Work Text:
Hakusan is one of the three most sacred mountains in Japan, along with Mt. Fuji and Mt. Tateyama. The mountain towers high above the surrounding peaks and is covered in bright white snow throughout the winter and into early summer, hence its name, which means “white mountain”.
- Hakusan City Tourist Information Guide
Eijirou Kirishima wouldn’t wish the morning he was having on his worst enemy. He woke up with congested sinuses, a throbbing headache, and chills that shook him to the core. Deep down he knew he’d have to cancel his hiking trip with Katsuki, but he needed to make sure. The thermometer beeped, bringing him out of his thoughts.
TEMP: 101.6 °
“Dang it.” Eijirou dropped his head in defeat, snapping a photo of the result.
Shitty Hair: Looks like I’ll have to bail on our bromance trip.
Shitty Hair: *sent attachment*
Bakubro: First of all, stop calling it that.
BakuBro: Second of all, I told you not to kiss that random woman at the bar!
Shitty Hair: But mistletoe!
BakuBro: So?
Shitty Hair: Where’s your spirit for the season?
BakuBro: Where’s your concern for flu season?
Shitty Hair: …
Shitty Hair: But I got her number!
BakuBro: You’re the fucking worst.
Shitty Hair: Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
BakuBro: The stupid game that landed you sick in bed?
Shitty Hair: A manly sacrifice that landed her in my arms. 😍
BakuBro: Gross.
Shitty Hair: Jealousy doesn’t suit you
Bakubro: Bite me.
Shitty Hair: Can’t. I’m off the market.
Bakubro: Die.
Shitty Hair: No. ☺️
Shitty Hair: ANYWAYS.
Shitty Hair: You still going on the trip?
BakuBro: Yeah.
“Fuck.” Katsuki tossed his phone on the bed in frustration. He had looked forward to spending time with his best friend. They graduated college earlier in the spring and planned to celebrate in the great outdoors, opting to travel during the winter to save money.
Katsuki didn’t make friends as a kid. There was a group of idiots that used to follow him around in grade school, but he wasn’t naive. They liked his family’s money, not him. Eijirou was different.
Growing up in a wealthy family had its perks. Katsuki knew that. His father, Masaru, taught him how to save and invest money wisely from a young age. Masaru, with the help of his wife Mitsuki, built a multi-million dollar fashion company. Mitsuki, a lawyer by trade, navigated cut-throat corporate business practices while Masaru handled designs.
The two encouraged Katsuki to follow his dreams of becoming a chemical engineer. Katsuki went to UA, the best private school in the area and was tutored by the best of the best. Once it was time to apply to universities, Masaru took Katsuki on campus tours and guided him through the admissions process. When Katsuki received his acceptance letter from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his parents couldn’t have been prouder.
Mistuki and Masaru were Katsuki’s biggest cheerleaders. He desired to become the best version of himself, and they were there every step of the way. Years of butting heads with his mother and Masaru’s pep talks led to Katsuki graduating summa cum laude. The honors landed him a high-paying process engineering gig in Tokyo. Katsuki was going home!
A month before graduation, the Bakugou Fashion Company was hired to work the upcoming women’s and men’s fashion weeks in Milan that October. Masaru and Mitsuki moved to Italy months in advance to prepare for the events. They flew to Massachusetts from Italy in May for Katsuki’s graduation and flew back the following week. Their showcases were a hit! To no one’s surprise the Bakugous were invited to participate again in March.
“Mom, take the offer. I’ll stick your sorry asses in the shittiest nursing home if you don’t.”
“Don’t give me that shit! It’s bad enough that we’re missing out on the hiking trip you planned.” Mitsuki’s guilt ate away at her.
“Maybe you can ask a friend to go with you in our stead?” Masaru interjected in the background. “I’d feel better if you didn’t go alone.”
Masaru’s concern led to Katsuki inviting Eijirou on the trip. Eijirou’s passion for biomechanical engineering and his strong work ethic impressed Katsuki. It wasn’t long until the roommates became best friends.
Eijirou’s bright personality brought Katsuki out of his shell, while Katsuki’s laser-focused study strategies helped Eijirou’s GPA reach new heights. They partied responsibly (despite Katsuki’s grumbling), worked out, meal prepped, and studied together. Eijirou, ever the hopeless romantic, tried and failed on several occasions to set Katsuki up on dates.
“C’mon man! You won’t get the full college experience without experiencing young love!”
