Chapter Text
Bakugou Katsuki, better known as Dynamite, didn't cave under pressure. Until now. He was a certified badass, someone no-one wanted to cross wrong. Hero, fighter -
"Asshole."
"Ha? The hell you calling asshole, freak face?" Katsuki scowls, mouth tugging like it was attached to a tow.
The extra beside him had been bitching under his breath all morning, like he was the one forced to work with someone that hadn't even made the Top 100.
So what, Katsuki thought he saw trouble and jetted off. He was a hero. His whole job was to fight crime. If his partner wasn't so busy being a pain in the ass he would've been able to catch up with Katsuki faster. And it wasn't like it mattered anyway. It was a false call, a prank he calmly told the prankster's to pack in.
He took a deep breath in through his nose, willing his temper to calm. He'd been working on his anger, his reputation and what not. Trying to be more personable and friendly - whatever the fuck that mattered when taking down a villain. He was trying. But he still struggled when it came to idiots, especially idiots in the field.
"Eight years of working for Endeavour and I'm babysitting a man child who can't understand teamwork," Slugger hissed under his breath. "UA not teach you that? Never learned to communicate?"
The sun in Tokyo was glaring today, making Katsuki sweat buckets that did nothing to help control his irritation. The crowds were sweltering now he was back on their route. Loud noises popped and squeaked from every direction. Some street performance a couple roads back was still blazingly loud, some kid crying obnoxiously disruptive. His uniform, notorious as it was, drew attention that made some people whip out their phones and record, even without any action to make it worthwhile.
Patroling the streets of Tokyo sometimes felt like being on the wrong side of the circus: surrounded by noise, stares, and some idiot colleague wanting to throw cream pie in his face for shits and giggles. Katsuki was the one with a right to complain, being forced- convinced to partner with this whiner. And if this extra was too weak to handle his ire then he could f right off.
"Damn extra, you're lucky to be patroling with me." He reminded him for the thousandth time. Because the dumb extra didn't understand his privilege the first 999 times it was explained. "You're patrolling with the future number one. And as number one, I see a crime, I move. So quit your yapping and fall in line or get left behind." Katsuki was proud of himself for putting it so politely. Take that for progress.
The extra scoffed, full of attitude that Katsuki found draining in the first 5 minutes, never mind 5 hours in. Ranked 15, Katsuki wasn't quite where he wanted to be. Failure. But he wasn't taking crap from someone who hadn't even fought in the war 5 years ago, probably trembling in his apartment like a pussy. He would be number 1 and he'd show all these extras that he didn't need a glorified babysitter.
"Incase you forgot, you're not on a solo mission." Slugger muttered, bitter. The mask on his face, like a catcher helmet, helped muffle his sound. He was quiet enough that the civilians didn't hear him, thank fuck, but loud enough Katsuki wanted to clock him. "If you weren't so erratic I wouldn't be stuck here, some of us actually want to save lives."
Katsuki paused, fury flaring hot and fierce. The implications were heard, loud and clear. He resented the fact that some people saw his personality and discarded the truth - he'd been saving lives since he was fifteen. Whilst most of them were busy taking photoshoots and posing to compete for temporary popularity built on quick wins, he fought to win all fights. He fought so he could go against the worst villains out there, fight and at the end hold a fist in the air declaring victory. His loudness showed he was there, and he would, no, he had won. "I don't wait for wannabes to catch up because I'm saving lives. You want me to wait so you can have your moment on camera? Tough shit. Up your game or shut up."
Katsuki thought that was the end of it, fully ready to put the whole thing behind him despite his ever loud heartbeat and swelling anger. He was really trying to ignore this guy and treat the patrol as usual. He wasn't sure why this asshat got under his skin so much. Maybe it was that he'd only been back for two weeks. He'd expected the media to go for his throat. The public to make a fuss before realising that he was still one of the best. But it was aggravating having a fellow hero go after him so continuously. Especially since he didn't want to partner with the smug fucker anyway. But 'rules' following his probation and whatnot.
He sucked it up and focussed on the fact that in a few more hours his patrol would be over and he'd request to change partner. Again. Ugh.
He moved with more sure movements, ready for this patrol to be over. Ironic, since he'd been itching to be back on patrol just 2 weeks ago.
The streets smelled of street food now, the area known for restaurants, cafés and stalls up ahead. His nose burned with the convolution of so many different scents.
Slugger, who was once right behind him, had gone silent enough that Katsuki paused to look back and notice he hadn't moved.
"Look, if you're gonna complain about me going ahead at least have the decency to -" keep up, he would've said, if he wasn't rudely cut off. Everyone has bad days, and he had a niggling feeling this was one more to add to his mile long list of them.
"You're not fit to be in the field." Slugger said. Right. Out. Loud. Katsuki thought he heard a gasp, but the ringing in his ears was more noticeable, like the ding of a boxing match being started.
"Ha?!" Fuck. This. "You got a problem fuck face-"
By now cameras were out, whispers making its way through the sudden crowd focussed on him. Calm down, asshole. Breathe in. Out. Katsuki really tried to remember the talk he had with HR, his publicist, Endeavour (though why he had a leg to stand on here he didn't know). His rank was close to dipping following his last incident - not that it was his fault. But people are still weary of destruction, and apparently everything about him was destructive. He maintains that the force he used was necessary, no-one else had been there , they weren't the ones making the call so what right did they have to judge -
Deep breathe. He'd swore he'd tamper down his, well, everything. Improve his image , even if it meant he had to tag team with this stupid, idiotic, baseball star wannabe, no good loser hero.
It was so hot that Katsuki could feel the sweat dripping from his hair like hot oil on his skin. He was sure the heat searing his body was making it's way to his face.
Slugger smirked - Katsuki couldn't see his face but he fucking heard it.
"My problem is that you never outgrew acting like a villain, Dynamight. And just because you used your connections to weasel your way off of probation, it doesn't make you fit to be a hero."
The whispers. Katsuki heard them now, mocking him, wondering why he was on probation, wondering if he should be a hero, if he deserves his spot at 15 and tanking his years of hard work with rumours that will spread like acid.
Before he realised it, Slugger had been, well, slugged, and lay on the ground. The dull throb of his knuckles told him his steady controlled grip on his anger had slipped.
"Fuck."
So much for his reputation.