Kindle

Tinder

Bakugou stared up curiously at the towering blond monolith. The monolith, Doppo Kunikida, coughed, and settled himself down onto the couch beside Bakugou.

Doppo Kunikida, Bakugou's great uncle, had always been taller than him. Also, Uncle Kunikida was strong even though he was old, his Quirk was awesome--although he called it an Ability, not a Quirk-- and he was really smart.

"Bakugou, if you're ever in really bad trouble, as in your parents died or a villain is after you, then find these people. They are my friends, and will help you."

The blond child nodded and grinned. "I'm six! I can handle anything! But...if there's a villain, they can be my sidekick!"

Kunikida sighed. How long had it been since he had seen someone who believed they were on top of the world? Someone so confident in their abilities? Well, such was the gift of some children.

The old man--and he was an old man, at the ripe age of age of 113--leaned in and asked a very important question. "Do you want to become a Hero?"

"Of course!" Came the enthusiastic reply of the wide-eyed Bakugou. Who wouldn't want to be a Pro-Hero?

Kunikida nodded. He narrowed his eyes at his great nephew. "Why?"

"Because of All-Might! He's awesome! He can beat any villain! Every villain at once couldn't even stop him! I want to be a Hero, I'll always win that way!"

Kunikida pursed his lips and proposed a thought. "What if All -Might lost?"

Bakugou stared at Kunikida in shock. The thought was unfamiliar to him, completely alien because of his belief that the Hero All-Might would always win and always be there. He furrowed his eyebrows and thought. "I...I don't know?"

"Why don't you become a Villain? The Hero doesn't always win after all," Kunikida mused.

Bakugou glared vehemently at his great uncle. His voice went up high as he shouted, "No way!" He frowned. "Villains...hurt people. They do bad stuff. I don't want to do that."

Kunikida took off and cleaned his glasses with his sleeve. Despite the lack of visibility in his vision, his gaze was no less stern, but understanding. "That's the difference between Heroes and Villains. One becomes a Villain if one wants to help themselves get whatever they want at whatever cost. But, one becomes a Hero because one wants to help people, not because you want to win. Do you understand the difference?"

Bakugou nodded. He looked subdued as thoughts swirled in his head.

Kunikida frowned and placed his hands on his knees. His hands and arms seemed to bulge out from where they should be, an unfortunate side effect of old age. "Do you still want to be a Hero?"

Bakugou stared his great uncle in the eye. "Yes."

The old man's lips curled up into a smile. "Good to hear. Now, I'm going to be gone in a few years. I won't be able to train you much. When I'm gone...go to Chuuya. He can help you become a Hero."

Bakugou stared at the small, yellow sticky note. He took it with a solemn look.

XXX

Kunikida: Promise me, look out for the kid.

Dazai: I will.

XXX

Bakugou stood in front of the closed casket. His chest was stuffed full of anger and annoyance. 'Why couldn't Uncle Kunikida have waited? He was going to teach me how to deal with hostage situations next summer."

When he got home, he broke down and cried. The reality of not seeing his uncle, at least for a long time, hit him with the almighty force of an United States of Smash. Neither of his parents commented on his eyes that were even redder than usual from crying, his sleeves where he had wiped his tears off, and his deeply cemented frown. But they did offer a large, tight family hug. His mom soothingly ran her fingers through his hair. His dad muttered assurances and talked about random things.