I Will Always Return
Outlaw!Bakugou x F!Reader Part 1/6
Summary: You are the eldest daughter to the mayor of Wrywood back when the wild west was more than just a movie genre. Your father is a sly politician who managed to find himself stuck between a rock and a hard place with a large crime group that resided in the city and the west’s most notorious group of outlaws. Somehow you find yourself stuck in the middle.
Warnings: Sexism (it’s like 1800 something lmaooo), misogyny, not consented advances, guns, violence, my terrible use of the “tenses” lmao sorry we be switching a lot, enemies to lovers, slow burn. Typos :/
This is my baby rn I'm a little nervous to post it but I hope you guys like it :,) also no worries there will be a spicy part
Word Count: 10.5k
Part 2! Part 3! Part 4! Part 5! Part 6!
Part One
It was tough being one of the only single young women in your small country town of Wrywood. Most women your age had been wedded off to ranchers and farmers around the area, including your three sisters. This was especially infuriating to your father, the mayor of Wrywood. No matter how many times you tried to explain to your father you wanted nothing to do with being a stay-at-home wife, he wouldn’t listen. You tried to explain that you wanted to work, stay out in the sun, breathe in the sweet summer breeze as you sat on top of a large red gelding while you looked over your land. Not stay inside and be worked to the bone and looked down upon for simply being a woman.
Of course, this only made your father angrier and before you knew it what little freedom you had was going to be stripped away.
Currently, you were sitting at the end of your family's large dining room table. It was polished oak, and cost your family a fortune. You ran your thumb along the grain of the wood as you tried to tune out the furious voice shouting into your ear.
“Are ya even listening to me?” your father shouted, his pudgy face starting to grow slick with sweat. Something that only happened when he was truly angry.
You nodded, keeping your gaze focused on the wood grain. Your mind was elsewhere, dreaming about being free, the wind pushing your hair back as you let your horse run to his heart's content. A herd of buffalo coming to run in by you both as the sun set over the mountainside. A sudden jolt to your shoulder tore you out of your fantasy as you looked up at your father with narrowed eyes.
“You know,” your father began, letting his hand drop from your shoulder as he pulled his handkerchief out of his back pocket, “I shouldn’t be havin’ to tell you this. Your sisters had no problem bein’ wedded off to their husbands. Why can’t you be like them? Fall into your role as a woman?”
You grit your teeth, flashing him a sharp glare. Hot anger erupted in your belly as you quickly stood, the wooden chair scraping loudly against the polished floors. “Fall into my role as a woman?” You seethed.
Your father’s cheeks puffed out at your sudden outburst, “you are in your twenties, Y/n. No cowboy is gonna sweep ya’ off yer’ feet like you like to dream about,” he jeered, his upper lip curling into a sneer.
You wrinkled your nose at his comment, “I don’t need a cowboy to sweep me off my feet, I am perfectly capable of getting up on a horse and-”
“Now you cut that out!” your father snarled, pointing a pudgy finger in your face, “no one wants to hear that independence shit. Here’s what's gonna happen, you’re gonna get into that damn dress your mother bought and you are gonna dance with Monoma and let him court you or so help me God. I should not have my last daughter still living in my house. All of your sisters have already married and have children, it’s time for you to do your part!” he finished, his chest heaving as he waited for your rebuttal.
You huffed, realizing that you truly had no other option. Your heart clenched painfully in your chest at the thought of letting your dream go, but in some twisted way, your father was right.With a disgruntled sigh, you left the dining room and headed towards your room to get ready for your father’s stupid campaign ball.
------
Unbeknownst to you and the rest of your family, this ball was more than it appeared to be. Your father had planned to try and rig the community poll so he could be mayor for another four years. Just so he can continue to swipe taxpayer money under the table. Therefore, that was why it was so important that you were married off to the right young man.
Neito Monoma.
The son of a huge crime boss in a major nearby city and one of the largest merchants in the state. If he was successful in handing you off to the Monoma’s then he would have his votes and probably the most important part of the deal. Safety.
A few years ago he had swindled a well-known group of bandits out of three grand when he hired them to make him look good for his first election. He managed to evade them since then, but he knew his time was up. He was in far too deep and you were his last chance.
His unruly eldest daughter who for some reason would not fall into her role in society. He nervously bit his nails as he looked up towards your room on the second story to see you and your sister talking. Everything he had was resting on you tonight.
------
“You look beautiful,” your younger sister said as she adjusted your sage green dress. It was made of silk and shimmered as the evening light reflected against it. “You know,” she mused, “I’ve always thought that you would have been the first to get married.”
You scoffed, “are you kidding?”
She shook her head as she took a step back from you to admire your dress and hair, “I’m not, you’ve got this spirit about you that turns heads. I know you know how many men have come to father asking to court you.”
You snorted, shaking your head as you smiled at your sister. She was too sweet to be related to you, “well thanks, I guess.”
She laughed, holding a hand over her swollen belly, “you’re welcome, now go and have fun. I’ve heard that Monoma is quite the talker.”
Your shoulders slumped. Monoma. You had certainly heard he was a talker, a foul one at that. The thought of being near that dog turned your stomach. “I’ll try,” you said bitterly as you moved to put on your boots. Thankfully, your long dress hid them, and it was much better than wearing heels.
Your sister shook her head, eyeing your muddy boots, she then glanced out your window. A large crowd from town had already started to head into the house. “We better head down there before father gets mad.”
You nodded, trying to rub the sweat that accumulated on your hands on your dress, but to your distaste, you found that the silk was no help whatsoever. Your sister opened your door and you both headed down the winding set of stairs, plush with fabric. You could see Monoma already, he was sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of the crowd.
He looked ridiculous with his crisp white cowboy hat paired with a white pair of chaps. He was laughing at something your father had said and graciously took a cigar from his father and placed it between his lips.
“I can’t do it,” you hissed, yanking your sister back towards you before she headed to the kitchen to watch over all your little nephews and nieces.
She gave you a lopsided grin, “yes you can. Look, once you're married, you don’t even have to worry about liking him, really. He’ll be working and you’ll be able to do what you want when he’s gone. Just go, Y/n,” she said as she gave you a light shove.
You stumbled forward grumbling under your breath as the crowd parted for you. Then before you could even comprehend your father, Monoma and his father, Vlad, were right in front of you.
