Chapter Text
As Ochako takes in the trading post’s sad excuse for a saloon, she figures there are worse places to be shot at. She purses her lips and ignores the cold ache in her gloved fingers. In the mountain’s shadow, she’s already freezing.
In order for this to work, everything needs to be perfect.
The overcast sky indicates the season’s first snow is almost here. Her target has led her to the edge of civilization and if he slips past her again, Ochako will have to wait until the spring thaw to track him down. Again.
She’s never been this far into the foothills before. The mountains are unfamiliar territory, especially during the cold months. And he knows this.
But, she’s out of time.
“Bastard,” Ochako mutters. Her horse neighs in response and she could swear it has a hint of reproach in its tone. She sighs and checks to make sure Mochi’s reins are securely tied to the saloon’s rickety hitching post. “I know, I know. Just because I catch criminals doesn’t mean I need to sound like them.”
Once she’s satisfied with her rope work, she casts a sideways glance towards the only other horse tied here. His horse. She knows this because she spent all night and morning waiting for him to show his face. It’s been maybe fifteen minutes since he strolled into the saloon, plenty of time for him to have gotten a drink and let his guard down.
Ochako won’t take any chances. She approaches the ancient-looking mare, hands up and making gentle shushing sounds. A nervous, jumpy type. She can’t have been his top choice. Ochako is able to quiet her with some neck pats before double-knotting her tied reins.
Try getting out of that one, asshole.
She does one last inspection of her saddlebags. Her cleaned and loaded pistol rests in its rightful place on her belt. Now, all that’s left is a silent prayer. “Right.” Ochako gives Mochi a final wink. “Wish me luck, girl.”
Today is the day, can feel it. This bounty is hers. She steels herself and enters the building.
The inside is dark and dingy. It’s a poorly lit room partially obscured by tobacco smoke. There’s a handful of men dispersed around the bar and rickety tables, all as dirty and worn as Ochako. The lone bartender merely raises an eyebrow at the sole woman in his establishment but makes no other move to acknowledge her.
Before Ochako can take another step, she’s met with a patronizing laugh. The familiar rasp makes her blood boil. “There she is!”
Katsuki Bakugou, the infamous outlaw known as Dynamite, is situated in the back right corner with his feet kicked up on a table and a whiskey in hand. To Ochako’s ire, there’s another drink set by the empty chair across from him, already poured. “I was wondering how long you were gonna keep me waiting.”
She schools a neutral expression and ignores the curious onlookers. Katsuki makes a show of resting his hands behind his head, grin only widening with each step she takes towards him. The light reflecting off the table’s dirty oil lamp exaggerates his canines. He may appear carefree about her arrival, but Ochako knows better. There’s a sharp gleam in his eye that tells her he’s analyzing her every move.
He waits until she reaches him to speak again. “It’s been a while, Cheeks—”
“Katsuki Bakugou, you are wanted for the murder of Musutafu County’s Marshal plus multiple accounts of theft spanning from livestock to personal property—”
He lets out a slight huff, not even bothering to hide his exasperation. “You seriously gonna do this every time?”
“—armed robbery, assault, and general disturbance of the peace.” Ochako holds his gaze while producing handcuffs. “I’m here to bring you in so you can stand trial and face justice for all the hardships you’ve caused.”
She hears the bartender’s groan. “Bakugou, you didn’t say your lady friend was law enforcement.”
So, he’s been here long enough to make friends with the locals. That also explains why he’s dressed for the weather. “Because she ain’t,” Katsuki shoots back, eyes never leaving hers. His garnet stare is searing. “Not until she brings me in. Then the bastards in charge just have to take you seriously. Isn’t that right, Cheeks?”
Ochako isn’t fazed. “It’s the end of the line, Dynamite. There’s nowhere else to run.”
One of the men at the bar turns his head. “You’re tellin’ me Bakugou over there is the Dynamite? The devil who blew that Marshal’s head clean off his shoulders right in front of his wife?”
“And I’d do it again.” Katsuki’s grin sharpens. “Bastard had it coming.”