“I will put Nair in your shampoo if you don’t shut the fuck up.”
The topic was never brought up again.
Katsuki wasn’t going to tell his parents that Eijirou had to back out of the trip. They had enough on their plates with the fashion shows. He climbed the other sacred mountains on his own before and was fine. Besides, it was unlikely that the bed and breakfast he booked would issue a refund on late notice. Cancelling would be fiscally irresponsible. Mitsuki taught him better than that.
The lodging was situated a few miles from the main trail and far away from civilization. Just the way he liked it. The less time he had to spend around other people, the better. The amenities were brand new too. The owner told Katsuki that he would be the location’s first customer. There was a risk involved booking with a rookie host, but after reading multiple negative reviews about the other options, he decided to give it a shot. In addition, the cost was the cheapest by a large margin. All he needed was a place to eat, sleep, and shower, and that’s what the host promised. No matter what, he was going on the trip. A notification pinged his phone.
Shitty Hair: When do you leave again?
BakuBro: Tomorrow morning, why?
Shitty Hair: Uh, you might want to check the weather.
Shitty Hair: Apparently a ‘moderate-sized’ snow storm is supposed to hit around Mt. Hakusan tomorrow around sunset.
BakuBro: I’ll just leave earlier tomorrow, start the hike sooner, and finish before the brunt of the storm hits.
Shitty Hair: I don’t know, man. I don’t think it’s a good idea.
BakuBro: How’s that flu coming along, again?
Katsuki set his phone to “Do Not Disturb” before plugging it in to charge. “That idiot is the last person who should be commenting on bad ideas.”
Most of the time, hosts didn’t allow guests until the afternoon, but the location he chose allowed check-ins as early as 9:00 AM. He’d arrive, toss his shit in his room, eat a quick brunch, hike up the mountain and be back thirty minutes before sunset. It would have been nice to enjoy the view for a while, but he had to beat the storm. Eight hours was the cut off.
Waking up at the ass-crack of dawn wasn’t ideal, but Katsuki was set on making his trip a reality. It took a three hour train ride, followed by an hour and a half bus excursion before Katsuki made it to the bed and breakfast. The cottage looked exactly like the illustrations he saw in European fairy tale books as a child.
A quaint white-picketed fence surrounded the property and its landscaping. Each window had matching wooden shutters and boxes filled with promises of lovely flowers. The walkway’s masonry was borderline perfect. Whoever managed to make a bunch of rocks and pebbles fit together like puzzle pieces deserved every bit of financial compensation. Katsuki felt like he had been teleported into a lush, magical, fictional universe.
“I fucking killed it when I booked this place,” he whispered to himself. A sudden uneasy feeling lurched in his stomach.
“Wait a damn min—” Katsuki was interrupted by the most gargantuan dog he had ever seen tackling him to the ground.
“Fubuki!” a female voice cried out. “Get back here!”
The slobbery son of a bitch landed two disgusting licks on his face before the owner yanked it by the collar.
“I am so sorry, sir!” The woman offered Katsuki a hand. “I assure you it won’t happen again.”
“Fucking hell. You sure that’s not a horse?” He groaned, accepting her assistance.
“Take this.” She handed him a handkerchief. “I was going to welcome you at the door, but someone”—she glared at the dog—“beat me to the punch.”
Katsuki examined the woman. He knew he was tall, but compared to her, he was gigantic. By his estimation, the brunette stood at a whopping five feet, no inches tall. Fubuki, on the other hand, was enormous. The St. Bernard was half as tall as her master while on all fours!
“No wonder the dog beat you to it. She has an obvious size advantage.”
“Oh come off it!” she chided with her hands on her hips. “I’m perfectly capable of stopping her. She isn’t that much bigger than me! She just timed her escape well. No big deal.”
One thing was made clear: she wasn’t going to take Katsuki’s shit. Everything from her confident posture to the daggers in her eyes gave the vibe that she could kick his ass. Katsuki assumed she was hiding hard-earned muscles underneath her puffy coat. There was no way she could wrangle Fubuki otherwise.
The woman’s innocent-looking face didn’t fool him. He was likely dealing with a certified badass. So, he did what any self-respecting man would do. He picked a fight.
“Sure about that, shortstack?” He scoffed. “Even if she was the runt of her litter, she’s still colossal in comparison.”
“Do you get off on insulting people you’ve just met?”
“It’s not an insult if it’s a fact, Cheeks.”