“Y/n,” your father said, smiling at you, but his eyes flashed with mild irritation, “we’ve been waiting for you!”
You took a slow breath before smiling brightly. “I apologize, we had to make sure everything was perfect,” you explained in a syrupy voice as you batted your eyelashes at Monoma who tipped his hat at you.
Your father’s grin grew large. This woman in front of him was definitely not acting like you, which he was extremely thankful for. You were finally playing your part. “Hah, well you know how women get with dresses and such,” your father joked with Vlad who let out a hearty chuckle.
You smiled again, but you just imagined kicking all three of them in the balls with your steel-toed boot.
“That’s quite all right,” Monoma said with a small smile as he puffed on his cigar. He ran his gaze across your form, his grin growing larger, “I think it was worth the wait.”
“I’d say so too,” Vlad said. “She’s certainly beautiful,” he added, another hearty laugh bubbling past his lips.
Monoma nodded and smiled down at you as he extended his hand, “you sure do look stunnin’ in fact, do you mind if I have this dance, miss Y/n?”
Oh, how you wanted to bend his wrist back at an odd angle, but instead you politely nodded, “yes please.” With gritted teeth, you slipped your hand into his soft one as he pulled you to the dance floor.
The feeling of his sickly hot hands groping at your sides made your stomach turn as he pulled you close. The urge to run was strong but the feeling of being watched so close made you stay and endure it. And you did endure it and all of its terribleness. The sharp smell of whiskey on his breath as he exhaled on your cheek, the pinch of his fingers against your hips. The brush of his lips on your ear as he pulled you up close. Monoma was too much to handle.
However, luck seemed to be on your side tonight, and soon a whole dance circle formed around you both, and you were passed from man to man. They were all, in your eyes, much better than being with Monoma. After some time you politely excused yourself to the kitchen to get yourself some water.
Once you passed the double swinging doors that lead to the kitchen, you relaxed, and hastily grabbed a napkin to wipe the sweat off your forehead.
“Goin’ good?” your sister asked as she balanced a squirming toddler on her hip.
You frowned, “what do you think?”
She held up her free hand in defense, “okay okay, but remember this is good for you.”
You rolled your eyes as you took a hearty sip of water. “Is it though? I really can’t see myself being able to live like you, It’s just not me.”
Your sister sighed, a smile gracing her soft features, “I know. You aren’t like us and you never will be, but Shindo and I were talking and we think that this may be a little bit more than father trying to find someone for you to marry.”
You quirked an eyebrow, “what do you mean?”
Your sister leaned in close and kept her voice low, “Shindo overheard father talking with Vlad and they were talking about money and that group.”
You hummed, your curiosity peaked. “Did he now? Well, Vlad is from the city, I mean he looks about as sly as they come.”
Your sister frowned, “I hope father hasn’t done anything rash.”
You snorted, “well if he did, that’s his fault for gettin’ caught up in something.”
--------
“Richy boy,” Vlad said as he gazed down at your father, his crimson eyes almost glowing from beneath his black hat as he puffed on his cigar, “why have you been hidin’ that daughter of yours away for so long?”
Your father chuckled and wiped the sweat off his forehead, “ah well she’s got a strong spirit, mellowed with age y’know,” he answered.
Vlad narrowed his eyes, “she’s not one of them feminist is she?”
Your father shook his head hard, “no! She just spends a lot of time outside, that’s all. She’ll be perfect for Neito.”
Vlad nodded, exhaling a cloud of smoke into your father's face, “Good. Havin’ a pretty face around is good for business. Speakin’ of business, my boys have got your polls rigged. You should be all set.”
Your father grinned, a look of relief flashed across his features. “Thank you, I appreciate it, really.”
Vlad chuckled, “eh it’s easy money for me, you country folk are pretty simple.”
Your father gulped as a few notorious faces flashed in his mind, but he pushed the thought of them away and nodded, “yes! Not much happens here.”
“Just how I like it,” Vlad replied with a smirk.
--------
About two hours had passed since the party had started and you now found yourself in the back garden with Monoma. He was obviously drunk which was not very appealing to you.
“You know,” he began, his voice slurred as he held your upper arm in his clammy hand, “you’re lucky that our fathers planned for us to meet. You’ll never have to work a day in your life and you can get out of this dump of a town.”
You pressed your lips into a flat line, obviously displeased. “I see.”
Monoma raised his eyebrows in mild shock, “you seem displeased? I’m right.”
You mulled your next words carefully so as to not anger him, since you could already see a vein starting to pop out of his forehead. “No, of course not. I’ve never been cut out for work.” you lied. It was really the opposite. You were outside every day tending to the garden, feeding the cows, riding whenever you got the chance. Granted if your sunned skin and the dirt under your nails from digging in the garden before the party didn’t show how hard you worked, then you figured the man in front of you was not very observant.
“Clearly not,” Monoma began as he kicked one of your tomato plants, “most women aren’t cut out for work, and if they are they are usually brutish and leathery,” he said, wrinkling his nose as he spat into the garden.
You watched with narrowed eyes as a fat glob of his spit rolled down the scarlet red skin of one of your tomatoes. The nerve. He had no respect.
“They’re not delicate like you,” Monoma purred, placing his hand under your chin and turning your head towards him.
You squirmed, hating the feeling of his clammy hands on your face. He took a large step towards you, invading your space as his hot breath fanned your skin. He was looking at you like a piece of meat. Once his hand traveled down the small of your back towards your ass the frayed string inside of you snapped.
With a snarl of defiance, you tore yourself from his grasp, making him stumble a little.
“What?” Monoma slurred, a smirk growing across his features, “you shy? That’s okay, we’re gonna get to know each other real well soon, and I know under all that silk you’ll be a good little wife for me.”
A bitter laugh bubbled up out of your chest as you folded your arms across your chest, “I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so?” Monoma asked, the vein in his forehead starting to bulge again, “you don’t get to tell me what to do, woman.”
“Woman,” you repeated, your voice venomous as quickly slapped away his hand that went to grab you. “The nerve you have,” you snarled, taking a few steps back as he started to march towards you.
“You’re acting like a bitch,” Monoma said, his face turning red, “no wonder you haven’t been able to get married, no man wants a woman that’ll sass em’. You’re lucky I’m so nice,” he hissed, “but don’t worry I’ll put you in your place.”