The bartender indicates with his chin to the mounted shotgun behind him. “Might I remind y’all, I don’t give two damns about who did what in which city. There’s no fighting in my bar.”
Katsuki shrugs. “Who says we’re fighting? Come on, Cheeks.” He gestures towards the empty chair. “Sit with me a while and catch up. Already poured you a drink and everything.”
Sneering isn’t professional, but it doesn’t stop her from wanting to. She can’t stand his type. Former golden boys from affluent families whose only reason to break the law is for the indulgence of it. Even when he can’t sink any lower, he still holds himself higher than God. There’s nothing sincere in his actions. It’s all arrogance. “We can catch up all you want on our way to Musutafu.”
“I always find it so flattering that you want to take me in alive.” He leans back further in his chair. “Makes me feel so special.”
Ochako’s eyes narrow. “Seeing as it’s upon the personal request of Deputy Midoriya, I’d say he’s the one you should be flattered by.”
Katsuki’s smile is gone. “So, he finally made deputy, huh?” It’s like he’s saying it to himself. He abruptly lowers his arms and she starts a little, still on her guard even if it was just so he can down the rest of his whiskey. “Though, it sounds like he’s still too soft.”
The cocky facade is more subdued than she’s ever seen it. It’s strange. She isn’t sure what compels her to say it, but she does. “It’s because he thinks you’re innocent.”
“Well, he needs to cut that shit out before it gets him demoted. I’m guilty and I’ll always be guilty.” Katsuki grabs the opened bottle by the lamp and pours himself another drink. “You never told me you were here on his orders.”
“I’m not.” If she didn’t know any better, she’d say he looks sad. But, it’s all an act. Dynamite is infamous for his lack of remorse, something he makes sure she always remembers. “Your bounty’s always been mine, I was just the only one who would hear him out before I left.”
He scoffs. “As if you’re a real bounty hunter to begin with.”
She’s no stranger to the surge of anger that particular jab brings out. No matter how many criminals she brings in, the men in power refuse to acknowledge her. Katsuki’s her ticket to finally making them listen. Ochako’s hand rests on her pistol, eyes flashing. “Insult me all you want. You’re just mad that this fake bounty hunter has been the only one capable of tracking you.”
“Fucking relax, it’s a compliment.”
He hesitates a moment before pouring more into the already-filled glass. “Humor me, Cheeks. I’ll be happy to confess every crime I’ve committed and more.”
“I don’t buy this nonchalant act for a second.”
Katsuki gives her a look. “I paid for this bottle and I’m not leaving till it’s empty. You can’t cuff me until we’re outside, so you’re stuck either way. Think of it as a reward for finding me.” He takes another sip, an edge entering his voice. “Again.”
Keeping her eyes on him, she drags the empty chair from across the table to directly in front of the door. It brings her closer to him, but at least now the fastest escape route is blocked. Ochako crosses her arms and refuses the drink pushed in front of her. “Now there,” he coos, “was that so bad?”
He’s met with a blank stare. If Katsuki wants a reaction, she’s not giving it.
“Did you know you’re the first woman I’ve ever seen in pants?”
“Quit the flirting.”
In any other circumstance, Katsuki’s sideways grin would be devastating. “You call this flirting?”
Ochako from a year ago would’ve been immediately disarmed by his charm. The winding scar up her forearm is a constant reminder to never fall for it. Again. Outlaws shouldn’t be allowed to be this handsome.
She casts an unimpressed frown. “I call this stalling.”
The grin no longer reaches his eyes. “Can’t it be both?”
Something’s different. It’s been a few months since they’ve last seen each other. He’s a little thinner, shadows under his eyes more pronounced. It’s been a few weeks since he’s had a proper shave and there’s a tightness in his shoulders he can’t quite hide.
Dynamite’s a vain outlaw. He’s very deliberate in the image he likes to portray, with every one of their encounters a grand show that only feeds into his reputation. This isn’t his typical appearance at all.
Ochako leans back. Huh. “You were really trying to shake me this time.”
“A prairie girl has no place in these mountains.” She’s surprised to hear reproach in his tone. “Thought you’d be smarter than to follow me in here, but apparently I overestimated your survival skills.”
