ALWAYS || Katsuki Bakugo

36- Warm and Fuzzy

Bakugo yawned, stretching his arms above him. It was the evening of day four of seven of interning with Endeavor and accompanying his brat of a partner everywhere for patrols and missions. Sometimes, he wished she'd just shut up and let him win their arguments instead of lashing back at him with equal ferocity. But then, a part of him was secretly delighted to see her fuming and worked up just to prove herself right.

"Wait for me here," Yoshiko said, stopping in front of the public restrooms.

"I 'aint waiting for you."

"Okay, don't." She scoffed, marching into the women's restroom.

"This bitch..." Bakugo muttered, leaning against a pole. He pulled his mask up to his forehead, which pushed his bangs back. Crimson eyes lazily scanned the roads. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw a little girl, roughly five to six years of age, crying on the other side of the road.

Bakugo crossed the road, making his way to the girl with pigtails. "Oi, kid, what're you doin' here?"

"Bwaaaaaaah, I lost my way home!" She cried, hugging Bakugo's leg. Bakugo cringed when he felt her snot wipe his thigh.

"Get off!"

"WAHHHHHHHH," She cried even louder, taking the attention of the people around them who looked at Bakugo like he was the one who made her cry. He let out a 'tch' and crouched down.

"Okay, stop crying-" He said, but the girl wouldn't stop bawling her eyes out.

Yoshiko, who happened to get out of the restroom just then, noticed Bakugo crouching beside a cute little girl with light brown pigtails in a school uniform. She was crying. Yoshiko crossed the road over to the two.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking down at Bakugo, trying to calm her down.

"This brat won't stop crying!" Bakugo yelled, overwhelming the already panicked girl.

"This wannabe hero called me a brat!" The girl complained with tears, pointing a finger at Bakugo.

"Who're you calling-"

"Bakugo," Yoshiko said firmly, cutting him off.

Bakugo looked up to see Yoshiko giving him a warning with her eyes. 'Mind your fucking tone around the kid,' she seemed to say. Yoshiko crouched down beside him, putting her hands on the kid's shoulder. The little girl looked into Yoshiko's soothing moon-like eyes, calming down a little. Bakugo's stomach did a backflip when he saw her give the girl a soft smile. He tried focusing on the teary-eyed kid instead.

"What's your name?" Yoshiko asked.

"Mitsumi." The kid replied.

"That's a nice name! Why are you still in your uniform? Are you lost?" Yoshiko smoothened Mitsumi's hair and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. This seemed to lighten Mitsumi's mood.

"Mhm. Mummy always comes to pick me up, but today her boss was a really big meany and had her stay back for more work!"

"Oh yeah?" Yoshiko hummed. "So you lost your way from school."

Mitsumi's hands clenched on the fabric of her skirt, and nodded. Yoshiko patted her head, grinning. "Don't worry, we'll get you home. Do you know your address?"

"N-no... but I know I live near a big ding ding clock building!" Mitsumi said.

"I think she's talking about the clock tower," Bakugo said, remembering the clock tower he'd passed by many times before on his way to middle school.