“You will?” you asked, inhaling sharply, completely unaware of the shuffling of clothes and the soft pattering of hoofbeats behind you. “You are such a fucking asshole.”
With your hands balled into fist, you marched towards him and roughly yanked at the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to your level. “You think you can threaten me, daddy’s boy? I’m not scared of you,” you said, flicking off his cowboy hat from his head. “I don’t think this arrangement is gonna work out between us. For starters, I am not going to roll over and let you degrade me like I’m some kind of dog. Secondly, women who work are far from brutish, and judging by the cheap hat and your freshly pressed clothes, it's easy to see that you’ve never worked a day in your life. Lastly, if you ever try and touch me again I will break your shin with my boot,” you said, placing the hard toe of your boot against his shin.
Monoma gulped, his eyes were wide as his gaze jumped between you and the top of your head. With a grunt he pulled himself away from you and stumbled to the ground, his fingers digging into the soft earth as he tried to run away.
You grinned, finding satisfaction at his scared expression, and you folded your arms over your chest in victory. “Scared? I’m glad, now go run along to your daddy. I’m sure he can find you another damn wife.”
Monoma let out a whimper and attempted to scramble away from you. His shiny new boots were starting to grow dull from the dirt he was kicking up.
You were about to say something snarky again till a large hand landed on your shoulder gathering your attention.
“Fuck me, you’ve got the mouth of a sailor, princess,” a deep voice said from over your shoulder.
You stiffened, eyes wide as you glanced up at the man behind you dressed in a black starch top with a burnt orange bandana wrapped around his neck. He was wearing worn jeans under his black chaps and a pair of black cowboy boots that seemed to have some dried blood splashed on the heel by the spurs.
Your gaze traveled back up to his belt that was adorned with a large metal longhorn skull on the buckle and then to his face.
It was one you recognized from the wanted posters in town.
He was grinning at you with a perfect set of white teeth accentuated by honey-tanned skin. Blood red eyes were narrowed with interest as he gazed down at you and pale blond tufts of hair stuck out from beneath his black cowboy hat.
“What?” he began, running his tongue along his bottom lip, “don’t tell me you’ve lost your voice now, princess.”
You shook your head as he dug his fingers into your shoulder, “no,” you said, trying to sound confident, but the waver in your voice was evident.
“No?” he taunted, as he took a step forward, taking you along with him. “You were doin’ so well, by all means,' ' he began gesturing towards Monoma on the ground, “tell him what a sniveling brat he is. Bastard obviously doesn't know how to treat a woman right, isn’t that right princess?” he added, blood-red gaze sliding back to yours.
You twiddled your thumbs and swallowed thickly as you looked down at Monoma, “uh,” but your voice died down to a whisper.
“Aw sorry, you scared?” he asked, giving your shoulder a rough pat, “that’s okay, I’d be pissin’ my pants if I were you.”
You blinked as your gaze turned towards Monoma who was being tied by two other guys. They were also dressed in black but the one with red hair had a red bandana and a maroon hat and the other one had yellow hair with a golden bandana and a tan hat. A finger snapped in your face, making you flinch and you looked up again.
“You gonna answer my question, you scared?” he taunted.
You squared your shoulders, not wanting to let another man push you around. “No I’m not scared,” you said evenly, holding his gaze.
“You know who I am?” he asked, craning his neck to look down at you fully.
“Who doesn’t,” you answered nonchalantly.
“I like that answer,” he said with a bark of laughter. “You sure you aren’t scared,” he asked for a third time, his gaze flickering between you and his other men.
You shook your head. Of course you were scared, but you were also somewhat excited that they showed up. This outlaw next to you might as well be your knight in shining armor right now.
“Well darlin’ you should be, everyone with a brain is scared of Katsuki fucking Bakugou,” Bakugou said lowly as he guided you back towards the house. “Now don’t go runnin’ off on me, alright?” he said as the guy in the redhead kicked in your backdoor and threw Monoma on the ground.
The crowd in the house gasped and instantly Bakugou yanked out his pistol and shot a bullet into the ceiling making everyone scream. He grinned and brought his arm down and yanked you forward in front of him, “now nobody freak out or we’re gonna have a fucking problem,” he snapped as he moved into the middle of the room, “anyone knows where that sniffling mayor is hiding, I got a few words to share with him.”
“Hey!” Vlad shouted from the other end of the room, “what the hell are you rednecks doin’ with my son. Get your damn hands off of em’!”
“Kirishima, shoot the blondie if his pops comes any closer,” Bakugou said coolly, his blood-red gaze cutting to the tall redhead.
Kirishima nodded and slammed his boot down on Monoma’s back while he pulled out his pistol. Monona let out a cry, flinching away from the barrel of the gun in his face.
“Now,” Bakugou began as he tapped his boot against the wooden floor, “I don’t want anyone to interrupt again or this little lady is gonna not be so pretty after she meets my pistol.”
You froze, eyes wide as the tip of Bakugou’s pistol was pressed into your back. At the word of that, your father spilled out of the crowd and onto the ground, tears rushing down his round face.
“Please, Bakugou, please don’t hurt my daughter!” he cried, “please!”
“You gonna pay me the money you owe?” Bakugou snarled as he took a step closer to your father, “you swindled us out of three grand, old man. That was not very fucking nice.”
“I-I don’t have the money to pay you back, b-but once I’m mayor again I can! I promise that’s why I was marrying Y/n off to the Monoma’s. The polls were rigged for me!” he admitted, “please don’t kill me.” he muttered, “I don’t want to die.”
“Now isn’t that fucking sad,” Bakugou sneered, “sell your daughter to a rat for money?”
You blinked, tears filling your eyes, “dad? Tell me that’s not true.”
Your father looked up at you from the floor and nodded, “I’m sorry, I needed the money and you were never gonna find anyone on your own. It was the perfect opportunity.”
You swallowed thickly, “I can’t believe you.”
“Forgive me please,” he pleaded.
You looked away from your father, anger boiling in your stomach. He wanted to sell you like cattle? Just because he owed money to Bakugou? You were speechless, you didn’t like your father, but you didn’t think he would stoop this low.
