"no one's seen her in quite some time."
"do you think she's still alive?"
"who knows? if she is, she knows how to hide."
"she must have been devastated after the accident."
"what happened?"
"someone said she was on a rescue mission, and she failed to save a little boy from being crushed."
"poor, (name)-chan."
the bed had long since grown cold; sheets haphazardly tossed about, a pillow lying idly on the floor. lightning lit up the darkened room, casting shadows of the furniture amongst the walls. a broken phone lay shattered by the far wall, parallel to the unmade bed. a pile of unwashed clothes sat in a corner, and a lone hero suit, torn and bloody, drooped within the mess, almost unrecognizable to its once-pristine condition.
again, the room lit up from the outside storm, and with it, your form. you were sprawled out on the floor with no motivation to move. your hair laid around your head in a knotted halo, matted and greasy from weeks of spontaneous showers.
how long had it been since you showered, how long had it been since you laid on the floor, you wondered, how long had it been since you locked yourself away?
old classmates had contacted you after the accident to no avail. you didn't want to speak to anyone. it was your fault a child had died, someone's son had been crushed by the rubble you caused in your fight against the villains. they said it was an accident, that you couldn't possibly blame yourself, that if you hadn't been there, loads more could have died.
but what kind of hero lets someone they're supposed to save... die?
people had assumed you died, and for the most part, it felt like you had. the life of the hopeful, up and coming hero, just graduated from yuuei and ready to save the world, had ended that day. you died with the boy under the fallen rubble. and this apartment, located deep in tokyo, with barred windows and several locks on the doors, had become your tomb.
your muscles groaned as you sat up from the floor, a symphony of cracking bones following your movement to stand. a brief wave of dizziness rushed over you, and you grabbed the nearby wall to steady yourself. even if you didn't want to move, didn't have a reason to move, you still had to take a trip to the store, and the sore throat and faint headache only proved it.
tossing on a ratty hoodie from your yuuei days over your shirt and a pair of leggings, you slipped out the door of your apartment.
rain fell heavily from the sky, your hair sticking to the sides of your face as you walked down the bustling streets of tokyo. at first, you'd been scared to be recognized; although you had just been starting your career as a hero, you'd been one of yuuei's top students, your performances in the sports festivals were well-known, even getting the best of todoroki shouto in your third year.
but you'd learned that you were no longer the same. no one gave you a second glance on the street, they'd mind their own business and assume you were just another pedestrian living their own life. and for that, you were grateful.
you entered the convenience store with your hoodie up over your head, rain drops falling from your finger tips, and water squeaking in your boots. the store manager gave you a once over, but you sent a small smile his way. he was the only one who recognized you, but not as (hero name). he recognized you as the girl who stopped in every week, paid in full, and tipped a little extra.
it wasn't long until someone else had walked in, and the shop owner welcomed them just as he had with you. you sparred a glance from underneath your hood, and the breath caught in your throat.
bakugou katsuki stood near the entrance, taking off his hood and shaking out the rain droplets from his hair. his crimson eyes scanned the small convenience store, and he made his way close to where you were.
not wanting to be seen, you quickly grabbed a few bottles of water from the cooler and beelined it to the cash register.
"haven't seen you in over a week," the shop owner said as he rung up your items. "thought you moved."
your eyes flitted to his for a moment. "nope. still here." you scanned the magazine shelf, eye catching on a certain cover and your blood running cold.
"nightshade, the nature hero, where has she gone?"
somewhere no one will find her.
"that'll be five thousand yen," he said.
you nodded and passed over the money, grabbing your items while you forwent the change.
you stumbled out of the convenience store with your hood pulled low, heart beating wildly in your chest. bakugou katsuki had stood not five feet from you just one minute ago. you could smell the sweet, burnt caramel scent that followed with his quirk, hear his tutting as he looked over the items in the shop. it was too close for comfort, and--
bakugou walked right past you, and his shoulder just barely skirted past your own. once more, you could smell burnt caramel, the scent catching in your throat and reminding you of better times. you stared after the blond; he continued on his way, not giving you a second glance.
thunder crashed, and you broke from your trance.
you shivered in the cold, harsh wind, the yuuei hoodie not providing the same warmth it had when you first walked out the front door. rain had completely drenched your figure, and the clothes hung from your body like a catsuit, the water making them stick like glue. perhaps a bath would warm you up when you got home, if you had the energy.