“Cheeks?” she sputtered. “Seriously?”
“Do you prefer shortstack?” Katsuki lowered himself to her eye level.
“No!” She leapt back at the intrusion, cheeks
“Oh come on.” He dragged the phrase out in annoyance, rolling his eyes. “It’s not like you’ve introduced yourself. If anything, you’re the rude one here.”
“I’m rude?” she shrieked. “Why you—”
“I’m fucking with you. Relax.” Katsuki pulled up their email thread on his phone, flashing the screen in her face long enough for her to read. “You’re Uraraka, right?”
“Yes. Uraraka Ochako. Not Cheeks, or shortstack, or whatever else you decide to pull out of thin air!” She raised her hands in frustration. Katsuki enjoyed exasperating her.
“And the fur demon?”
“Not a demon!”
Katsuki shrugged. “Could have fooled me…”
Uraraka took a deep breath.
“Her name is Fubuki!” she pointed to her furry companion, who was blissfully unaware of the tension. “She is a trained rescue dog.”
Katsuki raised a brow. “A rescue dog?”
“Yes! Fubuki has been trained to support search parties, even in the snow! We make a good team, her and I. Don’t we, sweetie?” Uraraka bent over to scratch behind Fubuki’s ear.
“It’s kind of fucked up to name a rescue dog Fubuki.”
“It’s a cute name!”
“It means blizzard,” Katsuki deadpanned, bending over to gather his bags. “Could be considered a manifestation, if you think about it…”
Uraraka pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing in frustration. “I’m not going to explain myself to the likes of you.”
“Good. Because I don’t give a shit.”
Katsuki sauntered towards the cottage, leaving Uraraka behind. Fubuki trotted beside him, tail wagging with gusto.
“Oh, she’s definitely not getting a treat now,” Uraraka grumbled under her breath. “That traitor…”
Thanks to his parents dragging him to various mansion parties growing up, Katsuki recognized the cottage’s high quality construction. Testing his theory, he tapped his knuckle on the wall—no echo. It was solid. Although modest in size, the home wasn’t lacking in decor or craftsmanship. The luxurious wood floors, made of what he assumed was oak, were properly maintained without a splinter in sight. The open floor plan breathed life into the space, allowing Katsuki to view most of the first floor from his spot at the entrance.
On his right was a wooden staircase with intricately-carved banisters. Magnificent oil paintings of the local landscape lined the walls leading up to the second floor. Briefly, he wondered if Uraraka happened to be the artist.
Just beyond the staircase, a little further to his right, was a dining room with an antique dining set. On the table lay a delicate crocheted tablecloth; four chairs surrounded the table, solidifying the welcoming environment.
He ran his hand along the delicate stitching of the tablecloth, admiring its quality. A China hutch filled with mismatched plates, cups, teapots, and serving platters caught his eye. The lack of uniformity in its contents made the otherwise opulent hutch family-friendly. Beside it, Fubuki’s water and food bowl sat inside of a wooden stand, carved with an inscription he read out loud: “This spot reserved for the best girl.”
Fubuki shoved her snout into his palm, requesting attention at the mention of her title. “More like the neediest girl,” Katsuki muttered. Fubuki ignored his prickly disposition and presented a paw.
Katsuki pointed a finger in her face. “Listen. You’re not cute—at all—so stop it.” She stared right back as if to say, Yes I am! Now love me! before forcing him to hold her paw.
The man heaved a sigh before caving to her demand for attention. “Fucking fine. You’re adorable. Okay? Don’t go telling your owner, though. Can’t have her thinking I'm a nice guy or anything.”
Fubuki tilted her head in question.
“Because”—he dropped her paw—“I don’t give out compliments.” He continued the tour without further explanation. Fubuki huffed and followed him.
The open floor plan of the cottage led him to a small kitchen. Unlike the dining room, which had more of a rustic feel, the kitchen was brighter. The glossy white paint on the walls reflected the natural light. A thin floating shelf topped with various knick knacks, shot glasses, and ornate empty bottles was mounted on one of the walls. Dried herbs hung from hooks installed on the bottom of the shelf. Oregano, rosemary, and thyme scented the air. Relief coursed through him when he spotted a coffee pot, already full. Waking up before sunrise wore on him. Caffeine was a must.
“I see you’ve found the kitchen already!” Uraraka’s head popped into the room, startling Katsuki.
“What the hell?”
The woman giggled. “Did I scare ya?”
