K.BAKUGO X READER (Cover art by me)
In a life where I'd be safe in one moment and on the brink of death in another, I realized that he was the only force that could ground me. Of all the people in the world. My volatile co-worker. My menacing rival...
(AN: warning, this chapter is plot/context heavy but necessary for understanding future chapters)
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part fifteen
━━━━ ⟡ ━━━━
Navigating the world without light can turn a standard building complex into a rat maze. They'd supplied us with half-decent flashlights, but mechanical decency couldn't make up for a dying battery. Heck – that blonde-idiot's glowing hands would've held out better than my lame flashlight.
The blast from before had taken out the main power, along with the backup generator, leaving the bay in a moribund state of leaking heating pipes and creaking support beams.
I wielded my useless light stick at the mess, searching for the man's room – Dr. Yao's room. They'd probably relocated him after me and Bakugo's fiasco the other night. We were right to assume they were holding him under strict isolation. An intelligent mind, a prisoner of war, and an asset to the mission.
Echoes rattled off the walls to the sound of sirens blaring in the distance. The tile crackled and groaned. Counting room numbers in a mindless loop.
I called for him. "Dr. Yao? Sir?"
No response.
Down another hall. Standing under the buzz of broken fluorescent lights leaking their chaos, I smelled gasoline in the air. Eventually, my footsteps became wet, splashing in puddles of shiny fluid like the tide was drawing back in.
"Dr. Yao?"
"...Is there someone there?"
His voice was faint and muffled, blown out by the static of collapse. I had to reach him. As my light waved across the walls, patches would glisten, dripping from the ceiling, soaking into the concrete.
When I found him, he was shoving his body against the crooked metal door, folded under the weight of the falling building. Our eyes met through the gap.
"I-I can't find a way out. The door's jammed unless your quirk can bypass it. Please. Help me."
I yanked helplessly. "How bad are your injuries? I have a way to get you out."
"The nurse healed my wounds. My head is still fuzzy from the coma. Side effects from the drugs."
My quirk could be explained simply enough. After fitting him with a coat and snagging a crutch, I teleported him free. The doctor instantly clutched his stomach.
"Quirk repercussions?"
"Likely. They should wear off soon, Doctor."
With the click of my flashlight, we hobbled through the darkness, navigating the creaking building. Dr. Yao held tightly to my shoulder. Up close, I could tell he was late-middle-aged. He smelled of leather and old soap, and the mountain hadn't treated him well. At least he still had the strength to walk with some support.