“You know what Richy,” Bakugou said with a huff, “I’ll give you a month to get the damn money, and for a bit of motivation for your fat ass, since you like to take your fucking time, I’m gonna take this-” he began and before you could even register Bakugou had easily slung you over his shoulder like a dead deer, “for some fucking leverage. If you don’t get me the money by then you’ll never see her again. Got that?”
“Wait a second,” you sputtered, gripping the rough cotton of Bakugou’s shirt between your fingers, “you can’t just take me like this!”
Bakugou snorted, “I can do whatever I fuckin’ want, sweetheart.” With that he patted the back of your thigh as he swept his gaze over the spooked crowd, “One month,” he spat out, voice venomous as he turned on his heel and headed back out the door.
“Put me down!” you snarled, as you pounded your fist against his back, your eyes frantically met your sisters who started to scream your name.
“Kaminari, use your bandana as a gag, don’t wanna hear this one yappin’ all the way back to camp,” Bakugou grumbled as he exited your house.
Before you could even register, Kaminari had stuffed his bandana in your mouth and you let out a muffled scream, trying to grab the other outlaw in front of you.
“Phew, this one is feisty,” Kaminari said with a chuckle as you barely grazed his cheek with your nails.
“Cut that out,” Bakugou snapped delivering a harsh smack to the back of your thighs, “or I’m gonna tie ya up.”
You huffed, your breathing growing fast as your sister disappeared behind closed doors. This was your last chance to escape because you didn’t know what these men were going to do once they got you to themselves. With newfound ambition you started to squirm again, this time grabbing at Bakugou’s hair and trying to kick him in the stomach.
“Oi!” Bakugou barked as your boot struck him in his stomach, “alright, that’s enough, Kirishima tie her up. I’m not dealing with this shit tonight.” Bakugou grunted as he easily threw you off of his shoulder.
You let out a small cry as you landed on the hard earth. Before you could even try to scramble to your feet to run away, a boot was on your back pushing you back down. Soon you felt large hands yanking your hands back and you hissed feeling ropes tighten around your wrists.
“I’m leavin’ her ankles un-tied, she’s gotta be able to sit on a horse,” Kirishima said as he hovered by your ankles.
“Fine, then you can deal with her if she tries to kick you,” Bakugou said and then he whistled loudly. It didn’t take long for three horses to canter up to him before coming to a sharp stop. He sauntered up to a dark bay and quickly mounted his horse, glaring down at you on the ground, “hope you can stay on, princess. We ride fast.”
The three men laughed and you narrowed your eyes at them. Of course you could ride. You were probably faster than them on horseback anyway. You would have spit back a smart comment, but Kaminair’s grimy bandana kept you from doing that.
“Alright, c’mon,” Kirishima said from next to you as he easily hauled you up to your feet.
You glanced back at your house once more before Kirishima snapped his fingers in front of your face to gather your attention.
“Get up,” he told you, pressing the tips of his fingers into your back to urge you to get on the large black gelding in front of you.
You blinked hard, forcing down your emotions as you placed your boot in the stirrup and clumsily got into the saddle. Kaminari laughed at you when you wobbled a little, unable to place your hands anywhere.
Soon Kirihsima got on too and placed you in front of him. Well more like on his lap since there wasn’t too much room in the saddle. It was all very humiliating, hearing them snicker snide comments as they urged their horses onto a fast canter.
You grabbed the horn of the saddle as tight as you could when Kirishima’s horse took off. They were right, they rode fast, and you were thankful you did know how to balance in a saddle or you would have surely fallen off. You glanced over your shoulder to see your house disappearing into the night the further you traveled and your heart ached.
“Hey,” Kirishima’s voice sounded from softly behind you, “let me take that out,” he said, referring to the bandana in your mouth.
You blinked and turned your head as he took his free hand off his thigh and pulled the golden bandana out of your mouth, and stuffed it into his saddlebag. “Thank you,” you muttered, just loud enough to be heard above the howling wind.
Kirishima gave you a curt nod, keeping his eyes forward as he gently maneuvered his horse around a large rock.
You sighed and tore your gaze away from the redhead and to the land that stretched in front of you. The sky was dark as ink with thousands of stars dotting the sky. The prairie in front of you was illuminated from the gentle light of the full moon. In the distance, you could see a thick tree line full of tall cedars and oak trees, their leaves swaying slightly from the warm summer breeze. It was a beautiful night.
Too bad you were being kidnapped.
Soon the prairie started to turn more into rocky hills and the horses slowed to a trot as you began to travel up a worn path that was spotted with juniper trees. A few stray deer leaped next to you causing the horse Kirishima was on to spook a little, but the outlaw sitting behind you kept you both steady in the saddle as he urged his horse forward. The night seemed to grow darker, but in the distance, you could make out a campfire and the silhouettes of a few other horses and some other people.
Your heart began to race in your chest at the thought of reaching their camp. What were they going to do with you? Tie you up? Starve you and drag you behind a horse? Surely, whatever Bakugou had planned for you, it was gonna be bad.
The glow from the fire was starting to grow brighter and brighter till you came to a stop. To your right there were three horses tied to an old log, one was grey, the other was bay, and the last was a deep sorrel. In front of you were two people, a man, and a woman. The man was cleaning his gun while he chewed on a stalk of sweet grass. He had long black hair that hung over his eyes. The woman looked to be about your age. She was sitting against a log, picking mud from the bottom of her boot with a stick. She had strawberry blond hair cut short and in the firelight, it almost looked pink.
“Well look what the cat dragged in,” the man said as he grinned. He had a wide grin, one that could be unsettling if he was not smiling at you with kindness.
“Better not have eaten all the damn food,” Bakugou scoffed as he dismounted his horse and tied his reins to a branch, “all that ridin’ got me hungry as hell”
“Well, we saved you some-” the woman began, but her golden eyes snapped to you, “you boy’s kidnapped a woman? That’s not like y’all.”
“It’s not like we planned on doin’ that,” Kirishima scoffed as he held your upper arm while you slid off his lap and landed on the ground. He followed suit and leaned down to whisper in your ear, “that’s Mina, stick by her. She won’t bite.”
You blinked up at Kirishima, surprised that this gruff man was being kind to you. You gave him a wobbly smile and he clapped you on the shoulder before turning around to tie his horse up and untack him.