"three goddamn months, " a voice called, "since you fucking disappeared."
you looked up, a deer in headlights as your heart dropped in your chest.
bakugou stood against a wall of another shop, his calculating crimson eyes watching you carefully. "so this is where you've been? you look like shit, plant girl."
"i'm fine," you replied.
he scoffed. "like hell you are."
you stared back at him in defiance. "i am. so... so just leave me alone, forget you ever saw me."
the corner of his mouth twitched. "i don't fucking think so. have you seen yourself?"
"i'm doing just fine!" you shouted, voice cracking midway.
bakugou took a few steps closer to you, and you flinched as he brought his hand up to your face. his palm hovered slightly beside your cheek, and his scowl deepened.
"you expect me to fucking believe that shit when you look like such shit?"
lightning lit up the skies, the light flashing across your faces. his, a frown everpresent on his lips, crimson eyes narrowed, jaw set hard. yours, eyes wide, mouth ajar, cheeks red from fever and embarrassment.
"nothing to say for yourself?" he asked.
you scowled, clenching your jaw hard. "i'm just fine."
"yeah, keep fucking telling yourself that," bakugou replied. "where's your apartment?"
taken aback for a moment, you hesitated. "wh-what?"
"where do you fucking live, plant girl?"
you rattled off your address in confusion.
"let's go then," he said.
"you're not coming to my apartment," you protested.
and just one glance from his crimson hues had you shutting up.
bakugou walked behind you the entire walk back to your apartment. he didn't speak a word to you, and neither did you. but, oh kami, you wanted to tell him that there was far enough. the streetlight just two blocks away was where he should have stopped. the flower shop just a few doors down from your apartment building was where he should have stopped. underneath the awning to your apartment building entrance was where he should have stopped.
but he stayed behind and watched as you stopped just before your apartment door, fumbling with your keys.
"you don't have to do this," you said, and you slid the key into the lock.
he scoffed. "i know i don't fucking have to, but i'm going to."
you stayed silent, knowing you wouldn't be able to convince him to leave, and opened the door to the apartment.
you stepped strategically through the apartment, avoiding old newspapers and ripped magazines, shattered glass and broken picture frames, empty bottles of alcohol and scattered boxes of takeout. you set the plastic bag on the kitchen counter, disregarding bakugou's presence as you stashed away the ramen cups and waters.
"this is a fucking mess, plant girl," bakugou said, lip curled slightly at your pigsty of an apartment.
"it is." you cracked open the new bottle of alcohol, taking a swig directly from the handle. "welcome to the life of a failed hero."
the blond's eyes slid your way, narrowing, and he snatched the alcohol from your hands. "you shouldn't be fucking drinking."
"you're not my mother," you replied, going to grab the bottle back.
he held it high in the air and shook his head. "nope. you're not getting this back. not until you have a fucking shower."
you glared. "you are a guest in my apartment. who do you think you are giving orders?"
"someone who gives a damn. now go." he pointed out of the kitchen.
grumbling under your breath, you made your way into the bathroom.
with the hot water running in the bath, you stripped from your soaked clothes and stood under the shower, letting the heat warm your frozen limbs and melt away the ice prickling under your skin. it burned, the heat, turning your skin into an angry red as you stood under it, rinsing off the dirt before you hopped into the bathwater.
why was bakugou so insistent on taking care of you? what personal gain would he get out of helping you? was he even helping you? you weren't happy, but you weren't discontent with just lying around and wasting away.
you stepped into the bath, resting with your knees propped up against your chest, chin propped up against your knees.
seeing bakugou again, however, brought back memories from yuuei. of lunch time conversations, with kirishima, kaminari, and ashido, even jirou a few of those times. of training sessions throughout first and second year, where you thought it was a great opportunity to train against one of the best in class. the third year sports festival, when you'd lasted the longest against bakugou and his ruthless quirk, and the damaged nerves that lasted the week after.
