Chapter 27 - Real Hero

Bakugou's night vision goggles were on. He stood in the shadows of the basement, waiting for any sound from the stairwell above. The door banged open a few moments later, a tall, broad man cursing under his breath. He waved a mobile phone out in front of him, using it as a flashlight.

"Doesn't this goddamn office have a generator?" He stopped short, clearly seeing the generator sitting in front of him, inactive. "What the..." Bakugou grabbed him by the neck before he could finish his sentence. He banged the suited man's head against the dark generator. The man went down hard, a trickle of blood leaking from above his brow.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Bakugou mumbled, disappointed. He turned, searching for a length of rope from his own bag.

"Was it?" the nasal voice purred into Bakugou's ear. Bakugou couldn't turn around fast enough before he felt a jagged blade dig into his cheek. As it cut into his skin, he set off a quick blast from his right palm, pushing the villain back. Bakugou scanned the man's hands for the weapon, but there was none. Then he glanced up to the man's brow. It was no longer bleeding. Instead, there was a razor-sharp red crystal protruding from his head. The villain grinned as he reached up and tore the crystal from his brow, then tossed it between his hands, ready for a knife fight. Bakugou wiped the blood from his own cheek and smiled devilishly, dropping into a fighting stance.

"I don't know who you are, but you're about to be mincemeat," the man gloated. Bakugou and the villain circled each other. The explosive boy positioned himself with his back to the exit, ensuring the suited man would need to go through him to escape.

"How funny. I was about to say the same thing to you." The villain dove forward, shoving his bladed hand toward Bakugou. Bakugou side stepped easily, grabbing the man's neck and arm, immobilizing him before snapping his wrist back. The man screamed and let go of the blade. Bakugou kicked it out of the way. He then sent a knee to the back of the villain's legs and the man buckled. "STAY THE FUCK DOWN!"

The man didn't heed his warning and dragged his free hand across the rough concrete basement floor, drawing blood at his fingertips. He swiped up with scarlet razor blades protruding from his nails. Bakugou jumped back in time to avoid getting sliced across the middle.

The villain got to his feet and cut a deep gash into his own forearm. A new crystal blade grew in its place.

"Why do you guys need all those knives upstairs if you're just going to make your own shitty ones?" Bakugou wanted information. He heard Shouji's voice in his ear but didn't focus on the words.

The villain's brow creased as he took in Bakugou's question. "Upstairs?"

"You know, with Hermes."

"Hermes is a message. He's expendable." Bakugou smirked. This guy was dumb enough to talk.

"Sucks that your boss isn't getting their shit delivered though, huh?" Bakugou watched as the man tightened his grip on the crimson blade.

"The Hacker doesn't need Hermes to succeed. The plan is already in motion. We'll get a new distributor." The Hacker? The plan? Bakugou's mind was reeling.

"Well, I'm pretty sure he won't be too pleased that you just told me that."

"Told..." The man's face went slack, his eyes wide in horror. Bakugou ripped the goggles from his eyes before sending a lightning bright stun grenade at the villain. The villain shielded his eyes. Within a heartbeat Bakugou sent an explosion to the man's torso, knocking him back, his head colliding with the metal box of the HVAC system.

Bakugou walked toward him slowly, a gauntlet aimed at the man's chest. The villain didn't move, but for good measure, Bakugou sent a quick punch to his head. He didn't take his eyes off the man's limp form as he retrieved his bag and pulled out handcuffs.

"Asshole number two has been captured," he reported.

"Asshole number three has also been captured. Hostage is secure." He heard your ragged voice through his headset and exhaled, a proud smile playing on his lips.

***

With Hermes effectively free you turned your focus to the suited man. You pulled back your tendril. You'd need as much smoke as possible. You could hear the man pressing buttons on his phone. "Fucking idiots. First Ekhidna doesn't answer and now Ichor." While he was distracted this would be your chance.

You let the vent panel crash to the ground. The man immediately looked to the tile, confusion written across his face. Before he could look up your shot thick, dark ropes across his eyes and mouth, another around his torso. His phone fell from his hand and cracked on the tiled floor, all light extinguished from the room. You dropped from the ceiling, landing crouched. The man twisted and struggled in his blind and confined state.

"Go!" you shouted to Hermes whose eyes were wide and wild. "Go!" you repeated, fighting the strength of the writhing man. Hermes kicked the binding from his feet and was shocked to realize he could pull the handcuffs off his wrists. His hands free, he ripped the gag from his mouth.

