbing surrounds him.
He hates the sound with every fiber of his being.
"Hey, oi! It's alright!" He's stage whispering, trying to hear for nearby villains over the kids' crying. "It's just dark, yeah? Doesn't even hurt."
It takes a moment, but Bakugou realizes he can't hear his teammates anymore. Fuck. More than just darkness, apparently. Probably a capture quirk.
He's uncomfortably well acquainted with those, too.
He shuffles into a crouch and turns over his palms, pointing them skyward. "I'm gonna make a little noise so don't freak." His hands light up with tiny sparks, little pops and snaps of pale yellow and white. Bakugou can just see each kid in front him.
There's still five, thank fuck.
Their eyes are huge and wet and shiny, faces covered in snot and tears and god he wants to rip that eight eyed freak a new asshole for no doubt giving these kids years of nightmares. Instead, he lets the light fade and reaches for a packet of powder. He picks one at random, pulls off a glove, and sprinkles the tiniest amount on his bare palm. When he strikes up the next crackle of fire, it glows a vivid blue. He grabs another sachet and adds it on, pleased when the result creates a sparkler of neon purple.
The children are staring wide eyed at the display, sniffling loudly but slowly forgetting their terror.
Bakugou adds another, and another; green, bright pink, sunshine yellow. He wiggles his fingers and waves them around like distorted fireflies. It's not much, but it's something. Anything to keep their minds occupied.
He doesn't expect the little watery smile he gets from the last kid on the row. Almost misses it behind the gag and tape, but it's there.
They sit together in their little bubble of darkness and faerie lights and somehow it's okay.
He trusts his partners to find the fucker that trapped them. It's a new revelation, but comforting. Somewhere down the line his classmates had earned that much. Not that he'd tell them. They didn't need to know.
But still. He was thankful.
Meant he could focus on the five tiny gremlins in front of him. Maybe they wouldn't feel as alone as he had.
Bakugou sprinkles on another set of colors and goes back to his show. If he's lucky, maybe he can earn another little smile.
He gets a letter a few weeks later. It's mostly crayon and glitter and something he hopes is grape juice. Someone had helpfully translated the blobby kanji at the bottom of the page for him.
"Dear Mr. Rainbow," he snorts, waving off Kirishima's questioning look. "My name is Kabu. My mom says you are the hero that saved me. She says your name is Ground Zero. I like Mr. Rainbow better."
Kirishima's looking over his shoulder at this point. He should shove him off, but he doesn't.
"Thank you for finding me and my friends. Especially Miki. She's afraid of the dark, but not anymore. She says she got a nightlight that changes colors. I'm kind of jealous."
He spots a little squiggly rainbow over the words and grins.
"We were really scared until you and the other heroes came in. You were so cool! You flew! And then you stayed with us the whole time in the dark. It would have been really scary without you."
If he's crying, at least Kirishima doesn't say anything.
"I'm running out of paper now, oops. Bye Mr. Rainbow!"
And down at the bottom, hidden beneath what he thinks is a drawing of a grenade, is a little P.S.
"You're my favorite hero."
Years later, even after he's filled a wall with certificates of achievement and dozens of awards, the little letter is his favorite. It sits smack dab in the middle of the wall, still in the rainbow frame Momo made him.
He still wears the special pouch on his belt.
Always will.