"you're not even fucking bathing."
you shrieked, water sloshing about the bathtub as you struggled to hurry and cover yourself from his eyes. "asshole! i'm fucking naked!"
he rolled his eyes. "you're a damn mess. you think i honestly give a shit if you're naked or not?"
a blush rose to your cheeks. "well, i care! get out!"
but the blond didn't listen. instead, he grabbed a bottle of shampoo and knelt down next to the bathtub. "hold the fuck still."
your mouth opened in protest, but you quickly shut it as his hands touched your scalp, fingers roughly working the shampoo into a lather. "that hurts!" you shouted. you attempted to yank your head away from his hands, but much like a mother bathing a young child, he didn't allow you to budge.
bakugou scoffed. "and? you haven't fucking washed or brushed your hair in weeks, plant girl. it's knotted beyond hell, of course it's going to fucking hurt."
you glared from the corner of your eye. "so what if my hair is knotted? i don't care."
"and that's the problem," he said. "you don't fucking care."
"it's not a problem," you huffed. "and even if it was, it's not your problem, so why the hell are you here?"
"doesn't matter," bakugou said, and the next you knew, a bucket of ice water was dumped over your head.
you shrieked, "that's fucking freezing!"
"if you don't like it, don't make me fucking follow you into the bath. not my fault you didn't answer me the first ten times i called your damn name, plant girl." he stood and cracked his knuckles. "hurry up, i'm making food."
you waited until the bathroom door shut, and you stood from the lukewarm bathwater with a scowl on your face. the asshole just had to toss ice cold water into your hot bath.
you conditioned your hair and rinsed off, quickly drying and putting on a set of clothes that just barely passed the smell test. but with the scent of japanese curry wafting through the apartment, you didn't think bakugou would notice. well, maybe he would, and then he'd leave you alone to continue in your self-induced solitude.
"could have just ordered takeout," you said, plopping your butt onto the kitchen counter. you reached for the bottle of alcohol, but the blond grabbed it from your hands again with a stern look. "i bought that with my own money, let me fucking drink it."
"has that been what you've been fucking doing?" bakugou's brow quirked upward. "drinking yourself the fuck away and just eating ramen and takeout?"
you groaned. "when you say it like that, it sounds pathetic."
"because it is pathetic."
"has anyone ever told you that you're an asshole?"
"i've heard it once or twice."
"well, for the third time, you're an asshole," you slid yourself off the counter.
silence passed through the apartment; bakugou stood over the stove perfecting the spices and making sure nothing went aflame, and you took to sitting near the patio. the rain still fell heavily outside, flashes of lightning illuminating the clouds.
the smell of bakugou's cooking brought back memories of staying at the dorms in yuuei. of kirishima and kaminari hovering over bakugou's shoulder, sero and midoriya playing a video game at the tv, yaomomo, jirou, and ashido spread about on the floor looking at the fashion magazines, and tsuyu and uraraka nearby watching something on their phones. of todoroki watching midoriya and sero's gameplay cluelessly, but the moment he touched the control, he would win. iida shouting at kirishima and kaminari to leave bakugou alone while he cooked.
"how are they?" you asked, your throat tight, memories fresh in your mind.
bakugou looked over his shoulder. "that's pretty fucking vague."
you rolled your eyes. "you know what i mean."
he was silent for a moment. "they're all still fucking annoying." the blond walked over with two plates in his hand, passing you one. "just like you. you can't even fucking take care of yourself, plant girl."
"fuck off," you took a bite of curry, speaking around a mouthful.
bakugou's nose scrunched. "that's fucking disgusting."
"and who are you, my mother?" you asked, continuing to take small bites and feeling the spice burn your tongue.
"no, thank fuck," he replied. "i'd be fucking ashamed. look at this house."
"it's not that bad." but the takeout boxes and scattered trash denied your statement. "i don't have company over, and i hardly leave the house. if my house looks like shit, so be it."
"if high school you could fucking see you now," bakugou said, "i'm sure she'd die just from seeing this place."
"high school me also thought she could save everyone," you muttered and stood up, taking your dish back to the kitchen. it was still half-full, but you didn't have much of an appetite anymore. chewing was too big of a task, it took too much energy.
bakugou had followed you into the kitchen shortly after, and you leaned against one of the counters, your arms tight across your chest, feet shifting weight.