Mina smiled as you gingerly made your way towards the fire, keeping your gaze locked on Bakugou’s broad shoulders because he had you spooked the most. Mina patted your knee when you sat down next to her and offered you another smile, “you look awfully dolled up, hope you don’t mind gettin’ your dress all muddy.”
“I don’t,” you replied meekly as you stretched your legs out, the dress scrunching up past your boots as you glanced around the campsite. It was mostly what you expected an outlaws campsite to be. A single cast iron pot and pan sat near the flames, and a few bedrolls were strewn about. They packed light, for obvious reasons.
“Looks like you came prepared,” Mina joked as she tapped the tip of your boot with hers. A nasty grin grew across her features as she locked eyes with Bakugou who roughly sat down on his bedroll, “caught a smart one, Kats.”
Bakugou lifted his gaze towards you, his red eyes were narrowed as he grabbed a roll from the cast iron pan in front of him. “Shut the hell up,” he snapped, cutting his gaze away from you and to Mina. “We’re not here to be friends,” he added as he yanked off his hat and tossed it next to him. “She’s leverage, that’s all. I don’t wanna hear another fuckin’ word from anyone else tonight.”
You listened as the rest of the group muttered to each other before settling into silence. The only sounds around you were the soft snorts from the horses, Kaminari snoring, and the loud buzz of the cicadas and crickets from the juniper trees around you. However, you were restless, squirming against the log as you tried to get comfortable.
Every once n’ awhile, Bakugou’s vermillion gaze would slide over to you between bites of his food. It unnerved you to know that he was watching you. It made you wonder what he was thinking. If he was planning on what to do with you. It also made you wonder why your father decided to even get involved with these outlaws? Why you? Why is Bakugou even offering to keep you alive for a month?
“The fuck you starin’ at,” Bakugou growled as he tore into another biscuit with his teeth. You had been watching him unknowingly for a while, and it was getting on his nerves.
You furrowed your brows, holding your tongue as he harshly swallowed his food. Once you averted your eyes you heard him click his tongue and huff. That shouldn’t have set you off, but after the night you had, your temper was more than short. “Why are you so damn mean?”
“Excuse me?” Bakugou replied, holding his biscuit mid-air.
A hand landed on your elbow and you looked over to see Mina was shaking her head at you. Her eyes were wide with a warning, but you didn’t care. You were smart enough to know how this was going to end for you, so really there was no reason to be scared of the prickly blonde sitting in front of you. “You heard me,” you said while rolling your eyes. “Why are you so mean? Actually better yet, was kidnapping the best thing you could think of? Do you think my father’s gonna dish out three grand for me? He’s a slimy man, you surely know that already.”
Bakugou’s upper lip twitched up into a sneer and he closed his fist over his biscuit. He was clearly pissed at you now. “You’re not makin’ a very good case for yourself. Don’t you wanna live?”
A pulse of adrenaline surged through your body at his response, but you played it off with an exaggerated shrug. “Obviously, but-”
“But what? You gotta plan? Know where your old man keeps an extra stash of cash?” Bakugou said, his voice deep with irritation.
“No,” you answered, and folded your arms over your chest, “but, if you’re such a good thief like the post makes you out to be then you would have gone for Monoma. His family owns practically half of the city down south and its money. Not to mention, you had Monoma in your hands and you let him go.” You paused to present your next part, hope fluttered in your chest at the thought of him biting off on your plan, “so naturally, it makes sense for you to just take me back and take-”
“I’m not bringin’ you back,” Bakugou interrupted as he harshly ran a hand through his messy hair.
“Why not?” you shot back, eyes wide with disbelief, “Monoma is a much better hostage.”
“Hostage,” Bakugou huffed and rolled his eyes before settling his gaze back on yours, “look, princess, I don’t fuckin’ care what plan you’ve cooked up. I’m doin’ this my way and that’s final. I don’t wanna hear another word from that mouth of yours, got it?”
You pressed your lips together in anger and huffed through your nose before giving him a curt nod. It was obvious you weren’t going to get anywhere with him. But that didn’t mean you wouldn’t stop trying.
“Good” Bakugou grumbled as he stood to his feet and grabbed his bedroll. “Nobody fuckin’ wake me up unless somethin’ bad is happening.”
The group around you muttered some words before watching Bakugou saunter away from earshot and lay down.
“He’s sure in a mood,” Mina said with a snort as she yanked out a blanket from the backpack next to her and handed it to you. “You better head off to bed, doll. I’m sure he’ll be up in a few to piss and he won’t wanna look at your face.”
“He’s so mean,” you muttered, mostly to yourself, as you glanced towards the black starch of his shirt that was partially covered by an army green blanket.
“He’s an outlaw,” the dark-haired man said, hearing your quiet words. He set down his pistol and looked at you with a crooked grin, “and you’re the mayor’s prissy daughter. You’re annoying.”
“I don’t think you’re annoying,” Mina reassured you, “Sero’s just bein’ a dick. We’re just from different worlds, doll.”
You frowned, obviously offended, “I’m not prissy.”
“And I don’t have black hair,” Sero scoffed. “It’s just facts.”
“Y’know, I work too,” you began, feeling heat rise to your face. “I know how to ride and rope, just like y’all.”
“That pretty dress and hair-do aren’t helpin’ your case,” Kirishima said as he took a large gulp from his waterskin.
“Well,” Kaminari began as he rolled over, clearly awake now, “the boots help a little. Maybe we’ll put ya on Red over there and see if you can keep up.” Kaminari laughed as he looked over at the large sorrel gelding behind him.
You clenched your teeth, “you’re gonna eat those words.” The group snickered, making snide comments at your confidence which gave you an excuse to leave the group. You gave Mina a fleeting smile and walked away from the fire and spread the blanket down on the ground. With a soft sigh, you laid down and gazed up at the stars.
Granted you wanted to get away from your house, but not like this. You gazed up at the stars listening to the other chat softly, the fire crackling, and the horse quietly chuffing to one another from where they were tied. It was almost peaceful, but it wasn’t.
You just wanted to go home to see your sisters and even your screaming nephews and nieces. With a silent sigh, you rolled over on your side and tried to get some sleep.
------------
A sharp poke to your ribs had you sitting up from a dead sleep with an alarmed gasp. You blinked, heart racing as laughter rang in your ears. With bleary eyes, you looked up to see Bakugou staring you down with a nasty grin.
