Chapter Text
The screaming of the train’s brakes filled the air of an otherwise fairly vacant desert; and Eijiro tugged the reins, lowering his weight as he urged his horse forward.
This early? He was fairly certain they would’ve waited to attack at least closer to sunset, or at least one of the larger shipments planned for closer to the afternoon. Not to mention during training? Most everyone was prepared at that time, it was just a matter of reaching the location.
He wondered if they were just stupid vigilantes, or the attack had more motive and planning than he could comprehend. But there wasn’t time to dwell on why the attack was happening now; his crew needed him, and he was going to be there as swiftly as possible.
“Kirishima!” Deku yelled, And Eijiro hastened, riding up to the scene.
Bakugo was occupied battling what looked to be a new vigilante on the rooftop, while Tsu and Uraraka looked to be helping out passengers inside.
“Kaminari is trying to get the train to slow down, but it won’t budge! We think it has something to do with one of the vigilantes' quirks, which is why Bakugo is fighting one up top-” a loud boom interrupted the rest of his sentence, and Eijiro looked around.
“And Todoroki?” He yelled, as the train alarmed again, not seeming to lose speed. “On his way! Koda sent out the alarms, but we need to stall the train so he can catch up! Think you can do it?”
Eijiro dwelled on this a little. He was being counted on, but it wasn’t exactly an easy feat. To stall the train, he would have to push back on the tons of weight that were propelling at 50 km an hour, without derailing it either. He smiled and nodded.
“I’ll need the train to shed a few tons! Have Tsu and Uraraka gotten all the passengers into the front cab?” Deku looked behind them at this, in which a floating cargo crate tied down trailing from the cab 3 train cars behind him, signaling they were all safely in the cab.
“Yeah! I’ll fall back and detach the other train cars, but you’ll need to hold the whole train's weight for a brief moment!” Kirishima nodded, grinning.
“I got you, partner! And not a single piece of cargo will get derailed, not on my watch!” While there was more to be said, they would be wasting time; and both sped towards opposite ends of the train.
As the train loudly bellowed, and explosions and smoke filled the air, Eijiro let out a big grin, now about half a kilometer out from the train. He leapt off his horse, running to position at the center of the tracks.
So Kaminari at least managed to slow it down! He thought to himself, letting out a deep breath as his skin hardened; his legs digging in preparation. He heard a click, and the train suddenly propelled a little faster; if Kamanari hadn’t found a way to at least kill the train's regular engine, Eijiro would’ve been screwed.
Eijiro pushed back with a significant amount of force, the train drilling into his body. He was taking on a giant, and it was not at all easy, but he kept grinning and kept that energy to himself. It wouldn’t make him much of a cowboy to admit it was kicking his ass to do this.
His body slid, and loud wails sounded as the train was slowed to a near halt. He was doing it! But for how long was the real determining factor in this mission.
Deku was likely now searching the remaining cabins for the villain responsible for the phantom train, and derailing it still wasn't an option; much of the cargo were fragile explosives. Conveniently. Eijiro cackled at that; it was almost like he was in an action novel.
At this point, his legs started to burn with friction and overuse- and he pushed his body to harden once again. Just a little longer! He thought, his shins now cracking open as he grit his teeth, pushing to hold the train for a little longer.
His hopes were shortly realized; as he heard the steady gallop of a horse, followed by the sound of ice, and a cool mist flowing above him. Eijirou beamed and rolled off the tracks, the train drilling through a few levels of ice before slowing to a stop.
“Thanks, Todoroki! You got me outta there just in the knick of time!” Todoroki nodded, and a steady, quiet gallop came up behind them. He turned around steadily as the sound came to a halt, looking up at the smiling, blonde haired sheriff; who's frail posture sank against a large steed. The sheriff tipped his hat at Eijiro, and he beamed. After the rest of his posse centered around the sheriff, he began to speak.
“Good work out there, deputies! I’m very excited to pass the responsibility of taking care of the town to all of you. You successfully caught our vigilantes, without harming anyone or detonating cargo, at that. And so swiftly!” Sheriff All Might nodded. "Ranger Midoriya. You did fine work leading this crew. Despite the challenge of many of your deputies being preoccupied, you successfully led a plan to halt further movement, allowing for them to catch up!” Deku beamed, and Eijirou quietly laughed to himself.
Bakugo mentioned there was something between the two, but he would never tell Eijirou what exactly; the man had his assumptions, though. After all, there had to be something, they had damn near the same quirk. As he snapped out of his train of thought, he saw All Might turn to him.
