Bakugo was pissed off.
From the small yet densely important discoveries in the file report of the burnt down warehouse, he only hit dead ends.
It was an abandoned property of Nakamura Enterprises, which they hadn't monitored for the past five years. And since they had no personnel overseeing the area, Bakugo couldn't request access to their database for any further investigation.
To add on to that frustrating circumstance, apparently, the security feed of the entire coast was destroyed in a flooding at the police department a day after the explosion.
It was all too convenient for Bakugo's taste.
Tapping his steering wheel relentlessly, he waited at the gate of his community to scan the chip hidden in the nameplate of his car.
The neighborhood he lived in, Midnight Hills, was a well protected gated community with topnotch twenty-four-seven surveillance, a full self-defense system, and other various extreme security measures.
To enter, the heroes must have their handprint or retina scanned and there is a voice recognition software if they would like to use it as well. For their vehicles there are multiple hidden places a security chip could be placed to be detected by the security gate; each hero decides where they put the chip so it's unique to them.
After the minute wait, Bakugo revved the engine, heading straight to his home in the heart of the neighborhood. He jerks his convertible to a stop, slamming the door open and shut, while stomping his way to the door. Jamming the key into the keyhole, he twisted the lock, kicking the door wide open.
The moment he stepped in his house, his anger dissipated into thin air.
Weird.
Usually he would continue his stomping to the training room, letting off steam by punching a sandbag with a picture of teenage Deku plastered on the leather cover. Well, guess that is not on today's agenda.
At a glance, the entire house seemed untouched. But after taking a closer look, little details showed signs of change. From his peripheral vision, he noticed the few dishes drying in the black dish rack next to the sink. On the corner of the island was his laptop open wide with a bubble screensaver playing on loop, a crimson mug sitting right next to it.
He forgot all about that mug. Deku gave it as a gift when he opened his agency, as a sign of affirmation of how the ash blond had always been an important person in his life. Bakugo never planned on using the mug, thinking it was another way for the beta to look down on him.
But whenever he found himself knee-deep in self-doubt he would find himself drinking a cup of mandarin tea in that very plain mug. And whenever he read the quote at the end of the soothing drink, his doubts silenced themselves letting his resolve get stronger ten-fold. He was honestly very grateful for possessing the affirmative mug, not that he would ever tell that to Deku.
His vermillion eyes trailed from the kitchen to the living room. He was looking for the omega who was responsible for the little differences in his home. Her subtle scent of caramel infused with hints of vanilla and cinnamon lingered in the main area of the house, signifying that she was still there.
Yet, he couldn't see her anywhere.
Closing his eyes, he honed on his other senses to find the omega. Inhaling the cold air of his abode, he followed the scent blindly. After a few steps his ears perked at the sounds of soft rumbles emerging from the omega's throat. Blinking his ruby eyes open he bore holes into the graphite furniture. Like a tiger stalking their prey, Bakugo tiptoed towards the source of the faint sound, peering over the back of the comfy couch.
There laid a sleeping Hina. Her small frame curled into a fetus position, covered by a bright red fuzzy blanket, only her black locks peaking through.
Bakugo watched her sleep for a few seconds, noting the steady rhythm of her chest moving up and down and her eyes circling in random movements behind her eyelids. She's in her REM, probably dreaming.
He grumbled in disapproval whilst walking around the sofa. He told her not scent anything, and she fell asleep on his couch in the most central room of his house, cuddling into the blanket.
You can't control your scent when sleeping dumbass! He screamed in his mind, his broad form shaking in silent rage.
He expelled hot breath from his nose, inhaling the cool air.
And he's calm once again.
Slowly, he picked her up with his right arm tucked behind her knees, the other coiling around her midback. He expertly maneuvered the blanket so it remained covering her like a cocoon. He doesn't want her to wake up from getting cold.
Unaware the source of the newfound warmth was the man she hated, Hina snuggled into his chest, a small smile gracing her lips.
If it were high school Bakugo, his face would've flushed a deep scarlet that would rival Kirishima's dyed hair. Except it has been nearly a decade since then, and Bakugo has grown. He glanced at her placid face, clicking his tongue at the back of his teeth in annoyance and headed up the stairs to her room as a quiet as a mouse.
He kicked the door wide open, gently laying her on the bed. Taking a closer look at the sleeping omega, he noted her soft, relaxed expression, so different from her guarded one that she always exhibited when awake.