“Rise n’ shine, princess, we’re going,” Bakugou said as he roughly placed his boot back on the ground, causing loose dirt to plume up into your face.
You grumbled and stood to your feet, brushing off the dirt from your hands. Your dress now looked terrible, and you felt a pang of sadness pull at your heart. You never liked dresses like this, but this was the last reminder of your sister, and now Bakugou put his dirty boots all over it.
“Quit makin’ that face, you gotta change anyway,” Bakugou said, obviously picking up on your dampened mood.
“What am I supposed to change into?” you asked, meeting his scarlet gaze. He was tall and almost cast you in his shadow as the sun rose from behind him.
Bakugou’s lips lifted into a smile as he flipped his cowboy hat on his head, “dunno darlin’ just be ready in a few, and where we’re headed that dress will catch too much attention.”
Your eyes widened as he snickered at you before turning away to tack up his horse. The nerve he had. He was so infuriating.
“Hey,” Mina’s soft voice cut into your violent thoughts, “I’ve got an extra pair of jeans and a shirt you can use.”
"Thank you so much, I owe you one," you said truthfully, feeling very thankful for Mina at the moment.
Mina’s smile grew larger, “I’ll certainly hold you to that, honey.” She gave you a wink as he walked towards her saddlebag and tossed you a pair of worn jeans and a forest green starch shirt that had leather patches on the elbows.
You gave her a small smile as you quickly made your way towards a thicket of cedar trees and practically ripped your dress off and changed as quickly as you could. You couldn’t trust anyone here and you had no idea what sort of morals these guys had, they were criminals after all.
With one last final tug on the top of your boots, you straightened and walked back out into the clearing to see that Kirishima was walking towards you with the large sorrel gelding you saw earlier last night.
“Here,” Kirishima said as he handed you the reins, glancing over his shoulder to look at Bakugou then back at you. “You’re gonna wanna get on before Bakugou sees me handin’ you the reins.”
“What?” you said, confusion evident on your features. Why was he giving you a horse? Obviously, anyone with a brain would not give their hostage a way to escape. You gingerly took the worn leather reins in your hand and looked up at the towering man in front of you.
Kirishima glanced back at Bakugou who was now picking his horse’s hooves, his back was still to you both. “Look,” Kirishima began in a low voice, “we’re headin’ to a seedy town where Bakugou’s gonna drop you off with a harsher crowd. These two guys don’t mess around and I don’t believe in hurting women so get on and go.”
“Kirishima,” you began, fear knotting in your stomach. This was your chance but you knew how talented Bakugou was with his pistol, it would take him one bullet to take you down. Even though this was your chance, the fear of him chasing you was almost too much. “I don’t think I can.”
“You have too, Dabi and Shigaraki have no morals like we do. It won’t be pretty. Don’t worry, your plan to get Monoma was good, he’ll try and nab that weasel, okay?”
You nodded and quickly placed the reins over your horse's head and got into the saddle. You gave Kirishima a quick nod before you urged your horse forward with the click of your tongue. “Get,” you hissed and pressed your heel into the outside flank of your horse. The red gelding let out a loud whine before he took off, tearing across the bare strip of prairie you came from.
--------------
At the sound of one of his horse's neighing and quick hoofbeats, Bakugou immediately turned around. There you were tearing across the prairie, he glowered, “you shit, Kirishima. Why did you do that?” he said as he quickly mounted his horse.
Kirishima looked towards his best friend, “you know I don’t like hurtin’ women Katsuki, and you were gonna bring her to The League.”
“I wasn’t gonna do that dip shit,” Bakugou snapped as he kicked his horse's sides, “was gonna bring her to fuckin’ Deku!” he shouted angrily as he took off after you.
Kirishima’s shoulder slumped, “oh, Deku…”
“You really screwed the pooch this time, man,” Kaminari said with a small laugh as he squinted, “well I’ll be damned, sister really can ride, thought she was lyin’.”
“Guess not,” Sero added with a chuckle.
--------------
You leaned forward a bit in the saddle as you gripped the mane of your horse as he sped up when you reached a small hill. With a panicked breath, you glanced behind you to see that Bakugou was hot on your tail using the lasso in his hand to whip his horse's backside, and it seemed to be working because he was gaining on you fast.
“Shit,” you muttered, fear creeping into your arms and legs, making you stiff in your saddle. You glanced around the area to see that there was another section of woods up ahead that you could lose him in so you steered your horse that way.
“Oi!” Bakugou shouted, his voice carrying on the wind, “you’re bein’ a dumbass!”
You flipped him the bird, which probably wasn’t your smartest idea, but you weren’t thinking clearly right now. As the woods grew nearer you slowed your horse to a fast lope as you weaved through the trees, some of the branches cutting at your cheeks. After a good while, you glanced behind you to see that Bakugou was nowhere in sight and you sighed.
You had lost him.
With a small smile, you slowed your horse to a trot as you meandered through the woods trying to figure out the best path to go to head back home. You would probably have to wait till night to find the north star since your home was always south of it. Right now though, you thought it was best to find water for you and your horse since he just carried you across a long distance at an incredible speed.
“Thanks, bud,” you said with a small smile as you patted the side of his neck while searching for a stream. About a good twenty minutes of wandering later you finally found a stream in a small open field in the middle of the forest. It was pretty with lots of long sweet grass and wildflowers. With one final glance around you dismounted your horse and lead him to the stream where he greedily begins drinking making you chuckle. “Sorry buddy, I’m sure it’s been a while since you’ve run that much.”
Then, of course, to you’re luck that damn raspy voice you dreaded spoke from the thicket of trees in front of you, “that fat fuck has just been grazing for two months straight, surprised he even ran for your spoiled ass,” Bakugou growled as he erupted from the treeline on his horse who was looking rather spooked.
You screamed, spooking your horse up into a rear while Bakugou pulled out his lasso and spurred his horse to leap across the stream as you started to run.
“Don’t think so!” he snapped as he quickly got the lasso around your waist and yanked hard, causing you to fall on your face.
You let out a soft cry as your face met the grass and you heard Bakugou get off of his horse and stomp towards you, yanking the rope around your sides making you hiss.
“Stop whining you brat,” Bakugou hissed as he yanked you up and to your surprise pressed his pistol beneath your chin.