"Thank you," he said, his voice scratchy and dry.

"Go! Down the stairs. Find the hero with red hair!"

"Red Riot, hostage is headed down the stairs toward you. Cinder is engaging with last fifth floor suspect." You barely heard Shouji's voice in your ear as you focused on holding the suspect. The man stopped moving, his head turning in the direction of your voice. Your heart dropped when you saw the weapons on the table rise and point toward you.

Fuck. A metal manipulator? Or a telekinetic?

You released the villain and used all your smoke to build a wall in front of your body just as the knives flew toward you. A few sliced through the air mere inches from your head, passing outside the bounds of the wall. The glass windows smashed behind you. You dropped to the floor and rolled, hiding behind the high-backed chair. The villain laughed as he lifted the remaining knives and hatchets from the floor with his power.

"Come out little hero," his deep voice echoed in the dark, still room. You pulled the exhausted ropes from the legs of the chair and shoved them into your belt. The man was tapping around blindly in the darkness. You watched him move farther from your hiding place through your goggles.

You shot a tendril to the left and behind you, slamming it into the windows. The villain took the bait and sent his entire arsenal in the direction of the bang. The window shattered.

"Cinder! Are you okay? I've lost visual!" Shouji's voice blared in your ear, but you couldn't answer. "Leaving rooftop and coming to Gorgon!"

You peered from your hiding place. There were no weapons on the floor. You heard the villain stomping toward the broken window and hoped that since he had only been lifting weapons that his quirk only controlled metal. You scanned around the room, searching for any other metal objects. Other than a few office supplies there didn't appear to be anything else for him to attack with.

You released two dense tendrils at the villain, wrapping again around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides. You rose from your hiding place and yanked his form onto the ground. He grunted as he fell. Smiling, you reached for the rope in your belt until you felt a sharp pain in your thigh.

"Ah!" you roared as you saw the man's belt buckle sticking out of your leg. Fucking really?! You ripped the buckle from your thigh and threw it out the window, robbing the criminal of another weapon.

With the sudden shock, you had loosened your grip on the villain. He wriggled free and dove toward the sound of your voice. He had at least ten inches and one hundred pounds on you. His massive body collided with your own and you crashed to the floor, winded.

The villain hadn't pinned you down, but hovered menacingly over your body. Without any more metal he resorted to his fists. The goggles knocked away from your forehead and your head smashed into the unforgiving tile. A flash of flame rippled over your arms and the man hesitated for a single breath. In the brief reprieve you sent a brutal elbow to his jaw and then kneed viciously into his privates. The villain rolled to his side, not sure which part of his body he should sooth. You took his momentary distraction to send out new tendrils. With him already on his side you yanked his ankles and wrists together at his front, hogtying the criminal and sent a brutal heel to the man's temple, knocking him unconscious. Holding the tendrils taught with one arm you pulled the rope from your belt and wrapped it around his limbs as well.

Shouji rushed into the room as you stood over the villain's helpless body. You looked over your shoulder at the sudden intrusion, your pulse calming at the sight of your teammate.

"Hermes?" you asked, breathless.

"Outside with Red Riot." At those words you put your hands on your knees and felt yourself deflate.

"Can you take him down?" You jerked a thumb toward the unconscious villain. Shouji nodded and tossed the man over his shoulder with ease. He headed down the stairs.

"Asshole number two has been captured." You heard Bakugou's voice in your ear.

You laughed out loud before adding, "Asshole number three has also been captured. Hostage is secure." You touched your arms, delicately running your fingers across your shoulders, feeling the residual warmth of the flame.

"I need to learn to control you," you whispered to yourself. Dropping your hands, you scanned the room. A shiny rectangle caught your eye. You picked up the metal villain's cracked phone, turning it over and over in your hand as if it would reveal some secret. You shoved it into your jacket pocket and followed after Shouji.

***

Red and blue lights flashed outside the building as you neared the lobby. Shouji dropped the villain in front of a police car. An officer shook his hand. Hermes was wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the back of an ambulance. You scanned the area for Kirishima and Bakugou. Not seeing them you raced into the building once more, searching for your other teammates, ignoring the dull ache at the back of your head. The lights flickered back on and you spotted red hair.

"Kiri! Is everyone out?" The boy turned toward you voice, lowering his hardened arms, immediately off guard at the mention of his nickname.