Unlike many other omegas, Hina has a rancorous glint of defiance in her eye. When most omegas would shrivel from a single grunt of his voice, she maintained eye-contact while keeping in conversation, even displaying her distaste in his company.
Being a true alpha meant he had the privilege to see people cower by his mere presence, and to see an omega disregard his genetic dominance, he was genuinely intrigued. Bakugo wanted to know more about this woman who was brought in to his life like a thorn pricking his finger.
But he wouldn't care about the pain, it was trivial compared to the rose of a woman he will learn to treasure. He's still trying to comprehend the beauty and significance of her place in this world, unaware of the importance she will hold in his life.
Huffing an annoyed breath at the inconvenience of moving her upstairs, he closed the door while leaving her room, the only thought running through his mind was what he should make for dinner.
-----
Hina opened her eyes only to see herself strapped in chains on a metal operational table. The chains pouring into the floor, bolted in place. Struggling and writhing, she tried to set herself free.
Chilling footsteps echoed in the empty room.
A sinister man in a lab coat stalked his way inside, an injection filled with swirling blue liquid. "You're my perfect specimen. Now let's test this on you."
"No, get that away from me!" Hina thrashed against her restraints, trying to prevent from the needle pricking her skin. However all her hustles were found fruitless as the sharp point pierced her skin agonizingly slow. "NO! Please, please! Get away!" She weeped as she felt the alien substance invade her blood stream, her insides searing in excruciating pain.
She screamed.
And screamed and screamed and screamed until her voice was barely audible. Only croaks and groans were capable of escaping her aching jaw and scratchy throat.
Right when she thought the suffering was over, the patchwork of a man sauntered his way in the room and freed her from her chains.
"Now my turn to play, little doll." He growled.
Cyan eyes reflecting florescence in the dark.
The nauseating stench of burning corpses suffocated the omega leaving her at the mercy of the alpha clenching on her forearms.
"Remember, it's all Bakugo's fault." The alpha's command reverberated in her skull.
The ravenette only whimpered in defeat as azure flames surge at her in full force.
Hina's sea-blue eyes shot open, and she darted to her bathroom. Falling on her knees, throwing the toilet seat cover wide open, she hurled her empty stomach in the bowl, tears pooling in her eyes from fear. Sensing the lingering stink from the terrifying memory, her stomach continued to empty its contents.
Bakugo restlessly woke up. He shot up in a sitting position, his muscles flexing on instinct. When he recognized the distinctive pheremones of an omega in fear, he rushed away from the comfort of his bed to its source. He smacked the door wide open, witnessing the empty bed.
His chest tightened in needless panic, his inner alpha began to stir.
His eyes darted to the brightly lit bathroom, and visibly tensed when he heard Hina gagging and heaving. He darted to the door, considering all the ways he could comfort her.
By then her reflux finally stopped, and she was at the sink, throwing water on her face, hiding the tears that failed to escape the corners of her eyes.
The taste of bile was still present in the back of her mouth, making the omega feel disgusted. The bitter aftertaste only reminded her of the times she threw up from pain in the underwater facility.
She looked up at her reflection only to see her sloppy appearance. Her hair plastered on her face from both water and sweat, her eyes inflamed pink framed by her clumped up lashes, her runny nose equally flushed. She looked up, flinching when she noticed Bakugo's stoic presence in the doorframe.
The voice haunting her thoughts boomed in her ears. "Remember, it's all Bakugo's fault."
No matter how much she understood that it was in fact not Bakugo's fault, Hina could only listen to the burnt alpha's words like it was the law that she must abide by.
Oblivious to her inner battle, Bakugo stayed by the door waiting for her to return to earth.
He knew what it felt to go through nightmares in the middle of the night all by yourself. All alone. His mind would trap him back in the times he was in the depths of his despair.
The sludge monster, the sport's festival, the summer camp, All Might's end, the war against Shigaraki. He knew what it felt to be subjugated by your past traumas, to be forced to relive all the horrors you've been through right when you think you're finally safe.
Finally free only to be shackled by your past...
Bakugo noticed her glaring eyes on him, tears pouring out with no sign of stopping.
It took everything in him to ignore his alphan urges to expel his comforting scent and console the omega by wrapping his big arms around her protectively.
The hell is wrong with you Katsuki, snap out of it.
He never thought of anyone in that way.
Never.
And now he wanted- no needed to comfort her?
He was unnerved by how the ravenette in front of him was making his inner alpha restless in ways he has never experienced in his twenty-five years of living.