"really though, how are they? kirishima, midoriya, todoroki, uraraka?"
he shrugged. "you can always see for yourself."
immediately, you shook your head, "n-no. i can't."
"and why not, plant girl?" his brow quirked upwards, crimson eyes piercing into you. "text them, call them, fucking leave the house and see them."
"i can't." you stressed. "didn't you fucking hear what happened? how could i ever show my face again?"
bakugou scoffed. "i did hear what happened, and i was fucking there, but that doesn't mean you should run away forever and isolate yourself, you fucking idiot."
"if you were there, then you would know! i-i... i killed a child." you could feel your lungs slowly lose the ability to breathe, tears threatening to spill over, panic gripping your being. "he died because i failed. someone lost their son because i couldn't fucking do my job as a hero!"
"did you go out of your way to purposely kill him?" his tone was calm, level, eyes showing the same emotion.
you paused. "wh-what?"
"did you," he talked slow, "go out of your way to make sure he died?"
"n-no!" you cried, offended he would assume such a thing. "what the hell are you--"
"then you didn't fucking kill him!" bakugou shouted. "people mess up, that's part of being fucking human, plant girl, making mistakes. and in this line of fucking work, sometimes lives are fucking lost. people die everyday. whether a hero is present or not, people die, we're not immortal, and heroes aren't always there to save the day!"
big, fat tears rolled down your cheeks. "b-but i could have saved him, bakugou, i could have--"
his hands grabbed your shoulders tightly, and his face leaned in close to yours, so close you could feel his breath hit your cheeks. "it is not your fucking fault, why can't you see that? no one is fucking blaming you but your damn self."
your eyes danced between bakugou's left and bakugou's right eye, bottom lip quivering as you broke down, shoulders shaking in his grasp. "i-i can't. i can't, bakugou. please, just leave it alone."
"no." he glared. "i will not leave it alone."
you wiggled out of his grasp, leaving him in the kitchen. "why?! why won't you tell me why?!"
"because i fucking won't, (name)!" the blond followed you, hot on your heels.
"that's not a reason, because isn't a damn reason!" you argued.
"fine, you want a real fucking answer?!" he screamed. "because i fucking care about you, plant girl! i spent every fucking day and every fucking night trying to fucking find you, every single second i wasn't on patrol, i was trying to fucking find you! the girl who made sure every fucking person was happy! the girl who always showed up to hero training with a smile! the girl who was always so fucking determined to be a good hero that she showed up to class sick, overworked, and injured!
"and here you fucking are, blaming yourself for something that wasn't your own fucking fault!" the blond was breathing heavy, voice growing hoarse. "why can't you fucking see it wasn't just you?! if you're going to blame yourself then blame me! blame deku! blame all the other heroes that were there and couldn't save that fucking kid!"
dumbfounded, you stared at bakugou. your mouth opened and closed, wanting to say something back, but nothing was coming to you.
bakugou let out a shaky breath. "it was my fault just as much as it was fucking yours, and i can't fucking let you take it out on yourself, plant girl. why should you get all the blame, huh? what kind of thinking is that? but, if you want to sit in this apartment and fucking wither away, tell me to fuck off." his eyes searched yours for any form of acknowledgement, for anything that said the wheels in your head were turning, clicking with what he said.
your heart stuttered, thoughts frantic as you processed the blond's enter speech. it made sense, but... but, why couldn't you just accept that? and even if you did, it's not like you could just show up again as a hero. you... you couldn't.
"i'm sorry."
his shoulders deflated, and he backed away. "fine." he left the kitchen and headed towards the front door, grabbing his jacket off the rack and slipping his shoes on. "the alcohol's in the fucking top cabinet above the freezer. do what you want, i'll leave you alone."
you flinched as the door slammed shut, and you were left alone in the dirty apartment once again. the only thing left to return to the way you were was to get drunk and forget about everything.