“No!” he blurted out. “You caught me off guard is all.”
“Sure,” Uraraka drawled, unconvinced, while she pulled food out of the refrigerator. “You like eggs? There’s quiche in the oven. If not, I can make something else.”
“Quiche is fine.”
“Great! We’ve got five minutes before it’s ready. Go ahead and drop your things off in your room while I fix up your coffee. How many sugars?”
“None.”
“That checks out.”
“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” Katsuki challenged.
“Bitter coffee for a bitter man.” Uraraka shrugged. She got his nerves for once. Served him right.
“First of all, I’m not bitter. Second of all, I drink coffee for the caffeine, not the taste.”
Uraraka rolled her eyes and pulled out two mugs from the cabinet, setting one in front of him. “I like my coffee smooth and sweet. If you get the milk, coffee, and sugar proportions just right, it’s delicious! You should try it!”
“You know”—Katsuki poured coffee into the mug and took a sip—“you’ve reminded me of a story about a witch who lived in a cottage in the woods. Much like this one, actually.”
“Okay, and?” Uraraka poured milk into her mug first, followed by four hefty teaspoons of sugar before adding the coffee.
Katsuki paused to cringe at the sight. “One day, two kids got dumped by their parents in the woods and she took pity on them. So, she took them in and fed and clothed them. Made them all the sugary treats they wanted too.”
“Sounds like a nice lady.” She tasted her coffee, decided it wasn’t sweet enough, and added another scoop of sugar—much to Katsuki’s disgust.
“Not true. She stuffed them full of sugary shit to fatten them up before eating them. So no, I won’t be adding sugar to my coffee" Katsuki smirked before chugging the rest of his coffee.
“Oh no, you’ve foiled my plans, Bakugou,” she replied dryly. “Whatever shall I eat now?”
Katsuki cackled in response. He hoped she’d take the joke in stride. If he had to spend the trip without Eijirou, he was going to make the best of it.
“Quit dilly-dallying and put your things upstairs, you menace. Your room is to the right.” Uraraka pushed him out of the kitchen. “I’ll call you when the food’s ready.”
Katsuki climbed the steps, grateful he packed light. He had enough of carrying heavy luggage flights of stairs for his mother growing up. All he needed was his duffle bag with extra clothes and toiletries and the rucksack that he pre-packed with food and emergency supplies for the hike.
The door was made out of solid wood, stained darker than the steps, but with matching carvings on the frame and had a freshly-polished brass doorknob. As he opened the door, he was met by the scent of freshly washed linens and lavender-scented room spray. A twin-sized bed with simple burgundy linens and a dark, navy blue comforter was placed in the back left corner of the small but cozy bedroom. Rather than having a traditional, four-post bed frame with a headboard, this one was built out of wood and the side against the wall had cubbies filled with books. The part of the frame where a normal headboard would be jutted out of the wall just enough to fit a small salt lamp, a tissue box, and a wireless charging station for his phone. It also had another set of cubbies left empty for guests. In addition to the cubbies, the bottom part of the bed frame served as a dresser with two empty drawers. Katsuki took note of the space-saving design for his apartment at home. A vanity sat in the back right, next to a window overlooking the mountain. Katsuki dropped his duffle bag next to the door and peaked outside the window.
Mount Hakusan was beautiful. Evergreen trees lined the bottom of the mountain, and ski lifts that led up towards higher ground were running. There was enough snow on the mountains for skiing and snowboarding. In the past, hiking trails would close down at the end of the season in October. In recent years, however, if the trails were deemed safe enough by local law enforcement, the shorter trails would open for a brief period of time. In some cases, if the conditions were nothing less than perfect, the trails that led to the very top of the mountain were opened. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky and the sun was out in full force.
Katsuki chuckled to himself. “‘Moderate-sized snowstorm’ my ass.”
“Breakfast is ready!” Uraraka called from the kitchen.
They sat across from each other in the dining room to eat. Much to Katsuki’s surprise, the quiche turned out to be one of the best he had ever eaten. The coffee tasted cheap, but that was to be expected. It’s not like Uraraka could taste the difference between blends with all the milk and sugar she uses.
“Is your friend not coming?” Uraraka asked in between bites.
“Nah. The idiot got himself sick and had to stay home.”
“That stinks.” Uraraka grimaced. “Doesn’t surprise me though, it is flu season after all.”
