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Shortly after he gets fucking kidnapped and they move into the dorms, Aizawa-sensei comes up with the brilliant plan to take them out on patrol.
Katsuki doesn’t even have his provisional license, but it seems like his teacher doesn’t give a shit. They’re supposed to stay with him the whole time, so why does it even matter?
He volunteers first. There’s no fucking way he’s letting any of the extras get out there before him, even of some of them already have their work studies coming up.
Katsuki bothered Aizawa-sensei enough that their patrol ends up before any of the work studies start anyways, just so that he can go first.
But of course there’s a drawback. Since Aizawa-sensei doesn’t have the fucking patience to take them out one by one, they have to go in pairs. Katsuki nearly blows the classroom up when that’s announced, but then his teacher said they could pick their partners.
There’s only one person Katsuki can deal with for a patrol. The only one who isn’t really an extra anymore.
Shitty Hair.
The guy is annoying as shit, but he’s also strong as hell and was there when Katsuki escaped from the League. That’s given him some of Katsuki’s respect.
The fact that he’s the least annoying of the fuckers in his class made his decision for him.
Shitty Hair seems eager to pair up wth him, seeking Katsuki out before any of the extras can try to claim him.
Their night falls on the earliest one possible, the Friday night since sensei doesn’t want them completely fucked for school yet.
Katsuki would have preferred sooner. He would have been fucking fine with the middle of the week with his grades. But it makes a little sense when thinking of the rest of the fucking class. Shitty Hairs grades aren’t the best, so they probably can’t lose a study session during the week to patrol anyways.
Patrol night starts peaceful enough. They stick relatively close to the school since Aizawa-sensei is a paranoid fuck.
But Katsuki always seems to find himself in the middle of a villain attack. He’s not quite sure how they’ve ended up this far from the school, but they’re fucking miles away, at some dark dock Katsuki has never even heard of.
It’s not a fun fight. Which says a lot, given how much Katsuki enjoys himself when he’s able to let loose like this. But he and Shitty Hair are cornered on the end of the dock, separated from their teacher by multiple villains.
Sure they can handle themselves. But these asshole seem to be focussing more and more on Katsuki and Shitty Hair, leaving Aizawa-sensei to do his best to fight through to them.
These villains aren’t even that tough. There’s just more of them than they thought when they first jumped in, and they seem intent on pushing them closer and closer to the edge.
Shitty Hair is nervous.
Which is fucking stupid. He’s trained with Katsuki countless times, and he’s way stronger than these losers.
But there’s no other explanation for the way he’s moving, all unsure and unsteady. Katsuki makes sure to stick close, because if something happens to the fucking idiot it falls on his shoulders to protect him. To take care of him.
They’re down to the last two guys when it happens.
Aizawa-sensei is dealing with one so Katsuki turns to where Shitty Hair is taking on the other.
Just in time to see him grabbed and thrown into the water.
Katsuki pulls the pin on his gauntlet and explodes the villains face for that, leaving him unconscious. He lets Aizawa-sensei deal with tying the fuckers up and contacting the police, leaving him the chance to turn to the water and haul Shitty Hair up when he’s back at the surface.
Except he doesn’t show up.
Far too many seconds pass by with no sign of the redhead. Fuck. Katsuki doesn’t even know if the shithead can swim!
With hardly a second thought Katsuki throws his gauntlets to the side and dives in, swimming blindly in the murky water. He goes as quickly as he able, reaching as far as he can with his arms as he moves.
His hand brushes rock and he almost dismisses it before it fades into something smoother. Something softer.
Kirishima.
He pulls the other boy over and wraps his arms under his shoulders and around his chest. It’s a lot harder to swim this way, with only the use of his legs. It doesn’t help that Shitty Hair is fucking heavy, and the exhaustion in his limbs is quick to make itself known.
Katsuki’s chest is burning by the time he breaks the surface of the water. Shitty Hair is immediately pulled from his arms and hauled onto the dock, leaving Katsuki to climb up after him.
He takes a few heaving breaths and wipes the water from his eyes before looking up to where his teacher must have dragged Shitty Hair and freezes.
Aizawa-sensei is doing chest compressions.