...
the days passed into weeks since bakugou had come into your home for the single evening, bathed you and fed you. you had fallen into the same routine; lay around for hours on end, drink your sorrows away, scream and cry about something you couldn't change.
everything was as it used to be.
and once again, you put on the old hoodie, and left the apartment to grab another bottle of alcohol and more instant ramen cups. part of you was anxious about seeing bakugou again, but you knew that it was an off chance.
you kicked a small pebble. after he found you, you wondered if he went back to his everyday life as a hero. did he tell people that he'd seen you? if he did, what did he tell them? that you were fine and happy and just living your own life, deciding hero work wasn't for you? that you were depressed and a mess, drinking your life away one bottle of alcohol at a time? no one had showed up from your graduated class, so you assumed he kept it secret.
you had almost made it to the convenience store when there was a loud boom! that shook the ground, and a building just a few shops away from you erupted into flames. immediately after, you heard the screams and cries, people running out of the building and crowding on the sidewalk.
people shoved by you in panic, running the opposite way, but you were frozen stiff, panic rooting you to the ground. flashes of the past flickering behind your eyes, of shattered glass and burning rubble, buildings crashing down around you and smoke burning your lungs.
"help me! please, you have to help me!" a woman screamed, pulling you out of your head and back to the present. she was wide-eyed, frantic looking, tears streaming down her face as she looked around. "my daughter's still in there! please! someone help me!"
but everyone was too busy running, trying to get away from the fire. no one spared her a second glance.
without thinking, you ran towards her, body shaking with adrenaline and anxiety. oh god, were you sure about this?
"where is she?" you asked, eyes burning from the smoke. you couldn't just sit around and let another child die while you were so close by.
the woman wheeled around to face you, still sobbing at the thought of losing her daughter. "she's on the nineth floor, please help me!"
"got it," you said. "get away from here, it's dangerous. i'll go save your daughter." and without another word, you rushed towards the building.
ninth floor. ninth floor. ninth floor. how do i get to the ninth floor?
out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a tree near the left side of the building. you rushed towards it, beginning to climb as you willed the tree to grow tall. branches sprouted from the trunk, and you used them as a ladder, the vine that you kept wrapped around your wrist securing you to the tree and helping you to climb higher and higher.
you stopped just before the ninth floor, stopping the growing tree just outside on of the windows. it was a six foot leap from the tree to the window, and you took a deep breath before launching yourself at the window.
the glass shattered upon impact, and you rolled onto the ground, flames licking at your skin and smoke choking your airways. you shakily stood and used the sleeve of your hoodie to breathe. the floor creaked underneath your weight as you walked through the thick smoke, eyes watering as the fire roared on.
"hello?!" you called, ducking under an exposed metal beam and dodging a ceiling fan falling from above. "is someone in here?!"
a beam fell, and you instinctively hurried to cover your face, the sparks burning through your hoodie. but despite the heat, you kept moving, squinting around to see any form of the woman's daughter.
"hello?!" you called again.
"mommy?" a voice replied.
your eyes widened, and you ran towards the voice. "i heard you, where are you?!"
"i want my mommy!" the child cried again, and you spun around, seeing a body peaking out from underneath a blanket, trapped by burning planks of wood and exposed beams. your vine grew and wrapped around the planks, one by one moving them aside so you could reach the child.
"are you hurt?" you asked, kneeling and checking the woman's daughter for any visible wounds.
the little girl shook her head, pouting. "wh-where's my mommy?"
"she's outside," you said. "i'm here to bring you back to her, okay? what's your name?"
"sawako," she sniffled.
"okay, sawako," you gave her a soft smile. "let's go see your mommy. just hold on tight."
"okay," she mumbled.
you picked her up, carrying her on your back, her blanket still covering her in case any sparks flew. the fire continued to roar through the building, and there was a loud crack! that echoed through the smoke. the ceiling began to cave in, and you immediately made a run for it, vine wrapping around the girl to secure her to your back as you shoved past crackling wooden beams and over fallen objects.
the window was just within sight, but your steps were faltering beneath you, the ability to breathe becoming harder and harder, adrenaline leaving you and no longer fueling your movements.
"just a little bit farther," you said aloud, mostly to yourself than the girl on your back. but you only got a few steps further when another beam fell from the ceiling and crashed in front of you, blocking your way out. "i'm gonna let you go, sawako, and when i tell you to, i need you to run towards the window right through there." you pointed, where just a little bit of sunlight shown through the fallen ceiling.
you knelt down, and the girl stepped onto the floor.
