❝ 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 . ❞ [ Katsuki Bakugo x reader ]

01

𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙿𝚃𝙴𝚁 𝙾𝙽𝙴,

𝚂𝙴𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙳-𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽 𝙿𝙾𝙸𝙽𝚃 𝙾𝙵 𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆.

It was cold, it was dark, and you were alone. Helplessness suffocated you in overwhelming dizziness. It felt like gravity had little to no effect on you, but you still felt the cold hard concrete below you. Bruises littered your broken form and blood dripped from your wounds. Voices echoed on your head like a catchy song. 

You thought it was all going to end, part of you wanted it to end, but it kept going. You kept breathing, though your lungs felt heavy as steel. Stop, stop, stop, stop--you wanted it all to just stop. Why won't it stop?

Your alarm went off, ripping you out of your nightmare. A thin layer of sweat coated your skin, and you sat up slowly. Slamming the off button of the alarm, you swept away the hair that stuck to your face. An involuntary groan slipped past your lips, frustrated you had to suffer through another night terror. 

After you rolled out of bed, you pulled open the curtains that hung in your bedroom. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon hours ago and the night was settled in its place. Just as you expected, your new employer sent you the address of the job. You listened to the streets below you as you pulled yourself awake: cars hurrying to get from one place to another, and the haunting call of emergency vehicle sirens in the distance.

With a sigh, you gathered the weapons and tools you anticipated would be required for the day--or, night rather--ahead of you.

Soon, you found yourself standing before a dingy bar. Without much hesitation, you opened the unlocked door and stepped inside. In the blink of an eye, you were surrounded by some of the most dangerous villains in Japan. Certainly, it would have petrified anyone else. Unfortunately, you were among those who would be labeled as jaded.

Your job was to be among criminals. On appearance and reputation alone, you fit in well. You folded your arms over your chest.

"Which one of you is Shigaraki?" You broke the tense silence.

"That would be me," He said with a wicked grin on his half-covered face. Out of the incredibly diverse group of villains, he looked to be the most harmless. Though, you knew better to make that kind of assumption.

"I need half up front," You stated coldly. Shigaraki promptly pressed a few buttons of the smartphone that was sitting on the bar counter. Your phone rang with a single notification. Half of the promised payment was transferred to your account.

"Where's the package?" Shigaraki rose from the stool he casually slouched in. He guided you to a backroom.

"Any specific instructions?" You wondered aloud.

"Just keep our new friend away from any heroes." You nearly flinched when Shigaraki said that word. Brushing it off, you saw he gestured you to enter the backroom. Reluctantly, you opened the door and walked in.

You were not surprised to find someone bound in extravagant restraints to a chair. What did surprise you was who was bound.

With messy spiky blond hair on his head to match with how much of a mess the rest of him looked, it was a boy. A pair of crimson eyes shot daggers in your direction as he chewed at the gag over his mouth. He looked like a cornered animal; furious, yet afraid. He was a teenager. They had kidnapped a teenager.

"I hope you two get along," Shigaraki joked before shutting the door behind you. The shutting of the door echoed in your mind. It was audibly silent, but your internal dialogue was quite the opposite. That long since dead conscience of yours began to fuss.

You tried to swallow it. You leaned against the brick wall near the door, taking up a defensive position. You shut your eyes, focusing on silence the little voice in your head. But it persisted.

What the hell are these people thinking? They kidnapped a child. A child! Do they have any clue what that kind of trauma does to someone that young? What plans do they have for him? What have they already done to him?

You were haunted by the disgustingly empathetic thoughts. Your mind could not help but instantly arrive at the worst-case scenario. This situation felt oddly familiar. There was this... feeling--this pull--to set him free. He looked so strained and rigid, with a clear frustrating pain behind his eyes.

Why do I care what happens to him? I don't know him. He could be a terrible person for all I know.

You had been doing this job for years and you have done much, much worse. If anyone had caught even a whiff of half the things you have been hired to do, you would spend the rest of your life in a jail cell. Playing back-up to a kidnapping was light work, common even. After witnessing and participating in the life you led, you were completely desensitized. Or so you had thought.

This job paid well and you were not even supposed to hurt the boy. So why the hell did it feel so wrong? It was because he was a kid. He was a child just as you had been.

The silence felt like a few seconds, but in reality, it was approaching the ten-minute mark. You were sure you had two paths: one, do your job, get paid, and move on or two, help the boy escape. The instincts you had thought you crushed ages ago resurfaced. Your body moved without your mind telling it to.

You quickly walked over to where the boy was tied down. First, you removed the muzzle from his mouth. Then, you began to release the boy from his heavy, metallic restraints.

"What are you doing?" The boy questioned, his voice angry and hoarse.

"Saving your ass, so shut up," You ordered him. You remained calm and seemingly in control on the outside, but on the inside, you had just realized what you were doing. The restraints fell off his body and you grabbed him by his black shirt collar. You dragged him over to one of the boarded-up windows, effortlessly knocking out the wood planks. You climbed through the hole in the wall and landed in the alleyway. The boy saw your hand reach through.

"Come with me."

"Why should I trust you?" He spat, his eyes narrowing. You rolled your eyes.

"What've you got to lose, kid?" You asked him with a racing heart. "They'll be back any minute so come with me before I change my mind." Without a moment to think, the boy took your hand and you pulled him out of the window.

You rushed to where you parked your motorcycle and started the engine. You tossed the boy your helmet and the second he grabbed onto you, you hit the gas. You knew damn well it would be minutes before the villains realized you had stolen their hostage. It was only a matter of time before they began to hunt you down. But in the meantime, you had to disappear.

𝚃𝙾 𝙱𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙽𝚄𝙴𝙳...