“That’s exactly what I told him before he locked lips with a random girl at a bar!” Katsuki declared.
“Are you serious?”
“Yup.”
“No offense but”—Uraraka took a sip of coffee—“your friend doesn’t sound like the sharpest tool in the shed.”
Katsuki snorted. “None taken. You’re stating facts. He’s stupid.”
Uraraka barked out a laugh. “You don’t mince words, do you?”
“Tch. Can’t mince anything with that dumbass. I learned that if I'm direct with him, he’ll listen.”
“Unless a pretty girl is involved.”
“Fucking understatement of the century.”
“I have a friend like that”—Uraraka smiled as she recalled memories—“Loses all her senses if she sees a man she likes.”
“Sounds like Shitty Hair.”
“Our friend group always teased her and said that she’d die first in a scary movie if she thought the antagonist was hot.”
Katsuki let out an unfiltered cackle. Since when did he laugh this easily in front of a stranger?
Uraraka continued, “She simps for Ghostface, for crying out loud!”
“You’re kidding.” Katsuki couldn’t believe it. Uraraka shook her head. “The serial killer with the white mask and black hood?”
“Yes!” Uraraka stood and smacked both hands on the table. “That guy!”
“Oh, yeah, she’d be dead in the first five minutes,” Katsuki stated, unphased by the outburst.
“That’s what I’m saying.” Uraraka sat back down with a huff, her bangs blowing out of her face for a moment.
“This conversation”—Katsuki motioned between the two of them—“just reminded me of an old wives’ tale my gramps used to tell me growing up.”
“Oh? Another story? Do tell.”
“My grandpa grew up in the mountains and got me into hiking as a kid. A lot of the stories he told me taught lessons of what not to do, like how you shouldn’t go during a snowstorm at night. Said it was too dangerous.”
Uraraka nodded in agreement. “You could slip and fall or get lost.”
“Yup, but that’s easy stuff you can avoid with a decent flashlight or headlamp, and if you avoid dead zones, a GPS could get you back home.”
Uraraka nodded. “That makes sense.”
“But you can’t prepare for the yuki-onna. It comes out on snowy nights impersonating a beautiful woman and targets weak-willed men. She seduces them with a kiss, pounces on them and sucks out their life force. Kirishima would easily be swayed by that shit.”
“Oh,come on. He can't be that gullible, can he?”
Katsuki scoffed. “He’s home sick right now because of a girl“—he ran his hand down his face, sighing—“even after I warned him not to.”
“Yikes.”
“She was coughing and sneezing all night! But did that stop him?” Katsuki was full-on ranting now. “No. All because she was ‘so pretty’. Which confirms my point: his ass would get snatched up by the yuki-onna. She’d just bat her eyes and he’d be done for.”
“You really wanted him to come on this trip, didn’t you?” Uraraka giggled. She enjoyed Katsuki’s blustering. It was entertaining.
“No! He can rot in that damn bed for all I care.” Katsuki crossed his arms. He was in denial.
“Okay, Bakugou,” Uraraka teased, choosing not to argue with him. “Although, I’ve heard a different story. According to what I've heard, the yuki-onna is actually a princess from the moon world who was curious about Earth. One day, she got bored and took a trip down.“
“I can’t imagine there’s much to do on the moon. It’s just a bunch of rocks.”
”You’re not wrong”—Uraraka chuckled—”Unfortunately, in her excitement she failed to secure a way back home. So, she decided to make the best of her situation and enjoys the little things in life, like moonlit walks in the snow.”
“What an airhead.” Katsuki snickered into his coffee cup. “Who forgets to plan a way back home?”
“Hey now, it could have happened to anyone—” Uraraka began to argue, but Katsuki cut her off when he noticed the time on his watch.
“Shit.” He shot up from his chair. “I’m behind schedule.“
“You know, you should take one of the shorter trails so you can get back before the storm gets here.”
“Fuck no. I’m going to the top. See you later, Cheeks.” He sprinted up the stairs and made it back down in record time.
“When should we expect you back by?” Uraraka hollered from the dining room.
“Sunset,” Katsuki replied as he laced up his hiking boots.
“Okay. Fubuki and I will see you then. If not, you can count on us to save the day!”
Katsuki scoffed. “Doubt I'll need it. It’s still above freezing anyway, so it shouldn’t snow much.”
“Don’t let that fool you,” Uraraka warned. “It’s not uncommon for warmer weather to come before a snow storm!”