"do you understand?"
she nodded, staring up at you with big eyes.
"good. get ready to run."
you closed your eyes and took a deep breath. bracing your body, you raised your hands outwards and exhaled, and with it the vines that were once wrapped around sawako, they wrapped around the wood. they were thicker and sturdier, getting a good hold on the beam.
"on the count of three. one," you inhaled. "two." you exhaled. "... three!" you shouted, pulling the beam upwards and over your head, sawako running towards the window just as you had asked her to. the muscles in your forearms were aching, screaming at the extensive use of your quirk, but you continued to heave the heavy beam and toss it behind you.
it hit the floor, the fire angrily growing larger, and heat surging towards you. the vine unraveled from the beam, and as much as your knees wanted to give out, you rushed towards the window where sawako stood, got her back onto your back, and you jumped out the window, flames licking at your skin. you grabbed onto one of the branches, placing your feet onto a sturdier branch, and willed the tree to shrink back to normal size.
cheers erupted from the crowd as you made your way down, and a faint smile made it's way across your lips. backdraft was already at the bottom, using his quirk to ease the flames, and a few other medical-quirked heroes were checking out the other victims.
the moment your feet hit the ground, sawako's mother rushed over. your knees wobbled beneath you, and you knelt down to let sawako off your back. you could barely stand back up again, but you put on a brave face for sawako and her mother.
"you saved her! you saved my little girl," the woman cried, holding her daughter close and sobbing happy and relieved tears. "you're our hero!"
hero. your heart stuttered. "n-no, i'm not--"
"that's nightshade!" someone shouted.
"nightshade?! where?!"
"i thought she was dead!"
"isn't she technically missing?"
your eyes widened, and you looked around, seeing a group of teens pointing at you in awe. everyone's gazes began to turn towards you, and eyes wide and mouths ajar as they realized the missing hero had just saved a little girl's life from a fire.
and you ran.
...
bakugou entered his apartment complex with sore muscles and a crick in his neck. it was a long day out on patrol, from petty theft to a wannabe big-time villain asshole who threatened to blow up an entire mall of people. he just wanted to sit down and relax, maybe go to the gym later on in the night to stretch out his muscles.
he entered the elevator and hit the fourth floor, checking his phone for texts he'd missed while at work. there were the odd "good work today" texts then and again, a couple from shitty hair and raccoon eyes about a meet up. he rolled his eyes.
the elevator slowed, and he stepped out. but when he turned the corner, he stopped at the sight before him.
you sat just outside his door, head hung low and knees tucked to your chest. your hoodie was practically charred black and covered in holes and tears, burn marks scattered across it. it looked as though you'd been to hell and back, and there you were sat at his doorstep.
the blond stood in the hallway for a moment, but then his feet began moving before his mouth could. "what the hell happened to you, plant girl?" he crouched down, his fingers tilting your chin up.
you blinked, exhausted, eyes bleary and unfocused as you stared up at the blond before you. "bakugou...?"
"in the fucking flesh," he replied. "come on, let's get you inside."
he unlocked the door, opening it just a crack before he grabbed you, carrying you into the house bridal style. gently, he laid you down on his couch, his eyebrows knitted together in concern. there were burns across your skin, showing through the tears in the hoodie, and cuts across your face, just barely noticeable through the soot caked onto you.
"you need a damn bath," he said, his thumb just barely brushing over your cheek, soot and sweat coming off onto his skin. "i'll start running the water."
you laid on bakugou's couch perfectly still, the burns on your arms and chest stinging every time your chest rose and fell with each breath you took, lungs aching from the overexposure to smoke. a rack of coughs hit you, and you sat up, coughing into the crook of your elbow and wanting to cry at the burn in your throat.
the blond was quick to return, and he lifted you carefully, taking you into the bathroom and setting you on the ledge of the bathtub.
"the water's not too hot, but i need you to wash up, and i'll come back in ten minutes to clean out your burns," he said.
you nodded. "okay."
and so you painstakingly undressed, hissing as your clothes dragged over the wounds, whimpering as you used your hands to unbutton your jeans and push them down to the floor. you stepped into the tub, crying out loud at the water hitting your sensitive skin.