“Thought you said you wanted to keep me around,” you said through gritted teeth as you stared at him down.
“Startin’ to think I made a mistake,” Bakugou sneered as he turned the safety off. “Don’t like my investment’s runnin’ off or bein’ a piece of work.”
You blinked, angry that tears were starting to threaten to spill down your cheeks as he pressed his pistol harder into the flesh under your chin, “then do it.”
Bakugou kept his gaze steady on you for a few painstakingly long moments before pulling his pistol back and placing it into its holder on his waist, “get up.”
“Not gonna blow my head off?” you snapped, at times you wondered if your sharp tongue was sometimes too much. Right now, it just might be.
“Don’t test me, I’m not in the mood,” Bakugou grumbled as he yanked you to your feet, impatient with how slow you were getting to your feet. He turned around and let out a low growl upon discovery that both of your horses had spooked and had run off into the woods somewhere together...hopefully, “well look at that, see that, princess,” Bakugou snapped roughly grabbing your chin and yanking your head towards the woods, “if you wouldn’t have pulled that stunt we would still have our horses and be in town by now and you’d be all cozy in a nice little cabin with a nice little sheriff.”
You snorted, “it wasn’t my fault the horses ran, you had to make a grand entrance? Plus, Kirishima told me you were gonna hand me off to men who were known to hurt women, so of course I wasn’t gonna stay if I didn’t have to,” you argued.
Bakugou let go of your chin and now placed his hand around the rope tied around your body and yanked you next to him as he began his trek into the woods, “wasn’t gonna give you to those assholes. I don’t hurt women either,” he explained a little more calmly, “none of us do.”
“Right,” you said sarcastically, “says the guy who just held a pistol to my head.”
Bakugou huffed as he glanced at you out of the corner of his eye, “just tryna break you in a little. You have a lot of spirit. It’s annoying as hell.”
You snorted and shook your head, “whatever.”
Bakugou didn’t talk for a good while as you both wandered the forest looking for your horses who had apparently traveled quite far together. In the time you had traveled the sun had risen high into the sky and was starting its descent towards the horizon. During this entire time, you refused to talk, which was fine with Bakugou since he didn’t talk a lot either. However, you did observe him closely.
Occasionally he would stop and squat to the ground to look at the tracks your horses made in the soft dirt from earlier. Or he would see some sort of berry on your walk and snatch some of it off a bush, grumbling to himself when it would stain his fingers. He sometimes would look back at you, whether he was checking if you were okay was beyond you...he probably wasn’t though. You also heard him ramble under his breath about your stupid fat horse spooking, or that he was hungry.
You blinked slowly as you watched Bakugou pluck some horse hair from a thorny bramble patch and inspect it before tugging you along behind him. You were growing weak though, it had been hours since you both started walking and you were tired, dirty, and thirsty now. Granted it’s not like you wanted to bring up your current condition to him, knowing he would tell you off. However, at this rate, you knew you weren’t going to last much longer. With a sigh, you gave in, “Bakugou?”
“What?” he said, his voice clipped with irritation as he pushed past a branch that slapped you in the face causing you to let out a whine.
“Can we find a stream? I’m thirsty.”
“No,” Bakugou replied in a steely tone as he yanked harshly on your rope. A soft grunt from you caused him to turn his head and he rolled his eyes seeing you on the ground. God, you were so weak. Just like fucking, Deku. “Get up.”
“If I had my hands and thighs untied, I could,” you shot back, looking up at him from the dirt.
Bakugou let out a heavy sigh before roughly yanking you up by the collar of your shirt. He narrowed his eyes at you, he had to admit you did look pretty dehydrated. “Here, be quick,” he grumbled as he pulled out his waterskin and held it up to your lips. “I wanna find those horses before sundown.”
You didn’t even nod before you started drinking, instantly feeling better but a little nervous as his eyes never left your face as you sucked down probably half of his water before he pulled it away and took a swig before tying it back on his belt.
“C’mon,” he said quietly as he yanked you back up and continued walking.
------------
Luck ended up being on your side, well sort of. Bakugou did end up tracking the horses down before the sun set, but he wasn’t too happy about where they ended up. Both horses were currently tied to a chuckwagon where a group of soldiers were camping for the night. They were obviously traveling west towards a new base that you had heard about from the post the other day. Granted you would have been elated to have found soldiers, but now you were with one of the most wanted outlaws in the country, so you figured they wouldn’t even spare you a glance and gun you down too just for being with him.
“Well that’s fuckin’ great,” Bakugou hissed as he crouched by a large elm tree watching some soldiers mess with his horses and his tack.
“Maybe they’ll let them go? Or bring them to town since they’re lost?” you offered quietly from next to him.
“They won’t do that, they’re not branded. Those bastards will take them to their fucking base and turn them into military horses. Damn it,” Bakugou said as he curled his hand that was resting against the bark of the tree into a fist. He gave you one menacing glare before looking back towards his horses.
“Stop glarin’ at me,” you began, slightly irritated, “we both know it was your fault they ran off.”
“I swear to god, if you sass me one more time, I’m gonna throw you out into that camp as a diversion and leave you with those assholes,” Bakugou said seriously as he ran a hand over his face in frustration.
You rolled your eyes and then proceeded to sit down because you figured you weren’t going anywhere for a while. Which was perfectly fine with you, you were exhausted after walking all day.
Bakugou’s scarlet gaze cut back to you and then to the camp again before a devious grin began to grow across his face, “actually, that was not a bad idea. You would make good bait.”
“I don’t think so,” you quickly responded, shaking your head roughly, “I don’t wanna be bait.”
“Too bad, princess, you’ve got no choice. Now here’s the plan, okay? Listen closely. You can play bait and come back with me or you can stay with these doofuses and I’ll go nab one of your sisters from back home, yeah?” Good thing, ole Richy has plenty of daughters,” Bakugou threatened, hoping he had convinced you not to stay with the military, even though that was the best option for you.
“You’re kidding, you can’t take any of my sisters,” you hissed.
“I can and I will,” Bakugou snapped as he rose to his feet, “now go out there and put on a good pout, those men are starving for a pretty thing like you,” he said with a predatory grin before practically tossing you out of the bushes.
Your cheeks were hot with embarrassment at his comment as you stumbled out of the bushes and landed right in the middle of the camp with a huff.