“Quit mothering me. I’ll be fine.”
Uraraka winced as Katsuki slammed the door shut. “I hope it isn’t the case”—Uraraka patted Fubuki’s head—“but we might need to fetch Mr. Grumpy pants later, Fubuki.”
Fubuki laid down and sighed.
“Don’t tell me you miss him?” Uraraka couldn’t believe it. “You really are a traitor.”
By the time Katsuki made it to the entrance of the trail, a “closed” sign was posted on the gate. A local police officer stood guard, politely turning people away as they approached. Eventually the group got too big to turn away one by one. He blew his whistle to gain the crowd’s attention and pulled out a loudspeaker.
“Good morning! As of 9:30 AM, this trail to the top of the mountain is now closed. The weather report states that we are to expect heavy snowfall in a few hours. Should you still wish to hike today, you may do so using one of the shorter trails. They take less time to complete and you will make it back before the storm.”
This wasn’t good. If Katsuki hadn’t spent so much time talking to Uraraka, he could have made it to the gate in time. Katsuki decided he wasn’t going to listen to the warnings. Trail closure be damned, he was going to make it to the top of the mountain. Just because casual hikers couldn’t handle a little precipitation didn’t mean he couldn’t set a faster pace to beat the impending snow.
Katsuki waited until the officer was distracted by a group of rowdy teenagers before he snuck behind the gate. He jumped the fence in one swift motion before breaking into a run. Once he felt like he was far enough to not be seen, he slowed his pace down and began his trek.
When he made it to the top of the mountain, Katsuki was exhausted and sweaty. Never in his life did he ever break the rules, but the adrenaline rush from the fear of getting caught helped him power through the trail in record time.
Even though Katsuki managed to dodge the police and avoid what was likely to be a hefty fine, the consequences of his decision to hike when he wasn’t supposed to caught up to him. It was unsafe to be as sweaty as he was while the temperature was rapidly dropping. Had he been thinking clearly, he would have peeled off the outer layers of his cold weather gear at the start of the hike. He knew how to travel safely in the cold, but the task of avoiding the police overshadowed his common sense. Everything was going to be fine. All he needed to do was rest and refuel his body. After that, he could do some damage control.
Mother Nature had other plans. The snow began to fall as he ate. She gave no fucks. He had to leave now.
“Shit.”
Katsuki shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth and prepared for his descent. He unzipped his thick jacket and stripped off the sweat-soaked thermal. He hissed as the frigid temperature bit into his skin, but he needed to cool his body down enough to stop the sweating before putting on new clothes.
Steam rose from his arms as he patted his skin dry with napkins he had in his lunch box. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do. Ever the over-preparer, Katsuki ripped open his rucksack and dug around for extra clothes. Inside lay a pair of wool socks, a long-sleeved thermal, a beanie, a scarf, and water resistant gloves. After deeming his torso and arms dry enough, he slid on the new thermal. The hair on the back of his neck was drenched in sweat. He tried his best to use the skull cap he was currently wearing to dab away the excess before switching to the new dry cap. He wrapped the scarf around his neck and put on his coat, silently thanking his mother and father for buying him one with a hood as a graduation gift. Lastly, he unlaced his boots. He was disgusted to find that his toes were wrinkly. The sweat-saturated socks made his feet look as though he had been wading through water. Once he tied up his boots, he put on the water-proof gloves and started his descent.
As the sun set over the horizon, Uraraka checked outside for Katsuki’s figure to approach the cottage. After five minutes, mild nerves kicked in. After fifteen minutes, she bit her nails and picked at her cuticles. After twenty minutes, she started pacing in her living room. After twenty five minutes, the anxiety channeled itself into Fubuki who whined and pawed at the front door, knocking Uraraka out of her own thoughts.
“Do you need to go potty?” Uraraka grabbed Fubuki’s leash and harness off their hooks, but as she did so, Fubuki sprinted to the back door instead. “What are you doing, silly? I always take you out front!”
Fubuki loudly barked at her human. Out back. Now.
“That’s kind of weird, but okay…” Uraraka gathered her coat, hat, and gloves to brave the elements. Once she got herself situated, she strapped Fubuki to her harness and clipped on the leash. The moment Uraraka opened the door, Fubuki sprinted outside. To avoid the inevitable faceplant into the snow, Uraraka let go of the leash at the last second. It dawned on her—Fubuki was running towards the shed where the rescue sled was kept. Uraraka checked her watch and realized that it was now thirty minutes after sunset. According to her training, if Katsuki was hurt and unable to move, he was in danger of hypothermia. If he was already unconscious, the prognosis could be disastrous.