"ba-bakugou!" you called.
the door cracked open. "yeah?"
"i can't," you whimpered, voice hoarse. "i need help."
the blond entered the bathroom, kneeling next to the tub just as he had done at your apartment. "sure, plant girl."
softly this time, he scrubbed the ash from your hair, taking care not to pull to hard or cause you extra pain. he even washed your hair out with warm water versus the ice like last time. it made you crack a smile.
"the rest is up to you," he said after conditioning your hair. "there's a clean towel to your right, and a change of clothes next it. i'm gonna go get the first aid kit."
"thank you."
and he left the bathroom again. you washed yourself as quick as you could, whimpering at the tension in your muscles from quirk overuse. it had been four months since you last used your vines, and your body was suffering from it.
you were dried off and dressed when bakugou returned with the first aid kit in his hand, and he had you sit up on the bathroom counter, examining the burns and deciding which ointments to use. and he didn't speak as he worked to dress your wounds, meticulously cleaning them correctly and making sure to use the right ointments for each.
and when he was done, he gently picked you up once more, taking you into his bedroom and laying you down on the bed. "get some sleep, we'll talk in the morning," he said.
"thank you," you murmured.
"you're welcome," the blond replied, and he left the room, grabbing a spare blanket from the closet and setting up a small bed on his couch. his muscles may have still been sore from hero work, but with the day it looked like you had, you deserved the bed more than he did.
he was just about to turn on the tv when his cell phone rang, and he took a look at the caller id.
"the fuck do you want, nerd?" he asked, looking at you as though you knew why.
"she's back, kacchan," deku's voice echoed over the phone. "someone saw her today rescue a little girl from a fire."
"who's back?" bakugou sat up.
"name," he said. "it's all over the news. nightshade returns after three month hiatus, rescues a little girl trapped on the ninth floor of a burning building. she's... she's back, kacchan."
the blond's brows furrowed, and the pieces clicked together; your burns, the tattered hoodie, the smell of fire that followed you before he made you take a bath.
"holy shit," he breathed.
deku sobbed over the phone. "kacchan, she's back. we need to go and look for her again."
"don't bother," bakugou said, his eyes flicking to his bedroom door.
"wh-what? why?"
"because she's at my place. found her at my door after work," he replied.
"is she okay? i'm coming over--"
"don't you fucking dare, she's fine. i cleaned her up, she's sleeping in my bed," bakugou said.
"o-okay. night, kacchan."
"night, deku."
he hung up and tossed his phone to the side. he looked back up at his bedroom door and stood, walking over and cracking the door open ever so slightly to see your form sat up, glassy eyes staring out the window. he stepped inside and sat down on the edge.
"you fucking did it, plant girl," he muttered.
you looked at him, tears staining your cheeks, "bu-but now i don't know what to do."
his brow furrowed. "the fuck are you talking about?"
"what am i supposed to do?" you asked. "i saved her life, and i'm happy about that, but now people think i've returned, and-and i'm not ready, and today was the first time i used my quirk since the accident so everything hurts, and then that also means seeing everyone again and they probably all hate me for shutting them out--"
bakugou shook his head. "you don't need to fucking jump right back into hero work, stupid. no one's asking you to. and no one fucking hates you."
"b-but--"
"no buts," he said. "deku fucking called me, he immediately wanted to come over after finding out you were here."
your eyes widened, "please, don't let him--"
"fucking relax," bakugou rolled his eyes. "he's not coming over. told him you were asleep. but, the point is he's not fucking mad, none of them are fucking mad. he's thankful you're fucking alive, hell, we all are. and i can already guess they're planning a damn welcome back party."
you sniffled. "thank you, bakugou. for everything."
his cheeks reddened, barely visible in the moonlit room. "it's fine. now go the fuck to sleep, if you don't rest you won't fucking heal."
"okay," you smiled. "night, bakugou."
"night, (name)."
...
i always feel like my endings are so fucking weak and terrible, but oh fucking well. i went waaaaay to overboard with this, it's my longest piece to fuckin date dudes.