It kept nagging him. Protect her. Protect her. Protect her. Like a spiritual yogi chanting a mantra, the voice pleading with persistence. Only giving any sign of peace if the prayer will be answered.
Hold her. Hold her. His alpha incessantly beseeched to keep the omega close, which only tormented the ruby eyed hero further.
Mine. It declared, attempting to coax Bakugo to safeguard and claim the omega as his.
He shook his head aggressively, disposing the foreign thoughts, praying that the emergence of them was only a one time thing.
On the dresser beside the bathroom door stood a glass jug of water alongside an empty glass. He filled the glass of water and gave it to Hina silently. She gently grasped the glass with two hands, calmly sipping the clear liquid.
He maintained his impassive demeanor, and crossed his arms over his chest after putting the jug of water down. "Are you okay?"
She murmured something under her breath while placing the half-filled glass down beside the jug, something he couldn't catch.
His eyes squinted in confusion. "Huh? I can't hear you. Speak up." He demanded, his back hunched over so the closer proximity would help his ears catch the sound waves emitted from her soft vocals.
"Please move." Her voice barely above a whisper.
Bakugo took a few steps backwards, giving her some space. Vermillion orbs followed her frame as she sat on the bed softly. Almost as though she was afraid from breaking the massive bed.
His posture stiffened, she really wasn't going to be any easy on the proud hero. He was just asking if she was okay, it's not like he was crushing her in an embrace to comfort her like his inner alpha wanted.
Can't she just answer the damn question?
Well, he knew that she clearly wasn't okay, but he had to ask. He was a hero, who apparently was supposed to butt in other people's business to help and save them. Right? Not that it was Bakugo's style. Ugh, he really wished he didn't listen to Deku's advice in instances like these.
He exhaled a deep breath, attempting to relax the tension in his muscles from the irritation of his own blunder. "That didn't answer my question." He uttered indefeat.
Hina was fiddling with her fingers, biting the corner of her bottom chapped lip. She was trying to find a way to tell him as gently as possible, that his presence was bothering her.
When she finally concluded to the best possible option, she clenched her hands together to stop her nervous ticks. "I'll be better when you leave." She murmured, daring to meet his gaze. "Please," she implored, her doe eyes begging to acknowledge her turbulence.
He nodded and left the room without a word. He slowly shut the door behind him, and just stood there.
Bakugo blinked.
Once.
Twice.
His alpha finally seized its unruly demands, finally letting him tame the wolf within. One look in her eyes was all it took to silence it.
One look.
What the hell is going on?
He looked down on the black cuff he's worn since he was fifteen, protectively encasing his wrist. It was throbbing. It hadn't done that in the longest time.
Before he could think more of it, he picked up the sound of sniffles from the other side of the door, followed by silent heartbroken cries. The sound of her weeping allowed his inner alpha to regain purpose once again.
Hold her.
Bakugo eyes widened and quickly scampered to his private man cave, far away from the omega. He slammed the door with such a force the door nearly was torn apart from its hinges. He grabbed fists of his spiky ash blond hair and yanked them harshly from his scalp, desperate to subdue the unrelenting howls of his alpha.
No.
No, no, no.
This wasn't a one time thing.
-----
Hina flinched from the vibrations of Bakugo slamming his door shut. Her sobs instantly repressed after realizing that she might've been too insensitive with the explosive hero. He only asked if she was okay, even though it was clearly obvious she was anywhere near being okay. He was doing his job as a hero, it wasn't his fault that she was tormented by his name.
Nonetheless, the petite ravenette couldn't help but harbor rancor for the alpha's existence, and needed him as far away as possible. At least for now.
Bakugo was not the person who captured from her home. He was not the one to forcibly test various drugs on her nor was he responsible for physically and mentally torturing her for his personal pleasure. Yet whenever she recalled the suffering she endured, the only thought that remained tattooed in her mind was Dabi's words.
"Remember, it's all Bakugo's fault."
Sighing she glanced at the half-full and half-empty glass on her dresser. The little ripples finally stilling into a static line.
She realized her life right now is very much like the glass of water.
Half-full in the sense that she is a large distance away from the villains, protected and being taught how to defend herself so she could possibly live a new life in this parallel universe.
Half-empty since she is stuck with the person who is inducing such adverse emotions, and recurring nightmares.
Hina tucked herself in bed, sinking into the cloud-like mattress, hoping and praying that the ghastly nightmares get chased away by unicorns and fairies.
Not that it will ever happen, but a traumatized woman can dream.
Right?