“Speaking of stalling, Deputy Kirishima-” Said all might, and Eijirou darted his eyes up, anxiously waiting for the sentence's continuation. All Might wasn’t disappointed… Was he?
“Amazing Job! Smart moves taking advantage of Tsu and Uraraka’s work on securing the passengers to lose some of the strain that would’ve been heading into your body. Especially in collaboration with Kaminari. You really pushed your capabilities, good job.”
Eijirou was beaming. It wasn’t often he had comments directed at him; and while actual celebration of his contribution was brief, it was there.
“Hey shitty hat, good work out there. I’m tired! What're you doing after this?” Bakugo said, but without any true anger behind it.
People tended to mistake Bakugo’s raspy, defensive tone as hatred, admittedly, Eijirou had too, at first; but he quickly caught on to it to be a guard.
Eijirou adjusted his wide brimmed, red dyed gallon hat as his sweaty hair tousled around underneath, lifting the brim up in the slightest to get a better look at Bakugo’s grimace and stance. Admittedly, his hat wasn’t the best fit for him, but he enjoyed it, and he knew Bakugo did too; he helped him pick it out after all.
“It fits you, stupid! Stop moping around about your old hat, this one suits you better anywhos.”
Eijirou remembered the comfort behind those words, he had lost his family hat in a chase; and could barely muster the strength to put one back on. Despite his happy demeanor, Bakugo caught on and went with him to the tailor to get a new one fitted.
“I ‘ont plan on anythin, how bout ya?” Eijirou responded, grinning.
Bakugo slapped the back of Eijirou’s hat, laughing a bit before spitting his tobacco out onto the rough, desert landscape. “Figured you, Kaminari an I could go out for a few drinks.”
Eijirou nodded, rubbing the back of his head and adjusting his hat again, straightening his jacket before kicking over onto his horse, grabbing the reins and flashing his sharp, constrictor-like grin.
“Course! Lemme drop off Tess an’ I’ll meet ya over. Black Spur? Per usual?”
Bakugo tipped his hat, following suit with his own horse; before quickly heading off, yelling out; “Don’t be late, shitty hat! Or you owe me a drink for wasting my time!”
Eijirou laughed, heading towards the stables as he glanced behind him; the figure of Bakugo racing off slowly getting smaller, the desert dust dissipating through the harsh, hot air, and the sun sitting at its final blazing peak before sunset.
I’ll remember that image, if it’s all I remember from today. Thought Eijirou, looking east again as he rode towards Tess’ stables.
☀️
Eijirou stopped at the alley between Black Spur and the local tailor, his usual spot to collect himself before drinking. Eijirou wasn’t a flirty drunk, or a mouthy drunk, but he was an honest drunk, and any little semblance of secrecy would get let out if he didn’t drill topics to avoid into his head before the fact. Not that the others would remember, either: he was always the one to get the least drunk out of the group, and there were times he knew he let something slip he shouldn’t have that the other’s didn’t remember jack about, but the last thing he wanted were rumors about it either.
He was here first, luckily; Bakugo would urge him in if he had gotten there any later, if there was one thing about Bakugo that was a mild nuisance it was his persistence, and impatience. One or the other at a time from Bakugo helped him break out of his shell, but both at once always had Eijirou jumping in without a second thought.
He did that frequently, with Bakugo; his want to impress him killed any sort of rationale most times, jumping in and handling the consequences later. It was a poor attempt to mock that of what he admired in Bakugo, and that was his ability to adapt. Where Eijirou needed the world to follow a script and the events after were guessing games; for Bakugo it seemed at least, he already had a plan for what was next, no matter how frustrated he may seem.
It had every essence of cowboy laced into it; the way Bakugo talked, thought, fought, and acted; and Eijirou was slightly envious. At least, it’s what he thought he was feeling, why else would he be so drawn to his presence?
No matter what being around Bakugo brought him into, he always wanted to be a part of that mystique.
Eijirou sunk further back against the side of the saloon, the slightly rancid smell of the alley filling his nostrils as he tried to remind himself of why he was in the alley to begin with.
He cleared his head, reminding himself of the list of topics he created after the first incident, tugging at his jacket as he strained against himself. As he battled his own thoughts, he looked up, noticing the smell of the rancid alley replaced by that of tobacco, sagebrush, and a little bit of dust. His guess was confirmed by the ragged, unruly blonde locks escaping from the brim of a big black hat, accented with an orange ribbon slightly hanging off the left side of its brim; he found himself focusing in on the way the ribbon gently brushed against the dirty blonde locks. He snapped out of the small trance, locking eyes with the interruption in the atmosphere of the once lonely, dark alley.
