Cat's Rule the world.... since when?!

The Aftermath of Battle

Three hours.... that is the amount of time that passt.....

The mansion echoed with the sounds of the fight slowly dying down, the heavy clangs of gunfire and explosions giving way to the distant shouts of Bakugo's men. One by one, the reports came in: the south wing was clear, the east wing secured, and the last pockets of resistance were being swept up.

Bakugo and I stood in the middle of the chaos, surrounded by the debris of our battle. My breathing was ragged, and the adrenaline still pulsed through my veins, but there was a sense of finality in the air. The fight was over. At least, this part of it.

Kacchan wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, still holding his usual scowl, but I could tell from the way he relaxed his stance that he was satisfied. We had done it. Together.

One of his men rushed up, out of breath but grinning. "Boss, the west side's cleared. We've got the mansion locked down. No more intruders."

Bakugo nodded, his eyes scanning the scene around us. "Good. Get the rest of the cleanup started. I want every corner checked."

"Yes, boss!" the man saluted before running off to relay the orders.

I glanced at Bakugo, feeling the weight of exhaustion finally starting to hit me. My body ached from all the movement, my limbs heavy, but there was something else weighing on my mind. Something I hadn't told him yet.

"Kacchan," I began, taking a breath. "There's something you need to know."

He turned to face me, his sharp eyes narrowing slightly. "What now, Deku? You didn't go and screw something up, did you?"

I shook my head. "No, it's about the spy. The one working with the attackers."

Bakugo's gaze darkened, and I could see the shift in his posture, the tension returning to his muscles. "The spy?" he repeated, his voice low. "You know who it is?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I found them during the fight. Knocked them out."

For a moment, he didn't say anything, just stared at me like he was weighing my words carefully. Then, without warning, he grabbed my arm and pulled me aside, away from the other men milling around. His grip was firm but not painful. It was Kacchan's way of telling me this was serious.

"Who is it?" he asked, his voice a low growl. "Who's the traitor?"

"Ochaco," I replied, meeting his gaze. "It's her. I don't know why, but she was working with them. She used her quirk on me during the fight, but I managed to take her down."

Bakugo's eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "That damn... I'll handle it." His tone was decisive, as if he was already planning his next steps. "You stay out of this, Deku. This isn't your problem anymore."

"But—"

"No." Bakugo cut me off, his eyes hard. "I'll take care of it. You've done enough." He glanced around, as if to make sure no one was listening. "I'm not letting you get dragged into this shit any deeper than you already are."

I wanted to protest, to tell him that I could help, but I knew better than to argue with him when he was in this kind of mood. And, honestly, I was exhausted. I had pushed myself to my limits during the fight, and while I wasn't going to admit it, I knew that staying out of the spy mess was probably for the best.

Kacchan let go of my arm and gave a sharp whistle. Almost immediately, Sero, Mina, Denki, and Kirishima appeared, looking winded but excited from the battle.

"Kirishima, you stay with him," Bakugo ordered, pointing at me. "You all do. Make sure this idiot doesn't try anything stupid while I handle the rest."

"Uh, sure thing, boss," Kirishima said, looking a little confused but nodding. He gave me a small, encouraging smile. "You did good out there, Deku."

Mina walked up, eyes wide with amazement. "Seriously, how did you even do that? I mean, we saw some of it, but it was like you were everywhere at once!"

Denki's grin was infectious as he clapped me on the back. "Yeah, man, you were insane! Like, I know you had hero training, but still, the way you handled yourself... wow."

I shifted uncomfortably under their praise, not really knowing how to respond. Compliments were always hard for me to handle, especially when they came all at once. "I-I just... did what I had to, I guess," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.

Sero smirked, leaning against the wall. "Don't be so modest, dude. You basically carried that fight."

Kirishima's smile widened, his sharp teeth showing. "Yeah! You were awesome! I've never seen anyone take on that many guys and come out without a scratch."

I ducked my head, my face flushing slightly from all the attention. "It wasn't that big of a deal..."

But they weren't letting up. Mina's eyes sparkled as she grabbed my shoulders, shaking me lightly. "Not a big deal? Are you kidding? You were like a freaking ninja out there! How are you so good at this?"

"I-I don't know!" I stammered, trying to step back from the barrage of questions.

"Maybe it's all that hero training," Denki suggested, grinning. "Or maybe he's just secretly a badass."

"Whatever it is," Kirishima added, crossing his arms over his chest, "you're definitely not just some pet. You proved that today."

The word "pet" hit me like a small punch to the gut, but this time, I didn't let it bother me as much as it usually did. Hearing them acknowledge me as something more than just Bakugo's pet—it was strange, but it felt good.

I gave them a small, sheepish smile. "Thanks, guys."

Bakugo, who had been standing off to the side watching us with a look of mild annoyance, finally cut in. "Alright, enough. You idiots can fawn over him later. I've got stuff to handle, and I need him out of the way."

Mina pouted, but nodded. "Fine, fine. We'll keep an eye on him for you."

Bakugo's expression softened just a fraction, though he tried to hide it behind his usual tough exterior. He gave me one last glance, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Stay in your room tomorrow. Don't get in my way."

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and stalked off, heading toward whatever business he needed to take care of with the spy.

I watched him go, a small sigh escaping my lips. The fight might have been over for now, but there was still so much left unresolved. Bakugo was right—there was a lot going on that I didn't understand yet. But I wasn't about to just sit back and let him handle everything on his own.

As I stood there with Kirishima, Mina, Sero, and Denki, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of camaraderie, despite everything. They had my back, even though I was still technically an outsider in this world.

Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't as alone here as I thought.