"Yeah, I got the janitors and Hermes out just a minute ago. If you're back that means..." Kirishima scooped you up in his arms, twirling you around like he had after your first fight together. "You got him?!" His eyes were bright with pride and relief as he lowered you to the ground, his arms still around your waist. You nodded, your own expression mirroring his elation.

"We got 'em. And I'm so glad you're safe." You pulled in closer, pressing your face into his chest and holding tight, relief flooding through you. You hadn't realized how worried you were about your team, about him.

"Me? You had the hard job. But you planned it out perfectly. You're amazing," Kirishima breathed into your hair. He held you for a long moment. "[y/n]?" You pushed back just enough to be able to look up into his face. He released your waist and cupped your cheeks delicately in his strong hands. You felt your breath catch before he bent and pressed a kiss against your lips.

***

Bakugou trudged up the stairs, dragging the unconscious villain behind him. He dropped him at the top of the stairs to be collected by the police and brushed dust and dirt from his shoulders. He cracked his neck to either side, relieving the tension he'd held all evening and dabbed at the new cut on his cheek. As he opened the door to the ground floor, he heard your voice from two rooms away and stepped toward it, a fresh smile covering his face.

He was about to speak but stopped short at seeing you wrapped in Kirishima's arms. He watched as his best friend gently cupped your face and leaned down into a kiss. Bakugou's heart dropped into his stomach. He felt angry and betrayed, sad and pathetic all in one instant.

Surely Kirishima had taken the hint when Bakugou wiped the floor with him a few weeks ago. Kirishima must have noticed how he had been by your side ever since the Sports Festival. While dense, Shitty Hair was his best friend. Wasn't it obvious how he felt about you?

And you... hadn't you trained with him for a month? Teased him? Pushed him to be better? Told him your secrets? Cried in his arms? Or maybe you didn't trust him anymore after he was cold to you, screamed at you, hurt you. Maybe all those moments that made his heart race hadn't meant anything to you. Maybe you wanted someone sweet and generous like Kirishima, not a guarded asshole like him.

Before your lips parted, he swept from the building, blasting a small hole in the concrete outside the main door.

***

In every romance novel you'd ever read, when the heroine finally gets kissed, it's like the heaven's part and the sun shines on her new love. There are sparks and fireworks, a choir of angels sing. There's warmth and passion and need. Hearts nearly burst from the emotion welling up inside. In every movie, the heroine's foot pops up as she melts longingly into her lover's embrace. Hands run through hair and grab waists, needing to be closer.

Your foot didn't pop. You didn't feel sparks and you didn't hear angels. You just felt Kirishima's soft lips against your own. It was fine. It was nice. But your heart didn't flutter.

This didn't make sense. While you hadn't thought of him romantically before, you loved Kiri. He was your best friend, the person who made you laugh until your sides hurt, the one who you'd convinced to go roller blading and sang karaoke with you. This was a good story, almost a cliché. The best friends finally realize they're supposed to be together. Then why was the ending to this story so wrong?

You pressed into Kirishima's lips a bit firmer, wondering if the feeling would develop if you put more oomph behind it. Still... nothing.

You pulled away, not making eye contact. You bit your lower lip wondering what to say. Kirishima exhaled slowly. "That was..." he began. You cringed internally, not sure how you'd be able to express your feelings, "...nice."

Your head snapped up. "Nice?"

"Don't get me wrong, you are a very good kisser. It's just-" he pulled away slightly, suddenly embarrassed and raised his arm to scratch the back of his neck- "I've been building this up in my head for a while now and well, I was expecting to..."

"Feel something more?" you finished his sentence, your voice nearly pleading.

"You too?" His eyes widened at your confession.

"Oh, thank God," you both laughed awkwardly, the dread in your chest ebbing away ever so slightly. "I mean, it was a good kiss."

"Definitely a good kiss."

"Just not something I think I'd do again...?"

"Right."

"Right," you exhaled. You clasped your hands over your chest and turned away from him, suddenly nervous. "Kiri? Can we not let this effect our friendship?"

"[y/n]," he wrapped one arm playfully around your shoulder and gave you a kind smile, "I promise you this will not affect our friendship."

You decided to push your luck. "Can we still fall asleep watching movies? Will you still give me piggyback rides?"