“Hey, Seems like you're the late one.” He grinned.
"Nah… I'm just later than you, stand-out. We're still waiting on Kaminari. But anywho… why ain't ya inside? This alley smells like shit."
Eijirou gripped at the top of his hat slightly, shoving his hand in his pocket as he mustered for a reasonable answer.
"Just not much of a lone drinker, s'all. Figured I'd wait out here so I dinnt have ta talk ta anyone unfamiliar."
Bakugo nodded, yet Eijirou caught the slight raise of his brow as he did. "Whatever you say, shitty hat. Don't matter now though, let's head inside while we decide what kinda drinks that we want that fucker to pay us back with."
Bakugo turned sharp, heading out the alley and around towards the saloon's swinging doors, Eijirou heard as a loud swing slammed the hard wood of the door against the saloon's shackly frame. Eijirou laughed, taking his own leave from the alley and gently opening the door, following Bakugo into the dark yet homey atmosphere of Black Spur.
They sat next to one another at the middle of the bar; Eijirou taking the seat closer towards the saloon's entrance. "What're you gettin, you two?" Asked Ectoplasm, slightly veering towards the liquor cabinet.
"Usual, Scotch for me." Eijirou tipped his hat down a bit, and he peered over the brim of his gallon hat at Bakugo.
"Same here, make sure to put it on Kaminari's tab." Eijirou smirked as he watched Bakugo grin at himself, catching the two glasses of scotch Ectoplasm slid their way. Bakugo pushed one of the glasses of scotch towards Eijirou, before taking a hearty drink of his own.
The doors clattered open again, And Kaminari practically fell through the entrance, his black hat with a large yellow ribbon carefully held in his hand, like Kaminari anticipated it's fall. He stumbled up before taking a seat along the other side of Bakugo.
"AW I was last again, wasn't I? My tab is gonna be so big!!!" He cried.
Ectoplasm slid over a glass to Kaminari, and he quickly drank it, coughing a little with his haste. Eijirou patted his friend's back a few times, giving a half hearted smile.
"You did good, Kaminari! Just speed up!", He laughed, before taking a drink of his own glass, the warm sensation heating his throat as it went down.
"Those sidewinders didn't stand a chance against us today! Especially you, Kirishima! How the fuck did ya hold back an entire train?"
Eijirou's cheeks flushed to match the heat in his throat, and he took another hearty swig to keep his body focused on something else.
"S'Norhing really, just been workin on ma endurance s'all. Plus, couldn't a done it long enough if Denki didn't find a way to shut off the added speed from the train engine."
Eijirou didn't really know how to handle a compliment from Bakugo, it was why he always had to mentally prepare himself before they were both drunk. Bakugo said things he didn't mean, while Eijirou said too many things he meant out loud.
It was an entirely painful experience, but he could never turn it down, because at least for the moment, he could pretend that Bakugo meant all those things with absolute honesty.
Some things it was obvious were sincere, like his comments about the train fight, but others, weren't as obvious; especially the more drunk and flustered Eijirou got himself.
The men continued to drink into the later evening, getting invested in hypothetical conversations about what they'd do if they were quirkless. Eijirou loved watching how invested his friends got, the way passion seemed to burn past their drunken stupors.
Bakugo made it clear if he certainly, positively, was quirkless and not just late like 'Sidewinder Deku' he'd be a ranger assist and handle the more mundane tasks of an operation; whilst Kaminari half-jokingly said he'd take alongside Ectoplasm as a barkeep.
Eijirou on the other hand, could only see himself as becoming a ranch hand on his family's farm back home, as much as that wasn't what he wanted; realistically, he would have no reason to do otherwise.
Thankfully in their drunkenness, Eijirou's friends simply amounted Eijirou's alternative route to lack of creativity rather than lack of an escape. And so the conversations continued, as Eijirou watched their glasses begin to line the linoleum countertop; letting himself join his friends in the drunken stupor
However, their night was interrupted by something…. unexpected.
☀️
The laid back, casual drunken environment was quickly interrupted as those rickety doors swung open again; but not to the many usual attendees of Black Spur, but Sheriff All Might and Ranger Deku; whomst very rarely frequented the small town’s saloon. The bustling, crowded, noisy saloon all at once came to a halt- nobody dared to break that silence until they were prompted two by the two outsiders.