Katsuki didn’t consider himself a lucky man. He hated the word. In his book, if someone told him he was lucky to have gotten a six-figure salary right after graduation, he’d be pissed. He wasn’t lucky to get into MIT. He busted his ass to earn his spot. He was privileged to have grown up well off, but he wasn’t lazy. Luck was for lazy people.
Having grown up around affluent people, he had countless interactions with spoiled trust fund kids that never worked a day in their lives. All they had to do was live off of mommy and daddy’s money. It pissed him off. So, he decided to be better than those useless extras. He studied hard, played sports, and became a part time employee at his parents’ company when he turned sixteen. He refused handouts and worked hard to earn what he could on his own. Just like he earned an ankle sprain after losing his footing while hauling ass down a mountain during a snowstorm. Like a dumbass.
Eijirou told him not to go on the trip. The police said that the trail was off limits. His fucking AirBnB host suggested he take a shorter trail. But did he listen? Fuck no. There Katsuki was, laid up against a tree with an ankle swollen up to the size of a softball, a cellphone without any signal, and a headache from hell. He was only a kilometer away from finishing the hike when his headlamp got snagged off his head by a random branch. That split second of darkness in combination with fatigue caused him to roll on his ankle and fall down the side of the path, hitting his head in the process. Katsuki searched for emergency flares in his rucksacks. They weren’t there.
“Fuck.” Katsuki was screwed. He tried to stand, but once he put weight on his ankle, unbearable pain shot up his leg. The man had no choice but to crawl towards the trail and wait for someone, anyone, to walk by. Someone had to, right?
Minutes passed. His thoughts became fuzzy. Did he have a concussion? Nothing made sense. He felt too hot. Should he take off his jacket? What time is it? Wow. He was tired. Maybe he should take a little nap. Yeah. A nap sounded great.
“Bakugou!” Uraraka shouted into the forest, desperate for a reply. It was just her and Fubuki. She had tried to get a hold of the local police for help, but couldn’t get a signal. The cell towers were likely down due to the weather. Her closest neighbor lived almost a mile away. If she walked there to ask for help, Katsuki was as good as dead before the search could even start. Thankfully, Katsuki left behind some clothes that could provide a scent for Fubuki to search for. Uraraka frantically scanned the areas that Fubuki walked towards with her flashlight until finally, the rescue dog alerted Uraraka. Immediately, she dropped to her knees to check for a pulse. Relief flooded her senses when she felt its steady rhythm.
“Bakugou.” She lightly patted his cheeks, praying he’d wake up. There’s no way she could drag a man twice her size while he’s knocked out.
No response.
Fubuki licked his face and jabbed him with her nose on command.
Still no response.
It was time to switch tactics. She squished the man’s face in between her hands and shouted, “WAKE UP, KATSUKI!”
Katsuki’s eyes fluttered open to see what he could only describe as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He chuckled to himself, recalling the conversation he had with that one girl whose name he couldn’t remember.
“Just my luck. The pretty yuki-onna is here to kill me.”
Uraraka couldn’t understand most of what Katsuki said as his slurred speech shoved the sentence into a metaphorical blender, but was pretty sure he called her the yuki-onna.
“What did you just call me? Do you really not remember who I am?”
“Do I remember you? We just met!” Of course it was easier to understand him when he was being a smart ass.
She rolled her eyes. If pretending to be a man-eating mountain spirit would get Katsuki into the sled for Fubuki to pull, then so be it. Formalities weren’t necessary. If the monster called him Katsuki, then she needed to do the same. Staying consistent was crucial to avoid confusion during a rescue. Confusion would decrease the ability to efficiently communicate with each other and add a potential delay to their departure. She could always tease him about it all tomorrow morning over breakfast. Served him right for making fun of her height earlier anyway.
“You are Katsuki, aren’t you?” Uraraka replied while she inspected the straps on the sled, making sure they were securely attached to Fubuki’s vest.
“Yes.”
“Can you do me a favor and sit up? I need to transfer you onto this sled.”
“Why?”
“So I can get you out of here.”
Katsuki squinted his eyes in suspicion. “You’re gonna eat me, aren’t you?”
Uraraka chuckled at the reference. “Nope. Just gonna wrap you up in some layers to get you nice and toasty warm. Okay?”