It’s a weak deflection at best. “Well, that’s the thing about us prairie girls, Dynamite. We’re as stubborn as they come.”
In his glare, there’s a shadow of concern that throws her. He puts his feet back on the floor and leans forward. “Stupid is more like it. You can’t be this desperate to turn me in, Cheeks. Just use your head and wait until spring to start bothering me again.”
Ochako rears her head back. “Are you…chastizing me?”
He shrugs. “I thought we’d be in agreement to resume this little game after we both took a rest!”
“Game?”
Katsuki found the right button to push. He shrugs again and raises the glass to his lips. “There are easier ways to tell a guy you like ‘em other than chasing him around the frontier, but hey, I’m having a good time.”
“You’re so full of shit,” Ochako hisses.
“Oi, language, Officer Cheeks—”
She whips out her hunting knife and stabs the table. “I’m done entertaining this. If you think for a second I actually enjoy your company, you have another thing coming. You’re just some spoiled little boy that grew into a rotten man who is finally going to answer for the crimes he’s committed. I’m not your sweetheart. I’m your jailer.”
His eyes are on the knife, jaw clenching. The air between them changes into something familiar. Tense. Charged. “Cheeks,” he says, voice low, “I’m giving you one last warning. Leave me the fuck alone.”
Neither have blinked. Ochako doesn’t budge. “Present your wrists, Dynamite.”
Katsuki’s lax pose is a facade. Her fingers itch to grab her gun, but she barely dares to breathe, knowing the slightest movement will set him off.
He regards her for a moment, expression blank. “Fine.”
Katsuki flips the table and knocks her straight on her back. “Shit!”
Ochako scrambles to get up just in time to see him dash out the door. “Shit!”
She let her guard down without even realizing it. It fills her with a frantic rage as she wrenches her knife from the table. The bartender’s angry I said no fighting in my bar is ignored, the only thing Ochako is focusing on is the hope that her double-knot on his horse’s reins worked and bought her a few seconds.
She barrels through the entrance just in time to see Katsuki leaping onto her horse. She’d been so focused on ruining his getaway, she hadn’t considered he may take hers instead. Ochako freezes only a moment before reaching for her gun. “S-Stop right there!”
But he’s already galloping away. “See you in the spring, Cheeks!” Katsuki’s back is to her as he throws her a salute. “And thanks for the horse!”
She cocks her pistol and aims straight at him, glare piercing. But her hand won’t steady, and she’s too attached to Mochi to risk shooting her by mistake. With each second, he’s getting further and further away.
Ochako makes a decision.
She stashes her pistol and turns towards the old mare still tied to the post. She’s stupid, she’s so stupid, it’s all Ochako can think about as she works to undo the knots.
Of course he’d go for her horse! It’s so sloppy of her, she could cry. She’s barely running on any sleep and it’s starting to show.
The older horse is difficult to calm. Ochako has to pull out every trick in her arsenal to get the nervous thing to stand still. She grits her teeth and releases the reins with a furious yank. After that, it’s another few desperate moments of getting the horse to cooperate and chase after her target.
The road Katsuki takes out of town can barely be qualified as a road. Ochako is as fast as she can while working around loose rock in the ground, navigating through what quickly turns into thick forest. She ascends through the trees and allows the mountain to swallow her whole.
The sky has darkened to an oppressive grey and she ignores the sharp bite of the dry, cold air. Ochako can still fix this. While a distance away, Katsuki is within sight. She can still catch up to him before he gets too deep, can still turn this around before the snow comes. She will not let this be the end. It can’t be the end.
She can’t return empty-handed once again. Can’t.
He and Mochi hop over a log and then disappear. She can’t see them anymore. Ochako kicks her heels in and forces her horse to go faster, the poor thing letting out nervous squeals every chance she can get. Ochako attempts to give her neck a comforting pat as they charge forward. “You will get so many apples and treats after this, girl, I promise.”
The path takes a turn and leads Ochako up a ravine. Katsuki has to be on the other side. The horse stumbles a bit against loose rock and Ochako encourages her forward. So close—
They make it to the top of the ravine before Ochako has to halt them to a screeching stop. A steep incline reveals a wide stream at its base. Another step would have them tumbling in. The horse startles and bucks, but she refuses to let them fall. “Easy girl, easy!”