However, rather than the two remarking towards the entire, steady and drunken crowd, they approached the very bar at which sat Eijirou, Bakugo, and Kaminari; their posture and footsteps carrying a single, driven purpose. They were definitely not here to drink.
Eijirou tapped his foot against the side of Kaminari's leg, prompting him to lift his head and look around. Kaminari was nearly blackout drunk, but luckily had some semblance of awareness left to handle the upcoming conversation.
"I think All Might and Deku are here to talk to us," Eijiro whispered; and Bakugo turned to face him.
"Wonder if it's anything about that hideout of those shit stains that hijacked the train." Bakugo replied, and Kaminari muttered something that resembled agreement.
The three turned to face The Sheriff and Ranger, still not begging to utter much of a word. Deku was the one to speak first.
"Hey y'all! So, thanks to everyone's good work today, we think we have a lead. On the news about today's hijackers! That is,"
Eijirou watched as Deku beamed. He knew he was more than excited; they had been tracking these particular hijackers for quite some time; so he was understandably enthused.
“So Deku! What does that have to do with me and my crew?” Bakugo said, looking back and forth between him and All Might.
Deku nervously laughed, looking up towards Sheriff All Might; who nodded at Deku as he pulled out a detailed route, and a leather bound journal full of information. Eijirou was not going to ask where he kept that notebook, or how many; no matter how drunk he was.
“Where’d that huge journal come from Deku? you‘d think it woulda come outta-”
He promptly stopped speaking after a quick, friendly slap on the shoulder from Bakugo, and Deku blushed and stuttered before gathering himself and flipping to a page of a detailed map for a town about a 6 hour train ride from their home. Included were many notes about different routes, as well as predicted conditions at various times along the route. Eijirou was amazed; because he knew this was simply the beginning of the notebook, and probably one of his less detailed ones, simply because he had less time with it than the rest of his collection.
All Might adjusted himself, beckoning the group to look at the map, and they all drunkenly bent down, turning their gaze to the notebook. The Sheriff cleared his throat, pointing down at the map.
"It's quite aways out, unless you take the train. However that's really not an option; we think they have an in with people within the rail company. So you'll have to take a route up through the canyon. We think they're trying to cut off our supply before an eventual attack on our town, and that they're using information from someone…. Local."
Eijirou nodded, staring at the canyon pass. It'd take about 3 days to get there, as they were taking a longer, more daunting route.
"Ok, so… why us? I mean I'm not mad! I just am curious."
All Might looked up from the notebook, locking eyes with Eijiro; making him incredibly nervous, and he smiled and All Might grinned back.
"Simple; you three haven't been an active part of the investigation until yesterday, and everyone involved is still present in town or in jail if they were proven hijackers. Your anonymity will serve as a great front to bring a new energy and focus to the town while Deku takes the opportunity to scout out their hideout for information, before we infiltrate their base beforehand. Not to mention, those aware of your ranger status expect you three to easily go rogue , so if you were questioned at all it's likely those questions would quickly get brushed off."
Kaminari was already fast asleep, and Eijirou sighed. He was quite the lightweight, especially compared to the other members of the crew; so he couldn't blame him for crashing in the middle of an unexpected meeting. Eijirou smiled, and Bakugo nodded.
"Fine, we'll take the gig. I assume we leave tomorrow morning? And that everything we need and our identities would be prepared?"
This time, Deku beamed, patting the notebook. "Almost errything bout it will be in here! I'll explain a bit 'fore we leave, but I'll also go in further depth on the travels there. Y'all head out! We meet back here at Sunrise."
Eijiro nodded, turning to wake up Kaminari so he could walk him home. As he turned, Deku and All Might had already left the building, and Bakugo stood up, speaking lowly (for Bakugo) into Eijirou's ear;
"See ya then. Unless you're late… LIGHTWEIGHT!" Bakugo laughed, slapping Eijirou on the back and heading out the door. Eijiro laughed in return, watching as Bakugo exited the still quiet saloon.
Eijiro let out a deep breath as he walked out, hoisting the drunken Kaminari up onto his feet and shuddering. Bakugo is just drunk, he never gets that close and aware of his volume otherwise. Though, even if it was just a playful joke, Eijiro couldn't help but realize it was quite different from the usual ones.
And with that thought, he left Black Spur, leading Kaminari home and preparing for this short, unexpected adventure with his two best friends.