She ripped back his hood and slid a ski-mask on him, wound an extra scarf around his neck, and tightened the straps of the hood of his jacket. “Alright. That should help you stay a little warmer while you’re on the rescue sled. Can you stand?”
Katsuki shook his head and pointed at his right leg. “It’s fucked—my ankle.”
For the first time, Uraraka was thankful to Fubuki for all the leash pulling she did as a puppy. The muscles earned from that time gave her the strength needed to bear most of the man’s weight as she transferred him from sitting, to standing, and then to lying down on the emergency sled. After covering Katsuki in three layers of blankets and securing him with ratchet straps, they were ready to travel back to the cottage.
“Are you comfortable?” Uraraka pointed to the straps that lay across Katsuki’s chest and thighs. “Not too tight are they?”
Katsuki mumbled something but Uraraka couldn’t hear. She leaned down and put her ear next to his mouth. “Can you say that again?”
“I said,” Katsuki grumbled, frustration evident as exhaustion continued to slur his speech, “I’m fucking dandy, and you’re really pretty.”
Uraraka blushed, opting to ignore his second statement. “Glad the straps fit right. Let’s get you back to the cottage, shall we?”
Fubuki dragged the sled back to the cottage and with Uraraka’s guidance, the duo managed to drag the sled into the living room. Uraraka removed the ratchet straps and blankets and guided Katsuki to sit on a recliner. She felt that his clothes were damp. He wasn’t going to get warm until he switched out to dry garments.
“Listen Katsuki, you need to take off your clothes.” he cringed at her word choice and rubbed her temples.
“You just want to see me naked, fucking pervert.”
“What?! No! I”—she closed her eyes and took a deep breath—“What I meant to say was that your clothes are wet and in order to keep you warm and stabilize your body temperature, you’ll need to replace them with dry clothes.”
“Same shit.” Katsuki mumbled, oblivious to the effect he had on the woman standing in front of him. “Yuki-onna is handsy with her food…figures.”
“I’m not going to—” Uraraka ran her hands down her face in frustration. “Never mind. Stay there. I’m gonna get your bag from upstairs so you have something to change into.”
Uraraka was aware that hypothermia made people hallucinate, but this was getting ridiculous! She retrieved the duffle bag and brought it back down to a shirtless Katsuki on the couch. An attractive, muscular, handsome Katsuki whose lap served as a headrest for Fubuki. There was too much cute energy and sex appeal on her couch. She stared at the ceiling, attempting to respect his privacy, as she placed the bag beside him.
“Can you help me take these off?” Katsuki asked.
“Excuse me?” Forget Katsuki, Uraraka was the one who was on the verge of death. Death by humiliation was real, wasn’t it?
“My boots.”
“Oh.“ Uraraka sighed in relief. “Your boots. Right. Not your pants.” She knelt down to loosen the laces on each boot, taking care not to aggravate his sprained ankle.
“I can take off my own pants, you nasty,” Katsuki mumbled with a pout.
“I’ll wrap your ankle after you change.” Uraraka’s voice reached new heights as her embarrassment grew. “I’ll just wait in the kitchen. Gotta heat up something warm for you to drink anyways!”
Uraraka pulled out a box of chicken broth from the pantry, poured some into a mug, and put it into the microwave. She chastised herself for letting his comments get to her. This was a clinical situation. That’s it. This wasn’t going to end up like a romance novel where the main character is in the middle of treating their love interest’s wound and they lean in and—
NOPE. SHE WASN’T GOING THERE. She slammed the door of the microwave shut and returned to a fully dressed Katsuki.
Thank goodness, she thought.
“That for me?” He gestured to the mug in her hand.
“Yes. Be careful though, it’s hot.”
Uraraka avoided eye contact while wrapping his ankle. Fubuki was unbothered and served as a buffer. So long as the dog distracted Katsuki, everything would be fine. Right? Wrong. Because the moment she went to stand up and leave, he tugged her wrist.
“So you’re not gonna eat me?’
“No.”
Katsuki yanked her down and forced her into the little spoon position. “Good. Now I can sleep in peace.”
Ochako tried breaking out of his grip, but even as he slept, Katsuki was stronger than her. Maybe she could have tried harder, but the snuggles were too nice.
“Well, Fubuki,” Ochako whispered with a cheek pressed to Katsuki’s chest, “looks like using the last of my power to build this cottage was a good idea after all.”