“Turn back, prairie girl.”
Katsuki is somehow on the other side, sitting dry and pretty on Mochi. Ochako glances around with a scowl. “How did you get across so quickly?”
It’s not that deep, but falling into that freezing water in this weather would be almost certain death. He lifts his chin in defiance. “These hills are my home now, there ain’t nothing I don’t know about them.” His eyes narrow. “Unlike you. Who I thought would be smart enough not to follow with a shitty horse. So, do us both a favor and turn your ass around before you kill yourself.”
“You bastard, give Mochi back!” she snaps.
Katsuki pats Mochi’s neck and shoots her a smug grin. His breath is like billowing smoke in the cold. “I don’t know any dumb horse named Mochi. I have here with me my newest partner, Gunpowder.”
“Gunpowder?” Ochako sees red. “How dare you—Mochi is my horse, she’s been my horse for years and you can’t—”
The sight of a cocked pistol stops her. Katsuki’s grin is gone, his hand steady as he aims straight at her. “I can do whatever the hell I want. And you,” he says, “have two choices.”
Ochako knows he’d shoot her before she could even reach for her gun. Her horse gives another anxious whinny as her frustration builds. “The only choice I have is to take you in and get Mochi back.”
Katsuki opens his mouth just as a snowflake delicately lands on the barrel of his pistol. They both stare at it. Ochako slowly outstretches her hand and another melts into her palm. Snowfall has finally come. It’s dead silent.
His jaw tightens. “You have two choices,” he starts, voice low. “Either you leave now, or I shoot.”
She tightens her grip on the reins. This isn’t the first time he’s pulled a gun on her, but it will be the last. “Why even give me the option, Dynamite?” She’s scanning their surroundings as she talks. There has to be a way across. “Why not just shoot me now? Once I’m gone, you’re free.”
Ochako can see him grinding his teeth. “It’s a fair trade,” he says. “Your life for your horse. You’d be stupid not to take it.”
She narrows her eyes and takes him in. His brows are knit in anxiety, not anger. His thumb is lax on the trigger. Despite having all this time to finish her off, he’s stalling.
It dawns on her. He isn’t alone.
Ochako whips her head around and searches for any sign of movement. Her heart is pounding. “Where are they?”
Confusion colors Katsuki’s expression. “Where’s who?”
Her nervous energy is rubbing off on her already nervous horse, but she can’t help it. “The reason you aren’t shooting right now. There’s someone else here.”
“What the fuck are you talking about—”
He’s always worked alone, but he must’ve figured out that meant every encounter of theirs always ends in a draw. Including another accomplice would tip the scale in Katsuki’s favor.
Ochako can’t believe she fell for it. “Was this your plan all along? Lead me out into the wilderness so your accomplice can shoot me in the back?”
Katsuki barks out an incredulous laugh. “Where the hell did you come up with that?”
“What else would explain your stalling?” she demanded.
Something flits behind his eyes as he swallows. “I’m not fucking stalling.”
“Well, I’m not fucking falling for it.” Ochako risks it. She grabs her pistol at lightning speed and tries to keep her heart from flying out of her chest. “I’m not going down that easy.”
He gnashes his teeth. “Fuck, Cheeks, stop—”
She cocks her gun and he doesn’t give her the chance to shoot. He fires a shot that whizzes by her left ear. It’s all it takes for her horse to lose it.
“Ah!”
Ochako is bucked off in record time. She lands hard on the ground and can’t recover in time to keep from falling into the ravine. She barely hears Katsuki’s yell before tumbling straight into the freezing water.
The stream is deeper than she thought. Ochako’s entire body is submerged and it panics on instinct. The cold is a punch to the chest that causes her to accidentally inhale what feels like straight fire.
She can’t breathe, even as she desperately breaks through the surface to cough. Shock is causing her to lose consciousness. Her body is on fire. The last thing she registers as her vision dims is another splash and the vague annoyance that out of the two of them, Ochako is dying first.