"Absolutely! In fact, I think you should hop on right now. The police will be sweeping through soon." You couldn't contain your smile as Kirishima bent down slightly, offering for you to climb aboard.

***

"Bakugou we did it!" you yelled from Kirishima's back as you exited the building. You slid off and ran to the blond who was sitting on a curb wearing an unreadable expression, crushing the mask you'd given him between his hands. "Did you have any trouble in the basement?" Your voice was giddy.

"What do you care?" He stood up and started walking. You nearly shivered at his cool tone.

"Are you okay?" you asked, concerned when you saw the blood on his cheek. You chased after him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Do you need a medic?"

"I'm fine. Go back to Shitty Hair. JUST LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!" He threw your mask on the ground, a hiss of a blast cracking the oxygen release valve. You pulled your hand away, your brow creased in concern and confusion.

"O...Okay," you stammered. "We'll have to debrief the police and Fat Gum soon. Just don't go too far." You turned to walk back to the building's entrance, glancing over your shoulder at the explosive boy.

***

"You four did some amazing work tonight." Fat Gum stood before you in front of the Gorgon after he'd helped clear the scene. The three villains and two security guards were taken into custody. They were each placed in secure ambulances to be taken to a villain hospital in order to deal with their injuries. You suspected the security guards would likely be let off, but the villains would spend some time in jail.

"Are we going to get to talk to them?" Shouji asked. "What about the hostage?"

"The hostage has been taken to the hospital to be treated for some minor injuries and get counseling. The police will be questioning him on his position in this organization," Fat Gum answered.

"What about the blonde lady we saw earlier?" Kirishima added. "If she's their boss, we need to know what they're planning."

"The ultimate boss is called The Hacker." Bakugou appeared from the shadows, the cut still visible on his cheek. He didn't make eye contact with you or Kirishima. "That goon I took down said that the plan was moving forward. They'd get a new distributor. They didn't need that Hermes guy anymore." Your eyes widened at this new information.

"Did he say what the tech was for?" Shouji questioned. Bakugou shook his head.

"The Hacker? Does that mean anything to you Fat Gum?" Your glance bounced between Bakugou and the pro hero.

"Not to me but we'll pass the name on to the police. Good work Ground Zero." Fat Gum placed a congratulatory pat on Bakugou's shoulder, but the boy didn't react. The pro pulled his hand away awkwardly. "Anyway, I'll be sure to have the police interrogate these three men and see what else we can find out about The Hacker. We'll interview the hostage as well. With any luck we'll be able to figure out what this master plan is." He tried to sound reassuring but with so little to go on you felt like your success was diminished.

"I got this off the metal guy." You pulled the cracked phone from your pocket. "Maybe you can trace something off the sim card or look through his contacts." Fat Gum motioned for an officer to take the mobile phone. He placed it in an evidence bag and began writing a label on the plastic.

"What's next for us then?" Kirishima called out.

"You go to school and become professional heroes," Fat Gum answered enthusiastically to the chagrin of you and your teammates. "This was an internship, and as well as you all did, I can't have you skipping out on UA." He watched as all your faces fell. "I promise I will send updates when I get them."

***

You packed up your bags the next morning. Your hero costume had been folded into its case, but you still wore your custom boots. Gathering your belonging on the hotel desk you lifted a photograph.

Fat Gum had insisted on everyone taking a team Polaroid for the end of the internship. You grazed your fingers over each of the faces. Kirishima was beaming at the camera with his sharky grin, arm draped around your shoulders. The image had caught you in a genuine laugh, head slightly turned toward your best friend. Shouji stood beside you, tall and proud. Your fingertips lingered on Bakugou. The ash blond didn't smile, the cut shining on his cheek. His crimson glare almost stared through the camera, distant.

You thought of your time at Fushimi Inari and questioned if this could really be the same person. How could a boy who had shown you the city at sunset still hold such a coldness behind his eyes?

You dropped the photograph into a manila folder. It seemed unreal that you'd be heading back to school after experiencing such a wild evening. You collected the stack of papers covered in your notes and scribbles and placed them into the folder as well, smiling.

You had planned a rescue and succeeded. And you could never thank your teammates enough. They had been instrumental in making sure every assailant was taken down, every barrier lowered, and every person saved.

You finally felt like a real hero.

____________[A/N] Shout out to all my Kiri shippers. I hope you enjoyed because Blasty sure didn't. Please drop a vote or a comment if you're not as salty as our favorite tsundere.