“Holy!” one of the soldiers shouted, jumping to his feet, his purple bowler hat tumbling off his head, “the heck did you come from lady?”
“Um, um,” you panicked, your breath coming out in quick pants as you watched Bakugou dart behind the wagon towards your horses, “um I was kidnapped by this outlaw I-”
“Golly, are you Y/n L/n?” one of the soldiers who was snacking on a pastry asked, “you’ve been all over the post down in these parts!”
The soldier with the purple bowler hat blinked as he approached you slowly and helped you up. He certainly wasn’t subtle with looking you over, “good thing you landed in our laps, we can take good care of you, get you back home?”
“Mineta,” another soldier with a bandana over his mouth hissed, “leave her alone, the corporal won’t be happy to hear you’re bein’ a pervert again!”
“I’m not,” Mineta purred as he undid your ropes around your body, “she needs help.”
“Golly,” the other soldier with a pastry sighed.
You cringed as you wiggled out of Mineta’s grasp, “I’m okay, thanks though-”
“You sure? Got cut up pretty badly,” Mineta began as he reached out towards your face.
You squinted and gave him a tight-lipped smile, “really it’s fine.” You glanced around for Bakugou only to see that the horses were gone and that meant he left you. That asshole, and now he was gonna go after your sisters. Suddenly hands were on your face and you flinched while the other soldiers besides the one with the pastry and the bandana on his mouth hooted at Mineta.
“Fucking disgusting,” a familiar voice rasped from behind you and suddenly there was a gunshot.
You flinched as blood splattered on your face and Mineta crumpled to the ground holding his shoulder as he cried out. Before you could even register what was happening you were being hoisted up onto Bakugou’s horse as shots rang through the air.
One bullet whizzed by your cheek and you quickly buried your face into Bakugou’s back as he spurred his horse on with yours galloping next to him from being tied to the horn of his saddle. You flinched again as Bakugou shot his pistol and you instinctively wrapped your arms around his torso as he took a tight turn going back towards the camp.
“Don’t fucking mess with my horses!” Bakugou shouted once more before shooting another round into the camp before taking off across the prairie as the sun dipped down below the horizon.
After a good while of riding, Bakugou slowed his horse down to a walk as he started to ascend up a mountain trail. He stiffened feeling your arms tighten around him when his horse tripped and he glanced at you over his shoulder to see that you still had your face pressed into his back. “Geez,” he began, “loosen up, yeah?”
You lifted your head and loosened your grip on his waist, averting your gaze from him, “sorry.”
“Sorry?” Bakugou scoffed as he turned to get a better look at you. Your face was splattered with blood and you had a gnarly cut on your cheek from where a bullet had grazed your face. He sighed, “don’t tell me that got you all scared.”
You looked up into his scarlet red eyes that were hardened and desensitized to violence and you shook your head.
“Good,” Bakugou said with a curt nod before turning back around. He lightly pulled back on his reins to get his horse to stop and quickly dismounted before tying up his horse and yours to a tree, “we’ll stay here tonight and meet up with the others tomorrow in town.”
You nodded and glanced around at your surroundings, there was a small creek babbling to your right and a deep cave on the side of the cliff you had been riding by for a while to your left. Bakugou had already moved towards the cave and started a small fire in front of it by the time you had wandered over to it.
To be honest, now you are scared. The reality of what has happened to you so far has really set in and you realized the actual dangers of being around someone as dangerous as Bakugou. You knew your dad would never cough up the money he owed Bakugou, which made you question what he would do with you once the month was up.
Bakugou shifted a bit on the log he was sitting on as he watched you play with your fingers obviously deep in thought. You were acting differently. Not like he cared. Why would he care, you’re his insurance for three grand, that’s all.
Yet a small nagging voice in the back of his head softly reminded him that you were a human, a person. You had feelings, and you were probably scared and hurting.
You blinked, examining the dried blood beneath your nails as you continued to ponder about where your life was headed until you heard Bakugou stand up, and then to your surprise he sat down next to you.
“Look at me,” Bakugou said in a gruff voice.
You blinked again, weighing his words. What was he gonna do?
“Look at me dumbass,” Bakugou snapped impatiently.
With a sigh, you glanced up at him to see he was watching you with narrowed eyes, “what?”
“Just stay still,” he said with a scoff as he yanked off the burnt orange bandana around his neck and then wet the tip of it with some water from his waterskin. He then looked back at you and used two knuckles to gently turn your face to get a better look at the deeper cut on your cheek from the bullet that grazed you.
Your eyes were wide with shock as Bakugou gently dabbed at the cut on your face. It stung like hell, but you were so surprised at his actions that you remained still. “What are you doing?” you asked after finally getting over your initial shock.
“Cleaning your wound, can’t have my investment get an infection,” Bakugou muttered, his vermillion gaze quickly snapping to yours before moving back to your cut he was cleaning
You nodded, turning your gaze away from him not daring to look at him. He was too close. Way too close. Your gaze shifted back to his face as he continued to dab at your wound. It only struck you then how handsome he was. Despite having dirt speckled on his cheeks, you could tell he had a light dusting of freckles over his nose. He had dark eyebrows that made you wonder why his hair was so blonde? But what stuck out to you the most were his eyes. They were a deep scarlet red that reminded you of dying sparks from a fire.
You were drawn out of your thoughts when you noticed Bakugou was about to spread some plant he had been chewing on while you were in thought over your cut. “Whoa!” you began, leaning away from him, “what is that?”
“Yarrow,” Bakugou explained, as he forcibly placed his free hand on the back of your head and held you steady while he spread the pulp over your cut, “helps with infection,” he finished as he wiped his thumb on the side of his jeans, “go get some sleep, we’re riding early tomorrow. Got a long way till town.”
You watched as he quickly moved away from you to get his bedroll and untack both horses. “You don’t think I’m gonna run away while you’re sleeping?” you challenged, surprised that he was granting you so much freedom.
Bakugou gave you a sideways glance, “I’m not stupid, princess, and neither are you. You know better than to run now.”
You rose an eyebrow at him. He was right, you wouldn’t run because he practically told you he had plenty of sisters to kidnap, not to mention you wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to grab one of your nephews or nieces too. You let out a huff as you turned away from him and stretched out on the soft summer grass.
Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day for you.