“Bakugou I need you over here.” He’s snapped out of his stupor when his teacher addresses him.
Katsuki hurries over and kneels by Shitty Hairs head, unsure of what his teacher wants.
“I need you to breathe for him on my signal. Can you do that?” Katsuki doesn’t think he can speak, so he answers by scooting a little closer and placing his hands on Kirishima’s head, ready to plug his nose and tilt it.
“Now.” Aizawa-sensei pulls back his hands a little, and Katsuki leans forward as he plugs Shitty Hairs nose and presses his lips over the other boys. He gives him two deep breaths before pulling back as he’s supposed to.
Aizawa-sensei frowns and continues his compressions.
Katsuki does his best to keep his shaking hands steady as they rest on his friends face, ready for the next round of breathing.
He counts along with Aizawa-sensei so that he’s ready, and he takes a shaky breath before leaning forwards once again to try and breathe for Kirishima.
He gets a breath in before Shitty Hair jerks and fucking coughs in his mouth leaving behind the disgusting taste of the water as he hastily pulls back.
Aizawa-sensei turns Kirishima away so he can cough up the rest of the water, keeping a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“We need to sit him up. It’ll be better for his breathing.” That’s all the warning he gets before Shitty Hair is leaned against him.
He’s so limp that he starts slipping as soon as Aizawa-sensei lets go of him, so he ends up awkwardly cradled in Katsuki’s arms. Kirishima latches on immediately, gripping the front of Katsuki’s suit with shaking hands.
Katsuki pulls him a little closer, trying to provide some warmth that he doesn’t have.
Aizawa-sensei squats close, eyeing their shivering forms with a frown on his lips.
“Kirishima. What happened?” Katsuki would like to know too.
“C-can’t sw’m.” It’s a miracle they can understand him through his chattering teeth.
Aizawa-sensei looks about as surprised as Katsuki feels, his brows nearly at his hairline.
“You don’t know how? Did your parents never try to teach you?”
“Th-they did. B-but I c-c-couldn’t get the hang of it, s-so I panicked in the water. That m-made me activate my quirk, and th-there’s n-no way to stay above the s-surface as a r-rock.” Aizawa-sensei gives him an almost sympathetic look and stands, moving a few feet away from the two of them.
He must have called an ambulance at some point, because it arrives only minutes after the police vans leave with the villains. The paramedics rush over, and do their best to check Shitty Hair over in his curled up position.
“We’ll have to take him to the hospital.” That’s all the paramedic says before she’s trying to pull Kirishima from his arms.
Katsuki isn’t sure who is more desperate to hold onto the other, but he tightens his grip at the same time that Kirishima does.
“Dynamight, if you won’t let go you’ll have to carry him to the ambulance.” Katsuki rolls his eyes and moves an arm.
The paramedic takes it wrong and grabs Kirishima again, but Katsuki is quick to correct her when he moves his arm under Shitty Hairs legs and stands.
He sways a little, muscles protesting after swimming so hard, but there’s no way he’s dropping his friend like that so he steels himself and walks to the ambulance unsupported.
He seats himself on the gurney that’s only a little more comfortable than the wood of the dock had been.
Katsuki keeps Kirishima tucked to his chest, but he allows the paramedic to grab his arm to insert an IV and move his head a little for an oxygen mask to improve his breathing.
Kirishima stares up at him the whole time, mouth slightly agape and a thankful look in his eyes.
It’s a short trip to the hospital where Katsuki reluctantly has to let go of his friend. It’s quickly determined that he should stay overnight, and Aizawa-sensei has an easy time convincing them to let Katsuki stay as well even though he’s fine once they’ve checked him over.
Aizawa-sensei heads out, promising to see them in the morning to get them back to the dorms.
As soon as the last nurse leaves Katsuki gets off of his bed and sneaks to the other where Kirishima lays half conscious.
There’s just enough room there for him so he climbs up and lays next to his friend, pleased at the way his body relaxes with their sides pressed up against each other.
The two of them fall asleep like that, providing each other with warmth and a sense of safety in a building full of strangers.
In a few days, when Kirishima is all better, Katsuki is going to teach the shitty-haired bastard how to swim.